The Circle School In Barnsville - Help Please, Anyone with Advice

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any information, good or bad, regarding the Circle School in Barnsville? I know it's a bit "out" there for many on this site but first-hand experience, thoughts or even what you've over heard would certainly be well received. Insider information is invaluable. Thanks so much in advance for going outside the beltway with me. We have a 3 year old who is not doing very well in Montessori and we're thinking he needs a change, smaller classrooms, etc.

[Anonymous]

Second hand information, but friends of friends/acquaintances I know of really like the school.

[Anonymous]

There are a few threads on here about it. In the private school forum as well. I don't have time to link them, but will try later this morning if you want. I'm interested in it as well -- I think it's in Darnestown though, right? The Circle School/Seneca Academy? There's also the Barnesville school out in Barnesville.

There is a mom whose children go to the Circle School/Seneca Academy, who provided me with some really helpful information by e-mail. Perhaps she can post it again here, or if she doesn't mind, I can cut and paste, leaving out anything that might identify her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a few threads on here about it. In the private school forum as well. I don't have time to link them, but will try later this morning if you want. I'm interested in it as well -- I think it's in Darnestown though, right? The Circle School/Seneca Academy? There's also the Barnesville school out in Barnesville.

There is a mom whose children go to the Circle School/Seneca Academy, who provided me with some really helpful information by e-mail. Perhaps she can post it again here, or if she doesn't mind, I can cut and paste, leaving out anything that might identify her.

Would you mind cutting and pasting what she had to say?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a few threads on here about it. In the private school forum as well. I don't have time to link them, but will try later this morning if you want. I'm interested in it as well -- I think it's in Darnestown though, right? The Circle School/Seneca Academy? There's also the Barnesville school out in Barnesville.

There is a mom whose children go to the Circle School/Seneca Academy, who provided me with some really helpful information by e-mail. Perhaps she can post it again here, or if she doesn't mind, I can cut and paste, leaving out anything that might identify her.

Would you mind cutting and pasting what she had to say?

I just e-mailed her the link to this thread. I don't want to cut and paste anything from her private e-mail without her permission. I'll let you know if she writes back to me. Or, I will try to synopsize it in a bit.

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much; I so hope she posts. We're going to an Open House tomorrow. I very much appreciate your help and effort.

[Anonymous]

Here are some cut and pastes, since she hasn't gotten back to me. I had sent a series of questions to her, and she was very kind to respond in a lot of detail. I'm not including it all for privacy's sake. Hope this helps. It refers to the Circle School preschool and Seneca Academy K-8 in Darnestown.

1) I know the Circle School's been around for a long time. Do you know how long the higher grades have been in place? (1-8 I guess). Do you have any concerns about having children attend through 8th grade?
>
> The Circle School has been around for more than 25 years and I believe the K-8 program has been going on for 8-10 years. I honestly have not thought too much about staying through 8th. The class sizes tend to get smaller as the grades progress and some are combined 3/4, 5/6, 7/8.


2) Do you feel the academics are strong?
>
> Yes, the academics are strong. The students generally achieve at higher than grade level and the test scores indicate this. They also really focus on each student's individual learning capabilities - with 13 students per class and at least 2 teachers (lead and assistant), they can do this well. They do not give letter grades until either 2nd or 3rd grade, rather they evaluate the student in more qualitative, meaningful ways. Homework is also light in the early years as class time is used proficiently.


> 3) I'd like to find a diverse school for my child -- different ethnicities as well as different income groups. Does Seneca offer that?
>
> There are many different ethnicities and income levels. Since the school is less expensive than most private schools in the area the families tend to be more middle class, although not in all cases. And they offer financial aid. As far as diversity goes, there is a nice mix of students with varying backgrounds. The school recognizes this and is holding its first International night this year to celebrate the backgrounds of the families.


> 4) I want a focus on education, but with extracurriculars provided, as well as a focus on character building. Do they engage in any community service, for example?
>
>Community service is very important to the school and is an ongoing thing, especially through the Parent's Association. The PA is extremely active and since it is such a small community everyone bands together to help out. Parent involvement is high in the classrooms and is encouraged. Extracurriculars are provided in the form of clubs that change each semester. They do have an extra cost, but the costs are reasonable - usually less than $100 for the semester.


> 5) How are programs like art, music, and phys ed? Do you think kids get enough physical activity?
>
> The art, music and phys ed programs are good, although the younger kids only get them once a week. I am not sure if that changes in the older years. But even with once a week, my kids are learning wonderful things - they also teach Spanish at least once a week starting in the Pre-K program. Physical activity is stressed and even though phys ed happens once a week, the kids have recess twice a day every day. The teachers also spend a lot of time outside teaching and engaging the students in projects.

6) What weaknesses do you see there, if any?
>
> The biggest drawback is the size of the school which is also it's greatest asset. Because it is small it does not have the resources to provide as many choices as a larger school might, but I feel that is made up for by the individual attention the kids receive.

[Anonymous]

There is a great article that was published yesterday in the Gazette about Seneca's Kindergarten. It is an excellent example of the kind of top-notch education the kids get at the school (I am the mom whose email is above - and I am happy to share!). My kids are in 1st grade and pre-K and we love the school. This article really says it all.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/02112009/montsch193855_32470.shtml