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I have a dilemma. We live in Longwood and our boys are 12 and 11. They have been going to parochial school since K and while we were happy with it, this year it has gone downhill. The adminsitration is horrendous and I have heard more than once that the science and math seem to be behind when the kids go into high school. A few parents have had to get tutors for their children in 9th grade.
My one son gets resource for reading and after 5 years he still is struggling with it, spelling and writing. Tonight he was writing notes for a religion test and he couldnt even read what he had written. My other son is a straight a student so I have no worries with him ; he works very hard.
We are definately the kind of parents who try to keep on top of the children with school work and do not hesitate to pull back on sports or whatever they are into, if their grades slip to b's and c's.
Any opinions on longwood ; also I was wondering if my son would get more help at public to help him read better, write better and spell better. Other than that, they are very good kids, respectful, do what they are told etc.
I have a dilemma. We live in Longwood and our boys are 12 and 11. They have been going to parochial school since K and while we were happy with it, this year it has gone downhill. The adminsitration is horrendous and I have heard more than once that the science and math seem to be behind when the kids go into high school. A few parents have had to get tutors for their children in 9th grade.
My one son gets resource for reading and after 5 years he still is struggling with it, spelling and writing. Tonight he was writing notes for a religion test and he couldnt even read what he had written. My other son is a straight a student so I have no worries with him ; he works very hard.
We are definately the kind of parents who try to keep on top of the children with school work and do not hesitate to pull back on sports or whatever they are into, if their grades slip to b's and c's.
Any opinions on longwood ; also I was wondering if my son would get more help at public to help him read better, write better and spell better. Other than that, they are very good kids, respectful, do what they are told etc.
I would not send my children to Longwood. I might get blasted on here, but that is my personal feeling. I went to similar school, WF, and I wouldn't want my children to be in an environment where being smart is looked at as a negative.
Don't worry about your son not being able to read his own writing. I still can't read mine, I had to type everything in college because my handwriting is atrocious. I graduated from a Top 10 University with a 3.7 GPA. Just keep telling him what my folks told me. "I guess you'll have to be a doctor then."
I can't sat too much about Longwood, being from Nassau county.... but as a special educator, I would recommend public school for your son receiving resource room services. I work in a public high school, and I'm finding more and more kids coming in from private because the academics become too overwhelming, as the curriculum gets more challenging. Parent involvement and teachers will have the biggest impact on the child's success, and you sound like you're living up to your end of the bargain. It's hard on these kids to begin with, and they can get a lot more support in district. Public schools offer more variety in programming, besides just resource room, if necessary. Why spend extra money on a school your not 100% satisfied with, when you're already paying for one you're not using? I myself am a product of a 12 year Catholic school education, and they can be wonderful for some kids, but it's not for everyone.
I live in longwood, but my children don't attend. We moved here in my son's senior year of HS and he finished in our old district. My stepdaughter goes to school in her mothers district which has a much better reputation, she is a junior. My husband now regrets not having her attend school here with us
( they have joint custody), she gets very good grades and shes unusually bright but is far from the smartest kid in that competitive district she attends.
The truth is she probably could be valedictorian or salutatorian in Longwood, in her district she won't even make the top ten. Valedictorian from any district on LI is getting accepted to any school of their choice, not even in the top ten from a "great" school, not so much.
It is my understanding that long wood has superior special Ed services, and I truly believe children with excellent home support can thrive in "average" districts. Teachers in longwood want the kids to succeed, but they need support from the family.
Good luck with your decision!
He definately has the support of his family. That is without a doubt. The more I think about it, I am wondering if he really would be better moving there. While the school he is in, is small ; 350 pupils, and he gets pulled out every day for resource, surely after 4-5 years of resource, there should be a bigger improvement in his skills. He is above average in his memory and tends to compensate for his lack of reading skills with his memory. But as the work load gets harder, he cant keep up as much. He is not failing ; the lowest score has been a C with no work. But I think his self confidence would improve and the diversity of different learning skills and subjects may interest him.
My other son is a wonderful student ; works hard and gets mainly 4's (5th grade). I also think that he may benefit from the diversity and exposure to many other subjects that parochial cannot offer.
^^^ Just curious - why "hmmmm"? My sister used to teach in a LI parochial school and said that the curriculum for math and science stunk....Catholic school strength is traditionallly language arts.
^^^ Just curious - why "hmmmm"? My sister used to teach in a LI parochial school and said that the curriculum for math and science stunk....Catholic school strength is traditionallly language arts.
My kids went to Longwood a few years ago until we moved out of the district. Unfortunately people are still going by Longwood's reputation from 20 years ago. As for the one comment about a similiar school, William Floyd is nowhere near as good as Longwood. Longwood is a good district even though it is not an elite. They have good programs for children with special needs as well as extra help or after school programs. I would give it the thumbs up. You can always schedule an appointment with the school and discuss their programs as well to get a feel for them.
I went to Longwood, Class of '89 (well I didnt graduate from there, parents moved between junior and senior year, but thats another story).
Obviously things change over that kind of period of time, but I never thought it was a bad school. Is it diverse? You bet it is (or at least was). So, if you are a racist and don't like your kids around other ethnicities it is not for you.
I thought the teachers all cared about the students. I believe 4 classmates went on to Ivy League schools and I know 1 other went to Stanford and 1 to Notre Dame.
Like someone else said, it begins at home, but I would have no problem sending my kids there if we lived in the district.
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