Reply to Any updates on Hearst?

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Reply to "Any updates on Hearst?"

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[quote=Anonymous]Current Hearst parent here, whose elder kid was in a class with major (like... major) behavior issues. School staff put in a ton of behind-the-scenes work with the more problematic kids. By the second half of fifth grade there was a noticeable vibe shift in the grade - kinder, more relaxed, less cliquish. Two of the kids most unkind to mine apologized (separately and outside of school) for their past behavior, so whatever Hearst was doing was working. They're all in middle school now and even the toughest kids from the grade are apparently friendly.

Staff are fantastic - not a lot of turnover from last year to this year, and what turnover there was seemed normal, teaching-profession-related rather than about Hearst itself (burnout with teaching and a new baby at home; moving up to a bigger job at a middle school, etc.). Some of the "new" staff were long term subs and supplementary staff who joined the school permanently.

Younger kid is still at Hearst and the experience is overall fantastic. My kid is academically gifted and is still engaged and learning. We have a really great community - 30ish people got together the morning of Valentine's Day to clear our playground of snow and ice so kids could have outdoor recess again. None of the current grades have a reputation for problem behavior.

Only downside is the current principal, who is new this year (replacing the absolutely wonderful Dr. Chen) - she is very set on doing everything her way and is not receptive to feedback from families or staff. This hasn't directly affected kids, as far as I can tell, but it has put a damper on staff and parent experience. PTA is actively working on this.

That said, I would still enroll my kid at Hearst over private, no brainer, and I say this as someone who went to top DC private schools. Save your money for middle school, and in the meantime your kid will make neighborhood friends and learn from some truly stellar teachers.[/quote]

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