Will any new families be sending their kids to SSFS next year?

[Anonymous]

*posers not posted

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you browse the private school forums? Currently you can read about concerns at GFS, Holton, and Stone Ridge. Go.back a few weeks and you can find concerns about Fields,SAAS. All private school's are a gamble. You gamble with finances, teacher turnover, whether the student population is a good fit for your kid, etc.

There are no absolutes in this game for better or worse and that includes SSFS. Just do the best you can to find a school that feels right. For that reason we are taking the gamble with SSFS.

Sure there are concerns about other schools, there always will be! This is QUITE different and everyone knows it. A school in such serious debt that informs their teachers about the closing of the entire school 15 minutes before sending a notice to the rest of the community? They had just hired a new HoS and a new HoMS, even while the Board has preparing for the close. Then a week later, decides to stay open? NO other private in the area has done this so there is NO comparison to the posts about other schools!

Whatever you need to do to convince yourself that YOUR school is the better choice.

Relax. I have no idea if our new school will be the better choice. As I wrote, we really liked SSFS but just don't want to take any chances. I wish no ill will on the school at all. I'd love it if they were able to reboot successfully. I simply disagree with your assessment that SSFS posts and posts about other schools with issues, were similar. Comparing a school that abruptly decided to close then reopen to other schools with HoS issues or whatever else, is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

We decided not to risk it either (rising 9th grader) but I hope they can work things out. Such a pretty campus and kind community, from what we could tell.

[Anonymous]

We are a new family who will very likely enroll in the next few weeks for 9th grade. We do not want public school and the other DC area privates are either too "elite" or two rigid. SSFS seems like a good fit for us. I don't think it's all that risky. My understanding is that they wouldn't have reopened if they didn't believe they could make it work long term because what's the point of just reopening for a couple more years. It's worth it for us to not have to be in public school.

[Anonymous]

too not two

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How big are HS classes at SAES?

Both of my kids attend SAES. If you are talking about size of the grade in US, each is roughly 90-95 students. If you are talking about the numer of students in a classroom, I would say 15 is average - kind of depends on the class though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well my kid is on a waitlist at one of these schools - interesting to know that SSFS kids skipped the line?

Just so you are aware, schools will waitlist kids with zero intention of enrolling them. This is not true for every waitlisted kid, but schools use it as a more gentle way of denying a kid.

The person who said it's more of a "waitpool" than a "waitlist" is accurate.

[Anonymous]

New middle school family. My kid really loved it much more than other schools we visited. We're happy that we didn't have to scramble for a new plan in late spring.

[Anonymous]

We enrolled in SAES. It is too risky for us and too stressful to deal next year and 9th is a good time to swap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are a new family who will very likely enroll in the next few weeks for 9th grade. We do not want public school and the other DC area privates are either too "elite" or two rigid. SSFS seems like a good fit for us. I don't think it's all that risky. My understanding is that they wouldn't have reopened if they didn't believe they could make it work long term because what's the point of just reopening for a couple more years. It's worth it for us to not have to be in public school.

I don’t think the risk comes from what the school believes/hopes- more from what will actually happen, which no one knows just yet.

Of course the hope is they’ll stay open. They have someone guaranteeing the loan for 3 years and many well wishers. If they can turn it around and attract students again to go back to their normal count, they’ll stay open baying 3 years. But if the current roughly ~350 kids continues to drop or doesn’t reach the average norm of ~650 to stay in operation then in 3 years they will close again.

Will that happen? Who knows. The school wasn’t able to hold on to students so clearly they have to make a change to bring them back. But no one can know if they will.

That’s the risk. If you e decided that in 3 years the school still not able to make it work is okay than of course you should give it a shot. That’s a decision up to each individual family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a new family who will very likely enroll in the next few weeks for 9th grade. We do not want public school and the other DC area privates are either too "elite" or two rigid. SSFS seems like a good fit for us. I don't think it's all that risky. My understanding is that they wouldn't have reopened if they didn't believe they could make it work long term because what's the point of just reopening for a couple more years. It's worth it for us to not have to be in public school.

I don’t think the risk comes from what the school believes/hopes- more from what will actually happen, which no one knows just yet.

Of course the hope is they’ll stay open. They have someone guaranteeing the loan for 3 years and many well wishers. If they can turn it around and attract students again to go back to their normal count, they’ll stay open baying 3 years. But if the current roughly ~350 kids continues to drop or doesn’t reach the average norm of ~650 to stay in operation then in 3 years they will close again.

Will that happen? Who knows. The school wasn’t able to hold on to students so clearly they have to make a change to bring them back. But no one can know if they will.

That’s the risk. If you e decided that in 3 years the school still not able to make it work is okay than of course you should give it a shot. That’s a decision up to each individual family.

Yes, it is a decision up to each family and one that mine (OP here) already made. I did not ask for your amateur assessment or opinion. You don't know that they can't stay open beyond 3 years with a number less than their historical average of 650. Part of the "figuring out" of the future will include many possibilities including perhaps being a smaller school for a longer period of time. I'm so sick of all the uninformed guessing that gets posted on any SSFS forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We enrolled in SAES. It is too risky for us and too stressful to deal next year and 9th is a good time to swap.

We enrolled elsewhere as well but we (including my kid) are now having doubts about leaving SSFS. That speaks to just how strong our feelings (positive feelings) are towards SSFS. It is a very special school that has served our family well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well my kid is on a waitlist at one of these schools - interesting to know that SSFS kids skipped the line?

Just so you are aware, schools will waitlist kids with zero intention of enrolling them. This is not true for every waitlisted kid, but schools use it as a more gentle way of denying a kid.

The person who said it's more of a "waitpool" than a "waitlist" is accurate.

Makes no sense. Then why bother rejecting/denying anyone? Just put them all on the "waitlist" with no intention of enrolling them? Plenty of people get the rejection notification. Are you suggesting that those folks are somehow bottom of the barrel that they didn't even rate getting the "fake" (your implication) waitlist notification?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you browse the private school forums? Currently you can read about concerns at GFS, Holton, and Stone Ridge. Go.back a few weeks and you can find concerns about Fields,SAAS. All private school's are a gamble. You gamble with finances, teacher turnover, whether the student population is a good fit for your kid, etc.

There are no absolutes in this game for better or worse and that includes SSFS. Just do the best you can to find a school that feels right. For that reason we are taking the gamble with SSFS.

Sure there are concerns about other schools, there always will be! This is QUITE different and everyone knows it. A school in such serious debt that informs their teachers about the closing of the entire school 15 minutes before sending a notice to the rest of the community? They had just hired a new HoS and a new HoMS, even while the Board has preparing for the close. Then a week later, decides to stay open? NO other private in the area has done this so there is NO comparison to the posts about other schools!

Whatever you need to do to convince yourself that YOUR school is the better choice.

Relax. I have no idea if our new school will be the better choice. As I wrote, we really liked SSFS but just don't want to take any chances. I wish no ill will on the school at all. I'd love it if they were able to reboot successfully. I simply disagree with your assessment that SSFS posts and posts about other schools with issues, were similar. Comparing a school that abruptly decided to close then reopen to other schools with HoS issues or whatever else, is ridiculous.

Again, whatever you need to believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is finishing up in 7th now at a K-8.
We were thinking of applying for 9th but I’m not now. The uncertainty is too much. Along with the increased tuition.
Wherever she goes I want it to be for 4 years.

The increased tuition is what gets me. They should price similarly to SJ or GC. At that price point, many more families would be interested.