Reply to BASIS attrition after middle school- why?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have an 8th grade boy at BASIS and we’re staying. He’s found an excellent group of peers that have kept him on track, and he’s now an incredibly mature kid who I can trust to act responsibly. I give a lot of credit to the other kids and their families for that.[/quote]
Questions for parents who have happy kids and older kids at BASIS:

Do your kids have time to pursue their extra curriculars outside of school, or does the amount of homework prohibit that?
My child had no additional time to pursue extracurriculars in 5th grade.  It was a harsh adjustment from her prior school, which didn't value education so much.  They actually have to be awake and ready each day, and that was a big adjustment.  Since then, she has had tons of time for extracurriculars.  She spends at least 2 hours a day on them, and she also has a robust social life.  She is busy though.

How were 6th and 7th grade? -- the stories here give me pause (30 kids per class, inexperienced and overwhelmed teachers). How did your kids feel about those years?
6th and 7th were a breeze. I don't recall any homework done at home.  She had learned time management, and she was generally able to do it all at school.

In high school, there has definitely been homework.  On average 2 hours a day.  But, things really ebb and flow.  They don't do much make work.  So, if it is time to study, they study.  If it isn't, they don't.  The crew is tight and encouraging, and they often do homework or study together or on the phone, so there is an overlap of when is studying and when is hanging out.  But she and her friends all get mostly (if not straight) A's and have very big extracurricular lives, so I don't push much of anything.  The cohort is so good that they know how to learn and teach each other even when the teachers may not quite know what they need.  At this point, they know they are learning towards a test, so they find other materials that help if the ones provided aren't cutting it.  It is impressive to watch.  Once the APs are over, there is really no substance at all and they all relax a ton.  It actually works quite well.

Parents of alums, if there are any-- does the senior capstone project really work? I can see kids slacking off... but can also see how it might be an amazing opportunity. How is the execution?

I haven't seen this yet personally. I've seen it work in different ways.  But honestly, I'm good either way.  These kids are super self-motivated and if they use it as a bit of a gap year, good for them for recognizing that is what they need.  There is no way that you could call a successful basis high schooler a slacker with a straight face. 
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Answers embedded.[/quote]

Very helpful, thank you so much!

A few more Q's for families who stayed:

Do the science classes have labs/hands on work?
Do they take field trips?
Do the kids put together a school newspaper or yearbook?
Are there activities like Model UN or Debate?
[/quote]

Sure, here you go.

Do the science classes have labs/hands on work?

[b]Yes.  Just like other schools.[/b]

Do they take field trips?

[b]Yes.  Just like other schools[/b]

Do the kids put together a school newspaper or yearbook?

[b]Yes for yearbook.  No school newspaper.[/b]

Are there activities like Model UN or Debate?

[b]Yes.  Just like other schools they have both MUN, debate, and other extracurricular activities.[/b]

You can answer any other questions by looking here:  [url]https://enrollbasis.com/washington-dc/[/url][/quote]

Thank you! Can you be any more specific? (Which sciences have labs, how many field trips per year and to where, etc.)

Clearly BASIS is not "just like any other school," explicitly so -- the curriculum and style of learning is different. So I'm trying to figure out exactly what the differences compared to a more traditional school. I know they will learn more content. But what exactly will be missing?

I'm not out to snark -- I have a 4th grader who is potentially the kind of kid that BASIS is made for, and I really need to decide this month if it is a good idea.[/quote]

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