Nah. The team sports programs are usually very good at Langley. Lots of championship teams, within their conference. Plus, they usually dominate Potomac head to head.

Both statements are false. The athletics offerings at Langley aren't anything specially, especially because of the limited number of students. They do not dominate Potomac head to head - that assertion is laughable.

Hi. I'm a Potomac parent with two kids at the school. Just found this thread and wanted to chime in.

1. Regarding sports as a whole, Potomac is not on the same plane as IAC schools like GP, Landon and STA. In boutique sports like squash, Potomac can be excellent. In glamour sports like football and lacrosse, they can occasionally field teams that can beat lesser IAC teams. But as a whole, they are not on the same level at those schools - it's just a fact. Part of it is size - GP has over 4x as many boys as Potomac. Part of it is being part of a lesser conference. If you are, say, an excellent lacrosse player and can afford private school, you want to play in the IAC, not the MAC. The school is starting to take athletics more seriously and you can see more athletes being admitted. If Potomac was in the IAC, you could see them being similar to a Bullis or SSSA. But unless they somehow move to the IAC, increase enrollment and/or put a greater emphasis on athletics, you probably aren't going to see significantly better results.

2. Athletics aren't important for everyone. They are, however, important to us. I want my children to compete on the field against the best in the area. I want them to have the character-building experiences that sports can teach. So athletics aren't as good as what my children could get in the IAC, and that's a overall negative.

3. That said, Potomac is an excellent school. We have been happy there. Langley is a very good school. Its strongest attributes are small class sizes and a very involved parent base. To some, ending in 8th is a negative, including us. But as others have said, it's a positive for others. In terms of athletics, there is no football team at Langley and generally speaking, sports are better at Potomac.

If you were to get into both, you'd have two great options.

Langley's extended JK program just started this year. So kids have only been in it a week or two. So far it seems people are pleased.

As for academics, I'm not sure either Langley or CDS is particularly academic. Langley uses the Letterland system and does do letters and pre-math. They also have better facilities since it is a larger school, such as an arts center, indoor gym, dedicated music teachers and a library. They have weekly story time at the library and check out a book. I think some people like the smaller feel and lower price tag of CDS, and others like the amenities of Langley, as well as the knowledge that they won't have to switch school again for a while.

OP here! Thanks for everyone's comments. When did you start the application process? For instance was your application in the school way before the application deadline? Has anyone taken advantage of the extended day program for junior kindergarten? Do some persons feel that preschool or JK at Langley is more academic than that at Country Day and this helps explain the difference in tuition?

We're considering applying to Potomac for the 2011/12 school year (4th grade) Now that school is in session, I wondered if any of your opinions have changed and if your children are enjoying the school so far. How do you think the education compares to FCPS? Do you feel the difference in FCPS education and Potomac is worth the price tag?

lol

Anonymous wrote:There are lots of things to love about Potomac ... if their sports are not similar to Landon, GP, and St. Albans, I personally view that as a POSITIVE!!!

And that would be because... you are a geek.

My child just finished K at Langley, so I asked her about the PE classes for the PP who nicely asked for more info. Sorry for the Kindergarten answers.

Did you like PE this year? Yes
What did you do in PE? Play games and stuff
What kind of games? Different things, like tunnel tag and baseball
Did you ever have to run laps? Yes, sometimes we had to run 2 laps around the gym.
What did you do on Field Day? We played games outside. I liked the egg game the best but I kept dropping my egg. But they weren't real eggs so I didn't make a mess.
Did you like the teacher? Yes, I love Ms. D.
What was your least favorite part of gym class? Playing basketball because the balls land on my head.
Would you consider PE boring? No

And there you have it - Langley PE class, summed up for you. Note that most of the K students take an after-school athletic class such as gymnastics, soccer, ice skating, horseback riding, ballet, T-ball, or whatever.

I am the PP about the boring gym classes at Langley. One I observed myself, and it was a deciding factor in not sending one of my DKs there for K. (How long can K kids twirl ribbons standing in a circle? -- I found it very lethargic.) Recently (four years after first experience), another of my DKs spent time there for possible entry at a higher grade. DK is a budding athlete for whom gym is one of the favorite classes. DK's comment was that it was boring - I asked for description and it sounded truly awful and like what would make you hate gym class forever. I pledged to change it if DK went there. ... The DKs are in public school now and the gym classes -- though too few and far between -- are awesome! Team building, mission planning, core stability work, and aerobic exercise all in one. The kids can't wait for them.

I am looking at Langley and sports have not factored in my mind. Where I come from you do the local AA programs and then get serious about a school team closer to hs. Anyay..I am curious about boring gym class though..not because I am worried about raising a future pro football star or baseball star but wondering do Langley parents feel the school strives to be creative and engaging with activities? It didn't cross my mind that Langley would do "route" things and I do think physical activity in school is important..for health sake if nothing at all. Anway..some perspective on this from a Langley parent would be nice. Thank you!

There are lots of things to love about Potomac ... if their sports are not similar to Landon, GP, and St. Albans, I personally view that as a POSITIVE!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:11:07, do you really want to go there? I'm glad you decided to pick out a couple of select games to "substantiate" your position. Now, here are the actual historical results of Potomac against Landon, St. Albans, and Georgetown Prep, since 2004, in the major boys sports of basketball, football, baseball, lacrosse, and wrestling. To help you out, I even included their results agains the secondary tier IAC opponents they have faced (St. Stephens St. Agnes and Episcopal) since they are fairer game. All of these historical results are posted directly on Potomac's web site. Records are provided by sport, with the number of Potomac wins first and then the IAC teams wins second:

Baseball 2-2
Basketball 3-9
Football 0-1
Wrestling 0-3
Lacrosse 3-13
Total Potomac record vs. IAC: 8-28, a .222 winning percentage.

Maybe we should start pulling from some of the other sports? Like boys tennis, where Potomac lost to both St. Albans and Prep, just yesterday.

Ask your AD. There is a reason he usually doesn't schedule teams from the IAC for non-conference games. So, who's clueless and flat our wrong now? That's the good thing about athletics. You can always cut through the emotion with actual statistics. I suggest you stick to your games against Sidwell, Georgetown Day, Maret, etc. You are have a great academic program at Potomac and a nice athletic experience.

I was never very good at math, but this information seems only to show that in 36 contests in various sports, Potomac won 8 and the three other schools combined won 28. If you divide the 28 by 3, the three schools average 9.3 wins each. So we're really talking about 8 wins (Potomac) vs. 9.3 wins (for each of the other three schools), right?

If that's the case, then I don't see how the other schools are that much more impressive athletically. Again, I don't have a dog in this fight as I'm just looking for information about possible schools for my not yet K'er.

No, you are not doing your math correctly. If you divide the number of losses by three, you need to do the same for the number of wins to do a consistent analysis. In other words, you would have to divide the 8 wins by three as well, if you were applying your logic. The .222 winning percentage is the accurate measure to use, and it is abysmal.

Anonymous wrote:Go watch a gym class. The ones I have seen at Langley -- ? -- kids were bored and not very active. My child attended one. Teacher announced he was bored of the uninspired activity he was making them do (akin to jumping jacks and laps around gym). It was exercise circa 1973 gym class. I suspect Potomac is more creative.

Nah. The team sports programs are usually very good at Langley. Lots of championship teams, within their conference. Plus, they usually dominate Potomac head to head.

I went to Potomac years ago and what I found most striking about the school upon reflection was the wonderful music, arts, drama and May Day type traditions. Plus rolling hills. Few schools have as much green space.

Go watch a gym class. The ones I have seen at Langley -- ? -- kids were bored and not very active. My child attended one. Teacher announced he was bored of the uninspired activity he was making them do (akin to jumping jacks and laps around gym). It was exercise circa 1973 gym class. I suspect Potomac is more creative.