9th grade parents what do you like and not like about the school you selected

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell.

‘Nuff said.

What does this mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell.

‘Nuff said.

What does this mean?

It means they hate it and there’s nothing to like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell.

‘Nuff said.

What does this mean?

It means they hate it and there’s nothing to like.

I asked the poster what they mean. I don’t need/want your interpretation of what the poster means, troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell.

‘Nuff said.

What does this mean?

It means they hate it and there’s nothing to like.

I asked the poster what they mean. I don’t need/want your interpretation of what the poster means, troll.

First day on the Internet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would love to hear Maret feedback

Maret parent of 9th grader who started in 6th

Pros:

Easy access to metro
Solid faculty who go above and beyond
Tuition is slightly (just barley) less than other schools so value is better
HW is about 2 hours per night, depending on my son's schedule the next day

Cons:

Definitely going through a transition period
Cafeteria is too small and poorly laid out (though the food is reportedly better)
Campus feels tired, especially the middle school
Head of the upper school isn't as good with rules and follow through as middle school was

[Anonymous]

Enjoying Maret 9th so far. Child has been at school for a while. Kids complain about lunch lines. I wish that was better. Child has felt welcomed with different connection points and meeting new kids. HW seems to be okay for now and child likes most of their classes. Less rules than Middle School, but seems appropriate for high school age and different type of structure (free periods vs study halls) and something that my child appreciates. None of it seemed detrimental. So far so good.

[Anonymous]

My child loves the Maret US. I think the middle school was feeling stifling at times due to facilities and small grade size. Plus they are now a "high schooler" which comes with its own excitement. A litttle more freedom at this point but no off campus privileges which we agree with!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell.

‘Nuff said.

What does this mean?

It means they hate it and there’s nothing to like.

I asked the poster what they mean. I don’t need/want your interpretation of what the poster means, troll.

Anyone who uses “nuff said” on a thread that asked for likes and dislikes is already trolling and doesn’t deserve serious consideration. There are enough Sidwell boosters and haters on this site that it could go either way, and the fact that one of them assumes anyone can tell whether they mean they love it or hate it, and that of course everyone will agree with them (as they explicitly indicated no explanation was needed for their statement that their kid attends Sidwell) is laughable.

[Anonymous]

DeMatha

Son selected this school (he was accepted to several incl SJC and GC) - so I think him having a say in final decision has made it easier when it comes to buckling down.

Like the schedule, classes & teachers, like the clubs (fishing, art, ecology, gaming, chess), appreciate the school leadership helping parents guide students through high school, really like the no phone policy (this was the same in our K-8)

Transportation was tricky at first and had some glitches but it’s been fully coordinated as of last week.

He finishes a lot during study hall, and has about 30-45 min plus studying

He’s very happy- tells everyone about his experience so far

[Anonymous]

STA

Like
Love dedicated, high-energy, engaged teachers.
Wide range of clubs and ECs.
Supportive school community for boys. Faculty and school leadership clearly committed to building a school community. Boys seem welcoming and nice.
My son enjoys chapel, which has the boys speaking.

Dislike
parent community seems run by country club types; displays of wealth are comic
Sports requirement. Boys have to do some kind of sport and it keeps them there until 5:30/6 pm.
Homework load is excessive

Homework runs 3-4 hours a day although the boys who make good use of free periods only take home 2-3 hours. When they get home so late, there’s barely time to eat and shower and it’s back to homework. No down time. Homework assigned over the weekends, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:STA

Like
Love dedicated, high-energy, engaged teachers.
Wide range of clubs and ECs.
Supportive school community for boys. Faculty and school leadership clearly committed to building a school community. Boys seem welcoming and nice.
My son enjoys chapel, which has the boys speaking.

Dislike
parent community seems run by country club types; displays of wealth are comic
Sports requirement. Boys have to do some kind of sport and it keeps them there until 5:30/6 pm.
Homework load is excessive

Homework runs 3-4 hours a day although the boys who make good use of free periods only take home 2-3 hours. When they get home so late, there’s barely time to eat and shower and it’s back to homework. No down time. Homework assigned over the weekends, too.

Forgot to add, my son loves the community but is disliking the workload. Hard to tell where he comes out on the happiness scale. He wants to stay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: School outside of DC

What we love:
It's a good fit socially for both our DDs.
It's not super big but also not super small.
Lots of ECs.

About 1-2 hr of HW a day but they have study hall and the weekend to do it.

What we don't like:
The long car line
It's hard to balance sports, a job, driving lessons, and fine arts activities. My oldest wants to do everything. At the school my kids were at previously it was easier to balance fine arts and sports because sports weren't double-blocked.

Please name school, it helps others

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good Counsel:

Pros:
Kid likes it
Kid is having fun
Broad amount of extracurricular activities
Sports

Cons:
School is too big
Seems like they admit in a broad range of people/academics
Not as personalized as I would like

These "cons" are mostly what GC is known for. The broad range is so that families with multiple kids all have a place at GC. Did you not know this going in?

You must be really insecure. This thread is about what you like about "YOUR" school, not others. It is not meant to be a bash the other school's thread. We can all like different things...

GC is like a public school you pay for.

It’s a money-making machine overly focused on sports.

It’s always been less academic than all other area catholic schools.

People are opting to bite the bullet and pay more for better options. After all, why pay all that tuition when so many students wind up at Salisbury, Towson, or SEC schools?

[Anonymous]

Sidwell (9th grader coming from a K-8 private)

Like:
Great communications from school; feel like I know what is going on and already know other parents. The school did a great job with the transition program for new students.

Dislike:
Not much so far. Maybe the lack of regularity in pickup time? (due to PE, music lesson, different daily end times)

HW: 1-2 hours at home. There seems to be ample time to get started on it during the day. Child came from a demanding school, so managing homework is not new for them.

My kid:
Generally happy. Loves history class and the discussions they have. Finds math is taught differently than at prior school and that has been a challenge. Already knows a lot of other kids to call friends. Enjoys the hangout time on campus and in the Fox Den. So many options for clubs/activities and easy to get involved.

[Anonymous]

Why don’t people name the school? Do they think they will be identified if they do?

If you don’t say what school you are referring to, please don’t participate in this thread!