Bullis concerns

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ll second the great arts program if that is your student’s thing. It is top notch and no comparison to public offerings. But the teacher excellence was significantly impacted by the financial mismanagement issues that have already been raised on this board last year. And from my perspective, there isn’t a tight community at Bullis, but rather a series of adjacent cliche-y communities that make the social scene small and frankly weird. Any school choice is a gamble, but go in with your eyes extra open here.

That's at a lot of schools, public and private. It was at our private and now at our public. The social scene at our public is very clique and weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll second the great arts program if that is your student’s thing. It is top notch and no comparison to public offerings. But the teacher excellence was significantly impacted by the financial mismanagement issues that have already been raised on this board last year. And from my perspective, there isn’t a tight community at Bullis, but rather a series of adjacent cliche-y communities that make the social scene small and frankly weird. Any school choice is a gamble, but go in with your eyes extra open here.

That's at a lot of schools, public and private. It was at our private and now at our public. The social scene at our public is very clique and weird.

I cannot speak for the upper school, but the lower school has a wonderful community. I was a bit concerned about the social dynamics, but have been pleasantly surprised. The parents I have met have been really kind and it's sad that people want to keep harping on how awful they are. The lower school is smaller of course, but it has been a nurturing environment for our kids who are not what one would consider the typical Bullis students.

Here's the thing. There is so much going on about the Top 5 schools in this area. They are fantastic schools, no doubt. The public schools in the DMV are also excellent. However, not every child is destined to be in one of the top schools and some really do need smaller classes to thrive. The Bullis lower school has connected with our kids who would otherwise be lost in public. They are not cut out for one of the top schools and I would never try and push them into one. I want them at a school that will help them grow and feel confident. Bullis has done that and it hurts my kids to hear adults speaking poorly of it (yes, they have heard adults speak about it). We should be building our kids up and praising them for the work they do, not speak bad about a place that they love to be. What does that say about us as adults?

We are not there because of Boarman, we happen to dislike him. We are not there for sports. We are there because of how amazing the teachers have been and when negative things come up we speak with our children about it if they have any questions.

It saddens me to see such venom spewed and I hope that we can all wake up and see just how truly privileged we are. Be good to each other man....

[Anonymous]

You've got it all wrong. No one is spewing venom. If you've only seen Bullis at the lower grades, you likely haven't experienced some of the problems others have described. I'd suggest you go in eyes open too. I say that in the interest of being good to you, parent-to-parent. Be well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You've got it all wrong. No one is spewing venom. If you've only seen Bullis at the lower grades, you likely haven't experienced some of the problems others have described. I'd suggest you go in eyes open too. I say that in the interest of being good to you, parent-to-parent. Be well.

Yup. This. PP is right to wave this flag as others are trying to do, if a bit more colorfully.

But hey, if there’s one thing these boards have taught me, no place is perfect. Just know what the trade offs are ahead as they do exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You've got it all wrong. No one is spewing venom. If you've only seen Bullis at the lower grades, you likely haven't experienced some of the problems others have described. I'd suggest you go in eyes open too. I say that in the interest of being good to you, parent-to-parent. Be well.

Correct. There are MANY other schools with small class sizes (though the idea of being 'lost in public' is often something privates tout to convince you - a K with 8 kids isn't exactly a social ideal either). I agree with an earlier poster that I'm pretty mystified as to why anyone would voluntarily choose Bullis at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You've got it all wrong. No one is spewing venom. If you've only seen Bullis at the lower grades, you likely haven't experienced some of the problems others have described. I'd suggest you go in eyes open too. I say that in the interest of being good to you, parent-to-parent. Be well.

Correct. There are MANY other schools with small class sizes (though the idea of being 'lost in public' is often something privates tout to convince you - a K with 8 kids isn't exactly a social ideal either). I agree with an earlier poster that I'm pretty mystified as to why anyone would voluntarily choose Bullis at this point.

Thanks for the information. So how many of you have/had kids in the upper school at Bullis and what are the things I should know about going in? Forget about the head of school and football coach. Specifically the teachers and students.

Also, no private convinced me that my kids would be lost in public. I know my kids and their personalities. My youngest does not like large crowds and both my kids are easily distracted and overwhelmed in large classroom situations. Both were in Montessori schools and the youngest we had to pull as it was overwhelming for her.

What privates would you suggest that are within a 20 minute drive from Potomac that are not religious based? My kids are very happy in the lower school, but should we need to make a change in the future, what do you all suggest?

[Anonymous]

The teachers are wonderful. I mean really wonderful. They take time to get to know your kid in the upper school. Their strengths and weaknesses and take time after school to work with them if needed. The student population in the upper school is much different than the lower school. My DS didn't fit in socially. He is not a athlete and kind of quiet. There is bullying there (but really no different than most high schools).
I would look at Landon/Holton and St. Andrews. They are wonderful schools. I think St. Andrews would really be a good for your youngest from what you describe.

[Anonymous]

PP said not religious based. I understand that SAES is light on religion relatively speaking, but it's still religion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The teachers are wonderful. I mean really wonderful. They take time to get to know your kid in the upper school. Their strengths and weaknesses and take time after school to work with them if needed. The student population in the upper school is much different than the lower school. My DS didn't fit in socially. He is not a athlete and kind of quiet. There is bullying there (but really no different than most high schools).
I would look at Landon/Holton and St. Andrews. They are wonderful schools. I think St. Andrews would really be a good for your youngest from what you describe.

Thanks for the suggestions. My sister went to Hilton, and I know and knew a few kids that went to Landon and they are not at all a good fit for either of my kids.

My son is not an athlete, but he has made some really great friends at Bullis in Lower school. My hope is that by having gone through all the grades together, it won’t matter if it changes in upper school as his social circle is already set. I’m sure it can easily become something different , but for now, since he actually loves school and is looking forward to the new school year starting, we will stay where we are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The teachers are wonderful. I mean really wonderful. They take time to get to know your kid in the upper school. Their strengths and weaknesses and take time after school to work with them if needed. The student population in the upper school is much different than the lower school. My DS didn't fit in socially. He is not a athlete and kind of quiet. There is bullying there (but really no different than most high schools).
I would look at Landon/Holton and St. Andrews. They are wonderful schools. I think St. Andrews would really be a good for your youngest from what you describe.

Thanks for the suggestions. My sister went to Hilton, and I know and knew a few kids that went to Landon and they are not at all a good fit for either of my kids.

My son is not an athlete, but he has made some really great friends at Bullis in Lower school. My hope is that by having gone through all the grades together, it won’t matter if it changes in upper school as his social circle is already set. I’m sure it can easily become something different , but for now, since he actually loves school and is looking forward to the new school year starting, we will stay where we are.

No Social circle is already set in HS because you started at a school in the LS. My DC was a lifer at another school and I can tell you his social circle changed dramatically in HS. Lots of friends changed schools, interests changed, and a lot of the social dynamic revolved around sports and whose girlfriend was at which school. Yes some kids crossed over into different social circles but it was rare. A lot of changes started in 8th grade when the some of the kids started partying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The teachers are wonderful. I mean really wonderful. They take time to get to know your kid in the upper school. Their strengths and weaknesses and take time after school to work with them if needed. The student population in the upper school is much different than the lower school. My DS didn't fit in socially. He is not a athlete and kind of quiet. There is bullying there (but really no different than most high schools).
I would look at Landon/Holton and St. Andrews. They are wonderful schools. I think St. Andrews would really be a good for your youngest from what you describe.

Thanks for the suggestions. My sister went to Hilton, and I know and knew a few kids that went to Landon and they are not at all a good fit for either of my kids.

My son is not an athlete, but he has made some really great friends at Bullis in Lower school. My hope is that by having gone through all the grades together, it won’t matter if it changes in upper school as his social circle is already set. I’m sure it can easily become something different , but for now, since he actually loves school and is looking forward to the new school year starting, we will stay where we are.

No Social circle is already set in HS because you started at a school in the LS. My DC was a lifer at another school and I can tell you his social circle changed dramatically in HS. Lots of friends changed schools, interests changed, and a lot of the social dynamic revolved around sports and whose girlfriend was at which school. Yes some kids crossed over into different social circles but it was rare. A lot of changes started in 8th grade when the some of the kids started partying.

That’s right. And sports and clubs get more serious and time consuming in which strong bonds form in high school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The teachers are wonderful. I mean really wonderful. They take time to get to know your kid in the upper school. Their strengths and weaknesses and take time after school to work with them if needed. The student population in the upper school is much different than the lower school. My DS didn't fit in socially. He is not a athlete and kind of quiet. There is bullying there (but really no different than most high schools).
I would look at Landon/Holton and St. Andrews. They are wonderful schools. I think St. Andrews would really be a good for your youngest from what you describe.

Thanks for the suggestions. My sister went to Hilton, and I know and knew a few kids that went to Landon and they are not at all a good fit for either of my kids.

My son is not an athlete, but he has made some really great friends at Bullis in Lower school. My hope is that by having gone through all the grades together, it won’t matter if it changes in upper school as his social circle is already set. I’m sure it can easily become something different , but for now, since he actually loves school and is looking forward to the new school year starting, we will stay where we are.

No Social circle is already set in HS because you started at a school in the LS. My DC was a lifer at another school and I can tell you his social circle changed dramatically in HS. Lots of friends changed schools, interests changed, and a lot of the social dynamic revolved around sports and whose girlfriend was at which school. Yes some kids crossed over into different social circles but it was rare. A lot of changes started in 8th grade when the some of the kids started partying.

That’s right. And sports and clubs get more serious and time consuming in which strong bonds form in high school

I can understand and appreciate what you are saying. However, my son and his friends are not into sports. Do you have any feedback as to how the non athletic kids fare at Bullis? My son and his friends are bit more “nerdy” if you will. The feedback I have gotten from others in a similar situation have actually been positive. I appreciate all feedback though and am always interested in everyone’s different perspectives. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Child in Upper School, not athletic, has a great little nerdy group of friends. No bullying, no problems. Child is very happy at Bullis.

[Anonymous]

My biggest issue with the upper school is that they let everyone in and are still accepting applicants. Other than absolutely beautiful facilities it is no different than public school. Good thing is they have excellent AP courses.

[Anonymous]

The kids I know that have graduated from Bullis seem to be well prepared for college