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[quote=Anonymous]To the AD (if you still are reading this thread)

I hope my perspective will help as it is a bit different from others. We are moving to the DC area and so the traditional routes of word-or–mouth or local advertising are not effective. I think that DC tends to be a transient area so I hope this might help you.

I would strongly encourage you to have a strong dynamic web presence. That should include both your own website as well as popular “review” websites. Make sure that you are listed correctly on sites where an unfamiliar parent might visit first- I think I went to Association of independent schools listing, and a few others like great schoolreviews.com.

Once I had a list I read their mission statements. If it was a K-12 school I read their college matriculations list. The K-8’s I did not at first- but later returned to them after I had learned which high schools in the area were more top tier. To be honest, I never found a list, on any site, that gave me the details I wanted. I think the numbers of matriculating students.

My Dd is enrolled in an independent K-8 school here. We are looking at 4th grade for the fall. I am torn between continuing in K-8 or going to a K-12 so we don’t have to make the switch. If you are a K-8 I would encourage you to really go into detail about the benefits of that structure. One of the things that my current school does is ask former students who are currently in college to write a reflection of how the school gave them the foundation they needed to  build on. These reflections come from students who are usually in an Ivy/ M.I.T etc.

Onto my story- but first, please understand that I am the type of parent that  is equally focused on intellectual and academic gains AND on character development. When I think of her as an adult, I do not focus on her  knowledge base alone. I also want her to be a good person who demonstrates self-motivation, confidence, respect, empathy.

With this in mind, you might understand why my decisions solidified when I made contact with the schools. I immediately put Burgundy at the top of my list because the woman who I spoke to was so warm and inviting. I actually enjoyed our conversation. The AD I spoke with represented to me the culture and atmosphere of the school. I want my child with people like her!

Another school that made it onto my list sent me materials from my online inquiry. Included was a special sheet for parents who currently live out of the area. It explained how things would be done for families like mine who could not attend open houses visiting days etc. The fact that it seemed they understood my situation (and would not stress me out) is huge.  Relocating is a major lifer change after all and knowing that somebody gets that and will work to make it a bit easer suggests to me a culture of flexibility and understanding.

I also called Potomac. Twice. The admission counselor was not available either time and had to call me back. I got the impression that the call was screened. Uh Oh. That smacks of a snobbish attitude that I am wary of. When  the call was returned the person on the phone was  …. cold.  I felt that she was neither interested in me or my child. I have read on this forum that the admissions office there is just like that but the school is not. I will never find out because I am never going to apply there.  That the headmaster lets this go on is really all I need to know about the leadership at  that school.

When I narrowed it down to 4 schools I brought my daughter into the process. Her interests and perceptions matter a great deal too. She wanted to know about things like lunch, recess, and where the kids play.  I let her wander through all of the schools websites. She was drawn to he images of children who were active and having fun.  FH was on my list- but something she saw made her tell me that she absolutely did “not want to go there!”.

I eliminated another school because they require the recommendation form from her current teacher to be done online , and the teacher had to register etc. Quite frankly, I adore my Dd’s current teacher. I want to respect her time. Having her write out a recommendation and make copies already takes her time. Asking her to ALSO sign up and go through rig-a-ma-roll because that school has to be different- it just seems like a pain.

So now my list is down to 3. Burgundy Hill is still at the top. Not only did my daughter independently pick it as her favorite, but when I called the AD a second time to ask about late applications she was very forthcoming.

I hope this viewpoint helped!
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