Anonymous wrote:We are considering BS but are concerned about the social atmosphere. We have heard some mixed reports (not from this board, BTW!). Our child is a smart introvert and not so into sports. Thoughts?

Of course, I will be filtering out the really snarky stuff so if this is you, you could save yourself some time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BS has great academics. There is a wide range of students at BS. They are also undergoing a curriculum update. People live to bad mouth this school. I think there are many in the neighborhood who are uncomfortable with DCPS but feel the need to trash BS to make themselves feel better about sending their kids to DCPS.

Yeah. Not so much.

Then why the need to trash a school your child doesn't attend.

I'm not trashing Blessed Sacrament; my "not so much" comment was directed at your assertion that there are so "many" people in CCDC who really wanted to send kids to BS for the "great academics" but instead got the booby prize of Lafayette/Murch and Deal.

Let's stipulate that most of the kids in 20015 are white (it's something like 85% or more, I forget the Census numbers from 2010).

White children in the District of Columbia score higher than any other white children in the US on the NAEP tests that all 4th and 8th graders take nationwide. That would include those Murch and Lafayette DCPS kids who live near BS. I don't think they're as "uncomfortable" with their education as you imagine.

They're killing it.

Killing it? That might be a bit of an exaggeration. When I look around my CCDC neighborhood I see many families choosing other than DCPS. Small sample, yes, but on my street of about 20 home, only two send or have sent kids to public. I think just about every private is represented (CES Jewish Day School, WES, Maret, Sidwell, Beauvoir, etc. and Blessed Sacrament.)
So while DCPS has made major improvements I think it is fair to say many are not willing to risk it if there are other options – I am one of those.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BS has great academics. There is a wide range of students at BS. They are also undergoing a curriculum update. People live to bad mouth this school. I think there are many in the neighborhood who are uncomfortable with DCPS but feel the need to trash BS to make themselves feel better about sending their kids to DCPS.

Yeah. Not so much.

Then why the need to trash a school your child doesn't attend.

I'm not trashing Blessed Sacrament; my "not so much" comment was directed at your assertion that there are so "many" people in CCDC who really wanted to send kids to BS for the "great academics" but instead got the booby prize of Lafayette/Murch and Deal.

Let's stipulate that most of the kids in 20015 are white (it's something like 85% or more, I forget the Census numbers from 2010).

White children in the District of Columbia score higher than any other white children in the US on the NAEP tests that all 4th and 8th graders take nationwide. That would include those Murch and Lafayette DCPS kids who live near BS. I don't think they're as "uncomfortable" with their education as you imagine.

They're killing it.

Killing it? That might be a bit of an exaggeration. When I look around my CCDC neighborhood I see many families choosing other than DCPS. Small sample, yes, but on my street of about 20 home, only two send or have sent kids to public. I think just about every private is represented (CES Jewish Day School, WES, Maret, Sidwell, Beauvoir, etc. and Blessed Sacrament.)
So while DCPS has made major improvements I think it is fair to say many are not willing to risk it if there are other options – I am one of those.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BS has great academics. There is a wide range of students at BS. They are also undergoing a curriculum update. People live to bad mouth this school. I think there are many in the neighborhood who are uncomfortable with DCPS but feel the need to trash BS to make themselves feel better about sending their kids to DCPS.

Yeah. Not so much.

Then why the need to trash a school your child doesn't attend.

I'm not trashing Blessed Sacrament; my "not so much" comment was directed at your assertion that there are so "many" people in CCDC who really wanted to send kids to BS for the "great academics" but instead got the booby prize of Lafayette/Murch and Deal.

Let's stipulate that most of the kids in 20015 are white (it's something like 85% or more, I forget the Census numbers from 2010).

White children in the District of Columbia score higher than any other white children in the US on the NAEP tests that all 4th and 8th graders take nationwide. That would include those Murch and Lafayette DCPS kids who live near BS. I don't think they're as "uncomfortable" with their education as you imagine.

They're killing it.

Anonymous wrote:I would not want my child attending any school that called themselves "BS."

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with Everyday Math?

Anonymous wrote:Are any parochial schools implementing the responsive classroom model? I went to parochial school some 30 years ago, so I imagine some things have changed. Then it was very traditional education in that it was teacher led etc. Has any of this changed/evolved?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BS has great academics. There is a wide range of students at BS. They are also undergoing a curriculum update. People live to bad mouth this school. I think there are many in the neighborhood who are uncomfortable with DCPS but feel the need to trash BS to make themselves feel better about sending their kids to DCPS.

There are many great things about BS, but academics simply aren't a strong point. I am sure there are some in the neighborhood who trash BS to make themselves feel better about going to Lafayette. I'm sure there are some people who trash BS because it's Catholic. However, there are also people who really, really would like to be satisfied with BS but end up shelling $20-35K/year per kid for independent schools because they don't think their parish school is adequate. Of the top of my mind, I can easily think of at least a dozen families who are BS parishioners who fall into this category. Schools like Stone Ridge, Mater Dei and even NPS and WES are full of BS parishioners. I also know BS families at Beauvoir, St. Pat's, Sidwell and Concord Hill who looked into sending their kids to BS before deciding against it.

Do some research on their curriculum. Talk to educators familiar with their program. Talk to high school teachers who teach BS grads. These are the only ways to get unbiased facts- of course current families are going to say they're happy with the academics (although many current families will admit otherwise). And of course families who go to Lafayette or private are going to try to justify their choices. If you're considering BS, ask the Admissions Director for specifics on the academic program. Then compare it to other schools, including DCPS, private schools and other parochial schools such as Holy Trinity. Personally, I don't see how anyone who does their research can say that the BS academics are great. I can see choosing the school for other reasons, such as the community or the Catholic teachings, but I don't think anyone chooses BS for the academics.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BS has great academics. There is a wide range of students at BS. They are also undergoing a curriculum update. People live to bad mouth this school. I think there are many in the neighborhood who are uncomfortable with DCPS but feel the need to trash BS to make themselves feel better about sending their kids to DCPS.

Yeah. Not so much.

Then why the need to trash a school your child doesn't attend.

Anonymous wrote:BS has great academics. There is a wide range of students at BS. They are also undergoing a curriculum update. People live to bad mouth this school. I think there are many in the neighborhood who are uncomfortable with DCPS but feel the need to trash BS to make themselves feel better about sending their kids to DCPS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BS has great academics. There is a wide range of students at BS. They are also undergoing a curriculum update. People live to bad mouth this school. I think there are many in the neighborhood who are uncomfortable with DCPS but feel the need to trash BS to make themselves feel better about sending their kids to DCPS.

Yeah. Not so much.