<p>Hi SevenDad! I never heard about a shuttle to the synagogue, which doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, but–wouldn’t that be on Saturday? As far as I know, the only students who are exempt from going to Sunday chapel if they are on campus (not away for the weekend) are those who take the school-provided shuttle to the Catholic church.</p>
<p>@Quenn: I checked in with 7Daughter last night to see what the current policies/practices are and she confirms what you noted re: the Catholic service exemption.</p>
<p>She noted three additional things: A) The Catholic service starts earlier than the in-house service on Sunday AM, so kids who attend that get an earlier start to their day (with the pros/cons that come with it); B) She felt that if kids of different faith traditions truly wanted to go off campus to attend a service at some local institution, that the school would make every effort to get them there; and C) As you noted, she feels that chapel services are one of key ways that SAS builds community.</p>
<p>@SevenDad, @Charger78: Thanks for sharing the information and your opinion. We have visited the campus. We liked the people we met and left with a positive impression. We are leaning toward completing application, with our only hesitation being a small number of admitted students for 10th grade. </p>
<p>PS: The youtube clip was cool so I asked our tour guide about it. She said they had to throw 40-50 times before one good shot. Their persistence impresses me.</p>
<p>^^^ @SG: I am thinking that the applicant is male, and apologize if that impression is incorrect. The fact of the matter is that the current III Form, or next year’s tenth grade, actually is short by about three boys (that is, I think they have some empty ninth grades beds on the boys floor, which is unusual). Implies a somewhat better picture for you, I hope. </p>
<p>I am not sure how the numbers for tenth grade at SAS, or the odds of admission, stack up against those at other schools; the conventional wisdom is that the odds are best for ninth grade at just about every school. Maybe that has something to do with why some applicants for ninth grade choose to repeat that year.</p>
<p>In any case, am pleased that you had a good tour. Feel free to PM if I can be of any help.</p>
<p>Is it customary for the AD to handwrite a potential applicant a two page note encouraging an application? We were very impressed and the school has risen to the top of the parents’ list. It remains the eight grader’s second choice behind the current day school. </p>
<p>Can people please comment on their interactions with the AO and what it might mean. In addition, we got a very nice reply to the parent’s thank you e-mail. This place is a class act. Let’s hope for a change in heart by the eight grader and a big envelope in March.</p>
<p>The anecdotal evidence that I’ve gotten over the last few years suggests that SAS, in comparison to NE boarding schools, is a soft sell. That is, the school does not toot a lot of horns to make an impression, either before M10, on it, or after. There are written communications, but no balloons, video entreaties, or M&Ms. Letters are sent for a variety of purposes: at the holidays, as acknowledgements, from the headmaster upon acceptance, to connected families with legacy or sibling applicants. </p>
<p>When Ms. Zendt, who is an experienced, well-respected pro, sends a two-page note, that should be taken seriously. She undoubtedly means whatever she has written. The caveat that no applicant’s admission is guaranteed before the formal decisions are made is often made explicit, whatever the encouragement. </p>
<p>Let time be an ally here for the eighth-grader. See both schools for games, events, whatever, as often as is practical. The comparisons of what attending each school might be like take time to form for these kids, in many cases. (What the morning routine might be like was very present for my kids.) Sometimes, decisions don’t firm up until the Visit-back day in April! It can be along road. Good luck.</p>
<p>@Charger: thanks for the info. Any words on empty beds for girls?</p>
<p>Am pretty sure, SG, that the girls are full up in III Form this year. There are a number of new IV Form girls in Moss and they seem to have made friends and transitioned in rather smoothly. Some of the IV Form admission is due to the usual desire to raise the overall number of students in the rising class, and the wildcard is always how many students, or families, decide not to re-enroll for any number of reasons. I suppose it’s common for applicants for tenth grade to inquire about the trend in retention rates when dealing with AOs; I would ask, anyway.</p>
<p>The last episode for Season Two of the Survivor series at SAS has been uploaded. This is another insider’s view of the ingenuity in recreation that the 300 students exhibit on the large campus (large farm fields evident in addition to the pond). Games are on Sunday afternoons and team voting happens in Engelhard Auditorium at school meetings. </p>
<p>[SAS</a> Survivor - YouTube](<a href=“SAS Survivor - YouTube”>SAS Survivor - YouTube)</p>
<p>REPOST AS MY WINDOW OF EDITING HAD EXPIRED:</p>
<p>Wanted to reiterate something I’ve said for years now:
SAS Headmaster Tad Roach may be one of the best orators I’ve ever seen in person.</p>
<p>He spoke briefly at a session that SAS held for families of Fifth Form (juniors) students…I think they’ve run this program for a few years now.</p>
<p>Tad is a big tennis fan (and avid practitioner, I think) and he related a story of how he had an opportunity to hit with World #2 Novak Djokovic’s coach over the summer. After they had finished on the court, he asked the coach what he changed in Novak’s game/prep that has allowed Djokovic to become a truly dominant competitor…and the coach replied “we changed the narrative”. </p>
<p>Of course Tad was much more eloquent in his telling and added detail about what Djokovic and his coach did differently. And the entire thing was tied back to the overarching theme of “what is your narrative?” (as a college applicant).</p>
<p>My point about this all is two-fold: A) I think you can tell a lot about a school from its head; and B) If you want to go to a school with a truly inspirational head, add SAS to your list.</p>
<p>I also want to offer the following thought to all prospects and parents (though perhaps a little too late for the current app cycle):</p>
<ul>
<li>I feel that over our 3 years as an SAS family, I have been able to cultivate a relationship with Tad Roach (no matter how minimal) and know that Tad is not just aware my daughter attends the school he helms, but that he actually knows her as a person…her strengths, weaknesses, quirks, achievements, and failures. And yeah, that means a lot to me.</li>
</ul>
<p>I do not know if I would be able to say that if she had attended the other (more “prestigious”) school she was admitted to…and this may be a factor of school size, but still…</p>
<p>Happy Thanksgiving, all.</p>
<p>Seven, I could not agree with you more about the power of a great school Head. I have the same exact reaction listening to Mike Mulligan. I learn something new every time he talks to the parents. He approaches his headmastership (if that’s a word) like a perpetual work in progress, like an active student of his discipline - open to new ideas, making new connections, willing to learn and evolve. This orientation as both perpetual student and teacher is appealing and, at least for me, builds confidence in the institution (any institution for that matter). </p>
<p>Also like Tad Roach, Mike knows every student at the school by name, along with a whole bunch of personal information. Students quickly realize that they are each known at a personal level; it is both comforting and challenging for them. Parents, of course, come away from the experience feeling confident that little or nothing is going to slip through the cracks.</p>
<p>Having met Mr. Mulligan (albeit briefly) on our visit to Thacher, I definitely got a similar vibe. The fact that he stopped to chat with us en route to/from the cafeteria was really a nice gesture.</p>
<p>I wonder what the ceiling on school size is for the head to have this sort of knowledge/engagement with individual students? Thacher is 240 and SAS is 300…how big can a school get and still have this sort of phenomenon going on? </p>
<p>NOTE: I am not trying to start a small school vs. large school debate here, just wondering aloud if there is a limit beyond which the personal relationship ThacherParent and I are describing cannot exist.</p>
<p>I think I’ve mentioned before that SAS sends out a “News from Campus” email to parents every Friday. They are lovely snapshots (and yes, there are pix) of the school…and a nice balm for parents missing their kids.</p>
<p>Today’s installment from Will Robinson was a classic, very “St. Andrew’s” IMO. Here’s an excerpt:</p>
<p>Dear St. Andrew’s Families,</p>
<p>I spent some time over break reading through these weekly email notes to confirm a fear that’s been gnawing at me: that I make this place seem perfect. To be fair, the easiest things to write about are those that inspire us — the small act of kindness, a team’s tenacity, the innovative class, my grandfather. Unfortunately, these emails can add up to one big “puppy dogs and ice-cream” love note.</p>
<p>I do admit to loving St. Andrew’s, but it’s not perfect and it’s not made up of perfect people. What I love is the restlessness people show by waking up each day and trying to bring out the absolute best in themselves and each other in whatever ways they can. Kids fill the pool on Friday night learning to swim. Every III Former struggles with a violin with Fred Geiersbach. VI Formers wrestle with leadership, classes, applications, extra-curriculars, and friendships. Every winter team is working to get better. The process is always slow and often frustrating.</p>
<p>Tad explained the value in this effort to push and stretch oneself better than I ever could during his Founders Day talk on Wednesday night where he announced that he has no intention of becoming complacent: “We have the chance, the responsibility, to build St. Andrew’s anew.”</p>
<hr>
<p>SAS’s appreciation of the value of struggle, of imperfection has always stood out to me, even before we became a “matriculated” SAS family. </p>
<p>FWIW, I share Will’s fear that in my effort to share my enthusiasm for the school that I too “make this place seem perfect.” It isn’t, of course. But it’s still pretty damn good.</p>
<p>My daughter is a a new III former at SAS this year. </p>
<p>We went into the year with high expectations, in part because of this thread. </p>
<p>I can honestly say that those expectations have been exceeded.</p>
<p>We are very excited about the possibilities. Your post was great but I wonder what happens to kids that struggle academically? Our son is bright but lazy. He is still not sure what he wants but at least he is applying. We know the bigger schools would not be right for him. We hope SAS might see something that will thrive.</p>
<p>Sent from my iPhone using [URL=<a href=“Tapatalk”>Tapatalk]Tapatalk[/URL</a>]</p>
<p>Three different possibilities that I would raise. Worst case, student is so lazy that gets Cs across the board and through junior year. In such circumstances, the school might not invite back after the second or third year. Rare, but has happened. Secondly, plenty of kids slide through with mostly Bs for their careers. If they are active and engaged in other pursuits, and not dreadfully underperforming (academically), the student will graduate. Best scenario, the environment, and more, inspires your child to work a lot harder and you find the laziness is outgrown. Could happen any of the four years, I suppose, but there certainly are plenty of prods to study from many angles that first year, and boys will be closely supervised in a study hall conducted in the dining room. In that setting, it’s hard to think that work won’t get done. The IV Form boys study in their rooms unless they go to Amos for a more closely supervised study hall. My son is in a triple and one of the roommates is doing this. I do not believe that the students see so many teachers during the evening hours; extra help then seems a lot like it mostly takes place with any teachers who are in Founders (or the girls’ dorms) for duty during study hall. It could be that help is given more during the day, but I don’t really know.</p>
<p>@stanford94: Truthfully, I don’t know that I’d send any kid who a parent characterizes as “lazy” to SAS. I think SAS values a strong work ethic, perhaps even over raw brainpower…</p>
<p>I often hear Tad Roach speak of students (and teachers) as “doing work”, and I don’t think he means this in reference to busy work or merely “putting in hours”. I think SAS feels that students really need to bring their A game (at least with regard to attitude and willingness to work) to their school work and even ECs at SAS. </p>
<p>To me, that’s part of the “deal” if you will…SAS offers student great teachers, great student body, great opportunities, great facilities…but the student has to give something in return. And in many ways, the easiest thing to give the school is a can-do attitude and desire to work hard/engage with all the school offers.</p>
<p>Not that I am trying to dissuade your family from the school…just reflecting upon what I think makes a good “fit” at SAS.</p>
<p>Note that with pretty much all the rigorous and ultra rigorous BS mentioned with any frequency on the forum, laziness is not going to serve your son well. And honestly, I don’t know if any school is better than another at getting kid to shake that. It’s a choice that they have to make themselves, IMO.</p>
<p>@stanford94: Is your son lazy or just results-driven? I have two kids who both get As. My son cares more about the result than the process, so only does the minimum required to get an A. When more is required, he works harder. My daughter feels that she should put real effort into her schoolwork. If little effort is required, she finds some other way - laudable but entirely unnecessary - to work at it. I could say my son is “lazier,” but it’s really just that he’s not being challenged enough. If your son is like this, he’ll probably do fine in high school. But if by “lazy” you mean he is not working enough to get good grades, then he is likely to have a problem unless he chooses to change.</p>
<p>FWIW, I would say that for the most part, no one cruises to an A at SAS.</p>
<p>Luckily, my son doesn’t really want to cruise (well, maybe if it was a Disney cruise…).</p>