Maret or GDS (US)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would suggest OP read this recent thread citing multiple issues at GDS HS including discipline process, college counseling office, HS principal

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1185149.page

GDS HS parent here. It's much better this year with the much-disliked former head of the HS having been bounced.

The school still has a broken, capricious, and non-sensical disciplinary process. And in the HS, all assemblies are programmed by the DEI office - 100% of all assemblies. And no student clubs are funded except affinity groups. So if you are not in an affinity group club you need to ask the HS for funding instead of getting automatic funding for your club as all race-based and identity based affinity groups get

Have had 2 finish there and last one is done soon. Teaching is mostly great - though English dept has massive turnover every year for some reason. Lots to love about the school but like many institutions, it over-torqued in 2020-2022 and is slowly moving back

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here - also starting GDS US this fall! I have a question about lunch since it's not included? Do the students usually bring their own packed lunch, or do they go off campus every day? I can see an upper-level student heading off campus often, but don't really want my 9th grader off campus every day. what do most kids do? Also where do they eat on campus?

This is seriously the straw that broke the camels back for us. I cannot deal with lunches anymore.

They're in high school.... can't they pack their own lunch? I went to a HS without lunch, and my parents gave me some money that I could either spend on cheap lunches in the area, or could pocket and pack my own lunch. 14-18 year olds should have no problem making themselves a turkey sandwich the night before school.

I'm not PP - even if this is true - not having the option for lunch on campus requires families to shop and plan to have food even if the student packs the lunch. For one of my kids, GDS not having lunch was the last straw in their own decision....they went to a different school because no lunch available on campus felt very inconvenient.

Exactly. And permitting/ encouraging kids to order door dash for lunch every day is absurd.

Right? So expensive and unhealthy. It's crazy.

What's weird is they said they would create some sort of grab and go options in the LS/MS kitchen to offer the HS students (when that building was in progress) - but clearly that didn't happen. I wonder of having COVID in between allowed them to skate by this issue without families complaining (but we are not at GDS so maybe families did complain).

HS kids do have the opportunity to get food at the LMS cafeteria, but nobody does according to my kid because the food isn't great. I don't think the current situation is ideal, as I would an in-school option, but with the amount of wasted food in the LMS cafeteria, I'm not sure the current situation is worse.

I mean, why can’t your private chefs just make something for your precious gifted angels?

[Anonymous]

Maret is great except for the HOS that used to work in a fraudulent school and the infrastructure is falling apart. Other than that is a very good environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What a choice! For HS kids have been leaving Maret ( over 13 families left this year) and staff has been leaving GDS. Both are going through changes.

That’s not accurate information. Less than half of that number of the rising 9th grade class left, which is consistent with other years.

[Anonymous]

As a parent of a kid considering applying to these schools it blows my mind that a school claiming to be focused on equality and social justice has multiple families talking about eating out and door dashing daily. Our full -pay family could not afford that and I would think that type of behavior creates disparity among students. Rich kids door dashing or going to Whole Foods and the other half unpacking their turkey sandwiches from home? That is pretty tone deaf at best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of a kid considering applying to these schools it blows my mind that a school claiming to be focused on equality and social justice has multiple families talking about eating out and door dashing daily. Our full -pay family could not afford that and I would think that type of behavior creates disparity among students. Rich kids door dashing or going to Whole Foods and the other half unpacking their turkey sandwiches from home? That is pretty tone deaf at best.

+1 They should institute a dress code that requires everyone to wear the same clothes and shoes too. Kids rolling up to school in their limited edition $500 Nikes while the middle class full pay families have to rough it with their off the shelf tennis shoes is also tone deaf.

Kids should also be required to be dropped off at least 3 blocks away from school on a staggered schedule lest classmates see others with fancier and more expensive cars. Would it be too much to require Uber for all to make pick up and drop off more equitable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of a kid considering applying to these schools it blows my mind that a school claiming to be focused on equality and social justice has multiple families talking about eating out and door dashing daily. Our full -pay family could not afford that and I would think that type of behavior creates disparity among students. Rich kids door dashing or going to Whole Foods and the other half unpacking their turkey sandwiches from home? That is pretty tone deaf at best.

Did Maret ever claim to be focused on equality and social justice? It held on to a DC public field under a much maligned deal for nearly 20 years excluding DC residents and public school children for the prime hours of the day, because it was too cheap to buy its own athletic field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of a kid considering applying to these schools it blows my mind that a school claiming to be focused on equality and social justice has multiple families talking about eating out and door dashing daily. Our full -pay family could not afford that and I would think that type of behavior creates disparity among students. Rich kids door dashing or going to Whole Foods and the other half unpacking their turkey sandwiches from home? That is pretty tone deaf at best.

+1 They should institute a dress code that requires everyone to wear the same clothes and shoes too. Kids rolling up to school in their limited edition $500 Nikes while the middle class full pay families have to rough it with their off the shelf tennis shoes is also tone deaf.

Kids should also be required to be dropped off at least 3 blocks away from school on a staggered schedule lest classmates see others with fancier and more expensive cars. Would it be too much to require Uber for all to make pick up and drop off more equitable?

This is a false comparison. Lunch effects the time these students spend together, where they go, who they are with, and what they are doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of a kid considering applying to these schools it blows my mind that a school claiming to be focused on equality and social justice has multiple families talking about eating out and door dashing daily. Our full -pay family could not afford that and I would think that type of behavior creates disparity among students. Rich kids door dashing or going to Whole Foods and the other half unpacking their turkey sandwiches from home? That is pretty tone deaf at best.

+1 They should institute a dress code that requires everyone to wear the same clothes and shoes too. Kids rolling up to school in their limited edition $500 Nikes while the middle class full pay families have to rough it with their off the shelf tennis shoes is also tone deaf.

Kids should also be required to be dropped off at least 3 blocks away from school on a staggered schedule lest classmates see others with fancier and more expensive cars. Would it be too much to require Uber for all to make pick up and drop off more equitable?

This is a false comparison. Lunch effects the time these students spend together, where they go, who they are with, and what they are doing.

The school prohibits kids who bring their lunch to go to off campus lunch spots with their friends? That is pretty shocking for a place like GDS

[Anonymous]

I think a new poster unearthed it. We are a new GDS family so it’s early days. Initial observation is that GDS has great energy. The school made a tremendous effort throughout the summer and early part of the school year to make kids feel welcome. There’s a palpable buzz at the school and there seems to be a flurry of activity (one thing or another) until 9. It feels like a very dynamic place. Homework has started but they apparently go easy on the kids.
That’s all I can say for now. Also sports teams are doing well so far. Girls volleyball is the best. Boys JV and Varsity soccer are undefeated thus far. Fun school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here - also starting GDS US this fall! I have a question about lunch since it's not included? Do the students usually bring their own packed lunch, or do they go off campus every day? I can see an upper-level student heading off campus often, but don't really want my 9th grader off campus every day. what do most kids do? Also where do they eat on campus?

This is seriously the straw that broke the camels back for us. I cannot deal with lunches anymore.

They're in high school.... can't they pack their own lunch? I went to a HS without lunch, and my parents gave me some money that I could either spend on cheap lunches in the area, or could pocket and pack my own lunch. 14-18 year olds should have no problem making themselves a turkey sandwich the night before school.

I'm not PP - even if this is true - not having the option for lunch on campus requires families to shop and plan to have food even if the student packs the lunch. For one of my kids, GDS not having lunch was the last straw in their own decision....they went to a different school because no lunch available on campus felt very inconvenient.

Exactly. And permitting/ encouraging kids to order door dash for lunch every day is absurd.

Right? So expensive and unhealthy. It's crazy.

What's weird is they said they would create some sort of grab and go options in the LS/MS kitchen to offer the HS students (when that building was in progress) - but clearly that didn't happen. I wonder of having COVID in between allowed them to skate by this issue without families complaining (but we are not at GDS so maybe families did complain).

HS kids do have the opportunity to get food at the LMS cafeteria, but nobody does according to my kid because the food isn't great. I don't think the current situation is ideal, as I would an in-school option, but with the amount of wasted food in the LMS cafeteria, I'm not sure the current situation is worse.

I mean, why can’t your private chefs just make something for your precious gifted angels?

School is expensive. And for a school focused on equity, it would make sense to provide equal access to healthy and nutritious options. Love the school, but this is the one issue I find so baffling. Don’t know why they didn’t add this for HS when doing the LMS renovation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would suggest OP read this recent thread citing multiple issues at GDS HS including discipline process, college counseling office, HS principal

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1185149.page

GDS HS parent here. It's much better this year with the much-disliked former head of the HS having been bounced.

The school still has a broken, capricious, and non-sensical disciplinary process. And in the HS, all assemblies are programmed by the DEI office - 100% of all assemblies. And no student clubs are funded except affinity groups. So if you are not in an affinity group club you need to ask the HS for funding instead of getting automatic funding for your club as all race-based and identity based affinity groups get

Have had 2 finish there and last one is done soon. Teaching is mostly great - though English dept has massive turnover every year for some reason. Lots to love about the school but like many institutions, it over-torqued in 2020-2022 and is slowly moving back

What was the issue with the former head? We are new, but she seemed nice.

[Anonymous]

How is Maret doing this year? They have a new administrator from GDS, no?

[Anonymous]

While it seemed strange to me that GDS has no cafeteria, it is considered a huge plus by my kids, who wanted to freedom to bring their lunch or go for a walk and not be stuck in the social setting of a cafeteria. And while we could afford to have them get lunch out, they make and pack their own lunch every day. There are things we choose to spend money on and things we don’t. Another family, might choose picking up lunch and forego something. Not sure I understand the poster that said kids who bring lunch can’t leave campus. That isn’t true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would suggest OP read this recent thread citing multiple issues at GDS HS including discipline process, college counseling office, HS principal

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1185149.page

GDS HS parent here. It's much better this year with the much-disliked former head of the HS having been bounced.

The school still has a broken, capricious, and non-sensical disciplinary process. And in the HS, all assemblies are programmed by the DEI office - 100% of all assemblies. And no student clubs are funded except affinity groups. So if you are not in an affinity group club you need to ask the HS for funding instead of getting automatic funding for your club as all race-based and identity based affinity groups get

Have had 2 finish there and last one is done soon. Teaching is mostly great - though English dept has massive turnover every year for some reason. Lots to love about the school but like many institutions, it over-torqued in 2020-2022 and is slowly moving back

What was the issue with the former head? We are new, but she seemed nice.

Unfortunately, the former HS principal never really connected with the students. I can't speak to how the faculty regarded her, but the HS student body did not find her to be a good leader. She was IMHO hired because she came from Dalton, did DEI work there, and had ties to the Black and Jewish communities, but she had no experience as a HS principal. GDS HS is not a place where you can put in a newbie principal and expect her to thrive. The search committee failed, big time. Maybe in 10 or 15 years, she would have had the experience and wisdom to navigate the position, but she was a poor choice.