SSSAS, ACDS, BF etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are these schools just VA schools that happen to be in the DC area? In other words, are any of them of a high caliber that supports the tuition? Are they really better than public?

SSSAS parent here, I don't understand the first sentence. IMO, many of these VA schools are on par with DC private schools. We live in NOVA for tax reasons. I am very happy with our choice of address. Picking a private school is a very individual and personalized decision, no two families pick for exactly the same reason. For me, I wanted a traditional, structured, Episcopal education, which narrowed it down to SSSAS, St. Patricks, or Beauvoir. We are a low maintenance kind of family, we are not over scheduled with activities, and prefer to spend more time at home with play dates, low key downtime, etc. SOOOO for us, commute time is a BIG factor. Hence, SSSAS is way more convenient geographically than the DC schools.

But that is just us. I wanted private. The Alexandria city schools do not compare to the privates IMO, so yes it's worth the money for us. But you are a different family with different values and different children. What works for us may not work for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But that is just us. I wanted private. The Alexandria city schools do not compare to the privates IMO, so yes it's worth the money for us. But you are a different family with different values and different children. What works for us may not work for you.

+1 for the St Stephens parent. Talk to your neighbors and look at your local public school. If the public option doesn't work for you, the Alexandria private schools are all very good and quite different and fit the needs of different kinds of families. Each has its own distinct character and different kinds of families will find one more attractive than the other. DC goes to Burgundy because its educational philosophy matches ours and DC has thrived there. My friends whose children use "Sir" and "Ma'am" with every adult are totally weirded out by Burgundy. St. Stephens lets your child avoid the hassle of high school applications and it offers a really first rate athletic program on top of the academics. Browne and ACDS both offer really small class sizes and caring nonsectarian environments. Catholic families rave about St. Mary's and I've heard really positive things about Grace Episcopal. There are also a fair number of families who choose Potomac and its bus program eliminates the hassle out of the commute. If none of the Alexandria schools work for you. Capitol Hill Day is easy if a parent drives to work on the Hill. GDS lower school in the Palisades is much easier from McLean than Alexandria but manageable if you work on K St/Dupont Circle. On the other hand, Beauvior and Sidwell are probably unreasonable for Alexandria residents. But there is certainly no shortage of educational options for Alexandrians.

[Anonymous]

"This is X. X is a golfer. "

Yep, that has Joan Holden written all over it. Power to the 1%!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"This is X. X is a golfer. "

Yep, that has Joan Holden written all over it. Power to the 1%!

HUH?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was that last post written by someone at the admissions department? SSSAS may be fine for some, but we were thoroughly turned off by the head's introduction of a senior (to a group of prospective parents). She introduced the girl like this: "This is X. X is a golfer. " It sounded like the head focused first and foremost on athletics. That impression seemed confirmed by conversations with other parents. If that's your goal, fine, but I'd like the focus to be a bit larger than that.

1. Maybe for that girl, golf is the most important thing in her life right now. Certainly when I was in high school, I went through a sports-mad craze and enjoyed any recognition I got from teachers/administrators.

2. Why must every positive post be "written by someone from the admissions department"? If anything, it seems clear the post was NOT written by someone in admissions at a school -- they don't normally criticize other schools.

[Anonymous]

SSSAS math teachers and overall math standardized test score results cannot compare with the public schools in Fairfax or TC Williams. Do not send your child to SSSAS if you are looking for advanced math education. They cannot teach it there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"This is X. X is a golfer. "

Yep, that has Joan Holden written all over it. Power to the 1%!

I'm a long-time teacher at another school. Ms. Holden is extremely well-respected in this area, in part because she took on the very tough task of heading up the new merged St. Stephen St. Agnes School despite a fair amount of opposition in the community of those two schools to a merger. SSSAS is thriving today and fair-minded observers give Joan Holden a lot of the credit. She was a teacher/coach back in the day at a boarding school and yes, she "gets" kids who love sports, but that doesn't define her. She's a good mentor to other women at her own and other schools, among other things, and brings the experience she gained as a teacher, a coach, and mother to bear on her job. As she retires at the end of her career, I wonder what compels some people to get in a dig?

I hesitate to suggest it, but the Golden Rule could also guide one when you have an anonymous log-in and nobody is looking over your shoulder.

[Anonymous]

If the head of school introduced my son as a "soccer player" he would be thrilled - and so would we. If your kid doesn't play a sport that they love, you just won't get it. Just because team participation is a source of pride doesn't mean that grades are less important -- it just means that your child's life's pursuits - and our family values - have more than one dimension.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the head of school introduced my son as a "soccer player" he would be thrilled - and so would we. If your kid doesn't play a sport that they love, you just won't get it. Just because team participation is a source of pride doesn't mean that grades are less important -- it just means that your child's life's pursuits - and our family values - have more than one dimension.

+1 - why would you ignore any accomplishment of any child.,. If it is important to the child, it should be important to the community that surrounds the child.

[Anonymous]

Re: the "X is a golfer" moment: I might note that not every head of school would be able to bump into a passing student and know what his/her strong sport is, particularly if it is NOT a marquee sport.

[Anonymous]

Golf will always be a marquee sport among the WASP classes.

[Anonymous]

I am the person who heard the head of school describe the student as a golfer. I am not opposed to mentioning this fact, however it came across as though this were her entire identity -- i.e., that this was the most important thing about her. That was what bothered me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the person who heard the head of school describe the student as a golfer. I am not opposed to mentioning this fact, however it came across as though this were her entire identity -- i.e., that this was the most important thing about her. That was what bothered me.

Maybe it is the most important thing about her because it is what that student is most proud of in her career at the school.

[Anonymous]

In high school...it probably is your child's identity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are these schools just VA schools that happen to be in the DC area? In other words, are any of them of a high caliber that supports the tuition? Are they really better than public?

The public schools in Virginia are awfully proud of themselves, but they could use a lot of improvement.

I visited all the private schools this year for K this coming fall. Then I talked to a mom in my neighborhood who (despite clearly having the means and background to go private) has sent her 4 children to our FCPS. Another neighbor (who sent her 3 to Burgundy and Flint) suggested I talked to her before making any decisions. The FCPS mom told me that she has been thrilled with their experience. So thrilled that she won't move to that bigger house in Great Falls that she wants because she wants to remain in the school district. She suggested that I not spend $29k/year without first trying a year of FCPS. I did apply to BF and ACDS even so because I want some time to think about it but I think I will at least do a year of FCPS. If it doesn't work, so be it but I am giving it a chance.

As a side note, I toured SSSAS. I couldn't bring myself to apply because they just seemed so smug. On my tour, one parent asked one of the admissions people what their admission rate was. I think it would have been fine to simply say that they don't release that information but instead the admissions person basically said that it would hurt our feelings too much if she told us. It was all adults in the room.