St Andelm's Abbey

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of my best friend's kids goes there for middle school.
He's bright and a decent student but not brilliant by any means. He's not a self-motivator so he does well in a school that demands a lot because he's good at doing what's expected of him but isn't going to initiate beyond what is required.

He's a quirky kid and an athlete but never quite fit in the macho athletic world. Quiet, introverted, needs a lot of down time at home.

PP, you sound like a complete jerk. I feel bad for the person you call your best friend.

huh?

Do I need to spell it out for you?

"not brilliant by any means"
"not a self motivator"
"quirky kid and an athlete but never quite fit in the macho athletic world"
"quiet, introverted, needs a lot of downtime"

If you were my friend and described my son like this, I would smack you.

ok,
let me change it for you.
He's off the charts brilliant, self motivated, macho, extroverted and the life of every party!"

Better?
Of course, none of it is true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not op, but we, too, are looking ahead to schools to visit this fall for our rising 5th grader (so we'd be applying for 6th grade entry). We are jewish and while I appreciate the inclusive nature of SAAS, I don't think we'd feel comfortable sending our son to a catholic high school (I went on the website and was not even sure what benedictine meant ). But otherwise, this school sounds fantastic and a great fit for our son. Are there any non-religious schools that have a number of similarities? Our son loves debating and discussing, is a voracious reader of history, ancient and more recent, and recently asked me if he could take latin! (I checked, and it is not offered in our mcps middle school) He also loves sports but is not very athletic and so plays everything at a "rec" level (but with passion). As someone else described another child in this thread, my son needs structure and high expectations, because he otherwise coasts unless he is personally interested in the subject.

There are several Jewish boys at the school. I'm sure the admissions department would be happy to put you in contact with their families, so you could talk to them about what it is like for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of my best friend's kids goes there for middle school.
He's bright and a decent student but not brilliant by any means. He's not a self-motivator so he does well in a school that demands a lot because he's good at doing what's expected of him but isn't going to initiate beyond what is required.

He's a quirky kid and an athlete but never quite fit in the macho athletic world. Quiet, introverted, needs a lot of down time at home.

PP, you sound like a complete jerk. I feel bad for the person you call your best friend.

huh?

Do I need to spell it out for you?

"not brilliant by any means"
"not a self motivator"
"quirky kid and an athlete but never quite fit in the macho athletic world"
"quiet, introverted, needs a lot of downtime"

If you were my friend and described my son like this, I would smack you.

ok,
let me change it for you.
He's off the charts brilliant, self motivated, macho, extroverted and the life of every party!"

Better?
Of course, none of it is true.

How about this:

A bright, competent kid
Does extremely well in a structured environment
Introspective and sensitive, not the partying type
Athletic, but also has a quirky side

See? You can say the same thing in a much more positive way. The PP who posted this was extremely insensitive imo.

[Anonymous]

How convenient is St. Anselm's to the metro?

[Anonymous]

School provides after school/after athletics shuttle buses to the closest metro stop, Fort Totten, which is about a mile away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Do I need to spell it out for you?

"not brilliant by any means"
"not a self motivator"
"quirky kid and an athlete but never quite fit in the macho athletic world"
"quiet, introverted, needs a lot of downtime"

If you were my friend and described my son like this, I would smack you.

I think that says more about you than about the poster who described her friend's kid. Those aren't insults. They may not be what you aspire to for your son (in which case I hope for his sake he measures up, because you don't seem to appreciate all personality types), but bright, nonmacho introverts are delightful.

+1
You need to calm down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of my best friend's kids goes there for middle school.
He's bright and a decent student but not brilliant by any means. He's not a self-motivator so he does well in a school that demands a lot because he's good at doing what's expected of him but isn't going to initiate beyond what is required.

He's a quirky kid and an athlete but never quite fit in the macho athletic world. Quiet, introverted, needs a lot of down time at home.

PP, you sound like a complete jerk. I feel bad for the person you call your best friend.

huh?

Do I need to spell it out for you?

"not brilliant by any means"
"not a self motivator"
"quirky kid and an athlete but never quite fit in the macho athletic world"
"quiet, introverted, needs a lot of downtime"

If you were my friend and described my son like this, I would smack you.

ok,
let me change it for you.
He's off the charts brilliant, self motivated, macho, extroverted and the life of every party!"

Better?
Of course, none of it is true.

How about this:

A bright, competent kid
Does extremely well in a structured environment
Introspective and sensitive, not the partying type
Athletic, but also has a quirky side

See? You can say the same thing in a much more positive way. The PP who posted this was extremely insensitive imo.

I agree with you PP. The original post about the boy was a bit harsh and insensitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not op, but we, too, are looking ahead to schools to visit this fall for our rising 5th grader (so we'd be applying for 6th grade entry). We are jewish and while I appreciate the inclusive nature of SAAS, I don't think we'd feel comfortable sending our son to a catholic high school (I went on the website and was not even sure what benedictine meant ). But otherwise, this school sounds fantastic and a great fit for our son. Are there any non-religious schools that have a number of similarities? Our son loves debating and discussing, is a voracious reader of history, ancient and more recent, and recently asked me if he could take latin! (I checked, and it is not offered in our mcps middle school) He also loves sports but is not very athletic and so plays everything at a "rec" level (but with passion). As someone else described another child in this thread, my son needs structure and high expectations, because he otherwise coasts unless he is personally interested in the subject.

There are several Jewish boys at the school. I'm sure the admissions department would be happy to put you in contact with their families, so you could talk to them about what it is like for them.

And overall this sounds like a perfect Abbey boy. Fwiw, we're not Christian either- not Jewish though- and have no issues with the school or the way it approaches religion.

[Anonymous]

Our son loved his time at SAAS. He is very smart, not quirky, not very athletic but loves to participate as part of a team. We are Christian, but not Catholic. There were numerous Jewish boys there, DS son seemed to roughly be about 50% Catholic. Several parish and public elementary schools were represented. The atmosphere is calm and spiritual, but not overly religious. The work is hard, the boys study a lot but they form close bonds and there's a 'we're all in this together' mentality. It's a wonderful school for the right boy. Don't expect a lot of differentiation however, the resources simply aren't there. The other caution would be if your son is smart but unmotivated - SAAS is a recipe for disaster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How convenient is St. Anselm's to the metro?

http://www.saintanselms.org/about_us/directions/index.aspx

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our son loved his time at SAAS. He is very smart, not quirky, not very athletic but loves to participate as part of a team. We are Christian, but not Catholic. There were numerous Jewish boys there, DS son seemed to roughly be about 50% Catholic. Several parish and public elementary schools were represented. The atmosphere is calm and spiritual, but not overly religious. The work is hard, the boys study a lot but they form close bonds and there's a 'we're all in this together' mentality. It's a wonderful school for the right boy. Don't expect a lot of differentiation however, the resources simply aren't there. The other caution would be if your son is smart but unmotivated - SAAS is a recipe for disaster.

Interesting that you point this out, when a previous poster (5/18 13:48) mentioned that an "not a self motivator." I actually felt that in addition to being somewhat rude, the PP's description of that boy, from the "motivation" standpoint, was not a typical SAAS student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our son loved his time at SAAS. He is very smart, not quirky, not very athletic but loves to participate as part of a team. We are Christian, but not Catholic. There were numerous Jewish boys there, DS son seemed to roughly be about 50% Catholic. Several parish and public elementary schools were represented. The atmosphere is calm and spiritual, but not overly religious. The work is hard, the boys study a lot but they form close bonds and there's a 'we're all in this together' mentality. It's a wonderful school for the right boy. Don't expect a lot of differentiation however, the resources simply aren't there. The other caution would be if your son is smart but unmotivated - SAAS is a recipe for disaster.

Interesting that you point this out, when a previous poster (5/18 13:48) mentioned that an "not a self motivator." I actually felt that in addition to being somewhat rude, the PP's description of that boy, from the "motivation" standpoint, was not a typical SAAS student.

YMMV, but when DS was there smart but unmotivated was a recipe to struggle. Some of those boys got with the program, but not without some disastrous grades. Others transferred out. Seemed more prevalent with those who came in 9th as they coasted thru MS.

[Anonymous]

It's true. I think the common factor for success at St. A's is enthusiasm and engagement (real intellectual curiosity) rather than just being smart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's true. I think the common factor for success at St. A's is enthusiasm and engagement (real intellectual curiosity) rather than just being smart.

This is good to hear. I believe starting in 6th is likely our best option then, for many reasons. This post sorta solidifies that.

How hard is it to get in? Also, can anybody give me an idea of the strength and rigor of their science and math programs?

[Anonymous]

Admission is competitive. Good grades, high scores on the entrance exam and evidence of intellectual curiosity are some factors they weigh. They work really hard to find boys who will be a good fit for the program. Have your child do a "shadow" day to get a feel for the school. Mine did 2 one before admission and one after.