Beauvoir v. NPS—please compare the communities
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Anonymous
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This is all so helpful!
I know nothing about middle school (guess I blocked out those years in my memory!) and am trying to think through the different exit years. Putting aside likelihood of acceptance and cost, can anyone touch on the pros and cons of moving to, say, NCS or Sidwell at 4th v at 7th? Mostly concerned with social dynamics and cliques but also interested in the academic transition |
Anonymous
I am curious why you are only considering NPS or Beauvoir. Are you interested in traditional schools only? If you are looking for a warm and nurturing environment, there are other schools that do that really well but may be more progressive. |
Anonymous
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Thank you for asking and getting to the heart of my concerns. I’m only looking at k-6/8s because I hoped they would be gentler and more child-centered. Warm and nurturing are definitely the priority—exmissions and pedigree aren’t considerations but I still want some rigor because of this specific child’s needs. Honestly I wish I felt more comfortable with Waldorf but it seems risky. I’m realizing there is no perfect school that is rigorous, gentle and full of down to earth parents…
Which other schools would you suggest? |
Anonymous
| Didn't read the whole long thread but as a BVR family that faced a crisis this year I felt the school, especially the Reverend, was very supportive. I find the parents very warm and engaged. While all schools can have cliques, I think BVR does a good job of mixing classes one year to the next so the kids are always getting used to some new faces including the new arrivals. There is not much mixing of the different classes/grades due to COVID restrictions so some traditions like BVR buddies eroded a bit over the past two years but hopefully will bounce back if restrictions ease. BVR does have a guidance counselor, Dr. Holly Joyner, who helps students with a number issues and recently facilitated a parents video forum on COVID-related anxieties with should be posted in the COVID/Communications Events section soon. I cant speak to NPS programs but have heard it has many fantastic qualities also. |
Anonymous
As an NPS parent, wanted to expand. There is a little differentiation in math in upper grades, as well as ways that language arts is paced so kid can read more advanced texts. They also have learning and math specialists who can give the child extra work, not to mention small class sizes where teachers can keep an eye on things. The school participates in national math, spelling, geography and Spanish programs, which give kids chances to shine. Our son went on to accelerated math after NPS (through multivariable calculus) as well as science, which I offer as evidence of his preparedness. But if you are a parent who wants constant drilling or needs kid to be recognized with an advanced designation, the culture of the school might not be right for your family. NPS families generally want kids to have recess, play outside, and focus on social and emotional learning. We would rather they learn the skills of conversation and eye contact than sit and drill homework. Preserving the decade of childhood is a real priority, not just a slogan. Hope that provides helpful context. |
Anonymous
+1. NPS does a great job balancing religious education with religious inclusivity. The chapels have always been very popular and bring the school community together. |
Anonymous
Well said! |
Anonymous
NP but so helpful! And thanks for the measured logical response. Does the school have a strong stem program? What about beauvoir? Is there no differentiation at all? |
Anonymous
I can’t speak to BVR but at NPS Science is treated as a “special” like art or Spanish, so taught by a science specialist who teaches multiple grades, rather than a grade-specific teacher. They do have a science lab classroom and have a robust curriculum, that includes lab work. I view elementary school science as a time for hands on experimenting and becoming familiar with scientific terms and methods - learning to love the exploration. I also think they do a nice job with some cross-curricular labs (on trees for example). It felt very appropriate for little kids to me. And again, my kid was well prepared for middle school science as well as AP Chem, Bio and Physics. |
Anonymous
| I wish the chaplain at BVR would work more closely with the students. Everything she seems to do is virtual and doesn’t seem as meaningful. In my last school the chaplain visited the actual classes and interacted with students. |
Anonymous
+1 for the supportive nature of the school. And we’ve met many nice parents, a couple of whom even brought soup when our child was sick…since that was explicitly mentioned! |
Anonymous
Thanxs and so helpful 
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Anonymous
| Is NPS sportier? I was surprised that the HOS is a former STA coach |
Anonymous
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To the OP I totally appreciate your dilemma. Last year we were in the same position choosing between NPS BVR and Sidwell for our child. It was an especially hard time to gauge subtle differences as we were not allowed to tour BVR. We decided Sidwell lower school was not the right fit so focused our decision on NPS and BVR.I did appreciate that NPS enabled us to see the facilities, whereas that was not possible at BVR.’ I did a lot of legwork to track down current families to try to better assess culture. Overall I left my discussions with the impression that both schools are great and both communities of kids and parents are warm. I assessed that NPS and its academic approach churned out extremely well prepared students, particularly in math which is a priority for us. I have no doubt BVR does too but I could not get as strong a sense of specifically how they teach (especially math), which made me a little nervous. I have a daughter and want to make sure she never self identifies as “bad at math” and starts a detrimental cycle that will persist through her education. Anecdotally I spoke to a family who had sent two kids to BVR but then sent their third to NPS and the parent noted they felt all kids would have been academically better prepared for their next step if they had gone to NPS.
We really struggled. The “slam dunk” acceptance to NCS/STA is compelling if you think you want that in the future. I definitely wrestled with giving that up. However, at the end of the day we chose to optimize for putting our child in an environment that suits her today and will prepare he academically socially and emotionally for the future. For us we decided that was NPS. BVR would have been amazing too I am sure. This is all very on the margin and we are grateful to have had the choice and to have the means to offer this educational experience to our child. Our experience at NPS K has been phenomenal. Our child is thriving, has a diverse set of friends, loves her teachers and all The “specials” she gets to do at school. Parents we did not know previously often reach out for play dates and everyone is kind warm and inclusive. Our child does severs of the after school programs and loves them. It is such a joy to watch her develop and grow and I feel confident NPS is going to Hold up to its promise to preserve the decade of childhood. All that said, I’m sure I could write all of these same things about BVR had we gone that route. Best of luck to you - let go of preconceived notions and ego and trust your intuition on this one. You cannot make a bad choice, so also take comfort in that 
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Anonymous
5th and 6th graders have an opportunity to play soccer, basketball, and lacrosse for school. Emphasis is on all kids playing, learning the game -- definitely not winning. No cuts. Pretty equal playing time. Some teams are good because they happen to have good athletes but most lose since the emphasis is on teamwork, playing everyone etc..  The kids don't seem to care too much. I also prefer it that way (no need for cut throat elementary athletics. it is a chance for all kids to try a sport). Also, NPS doesn't have big athletic fields/courts so it is good to end in 6th grade and send kids to middle school where there are more sports opportunities if they are interested. FYI, St Pats and Woods have consistently winning teams and better fields if that is important to you.
There are always kids who go on to play varsity high school sports, as well as sports in college but not because of anything they did at NPS. Most are travel athletes who participate in a lot of club practice outside of school. And actually, a lot of times, those club kids don't play on the NPS teams since they have so much outside practice. HOS is a good resource on athletics in general. He coaches boys lax and is great. (If you know local independent school athletics, he coaches in Skip Grant model, imo: more about character that translates into athletic excellence). There is also usually an outside Stoddert soccer team organized by parents in each grade, as well as some random others (basketball, baseball, softball, lax). |