Touring a Fairfax County Elementary School
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Anonymous
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We recently moved to a neighborhood in the Silverbrook ES. Our child will be starting kindergarten there in 2 years. I will be trying to decide between private and public kindergarten. Do you know if you can visit a Fairfax County ES during school hours for a tour?
Thanks for any help you can provide. |
Anonymous
| Tours are okay with some principals and not okay with other principals. Best bet is to check directly with the school. |
Anonymous
| Also, I would phrase your interest in the school for all grades although maybe you can ask just to speak with a kindergarten teacher or something like that. Saying you're just considering private kindergarten sounds a little like you just don't trust that particular public school grade. |
Anonymous
| The private school we applied to wanted our acceptance answer (and non-refundable deposit) in March of the year that DC was starting K in the fall. We called our local public school and told them exactly our situation - said we wanted to tour the school before deciding. They didn't blink an eye- set up an appt with the principal who totally impressed us - we opted for the public school. Anyway to PP's point- I don't see why the public school would be offended that you are trying decide between public and private- its a big decision for many families. |
Anonymous
| Just understand that public elementary schools don't have an admissions director, so they don't have the time like privates to give you such a bells and whistles tour. I found that going to a PTA meeting answered most of my questions. |
Anonymous
| I guess our school has an exceptional principal who took the time. |
Anonymous
When we were preparing to move from MoCo to FCPS we looked at homes in three different elementary boundaries. The principals of all 3 schools were very welcoming: each gave us a tour of her school and the process helped us narrow down our search. I will say that when we were still in MoCo and considering buying a home there, we asked to visit a school and were told no tours. The school was way over capacity, so maybe that's why? |
Anonymous
| I moved into a neighborhood and asked for a tour and was welcomed with open arms. Several other parents that I know that asked for tours had the same experience. While there is no admissions director, I find it hard to believe that a principal would turn down a request for a tour. There are so many unique programs in FCPS that the principals are always fielding questions about the schools and some have tours set up and some don't, but you should always be able to call up and make an appointment to sit down and talk. You are a potential future parent, after all, and it's in their best interest to keep those doors open. |
Anonymous
| I recently toured Wakefield Elementary. When I called to ask, they were actually worlds more friendly to me than any of the private preschools I have called. When I went, they took the time to sit down with me, gave me candid thoughts on whether to start DS1 as a 5-year-old or 6-year-old, gave me a tour of the school and then had me observe a kindergarten class. I do have a private school bias but I was shocked at how welcoming they were and how generous with their time. |
Anonymous
| Willingness to give a tour or not, you just have to see which option is going to be best for your LO. As your child's spokesperson, you know your child best. This is not about who is the sweetest or nicest. It is about the public/private environment as a whole in terms of quality of teachers, class size, teaching styles, enrichment activities, lunch options and times, volunteer requirements, curriculum if any (I say that primarily for K). As a parent, you are also part of that educational team, working with your child at home. With classroom sizes typically in the 20 or more range and one teacher, you cannot logically expect that teacher to move mountains alone. That is the same for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and so on... I opted for private after trying out public for elementary, and public starting in 4th. If I had not had the financial means to send both my children through private for K-3rd, then I would have found other ways to find fun and challenging work because I am not real thrilled with the public elem school I am zoned for. They have a good rep in fairfax county if you look online but I know many parents in my neighborhood that just complain and shake their heads. I just didn't feel like joining that song and dance. It is great that you are looking into this early on because you as parents, we cannot go back in time. Times are different. it isn't as easy as just saying where am i zoned for and registering....unless you just dont wyant to do the legwork to research......even starting at K. Just take a tour and know what you are looking for. Good luck. |
Anonymous
| What was 7:13's point? I took it to be that, if you are neurotic, high-maintenance and loaded, the only way you'll probably be able to live with yourself is to shell out a lot of money for private school, so it's irrelevant whether the public school administrators and teachers are generous with their time when you ask for a tour. |
Anonymous
| When we were looking for a house, we thought about touring the elementary school. We called about 3 different elementary schools in Fairfax county, and all three said they would meet with us and give us a tour. In the end, we did not do that because we were scrambling to find a house since we'd sold the one we were living in and the schools we were zoned for had a good reputation. By the time, we were at that stage, we didn't have the time or energy but the schools we contacted were definately fine and welcoming to a tour. |
Anonymous
That wasn't her point at all. I don't have time to paraphrase for you. Wow.... |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
So what was the point? I agree it seemed like a bunch of babbling, as if all the poster really wanted to do was let people know she could afford privates. |