On GDS HS lunch: I never pack lunches for my DC. She either packs her own or goes off campus most days; there's also bagel truck nearby. Never orders Doordash, and I'd say Doordash kids are a minority. Most kids go out for lunch together, in packs. It's not a big deal at all.

As for the PP who said GDS kids are "more street" than Maret, I don't know what that's supposed to mean, but in our family having street smarts is a good thing.

Let your kid decide. Both schools have pros and cons

My child left Maret after 9th grade because it started to feel very small very quickly. It is a personal thing, but that is why we left. GDS has a bigger feel to it.

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Anonymous wrote:NP here - also starting GDS US this fall! I have a question about lunch since it's not included? Do the students usually bring their own packed lunch, or do they go off campus every day? I can see an upper-level student heading off campus often, but don't really want my 9th grader off campus every day. what do most kids do? Also where do they eat on campus?

This is seriously the straw that broke the camels back for us. I cannot deal with lunches anymore.

They're in high school.... can't they pack their own lunch? I went to a HS without lunch, and my parents gave me some money that I could either spend on cheap lunches in the area, or could pocket and pack my own lunch. 14-18 year olds should have no problem making themselves a turkey sandwich the night before school.

I'm not PP - even if this is true - not having the option for lunch on campus requires families to shop and plan to have food even if the student packs the lunch. For one of my kids, GDS not having lunch was the last straw in their own decision....they went to a different school because no lunch available on campus felt very inconvenient.

Exactly. And permitting/ encouraging kids to order door dash for lunch every day is absurd.

Right? So expensive and unhealthy. It's crazy.

What's weird is they said they would create some sort of grab and go options in the LS/MS kitchen to offer the HS students (when that building was in progress) - but clearly that didn't happen. I wonder of having COVID in between allowed them to skate by this issue without families complaining (but we are not at GDS so maybe families did complain).

HS kids do have the opportunity to get food at the LMS cafeteria, but nobody does according to my kid because the food isn't great. I don't think the current situation is ideal, as I would an in-school option, but with the amount of wasted food in the LMS cafeteria, I'm not sure the current situation is worse.

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Anonymous wrote:NP here - also starting GDS US this fall! I have a question about lunch since it's not included? Do the students usually bring their own packed lunch, or do they go off campus every day? I can see an upper-level student heading off campus often, but don't really want my 9th grader off campus every day. what do most kids do? Also where do they eat on campus?

This is seriously the straw that broke the camels back for us. I cannot deal with lunches anymore.

They're in high school.... can't they pack their own lunch? I went to a HS without lunch, and my parents gave me some money that I could either spend on cheap lunches in the area, or could pocket and pack my own lunch. 14-18 year olds should have no problem making themselves a turkey sandwich the night before school.

I'm not PP - even if this is true - not having the option for lunch on campus requires families to shop and plan to have food even if the student packs the lunch. For one of my kids, GDS not having lunch was the last straw in their own decision....they went to a different school because no lunch available on campus felt very inconvenient.

Exactly. And permitting/ encouraging kids to order door dash for lunch every day is absurd.

Right? So expensive and unhealthy. It's crazy.

What's weird is they said they would create some sort of grab and go options in the LS/MS kitchen to offer the HS students (when that building was in progress) - but clearly that didn't happen. I wonder of having COVID in between allowed them to skate by this issue without families complaining (but we are not at GDS so maybe families did complain).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here - also starting GDS US this fall! I have a question about lunch since it's not included? Do the students usually bring their own packed lunch, or do they go off campus every day? I can see an upper-level student heading off campus often, but don't really want my 9th grader off campus every day. what do most kids do? Also where do they eat on campus?

This is seriously the straw that broke the camels back for us. I cannot deal with lunches anymore.

They're in high school.... can't they pack their own lunch? I went to a HS without lunch, and my parents gave me some money that I could either spend on cheap lunches in the area, or could pocket and pack my own lunch. 14-18 year olds should have no problem making themselves a turkey sandwich the night before school.

I'm not PP - even if this is true - not having the option for lunch on campus requires families to shop and plan to have food even if the student packs the lunch. For one of my kids, GDS not having lunch was the last straw in their own decision....they went to a different school because no lunch available on campus felt very inconvenient.

Exactly. And permitting/ encouraging kids to order door dash for lunch every day is absurd.

Anonymous wrote:GDS parent here. We chose GDS over Maret, mainly because of the curriculum (emphasis on social justice).

A good reason to choose Maret.

Anonymous wrote:What is the difference, if any, in cell phone policies at these schools? Do either of these schools discourage cell phone use during the school day?

Most (maybe all?) classes at GDS require students to put their phones on a table by the classroom door before class begins.

What is the difference, if any, in cell phone policies at these schools? Do either of these schools discourage cell phone use during the school day?

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Anonymous wrote:NP here - also starting GDS US this fall! I have a question about lunch since it's not included? Do the students usually bring their own packed lunch, or do they go off campus every day? I can see an upper-level student heading off campus often, but don't really want my 9th grader off campus every day. what do most kids do? Also where do they eat on campus?

This is seriously the straw that broke the camels back for us. I cannot deal with lunches anymore.

They're in high school.... can't they pack their own lunch? I went to a HS without lunch, and my parents gave me some money that I could either spend on cheap lunches in the area, or could pocket and pack my own lunch. 14-18 year olds should have no problem making themselves a turkey sandwich the night before school.

I'm not PP - even if this is true - not having the option for lunch on campus requires families to shop and plan to have food even if the student packs the lunch. For one of my kids, GDS not having lunch was the last straw in their own decision....they went to a different school because no lunch available on campus felt very inconvenient.

Anonymous wrote:Maret has better sports; GDS has stronger academics.
Maret is smaller; GDS is larger.
Maret has an older, more traditional campus; GDS is newer and more contemporary.
Maret has lunch; GDS HS does not.
I'd say both have similar levels of wealth and diversity. GDS will be slightly more politically liberal, but all major DC private schools are going to very, very Democratic.

Having had kids at both school that is a no. The difference is the amount of homework. GDS has 3-4 a night plus weekends and holidays. Maret has no homework over holidays. Kids seem happier and less street vs GDS.

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Anonymous wrote:NP here - also starting GDS US this fall! I have a question about lunch since it's not included? Do the students usually bring their own packed lunch, or do they go off campus every day? I can see an upper-level student heading off campus often, but don't really want my 9th grader off campus every day. what do most kids do? Also where do they eat on campus?

This is seriously the straw that broke the camels back for us. I cannot deal with lunches anymore.

They're in high school.... can't they pack their own lunch? I went to a HS without lunch, and my parents gave me some money that I could either spend on cheap lunches in the area, or could pocket and pack my own lunch. 14-18 year olds should have no problem making themselves a turkey sandwich the night before school.

So much this. HS students, whether in public or private, can and should be self-sufficient about their lunches.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here - also starting GDS US this fall! I have a question about lunch since it's not included? Do the students usually bring their own packed lunch, or do they go off campus every day? I can see an upper-level student heading off campus often, but don't really want my 9th grader off campus every day. what do most kids do? Also where do they eat on campus?

This is seriously the straw that broke the camels back for us. I cannot deal with lunches anymore.

They're in high school.... can't they pack their own lunch? I went to a HS without lunch, and my parents gave me some money that I could either spend on cheap lunches in the area, or could pocket and pack my own lunch. 14-18 year olds should have no problem making themselves a turkey sandwich the night before school.

Anonymous wrote:NP here - also starting GDS US this fall! I have a question about lunch since it's not included? Do the students usually bring their own packed lunch, or do they go off campus every day? I can see an upper-level student heading off campus often, but don't really want my 9th grader off campus every day. what do most kids do? Also where do they eat on campus?

This is seriously the straw that broke the camels back for us. I cannot deal with lunches anymore.

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Anonymous wrote:Congrats! Suggest having your teen attend both open houses. Will be helpful. Our teen faced same lucky choices last year. Our kid picked Maret because it seemed a bit less intense academically—a better fit for him.

Do you feel the academics are still strong, albeit less intense, at Maret?

Yes as parents we felt academics equally strong. Our kid is very happy at Maret. Challenging classes, not crazy amount of homework, nice athletic options and great school spirit.

Not trying to be difficult but how would you know that they are equally strong? This is where speculation gets crazy on dcum. Unless you have two kids at both schools, how did you arrive at this statement?

Of course this is true. I should have caveated my posting. Part of this whole process is making assessments as a student and a family without having perfect information. Our sense was they compared academically, but of course we had no empirical evidence to support. Thank you for pointing this out.