Applications for Private schools - Fall 2013 (place, admissions, student)

[chabang]

Thanks for the feedback AtlJan. I LOVE Paideia and it is my top choice but I recognize how competitive it is. Pace was the only school I toured that repeated talked about how nurturing they are to students, every student is known by name, etc. so I felt this was something that was important to them. I briefly considered Galloway but there are some awful reviews out recently...it seems to be undergoing a lot of leadership changes and leaving a lot of angry parents. I also looked at The Children's School a couple of years ago and it didn't take much digging for me to find many dissatisfied parents (whereas in all of the schools I applied to, it was very difficult to find any negative comments anywhere from those that have attended). I emailed a few people who had sent their children to the Children's school and found some parents who had sent their kids there where I work and many hated it and had removed their kids. Also, our current school has FOUR kids alone that I know of that were pulled out of The Children's School this school year. I get the feeling that it had a great reputation several years ago and it has rested on those laurels for awhile now. I also feel now that it is just not worth the money to send your child to a second tier private school like Midtown Int'l. The cost is almost the same and the experience is definitely not worth it in my opinion. If my daughter doesn't get into any of the schools we've applied to, we will go public next year. I'll definitely check back here in April to let folks know where we ended up and I hope others do too that have posted on this thread if applying.

[lastminutemom]

Originally Posted by chabang

Thanks for the feedback AtlJan. I LOVE Paideia and it is my top choice but I recognize how competitive it is. Pace was the only school I toured that repeated talked about how nurturing they are to students, every student is known by name, etc. so I felt this was something that was important to them. I briefly considered Galloway but there are some awful reviews out recently...it seems to be undergoing a lot of leadership changes and leaving a lot of angry parents. I also looked at The Children's School a couple of years ago and it didn't take much digging for me to find many dissatisfied parents (whereas in all of the schools I applied to, it was very difficult to find any negative comments anywhere from those that have attended). I emailed a few people who had sent their children to the Children's school and found some parents who had sent their kids there where I work and many hated it and had removed their kids. Also, our current school has FOUR kids alone that I know of that were pulled out of The Children's School this school year. I get the feeling that it had a great reputation several years ago and it has rested on those laurels for awhile now. I also feel now that it is just not worth the money to send your child to a second tier private school like Midtown Int'l. The cost is almost the same and the experience is definitely not worth it in my opinion. If my daughter doesn't get into any of the schools we've applied to, we will go public next year. I'll definitely check back here in April to let folks know where we ended up and I hope others do too that have posted on this thread if applying.

I just want to make sure you know that Pace (which indeed is nurturing) is not a play based curriculum. In fact, it is just the opposite of that... It is very traditional and old fashioned.

Know lots of people who are very happy at Galloway (as well as lots of other schools). There was just a leadership change because the Board believed that previous leadership was straying to far from school's core mission (as I understand it.) Can't speak to TCS as I don't really know folks there anymore...

[intownmom]

chabang, I realize that it is probably too late at this point in your application process, but I am disappointed to hear that you did not tour The Children's School yourself. If Paideia is your first choice, I have a feeling that you also would have loved TCS. The philosophies of the two schools are very similar -- in fact, Paideia is the second most popular middle/high school destination for TCS graduates (after Woodward). Both my children graduated from TCS, and our family could not have been happier with our elementary school experience. We especially appreciated TCS's focus on young learners, its close-knit (but incredibly diverse) community, its character ed program (Kathy Roberts, who heads this program, is a gifted educator and all-around top notch person), and its outdoor ed program for grades 3-6. TCS was very supportive and helpful in our middle school search. Both my kids are now happily ensconced at a Buckhead school that will do a great job preparing them for college, but I will always be thankful for TCS and its help in providing such a solid foundation for them -- academically, culturally and emotionally. It is perhaps my favorite parental decision. I hope that you find an elementary school community that you are equally happy with. Good luck with your decision!

[LovelySummer]

Oh wow. Great!

Originally Posted by AtlJan

Woodward has many top students, but it has a much broader range of students, academically speaking, than does Westminster. For example, Woodward offers the Transition Program to help LD middle schoolers mainstream into their high school.

[AtlJan]

Originally Posted by chabang

I'm wondering if anyone has used an educational consultant to navigate the private school system and try to answer these questions? My kid took the JATP last week and I paid for the full report so I could see what the schools will receive (which by the way is ALOT more than what we get with just the one page summary). I talked to the psychologist for a few minutes at the end to try to get her perspective on the schools and the application process, how parents make these kinds of decisions, etc. and she recommended a few educational consultants for me most of whom have previously worked in several of the top tier schools. I haven't called any so don't know what the expense would be, but I wonder if it would be worth it.

I'm thinking an educational consultant could have really helped you (and possibly still might be worth it!). If you loved Paideia, then Galloway probably should have been on your list. TCS, as well. Sometimes one or two cranky parents can bend one's ear in the wrong direction, but the consultant can tell you if a school is really in crisis or not. Both Galloway and TCS are good schools that fit your criteria.

For example, you said you also really liked Lovett. I can understand that, as their lower school has a lot of outdoorsy stuff going on, etc. I like it too! However, the vibes of the high schools at Lovett and Paideia could not be more different. An educational consultant could help you gauge which would be a better fit for your family long term. . .

[LovelySummer]

Hi AtlJan,

Our little guy is still very young but we took a bit of a glance at Paideia and Galloway and TCS and I actually can understand Chabang looking at all three and not considering Galloway or TCS but still considering Paideia because that is how my husband and I came away. Even though all three may have play-based preschools, the K-12 schools, overall are very different in approach and structure.

Originally Posted by AtlJan

I'm thinking an educational consultant could have really helped you (and possibly still might be worth it!). If you loved Paideia, then Galloway probably should have been on your list. TCS, as well. Sometimes one or two cranky parents can bend one's ear in the wrong direction, but the consultant can tell you if a school is really in crisis or not. Both Galloway and TCS are good schools that fit your criteria.

For example, you said you also really liked Lovett. I can understand that, as their lower school has a lot of outdoorsy stuff going on, etc. I like it too! However, the vibes of the high schools at Lovett and Paideia could not be more different. An educational consultant could help you gauge which would be a better fit for your family long term. . .

[AtlJan]

Originally Posted by LovelySummer

Hi AtlJan,

Our little guy is still very young but we took a bit of a glance at Paideia and Galloway and TCS and I actually can understand Chabang looking at all three and not considering Galloway or TCS but still considering Paideia because that is how my husband and I came away. Even though all three may have play-based preschools, the K-12 schools, overall are very different in approach and structure.

Point taken, LS. I should have said Galloway and TCS are worth an actual visit, if you like Paideia. . .

[LovelySummer]

No big deal. I think you are right that they are all worth a visit.

Originally Posted by AtlJan

Point taken, LS. I should have said Galloway and TCS are worth an actual visit, if you like Paideia. . .

[chabang]

I did visit TCS a couple of years ago and sat in on a pre-K classroom. I really wanted to love TCS…..I liked the facility/grounds, it is very convenient for us geographically, and it did have a good reputation. I know many parents have loved it also but once I heard all the negatives particularly from those parents that just left this school year, I crossed it off and turned to the other schools on our list. There are so many great private schools in Atlanta, I think it’s easy to dismiss a school even though we may have been very happy at TCS if my child went there. I realize Pace has a traditional curriculum (similar to Lovett), but it did feel to me to have a similar nurturing atmosphere such as Paideia. It was also the only school that sent us a thank you note after my daughter’s interview there which I thought was a nice touch. I talked to the educational consultants yesterday but they pretty much said that since the process was already complete and I only wanted help with choosing a school now, they didn’t feel it would be worth my time which I had to agree with since an 1 ½ hour meeting with me and 1 ½ hour meeting with my child plus their feedback would have cost me 900$. Yeah, I think I’ll just go with my gut.

[snsh5713]

Chabang...if you don't mind my asking, which educational consultant did you consult? I might keep them in mind for the future. Do they also do college consulting?