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Have to make a decision about kindergarten for my dc. Deciding between PS 41 and Our Lady of Pompeii (parochial school in our neighborhood). Any advice? If we're not taking our spot at 41, I want to let the school know right away since there's a waitlist for K.
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OP. We're not religious although I was raised Catholic (dh is agnostic). But I don't mind dc being taught some religion. I'm specifically wondering about what the academics are like at these two schools.
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PS41 is overcrowded and has a shoddy academic curriculum. Catholic schools consistently outperform NYC public schools on testing and graduation rates. If you can't get into Pompeii, then try your next closest Catholic school. Many Catholic schools are easy to get to although they aren't in your neighborhood. Blessed Sacrament on the UWS comes to mind - - it's a block away from the No. 1-2-3 subway station at West 72nd Street. Avoid NYC public schools if you can - - they can limit your dc's future.
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one of those school review sites has comments from parents about olop. they are mixed.
[ Reply | Options ]OP. Thanks for the comments. Do you think the learning will be compromised at 41 with the overcrowding?
[ Reply | Options ]there's no way to tell. some at 41 are unhappy with class size in the upper grades and that will no doubt get worse. i personally think i'd rather take my chances with a top public than a so-so parochial and use the savings on tutoring if i had to, but that's just me.
[ Reply | Options ]hi-jack. we've paid a deposit at a ss private and have very little time left to decide between the private and 41. My concern with 41 is that even good teachers will have difficulty managing the potentially large classes in the upper grades if the classes are getting bigger and bigger.
[ Reply | Options ]if you can afford private and are worried about class size, i would go with private. i keep hoping they will come up with some solution. like they will use some of the classrooms at the foundling hospital for the upper grades when there's only a k class there that's zoned for it. something's gotta give.
[ Reply | Options ]NP. That's a GREAT idea. I wonder if the DoE will be smart enough for such a solution. In the meantime, I know there's talk of re-zoning to shrink the 41 zone.
[ Reply | Options ]but rezoning won't help the overcrowding in the upper grades. once you're in, you're in.
[ Reply | Options ]good point. If they wanted dc's in upper grades to move to Foundling, how would they decide which ones would go to Foundling and which would stay at 41? The parents themselves would have to decide if to move their dc's there.
[ Reply | Options ]i'm saying one class from the upper grade would attend class at fh, but they would still be part of ps41. it would be an annex, more or less. (it's six blocks up the street.) they could ask for volunteers, but since it would be a brand-new facility (and closer for some families), i don't think it would be a hard sell, particularly if they kept that classroom even smaller.
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At Pompeii the kids go to mass every morning before the school day and the website states quite plainly that religious studies are part of the core program. Are you comfortable with that.
[ Reply | Options ]there's a plaque on the side of the school building that says something like "building the city of god." no thanks.
[ Reply | Options ]I'm the poster above who's considering private vs. 41. Does anyone know what 41 will have to "lose" with the overcrowding (e.g., art room, etc.)? I've heard they've already had to give up one of their science rooms to make space for a K class.
[ Reply | Options ]Check the private school curriculum to make sure it doesn't use the same curriculum as 41, or else you are getting gyped. Avoid public school curriculums such as Everyday Math, Invented Spelling and Balanced Literacy like the plague.
[ Reply | Options ]np--I've never heard of a private school using "Balanced Literacy." The schools I know have 3 or 4 children in a group with a teacher, all reading the same book. The teacher is for this group alone--not going from one group to another. Reading time involves 4 or 5 teachers working with the small groups of one classroom (often spread out in different rooms).
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Did you tour OLP? I am in the area and Catholic and was considering oLP though did not get around to doing the tour. Nice parish btw, it looks diverse there also, not sure where all the kids come from.
[ Reply | Options ]NP. We applied to Our Lady of Pompeii but have yet to receive a call for an interview. In the meantime, we decided instead on the Academy of St. Joseph which is also Catholic and also in the neighborhood. It's a lovely school, beautiful building, and the tuition is lower than most private schools. It seems to have a strong academic focus but also a supportive school community.
[ Reply | Options ]You made a good choice. Both OLP and St. Joe's are high quality schools, and both are far superior academically to PS41. Congratulations and good luck!
[ Reply | Options ]this is such crap! ps41 is MUCH better than olop (anyone care to hazard where the dcs at olop go to hs? right. nowhere you've ever heard of.) and much better than the old st joe's. there's no way of knowing what the school is like now. it's too soon to tell. but i wouldn't spend $20k on an unproven school when there's a great free one up the street. to each her own.
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Our Lady of Pompeii, hands down. Your dc will be much, much better off there than in PS41 or any other NYC public school. Avoid NYC public schools at all costs if you can!
[ Reply | Options ]OP. Really? Even a parochial with a so-so reputation is better than 41? In what ways?
[ Reply | Options ]np. don't believe her. this poster is a troll who calls up old posts about public vs. parochial and spouts the same crap about every catholic school in nyc being better than every public one, but whenever anyone asks her to prove it with test scores or exmissions, she never responds.
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My ds is at PS41 and there are pros (he has lots of friends in the neighborhhood, is very happy socially and just plain enjoys the low stress environment of school) and cons (DOE curriculum/TERC, starts to get a little fixated on ELA testing around the end of 2nd grade, children who are bright at one subject get little extra stimulation) to the public school system. Don't know much about OLOP. Good luck.
[ Reply | Options ]Pompei is not a great school. Epiphany is the good downtown Catholic. St. Joe's has tons of money invested in it, but is uber small. 41 has most of its specials rolled around on carts into the classrooms. Every inch of space is used for over crowded class rooms.
[ Reply | Options ]not true about specials being rolled around on carts at 41. there is an art room, a music room, a science room and a library (along with a gym and an auditorium). the roof is being turned into a green science lab and a brand-new playground is being built in 2010.
[ Reply | Options ]How high is that roof fence? It looks disconcertingly low in the drawing: http://www.ps41.org/ps41/ps41-green-initiative/the-gell-project/
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What are you looking for? I don't like the TERC math at 41, so we chose to go elsewhere. Is OLOP K to 5? K to 8? Always good to have options for middle-school. Seriously, can't believe elementary school has flown by.
[ Reply | Options ]OP. Are looking for an environment where dc will be challenged and not "lost in the crowd", will get attention. We don't really care about the "extras" like music, sports, art because we can cover those with various things dc can do after school. It's really the academics we're concerned about
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You should visit Academy of St. Joseph. We toured and were blown away. Also Catholic, also in the Village, but independent, not archdiocese. It is amazing (I'm guessing the biggest, prettiest classrooms in NYC) and everyone was so friendly and the kids were so happy (and sweet!). I checked out their curriculum on their website - www.academyofsaintjoseph.org - its heavenly.
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