New school -- Fusion Academy -- anyone heard of it?

Anonymous
Thanks PP. How much is it for just one class?
Anonymous
Hello, I'm looking for any additional or new input related to the Tysons campus. We are interested for our 10th grader who is bright and socially fine but his ADHD means there is NO gas left in the tank when he gets home for homework. He has tried med boost in afternoon and it was not good so stopped. Homework is our battle and it's making all of us miserable. We already spend a small fortune on small group tutoring where he can go get academic support as well as get HW done away from home. Thanks!
Anonymous
I know a kid who goes there (in one of the Los Angeles area locations). She's a serious athlete and she can get a lot of schoolwork done thanks to the individualized attention, then she has time for private coaching in her sport.

She must be in 10th (maybe 11th by now). She did start out at a regular (all-girls) school that our elementary feeds to, but mom said the girls were mean and there was too much partying so she pulled her and put her into Fusion. The girl is happy, from what I know.
Anonymous
We are at the Alexandria campus -- not Tysons. But I will offer my two cents, since there probably aren't that many people on here with actual experience of Fusion. The mix of students tilts toward kids with emotional and behavioral issues. This is not a complaint, since my kid fits that bill -- anxiety/depression/school refusal. It is a more relaxed pace than public school, and the one-on-one tutoring means kids can actually progress quite fast.

The school seems to me to be very well run. The staff is warm and genuinely interested in my child and her particular situation. They really work with us and are very good at reaching out with concerns. They seem to be growing at a nice pace, too -- I was worried about that, because they have a lot of space and initially only had about 12 kids. But I think they will be at around 30 in the fall.

Overall, I am very pleased. This program is meeting the needs of my kid, who has been to two public schools and an online school in a desperate attempt to find the match that will fit her situation, which is unique in some respects. The biggest issue with Fusion is that it's so darned expensive -- $40k a year for FT.
Anonymous
Thanks for the encouragement! Nothing like throwing good money after bad on tutoring. They have summer sessions, which I will be taking advantage of, so perhaps he will catch up a bit before the school year starts.
Anonymous
I know someone who works there (excellent teacher btw). He's underpaid for the amount of work he has to do, but enjoys it quite a bit.
Anonymous
I've been curious about why teachers choose this. We've met a few who are pursuing a passion such as music or acting and want the flexibility this program provides. We have unfortunately seen two good teachers move on already after a half year in the program.
Anonymous
We started my 10th grader at Fusion Alexandria this fall. He was doing great at public school until middle of last year and developed severe school anxiety/avoidance. We explored pretty much every private school in the area, but he had no interest in any of them. We met with the head of school at Fusion Alexandria, and she was great. Our son asked us if he could try this school so we were thrilled. The school is very expensive so we have started part time. We wanted to make sure he would actually go before we paid for a full course load. So far so good. He is up and ready to go on school days, (this is a kid who really hadn't left the house in months), he gets the work done and actually talks about school in a positive way. He is very slowly getting to know the other student so I can't comment on the social aspects yet. We've only been at Fusion a short time, but we are very happy.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:We started my 10th grader at Fusion Alexandria this fall. He was doing great at public school until middle of last year and developed severe school anxiety/avoidance. We explored pretty much every private school in the area, but he had no interest in any of them. We met with the head of school at Fusion Alexandria, and she was great. Our son asked us if he could try this school so we were thrilled. The school is very expensive so we have started part time. We wanted to make sure he would actually go before we paid for a full course load. So far so good. He is up and ready to go on school days, (this is a kid who really hadn't left the house in months), he gets the work done and actually talks about school in a positive way. He is very slowly getting to know the other student so I can't comment on the social aspects yet. We've only been at Fusion a short time, but we are very happy.


That is great to hear! Can you comment on the ways in which your son is able to get to know the other kids?
Anonymous
Anyone at the new Rockville Fusion and can provide feedback?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We started my 10th grader at Fusion Alexandria this fall. He was doing great at public school until middle of last year and developed severe school anxiety/avoidance. We explored pretty much every private school in the area, but he had no interest in any of them. We met with the head of school at Fusion Alexandria, and she was great. Our son asked us if he could try this school so we were thrilled. The school is very expensive so we have started part time. We wanted to make sure he would actually go before we paid for a full course load. So far so good. He is up and ready to go on school days, (this is a kid who really hadn't left the house in months), he gets the work done and actually talks about school in a positive way. He is very slowly getting to know the other student so I can't comment on the social aspects yet. We've only been at Fusion a short time, but we are very happy.


That is great to hear! Can you comment on the ways in which your son is able to get to know the other kids?


NP here - we are at a different Fusion location (west coast), that said all the campuses are designed similarly in that there's a Homework Cafe where the students can congregate and socialize. You don't have to do homework if you're hanging out there, you can just hang out on the couch. Play boardgames etc., there are surprisingly a lot of opportunities for kids to socialize.

Like the PP, we started out part time as well as we wanted to make sure it was a good fit. We went full time a few months ago and are thrilled with the quality of instruction and attention that DS receives. We get daily, detailed reports on his progress and are in close contact with school admin. Adding to this, the Administrative team is top-notch. They seem passionate about their work and do a good job of creating a bond with each of the students and their family.

So far we don't see any negatives. For us, Fusion is working really well
Anonymous
Resurrecting this thread in hopes of new updates about this school, any of the locations is okay though info on the Tysons location would be great.

Anonymous
Does anyone have info on the Tyson’s fusion? Do they accommodate kids who are high functioning on the autism spectrum?
Anonymous
I can provide info. I work at a Fusion in the area, though not Tysons. I can honestly say for the right student, it's life changing. These kids just come alive. The 1:1 environments allows teachers to tailor curriculum to EXACTLY what they like and excel at. It's the difference between being able to do presentations vs essays, read books the kid likes instead of prescribed books chosen by the state curriculum. It's relaxed and friendly. Kids with anxiety thrive there, kids with school avoidance COME!! If you can swing the tuition, which is steep, I don't think you would ever regret it. The emails I get from parents are the truest testimonial to our school. The teachers love it for 2 big reasons: flexibility and the ability to actually TEACH, and have fun with these kids! They are all absolute gifts with very special personalities that typical school just smothers.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have info on the Tyson’s fusion? Do they accommodate kids who are high functioning on the autism spectrum?


My DC is at another DC area location. Has identified three groups of students -- the druggies, the true special needs, and the seems normal, wonder why they are here. (puts self in the 3rd, there for school refusal after overwhelmed at large public). Definitely spectrum kids in the mix at this campus.
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