Reply to St. Mary's Open House (Alexandria)

Forum Index » Private & Independent Schools

Reply to "St. Mary's Open House (Alexandria)"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]St. Mary's is a parochial school, not a private school, and it sounds like the emphasis on religion at the open house was a way to drive that home.  My children go to SMS and we like the school community and feel the academics are on par with other local schools.  I also like that the school uses Word Study and Empowering Writers, and have noticed a marked improvement in my children's writing due to these programs.

The children pray at the beginning of the day, before/after meals, and at the end of the day, and it does not take long.  They have Mass every Friday (once a week), and they only walk to the church once a month.

There are 3 classes per grade except for the current Kindergarten class which has 4 classes.  (Which I imagine will go down to 3 classes eventually due to attrition, as this was demonstrated with past "bubble classes".

I hope this additional information helps your family.[/quote]

We were told that the students pray before and after every class, and that this can add up to 40-60 min of praying every day, including "classes that help you learn to pray better." (this was told to us by our 8th grade tour guide). He said there was a lot of praying and a huge focus on it.[/quote]

I think you have to keep in mind that you were talking to an 8th grader who, I assume, switches classes and teachers multiple times per day.  My first grader prays at the beginning of school, before/after lunch, and at the end of school.  I think he also prays at the beginning of whatever special he has that day, i.e., art, music, etc.  I imagine the class that "helps you learn to pray better" is religion class, which is daily beginning in K.  Again if this too much for you, a parochial school may just not be a good fit for your family, which is obviously perfectly fine.  Different strokes for different folks.  I (a pretty nonreligious parent) see it, as I think I said up thread, as part of the package.  It's part of what makes the school and the community what it is.  [b]It is not just a cheaper version of private school.[/b]

As for the other questions about SSSAS above, I know at least one of my kid's friends who got into SSSAS for K but chose SMS.  For what reason, I do not know.  It seems that maybe a few kids go on to high school at SSSAS based on the SSSAS stickers I see on some cars in the carpool line.[/quote]

------------

Agreed.  Perhaps in the Junior High they pray more often than the main school building, but again, I cannot imagine it is that intrusive, and sounds like a way to refocus the students.

The PP poster said it best, "it is not a cheaper version of a private school."  It is not an independent private school, but a school for a Catholic parish.  Families send their children to St. Mary's because it is a Catholic school.  Same goes for Blessed Sacrament, St. Rita, St. Louis, and Queen of Apostles in Alexandria  - all are Catholic, parish schools.  While each school has a different feel, they are all using the same curriculum (listed on the Diocese of Arlington website), but use different resources to achieve those goals.  I have found the instruction to be great thus far, appreciate the focus over the past 2-3 years on differentiated instruction, and are overall pleased with the school.

I also like that Spanish is taught 3x per week in the lower grades and that there is an instructional aide in every classroom from Kindergarten - 2nd grade, and in 3rd-5th there is a shared aide for each grade.  [/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