Tell me about SSFS

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I am interested in HS too. A friend mentioned the new head of US was very good. Is it the right balance of challenge and exploration and social/emotional for a very bright, kind kid?

"New" head of US is leaving after 1 year. Lots of transition in that division.

Uh Oh. We accepted earlier this week. What does this mean?

The head of upper school is not somewhat new, she was new to the position. She has been with the school for the past 26 years and is leaving to be the Head of school somewhere else. That there does not seem like a loss to me as it means people learn, grow and move on to bigger things.

Every single point of your post is wrong.

Please enlighten me

The head of upper school was new to the school this school year and is leaving for family reasons (moving out of the area). They've already hired a new head of upper school. The assistant (associate? not sure what the exact title is) head of upper school has been there a long time, and from what I can tell, there hasn't been any disruption due to changes in leadership.

The teachers are really the school's strength. I've been especially impressed at how teachers in subjects that aren't my kids' favorites are able to get and keep them motivated and interested. There's such a variety of activities beyond just lecturing and then spitting back the material on tests. The biggest thing for me is that my kids are actually happy to go to school every day, which was not always the case at their prior schools.

[Anonymous]

Member of the SSFS community here.

No, the US academics are not challenging overall. Your kid’s mileage my vary. Teachers are great overall, but culture of the school has shifted, so much of the academic rigor has been weakened.

Take a look at how many job postings are up these days. Just lost another admin position today—assistant Head of School will leave at the end of her second year.

Good riddance on that one, but something seems to be afoot based on how many upper level leaders keep fleeing the coop.

[Anonymous]

This is alarming

[Anonymous]

We loved it when we toured!! Its just super far

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We loved it when we toured!! Its just super far

But they have bus routes throughout the area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Member of the SSFS community here.

No, the US academics are not challenging overall. Your kid’s mileage my vary. Teachers are great overall, but culture of the school has shifted, so much of the academic rigor has been weakened.

Take a look at how many job postings are up these days. Just lost another admin position today—assistant Head of School will leave at the end of her second year.

Good riddance on that one, but something seems to be afoot based on how many upper level leaders keep fleeing the coop.

How has the culture impacted the academics?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Member of the SSFS community here.

No, the US academics are not challenging overall. Your kid’s mileage my vary. Teachers are great overall, but culture of the school has shifted, so much of the academic rigor has been weakened.

Take a look at how many job postings are up these days. Just lost another admin position today—assistant Head of School will leave at the end of her second year.

Good riddance on that one, but something seems to be afoot based on how many upper level leaders keep fleeing the coop.

How has the culture impacted the academics?

Yeah - what does that even mean?

[Anonymous]

What’s going on in the 4th grade? Friends kid talking about a lot of bullying not being addressed and boys getting away with inappropriate behavior. I do think your personal experience can be swayed eith your kids peers so I don’t think it’s all bad, but im not hearing great things about current 4th.

[Anonymous]

7th grade family and we are starting to consider SSFS but also schools that seem similar - Burke, Field etc. How does SSFS compare to these DC schools? The campus looks gorgeous

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:7th grade family and we are starting to consider SSFS but also schools that seem similar - Burke, Field etc. How does SSFS compare to these DC schools? The campus looks gorgeous

We toured all three and my son ended up not applying to SSFS just for distance reasons. It just felt so far away. But everyone was very nice, great vibe and the middle school was a nice standalone building. Very energetic head of middle school. Beautiful campus. Feels a bit like college!

[Anonymous]

I’d love to hear more from families there, especially middle and upper school. It’s not close for many folks compared to the other MoCo and Dc schools, so many of us sending kids there are oils be doing so with a sacrifice in terms of time our kid spends on a bus or commuting. Is it worth it?

I know that question is different for different people. For us, we are not focused on what gets our kid into the absolute best college. But for us what is lost important is 1) is there a real culture of kindness and acceptance no matter what your phenotype/personality (teachers and kids), and 2) will our child be prepared academically to do well with in college wherever they go?

[Anonymous]

“Oils” should be “will” - sorry!

[Anonymous]

How much does the distance from DC affect the kids' experience?

[Anonymous]

My DC is in the middle school at SSFS. Our commute is 30 minutes by car and a bit longer on the bus (45 minutes). DC likes the bus ride and they have friends to talk with. We have been extremely happy with the teachers and MS admin. We are coming from public and find the academics to be more interesting for our DC as they do more projects, debates, and less busy work. It has been a lot harder for DC to hide behind being smart and they do need to put more effort than in public where they could fly under the radar. The last period of the day is sports/electives. While the day is long, there is less need to run around in the evening filling DC’s schedule with outside activities. Can only speak to MS but we have been extremely happy.

[Anonymous]

We have kids in both middle and upper school. We love the middle school - as do our kids. It runs well, with lots of incredible and supportive teachers who take the time to learn about the students and meet them where they are. Upper school is also good - some amazing teachers that are truly awe inspiring, and some that are blah. Our kids play lots of sports, have good friends, feel confident/safe at their school. The downsides - cost, commute, plus friends that are also a long commute to get to. But all worth it for us given the major upsides. For the PP who asked about culture of acceptance, that's probably one of SSFS's top strengths. Send your DC for a visit so they can get a feel for it first hand.