Help! Shining Stars or AppleTree CH?

[Anonymous]

We were planning on Appletree but just got news that we got into Shining Stars. The new SS location in Glover Park is actually quite convenient for us, somewhat more convenient than Appletree, but both locations are quite workable. What would you choose? Can parents chime in with experiences at both schools? I have researched Appletree a lot, but had not spent much time looking at Shining Stars.

A few thoughts:
-I know that Appletree only goes to PS/PK. This is not a concern for us (as we have a good neighborhood school that we'd choose starting in K).
-I know the philosophies are quite different: Shining Stars is montessori, while AT is structured and more academic. I can see pros and cons to both and I'm not sure which one would fit my child better.
-SS seems to have a shorter day than AT. This could be a benefit for us given that 8am-3pm sounds like a long day for a 3 YO. Thoughts?

Questions:
-How is the community at Shining Stars? Are the families friendly?
-What is the quality of the teacher like at SS? I know there was some discontent about organization, a major change in location at the last minute, etc. But besides some lack of administrative organization, is it a warm place with good teachers? Will my kid have fun at SS?

Please chime in with any thoughts on either school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were planning on Appletree but just got news that we got into Shining Stars. The new SS location in Glover Park is actually quite convenient for us, somewhat more convenient than Appletree, but both locations are quite workable. What would you choose? Can parents chime in with experiences at both schools? I have researched Appletree a lot, but had not spent much time looking at Shining Stars.

A few thoughts:
-I know that Appletree only goes to PS/PK. This is not a concern for us (as we have a good neighborhood school that we'd choose starting in K).
-I know the philosophies are quite different: Shining Stars is montessori, while AT is structured and more academic. I can see pros and cons to both and I'm not sure which one would fit my child better.
-SS seems to have a shorter day than AT. This could be a benefit for us given that 8am-3pm sounds like a long day for a 3 YO. Thoughts?

Questions:
-How is the community at Shining Stars? Are the families friendly?
-What is the quality of the teacher like at SS? I know there was some discontent about organization, a major change in location at the last minute, etc. But besides some lack of administrative organization, is it a warm place with good teachers? Will my kid have fun at SS?

Please chime in with any thoughts on either school!

This is OP - I just wanted to clarify that our neighborhood school option starting in K is just an option/a backup plan, but not a given that we'd go there -- so I am also interested in hearing about the quality of SS from K and on. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Having been invited to a ssma get together in the past I can say that the parent community seems awesome. Really down to earth, nice people, seemed diverse. My friend there loved the classroom and their guide (what they call teachers) and raved about the aftercare. I don't know how many of the parents I've met will be returning because of the location, but several I'm in touch with and see at the playground are trying to make the commute work. That said, if you're just looking for a placeholder for a few years and do not want to commit to Montessori, appletree could be a better fit.

Since you can't visit now, I'd recommend looking up some Montessori videos on YouTube so you can see examples of what the work looks like. From my understanding, the kids are supposed to be in the same class for three years to master all the materials. Leaving after a year or two would limit the benefits of the experience, so it would be good going in with an open mind to possibly staying.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Having been invited to a ssma get together in the past I can say that the parent community seems awesome. Really down to earth, nice people, seemed diverse. My friend there loved the classroom and their guide (what they call teachers) and raved about the aftercare. I don't know how many of the parents I've met will be returning because of the location, but several I'm in touch with and see at the playground are trying to make the commute work. That said, if you're just looking for a placeholder for a few years and do not want to commit to Montessori, appletree could be a better fit.

Since you can't visit now, I'd recommend looking up some Montessori videos on YouTube so you can see examples of what the work looks like. From my understanding, the kids are supposed to be in the same class for three years to master all the materials. Leaving after a year or two would limit the benefits of the experience, so it would be good going in with an open mind to possibly staying.

Good luck!

Thanks, PP. We would definitely keep an open mind about staying Montessori for longer. I am researching it now and it does seem like it could be a great fit. Thanks for the positive feedback on SSMA.

[Anonymous]

Bumping this now that it's morning.

[Anonymous]

The parent community at Shining Stars was wonderful last year. There is probably going to be a bit of turnover this year (we are not coming back due to location and are not the only ones), but the core is pretty strong. Definitely my favorite part!

I can't really speak to what the instruction will be like this year. Three lead guides are not returning and I don't know anything about the new teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The parent community at Shining Stars was wonderful last year. There is probably going to be a bit of turnover this year (we are not coming back due to location and are not the only ones), but the core is pretty strong. Definitely my favorite part!

I can't really speak to what the instruction will be like this year. Three lead guides are not returning and I don't know anything about the new teachers.

Thanks, pp. this is helpful. Will you be sticking with montesori? Can I ask if you have any advice on knowing if montesori will be a good fit for your child? How did you know? Watching montesori videos?

[Anonymous]

What grade, OP?

[Anonymous]

SSMA family here.

I can't say enough good things about the parent community! It was what held the school together during the roller coaster these past 6 months have been. The school itself is very committed to the Montessori tradition. My kid thrived last year. I love that it's child led so kids are able to do their works at their own pace. I'm stoked about the new location.

As for deciding between Appletree and a Montessori ...personally it was a no brainer for me. I felt AT was too much academics too soon. Particularly for my son.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What grade, OP?

Ps 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SSMA family here.

I can't say enough good things about the parent community! It was what held the school together during the roller coaster these past 6 months have been. The school itself is very committed to the Montessori tradition. My kid thrived last year. I love that it's child led so kids are able to do their works at their own pace. I'm stoked about the new location.

As for deciding between Appletree and a Montessori ...personally it was a no brainer for me. I felt AT was too much academics too soon. Particularly for my son.

This is my (op) concern too, that at is so academic. I mean, I'm sure my son would be fine there, but I can also see it being nice to have more of a self-directed approach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The parent community at Shining Stars was wonderful last year. There is probably going to be a bit of turnover this year (we are not coming back due to location and are not the only ones), but the core is pretty strong. Definitely my favorite part!

I can't really speak to what the instruction will be like this year. Three lead guides are not returning and I don't know anything about the new teachers.

Thanks, pp. this is helpful. Will you be sticking with montesori? Can I ask if you have any advice on knowing if montesori will be a good fit for your child? How did you know? Watching montesori videos?

PP here. No, we're not sticking with Montessori, and honestly, I have come to believe that unless you are willing to stick with Montessori for a couple of years (at least through the primary classroom), it might be better to go with another option. I've heard great things about AT, academic or not. The school we are going to uses the IB curriculum, which I think will be a better fit for my child. She didn't like the very Montessori-specific activities - like the metal insets and the binomial cube and such - but really excelled at the practical life stuff - cleaning and polishing, the rack where you practice buttons and snaps and laces etc. - and the art projects and music and movement components. Our choice to move her to an IB school was mostly driven by the things she specifically enjoyed during her year of Montessori. We'll see how it goes.

In the beginning, I thought she would do well with Montessori because of feedback from her daycare that she enjoyed self-directed play and learning at her own pace rather than with the group. I also thought (and still think!) that it's important for kids to feel mastery over those practical life skills that Montessori teaches so well. I was actually pretty disappointed that it wasn't a great fit for her. I thought maybe it was just a rough adjustment, but she was pretty clear about not enjoying that stuff from the very beginning and as the year went on, it became clear that she was adjusted to being in this school rather than her previous one just fine. It was just the material she didn't like.

Good luck with whatever you decide. I loved Shining Stars conceptually and the parent community is amazing. The aftercare is amazing. I was even told that the food was good (though I can't remember the name of the provider). I think it's going to be an amazing year for the school as they recover from the challenges of last year and get some stability and grow their program.

[Anonymous]

Appletree is nothing short of AMAZING in what they do with the kids. It's certainly not unduly "academic". Everything my kid learned there was taught in a fun way, through play. They have centers every morning, just like all PS3 or PK4 classes, then they do "small group" time where they play games with letters and numbers and similar. Pretty much everything they do is FUN.

They are also amazing with teaching kids how to behave in the classroom and to LOVE school. If you want to see your child learn and grow dramatically and become really enthusiastic about school I couldn't recommend Appletree more highly. All their methods are research based and they work.

FWIW, Montessori is just as "academic" if not more so in it's methods which can be quite rigid. It's not a play based curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Can't speak to SS, but am an AppleTree parent. Agree the kids have fun as they learn, so wouldn't worry about it being too academic, unless you really have a strong opposition to it. My kid loves it. I'm just sorry it's only 2 years.

[Anonymous]

This would be a no-brainer for me in favor of SSMA, if the location worked. We are on the waitlist and really liked the school when we toured it last year. Now that there is a permanent director in place, I think some of the administrative hassles will go away. I really did not like Appletree when I visited, and we didn't apply. In the "free choice" time that we saw, I observed a group of 4 or 5 four-year-old students seemingly being grilled on math facts. Teacher was writing on a white board, "1+1=?" and that sort of thing. It was just too structured for what we were looking for. I think that Montessori is more in line with what I'd like for my kid. I did Montessori from 3-5 years old and remember just loving it. OP, if you do go with SSMA, I think you should plan to stay through K, so your child could be there from 3-5, assuming it's a good fit. Montessori works best when it is done for the entire primary classroom.

Best of luck - let us know what you decide!