Richmond School Search

Open and Community?

2008-11-03T12:51:00.000-08:00

Anyone visiting there?? I want to learn more.

Another Maggie Walker open house

2008-10-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

Last night's meeting was a talk for parents, and not many were there. The big hoopla is next week, the 5th and 6th, when the kids get to tour the building. Although Richmond and Chesterfield are scheduled for the 6th, I think we will go on the 5th since we're not free on the 6th.

The things I took away from the talk last night were:
--mostly focuses on science, math and government
--fun "geek" school where it's okay to be smart and okay to be different
--great liberal arts education that really preps kids for college
--testing is 50% of the application ranking, the other half is grades and recommendations. So testing weighs more than GPA.

I still suspect that Appomattox is probably the best school for our budding performance artist, but with MWGS only two blocks away I'm definitely not ruling it out.

Trinity

2008-10-27T13:13:00.001-07:00

Will I cross the river 4 times for my child? Clark and Celeste completed the entire tour but I could only attend the last hour. Since Celeste is musical and artistic, this would be a great fit.
My dear friend did point out to me that these classes can be offered outside the school. We've been doing that anyway but it is nice to have it all under one roof. Celeste is not sure since this was her first visit. On Nov 6th, she will visit with a girlfriend and I'm sure she'll have more input. We're narrowing it down................

Maggie Walker open house

2008-10-27T05:23:00.000-07:00

Open house for Richmond city middle schools is this Tuesday, Oct 28 at 7pm. I have heard that you don't have to be a straight-A student to get into MWGS, but that testing is really important. We have a non-straight-A student who tests well, so we're going to check it out.

Trinity Open House

2008-10-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

"Titan for a Day" begins.
Student Guides will provide their perspective of Trinity's programs and
campus to applicants and their parents from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. Immediately
following, applicants will visit three classes and have lunch. Parents may
pick up their students at 12:15 p.m.-

Thursday Nov 6th/Trinity

IB open house

2008-10-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

This is for Thomas Jefferson high school, for kids interested in applying to the high school. I know that a lot of Lucille Brown middle IB kids go on to Maggie Walker, ARGS and others, so I'm sure there are many openings for this as a high school option.

Attend our Informational Meeting on October 23, 2008 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. for students interested in applying for the IB program as freshmen in 2009-2010!

St. Gertrude open house

2008-10-16T08:49:00.001-07:00

St. Gertrude open house is Oct 16 from 6:30-8:30pm.

St Catherine's open house

2008-10-16T08:45:00.001-07:00

Monica Glavé said...: St. Catherine's open house is on election day, Nov 4th at 9:15am.

Who else is sick and tired of thinking about high school for their kids? Where I grew up, we just went to the neighborhood school. It should not be this complicated!! Somebody talk to me.

parent talks about Maggie Walker

2008-10-16T08:39:00.003-07:00

[moved this comment to a new thread since it is about a specific school]

I've loved Maggie Walker since the first time I stepped in the building. I think Mary was surprised when she got in, and then nervous that she would be able to keep up with the work. She is absolutely thriving there. Joined Field Hockey the first year, which helped build her a group of friends before she even started, and gave her the confidence to feel a part of the school. On game days, they all wear some theme, like pajamas, or cartoon character, or mix-match pattern. I think that's also helped her develop her own style, rather than feel pressured to dress like everyone else.

I guess the most important thing is that this school fosters independence and trust. There are no gang issues, or bigotry. These kids are all on the same page; they're academically motivated, well-behaved, and have tons of parental support. Although there are nights Mary is up late, she is getting all A's and B's, and is very happy.

I just went to back-to-school night last night. Her math teacher is a gorgeous woman from Romania, her art teacher is a young guy who wants them to go to D.C., Baltimore, and New York this year ("they need to get out and see the world"), just got a $25,000 grant to build a new CAD station, and is excited about all the different projects they'll be doing. Met her PE/DRIVER'S ED TEACHER!!!!, who is really cool. She's taking her first AP class (US History), as well as global history from an old guy who's funny and laid back.

I have never really considered Mary "gifted" per se, although she's been in the program since 4th grade, but she is very self-motivated, which is huge. She takes responsibility for knowing what her assignments are, and getting them done, even if it means calling 5 girlfriends at the last minute and staying up late. Of course like any kid she sometimes waits until the last minute to tell me she needs something, and I can't get her to keep her room that clean, but she's getting better.

There's a good energy, as Monica would say! I like the other parents. There's only 780 kids in the same school, and many of the classrooms are pretty small. It's not perfect, but we're happy with the place. If you want to check it out, the Fall Festival is there on October 4 at 4:00 p.m. I'm also going to forward you their newsletter.

Their bumper sticker reads: Be nice to dragons for you are crunchy and taste good.
Their new t-shirt has a picture of a football on the front, and the words "Still Undefeated" on the back (there is no football team)
The girls field hockey game is their homecoming game; the whole school shows up.

POSTED BY MELISSE, MARY'S AWESOME MOM, MONICA'S DEAR FRIEND. THANKS FOR SHARING WITH US.

September 17, 2008 12:46 PM

student talks about ARGS

2008-10-16T08:39:00.001-07:00

[moved this post to a new topic since it's about a specific school]

*Jesse is a music/piano student at Appomattox and he shared some of his insights with me. -Monica*

Piano student's perspective:

1) First of all, I must let you know that the criteria is subject to change year to year. It's usually a combination of Mr. Gamby, the teacher here, and guidance that will come up with the audition requirements. But here were my criteria for my audition:

- 2 works, preferably of contrasting style, around 2 minutes each. (Mr. Gamby, when he adjudicated me, was very loose on these time limits and I don't think playing maybe a 4-minute movement of a Sonata would be bad at all.)

- Scales, arpeggios, cadences, etc. That kind of thing. Major, minor, parallel, contrary... I believe that's what it said. It's not incredibly strict. If I recall, he just told me to show him scales that I was confident with. (I might've played as difficult as Eb Major?)

- Demonstrate some sight-reading ability. I don't think we did much of this. But, if she has not worked on sight-reading at all, she might want to read some on that, or just practice reading easy stuff she hasn't seen before, just in case.

I played an exceprt of the first movement of Mozart's Sonata in C Major, K. 330. That was about 2 minutes. And then I played a short, fast piece by Venezeulan 20th Century composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos called O Polichinelo. Two very contrasting pieces stylistically, and it also showed diversity in technique and musicality. Versitility always looks good in auditions. (And, yes, they should be memorized.)

2) No, piano will be on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday. But she will not have to have a lesson with Mr. Gamby every day. It depends on the size of the class. For example, last year, I was in a class of 6. I played almost every day, and got great lessons. This year, he has more non-major classes, and so I'm in a class of 13. I get a lesson maybe once a week, and I try to play whenever I can.

3) Here's the process of changing majors: At the end of Freshman year, if she wants to change her major, she has to talk to the Guidance Department and readjudicate in the area to which she wants to switch. Several people have done that, but mostly from like Theater to Musical Theater or something of the like. But, I also want to point out that it is very possible for Celeste to take art classes, while still being a piano major - it's not restricted in any way. If she has a free class in her schedule, she can take any elective she wants. (One of my best friends who graduated last year was taking two academic classes her senior year.)

Here's some things she can do:

- Take Health/P.E. online over the summer - frees up one class (several people have done this)

- Take three language credits in middle school - only three are required

- What math is she in? If she's two years advanced in math, she can drop math Junior year after Pre-Calculus

Point being, the later you get in your career at ARGS, more and more electives become available to take.
4) I would never ever want to be anywhere else. I must say that the teachers are, for the most part, extremely helpful, and very nuturing people. The learning environment is so much more open and warm than public high schools... I could go on and on. But, I must also point out that it is a lot of work, and a lot of time. Going to a Governor's school, especially for the arts takes a lot of time our of your schedule. I'm pretty much busy with homework, practicing, and rehearsal all the time. So, it does require a lot of committment, and Celeste should be aware of that. But, if she's willing to put that committment out, the reward is unparalled.

October 10, 2008 10:18 AM

Learning about Richmond high school options

2008-09-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

We have a 7th grader but decided it wasn't too early to start looking at high schools. Our best options are IB at Thomas Jefferson (our "fallback" school since she is already in IB middle); Appomattox, Maggie Walker, Open and Community. Looking forward to reading about others' experiences visiting and testing for these schools!