Anonymous
01/20/2020 22:54
Subject: Re:St. Andrews Episcopal school and rigor
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A friend of mine attended years ago. It had a rep for being for kids who needed extra help. She did not need that, so I am not sure why she went.
She found the school a bit too easy and transferred back to public. She was accepted at an excellent college.
This has been addressed already in this and other threads. This reputation is out dated. SAES is one of the only schools in the area whose mission it is to take a broad spectrum of learners to foster a diverse learning community. The school regularly sends graduates to just as diverse a selection of colleges and universities, with those on the honors track regularly attending schools from the Ivy League and the top SLACs. The St. Andrew’s of today owes much to its history, but it is not the same school it was just 7 to 10 years ago. Read about it in the many positive threads here, on its web site and - most important - visit and assess for yourself. It is a truly entrepreneurial educational environment and the families that choose it understand and value its dedication to mission and excellence.
Nobody believes this
Anonymous
01/20/2020 22:52
Subject: Re:St. Andrews Episcopal school and rigor
Anonymous wrote:A friend of mine attended years ago. It had a rep for being for kids who needed extra help. She did not need that, so I am not sure why she went.
She found the school a bit too easy and transferred back to public. She was accepted at an excellent college.
This has been addressed already in this and other threads. This reputation is out dated. SAES is one of the only schools in the area whose mission it is to take a broad spectrum of learners to foster a diverse learning community. The school regularly sends graduates to just as diverse a selection of colleges and universities, with those on the honors track regularly attending schools from the Ivy League and the top SLACs. The St. Andrew’s of today owes much to its history, but it is not the same school it was just 7 to 10 years ago. Read about it in the many positive threads here, on its web site and - most important - visit and assess for yourself. It is a truly entrepreneurial educational environment and the families that choose it understand and value its dedication to mission and excellence.
Anonymous
01/20/2020 21:56
Subject: Re:St. Andrews Episcopal school and rigor
A friend of mine attended years ago. It had a rep for being for kids who needed extra help. She did not need that, so I am not sure why she went.
She found the school a bit too easy and transferred back to public. She was accepted at an excellent college.
She found the school a bit too easy and transferred back to public. She was accepted at an excellent college.
Anonymous
01/20/2020 21:38
Subject: St. Andrews Episcopal school and rigor
Is he still a parent there?
Anonymous
01/20/2020 20:36
Subject: Re:St. Andrews Episcopal school and rigor
Ivy League and equivalent (Duke, Stanford, MIT) plus top SLACs.
Anonymous
01/20/2020 15:49
Subject: Re:St. Andrews Episcopal school and rigor
Anonymous wrote:It is all about the right fit. St. Andrews is an excellent school staffed by dedicated and well qualified faculty who go above and beyond to help students to reach their full potential.
Our now adult gifted child (graduated 6 years ago) was well prepared for elite colleges and has thrived during both undergrad and now post grad studies.
Some of the earlier observations regarding less strong cohorts compared to the Big 3 or 5 are probably true. SAES mission involves welcoming a broad swathe of learners and embracing neurological diversity. However, there are definitely many extremely bright students who are well served by St. Andrews. The school does not seek to be a pressure cooker but rather places value on cultivating personal balance and happiness, in addition to striving for intellectual rigor.
Some of the other criticisms are less true now: They do reportedly now offer calculus BC and multivariable now and they do help students get summer STEM internships that are needed to show demonstrated interest for leading STEM schools.
However, they do still strive for balance between mind, body and spirit. They emphasize “four pillars of learning”. This requires students to pursue a balance of academics, visual and performing arts, sports and religion/community service. SAES education is rigorous but also nurturing and balanced.
Perhaps the least rigorous aspect of SAES is the enforcement of the dress code.
What do you consider “elite college’s”? HYP?
Anonymous
01/20/2020 15:06
Subject: Re:St. Andrews Episcopal school and rigor
Anonymous wrote:. . . . As others have noted, the school doesn't try to admit students who fall within a really narrow range of ability. So not every student is seeking that rigor. And truth be told, that's probably why it's a happier place than so many schools where the kids view each other as competitors -- for the same leadership positions, for class rank, and for the same 10 colleges. Can't say enough good about the school. Our family simply loves it!
As a parent of a recent SAES alum currently at a top national university, I agree with the sentiment expressed above. Are there some kids in the university who seem smarter or more prepared than mine? Yes, of course. There are kids in these schools -- especially on the STEM side - who have studied half a college STEM curriculum before their freshman year -- one of my DC's classmates lived in Cambridge and was taking classes at Harvard while he was in high school. So what. My SAES alum reports that there seem to have been many more classmates who were not nearly as well prepared for the curriculum. Moreover, my SAES alum was much better prepared to juggle the many extra-curricular activities that these days seem to be the norm in many highly selective colleges side-by -side with academics, and to recover quickly when something or another didn't go exactly as planned -- getting sick before a test, not being picked for a club, etc. Overall, that may have been the most important lesson taught at SAES. I was amazed at how many kids seemed to get thrown for a major loop because they didn't get into a club they wanted or had difficulty making new friends.
Anonymous
01/19/2020 08:47
Subject: St. Andrews Episcopal school and rigor
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The above is just not true.
+1
Posts like this are simply not helpful and just intended to create discord. If your experience is different, elaborate. Otherwise save everyone’s time and stay off the forum.
+1000!!!
Anonymous
01/18/2020 23:27
Subject: St. Andrews Episcopal school and rigor
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The above is just not true.
+1
Posts like this are simply not helpful and just intended to create discord. If your experience is different, elaborate. Otherwise save everyone’s time and stay off the forum.
Anonymous
01/18/2020 22:39
Subject: St. Andrews Episcopal school and rigor
Anonymous wrote:The above is just not true.
+1
Anonymous
01/18/2020 22:37
Subject: St. Andrews Episcopal school and rigor
The above is just not true.
Anonymous
01/18/2020 21:23
Subject: Re:St. Andrews Episcopal school and rigor
For students who choose the most challenging curriculum, there's all the challenge you could possibly want with some of the most talented educators in the region, and probably well beyond. My child has near perfect standardized test scores but still has to work very hard to earn those As at St. Andrew's.
As others have noted, the school doesn't try to admit students who fall within a really narrow range of ability. So not every student is seeking that rigor. And truth be told, that's probably why it's a happier place than so many schools where the kids view each other as competitors -- for the same leadership positions, for class rank, and for the same 10 colleges. Can't say enough good about the school. Our family simply loves it!
As others have noted, the school doesn't try to admit students who fall within a really narrow range of ability. So not every student is seeking that rigor. And truth be told, that's probably why it's a happier place than so many schools where the kids view each other as competitors -- for the same leadership positions, for class rank, and for the same 10 colleges. Can't say enough good about the school. Our family simply loves it!
Anonymous
01/17/2020 17:17
Subject: St. Andrews Episcopal school and rigor
Anonymous wrote:Current SAES parent. All the positives are still true. Our family chose SAES coming out of a K-8 known to be a big 3/5 feeder. We couldn’t be happier. Our children have different interests but are honors curriculum all the way and thriving academically, socially, artistically, and athletically. Some of their friends at Big 3 report significantly more academic and social pressure and stress, as well as repercussions from the acute intensity of the parent community. Not all note it, but the majority do. Some of them are thriving, some are miserable. I’ve never seen a miserable student at SAES.
No school is perfect, and I can see some of the slight vestiges of long ago heavy handed administration at SAES, but those days are clearly long gone. As far as our family can tell, SAES has the secret sauce going for motivating and inspiring students, engaging families, and fostering community at all age levels.
Have been following this thread with interest, as my child is applying for next year. This is one of the nicest statements anyone could make about a school. Thanks for confirming my sense of the school.
Anonymous
01/17/2020 16:55
Subject: St. Andrews Episcopal school and rigor
Current SAES parent. All the positives are still true. Our family chose SAES coming out of a K-8 known to be a big 3/5 feeder. We couldn’t be happier. Our children have different interests but are honors curriculum all the way and thriving academically, socially, artistically, and athletically. Some of their friends at Big 3 report significantly more academic and social pressure and stress, as well as repercussions from the acute intensity of the parent community. Not all note it, but the majority do. Some of them are thriving, some are miserable. I’ve never seen a miserable student at SAES.
No school is perfect, and I can see some of the slight vestiges of long ago heavy handed administration at SAES, but those days are clearly long gone. As far as our family can tell, SAES has the secret sauce going for motivating and inspiring students, engaging families, and fostering community at all age levels.
No school is perfect, and I can see some of the slight vestiges of long ago heavy handed administration at SAES, but those days are clearly long gone. As far as our family can tell, SAES has the secret sauce going for motivating and inspiring students, engaging families, and fostering community at all age levels.
Anonymous
01/16/2020 06:05
Subject: Re:St. Andrews Episcopal school and rigor
It is all about the right fit. St. Andrews is an excellent school staffed by dedicated and well qualified faculty who go above and beyond to help students to reach their full potential.
Our now adult gifted child (graduated 6 years ago) was well prepared for elite colleges and has thrived during both undergrad and now post grad studies.
Some of the earlier observations regarding less strong cohorts compared to the Big 3 or 5 are probably true. SAES mission involves welcoming a broad swathe of learners and embracing neurological diversity. However, there are definitely many extremely bright students who are well served by St. Andrews. The school does not seek to be a pressure cooker but rather places value on cultivating personal balance and happiness, in addition to striving for intellectual rigor.
Some of the other criticisms are less true now: They do reportedly now offer calculus BC and multivariable now and they do help students get summer STEM internships that are needed to show demonstrated interest for leading STEM schools.
However, they do still strive for balance between mind, body and spirit. They emphasize “four pillars of learning”. This requires students to pursue a balance of academics, visual and performing arts, sports and religion/community service. SAES education is rigorous but also nurturing and balanced.
Perhaps the least rigorous aspect of SAES is the enforcement of the dress code.
Our now adult gifted child (graduated 6 years ago) was well prepared for elite colleges and has thrived during both undergrad and now post grad studies.
Some of the earlier observations regarding less strong cohorts compared to the Big 3 or 5 are probably true. SAES mission involves welcoming a broad swathe of learners and embracing neurological diversity. However, there are definitely many extremely bright students who are well served by St. Andrews. The school does not seek to be a pressure cooker but rather places value on cultivating personal balance and happiness, in addition to striving for intellectual rigor.
Some of the other criticisms are less true now: They do reportedly now offer calculus BC and multivariable now and they do help students get summer STEM internships that are needed to show demonstrated interest for leading STEM schools.
However, they do still strive for balance between mind, body and spirit. They emphasize “four pillars of learning”. This requires students to pursue a balance of academics, visual and performing arts, sports and religion/community service. SAES education is rigorous but also nurturing and balanced.
Perhaps the least rigorous aspect of SAES is the enforcement of the dress code.