Anonymous wrote:Live close to the school and think you are above MCPS / DCPS but can't swing expensive privates - check
catholic and belong to the parish - check
Own a black Tahoe or Denali - check
Want to belong or belong to Columbia - check
Dream of a Bethany beach house - check
drink too much - check
want a school more for a boozy parent social scene than academics for your kids - check

Three or four checks and above and it is the school for you!

Ok, I laughed a little. It's sorta true. But it's also sorta true for a whole swath of Catholic schools around here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it is definitely worse than DCPS from an academic standpoint

DCPS has a 58% graduation rate. I find it hard to believe BS is worse.

Not OP but my guess is they are comparing it to Lafayette and Janney (the elementary schools where most of the DC kids who go to BS kids would attend) and not DCPS as a whole ...

Anonymous wrote:it is definitely worse than DCPS from an academic standpoint

DCPS has a 58% graduation rate. I find it hard to believe BS is worse.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You could try Little Flower, although there is a definite cliquishness there as well mostly built around the cult of CYO.

CYO?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=cyo

I had a BS teacher tell us to send DS to public school because the academics were stronger there!

I think that some of the comments about all of the students living in the neighborhood has been true to date -- they fill up the school. This year, tho, they seem to have a lot of openings in kindergarten. They said something at mass a few weeks ago and put a big letter in the bulletin asking people to let families beyond BS' usual crowd know that they're open to more students. If the class as a whole has kids from right outside that neighborhood, then it might not be a bad thing to live a little farther afield.

That said, we chose to go public. I didn't love the social atmosphere among parents and wanted more diversity for our kids.

Anonymous wrote:You could try Little Flower, although there is a definite cliquishness there as well mostly built around the cult of CYO.

CYO?

Live close to the school and think you are above MCPS / DCPS but can't swing expensive privates - check
catholic and belong to the parish - check
Own a black Tahoe or Denali - check
Want to belong or belong to Columbia - check
Dream of a Bethany beach house - check
drink too much - check
want a school more for a boozy parent social scene than academics for your kids - check

Three or four checks and above and it is the school for you!

You could try Little Flower, although there is a definite cliquishness there as well mostly built around the cult of CYO.

it is definitely worse than DCPS from an academic standpoint

academics are poor

Have you had a kid in DCPS recently? Common Core is very rigorous. I have a friend who complains that BS does not teach critical thinking skills. Although she says they do the basics well.

Omg, now the parochial schools don't even measure up to DCPS academically? Give me a break.

BS is a fine school!

Yes, very insular. Nice community and all very pleasant but unless you're a friend from high school or a fellow member at Columbia you, and your children, will be outsiders. In my child's 2nd grade class over 2/3rds of the families belonged to a country club. Academics are no different than other parish schools but they don't measure up to DCPS and at least a year behind the privates, especially evident by middle school.

I somehow doubt anyone working in an elementary school would tell a child with emotional/psychological issues that they are going to hell, but then again Madeline Albright just told all Democratic women that if they don't vote for Hilary they will burn in hell - so who knows, the crazies are out there.

That being said, i doubt anyone at BSS told a child they would be going to hell.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i have a friend who attended the aptly named BS. She had some trouble and started cutting herself. She was told by staff at BS that she would be going to hell.
so...I don't think it's a great option.

What year was that? I can't imagine in this day and age anyone saying something like that.

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it was definitely a few years ago--can't remember exactly--but honestly it was so horrible that i just cant even imagine ever sending a child there.