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][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We looked at deChantal and HR. It was an education in how incredible St. Bart's really is. Neither offer anything close to the environment, classroom quality, teaching engagement, or facilities at St. Bart's. We'd go Holy Cross if we need to. That's the closest equivalent.[/quote]

Please tell us more about what is unique about St. Bart's!  You've mentioned that it's a welcoming place for students with LD, but what else?  What is similar about Holy Cross?[/quote]

Not PP, but I will give you my perspective, which is hard to do because I do NOT want to put down any other schools.  I think that our family wouldn't fit at another school very well.  We're liberal (cafeteria) Catholics, really, in our politics and beliefs, and we don't really fit the stereotypical family.  We have friends at more traditional parish schools, and they are good schools, but I don't dress like those moms, have a job that isn't like theirs, we don't belong to the same clubs, etc.  St. Bart's really is more of a diverse community than the other parish schools I'm familiar with -- racially, economically, and in terms of typical/atypical learners.  It isn't just that the school can accommodate LD's / ADHD, but that it's just normal there.  There are really all kinds of kids, from the 99th percentiles, to the kids struggling with reading because of dyslexia.  Racial diversity FAR exceeding the nearby public schools.  And (maybe because it is tiny), the kids don't group up in cliques, and neither do the parents.
I also think that the attitude of the faculty toward students is very much of an accepting and loving attitude.  They really do overall try to treat each child as family.  Not to say there aren't issues -- of course there are.  But it feels like a warm, friendly and open school. 
[/quote]

It sounds nice - what do you think is holding the school back in terms of enrollment?[/quote]

To be honest, poor administration, which is hard because they’re nice people.  But there’s little to no effort by admin.  And just that the surrounding area has great public schools.  Also, “we’re the liberal catholic school” is kind of risky to say, because you risk irking the ADW and the portion of families who are more conservative (which is also significant — the school really is a mix in that way too). [/quote]

Another family, seconding what this poster said. We switched from public, which was a bad fit for our kids, to St. Bart's without looking at other parochial schools. We're not Catholic but have never felt excluded or looked down on. Our kids have thrived in the smaller classes with teachers who do genuinely treat them like family, and who know the class dynamics so deeply. The teachers not only work closely with each child according to where they are, but have rules about inclusivity and make sure no one is left out in class or at recess. I guess one of the things we've learned to appreciate and value the most is that St. Bart's teaches values that many other schools don't. They are genuinely good kids who love and respect each other, their teachers, their school. Our kids don't have LDs, so I can't speak to that, but they've also never commented on or questioned the kids who leave class to see the resource teachers. Like the other poster said, it's just part of how things are at school.

What holds the school back? No one knows about it. The administration is really bad. They make no effort to get the word out, which HAS to be done given the saturation of other good schools in the area. They're nice people but pretty incompetent. It's frustrating because the families get along and we all want the school to succeed, and it doesn't feel like the admin cares. They all got shocked into action in October, but like other posters said it's the families who have put in the leg work to get things back on track.

We've looked at other schools, of course, because we've had to, and it's been eye-opening! We hadn't looked at other parochial schools before switching our kids and so we had no idea how amazing St. Bart's really is. We haven't seen another school that has everything St. Bart's has (loving, engaged teachers; a safe, beautiful campus; two recesses a day; LD resources; the accepting, progressive approach; specials twice a week instead of once), and so it's been extra discouraging to think that this great find may be closed. Everyone knows everyone at St. Bart's and that contributes to the supportive community. The kids have close friends but love meeting new people. The teachers know and love the kids. The curriculum is fantastic. It feels like a little bubble of sanity amid the chaos of school craziness. That may sound rote but it's true. We don't want to leave.[/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