Sidwell parents please share thoughts & comments specifically on lower school

[Anonymous]

9:53 here

The one thing I would add to the above is the idea in PK and K, while the kids are sponges and absorb a lot of information, the general premise that I have observed is the culture and foundation for inquisition and questioning. There is no such thing as saying "why?" too much, and the teachers challenge the kids to try to answer the questions. The discourse can be quite sophisticated.

The teachers at the early age also instill a strong sense of responsibility. Responsibility for their tasks to themselves, for their tasks as part of the community (via weekly job assignments) and to the broader community via community service activities. This helps even the youngest kids feel a strong sense of being part of a greater whole, and also instills confidence of achievement beyond academics.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, PPs. What about science? I see that it looks like there is only 1 science class per week, through at least 3rd grade. That seems very light to me, I recall from tours of other schools that kids generally have science several times a week at most schools in lower school.

I recently asked a Sidwell mom about the lower school science curriculum, and she really didn't want to discuss it with me. She just said "well, we don't have them working with Bunsen burners" and she wanted to end the discussion without any real answer. I didn't push it with her at that point, as I didn't want it to become uncomfortable since I'm a potential new parent. Do Sidwell parents think the science curriculum is a weakness? Do they like it? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow 8:21. It's early in the morning and you're already hostile?

I have some specific questions that perhaps if a current Sidwell parent isn't too put off could answer.
1. How consistently good are the teachers from one year to the next or is it inconsistent?
2. From what I hear there are a lot of two working parent families. I am a SAHM (although I also run a business). Will there be a community for me there. I know it's about the kids but I am also I interested in making friends.
3. I think one of the most important goals of early education is to foster curiosity and love of learning. How do they do this there?
4. Are the Quaker values easy to digest for those who aren't Quaker, by which are they universal enough that children will view them as life-skills rather than a religion, per se?
5. What are the academic stregnths and weaknesses of the program?

Thank you in advance for the time to answer. I appreciate it.
5.

Sidwell parent here:
1. Very consistent, all excellent but some very different styles. At PK-2nd all are team taught so 2 teachers for each class (in 3rd and 4th - 2 classes have only 1 teacher but smaller group). SFS has done a great job matching my child's needs to her teachers (e.g. stricter vs. warmer fuzzier team - my child needs strict )
2. Mixture of all types of parents including a number of single parents, adopted kids, etc. - our HH has 2 working parents so we pick our volunteer slots carefully and help with weekend sports, etc if we cannot get in the classroom during the day. In our 3 years at the school it as all worked out fine.
3. This is what sold us on Sidwell - go visit some of the classrooms and just watch! Th asking of questions, promoting (esp in math) creative problem solving.
4. we have practice no family religion (episc./catholic parents) so this has ben a nice addition - although I find they sing just as many jewish songs as they do christian or anything else! quite funny, but my child loves the diversity of it all. Meeting for worship is a nice community time. The values are really human values... nothing to disagree with on our end.
5. Strengths - writing process in 1st grade is amazing! Developing ideas, illustrating, peer review, revising, publishing. In 2nd the focus on Native Americans - having a tribe/clan and being a part of the community, history, etc. ...culminating in a research project. 3rd and 4th also have special areas of focus.. If you can, talk to current parents and ask for details. Science - they do some in the classroom beyond the weekly visit. Yes, there could be more science as at this age they love the hands-on activities but the schedule is very busy and I would not cut Spanish, music, art...or outside time etc. They learn the basic skills of how to ask questions, hypothesize, formulate answers, so I am happy with what they are doing.

My child loves the school and her teachers - one thing that always makes me smile is to see the students giving teachers hugs at the end of the day or hugs to their teacher from last year, or shouting to them as they walk through carpool...

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP. We have intra household differences in faith and our intensity of faith and so on and I am very relieved to hear that none of Sidwell's "religious" activities would make any of this too difficult.

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much for all the replies so far. This is the first time that I feel that there has been a normal discussion about the school. Can I ask a few more questions?

1. Do you think that it is a joyous place? A lot of the people whom I've met seem earnest. In the very little grades, I still want my dc to feel joy and truthfully to have fun (learning can be in intertwined with fun too!).
2. If a problem has arisen do you feel that the school responds in a supportive/measured way?
3. Is it a warm environment? (Although reading the previous posts it certainly seems that way, but there's something about the pared down Quakerness of it all that might make it seem subdued. I love the moments of silence, but can the kids be rambunctious at times too?
4. How much homework is there and is it manageable?

Thank you again for your time. I know that even a short response takes effort and everyone is busy!

[Anonymous]

1) Yes, kids are generally always smiling and happy, eager to get to school every day;
2) We haven't had any problems, but it has been my experience (based on others) that while the school is responsive, there is also defense of teachers. They have a process for assigning students to classes each year, and there is a certain amount of trust that goes into that process;
3)Yes, see 1 (maybe you could define the difference between the two questions?)
4) Very cursory once a week assignments and some library books in K, 1st ramps into group projects, artwork, light writing, light math, second begins to get a little more comprehensive, on average about 20-30 mins a night, maybe less, goes up a little more from there. It is really in Middle School where the academics kick in so at the Lower School it is about how to manage time, daily, weekly and longer terms assignments. Often integrating writing,reading, art and analysis.

On the question of science from before, often there is science integrated into the main classroom, so even though the more formal science might seem "light" there is great exposure in a multi-disciplinary fashion in the home rooms.