Alexandria Country Day/St Stephens/Browne/Burgundy/Grace Episcopal of Alexandria?

[Anonymous]

I'd appreciate any information/experience/perceptions you can share about these schools. In particular, I'm interested in their K (or pre-K/preschool for those that have). We've looked at all recently and just interested to hear from other parents.

[Anonymous]

I am looking at all the same schools and the only one I received feedback on was St Stephens and it was negative and it was because the parents were "snotty".

[Anonymous]

Here's what I've written in the past on this forum about Burgundy (I'm too lazy this morning to recreate it):

"We currently have two children at Burgundy, one in the middle school. They both entered in kindergarten. I can't tell how much Burgundy has added to their lives. They truly love school, and love learning! They have been given the freedom to pursue their own interests within a framework devised by caring, supportive teachers. Most of the parents at Burgundy are very interested in education; I am pursuing my master's in elementary education and am impressed on a regular basis by the quality of learning experiences provided by both Burgundy's elementary and middle school teachers. Most of the lessons involve active, hands-on, cooperative learning, and the West Virginia campus (called the Cove) enhances lessons learned in Alexandria. The 1st graders, for example, follow the "Underground Railroad" at night through the woods, accompanied by parents and teachers. It is an experience that both children and parents never forget!"

Sending our children to Burgundy has been one of the best decisions we've ever made as parents.

[Anonymous]

We send our son to St. stephens and he is in the K program. It's a great school, with a great deal of diversity with African Americans, but I am trying to see if there are other ethnicities represented or not because it isn't apparent to me. We would like our son to go to a school with a braod world view.

[Anonymous]

we love grace. our child has been in grace since pre-K. it is a small nuturing school where everybody knows your name. the teachers are fantastic and caring. student;teacher ratio is great about 6:1 so children get a lot of attention to ensure each child reaches their potential. strong focus on key skills. the pre-school in my view is one of the best around. Kindergaten is a transition to the grade program (and up for Kindergaten and first grade you have 2 teachers for about 14 children) with teachers for specialised subjects e.g spanish, computer, PE etc and to top it all- you get great value for your money.

[Anonymous]

I'd like to know more about Grace also....specifically its academic rigor. I was somewhat concerened when I noted on Grace's website that they were still teaching phonics in the Second grade. This seemed a little late....I was taught phonics in K5 and 1st grade and I didn't even think my school was all that great. My nephew is learning phonics at a Montessori in K3. Can anyone tell me more about this??? Otherwise I think the school seems like a nice place.

[Anonymous]

Our son started at Browne Middle School, which starts in 5th grade, this year. Prior to that, he attended Lyles-Crouch, a wonderful public school in Old Town. While I cannot speak for the Browne lower school, the Middle School experience has been phenomenal. The teachers, curriculum, specials, balance between creativity and structure etc. have been excellent, and he transitioned easily from Lyles-Crouch (academically he was well prepared, and I feel the two schools complemented each other nicely). Browne is diverse in many ways, and we like that too. It is a caring, nurturing and intellectual little school with a focus on great academics as well as the whole child. That said, if you are looking around in Alexandria, I would recommend taking a look at some of the public schools for the lower grades. Many Alexandria families (including dozens of children at Lyles-Crouch) have transferred to public from private schools for the lower grades (for a variety of reasons) in recent years. While we were clearly not comfortable with our Middle School option, we really think there are great choices for the lower grades in public that are worth mentioning. Having looked at private schools for my son when he was 4 years old, going public K-4, and then revisiting private school again for his middle school years, we feel very fortunate to find the perfect place for him as he prepares for High School. I would have made very different choices the first time around if we had gone private for pre-K - and I think this is the case for many families. Just one more thing to think about. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

PP, can you tell me more about Lyles-Crouch?

Do they have acccelerated classes in math and reading?

Any languages taught?

It seems like a pleasant capus, but I'm fairly new to the area and don't know much about the academic reputation of local schools.

[Anonymous]

I have been very pleased with the academics at Lyles Crouch (we still have one child attending). They offer a Core Knowledge curriculum that is unique within the district. The curriculum emphasizes the arts and has an international focus. The principal is quite progressive, and there are all sorts of enrichment programs built into the schedule (fine arts performances, speakers etc.). Lots of great field trips too. Math and reading are strong - Core Knowledge incorporates a lot of classic and biographical literature and emphasizes critical thinking. In general, the kids are very engaged - lots of hands on learning and interesting projects. I've always been very impressed when visiting the classrooms - really nice, mannerly kids and lots of enthusiasm. Great parent community too. My son was in the TAG program for both math and language arts, which starts in 4th grade. Prior to that the kids were all in one classroom. We were always pleased with the level of instruction. If you are in the district, I'd suggest scheduling a tour or a meeting with the principal. There is typically a kindergarten open house in February as well. There are no languages offered, but I believe there is a Spanish after school program.

[Anonymous]

In grace - phonics stared in K4 and I believe what they mean is they used a phonic system for reading. By grade 1the children are reading, learning grammar and writing weekly book report. Grace also has pretty good outcomes. last year all 5th grade grads got into their first choice schools including some of the most competitive schools in the dc metro area.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP for the clarification regarding Grace's phonics. I like most everything else I've learned about the school, so I glad to hear they are not still teaching phonics in grade 2.

[Anonymous]

How hard is it to get into Lyles Crouch via lottery? We live in Del Ray and are zoned for Jefferson Houston. I was surprised to find that out, since geograpically we live closest to Maury. We are considering trying to get into Lyles Crouch via the lottery system?

[Anonymous]

I have a child at Burgundy and we love it. Very relaxed, very warm.

[Anonymous]

I heard that the lottery was not offered any more.