Advice on Good Fit Private for K with Good Amount of Outdoor and Play

[Anonymous]

Couldn't say enough good things about the parent community at Norwood. Down-to-earth, kind, involved. Our family has been so happy there. We had a lot of the same criteria as you when we looked at schools and it has checked all of those boxes and more. Our kids have thrived on the outdoor time, exposure to music, art and performance, physical education and gradual increase in academic loads. They also have very different learning styles and the Bridges math curriculum and Orton-Gillingham reading curriculums have been excellent. Good luck OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Concord Hill sounds like a great fit too, and it’s close to you.

Oh thank you - this wasn't on our radar and sounds great.

+1 to Concord Hill! It’s Regio-inspired and has such a joyful culture. They graduate well-adjusted and intellectually-curious students in our family’s experience. One of our gradates went on to Holton and we are thinking about GDS or WES for the younger one when she graduates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:K seems like it’s the time to focus on play and outdoor time, but the elementary years go quickly. You really need to be picking a school for long term goals. Are you asking questions like these: Is the reading instruction whole language or phonics based? Does the ELA program explicitly teach. Spelling and grammar? When are screens introduced and how often are they used? Is the Social Studies curriculum content-based or skills based? When does the math program introduce variables, abstract thinking, and how does it handle math fact memorization? There are many more that you can find yourself by doing a little reading on current debates in curriculum.

Honestly, finding a good fit for your family on academic style matters a lot more than outdoor time. All these schools have plenty of outdoor time, but they vary wildly on these other questions.

Wait, which is better/worse?

[Anonymous]

Nps

[Anonymous]

Good advice in this thread. Fwiw, we've been pleased with Primary Day. Really like the "small school" feel and welcoming community.

The commute (<10 min) was also a big plus compared to other options, especially in these early elementary years with so many opportunities to participate / visit the school (assemblies, etc.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at the River School, and while the playgrounds are relatively small (responding to PP 8/28 19:29), the younger kids' playground is sufficiently covered and that they usually use it rain or shine. They spend plenty of time outdoors, especially since they don't only go outdoors for playground times.

River has a lot of the things that you want, OP, although the facilities aren't luxurious. They do zero standardized testing (though they administer the WRAT every couple of years for benchmarking where a kid is at, it's done one-on-one with each kid) It's screen-free until 4th grade where they start to teach keyboarding skills and typed papers, and even then, they don't depend on screens for any instruction.

Classes cap at 14 kids, and there are a minimum of two teachers per class (both with master's degrees) and there's often also a teaching assistant and.or an intern, as well. Kids get a lot of individual attention as a result. Classrooms are busy with activity, but they aren't chaotic, and the teachers do a very good job of classroom management.

The way subjects are taught at River is often very creative. The preschool is wonderful, with play-based learning rooted in dramatic play. That goes away bit by bit in the elementary school, but since the curriculum is progressive there's still a lot of fun hands-on projects built into the day. They do a great job of disguising the "learning" part in the activities that the kids participate in.

The commute from Bethesda to the Palisades (where River is located) is relatively easy, though it does depend on where in Bethesda you live -- some parts of Bethesda border the Palisades.

The preschool program is excellent, the elementary program is not, unless you are ok supplementing with math, reading, and writing tutors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at the River School, and while the playgrounds are relatively small (responding to PP 8/28 19:29), the younger kids' playground is sufficiently covered and that they usually use it rain or shine. They spend plenty of time outdoors, especially since they don't only go outdoors for playground times.

River has a lot of the things that you want, OP, although the facilities aren't luxurious. They do zero standardized testing (though they administer the WRAT every couple of years for benchmarking where a kid is at, it's done one-on-one with each kid) It's screen-free until 4th grade where they start to teach keyboarding skills and typed papers, and even then, they don't depend on screens for any instruction.

Classes cap at 14 kids, and there are a minimum of two teachers per class (both with master's degrees) and there's often also a teaching assistant and.or an intern, as well. Kids get a lot of individual attention as a result. Classrooms are busy with activity, but they aren't chaotic, and the teachers do a very good job of classroom management.

The way subjects are taught at River is often very creative. The preschool is wonderful, with play-based learning rooted in dramatic play. That goes away bit by bit in the elementary school, but since the curriculum is progressive there's still a lot of fun hands-on projects built into the day. They do a great job of disguising the "learning" part in the activities that the kids participate in.

The commute from Bethesda to the Palisades (where River is located) is relatively easy, though it does depend on where in Bethesda you live -- some parts of Bethesda border the Palisades.

The preschool program is excellent, the elementary program is not, unless you are ok supplementing with math, reading, and writing tutors.

Our child just finished the River School elementary program and the math placement test at our child’s next school placed our child over a grade level ahead. Our child also reads at an advanced level. The innovation and art program in upper elementary was also unparalleled. The school follows the interests of the kids. At one point the kids got into trying to figure out odds of a raffle and were taught summation and probability. Our child has never had outside tutors or Russian math.

The school will not force an uninterested student to be a top student. However, the school does provide ample opportunity for children to learn at individually differentiated paces. The school also tries to foster a natural love of learning and follows the children’s interests. Teachers have made up lesson plans around everything from glitter to world travel. Ours took an interest in CAD design and was supported. Bright, curious kids do well there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Couldn't say enough good things about the parent community at Norwood. Down-to-earth, kind, involved. Our family has been so happy there. We had a lot of the same criteria as you when we looked at schools and it has checked all of those boxes and more. Our kids have thrived on the outdoor time, exposure to music, art and performance, physical education and gradual increase in academic loads. They also have very different learning styles and the Bridges math curriculum and Orton-Gillingham reading curriculums have been excellent. Good luck OP!

Thanks so much - this is great to hear! How is the process and support for high school placement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Couldn't say enough good things about the parent community at Norwood. Down-to-earth, kind, involved. Our family has been so happy there. We had a lot of the same criteria as you when we looked at schools and it has checked all of those boxes and more. Our kids have thrived on the outdoor time, exposure to music, art and performance, physical education and gradual increase in academic loads. They also have very different learning styles and the Bridges math curriculum and Orton-Gillingham reading curriculums have been excellent. Good luck OP!

Thanks so much - this is great to hear! How is the process and support for high school placement?

We haven't reached 8th grade yet but my friends with kids who have gone through it have felt very well supported and their kids got into their first choice schools. Kids are so well known by their teachers and administrators that they can really personalize the process. The middle school head is new (former lower school head) and he's excellent.

[Anonymous]

Acorn Hill, check it out! You will love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We loved the outdoor time on the playground and on the cathedral grounds at Beauvoir. It's definitely a play based school. I won't dare call it magical bc I'll get savaged here but it was full of joy and a great starting place for my child who thrived at the next stop. That said, many of the schools mentioned here are also terrific based on friends' experiences. Potomac was not a good fit for us commute-wise, but it probably has the nicest campus in this area.

DP. I will say it! It was magical. 3 kids with different personalities, all of whom loved Beauvoir and flourished after, with 2 to STA and 1 to Sidwell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: We have our eyes on GDS or Sidwell now or at grade 3, but obviously no guarantees we'd ever get a spot. Also have been thinking about Bullis, Norwood, and Primary Day. Do any parents with experience with these schools have any feedback on which may best fit our priorities? Thank you in advance!

Lots of good suggestions already! Wherever you go, however, I'd make sure you're comfortable with the possibility of staying through the terminal grade.

If you think you'll want to re-evaluate in late elementary, then definitely look at PDS, Beauvoir, and Concord Hill. If you want to stay put for awhile, but have lots of choices for high school, then look at Norwood, Sheridan, Green Acres, etc. But I wouldn't go to a K-12, for example, already planning to apply out in 3rd or 4th grade. If you think GDS is your top choice, I'd apply there now OR go with a K-6/K-8 that regularly sends students there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at the River School, and while the playgrounds are relatively small (responding to PP 8/28 19:29), the younger kids' playground is sufficiently covered and that they usually use it rain or shine. They spend plenty of time outdoors, especially since they don't only go outdoors for playground times.

River has a lot of the things that you want, OP, although the facilities aren't luxurious. They do zero standardized testing (though they administer the WRAT every couple of years for benchmarking where a kid is at, it's done one-on-one with each kid) It's screen-free until 4th grade where they start to teach keyboarding skills and typed papers, and even then, they don't depend on screens for any instruction.

Classes cap at 14 kids, and there are a minimum of two teachers per class (both with master's degrees) and there's often also a teaching assistant and.or an intern, as well. Kids get a lot of individual attention as a result. Classrooms are busy with activity, but they aren't chaotic, and the teachers do a very good job of classroom management.

The way subjects are taught at River is often very creative. The preschool is wonderful, with play-based learning rooted in dramatic play. That goes away bit by bit in the elementary school, but since the curriculum is progressive there's still a lot of fun hands-on projects built into the day. They do a great job of disguising the "learning" part in the activities that the kids participate in.

The commute from Bethesda to the Palisades (where River is located) is relatively easy, though it does depend on where in Bethesda you live -- some parts of Bethesda border the Palisades.

lol @River Admin

[Anonymous]

I'm the River School PP. Certainly not admin, just a parent that feels we've gotten our money's worth. The school's not perfect, but teachers and administration have been very responsive throughout our time there.

I'm only aware of one child in my LO's class who has a tutor, and that child has clearly had learning challenges from the start.

My LO has some especially bright classmates who are doing outside above-grade-level math, but I'm not aware of any other tutoring. I can't imagine why any child who is even the slightest bit bright would need tutoring in elementary school, to be honest.

Like PP 08:14, I've been impressed by the creativity of the teachers and the way they're able to adapt to the interests of the children. I think that adaptability fades somewhat with the elementary but they're surprisingly flexible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: We have our eyes on GDS or Sidwell now or at grade 3, but obviously no guarantees we'd ever get a spot. Also have been thinking about Bullis, Norwood, and Primary Day. Do any parents with experience with these schools have any feedback on which may best fit our priorities? Thank you in advance!

Lots of good suggestions already! Wherever you go, however, I'd make sure you're comfortable with the possibility of staying through the terminal grade.

If you think you'll want to re-evaluate in late elementary, then definitely look at PDS, Beauvoir, and Concord Hill. If you want to stay put for awhile, but have lots of choices for high school, then look at Norwood, Sheridan, Green Acres, etc. But I wouldn't go to a K-12, for example, already planning to apply out in 3rd or 4th grade. If you think GDS is your top choice, I'd apply there now OR go with a K-6/K-8 that regularly sends students there.

Great advice! I think my post was confusing, but you are totally right. If we decide we really like one of the K-12 like Sidwell or GDS, we would just go K thru 12 like you said.