No.

wait, Basis has a swimming pool? or kids go to one?

Anonymous wrote:You see this in public schools in the suburbs.

Anonymous wrote:Parents who care about sports above all have many other options besides basis. I would like to know of a non-private option that has all of the above-stated non-academic opportunities. Does any private have all of them for 5-8 grade?

Name ONE suburban public school that has a rock climbing wall, full concert band and orchestra, baseball team, basketball team, soccer team, tennis team, cimbing ropes, football team, AND Latin, Classics, more than one science class per grade, And accelerated math IN FIFTH TO EIGHTH GRADE. Extra points if you can name one that has an olympic swimming pool, ick rink and riding stables.

Sure, there are some schools with strong sports programs. But they don't have the math advancement and many other academic opportunities that BASIS offers.

You see this in public schools in the suburbs.

Anonymous wrote:Parents who care about sports above all have many other options besides basis. I would like to know of a non-private option that has all of the above-stated non-academic opportunities. Does any private have all of them for 5-8 grade?

Parents who care about sports above all have many other options besides basis. I would like to know of a non-private option that has all of the above-stated non-academic opportunities. Does any private have all of them for 5-8 grade?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child is at or above grade level, willing to work hard, and in need of a challenging academic environment, you should give BASIS DC serious consideration.

Note, however, that BASIS lacks sports teams, a gym, a band, etc.

Basis does have a rec room where my DC has gym class 4 times a week. Basis has a String Club and offers Choir in music class. It also has soccer, running, flag football, basketball clubs.

True. But is the rec room a real gym? Are there basketball hoops? A climbing wall? Ropes to climb? Does the String Club constitute a school band? What does a trumpet player do? Does the basketball club constitute the BASIS DC basketball team and does it compete against other middle schools in DC? Is there a baseball club? Football club? Tennis club?

Some kids are truly committed to team sports. Some kids want to play in a school band. For them, BASIS might not be a good fit.

Mind you, I would gladly sacrifice all extracurriculars for a rigorous curriculum and pursue extracurriculars outside of school. However, not all parents feel that way.

Anonymous wrote:If your child is at or above grade level, willing to work hard, and in need of a challenging academic environment, you should give BASIS DC serious consideration.

Note, however, that BASIS lacks sports teams, a gym, a band, etc.

Basis does have a rec room where my DC has gym class 4 times a week. Basis has a String Club and offers Choir in music class. It also has soccer, running, flag football, basketball clubs.

If your child is at or above grade level, willing to work hard, and in need of a challenging academic environment, you should give BASIS DC serious consideration.

Note, however, that BASIS lacks sports teams, a gym, a band, etc.

All the discussion about basis on this board has increased my interest! Thanks for the info about the open house.

Anonymous wrote:Parent are pulling their children out of that school left and right! I would not recommend Basis as a first choice!

Depending on which children are being pulled, this might not be such a bad thing.

BASIS definitely has a lot to offer in terms of high expectations and high academics.
I wish teachers would coordinate their homework and testing schedules before assigning long homeworks and multiple tests for the same day.
The school is new and there is a lot to figure out. The above mentioned issue however, should be on top of their to do list; or else the system may prove sustainable only for a small percentage of students.

^ Left and right? To my knowledge, only a tiny handful have left, and for a variety of reasons not necessarily having anything to do with BASIS - for example, family moved, or child wanted to go back to his social circle in his previous school.

Parent are pulling their children out of that school left and right! I would not recommend Basis as a first choice!

BASIS DC Open House & Parent Information Session
+ Teacher Demo Lessons for Students
Wednesday 12/12/12 from 6:30 – 8 PM
410 8th Street, NW
RSVP: http://tinyurl.com/BASISDC-RSVP

Meet the co-founders of BASIS, Michael and Olga Block, and learn about the academic program that is ranked among the top ten high school programs in the nation by Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, and The Washington Post.

Kids can get a feel for the pace and excitement of a BASIS DC classroom while parents and guardians learn about the curriculum and ask questions.