CES FOX CHAPEL

[Anonymous]

My child got accepted to the program and wanted to ask parents of students currently at the pgm their feedback? TIA.

[Anonymous]

Please share your child's scores.

[Anonymous]

Our kid is finishing up this year and absolutely loved it. The teachers were great and very capable, although be prepared (you, the parent) to take a big step back if you've really been involved with your kids school up to this point. They really make it a point to let the kids manage their schedule and workload. It's an adjustment from coasting through earlier grades but they pick up the pace quickly. The music program is fantastic. Dr Fozio teaches instrumental music at several different schools but is really great with the kids. In fourth grade they their gemstone project to put on an opera (it's more of a play) where they write the music and dialog, create the costumes and design the sets and even manage everything from lighting to PR. It was pretty cool to see kids from 20 different schools come together so cohesively. We really liked the administration, some people have differing opinions of the principal, but I loved her. The PTA is ok... the PTA board puts in a lot of work but they get almost no support from the parents.

Everyone starts out as the new kid, so there is some trepidation going in, but that works itself out quick enough. My kid made a lot of good friends. Some will be moving on to the same middle school, others not, but I think those relationships will remain strong. Really good kids in the program from our experience.

So, bottom line... would my kid want to do it again? 100 times out of 100.

I can't believe how fast it flew by.

[Anonymous]

OP what is your zip code?

[Anonymous]

My kid is a current fifth Grader at fox chapel CES pgm. It's a good program, but in hindsight there are some negative qualities to the program that I had wished I had know or someone had told me before my child joined the program.
Some of the teachers are great and some are ok. It's a hit or miss. The writing program is more challenging, but the math itself is the same if not less challenging when compared to our home school.
My child has been in instrumental music both years at fox chapel and we have not been impressed with the music department and dr. Fazio. Again it's ok. Many things about the school are ok. Nothing great or spectacular. One thing is the writing program is challenging, lots of books to read and write. So if your child likes to write and read a lot then the pgm is for you, since it is a completely humanities based program.

It is true making friends is easy at the pgm because everyone is new.

Also parents should be prepared to not have any role what so ever in the classroom, no volunteering or involvement at Halloween parties( which are actually called harvest festival or something like that) or valentine day parties. The only contact I have had with the kids or the classroom are at field trips if I chaperone. The Teachers kind of encourage the parents NOT to be involved. It's a tad bit weird.

Overall, the pgm is ok, for us we would definitely rethink attending the pgm if we had known these facts.

[Anonymous]

Is the fifth grade teacher a screamer? I heard stories about one.

[Anonymous]

I have a fourth grader there and the year has been mostly great. Science, social studies and writing have been the highlights. The art teacher there seems great and my child likes Dr. Fazio, but instrumental hasn’t been our focus. Some negatives: indoor recess is the entire CES grade (56 kids) packed into one indoor classroom. The teachers, while great, have both been absent a lot this year, I think for personal and health reasons, so instruction has been a bit off-balance. While the school is friendly, you will have limited time in the classroom, as PP noted. No volunteering except for field trips. If getting straight A’s is your kid’s norm, prepare to be shocked (although I do think that is a good thing, actually). Some kids clearly love the project-based homework units and some (like mine!) do not. The commute is a hassle. And it is hard to move to a new school. It just is.

The good : mainly, my kid went from dead-eyed about school to bright and excited about the day. That was huge for us.

The teachers work really hard and give extensive and detailed feedback on writing and work. Also huge for us.

We have had zero personal problems with bullying or safety, but that may vary by the child. If your child wants to play soccer every day, that may be harder. Four-square, basketball, and various games of chase seem to be the favorite outdoor CES activities. My child complains that there aren’t enough balls and many are deflated. CES kids usually get dismissed from lunch to recess after the local kids, and so they get last choice of balls. Overall, admin seems nice.

They give kids a fair amount of time to work on homework at school, so the homework load seems only occasionally heavy. If your child does not love to read, the homework load may feel very heavy.

Your kids inner nerd will get to happily shine... I mean, they sit around making up haikus together for fun.

Overall, unless you have an unusually anxious child or you know your school has some excellent enrichment waiting for the next two years, I would recommend trying it out! It isn’t perfect, but the program really is amazing.

[Anonymous]

My eldest went to Fox Chapel and loved it. The first year was hard as hell, and the teachers prepared us for it. They said that up until now most of these kids have coasted by and not had to really work. Now they were going to be pushed, hard. The teachers wanted the kids to push past their comfort zones and really dig deep into what they could do.

I'm glad they did! DD learned a LOT about herself, what she could do, what her real abilities are.

The 4th grade teachers can be strict but are also SO compassionate. They don't want the kids to be spending all their time on homework, so if they're spending more than 30 minutes on it at home you send a note in and the teacher adjusts what is being assigned or gives additional instruction.

We actually had more issues with the 5th grade teachers. They said they were preparing the kids for Middle School, but all I saw was detachment. We didn't get much feedback from them, and neither did DD. There wasn't as much project work or application of knowledge. It was just feed and regurgitate.

There was zero concerns about bullying, safety, or my child feeling left out. She made a TON of friends and connections, which hadn't happened in her previous school.

The 4th grade opera is a really unique experience. They encourage parents to help out a bit with that. But overall they want to cut the blades off of the helicopter parents and let the kids explore and be. Again, they tell you ahead of time that's the expectation.

We loved Dr. Fazio. He has a great approach to teaching instrumental and wants to be sure kids understand fundamentals before pushing them more. It's not a program to create the next Yo Yo Ma, it's a program to create life long appreciation of music. DD also joined chorus her last year.

We're going to be sad if our youngest doesn't get in (waiting on letter).