How are the kids who joined in 9th doing at your school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine went from a small private MOCO to a public school.

He was so far behind. We have to have him tutored all summer before starting in Languages, science and Math.

Given he was not my first child to go from private to MCPS I knew there were holes in his academics so I was not worried.

He wanted to go back to public, he was very motivated to be tutored.

He did fine and went off to an MIT happy prepared student.

Congrats on the most obvious troll post of the day!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Usually the ones who get in at ninth are very strong students. The ones coming from public or weaker privates may take a semester or two to adjust.

From where (i.e. which schools) do the strong students come?

In my experience they come from a total mix of publics and privates from across the entire DMV (from close-in schools and very far-flung places in MD and VA). These schools really pick the best kids they can from all over.
There doesn't seem to be any pattern and it varies by year.

Why do the Deal posters say there are so many Deal kids at the top schools? Is it true?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid came from a private to a different private for 9th. Kid adjusted quickly to the workload and had good mind for academics. However over a few years, several kids left due to stress of academics or honor code violations. One or two left because wrong school for them—and it was super clear talking to parents that it was the wrong school.

Is this a big or small school? That seems like a lot of kids leaving. At DD's school I don't know anyone who left after 9th. A half dozen I know left after 8th. It was probably more than that but I just didn't know those children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Usually the ones who get in at ninth are very strong students. The ones coming from public or weaker privates may take a semester or two to adjust.

From where (i.e. which schools) do the strong students come?

In my experience they come from a total mix of publics and privates from across the entire DMV (from close-in schools and very far-flung places in MD and VA). These schools really pick the best kids they can from all over.
There doesn't seem to be any pattern and it varies by year.

Why do the Deal posters say there are so many Deal kids at the top schools? Is it true?

no, there are a few posters on here who make crap up about Deal's placement.
I have a kid at a Big3 who came from Deal 2 years ago and was the only kid who came from Deal to his/er new high school. A poster on here swore there were "4 Deal kids" in 9th grade at our school.
Um, no. We are at the school and have the accepted student list in front of us---with the sending middle schools on the list! In my kids' Deal class there were 1-2 kids who matriculated at each of the top 5 privates. The list is very small because the Big3/5 9th grade entering classes are very small.

I don't know how many kids actually applied from Deal. The large Catholic high schools (SJC, Gonzaga) take many more from Deal because their classes are much larger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Usually the ones who get in at ninth are very strong students. The ones coming from public or weaker privates may take a semester or two to adjust.

From where (i.e. which schools) do the strong students come?

In my experience they come from a total mix of publics and privates from across the entire DMV (from close-in schools and very far-flung places in MD and VA). These schools really pick the best kids they can from all over.
There doesn't seem to be any pattern and it varies by year.

Why do the Deal posters say there are so many Deal kids at the top schools? Is it true?

There are always some Deal kids going to the local privates for HS. Those Deal kids are plenty smart.

There are two or three posters whose kids went to Deal who post a lot. That might give you the impression that more Deal kids end up at the local privates than actually do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Usually the ones who get in at ninth are very strong students. The ones coming from public or weaker privates may take a semester or two to adjust.

From where (i.e. which schools) do the strong students come?

In my experience they come from a total mix of publics and privates from across the entire DMV (from close-in schools and very far-flung places in MD and VA). These schools really pick the best kids they can from all over.
There doesn't seem to be any pattern and it varies by year.

Why do the Deal posters say there are so many Deal kids at the top schools? Is it true?

no, there are a few posters on here who make crap up about Deal's placement.
I have a kid at a Big3 who came from Deal 2 years ago and was the only kid who came from Deal to his/er new high school. A poster on here swore there were "4 Deal kids" in 9th grade at our school.
Um, no. We are at the school and have the accepted student list in front of us---with the sending middle schools on the list! In my kids' Deal class there were 1-2 kids who matriculated at each of the top 5 privates. The list is very small because the Big3/5 9th grade entering classes are very small.

I don't know how many kids actually applied from Deal. The large Catholic high schools (SJC, Gonzaga) take many more from Deal because their classes are much larger.

1-2 kids each to the top 5 privates is a lot in my book and really impressive.

[Anonymous]

Have had 2 kids go from same private k-8 to different private 9th that started earlier. Academic transitions were fine. Grades are 1/2 a grade lower than in 8th (ie A in 8th, A- in 9th). Socially the kid that transitioned into a larger grade had an easier time than the one who transitioned into a smaller grade. The school with the larger grade took more new kids and made a bigger effort to integrate the new students through fun events. The smaller school relied on sports to welcome in new students which is tough for the non-sporty kid.

[Anonymous]

My kid current at one of the top schools came from a k-8th and has found the work to be easy. He/she said all the new students are doing very well in class and it is noticed by the lifers.

The big thing is the lifers. A few are friendly or try to be friendly. The majority do not interact with the new students. So the new students hang with themselves and the few lifers who are looking for something new.

I was hoping playing sports would help but it just mirrors the academic side of things. Do not know how long it will last. We will see.

[Anonymous]

The one class that many incoming ninth graders struggle with is English, particularly at Big 3 schools. Most students coming from public have not received the instruction that prepares them to write argumentative and interpretive essays with thesis statements and topic sentences. The first two semesters are usually a learning curve, but the students usually start to take off in the second semester.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The one class that many incoming ninth graders struggle with is English, particularly at Big 3 schools. Most students coming from public have not received the instruction that prepares them to write argumentative and interpretive essays with thesis statements and topic sentences. The first two semesters are usually a learning curve, but the students usually start to take off in the second semester.

My public school son had a hard transition with English the first semester of 9th but has has received As since (at a school that is stingy about giving English As). He had never been taught to read or write critically in public.
Now English is his favorite subject--it's probably the #1 reason I'm glad we switched. For the first time he's found classes he's passionate about (English and history). In public he had just been pushed ahead in math classes because that's what happens to smart kids.
Turns out he never really liked math that much but is much stronger in the humanities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid current at one of the top schools came from a k-8th and has found the work to be easy. He/she said all the new students are doing very well in class and it is noticed by the lifers.

The big thing is the lifers. A few are friendly or try to be friendly. The majority do not interact with the new students. So the new students hang with themselves and the few lifers who are looking for something new.

I was hoping playing sports would help but it just mirrors the academic side of things. Do not know how long it will last. We will see.

Similar experience for our kid entering 9th from K-9. Not a problem but definitely a reality.