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We are not from this area, so I am not completely clear about the black and white divided line between families that love or hate Landon. But, we were very impressed when we went to visit the school, and now our son has been offered a spot in the 5th grade. I have been reading the past posts, but I don't see specifics explaining why people hate this school. My husband is worried about its reputation of being a jock school (our son is not a jock, but does like to play sports and is good at music) and thinks maybe our son may not fit in. I thnk that he may be happy there as it does not seem like sports is it's only strength. Any insight would be very helpful and much appreciated!! Thanks!
I know people laugh at Mensa at times, but I signed up kiddo to boost her self-confidence, which he sorely needed after a bad run-in with a punitive traditional school. She's now soaring. Mensa youth in the D.C. area has some great outings. But I did want to pass on that Mensa does have college scholarships, which is the other reason I signed her up.
We are new to Mensa this year, but would love to find our more about the Mensa youth outings. Do you have a link? I don't see it on the website.
Thanks!
Anonymous wrote:Maybe New School? They could give support and differentiate for her?
I never heard of New School. Where are they? Thanks!
Anonymous wrote:C/A definitely has a real campus. It has a brand new gym and is expanding further this year. If you mean athletic facilities, it does have the new gym, volleyball, etc., and partners with the local YMCA for swimming, workouts, gym classes. Look at its facebook page. There's also a baseball field and park across the street that the school uses. As for "intellectual peers", my C/A kid's friends are in Mensa (if you are into that sort of thing - sniff sniff); two scored an astonishing 35 on the ACT; one scored a perfect 800 on SAT math. Two have scored 750 on math and chemistry subject matter tests. Another friend took a foreign language class at NOVA during his junior year. Another took a college-level course at NOVA during summer and got an A. Maybe my kid's class is unique . . . but this school is doing something right. I just wish I had found it earlier for my older "quirky bright" children.
Thank you, that is great to know! I just signed up for a tour. I know the area quite well but didn't know that they built a new gym. Also, good to know about the Mensa kids, since our DC is also in Mensa (we get great discounts for CTY classes, much more than the Mensa admission price!!). Are these classes more for the older grades? (i.e. HS?) We would be looking at the lower school.
Anonymous wrote:You could try Howard Gardner down in the Rose Hill (FFX cty section of Alexandria). It's good for ADD kids. For the academic rigor though, honestly, if you really want something advanced, you are going to have to look outside of the schools. And being honest, as and adult with ADD and executive function, if your kid is advanced academically consider it a gift that they can basically coast for a bit on the academic side and help your child work on the other skills they will need in life - time management, memory skills, social skills, etc.
I agree that one of the options we are considering is just letting her have a very easy academic experience, and work on the other life skills while DD is in lower school. But, we are getting close to middle school, and I do worry that she will be behind for high school if we stay in our current situation. Am I being overly concerned? I do worry about the executive function problems (I too am an adult with ADHD and EF, never diagnosed in school), and really struggled in school until I reached college age. Even in college, I had to work harder than any of my peers because I was not given the tools to know how to study and learn. I don't want the same for my child. I just worry because the psychologist said DD is prone to anxiety and possibly depression, and that being bored in school can be dangerous for this type of child..... sigh....
I will look at Howard Gardner too, do they have gifted programs? Thanks!
Unfortunately, we live in Alexandria City and do not qualify for the Fairfax programs. I looked into the City programs, and they were lacking for gifted opportunities compared to the Independent schools. Also, with our DD has SPD and can not handle loud noises, crowded rooms, or too much action around, so the VERY large class sizes in the City would not be a good option. I will look into McLean school though. Do they have GT programs?
Our DD is currently at an independent school in NVA that does not seem to be a good fit. She is getting the LD accommodations taken care of, but is bored and not academically challenged at all. We are currently trying to find a school (DD starting 5th) that can meet her academic needs, such as offering classes that are for more academically advanced, but at the same time, are able to provide learning accommodations because of a GT/LD diagnosis. We would love a school where we don't have to switch once high school comes around. We have toured Potomac, Flint Hill, and SSSAS, and love that Potomac seems to offer a lot for exploratory learning, which is good for those children who have LD (Executive Function, SPD and possible ADD), but we aren't sure about it's flexibility for a learning plan. SSSAS is great for distance to home, and their strength in STEM, but worry about their philosophy to have the child advocate for themselves for help (LD children often times doesn't understand how to ask for help). And Flint Hill, while very far for us, (we are in Alexandria) seems to have a great learning resource center that can help, doesn't seem to indicate whether their lower grades can accommodate the highly gifted. Does anyone have any insight about whether any of these three schools would allow for a learning plan for a gifted child? Any other ideas? We are going to look at Commonwealth, but don't like that there is barely any campus. We are in Alexandria City so can't get into the Fairfax programs, and the City's programs are just not that impressive. (We already got into Nysmith, but decided that the 64 mile RT commute is just too far for us).Wishing there were GT/LD programs in this area like they are in MD!! Thanks!
We are looking for something to accommodate our GT/LD DC in the Alexandria, VA area, or close to it. Does anyone know about someplace that would help? I've heard Commonwealth School, but it has no real campus, and a lot of the children are more LD than GT, which concerns me. I'm hoping to find someplace that my DC can be with his intellectual peers.Thanks!
Our DD is currently at an independent school in NVA that does not seem to be a good fit. We are currently trying to find a school (DD starting 5th) that can meet her academic needs, such as offering classes that are for more academically advanced, but at the same time, are able to provide learning accommodations because of a GT/LD diagnosis. We would love a school where we don't have to switch once high school comes around. We have toured all three, and love that Potomac seems to offer a lot for exploratory learning, which is good for those children who have LD (ADD and Executive Function), but we aren't sure about it's flexibility for a learning plan. SSSAS is great for distance to home, and their strength in STEM, but worry about their philosophy to have the child advocate for themselves for help (LD children often times doesn't understand how to ask for help). And Flint Hill, while very far for us, (we are in Alexandria) seems to have a great learning resource center that can help, doesn't seem to indicate whether their lower grades can accommodate the highly gifted. Does anyone have any insight about whether any of these three schools would allow for a learning plan for a gifted child? THANKS!!