Recommendations for parochial schools in Chevy Chase/Bethesda area?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you mean by "active"? FWIW, catholic schools are still very traditional when it comes to classroom expectations. Many classrooms still have desks lined up in neat little rows whereas most public schools have desks organized like tables to facilitate more interaction and group learning. In catholic schools teachers can turn their backs on the kids to write on the board and old-school teachers tend to lecture rather than actively engage students one on one (FWIW -- before I am flamed -- I'm getting this from first-hand exerience as a product of local catholic schools k-12 as well as the parent of a kid in parochial school AND the sibling of a MCPS teacher with kids in catholic schools who has run down the line by line comparison with me ad naseum). We all know that catholic schools expect kids to act a certain way and actually follow through with disciplinary actions that public schools rarely bother with since they have their hands full with lots of kids with issues and ultimately cannot be selective in terms of students.

Finally, if "active" may translate into learning or behavior issues down the road, then public school would likely be your best bet since catholic schools cannot offer the myriad support services that MCPS can.

I always think that it is hilarious that people think that Catholic elementary schools select students. Here is what you need to get into a Catholic school: A pulse. Maybe it is difficult to get into the really wealthy schools such as Holy Trinity or Blessed Sacrament (BS is known for being difficult to get into because you have to be a long time parishioner and be very active in the parish) but the majority of Catholic schools involve walking into the office, taking a tour, and enrolling your child. The Catholic schools where I have worked make a big show out of having your child visit for the day so that teachers can observe behavior but the bottom line is that you just need to be able to pay the tuition. We need warm bodies in Catholic schools, enrollment is down about 5% across the board.

Which makes it all the more impressive that they do well. Not nearly the same amount of $$ spent per pupil as the public system and they don't weed out the average kids like the private schools.

[Anonymous]

What about Mater Dei? It is an all-boys school, and I think an active boy would do well there.

[Anonymous]

I plan to look at Mater Dei, but I think it's almost impossible to get in unless you're a legacy.

[Anonymous]

Blessed Sacrament has openings in K. I just got the class lists and they are like 18 kids per class (limit is 20). It was an off year for siblings (last year was the opposite - just a few spots open after siblings). So if you are interested you should call the school.

[Anonymous]

My neighbor's son just got into Mater Dei and he's not a legacy. But I find the whole Opus Dei connection creepy.

[Anonymous]

mater dei is not opus dei at all. I think you are thinking of the Heights which explicitly says that as part of its mission. A few nonlegacy get in per class at mater dei, but usually with some connection to the school. there are some threads on mater dei on private school board.

[Anonymous]

OUR LADY OF LOURDES IS THE WORST SCHOOL EVER. DO NOT SEND YOUR KIDS THERE UNLESS YOU WANT THEM TO HAVE A TERRIBLE EDUCATION AND SPEND THE GREATER PART OF THEIR CHILDHOOD BEING SCREAMED AT.

[Anonymous]

I love St. Barts it's a great school. Good teachers, nice size and nothing to complain about.

[Anonymous]

Whoever has a student at St Barts, please tell me more. I hear very very little but what I do hear is great!

[Anonymous]

With regard to the Catholic Schools. Probably the greatest loss to American education over the past twenty years or so has been the progressive loss of the Catholic schools serving progressively poorer neighborhoods.
Those that have survived are now largely serving non-catholic populations, and bless them. There is one school in NYC completely supported by a group of women on Wall Street for precisely ths reason.My experience with parents who send children to the Catholic schools.
African American parents seek them out with no regard for whether they themsmelves have any connection to Catholicism. This is true across the country.
I bumped into my own doctor in a parking lot last week and noted her son who was with her had on a sweatshirt with the logo of a boys catholic central high school. We both had a good laugh. We have often discussed where he would go (the eldest of three). She had tried the best private school in the area, then transferred to the Jewish Day School then ended up having a tutor for home schooling. Now she has done what a raft of friends and colleagues have done, families who could afford to have their children anywhere, they, with no Catholic connections, have turned to the Catholic schools.
The bottom line is that these schools have an increasingly very diverse population. Gone are the days of Catholic schools with all Catholic populations. And they are not a proselytizing religion. I myself have never heard of a single instance among many many colleagues and friends.
One caveat, gathered from feedback --and this is less and less likely to be true today --the close knit strongly single ethnic group Catholic School should be looked at carefully. With the current situation of largely lay faculties this should be a rarity today.

[Anonymous]

We have friends in nearly all of the CC/Beth Catholic schools. They all seem to have a little bit of a different "feel" to them but our friends are all happy with where they are. I guess they've found the places that suit them best - and where there are openings. Most are pretty full from what I gather.