+2

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:save your money. go somewhere else til the middle school years. the lower school is a work in progress with the new head but still the weak link compared with the later years.

I disagree. I have children in the lower school and am extremely happy with it. I also like the new lower school principal a lot. If what I'm currently experiencing is the "weak link," then I'm pretty excited for the future years.

+1

Anonymous wrote:save your money. go somewhere else til the middle school years. the lower school is a work in progress with the new head but still the weak link compared with the later years.

I disagree. I have children in the lower school and am extremely happy with it. I also like the new lower school principal a lot. If what I'm currently experiencing is the "weak link," then I'm pretty excited for the future years.

Yes, please refrain from using information that you have put together to identify and "out" other posters. The private school community is fairly small and once you know the school, how many siblings, that two went to Ivies, it is NOT that hard to figure out the family.

Be an adult.

I for one am really grateful when someone with actual experience with a school comes on to give us unvarnished, warts-and-all opinions. It's a gift, given all the made-up "facts" we have to wade through.

We all lose if some posters are going to abuse these good souls, and connect all the dots so that the school administrators can link parents to their opinions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:save your money. go somewhere else til the middle school years. the lower school is a work in progress with the new head but still the weak link compared with the later years.

Actually, go somewhere else till US. The MS is also a pretty weak link.

Trolling for a fight, huh?

I'm not sure what you mean by that, but I'm a Sidwell parent (of 3 -- 2 grads and a US student) and that's my opinion. If you have a different view, that's great, but there's no reason to suggest that mine is not authentic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:save your money. go somewhere else til the middle school years. the lower school is a work in progress with the new head but still the weak link compared with the later years.

Actually, go somewhere else till US. The MS is also a pretty weak link.

Although the numbers game is terrible in the early years, in Upper School it is probably more difficult to get in because by 8th grade applicants have an established academic track record and grades and scores are really important. Waiting until Upper School is perfectly reasonable as long as you cast a reasonably wide net and apply to multiple school, as the odds of getting into Sidwell are relatively steep. It is a great school but people are also very happy with other area co-ed schools such as GDS, Maret, Potomac, etc. (as well as MoCo or Fairfax County schools, if you have that option), and you never know, one of the single-sex schools (STA, NCS, Holton) might also appeal if you take a look at it. Keep an open mind and don't get target fixation and your kid will have a nice experience and be well prepared for college -- we are lucky to have a wealth of excellent choices for independent schools.

22 spots total for pk
24 extra spots for k
I imagine the odds are similar for both years--many sibling and alumni children try for those pk spots. Many siblings are told to wait for k, so some of those k spots are informally spoken for already.
Still, plenty of room for new families. It is always worth trying if you like the school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:save your money. go somewhere else til the middle school years. the lower school is a work in progress with the new head but still the weak link compared with the later years.

Actually, go somewhere else till US. The MS is also a pretty weak link.

Trolling for a fight, huh?

Anonymous wrote:save your money. go somewhere else til the middle school years. the lower school is a work in progress with the new head but still the weak link compared with the later years.

Actually, go somewhere else till US. The MS is also a pretty weak link.

Anonymous wrote:Is it more difficult to get into Sidwell for K than PreK?

Yes, fewer spots. Applications also apparently go down relative to pre K, but the AD's office will tell you that they don't go down as much as the spots go down.

save your money. go somewhere else til the middle school years. the lower school is a work in progress with the new head but still the weak link compared with the later years.

funny and true pp

Are you more dead if a jet airplane falls on your head, or if a pack of hungry tigers eats you for dinner?

Is it more difficult to get into Sidwell for K than PreK?