Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: We have our eyes on GDS or Sidwell now or at grade 3, but obviously no guarantees we'd ever get a spot. Also have been thinking about Bullis, Norwood, and Primary Day. Do any parents with experience with these schools have any feedback on which may best fit our priorities? Thank you in advance!

Lots of good suggestions already! Wherever you go, however, I'd make sure you're comfortable with the possibility of staying through the terminal grade.

If you think you'll want to re-evaluate in late elementary, then definitely look at PDS, Beauvoir, and Concord Hill. If you want to stay put for awhile, but have lots of choices for high school, then look at Norwood, Sheridan, Green Acres, etc. But I wouldn't go to a K-12, for example, already planning to apply out in 3rd or 4th grade. If you think GDS is your top choice, I'd apply there now OR go with a K-6/K-8 that regularly sends students there.

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at the River School, and while the playgrounds are relatively small (responding to PP 8/28 19:29), the younger kids' playground is sufficiently covered and that they usually use it rain or shine. They spend plenty of time outdoors, especially since they don't only go outdoors for playground times.

River has a lot of the things that you want, OP, although the facilities aren't luxurious. They do zero standardized testing (though they administer the WRAT every couple of years for benchmarking where a kid is at, it's done one-on-one with each kid) It's screen-free until 4th grade where they start to teach keyboarding skills and typed papers, and even then, they don't depend on screens for any instruction.

Classes cap at 14 kids, and there are a minimum of two teachers per class (both with master's degrees) and there's often also a teaching assistant and.or an intern, as well. Kids get a lot of individual attention as a result. Classrooms are busy with activity, but they aren't chaotic, and the teachers do a very good job of classroom management.

The way subjects are taught at River is often very creative. The preschool is wonderful, with play-based learning rooted in dramatic play. That goes away bit by bit in the elementary school, but since the curriculum is progressive there's still a lot of fun hands-on projects built into the day. They do a great job of disguising the "learning" part in the activities that the kids participate in.

The commute from Bethesda to the Palisades (where River is located) is relatively easy, though it does depend on where in Bethesda you live -- some parts of Bethesda border the Palisades.

Anonymous wrote: We have our eyes on GDS or Sidwell now or at grade 3, but obviously no guarantees we'd ever get a spot. Also have been thinking about Bullis, Norwood, and Primary Day. Do any parents with experience with these schools have any feedback on which may best fit our priorities? Thank you in advance!

Anonymous wrote:We loved the outdoor time on the playground and on the cathedral grounds at Beauvoir. It's definitely a play based school. I won't dare call it magical bc I'll get savaged here but it was full of joy and a great starting place for my child who thrived at the next stop. That said, many of the schools mentioned here are also terrific based on friends' experiences. Potomac was not a good fit for us commute-wise, but it probably has the nicest campus in this area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Couldn't say enough good things about the parent community at Norwood. Down-to-earth, kind, involved. Our family has been so happy there. We had a lot of the same criteria as you when we looked at schools and it has checked all of those boxes and more. Our kids have thrived on the outdoor time, exposure to music, art and performance, physical education and gradual increase in academic loads. They also have very different learning styles and the Bridges math curriculum and Orton-Gillingham reading curriculums have been excellent. Good luck OP!

Thanks so much - this is great to hear! How is the process and support for high school placement?

Anonymous wrote:Couldn't say enough good things about the parent community at Norwood. Down-to-earth, kind, involved. Our family has been so happy there. We had a lot of the same criteria as you when we looked at schools and it has checked all of those boxes and more. Our kids have thrived on the outdoor time, exposure to music, art and performance, physical education and gradual increase in academic loads. They also have very different learning styles and the Bridges math curriculum and Orton-Gillingham reading curriculums have been excellent. Good luck OP!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at the River School, and while the playgrounds are relatively small (responding to PP 8/28 19:29), the younger kids' playground is sufficiently covered and that they usually use it rain or shine. They spend plenty of time outdoors, especially since they don't only go outdoors for playground times.

River has a lot of the things that you want, OP, although the facilities aren't luxurious. They do zero standardized testing (though they administer the WRAT every couple of years for benchmarking where a kid is at, it's done one-on-one with each kid) It's screen-free until 4th grade where they start to teach keyboarding skills and typed papers, and even then, they don't depend on screens for any instruction.

Classes cap at 14 kids, and there are a minimum of two teachers per class (both with master's degrees) and there's often also a teaching assistant and.or an intern, as well. Kids get a lot of individual attention as a result. Classrooms are busy with activity, but they aren't chaotic, and the teachers do a very good job of classroom management.

The way subjects are taught at River is often very creative. The preschool is wonderful, with play-based learning rooted in dramatic play. That goes away bit by bit in the elementary school, but since the curriculum is progressive there's still a lot of fun hands-on projects built into the day. They do a great job of disguising the "learning" part in the activities that the kids participate in.

The commute from Bethesda to the Palisades (where River is located) is relatively easy, though it does depend on where in Bethesda you live -- some parts of Bethesda border the Palisades.

The preschool program is excellent, the elementary program is not, unless you are ok supplementing with math, reading, and writing tutors.

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at the River School, and while the playgrounds are relatively small (responding to PP 8/28 19:29), the younger kids' playground is sufficiently covered and that they usually use it rain or shine. They spend plenty of time outdoors, especially since they don't only go outdoors for playground times.

River has a lot of the things that you want, OP, although the facilities aren't luxurious. They do zero standardized testing (though they administer the WRAT every couple of years for benchmarking where a kid is at, it's done one-on-one with each kid) It's screen-free until 4th grade where they start to teach keyboarding skills and typed papers, and even then, they don't depend on screens for any instruction.

Classes cap at 14 kids, and there are a minimum of two teachers per class (both with master's degrees) and there's often also a teaching assistant and.or an intern, as well. Kids get a lot of individual attention as a result. Classrooms are busy with activity, but they aren't chaotic, and the teachers do a very good job of classroom management.

The way subjects are taught at River is often very creative. The preschool is wonderful, with play-based learning rooted in dramatic play. That goes away bit by bit in the elementary school, but since the curriculum is progressive there's still a lot of fun hands-on projects built into the day. They do a great job of disguising the "learning" part in the activities that the kids participate in.

The commute from Bethesda to the Palisades (where River is located) is relatively easy, though it does depend on where in Bethesda you live -- some parts of Bethesda border the Palisades.

Anonymous wrote:K seems like it’s the time to focus on play and outdoor time, but the elementary years go quickly. You really need to be picking a school for long term goals. Are you asking questions like these: Is the reading instruction whole language or phonics based? Does the ELA program explicitly teach. Spelling and grammar? When are screens introduced and how often are they used? Is the Social Studies curriculum content-based or skills based? When does the math program introduce variables, abstract thinking, and how does it handle math fact memorization? There are many more that you can find yourself by doing a little reading on current debates in curriculum.

Honestly, finding a good fit for your family on academic style matters a lot more than outdoor time. All these schools have plenty of outdoor time, but they vary wildly on these other questions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Concord Hill sounds like a great fit too, and it’s close to you.

Oh thank you - this wasn't on our radar and sounds great.