Blessed Sacrament

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BS has great academics. There is a wide range of students at BS. They are also undergoing a curriculum update. People live to bad mouth this school. I think there are many in the neighborhood who are uncomfortable with DCPS but feel the need to trash BS to make themselves feel better about sending their kids to DCPS.

Yeah. Not so much.

Then why the need to trash a school your child doesn't attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BS has great academics. There is a wide range of students at BS. They are also undergoing a curriculum update. People live to bad mouth this school. I think there are many in the neighborhood who are uncomfortable with DCPS but feel the need to trash BS to make themselves feel better about sending their kids to DCPS.

There are many great things about BS, but academics simply aren't a strong point. I am sure there are some in the neighborhood who trash BS to make themselves feel better about going to Lafayette. I'm sure there are some people who trash BS because it's Catholic. However, there are also people who really, really would like to be satisfied with BS but end up shelling $20-35K/year per kid for independent schools because they don't think their parish school is adequate. Of the top of my mind, I can easily think of at least a dozen families who are BS parishioners who fall into this category. Schools like Stone Ridge, Mater Dei and even NPS and WES are full of BS parishioners. I also know BS families at Beauvoir, St. Pat's, Sidwell and Concord Hill who looked into sending their kids to BS before deciding against it.

Do some research on their curriculum. Talk to educators familiar with their program. Talk to high school teachers who teach BS grads. These are the only ways to get unbiased facts- of course current families are going to say they're happy with the academics (although many current families will admit otherwise). And of course families who go to Lafayette or private are going to try to justify their choices. If you're considering BS, ask the Admissions Director for specifics on the academic program. Then compare it to other schools, including DCPS, private schools and other parochial schools such as Holy Trinity. Personally, I don't see how anyone who does their research can say that the BS academics are great. I can see choosing the school for other reasons, such as the community or the Catholic teachings, but I don't think anyone chooses BS for the academics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BS has great academics. There is a wide range of students at BS. They are also undergoing a curriculum update. People live to bad mouth this school. I think there are many in the neighborhood who are uncomfortable with DCPS but feel the need to trash BS to make themselves feel better about sending their kids to DCPS.

Yeah. Not so much.

Then why the need to trash a school your child doesn't attend.

I'm not trashing Blessed Sacrament; my "not so much" comment was directed at your assertion that there are so "many" people in CCDC who really wanted to send kids to BS for the "great academics" but instead got the booby prize of Lafayette/Murch and Deal.

Let's stipulate that most of the kids in 20015 are white (it's something like 85% or more, I forget the Census numbers from 2010).

White children in the District of Columbia score higher than any other white children in the US on the NAEP tests that all 4th and 8th graders take nationwide. That would include those Murch and Lafayette DCPS kids who live near BS. I don't think they're as "uncomfortable" with their education as you imagine.

They're killing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BS has great academics. There is a wide range of students at BS. They are also undergoing a curriculum update. People live to bad mouth this school. I think there are many in the neighborhood who are uncomfortable with DCPS but feel the need to trash BS to make themselves feel better about sending their kids to DCPS.

There are many great things about BS, but academics simply aren't a strong point. I am sure there are some in the neighborhood who trash BS to make themselves feel better about going to Lafayette. I'm sure there are some people who trash BS because it's Catholic. However, there are also people who really, really would like to be satisfied with BS but end up shelling $20-35K/year per kid for independent schools because they don't think their parish school is adequate. Of the top of my mind, I can easily think of at least a dozen families who are BS parishioners who fall into this category. Schools like Stone Ridge, Mater Dei and even NPS and WES are full of BS parishioners. I also know BS families at Beauvoir, St. Pat's, Sidwell and Concord Hill who looked into sending their kids to BS before deciding against it.

Do some research on their curriculum. Talk to educators familiar with their program. Talk to high school teachers who teach BS grads. These are the only ways to get unbiased facts- of course current families are going to say they're happy with the academics (although many current families will admit otherwise). And of course families who go to Lafayette or private are going to try to justify their choices. If you're considering BS, ask the Admissions Director for specifics on the academic program. Then compare it to other schools, including DCPS, private schools and other parochial schools such as Holy Trinity. Personally, I don't see how anyone who does their research can say that the BS academics are great. I can see choosing the school for other reasons, such as the community or the Catholic teachings, but I don't think anyone chooses BS for the academics.

Couldn't agree more. We had to pull our kids from BS because of terrible academics. Community is wonderful but it is not up to par academically even with public, much less the privates. It's a shame, really. Would have loved to have stayed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are any parochial schools implementing the responsive classroom model? I went to parochial school some 30 years ago, so I imagine some things have changed. Then it was very traditional education in that it was teacher led etc. Has any of this changed/evolved?

Blessed Sacrament uses the responsive classroom model.

[Anonymous]

BS does not use Everyday Math, which university math professors are denouncing as terrible. I was pretty shocked that many of the privates use it when I toured them. BS also uses the same English and writing curricula as many if the privates.

[Anonymous]

What's wrong with Everyday Math?

[Anonymous]

I would not want my child attending any school that called themselves "BS."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with Everyday Math?

There has been much discussion of Everyday Math in the media over the years. The State of CA no longer uses it. Most university math professors (including some Nobel Laureates) denounce Everyday Math. I ruled out schools who use Everyday Math because DH is a PhD in a STEM fields and doesn't want to fill in the gaps of Everyday Math (because it is terrible). The reason the US does so poorly in mathematic compared to other countries is because of Everyday Math and other curriculums like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not want my child attending any school that called themselves "BS."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BS has great academics. There is a wide range of students at BS. They are also undergoing a curriculum update. People live to bad mouth this school. I think there are many in the neighborhood who are uncomfortable with DCPS but feel the need to trash BS to make themselves feel better about sending their kids to DCPS.

Yeah. Not so much.

Then why the need to trash a school your child doesn't attend.

I'm not trashing Blessed Sacrament; my "not so much" comment was directed at your assertion that there are so "many" people in CCDC who really wanted to send kids to BS for the "great academics" but instead got the booby prize of Lafayette/Murch and Deal.

Let's stipulate that most of the kids in 20015 are white (it's something like 85% or more, I forget the Census numbers from 2010).

White children in the District of Columbia score higher than any other white children in the US on the NAEP tests that all 4th and 8th graders take nationwide. That would include those Murch and Lafayette DCPS kids who live near BS. I don't think they're as "uncomfortable" with their education as you imagine.

They're killing it.

Killing it? That might be a bit of an exaggeration. When I look around my CCDC neighborhood I see many families choosing other than DCPS. Small sample, yes, but on my street of about 20 home, only two send or have sent kids to public. I think just about every private is represented (CES Jewish Day School, WES, Maret, Sidwell, Beauvoir, etc. and Blessed Sacrament.)
So while DCPS has made major improvements I think it is fair to say many are not willing to risk it if there are other options – I am one of those.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BS has great academics. There is a wide range of students at BS. They are also undergoing a curriculum update. People live to bad mouth this school. I think there are many in the neighborhood who are uncomfortable with DCPS but feel the need to trash BS to make themselves feel better about sending their kids to DCPS.

Yeah. Not so much.

Then why the need to trash a school your child doesn't attend.

I'm not trashing Blessed Sacrament; my "not so much" comment was directed at your assertion that there are so "many" people in CCDC who really wanted to send kids to BS for the "great academics" but instead got the booby prize of Lafayette/Murch and Deal.

Let's stipulate that most of the kids in 20015 are white (it's something like 85% or more, I forget the Census numbers from 2010).

White children in the District of Columbia score higher than any other white children in the US on the NAEP tests that all 4th and 8th graders take nationwide. That would include those Murch and Lafayette DCPS kids who live near BS. I don't think they're as "uncomfortable" with their education as you imagine.

They're killing it.

Killing it? That might be a bit of an exaggeration. When I look around my CCDC neighborhood I see many families choosing other than DCPS. Small sample, yes, but on my street of about 20 home, only two send or have sent kids to public. I think just about every private is represented (CES Jewish Day School, WES, Maret, Sidwell, Beauvoir, etc. and Blessed Sacrament.)
So while DCPS has made major improvements I think it is fair to say many are not willing to risk it if there are other options – I am one of those.

Really. So the fact that dcps white kids (only) score the highest IN THE ENTIRE USA on a reading & math test, beating out white kids in every single other state -- including our good friends next door in vaunted MD and VA -- is unpersuasive to you. It suggests "risk"iness, even!

All right then, there's no budging you. I have a hunch you're one of the cliquey 3rd generation BS blonde moms with a sporty ponytail. Who never once considered public school in any form. Not your safe happy clubby familiar place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BS has great academics. There is a wide range of students at BS. They are also undergoing a curriculum update. People live to bad mouth this school. I think there are many in the neighborhood who are uncomfortable with DCPS but feel the need to trash BS to make themselves feel better about sending their kids to DCPS.

Yeah. Not so much.

Then why the need to trash a school your child doesn't attend.

I'm not trashing Blessed Sacrament; my "not so much" comment was directed at your assertion that there are so "many" people in CCDC who really wanted to send kids to BS for the "great academics" but instead got the booby prize of Lafayette/Murch and Deal.

Let's stipulate that most of the kids in 20015 are white (it's something like 85% or more, I forget the Census numbers from 2010).

White children in the District of Columbia score higher than any other white children in the US on the NAEP tests that all 4th and 8th graders take nationwide. That would include those Murch and Lafayette DCPS kids who live near BS. I don't think they're as "uncomfortable" with their education as you imagine.

They're killing it.

Killing it? That might be a bit of an exaggeration. When I look around my CCDC neighborhood I see many families choosing other than DCPS. Small sample, yes, but on my street of about 20 home, only two send or have sent kids to public. I think just about every private is represented (CES Jewish Day School, WES, Maret, Sidwell, Beauvoir, etc. and Blessed Sacrament.)
So while DCPS has made major improvements I think it is fair to say many are not willing to risk it if there are other options – I am one of those.

I wouldn't say DCPS is "killing it." However, BS is far from "killing it" too. Given the choice, I would probably choose Lafayette over BS, I'd have to do a lot of thinking.

[Anonymous]

We are considering BS but are concerned about the social atmosphere. We have heard some mixed reports (not from this board, BTW!). Our child is a smart introvert and not so into sports. Thoughts?

Of course, I will be filtering out the really snarky stuff so if this is you, you could save yourself some time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are considering BS but are concerned about the social atmosphere. We have heard some mixed reports (not from this board, BTW!). Our child is a smart introvert and not so into sports. Thoughts?

Of course, I will be filtering out the really snarky stuff so if this is you, you could save yourself some time.

Depends on the year but some years have some terrible cliques. Some people don't have that terrible experience, those who did are not bashing the school just giving you factual information. Generally speaking based on our experience it would not be a good school for a smart introvert. The boys can be tough.