Reply to Langley School ("Little Langley") vs. Potomac

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[quote=Anonymous]We considered, applied to and were accepted at both schools for K this coming fall.  We chose Potomac, but we were impressed by both.  Ultimately, the decision came down to Potomac's being a K - 12 school. We listened to the arguments that K - 8 is better because the middle schoolers are able to take on more leadership roles, they are not exposed to some of the high school issues too early, and none of the resources of the school are diverted to the high school.  I think these are valid reasons for choosing a K-8 school.  We thought, though, that Potomac's separation of the schools into lower, middle, intermediate and upper addressed the first and second issues.  In the end, we felt that not having to choose another school and go through admissions at 8th grade was a huge benefit.  I like to think we were not swayed by reputation or the feeling that "a school that accepts a smaller percentage of applicants is better," but we probably were.

Since we're headed to Potomac in the fall and haven't experienced the school yet, my comments are not as valuble as those from parents who have children at the school.  I will mention some of the things we liked about both schools.  You should certainly tour both in the fall/ winter.  Things that stood out about Potomac: the lower school classrooms are spacious and flooded with natural light -- I think the atmosphere a child learns in is so important; the lower school playground is phenomenal - huge, a beautiful, natural setting and lots of equipment that is designed to work only when used by 2 or more children to encourage teamwork (again I think at the early ages outdoor play is very important); the science room is wonderful - filled with light and lots of animals.  We attended a Friday assembly and were impressed by how these really young students were clearly comfortable and excited about getting up and performing for their peers.  The children in the audience were so well behaved and seemed to be entranced by watching the children in other grades.  The parents whom we talked with said that their children love coming to school and were sad on the snowdays this year because they missed school.  For the early years, that summed it up for me.  I did not pay a lot of attention to middle/ upper schools, but I do like the fact that middle schoolers must wear uniforms.  I think the pressure in these wealthy communities to dress well, particularly for girls, can make things really difficult during adolescence.  Negatives: children bring lunch or eat what the AD described as an "airline meal."  We were not even shown the lunchroom, leading me to think it's not particularly nice.  No language offered until the 4th grade.  The Head of School, during the playdate, bascially said that studies have shown that music studies help the brain in young children in the same way as language studies do and Potomac's early music program is so strong, there's not a real need for language study at that early age (I'm sure I'm oversimplifyng and this was just a brief response to a parent's question -- BTW, the Head of School was VERY impressive and that's another reason we chose Potomac -- I think under his guidance the school will only improve.  I'm not sure what to make of the middle schoolers using only laptops.  It was strange to look into a classroom and see all the students with headphones on, glued to their computer screens.

Langley.  Positives: admissions staff was very friendly and helpful, school renovations (including a beautiful lunchroom and gymnasium) were well conceived and executed; we watched a preschool class in progress and were very impressed with the teaching; Negative: I was concerned when we visited a preschool class that it was almost entirely boys (I think there were 2 girls) Admissions told us that was because of a large number of sibling boy legacies that year.  I think balance is important, though.  I'm not sure it's easy to "correct" such a huge imbalance in a class.  I'm not sure I'd want my girl in that class.

We know parents at both schools and find both communities to be warm, welcoming, friendly and would have been happy to be part of either.  Good luck with your applictions and decision making next year![/quote]

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