Culture of St. Anselm’s Abbey school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read on another thread that this school is for gifted boys. Is this correct?

While there are undoubtedly gifted boys at SAAS, our DS goes there and we would not say he is gifted. Very bright, hard-working, loves learning, and intellectually curious is how I would describe him and many of his classmates. The school is a wonderful environment for smart boys who want to put in the hard work to succeed at SAAS. But for all the academic rigor, the school is not a pressure cooker, the school encourages fun, and there's lots of support.

Frequently get homework assigned on weekends, meaning when school is out, a new assignment will show up through email on a Saturday that is due next school day. Typically have 3-4 hours of homework for middle school-this is ongoing throughout the school year.

I've had one boy go all the way through SAAS MS and another go partway through and I don't think either ever had three hours of homework in a night, certainly not four. I suppose YMMV, but I'd expect an hour or two each night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read on another thread that this school is for gifted boys. Is this correct?

While there are undoubtedly gifted boys at SAAS, our DS goes there and we would not say he is gifted. Very bright, hard-working, loves learning, and intellectually curious is how I would describe him and many of his classmates. The school is a wonderful environment for smart boys who want to put in the hard work to succeed at SAAS. But for all the academic rigor, the school is not a pressure cooker, the school encourages fun, and there's lots of support.

Frequently get homework assigned on weekends, meaning when school is out, a new assignment will show up through email on a Saturday that is due next school day. Typically have 3-4 hours of homework for middle school-this is ongoing throughout the school year.

I've had one boy go all the way through SAAS MS and another go partway through and I don't think either ever had three hours of homework in a night, certainly not four. I suppose YMMV, but I'd expect an hour or two each night.

just out of curiosity, why leave after/during MS rather than continue on through HS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read on another thread that this school is for gifted boys. Is this correct?

While there are undoubtedly gifted boys at SAAS, our DS goes there and we would not say he is gifted. Very bright, hard-working, loves learning, and intellectually curious is how I would describe him and many of his classmates. The school is a wonderful environment for smart boys who want to put in the hard work to succeed at SAAS. But for all the academic rigor, the school is not a pressure cooker, the school encourages fun, and there's lots of support.

Frequently get homework assigned on weekends, meaning when school is out, a new assignment will show up through email on a Saturday that is due next school day. Typically have 3-4 hours of homework for middle school-this is ongoing throughout the school year.

I've had one boy go all the way through SAAS MS and another go partway through and I don't think either ever had three hours of homework in a night, certainly not four. I suppose YMMV, but I'd expect an hour or two each night.

just out of curiosity, why leave after/during MS rather than continue on through HS?

Not the PP, but I know one family who left SAAS after middle school because the academics were overly difficult for their son, and their local co-ed parochial HS seemed a better fit.

[Anonymous]

Other boys leave because they want more competitive sports.

I don't want to say never, but I can't recall our DS ever having 3-4 hours of homework in middle school. Now that he's in HS, he can spend some serious time at his desk studying for exams, but that is not the norm. He definitely has time to play a sport each season, see his friends and play his blasted video games.

To the PP asking about an athletic, not quirky kid: he will absolutely fit in socially! As long as he is willing to sit down and do his work, he will succeed at the Abbey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read on another thread that this school is for gifted boys. Is this correct?

"Gifted" is a loaded term. SAAS administers admissions tests (the OLSAT and SCAT) that are quite different from the SSAT/HSPT that most private schools use in that they are more abstract and harder to prepare for. I don't konw what score they look for, but I think it is more about whether they think your DS is a good fit and can handle the rigor, with or without the gifted label. I think there is general consensus that the academics at SAAS are more rigorous than the other all-boys Catholic schools (e.g., Prep, Gonzaga and Heights) in that all classes are at least honors level and many are AP. It's also much smaller (about 40 per graduating class) so you probably get more homogeneity in terms of academic abilities ranges. That said, by all accounts it not a pressure-cooker, cutthroat atmosphere, and the boys there seem to be very bright and welcoming, if somewhat more inclined to march to the beat of their own drum.

I have a son there. It is not a school only for gifted boys -- although there are some gifted boys enrolled there. Average SAT at SAAS is 1400 which is 95% and is very similar to the average SAT at other "rigorous" DMV private schools often discussed on this forum.

The average SAT at the Heights in 2019 was 1365. I know that there are some super-star boys there, but the overall range is probably greater.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would SAAS be a match for a very bright and curious boy but has (nondisruptive) ADHD. This mostly presents via executive functioning, slower speed on some tasks - but very high performing in work product. It might affect standardized testing but not sure yet as hasn't been exposed in almost 2 years due to COVID. (So far does well in regular class tests at school.)

Yes, this description aligns with many students at SAAS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would SAAS be a match for a very bright and curious boy but has (nondisruptive) ADHD. This mostly presents via executive functioning, slower speed on some tasks - but very high performing in work product. It might affect standardized testing but not sure yet as hasn't been exposed in almost 2 years due to COVID. (So far does well in regular class tests at school.)

SAAS is not a school for boys with ADHD at all! like other parents have mentioned, they do not provide that much support and you dont want your son to have anxiety coupled with ADHD. There are other privates that provide much needed support in this area.

[Anonymous]

Why? We are new family and our son has ADHD. At this point in the game, with tuition contracts already signed, even if we considered a last minute shift we could not. PP would love to hear any further details about SAAS and an ADHD student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why? We are new family and our son has ADHD. At this point in the game, with tuition contracts already signed, even if we considered a last minute shift we could not. PP would love to hear any further details about SAAS and an ADHD student.

If you're in middle school then you are probably fine. One big plus of the Abbey is that after school sports are low-key, so getting exercise should be easy for your son.

High school the workload picks up. At the high school level it's 9 classes a semester, a lot of calling on students in classes to answer questions, and not much detailed, written guidance from teachers. Student body is friendly and from what I've seen happy to help each other out on questions about classes. A socially assertive yet still cooperative, well-organized, deadline-driven child would do very well here. I believe you'll need all three of these qualities to be a top student at SAAS. The HS workload is comparable to any Big 3 school from what I've heard. My son has done well here, in part from the much clearer guidelines about work and tests-- in some classes it's a zero if you're unprepared or don't turn in an assignment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read on another thread that this school is for gifted boys. Is this correct?

While there are undoubtedly gifted boys at SAAS, our DS goes there and we would not say he is gifted. Very bright, hard-working, loves learning, and intellectually curious is how I would describe him and many of his classmates. The school is a wonderful environment for smart boys who want to put in the hard work to succeed at SAAS. But for all the academic rigor, the school is not a pressure cooker, the school encourages fun, and there's lots of support.

Frequently get homework assigned on weekends, meaning when school is out, a new assignment will show up through email on a Saturday that is due next school day. Typically have 3-4 hours of homework for middle school-this is ongoing throughout the school year.

I've had one boy go all the way through SAAS MS and another go partway through and I don't think either ever had three hours of homework in a night, certainly not four. I suppose YMMV, but I'd expect an hour or two each night.

just out of curiosity, why leave after/during MS rather than continue on through HS?

I don't see anything in the previous post that mentions leaving. It was just a MS-specific response.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read on another thread that this school is for gifted boys. Is this correct?

While there are undoubtedly gifted boys at SAAS, our DS goes there and we would not say he is gifted. Very bright, hard-working, loves learning, and intellectually curious is how I would describe him and many of his classmates. The school is a wonderful environment for smart boys who want to put in the hard work to succeed at SAAS. But for all the academic rigor, the school is not a pressure cooker, the school encourages fun, and there's lots of support.

Frequently get homework assigned on weekends, meaning when school is out, a new assignment will show up through email on a Saturday that is due next school day. Typically have 3-4 hours of homework for middle school-this is ongoing throughout the school year.

I've had one boy go all the way through SAAS MS and another go partway through and I don't think either ever had three hours of homework in a night, certainly not four. I suppose YMMV, but I'd expect an hour or two each night.

just out of curiosity, why leave after/during MS rather than continue on through HS?

I don't see anything in the previous post that mentions leaving. It was just a MS-specific response.

I guess they didn’t say it outright, but phrasing it as one child going through middle school and another partway through middle school seems odd if they in fact graduated from the high school or are in SAAS HS now.

[Anonymous]

SAAS is in a strange position compared to the other magnet and private schools near it. Full pay parents in SAAS high school pay $30k a year—much less than the independents but a lot more costly than the parochial schools that offer merit aid to students based on HSPT scores.

For financial aid SAAS provides some to 40% of its students—a huge discount, especially given the lower initial tuition. And tuition does not include a bunch of add-on costs—bussing, food, AP exams and a retreat are not covered. However books, PE uniforms and club fees are all in tuition. SAAS is serious about diversification of its student body. But I think in this group there’s now competition from the charter schools, privates also seeking diversification, and strong public schools.

SAAS focuses on traditional curriculum and Catholic religion instruction. It’s able to offer smaller programs in arts, sports, tech, etc., but a kid focused on these topics would be served better elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SAAS is in a strange position compared to the other magnet and private schools near it. Full pay parents in SAAS high school pay $30k a year—much less than the independents but a lot more costly than the parochial schools that offer merit aid to students based on HSPT scores.

For financial aid SAAS provides some to 40% of its students—a huge discount, especially given the lower initial tuition. And tuition does not include a bunch of add-on costs—bussing, food, AP exams and a retreat are not covered. However books, PE uniforms and club fees are all in tuition. SAAS is serious about diversification of its student body. But I think in this group there’s now competition from the charter schools, privates also seeking diversification, and strong public schools.

SAAS focuses on traditional curriculum and Catholic religion instruction. It’s able to offer smaller programs in arts, sports, tech, etc., but a kid focused on these topics would be served better elsewhere.

All of the add ons you mention are optional except the AP exams, and the retreat is one year.

[Anonymous]

Its 32K and aid is offered based on need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its 32K and aid is offered based on need.

Sort of. The SAAS financial aid budget is a fixed dollar amount, about $1.4 million a year. The school’s own website admits it can’t meet the requested aid from applicants. This is not a knock on SAAS but very few private schools can pay out all the financial aid applicant would need to attend. I’m not even sure it’s “need blind” admissions—maybe it is, but again that is very rare in private schools. Either way SAAS should be commended for giving 40% of its students financial aid.