Sidwell

[Anonymous]

xxx

[Anonymous]

Two of my children go to Sidwell (after some very good years at our DC public school), and I am very pleased with the school. It has a rich curriculum, engaging teachers, and a warm and diverse community. If you have a bright and motivated child, it is definitely worth looking at the school. My children were accepted at a number of good schools, and we thought the learning opportunities at Sidwell were the best. I would encourage anyone who is applying to the lower school to review the upper school curriculum and tour the middle/upper school to make an informed decision.

I have heard of occasional situations in which the school has asked a family to hire a tutor. I think that happens at all private schools. Some children work through the issues, and some do not. Sidwell is a particularly rigorous school -- especially at the upper levels -- so it may not the best for every child. Fortunately, there are many good public and private options in the area.

I think public schools can be terrific, but if you are considering private, I highly recommend Sidwell.

[Anonymous]

PP. how old were your children when they entered Sidwell? How did the school handle the "mixing" of new students and old students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are extraordinarily bright children who need help on occasion. test scores don't tell the whole story.

I've heard that at Norwood if a child isn't reading by the middle of first grade, they are not asked to return for second grade.

That child may be better off out of that school. Maybe all kids would be better off in another school. Norwood should concentrate on doing its job.

My DC's public school in Arlington doesn't promote to 1st Grade if the child is not a "strong reader" by the end of Kindergarden

[Anonymous]

My children entered at 3rd grade. The school did a nice job of helping the new children get acclimated and mixing up the groups. In middle school, Sidwell has a very strong advisory program to make sure the students, old and new, are getting the attention they need, both academically and socially. Really, we are very satisfied with Sidwell and so are the other parents I know. I've been surprised to see the disgruntled comments on this board.

[Anonymous]

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

What are the best grades for applying to Sidwell?

[Anonymous]

PK, K, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9

[Anonymous]

Sidwell also claims to have a "real" honor code yet all the students who i have asked whether they follow it or not have told me they do not... this fact disturbed me and made me not want to go there. I also know several students who left because they were so unhappy social there. Many of these students were popular at that...

[Anonymous]

Are you the slef-proclaimed Maret student who has posted several times about Maret in the past 15 minutes?

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote]I am still a bit stunned by the fact that private schools that charge $20K plus a year in tuition --- supposedly for such an outstanding education -- have the nerve to suggest that extra tutoring (read: $$) is required to achieve that. [/quote]

It's not really that surprising if you consider that private schools are not set-up to educate a wide intellectual spectrum of kids. Public schools have bigger budgets and are geared towards educating children all across the bell curve. They have the gifted and remedial teaching staff to support that mission. Private schools typcially have a narrower group to teach to so that they can run with a smaller number of staff.

I agree that it is ridiculous to admit children with lower-than-typcial-for-Sidwell test scores because of their connections, friends, etc. knowing that they will eventually have trouble keeping up academically. But, let's not forget that many of the kids at Sidwell had some seriously glowing letters of recommendation, phone calls, and educational advisors praising them. Is it really the school's fault that they took an applicant who had excellent references from their former school and educational experts who could explain away a "low" test score.

Sidwell states that they offer a rigorous academic education yet every year parents fight their way into the school w/out thinking about whether it is actually the right fit for their child. And, for both the parents and the school, it is hard to know at age 3, 4, or 5 whether it will be the right fit for the child. So, some choose to stay and hire tutors while others look for a school that is better suited for their child.


Very true. Unfortunately. But hey,there is a recession on and Sidwell just spent two years building. So all those parent"contributions" weren'tt really for nothing were they.






[/quote]

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]I am still a bit stunned by the fact that private schools that charge $20K plus a year in tuition --- supposedly for such an outstanding education -- have the nerve to suggest that extra tutoring (read: $$) is required to achieve that. [/quote]

It's not really that surprising if you consider that private schools are not set-up to educate a wide intellectual spectrum of kids. Public schools have bigger budgets and are geared towards educating children all across the bell curve. They have the gifted and remedial teaching staff to support that mission. Private schools typcially have a narrower group to teach to so that they can run with a smaller number of staff.

I agree that it is ridiculous to admit children with lower-than-typcial-for-Sidwell test scores because of their connections, friends, etc. knowing that they will eventually have trouble keeping up academically. But, let's not forget that many of the kids at Sidwell had some seriously glowing letters of recommendation, phone calls, and educational advisors praising them. Is it really the school's fault that they took an applicant who had excellent references from their former school and educational experts who could explain away a "low" test score.

Sidwell states that they offer a rigorous academic education yet every year parents fight their way into the school w/out thinking about whether it is actually the right fit for their child. And, for both the parents and the school, it is hard to know at age 3, 4, or 5 whether it will be the right fit for the child. So, some choose to stay and hire tutors while others look for a school that is better suited for their child.


Very true. Unfortunately. But hey,there is a recession on and Sidwell just spent two years building. So all those parent"contributions" weren'tt really for nothing were they.






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Why are you bumping a two year old post?