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[quote=Anonymous]Another new 5th grade parent here.  The school has been a good fit for our kid.  Curriculum is overall interesting and enough of a challenge, but not too much.

Re:  Math:  The 5th graders are tested at the beginning of school and placed into one of three (or four? not positive) math levels.  They use Saxon Math, and the classes are either Math 7/6, Math 8/7, or Pre-Algebra.  I believe it may also be able to test into Algebra at 5th grade.  They do periodic tests to check back in and make sure they have each kid placed at the right level for them, so if your kid landed in a level that is not working for them, they are not locked in for the rest of the year.  Also, as the math teacher explained to me, they are not necessarily locked into a certain track - at the end of the year the math teachers look at the right next step for each kid.  For example, my kid is in Math 8/7, and will either go on to Pre-Algebra or Algebra for 6th.

Re:  Homework:  The homework load has been much less and much more manageable than we anticipated.  Most nights DC is done in half an hour.  Once or twice a week it's an hour.  There is a little time to do homework during school and that helps.  DC loves math and that helps too.  I think if a child really struggled with math, that could stretch out the homework time.  There are 30 problems per night, which is the biggest and most consistent homework assignment.

Agree with PP that this may not be a great fit for a child who has test anxiety.  There are regular quizzes and tests in most subjects.  For my child, this has been fine and if anything has reduced test anxiety, as it is just routine checking in of what they know and what to work on.

The downsides are well known.  Small facility  Limited sports, though they seem to have great cross country and some soccer.  But obviously, don't have a large athletic field or gymnasium.  Also, they just don't have the space for orchestra and band.  But as a PP mentioned, they are doing their first ever school musical for the lower school.  And they had a science-based three day camp, which was interesting and a good bonding experience.

The school population is quite diverse, which we love.  Teachers overall seem fairly young, but very engaged.  My child loves nearly all of them.  I can't speak to the older kids, but the student population seems to lean towards the nerdy-studious vibe, which is more than fine with us!  The location is great.

I strongly recommend that prospective students do a shadow day.  People have strong opinions about the various school options in the area, and ultimately it's about finding the best fit for your kid and your family.[/quote]

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