https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 22 Apr 2026 23:20:27 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902640 Fri, 15 Nov 2019 19:59:37 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 2902640@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@HappyBaker: We started in the fall. The transition was so, so easy. Within days we knew it was the right decision and we had found the right fit. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902633 Fri, 15 Nov 2019 18:51:55 +0000 HappyBaker 2902633@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Baby Boy Mom: love that the switch has made a good difference for you! Was it a hard transition for your child? And did you switch mid year or in the fall?</p> <p>Thanks everyone for all of these, you’ve brought up a lot I hadn’t considered! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902556 Fri, 15 Nov 2019 10:09:24 +0000 Shantuck 2902556@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would ask if there is mandatory parent volunteer obligations. My son's school doesn't have this as there is a very active parent association but I have several friends who have to log in a certain number of hours per year at school related activities.</p> <p>For us (two working parents), I was very interested in learning about before and after school care options. Additionally, if there is after school care, are there opportunities to participate in extra classes/clubs during that time (cooking class, drama, robots, soccer, etc.)?</p> <p>Lastly, I'd be interested in knowing what their class size cap is. Many parents at my sons school were upset to hear that due to a relatively small overall class size in 2nd grade last year, the principal elected to combined two classes of 15 into a single class of 30, which is on par with the public school class sizes in our area. Many people opt for our local Catholic school due to the smaller classes sizes generally so many people were very uphappy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902535 Fri, 15 Nov 2019 06:19:25 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 2902535@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>To add a few more to what was already said: what are the school values? (Pretty much everyone will mention academic excellence but what about beyond that)<br /> What place do the arts have in the school? (IMO super important )<br /> Foreign language instruction?<br /> What is the educational model? And what place do social studies and science occupy? (I really like Montessori, project based learning for my kids. And science, social studies is often neglected at the elementary level in favor of literacy and math so we were looking to strike a balance).<br /> Most important is tour and get a feel for the school, how are the teachers speaking to the kids, is it a warm environment, etc.<br /> wishing you lots of luck....(we also got disillusioned with public school in first grade and the transfer to private made a world of difference for our family life: happy kids, happy parents) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902528 Thu, 14 Nov 2019 21:28:57 +0000 lady baltimore 2902528@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've been to a few events as we try to decide between public &amp; private for our daughter. Some questions that have been informative for me:</p> <p>-What is your financial aid endowment? (I am wary of leaving the economic diversity of public school, and this helps me to identify private schools that will offer a greater range of socioeconomic backgrounds.)</p> <p>-How does your school accommodate students with exceptional learning needs? (I want to know both how accelerated learning is handled, and to what degree the school can meet the needs of students with disabilities.)</p> <p>-What opportunities do you have for community engagement/internships when students get older? (A lot of the non-religious private schools here go through 12th grade, so I like to keep one eye toward the long term.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902522 Thu, 14 Nov 2019 19:08:21 +0000 agold 2902522@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree about additional financial expectations besides tuition! That's a biggie if you are, like me, trying to figure out if you can even afford it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902521 Thu, 14 Nov 2019 18:57:48 +0000 JCCovi 2902521@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1) Additional financial expectations besides tuition. Expected/mandatory fundraising amounts, frequency of fundraisers, extra fees for field trips, etc.</p> <p>2) Ask if there are current parents you can talk to. Our school offers this and it can help give you insight into the school culture.</p> <p>3) Class sizes, student-teacher ratio. Customization options available for kids who are ahead/behind.</p> <p>4) Recess, lunch, PE. How much time and how unstructured is recess. Is there a large enough playground for the kids to really get up to speed running.</p> <p>5) Discipline and homework. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902510 Thu, 14 Nov 2019 17:28:06 +0000 meganmp 2902510@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Private school teacher here!<br /> 1) What kind of freedom do your teachers have in terms of curriculum and differentiation?<br /> 2) Where does your school stand in terms of project-based learning and design thinking?<br /> 3) What is the school's stance on social emotional learning- how is it addressed in the class and on the playground?<br /> 4) What kind of support do you provide students who need exceptional work, be they either exceptionally high or low in a given area?<br /> 5) What kind of grading system do you use? What is the philosophy behind it? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902508 Thu, 14 Nov 2019 15:56:24 +0000 Mrs. Starfish 2902508@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is coming from a different angle, but I'd ask about the involvement of parents and try to uncover some of the culture of the parents. In our area, there are two top private schools. One is full of "old money" families where I just don't jive with the cultural expectations and generally wouldn't feel as comfortable; the other is a better fit for us in terms of dual-parent working families, many of whom are non-native to the area like us. </p> <p>I concluded that both schools were nearly equivalent in terms of education, but culture and family values really became apparent to us after we attended both open houses/tours and we met the other prospective families. We also did a lot of reference calls but those were harder to draw conclusions from because the schools sent us their best personalities/biggest fans. :wink: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902504 Thu, 14 Nov 2019 15:31:52 +0000 SweetCaroline 2902504@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would ask for a copy of the handbook, ahead of time if possible. That way you can read it and ask any questions about policies, procedures, etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902498 Thu, 14 Nov 2019 14:46:48 +0000 HappyBaker 2902498@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gotkimchi: @agold: these are all so helpful! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902494 Thu, 14 Nov 2019 14:39:13 +0000 agold 2902494@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gotkimchi: Yep. I like gates and locks. Video surveillance is only so good. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902490 Thu, 14 Nov 2019 14:28:31 +0000 gotkimchi 2902490@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@agold: yes this is a good point! Our school recently got state grants to beef up security including security cameras, staff training, door key fobs etc and we always have a police officer present during pick up/drop off and any school activities. I know those aren’t perfect solutions but at least they’re trying </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902487 Thu, 14 Nov 2019 14:24:20 +0000 agold 2902487@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm not really touring, as I'm pretty set on the private school my kids will attend, if we go private at all. But I'm very concerned about security, safety, emergency, lock down and evacuation procedures. But all suggestions above are great to consider, too! Will follow this post for sure. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902479 Thu, 14 Nov 2019 14:00:24 +0000 gotkimchi 2902479@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I asked about the ability of kids to work ahead into higher grade levels (like i was ahead in math and science as a child) also recess time, homework policy. You might also want to ask if a second younger child gets priority enrollment </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902478 Thu, 14 Nov 2019 13:58:05 +0000 HappyBaker 2902478@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@skiierchck99: oh yes that is one I had thought of! Her current school has 20 minutes of recess and 15-20 for lunch which is nuts. </p> <p>@JennyPenny: oh that is a great one! Thanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902475 Thu, 14 Nov 2019 13:39:32 +0000 JennyPenny 2902475@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I haven't looked at private schools but one thing I would want to know about is standardized assessment. Do they follow the same assessments as the state? Do they opt out entirely? Do they have their own forms of evaluation? And how are all of those things used in making decisions both for the students and the teachers? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902472 Thu, 14 Nov 2019 13:11:55 +0000 skiierchck99 2902472@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Well...have not been through this but I’d be looking to ask about recess time and other unstructured time since that’s why I’m personally considering private! Class sizes, classroom management techniques...and generally how they individualize education. Where do they draw curriculum from? But again I haven’t personally been through it yet! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/questions-to-ask-at-private-elementary-school-tours#post-2902464 Thu, 14 Nov 2019 12:34:44 +0000 HappyBaker 2902464@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I’m starting my research into a few local private schools for DD, as her current public school so far is not working very well with us to help keep DD engaged in school. I feel like we are rolling the dice each year as to whether or not she gets a teacher who can and does actually differentiate the learning, and DD is already losing her love at school in just first grade which makes me really sad. </p> <p>That said, have you been through the touring / applying process? What are you glad you asked? Is there anything you wish you’d known before going down this path? I basically feel like we should just apply for next year and then see what happens. The schools are bananas expensive so that is another factor. </p>