Dear Logan,
After Uncle John's birthday lunch on Saturday, we went to check out another school. This is the first Catholic private school. We got there pretty early, and it wasn't very busy. We arrived at the gym/hall, where they had tables displaying information about all the grades, clubs, and special events. Of course, there's a display of cookies and pastries provided by parent volunteers. In order to keep your brother happy, he happily got two cookies during our stay.
Since the Pre-K room was right by the gym, a parent volunteer directed us to is. This school appeared older, and the room wasn't too big. No teacher was in there, so we didn't get a chance to ask the Pre-K teacher any questions. Just like all classrooms, student artwork and exercises were displayed. There were books and toys for the kids. This room was small, compared to all the other rooms we have checked out. We stayed for a little while and then went back outside.
We approached a Student volunteer to show us where the KG room was. This student volunteer was in the student council, and she gave us a tour of the school. I think she's in 7th grade. She was quiet and probably didn't want to waste her Saturday afternoon at school. On our way to the KG class, we passed by the computer lab. That's a sight! A room full of iMacs and they are all pretty new. Some students were in there, and of course your brother didn't want to leave. The student volunteer said that all kids get to come in here 1-2x per week to use the computer. We also passed by the library. The librarian was in there at the time. It's a decent-sized library with shelves and shelves of books. It reminded me of the small library room in my elementary school.
We then went into the KG room. The room seems pretty spacious, bigger than the one at M. Academy. Your brother went straight to the calendar and chess. The student volunteer was nice enough to play with Aidan and kept him happy, while Daddy and Mommy talked to the teacher. There's a teacher and a teacher's aide in the room for 28-30 students. This particular teacher's teaching method didn't seem to be very structured. Students learn through different projects. For example, in the spring, they had tadpoles, and then kids would learn EVERYTHING about tadpoles and frogs. Children get a math assessment every trimester, and a KG report/assessment every trimester. Pre-K teacher will assess the child before transitioning to KG, and transitioning can only be done in the beginning of the school year. It seems like all Catholic schools follow the curriculum assigned by the Diocese. Children will bring home books to read, depending on their reading level. I got a feeling that this particular teacher has a very flexible teaching style, which is not a bad thing. I remember commenting to Daddy that I felt this school has a very "American" way of teaching kids. But both C. School and M. Academy's style is more what Daddy and Mommy had in Asia. The teacher mentioned by the end of the school year, kids should learn all their letters and count to 30. That's not good enough. Your brother knew all his alphabet when he's 2, and he can already count till 100 now. Even the student volunteer noticed this as she was playing a letter game with him, and Aidan knew all his alphabet - both upper and lower case.
We also saw the playground outside. It was a pretty big area for all the kids to play. There's a smaller area for the Preschoolers, and the bigger area for all other grades. On our way back to the gym, we passed by the computer lab again. The students welcomed your brother to use the computer. Your brother definitely made himself at home. Sitting down and wanting to take videos and pictures. The student was nice enough to show him. He also told us he's trying to program his little robot to go through a maze! Now, that's something I like to hear. I saw a few other robotic cars on the table. I think this kid is in 6th grade. He is probably in some kinda club to do that project. While we're at the computer lab, I overheard the student volunteer who showed us around, telling her friend that Aidan's smart!
Overall, this school is just OK. The tuition cost is about the same as M. Academy for non-parishioners. And it doesn't include meals, which they do have a caterer for you to order from. This school does offer summer classes and summer camps. However, it is a little older, and I think it's not as academically-focused as we would like.
We have many more schools to check out the next couple weekends.
Love,
Mommy
No comments:
Post a Comment