Reply to Any update on St. Bart's?

Forum Index » Private & Independent Schools

Reply to "Any update on St. Bart's?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]St. Bart's has had consultations with the Archdiocese of Washington each of the last two years. Last year, the parents got together and raised $85,000 through a small-window Annual Fund. This year, the school had to show the ability to raise $750,000 plus increase enrollment 40%. These are very high targets, of course, but the parish has invested about $2 million in the school building and operations in recent years, and one does not expect that such a level of investment could continue. The school did start publishing a newsletter for alumni and parents last spring and has published two issues so far.

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I really hope they stay open.  Our liberal Catholic family doesn't feel comfortable with other parish schools, so it fills a niche.  We will go public or independent otherwise.  There is also a significant population of students with learning differences (and a significant population without -- it's a true mix).  I really feel like shutting down with less than a year notice to families with kids with learning differences especially is cruel and harmful to those kids.[/quote]

It IS a unique and special place. The ADW warning seems to have been a wake-up call which, if the school stays open, will hopefully ensure it's managed better than it was to this point. We really hope it stays open. We're supposed to find out tomorrow and the kids are really anxious.[/quote]

Other area parochial schools expect to be absorbing some of the St. Bart's kids for next year. [/quote]
ADW closed a bunch of schools about 5 years ago  [St. Ann's in Tenleytown was one of the schools]
ADW announced the closing just after the DCPS lottery closed and it was a cluster as families were left trying to find places.   We are an ADW family and I would say that it is another example of how these decisions are made by people who are removed from the day to day and absolutely CLUELESS!

[/quote]

These decisions are years in the making.  They involve many meetings and goals that need to be met.  If the principal and pastor are not transparent with the community about it from the beginning then it can feel like a shock, but be real - [i]as a parent you have to know your school is in trouble when classes get that small.  Being in denial doesn’t excuse your own due diligence.  St. Bart’s families will have ample notice to apply elsewhere if a decision is made in January.  I think they are giving them every shot to pull the potential numbers up, while still allowing an exit strategy if it doesn’t work out.[/i][/quote]

That's nonsense.  There is *not* ample time to apply elsewhere if a decision is made in January.  Independent school admissions deadlines are OVER by this time. Middle school magnet applications were due months ago.  There are many kids with learning differences at this school, and GT/LD kids as well.  Not just any school is going to be a good fit.  And, no, you don't know the school is in imminent trouble when the classes get that small.  There are many schools with small classes, and they're not in trouble.  A child's class with 15 kids or 17 kids does not seem "too small" compared to other private schools, especially if one is not "in the know" in the local Catholic school community.  And if this was so obvious, why on Earth wasn't the principal or pastor saying anything about it?  New families coming in in the last two years were absolutely not told until this point.  No, what we were told was that we could trust them with our kids.  If it's so out in the open, why not disclose?  And why renovate the Parish hall with the stated purpose of being needed for the school and students?[/quote][/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics