Burgundy Farm Country Day

[Anonymous]

Former Burgundy parent here. I agree 100% with the previous poster. Burgundy graduates learn self-advocacy skills that serve them well in both high school and college. And the vast majority of alumni have incredibly fond memories of the place. The Cove trips, in particular, are magical. It's a wonderful place for most children to spend childhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Strongly consider SSSAS as an alternative.

You SHOULD consider every local school before deciding what is right for your child and your family. However, if you find yourself torn between SSSAS and Burgundy you're probably not really understanding the schools' cultures. I say this as someone with a child at one of the schools and a spouse who attended the other. Both great schools, but the population of people who would be equally happy at both SSSAS and Burgundy is very small.

[Anonymous]

I have never replied to a thread here, but wanted to add a few things for the OP. We moved our son to Burgundy after him being absolutely miserable at public school. He was more than two years ahead of what they would be teaching and the teachers there just said they needed to focus on kids who needed help to pass the tests. Thus everyday was a struggle and our son started acting out and developing awful habits. Flash forward just a few months at Burgundy and he was crying about all the snow days. Yes, the teachers told us they are focusing on his social skills more this year, but we agree...and that has helped him academically too because the social skills are helping how he approaches school overall.

Some other points:
1. Call Lori Adams, the admissions coordinator. She is one of the nicest people I have ever met, period. She is extremely helpful and perfectly honest. She will spend time with you on the phone and help connect you to parents who can give you advice on other topics too (i.e real estate, religious community), not just the "boosters."
2. They have formed a group, including parents, to overhaul how they teach math. I think they start next month and will be spending significant time on the topic.
3. The older students go out of their way to make younger kids feel like they belong. The middle schools kids show compassion and give back, which is something important to me.
4. The campus is freaking awesome. We hang out there on weekends. They have friendly goats, sheep, chickens, etc. They have amphitheaters where they have class during nice weather.
5. Personally, I am a nerd who learned the old-fashioned way of cramming facts into my head. I wish I could have learned the way they teach at Burgundy. When the focus is on HOW you learn, it is different style and requires a different way to test. Some of that is on us as parents to assess by talking with our kids and their teachers.
6. The art/library/PE, etc is amazing - they have more teachers devoted to the 'specials' than you will find at large public schools.

Good luck with your move...and be prepared for living in an area that close schools at the hint of a snowflake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have never replied to a thread here, but wanted to add a few things for the OP. We moved our son to Burgundy after him being absolutely miserable at public school. He was more than two years ahead of what they would be teaching and the teachers there just said they needed to focus on kids who needed help to pass the tests. Thus everyday was a struggle and our son started acting out and developing awful habits. Flash forward just a few months at Burgundy and he was crying about all the snow days. Yes, the teachers told us they are focusing on his social skills more this year, but we agree...and that has helped him academically too because the social skills are helping how he approaches school overall.

Some other points:
1. Call Lori Adams, the admissions coordinator. She is one of the nicest people I have ever met, period. She is extremely helpful and perfectly honest. She will spend time with you on the phone and help connect you to parents who can give you advice on other topics too (i.e real estate, religious community), not just the "boosters."
2. They have formed a group, including parents, to overhaul how they teach math. I think they start next month and will be spending significant time on the topic.
3. The older students go out of their way to make younger kids feel like they belong. The middle schools kids show compassion and give back, which is something important to me.
4. The campus is freaking awesome. We hang out there on weekends. They have friendly goats, sheep, chickens, etc. They have amphitheaters where they have class during nice weather.
5. Personally, I am a nerd who learned the old-fashioned way of cramming facts into my head. I wish I could have learned the way they teach at Burgundy. When the focus is on HOW you learn, it is different style and requires a different way to test. Some of that is on us as parents to assess by talking with our kids and their teachers.
6. The art/library/PE, etc is amazing - they have more teachers devoted to the 'specials' than you will find at large public schools.

Good luck with your move...and be prepared for living in an area that close schools at the hint of a snowflake.

Thanks so much for sharing this. I am not the OP, but had considered Burgundy, then crossed it off my list. I'm now reconsidering based on the information you provided. I will call Lori Adams and talk to her about some of the questions/concerns I had.

[Anonymous]

The key to whether Burgundy will work for your child (from an academic standpoint) depends a lot on his/her learning style. The school has a very unique, interesting curriculum and works very hard to teach children how to pursue their own learning ... figuring out what they want to know, what they already know, where they can find/learn what is missing, and how to present what they have learned in writing, through exhibits and in oral presentations. It is all good ... unless ... you have a child who is more linear and really hasn't matured enough intellectually to fully take advantage of this style of learning. For creative self-learners who need facilitation more than direct instruction, Burgundy is a dream. For a child who at least during the early years is more suited to direct instruction ... what some here refer to as traditional or structured learning ... you may find that your child is totally happy and engaged yet really not "getting it." And because the school does not give grades and is very gentle in their assessment of how each child is doing, you can literally go years before discovering that your happy child has mastered almost no content.

Yes, I agree that mastering content is not the only thing of importance, particularly in the elementary years. But I do think that some progress in that area is helpful going forward. Like it or not, children will be expected to have mastered certain basic information by high school.

So it is a wonderful school in many ways but is definitely not the correct choice for all ... be careful.

as well as orally in presentations

[Anonymous]

And because the school does not give grades and is very gentle in their assessment of how each child is doing, you can literally go years before discovering that your happy child has mastered almost no content.

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

And because the school does not give grades and is very gentle in their assessment of how each child is doing, you can literally go years before discovering that your happy child has mastered almost no content.

Exactly.

+1000. And literally years before discovering that your happy DC has been a witness to the kind of bullyinh that Burgundy calls "self-advocacy," and has never taken a multiple-choice test, and thinks that school is for playing at group tables forever.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry, but if you don't notice what your child is or is not learning, you are the failure and not the school. That goes for any child at any school, period. If you want to abdicate asking your children questions about what they are learning, doing homework with them and talking with their teachers, friends and friends' parents that is on you. How you can go years with not knowing what your kid is learning, thinking that "gee, happy kids must be learning" is your fault. I bet it will also be the schools' fault in your mind when your kid is arrested for drunk driving, date rape or theft; but hey, you thought your kid was happy so how could you have possibly missed something. Take some parental responsibility. If a school is not working for your child, you should know about it much quicker. When you have the means to afford an expensive school, you have more options than most other people.

[Anonymous]

Homework and testing is how parents know if their kids are learning appropriate grade level material. Both are sorely lacking in the lower school. Couple that with inflated feel good progress reports that say DC is doing great and it is easy to see how parents miss the signs that DC is below grade level at any other fricking school.

[Anonymous]

I am not trying to pass judgement but I honestly want to know why any of you didn't catch the problems for years. Are you not told what the children are studying at school? I always know what my kids are studying in school (which in elementary is always basic stuff) so I don't need to wait for a test or a grade to come home to know if they are having problems. At home, we try to supplement whatever is going on at school so we know if they are on track. I can see how this would be a problem when they were older (I'm not going to be able to help them with chemistry) but I think grades start in 6th grade at BF. (My kids do not go there.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Homework and testing is how parents know if their kids are learning appropriate grade level material. Both are sorely lacking in the lower school. Couple that with inflated feel good progress reports that say DC is doing great and it is easy to see how parents miss the signs that DC is below grade level at any other fricking school.

This is the answer to why parents may not know as well as they should. We always knew what DC was studying and what activities were going on. But a child that knows s/he will never be tested on content does not pay the same attention to details as one who knows it could show up on a quiz or test. And reading materials sent home to be read are also read with a different level of attention. And if a child is fooling around with another kid during group discussion or is just plain daydreaming, they miss a LOT. In our case, we did not have another school to compare progress against ... only distant memories of our own school days. We absolutely did raise concerns with the teachers and they always told us everything was great. The narrative report cards said the same thing. But going into 5th grade, our kid did not know who Christopher Columbus was, that the three primary types of rocks were igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary, that Jamestown was one of the first settlements in Virginia, anything to do with American history even on the most basic level, and on and on.

We are not huge fans of constant testing and content cramming ... it is the reason we chose the school in the first place. But I suppose we decided that there has to be a more middle ground so we left. We now see what our child is capable of and we are sorry we didn't do it sooner. But kindergarten and first grade at Burgundy are truly delightful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not trying to pass judgement but I honestly want to know why any of you didn't catch the problems for years. Are you not told what the children are studying at school? I always know what my kids are studying in school (which in elementary is always basic stuff) so I don't need to wait for a test or a grade to come home to know if they are having problems. At home, we try to supplement whatever is going on at school so we know if they are on track. I can see how this would be a problem when they were older (I'm not going to be able to help them with chemistry) but I think grades start in 6th grade at BF. (My kids do not go there.)

As a previous parent of the school, I think there a are various reasons. I have observed that parents and kids really like the school, the environment and the teaching method and I have seen that parents and children have a hard time leaving even when it becomes clear that the method may not be working for their child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry, but if you don't notice what your child is or is not learning, you are the failure and not the school. That goes for any child at any school, period. If you want to abdicate asking your children questions about what they are learning, doing homework with them and talking with their teachers, friends and friends' parents that is on you. How you can go years with not knowing what your kid is learning, thinking that "gee, happy kids must be learning" is your fault. I bet it will also be the schools' fault in your mind when your kid is arrested for drunk driving, date rape or theft; but hey, you thought your kid was happy so how could you have possibly missed something. Take some parental responsibility. If a school is not working for your child, you should know about it much quicker. When you have the means to afford an expensive school, you have more options than most other people.

I think your point is a fair one. Speaking for our family, we did notice these problems early and discussed with the teachers. The teachers assured us that everything was fine and we should have no worries. "Children learn things at different rates and at different times." "Burgundy covers content in a different order than other schools, so by the time they finish 8th grade, they will have covered it." All true but with each passing year, it became less acceptable of a response. So as you suggest, we did what parents should do and moved our kids to a different school. There is a powerful group think thing going on there ... almost like a cult. It is a great school IF you agree with the prevailing philosophy of the place. That is of course true at any school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not trying to pass judgement but I honestly want to know why any of you didn't catch the problems for years. Are you not told what the children are studying at school? I always know what my kids are studying in school (which in elementary is always basic stuff) so I don't need to wait for a test or a grade to come home to know if they are having problems. At home, we try to supplement whatever is going on at school so we know if they are on track. I can see how this would be a problem when they were older (I'm not going to be able to help them with chemistry) but I think grades start in 6th grade at BF. (My kids do not go there.)

As a previous parent of the school, I think there a are various reasons. I have observed that parents and kids really like the school, the environment and the teaching method and I have seen that parents and children have a hard time leaving even when it becomes clear that the method may not be working for their child.

I agree. There are many nice things about the school ... the staff and families that attend, the campus, the outdoor time, the location (for us) ... so there is the tendency to want to make it work rather than yank a child out of a place he loves. So you try to work with the school or do work with your child behind the scenes. Eventually though, it is too much tuition money just to have a nice, happy experience with almost no learning. And again, some kids learn a lot there ... it really depends on how your child processes information.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not trying to pass judgement but I honestly want to know why any of you didn't catch the problems for years. Are you not told what the children are studying at school? I always know what my kids are studying in school (which in elementary is always basic stuff) so I don't need to wait for a test or a grade to come home to know if they are having problems. At home, we try to supplement whatever is going on at school so we know if they are on track. I can see how this would be a problem when they were older (I'm not going to be able to help them with chemistry) but I think grades start in 6th grade at BF. (My kids do not go there.)

I'm the one who posted this ? question. Thanks for your thoughtful responses!