Anonymous wrote:I'm a current GES parent and I have found the school to be a perfect blend of warm and nurturing with expectations of good behavior. What grade are you looking at for your child? I can only speak to the PS-K experience, but we have been very pleased.

We're looking at kindergarten. 12:52, could you describe GES's discipline philosophy? How are deviations from expected good behavior handled? Do they also teach emotion management and self-regulation? Is this discipline positive and teaching-oriented or more punishment/consequence-oriented?

Thanks for sharing your experience.

I attended the recent open house and was very impressed. I live off Russell Road and attend St. Rita's so didn't really consider it until someone posted the open house info on OTM. I mostly was looking at the preschool program (starts at 3 yrs old), but felt the curriculum for all grades was impressive. I like the small class room sizes, good balance of science, technology, art, music, and physical activity (big nice playground, lots of outdoor time). And they still teach cursive. I did notice that there were more girls than boys in the classrooms and was happy to see the some racial diversity. It felt like a warmer, homier, St. Anthony's. It's full time with after care program (7:30am-6pm) and offers summer camp.

I'm a current GES parent and I have found the school to be a perfect blend of warm and nurturing with expectations of good behavior. What grade are you looking at for your child? I can only speak to the PS-K experience, but we have been very pleased.

Bump

It looks like this has not been an active thread for some time, but I thought I'd try reviving it.

On the Great Schools reviews, Grace has only a few parent reviews, of which a number are diametrically opposed. One says that the teachers are too stern and suggests a rigid, inflexible atmosphere. Another says that it's a warm and loving atmosphere. Some of those reviews are several years old.

Parents who have kids at Grace Episcopal currently, could you please describe the tone of the school? We love the emphasis on character that GES seems to have, but DC is extremely bright AND very sensitive. I'd guess "stern" is a code word for harsh and that just would not work for our child.

Hello,

A quick response to earlier posters that said Immanuel Lutheran is "extremely right-wing," etc. These terms are often understood politically, so I thought I'd clarify: we are adamantly non-partisan, and you'll find parents of varying political parties and positions at our school (and church). We are quite conservative doctrinally, although the term we prefer is "confessional," as in adhering to the confessional standard of the Lutheran Church, such as the Small Catechism and the Augsburg Confession.

One of our school board members sends his youngest child to Grace's preschool; we're certainly not anti-Grace nor in competition with them. The best thing you can do is visit both schools and see for yourself which is the best fit for your children.

And if you have any questions about what we teach, religiously or otherwise, please don't hesitate to contact us: school@immanuelalexandria.org. Or contact me directly at pastor.esget@immanuelalexandria.org. I'll be happy to answer any questions you have about our school!

Every good wish in Christ,
Christopher Esget
Sr Pastor, Immanuel Lutheran Church and School
Alexandria, VA

PP: I hope I didn't appear to be putting down ILS. That wasn't my intention at all. We have several friends who are very happy there. I just meant to point out the differences that I am aware of. You are right, they are both good schools, but I think they are different enough that most families would probably be leaning toward one or the other, rather than literally feeling like they needed to flip a coin.

In terms of tuition, it never goes up by very much at Grace. They have never raised it more than 5% that I am aware of, and whenever there is an extra need or expense, the Parents Association pays for it with fundraisers. (I.E., the turf field, new macbook upgrades, the flagpole, the rock climbing wall, the security cameras & monitors, etc). Check your contract for an enrollment fee. That may be throwing the numbers a little.

For Summer Camp, Yes, a lot of the current younger students attend the camp. My children did when they were little and loved it, and for you, yes it would be a great chance to meet other classmates. I am not sure if the K teachers are involved in the summer camp. I think it's run by the Preschool and Extended Care staff plus outside summer hires. I believe there is a half day option as well.

Good luck! I look forward to welcoming you to the community if you do attend there.
One last push: The Kindergarten teachers are AMAZING--so dynamic, energetic, loving... the BEST!

As an ILS parent, I don't agree with the above poster's characterization of all of the differences between the schools. But since this is not an ILS forum, I will refrain. As for tuition, unfortunately the gap between the two is closing more quickly than we would like. ILS has steeper jumps each year, than does Grace --- especially for non-parishoners. Still a complete bargain by any stretch compared to the alternatives and the level of quality.

Honestly, both schools are great. People need to relax a bit. Grace is fantastic. Very good academics, nurturing environment, strong teachers, good families, great feeder to some of the top tier privates and strong publics. ILS can be described in much the same way, based on our experience.

Best of luck! You can't go wrong with Grace!

Anonymous wrote:Grace is only increasing tuition for next year by $300. It is their mission to keep the school affordable for most.

Curious what the typical increase is year to year at Grace in your experience? We were told it would increase $300 for 12/13 at our parent interview, but I think it actually increased close to $500. Our enrollment contract says $16,680 (which I know is still a good deal in this area comparatively), but I'm just wondering if an approx $500/yr increase is typical for them? (By the way, I thought I remembered the previous tuition being listed at $16,195 on their website, which is what I'm basing my calculation on, but maybe I'm misremembering). Regardless, I'm interested in what the typical increase is year to year.

Also, since you seem to know a lot about the school, do you have any experience with the summer camp? If we choose Grace, we're considering sending DC there for 1 week of camp over the summer in hopes that DC would be able to spend time with future teachers and classmates before school starts. Do many/most rising Kindergartners do this? We would essentially be paying for double care for the time because we will still have to pay our regular daycare/preschool weekly fee in addition to the Grace camp fee so we want to be sure it will be worthwhile.

I think you could be happy at either school but you need to be able to accept the culture of either school, which is very different. Grace is traditional; ILS is classical. While there is religion at Grace, it's not as heavy-handed as ILS. Grace is also a structured environment, but not so rigid. ILS is much much smaller. Grace is more diverse; ILS is extremely right-wing. FYI; Grace is only increasing tuition for next year by $300. It is their mission to keep the school affordable for most. I do not agree that the curriculum at Grace is weak. Look at where their graduates are going: NCS, Maret, SSSAS, Potomac, St. Alban's, Flint Hill, St. Patrick,s, as well as ACDS, Browne and Burgundy. The schools accept Grace kids because they know exactly what they are getting. It held in high-regard; every school has its weaknesses, for sure, but the curriculum can't be weak at GES with these types of acceptances. I think comparing these two schools is not realistic as they're not really comparable. You need to decide where the best fit is for your family and your child. They both can be good choices . . . but they're not really similar at all.

I don't think the previous poster is entirely off the mark about Immanuel (ILS). It is also a great school, and it is one of those little secrets that is slowly getting out. Grace is also fantastic.

Anonymous wrote:Two years ago, several families left Grace and went to Immanuel Lutheran School. The reason they all said they left was that the curriculum was weak at Grace.
Immanuel is Jr K-8th with an accelerated classical curriculum. Tuition at Grace is $17K - tuition at Immanuel is $10K.

It's complete BS that Grace has a "weak" curriculum. PP is probably a pro-Immanuel Lutheran troll. Immanuel Lutheran is fairly right-wing conservative in its orientation, which is why said troll needs to dis GES. The two schools are about 1.5 miles apart, but ILS attracts far fewer applicants because of its heavy-handed religious orientation -- despite Grace's higher tuition. Additionally, Grace has a high financial aid ratio. they are committed to making their education accessible.

Don't have a dog in the fight, but thought the unfair slamof Grace should not go unchallenged.

It's real. If someone doesn't accept an offer, they go to the waitlist to fill the class (at the preschool, Jr K, and Kindergarten level). Current/long-time parent here. If it's for the Grades, they'll only go to a wait list in certain cases. They purposefully let attrition happen naturally (so that the classes get smaller) and don't necessarily take students for the Grades unless it's a good fit.

Speaking of waitlists, anyone know if grace's is real or just a soft rejection? Thanks.

Anonymous wrote:Grace Episcopal will beat out Blessed Sacrament's academics by a long shot.

How do you know this? At bscc's open house, they showed test scores, exmissions data, and bragged about its blue ribbon status. they were pretty confident in their academics. Also, how can you compare the two academically? One goes to 5th and the other goes to 8th.