Masters Academy VS. Public (Winter Springs, Oviedo: day care, transfer, neighborhoods)

[pshepler]

It is possible that we will be moving to the Lake Mary area or Oviedo and I’m trying to research school options. We currently live in Northern California and our Public schools are horrible. Our 2 sons go to a private Christian school. From the test ratings it looks like the Seminole County public schools are all A rated. Please share your experience and thoughts on Public or Private schools. I will have a 1st grader and a 3rd grader. Thank you.

[boy3365]

In Orange County, it all depends on what specific school you are attending.

In Seminole, I believe you are pretty much safe anywhere. If you are in Oviedo, you will be fine with public schools.

[foxlore]

We've only been in FL a few weeks, but I honestly haven't heard anything that would make me comfortable sending my child to public school even in Seminole County. I just spoke with an elementary teacher today (teaching for 20 years - mostly in MD/VA). She moved here a year ago with her daughter and is returning to the DC area due to the lower standards of education. She said her daughter basically lost a year here - her previous school was operating a year ahead of schedule - this school was operating at grade level. Honestly that's what I've been finding not only with the public schools, but many of the private schools as well. We did just register our son for Masters - they do offer a more challenging curriculum. Now, I've heard Heathrow Elementary is one of the best public schools in the area. I've heard that from a number of people - including the teacher I mentioned earlier.

So, if you're thinking of the Heathrow area then check out Heathrow Elementary. You'd have to research it to know if it was a good fit. Other than that there aren't a lot of choices in the area - Lake Mary Prep is good but of course it's more expensive. Markham Woods and Sweet Water Episcopal are also supposed to be good schools. Both Markham Woods and Sweetwater are feeder schools for Trinity Prep.

BTW, I'm a CA native - raised in S. CA and have lived in the Bay area. Our son has also spent the past two years at a Christian college prep school which also operated a year ahead of schedule. He will be in second grade next year.

Best of luck with the move!

[BioAdoptMom3]

I have been teaching school in central FL (Daytona area) for 25 years and am the parent of three children, all who have attended, or in the case of our DD, are attending our public schools. As parents DH and I are both very happy with the education our children have all received. If our schools were behind most other areas I would be very surprised indeed because I for one tend to believe we are pushing our kids, especially the younger ones, too much academically. Since No Child Left Behind came into play and FACT testing began carrying the weight it carries, I feel like we are teaching to the test, and teaching skills which are often not even developmentally appropriate for the age level of the child. I teach kindergarten and am not exaggerating when I say that what I teach now is the same curriculum I taught when I started my career and was teaching first grade. Our test scores here are near the top when compared to other states in the US as well. I do have to admit though, our funding ranks near the bottom and with the current budget cuts, it will probably get worse. I also get a bit concerned when I hear parents being concerned about A schools and the like. That grade really doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot except that probably (not all of course) most of the kids there are from families who live in upper and upper middle class neighborhoods, who started school at the age of five or six having been read to, talked to, played with and in many cases, who had been to some of the best day care centers and preschools in town. A public school here could actually have a C, D or even an F because three special education students had test scores which went down instead of up, the year before, literally. The grading system in my opinion is one of the poorest methods of finding a good school. Keep in mind too that some of the best teachers will be found at some schools with the lowest grades because those schools have a high percentage of staff who dedicate their lives totally to doing everything they can for children and families who are mostly from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Those schools with the lower grades not always, but often tend to be located in the poorer neighborhoods.

Nancy

[momandmore]

I am partial to private education. My daughter attends Masters and we are are extremely happy with the education she has received so far. However, I have yet to hear a negative report on any of the schools in the Oviedo area which is where I live. Honestly, it depends on what you want from the school and what type of education you desire your child to have. I will suggest that you toru Masters and some of the public schools in the area. Please let me know if I can answer any other questions.

[ame1045]

This is my first post here but I thought I would jump right in with my $.02. My daughter just completed 1st grade at Masters Academy and she is enrolled for 2nd grade in August. I have been more than pleased with TMA and my daughter is absolutely in love with the school. We moved to Seminole County specifically because of the "A" schools in the area. After putting her in public school for kindergarten, though, I realized that we would all be much happier if she was in a private school. Our experience with kindergarten left me feeling that she was not getting the same quality of education that her friends in private school were getting. After preschool, her group of friends spread out into various schools, both public and private. We remained close with those friends and I was able to compare notes on the curriculum, teaching practices, environment and overall quality of education. I truly believed (and still do) that my daughter's best option was private school. Once that decision was made, choosing TMA was almost a no-brainer for us. I had already heard wonderful things and the tour sealed the deal.

Good luck with your decision.

[foxlore]

AME - Thanks for posting. I've been anxious about our decision and all the move related "stuff". I've run into some people recently lambasting the Abeka curriculum so I've been worried about my choice. It doesn't help that we were kind of rushed into a decision. We made the choice on a whirlwind trip to FL and committed immediately since there was only one seat left in 2nd grade. We felt waiting would cost our son the opportunity to be at TMA. The problem is I don't comfortably make decisions that way - I need to explore all options prior to making a decision. That's my comfort zone. Then running into all the curriculum criticism - well it's made me more than a little anxious.

My family loved the school during the tour too and the kids seemed GREAT! I did call with more questions regarding curriculum etc - honestly my call has not been returned - it's been several weeks. So, that hasn't given me warm fuzzies... I'm accustomed to a smaller school where if I called the office for anything I had a return call from the Principal that day or the following day at the latest. We also always felt free to stop in and chat if we had any concerns or questions. It was a very open door policy. I'm not feeling that at TMA right now. Hopefully that will change once the school year begins.

I've called DS' previous school about curriculum - they aren't fond of Abeka either - too skill and drill rather than spokes of the wheel teaching... So, to say I've been stressed is a bit of an understatement. I have no doubt my son will be happy at TMA, but if it's not the right fit I sure hate to move him yet again the following year... He's already missing his friends and school. I don't want to uproot him again - so getting this right from the beginning is important to me. I have no doubt TMA is a good school - I just want to be sure it's the right one for my son.

At any rate, your post was reassuring. We tried a top rated public school for our son in Pre-K - we didn't last two months for many reasons. The biggest was frankly just a bad teacher who had tenure. The school couldn't fire her so they just tossed her around trying to find a place for her. IMHO she should have been in Administration and out of the classroom. Although the public school said Pre-K was doing Kinder level work and Kindergarten was actually First Grade we found he was behind the private system. He received so much more from the private schools - including a vastly kinder and gentler environment. That alone was worth the move and expense - the educational improvement was icing.

I disagree with the post stating the kids are being pushed too hard. That may be true for some, but there are many who are not being challenged enough. Perhaps classes at both public and private schools should be divided based on ability. A lower level class, mid-range, and advance class... My son was bored last year and frankly not challenged enough - especially in math and that was at a fantastic private school that operated a year ahead of schedule. So, I'm looking for a school that can really take children at their level and individualize their education to some extent. I realize that's not easy, but I believe the NCLB approach focuses too much on pulling the slower performing students up and the more advanced children (as well as those operating at grade level) are often lost in the shuffle. I think it's horrible for the child and for our society as a whole. IMHO we're failing to fully develop our brightest minds and that hurts all of us...

So, that's why we're electing to send our son to private school. Sure, the tuition is a sacrifice - a huge sacrifice... However, it's one we believe we must make - for his overall welfare - spiritually, emotionally, psychologically and physically - as well as educationally.

Okay, I'll push my soapbox back under my desk. Thanks again for your reassuring post. Who knows maybe our children will be in the same class!

Originally Posted by ame1045

This is my first post here but I thought I would jump right in with my $.02. My daughter just completed 1st grade at Masters Academy and she is enrolled for 2nd grade in August. I have been more than pleased with TMA and my daughter is absolutely in love with the school. We moved to Seminole County specifically because of the "A" schools in the area. After putting her in public school for kindergarten, though, I realized that we would all be much happier if she was in a private school. Our experience with kindergarten left me feeling that she was not getting the same quality of education that her friends in private school were getting. After preschool, her group of friends spread out into various schools, both public and private. We remained close with those friends and I was able to compare notes on the curriculum, teaching practices, environment and overall quality of education. I truly believed (and still do) that my daughter's best option was private school. Once that decision was made, choosing TMA was almost a no-brainer for us. I had already heard wonderful things and the tour sealed the deal.

Good luck with your decision.

[ame1045]

Foxlore -- what a kick it would be if our kids ended up in the same class!

As for the phone calls not being returned, I'm actually surprised by that. Who are you calling? Laura Deery? I do know that they have Camp Eagle over the summer which is huge for them, but that is no excuse for not returning a call. I'd be interested to know who you are calling and maybe I can give you a better contact for over the summer.

As for kids being pushed "too hard" in school, I feel that my daughter is challenged, but not pushed past her comfort level. One example is Math Superstars. In public school it is an option. At TMA it is required. I really appreciated that because I am not a math person. I probably would have not pushed my daughter to participate in Math Superstars just because of my own insecurities about it. TMA didn't give me that option and, in the end, it really benefited my daughter.

As for being rushed into the decision, you are definitely not the first person who has felt that! My neighbor transferred her son in the middle of 2nd grade (from a public school) because a spot opened up mid-year. Another friend transferred her daughter (from another private school) in the middle of kindergarten. Spots open up occasionally for a variety of reasons (usually financial or moving) and they are grabbed up so quickly that a lot of families end up transferring their kids mid-year just to guarantee they will have a spot the following year. It is a tough decision, for sure. Both families, however, were very happy with their decisions and their kids adjusted wonderfully. I was more concerned with the 2nd grader and he did remarkably well (although he did have to play catch up since the public schools were farther behind).

I have not heard any criticisms of the ABEKA program, but I'm sure they are out there. Everyone has an opinion, right? One criticism I have heard is that TMA is too strict. We did not have a problem with that. My daughter didn't either. They are strict but they are also incredibly warm and welcoming to the kids (and parents). They do make the kids stand up to answer a question when they are called on and my daughter (who tends to be a bit shy) didn't have an issue with that either. The kids are exposed to a lot of things that they are not offered in public school -- their computer lab is amazing and all the classrooms have smartboards. Plus, they start Spanish in kindergarten and their art and music programs are phenomenal. They love parent participation (I'm going to be a room mom next year) and welcome any and all parents to visit the school at any time (I went several times this past year to help out, go on field trips, or even just stop by to have lunch - they welcomed my 3 year old for lunch as well).

I know what you mean about tuition being a sacrifice. My husband and I struggled with that aspect of it and decided we would work it out one way or another. This year when we were discussing the enrollment fees, etc, my daughter overheard us and said, "I can get some money from my piggy bank as long as I can still go there." If that didn't convince me that we were doing the right thing, nothing would!

Well, I've blabbed on long enough! I know you are in the middle of a huge decision and if I can help in any way, just let me know!

[foxlore]

AME - What a great post!!! I LOVE hearing what your daughter has to day and I have to tell you my son has his heart set on TMA. We visited several schools and I asked him at the end of each tour what he thought and he was always rather non-committal - "It's fine." Well, then we went to TMA and we weren't halfway down the first hallway and he tugged on my sleeve, pulled me down to him and said "Mommy I REALLY like this school!!" That is really what made up my mind - thank you for indirectly reminding me of that! I had been praying that it would just be in your face apparent and it really was. I think I'm just being a worry wart. Then again, if I wasn't would I even bother with all this?!

I've called the office and left a message for Mrs. C - maybe it just got lost in the shuffle. I really can't imagine she wouldn't return the call. She spent an hour on the phone with me prior to our visit and was fantastic. Honestly, she was a big selling point for me too.

As far as the strictness goes - my son is accustomed to that. His Kinder teacher was very strict. First grade was more laid back, but honestly I'm not sure he learned as much. BOTH were very loving and positive. That is a must for me and for him. He's accustomed to strict coupled with a lot of love and affection.

I'm not familiar with Math Superstars, but I will be by this time next year! We had Accelerated Math and Accelerated Reader. I have to admit I really liked the programs and am having a hard time letting them go... I'm also having a hard time making the uniform switch - I absolutely love Lands End. It's so much easier to get the proper fit and they wear like iron. My son has shirts that are literally two years old and still very presentable - they don't pill, very minimal fade and so stain resistant... He's a bit of a mess, but you'd never know it looking at his LE clothes... I realize I'll just have to deal with it, but it sure seems wasteful to me...

Is your daughter doing Camp Eagle? We're moving to Oviedo next week and I thought I'd sign my son up for one of the weeks. I just decided the trip from Heathrow to Oviedo was too much. We love the Lake Mary area, but there's no way we can make that drive daily. I added up just the gasoline cost and one toll - thinking DH could take our son to school on his way to work and then I'd take side streets to pick him up. Well, just his commute and the school commute would have run us $400 a month in gas. The move to Oviedo will cost us $91 a month - no brainer.

So where in Oviedo are you? What church do you attend? I've been looking at several churches - some even in Winter Park and Winter Springs. We'll be in the Aloma area - so probably just as close to Winter Park as Oviedo proper... I should probably send this privately...

[momandmore]

AME--I would love to know if I already know you! My daughter just finished K at TMA this year and will be in 1st grade. I was a room mom this past year and enjoyed it! Please PM me! I met Foxlore just before school let out...totally unplanned...it's a funny story!