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Which schools accept square pegs?
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Anonymous
| Bright kids whose talents might lean toward the creative or exploratory/experiential side? I know about he progressive schools (Green Acres, Burgundy) but any others in the area? |
Anonymous
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this may surprise you (and others here) but mine is at St Albans and doing wonderfully.
and he is definitely more creative than jocky, and he is not alone in those characteristics. |
Anonymous
| Norwood is worth a look. My little artist-in-waiting is very happy there. It is the only school to which we applied where they genuinely seemed to want my kid from the get go. Other schools - some supposedly higher in the pecking order and some supposedly lower - were not that interested. |
Anonymous
Sincerely, I'm really interested in knowing how the school showed you that they genuinely seemed to want your child from the get go. What were the signs? |
Anonymous
The lower school principal immediately glommed onto my kid at the playdate and seemed very happy to my child. The same person then pulled me aside after the play date and gushed about what an amazing kid I have. That's what I meant. Maybe for the rest of you this happens at every school, but that was not my experience. I suspect my preschool had already been in conversations with Norwood about my child before the playdate. I'm sure it was not our low 90s%ile WPPSI that made them gush. |
Anonymous
| Sorry - should have been happy to MEET my child. |
Anonymous
Thanks PP. We're had 4 playdates, and we had a similar experience at only one. |
Anonymous
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Sheridan
Capitol Hill Day School |
Anonymous
|
Lowell
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Anonymous
Nope, didn't happen for us anywhere. Did your child attend NCRC? Or another "feeder" preschool? |
Anonymous
Yes. |
Anonymous
| Ah, so that's what they do for you. I've always wondered. Thanks for your frankness. |
Anonymous
Umm If "that is what they do for you," why didn't it happen at every playdate? |
Anonymous
Different preschool heads/directors have varying relationships with the ADs of the ongoing schools. Some ADs are more open to dialogue with the preschool heads. Some are not. |
Anonymous
Very good question and, while I don't truly know the answer, as someone who's children went to a preschool that is constantly mentioned as a "feeder preschool" on these boards, I will tell you what I have surmised from watching numerous preschoolers go on to the independents/privates. Certain schools' Directors have very tight relationships with certain big schools (by big I mean pk/k - 3/6/8/12, not as in that obnoxious "big three" bit). Sometimes, because the Director taught or worked at big school previously, the Director can spot a preschool kid who will do well at that big school a mile away. They have a track record of steering the right (right as in right learning style/personality/behavior/etc...) kind of preschool kid to that big school, kids who do actually thrive at said big school. And, cynically, sometimes its because a Director thinks the child would do just fine at a particular school but the child's family is the kind of family that the big school likes to have. Additionally, Directors at the "feeder preschools" have usually been in the private school world a long time, know which kids do best at which schools, and have repeatedly steered the big schools to the kids that are the best fit for them. And, cynically, steered big schools to families that will benefit them. I really do not think any kid is a good fit at all schools nor does any school fit all kids and school administrators know that. I also don't think big schools want a child who will not do well there at all , regardless of the family and everyone in the game also knows THAT. These Directors also often know the ADs and Heads of the bigger schools from college or grad school, or knows them professionally through conferences, or socially from their club or... whatever or maybe they are even married  ). You would be surprised how small WDC can be and how complex the relationship amongst schools can be.
So, there you go. The preschool Director thought school X would be best for that child and worked her magic (called that one school and praised said child and family like crazy) and child got in to school X, child matriculated and voila, match made in heaven... at least that is if said child was blessed by said Director for the right reasons... 
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