Reply to Balancing PGCPS lottery and searching for private schools

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[quote=Anonymous]There's not much to pursue in the lottery. You just enter. You can't boost your chances in any way.

As PP said, you have to basically apply and commit to a private school in the meantime if you are not ok with the non-lottery options though or you'll miss out on spots there. We've done the lottery every year for 2 kids - missed out on Montessori for both all eligible years, missed out on French Immersion for both for K, missed out on TAG center for GWES and then just gave up. Eldest was at a parochial school until missing out on TAG center and is now at an independent school. Littlest is at our neighborhood kindergarten and doing ok, but coming from the private school experiences with the older one, we've been really saddened by the total lack of communication between school and home. The website is never updated, no school newsletter gets home, a 5 year old is expected to accurately relay information about dress down days as nothing ever comes home about them. We get a lunch menu, that's pretty much it.

The younger one is doing fine in K, but she can already read and do math so she's basically there for socialization and learning how to be in a really structured school environment. I'm not sure how we'd feel about it if she actually needed to learn to read and write. We like the teacher, but the class size is huge and there is no aide. We're kind of biding time with her until the TAG lottery as we'll assume she'll qualify based on what the teacher said. If she also gets waitlisted for center, we'll likely shift her into the same independent as her sister.

I think you basically should check out your neighborhood school and see if it is palatable to you. Enter the lottery every year, but do the private school tours and actually apply and get a seat at one of them for PK or Kinder so you have an option if you are 200 on the waitlist for lottery.

Be aware that Fairhaven is a Sudbury model school. You aren't likely going to be ok with Fairhaven and also someplace like St. Jerome's as they are philosophically on pretty opposite ends of the spectrum. Holy Redeemer could also go on your list as a school to visit and you might also look at Sandy Spring Friends, though the price tag there is much higher than the others you mention. Mater Amoris is also in that neck of the woods if you are on the West side of Laurel.  Depending on where you are in Laurel, you might also look at some of the privates closer to Baltimore too if you are not commuting in to DC. [/quote]

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