Anonymous wrote:SR mom here. It really steps up academically in Upper School. I wish Middle School had been more rigorous so that my DD was more prepared. Middle School doesn't do anyone any favors when 75% of the class earns honors. On the bright side, the teachers in the Upper School have been amazing and Malcolm McCluskey, Director of Studies, is the absolute best. My DD is extremely happy and it has been wonderful to see her mature and grow in confidence this year. I feel blessed to be a part of the SR community.

They probably give higher grades in middle school to benefit those who are applying out, boarding school etc.

For the record DD has an LD and her teacher is the most patient and gentle person. She encourages her and tries different methods until she figures out which one is best for DD.

Anonymous wrote:Holton varies wildly class by class. Some classes have loads of girls who are "lifers" (who got in early) and not necessarily as academically strong as some of the girls who transfer in later. Lots of drinking in current 9th grade class, but wonder if that is the same for all 9th grade classes in this area?

That's total bs. If you had said 7th grade or 10th grade I could believe it but not that ninth grade. Sweet girls.

Holton varies wildly class by class. Some classes have loads of girls who are "lifers" (who got in early) and not necessarily as academically strong as some of the girls who transfer in later. Lots of drinking in current 9th grade class, but wonder if that is the same for all 9th grade classes in this area?

Anonymous wrote:A slower girl being yelled at or made fun of would not happen at SR, it's just not in the culture. The teachers through middle school are very kind and would work with the child. There are several girls in my daughter's class who see the SR learning specialist on a regular basis and it doesn't matter to anyone.

Pp here Sounds like the poster was referring to teachers not students making fun of.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on what you are looking for. If you have a gentle DD or DD has even the slightest LD you do NOT want her to attend in LS. MS on is a better fit. DD says "slower" girl in her class is made fun of or yelled at by two of her teachers.

Which school, Stone Ridge or Holton?

Same thing at Holton. I hear DD and friends talking in the backseat everyday afterschool and it's always about the same things. Her teacher who is nasty and yells at her class or her crazy assistant who is mean too.

A slower girl being yelled at or made fun of would not happen at SR, it's just not in the culture. The teachers through middle school are very kind and would work with the child. There are several girls in my daughter's class who see the SR learning specialist on a regular basis and it doesn't matter to anyone.

Good for:
Hard workers who are very bright but NOT highly gifted.
Girls who are shy and need a nurturing environment to thrive
Those who are interested in the arts and photography. Great teachers for this.
Those who like to play sports. Great sports program and lots of offerings. Even if you're not great at the sports if you like it you'll get a chance to play on a team, which is great.
Teens with a lot of angst. Their counselors and teachers are great at dealing with this.

Bad for:
Someone who is highly gifted academically. They would max out the course offerings and be bored. And while the students are all very smart it's really rare to find someone who is, say, TJ-level smart.
Some teachers value mediocrity, group think so if your child is really out there in terms of thinking it wouldn't be a great fit.
Someone who is really academically competitive. Just not that much competition there and you don't really get to know your class rank or anything like that. There aren't a lot of contests per se.

Anonymous wrote:It depends on what you are looking for. If you have a gentle DD or DD has even the slightest LD you do NOT want her to attend in LS. MS on is a better fit. DD says "slower" girl in her class is made fun of or yelled at by two of her teachers.

Which school, Stone Ridge or Holton?

It depends on what you are looking for. If you have a gentle DD or DD has even the slightest LD you do NOT want her to attend in LS. MS on is a better fit. DD says "slower" girl in her class is made fun of or yelled at by two of her teachers.

Good to know that SR steps up a lot in Upper School. A friend of mine has a daughter who is leaving for Visitation next year and she has gotten all A's in middle school math only to be told that she has to retake Algebra there (lowest math section) because she isn't strong enough in math. She is not pleased. And it turns out so do the other SR girls moving over next year. We are getting a new head of middle school next year at SR so I'm hoping she starts to think about how to step things up in middle school.

Objectivity is impossible on DCUM

SR mom here. It really steps up academically in Upper School. I wish Middle School had been more rigorous so that my DD was more prepared. Middle School doesn't do anyone any favors when 75% of the class earns honors. On the bright side, the teachers in the Upper School have been amazing and Malcolm McCluskey, Director of Studies, is the absolute best. My DD is extremely happy and it has been wonderful to see her mature and grow in confidence this year. I feel blessed to be a part of the SR community.

Holton does not give a lot of As. (Nor does Sidwell).

My Holton girl is in 9th grade and she works very hard to get high B's and low A's (honors classes) - homework until 11pm most nights. Middle school was difficult as well. My Stone Ridge girl is in middle school and she never seems to have any homework but she's getting all A's. She does a lot of sports though so I'm happy to have her light on homework right now. We will see how it goes as she gets closer to high school but my guess is that it can't step up too much.