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It's a shame that certain local, snobby posters are trying to BULLY nice, well-educated, well-traveled and cultured families from living in this area, all because we care about sending our kids to excellent schools.
Really? You want to go there? Is that why you send PMs to me and other posters here personally attacking us for not being on the Robyn-Train?
I don't know what I disagree with more....the "thick skinned" or the "adult" reference.
For me it's the Cyber-Bully reference (she's the cyber-bully) and the accusation that everyone ELSE is racist, when it's actually her. So that's 4 examples right there.
Just look how she sabotaged this thread!
Last edited by snuffybear; 06-13-2014 at 12:30 PM..
Ummm…so back to the school issue. AlpineAnnie, I know you're at a disadvantage right now because you are in Austria, but if you could, I highly recommend coming to take a tour of the schools you're interested in. Nothing will sway your decision like spending a few hours walking the hallways and sitting in on a classroom. Parents can tell you all about schools they liked or didn't like and why, but nothing replaces actually seeing the school.
I'm not going to address all of the pages of off topic discussion above :-) But I'll try to give the original poster an answer to her question!
I don't have middle or high school aged children, but I have a daughter who will start kindergarten in the fall, and I have a lot of friends with school aged kids, so I talk to other people about schools in the area quite a bit!
I moved to Ponte Vedra Beach from Duval County two years ago. We moved for many reasons (closer to family, closer to work), but one of the main reasons we moved was for the schools. Our old house was zoned for Chets Creek Elementary, which is an "A" rated school and considered one of the better elementary schools in Duval. I didn't love the school, but I would have sent my child there if we couldn't have moved before our oldest started elementary. The middle and high schools that we were zoned for were not schools I would have considered.
We did consider the magnet schools in Duval County, but they were not a good fit for us. Stanton has an excellent reputation and the kids there seem to go on to great schools. But I worried that the focus was too narrowly on strict academics to the exclusion of other things which make for a well rounded student (sports, etc.). Also, if I had been banking on my kid being on the magnet track, then I would have wanted to start her in the gifted and talented elementary so that she would have had the best chance at being in the gifted and talented middle and high school, and I was not happy with what I had heard about Jacksonville Beach Elementary (too much pressure on such young kids). Finally, the gifted and talented magnet middle and high schools were quite far from our house, and I didn't want my kids to spend that long on a bus or in a car every day.
That said, I do have some good friends who plan to send their kids to the gifted and talented magnet schools, and they are happy with their decision.
Bolles and Episcopal are excellent schools. They are not in our budget, so we didn't consider them. But I know they have great reputations.
For whatever it's worth, I have many friends who are roughly my age (late 20's through mid 40's) who went to Episcopal but are choosing to send their kids to the Ponte Vedra public schools. Some of that may be financial (I believe the school is considerably more expensive now than it used to be), but I do know that these parents believe their kids will get a comparable education in the public schools to what they received at Episcopal.
One advantage that public school -- even one like Ponte Vedra High School, which is in an area with a lot of high socioeconomic status families -- has over a private school like Bolles or Episcopal is real diversity. Not necessarily racial diversity (which there will be some of, but not enough as others have discussed above), but economic diversity. Yes, the homes in PVB are generally more expensive than other places, but they are by no means all mansions. And the school is much, much larger, so there will be a greater variety of viewpoints and experiences as well.
As far as other private schools in the area (St. Johns Country Day, Providence, many, many others), in my experience people choose them because they aren't happy with the public school they are zoned for. I don't know anyone who lives in PVB and could attend PV High but chooses to go to one of those. I do know people who live in PVB and choose Bolles, Episcopal, or Bishop Kenny (the Catholic high school).
I don't think you can really decide something like this without visiting the schools, but hopefully you can narrow down the search so you can visit just a handful of schools. Personally, I'd probably tour PV High, Bolles, Episcopal, and maybe Nease. I wouldn't want to gamble on getting into a magnet, and you said you weren't interested in the non-magnet Duval County public schools. But that's just my opinion. Read up on the schools on their websites, call and speak with someone at each one, and I'm sure you'll get a feel for where you should look.
I'm not going to address all of the pages of off topic discussion above :-) But I'll try to give the original poster an answer to her question!
I don't have middle or high school aged children, but I have a daughter who will start kindergarten in the fall, and I have a lot of friends with school aged kids, so I talk to other people about schools in the area quite a bit!
I moved to Ponte Vedra Beach from Duval County two years ago. We moved for many reasons (closer to family, closer to work), but one of the main reasons we moved was for the schools. Our old house was zoned for Chets Creek Elementary, which is an "A" rated school and considered one of the better elementary schools in Duval. I didn't love the school, but I would have sent my child there if we couldn't have moved before our oldest started elementary. The middle and high schools that we were zoned for were not schools I would have considered.
We did consider the magnet schools in Duval County, but they were not a good fit for us. Stanton has an excellent reputation and the kids there seem to go on to great schools. But I worried that the focus was too narrowly on strict academics to the exclusion of other things which make for a well rounded student (sports, etc.). Also, if I had been banking on my kid being on the magnet track, then I would have wanted to start her in the gifted and talented elementary so that she would have had the best chance at being in the gifted and talented middle and high school, and I was not happy with what I had heard about Jacksonville Beach Elementary (too much pressure on such young kids). Finally, the gifted and talented magnet middle and high schools were quite far from our house, and I didn't want my kids to spend that long on a bus or in a car every day.
That said, I do have some good friends who plan to send their kids to the gifted and talented magnet schools, and they are happy with their decision.
Bolles and Episcopal are excellent schools. They are not in our budget, so we didn't consider them. But I know they have great reputations.
For whatever it's worth, I have many friends who are roughly my age (late 20's through mid 40's) who went to Episcopal but are choosing to send their kids to the Ponte Vedra public schools. Some of that may be financial (I believe the school is considerably more expensive now than it used to be), but I do know that these parents believe their kids will get a comparable education in the public schools to what they received at Episcopal.
One advantage that public school -- even one like Ponte Vedra High School, which is in an area with a lot of high socioeconomic status families -- has over a private school like Bolles or Episcopal is real diversity. Not necessarily racial diversity (which there will be some of, but not enough as others have discussed above), but economic diversity. Yes, the homes in PVB are generally more expensive than other places, but they are by no means all mansions. And the school is much, much larger, so there will be a greater variety of viewpoints and experiences as well.
As far as other private schools in the area (St. Johns Country Day, Providence, many, many others), in my experience people choose them because they aren't happy with the public school they are zoned for. I don't know anyone who lives in PVB and could attend PV High but chooses to go to one of those. I do know people who live in PVB and choose Bolles, Episcopal, or Bishop Kenny (the Catholic high school).
I don't think you can really decide something like this without visiting the schools, but hopefully you can narrow down the search so you can visit just a handful of schools. Personally, I'd probably tour PV High, Bolles, Episcopal, and maybe Nease. I wouldn't want to gamble on getting into a magnet, and you said you weren't interested in the non-magnet Duval County public schools. But that's just my opinion. Read up on the schools on their websites, call and speak with someone at each one, and I'm sure you'll get a feel for where you should look.
Good luck with your decision!
Thanks for a substantive message.
I will speak for the OP - as her lawyer - since she's moving here from elsewhere. Coming here to SJC from Duval County (so I assume you have some knowledge of Duval County schools) - what are the public non-magnet schools in Duval County that you think are good? Elementary and middle schools - which is what the OP will be looking for when she and her family arrive here. The higher you get in terms of grade levels - the harder it is anywhere in Florida to find good schools - especially non-magnet schools. But - for now - the OP is looking for elementary and middle schools. Any recommendations? All schools in Duval County don't stink based on what I've read - and judging from conversations with people I know who have kids in the Duval County schools.
The only part of your message I disagree with is the part about economic diversity when it comes to schools that serve areas like PVB and nearby areas. The best indicator of that IMO is what % of students qualify for free lunches - an easy to find statistic There are schools in SJC where the % is low or super low - and other areas where it isn't. We have both high and low income areas in SJC. Robyn
I wasn't aware that there is an ignore feature available on city-data. I researched the feature and I am grateful that it exists. I will definitely begin using it.
I'm not going to address all of the pages of off topic discussion above :-) But I'll try to give the original poster an answer to her question!
JessicaJax,
Thanks for your derring do - you took a big risk actually staying on topic! And I REALLY appreciate it!
Quote:
We did consider the magnet schools in Duval County, but they were not a good fit for us. Stanton has an excellent reputation and the kids there seem to go on to great schools. But I worried that the focus was too narrowly on strict academics to the exclusion of other things which make for a well rounded student (sports, etc.). Also, if I had been banking on my kid being on the magnet track, then I would have wanted to start her in the gifted and talented elementary so that she would have had the best chance at being in the gifted and talented middle and high school, and I was not happy with what I had heard about Jacksonville Beach Elementary (too much pressure on such young kids). Finally, the gifted and talented magnet middle and high schools were quite far from our house, and I didn't want my kids to spend that long on a bus or in a car every day.
The "feeder system" is what troubles me a bit too. I also completely agree with your assessment about wanting a well-rounded program. The emphasis on rigorous academics is clearly not for every child and I would be very curious to hear from some magnet school "families," to get their take on this. Long bus/car rides are not foreign to us, but we don't care for irregular traffic patterns, which I'm sure are par for the course here.
Here is something I'm actually still trying to understand: You send your child to Jacksonville Beach (or other "accelerated" elementary), which feeds into a magnet middle school - in a completely different part of town- and the same for HS?? The magnets, as far as I can tell, aren't really zoned for any one area. I'm a bit clueless as to how all of this works?? Also, what happens if they "stumble" along the way, there's no guarantee here. How many actually start out in K and make it through 12 on the magnet track?? What happens to a magnet "dropout" or "burnout?" I've also gathered that different schools have a slightly different emphasis, the arts, STEM and humanities, is this correct??
Quote:
Bolles and Episcopal are excellent schools. They are not in our budget, so we didn't consider them. But I know they have great reputations.
Many have mentioned (elsewhere) that the HS programs are really the main draw. It seems as though those who choose Bolles for elementary or middle school are doing so b/c of location, or as an improved means for admission into the HS?? Choosing Episcopal, religious affiliation, I suppose. But what makes their reputation so good?? College acceptance rates, teachers, campus??
Quote:
For whatever it's worth, I have many friends who are roughly my age (late 20's through mid 40's) who went to Episcopal but are choosing to send their kids to the Ponte Vedra public schools. Some of that may be financial (I believe the school is considerably more expensive now than it used to be), but I do know that these parents believe their kids will get a comparable education in the public schools to what they received at Episcopal.
This comment will likely get a lot of cheers and a collective sigh of relief from those moving from other parts of the country, or from Duval, to PVB. Let's hope that this influx won't negatively impact student/teacher ratios in the long run, b/c I know how important this factor is in learning and outcomes.
Quote:
One advantage that public school -- even one like Ponte Vedra High School, which is in an area with a lot of high socioeconomic status families -- has over a private school like Bolles or Episcopal is real diversity. Not necessarily racial diversity (which there will be some of, but not enough as others have discussed above), but economic diversity. Yes, the homes in PVB are generally more expensive than other places, but they are by no means all mansions. And the school is much, much larger, so there will be a greater variety of viewpoints and experiences as well.
You're probably right here too, but as I mentioned "diversity" is a bonus. If classes are crowded (and I honestly don't know if they are) and teachers are overwhelmed, "real" teaching and "real" learning don't happen. It would be great to hear from someone who has some firsthand experience with PVHS, and have them break down these factors a bit more earnestly.
Quote:
As far as other private schools in the area (St. Johns Country Day, Providence, many, many others), in my experience people choose them because they aren't happy with the public school they are zoned for. I don't know anyone who lives in PVB and could attend PV High but chooses to go to one of those. I do know people who live in PVB and choose Bolles, Episcopal, or Bishop Kenny (the Catholic high school).
Do those who live in PVB and choose Bolles, do so b/c of prestige, b/c they are alumns, or b/c they've pulled their kids from the publics for one reason or another? I realize the questions are personal, but the answers are very insightful.
Quote:
I don't think you can really decide something like this without visiting the schools, but hopefully you can narrow down the search so you can visit just a handful of schools. Personally, I'd probably tour PV High, Bolles, Episcopal, and maybe Nease. I wouldn't want to gamble on getting into a magnet, and you said you weren't interested in the non-magnet Duval County public schools. But that's just my opinion. Read up on the schools on their websites, call and speak with someone at each one, and I'm sure you'll get a feel for where you should look.
I intend to do just this. One of my issues is that my sons will be in different schools (ele. & middle) and they are very different learners, so based on your comments and other info., I'll either have to do a lot of driving, or own more than one home and clone myself. Or just hope that there is a private or public that will meet our needs.
Thanks again for taking the time!!
Maybe someone else will follow JessicaJAX's exemplary lead and post some answers to the questions I have added above. Hope someone is tempted...
Since you mentioned class size as a concern (it was for us too, and one of the reasons we chose NOT to send our children to private school), FLorida law limits class sizes:
18 students in prekindergarten through grade 3;
22 students in grades 4 through 8; and
25 students in grades 9 through 12.
The upside is that the classes are small. The downside is that the schools can be quite big. We looked at one public school that had 10 2nd grade classes. Too much for me, but I'm a wimp. Also, one work-around the schools have for the class size is that they sometimes lump two teachers into one classroom so that they can have more than, for example, 22 students in a 4th grade classroom. Once the class size gets big enough to split (15 in one classroom, 15 in another) the school does so.
I loved your cloning comment, though my guess is, the more there are of us, the more work we will have to do exponentially. It never seems to slow down!
Good luck,
Suzanne
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- since she's moving here from elsewhere. Coming here to SJC from Duval County (so I assume you have some knowledge of Duval County schools) - what are the public non-magnet schools in Duval County that you think are good? Elementary and middle schools - which is what the OP will be looking for when she and her family arrive here. The higher you get in terms of grade levels - the harder it is anywhere in Florida to find good schools - especially non-magnet schools. But - for now - the OP is looking for elementary and middle schools. Any recommendations? All schools in Duval County don't stink based on what I've read - and judging from conversations with people I know who have kids in the Duval County schools.
