UrbanBaby Asks...
Do you 'enjoy' spending time with your kids?
- Yes, most of the time we really have fun together
- Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's really dull and aggravating
- Honestly most of the time it's not fun at all, but it's not supposed to be fun
- I really don't enjoy it at all, and wish I could spend less time with them
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UB Like it's 1776!
Posted September 13, 2007(191 replies)
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Speyer is a joke. Not top tier. Not even close. It may have been established to serve intellectually advanced children; unfortunately, they failed at attracting any "intellectually gifted children" and now have to make due with accepting anyone who didn't get into any other private schools, top-tier, mid-tier, lower-tier or otherwise.
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Right that's why they give more financial aid than any other independent school in NY. Sure, it's just money-making ploy. Please get your facts straight.
[ Reply | More ]HAHA. The school is broke with no endowment. They might as well hand out fliers outside of top preschools BEGGING anyone to apply. STOP with your lies!
[ Reply | More ]Wrong again, but nice try. Huge endowment baby. HUGE. You can't stand the truth, admit it. Eh, of course you won't admit it.
[ Reply | More ]here is their tax form. they have no endowment. http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2010/264/274/2010-264274070-072d43f6-9.pdf
[ Reply | More ]for contrast, here is the 990 for a school that actually HAS a huge endowment. http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2010/131/623/2010-131623915-06cf9964-9.pdf
[ Reply | More ]Wow. Am I reading this correctly? Tuition is only 700K and someone is floating them 1.2 mm per year??? No wonder "Speyer Mom" cannot stop posting. That's a chunk of change to spend on your kids' school.....
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Please, they rejected a billionaire from our preschool who really wanted the school. Try to understand that your entitled family isn't what alot of schools want.
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It's a k-8 school and my niece goes to Speyer, She did test PG and that neither defines her or appears as a glowing aura of misfit around her.When Speyer confirmed they were a school and offered a spot, the parents rescinded their Hunter confirmation. This child was accepted at more schools than not to which they applied.They are not billionaires. NY is wealthy with curious, extremely bright children and more excellent schools are needed. This one seems great.
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So, "SPAM" what do you have to say for me who took my child out of a real TT and transferred to Speyer?! Would LOVE to see what you can make up about that?!
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dc was miserable - so bored . i know that sounds silly or weird but it is true. she was wilting and depressed. since at speyer she is so happy energetic and thrilled so so are we. it was weird moving from such a name brand good school, people thought we were crazy, but you need to be an advocate for your child and dc was NOT getting what dc needed at this "amazing" ss tt
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You obviously know nothing about the school, so why post lies and such a nasty tone. Time will tell, but Speyer has definitely attracted very advanced kids. It's just a fact and anyone who visits the school and see the work those children are doing can attest to it.
[ Reply | More ]of course she knows about speyer. that's precisely why she's threatened by it. and that's precisley why she's been working her ass off to discredit the school. deep down she knows the school is for superstars and that knowledge is eating her up.
[ Reply | More ]How did they select "intellectually gifted children"? What's their criteria? Do they have cut off in SB and ERB? I saw they Speyer has their "own" criteria, right?
[ Reply | More ]If you're that curious call them. Alternatively, do some research. There's been a ton in the literature, all evolving work about screening/identification of high ability, gifted, high potential children.
[ Reply | More ]np: heard a rumor but is it true that speyer administers the full scale erb (the 10 subtests version for 4th graders) to K applicants at their onsite playdate evaluation?
[ Reply | More ]I'm no expert but anyone who understands screening for gifted kids knows the standard ERB that all private school applicants take for K is not a high ceiling test. It's designed for the normal/average population. Most kids who apply to Speyer for K max out (i.e., 99x8) so a higher version may be administered. Obviously a 4 yo scoring a 99 on a test designed for 4th graders is indicative of something.
[ Reply | More ]One one hand, they say test scores are not indicative of giftedness and that's why they don't post their cut off scores. On the other and, they depend on the test scores to determine who's gifted or not? Which one is it? Do you have cut off scores or not? Is 4th grade ERB test an IQ test or an achievement test?
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I am not that curious after I attended their info session. There's nothing special about the school except they are trying. I think they neither understand what they need to do nor are equipped to educate beyond NY smart children. Their insistence that there so many profoundly children in that school and that they know how to educate them make them look naive and unprofessional.
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Part of the Speyer test is to determine whether each child can handle a very accelerated and enriched classroom experience. Way more important than any test score is to see if the kid can hack the work and the pace of learning.
[ Reply | More ]Hmm...gifted and academically loaded are not the same thing. If you want academically loaded model, you have to look at schools in Asia. Asian curriculum, especially in math, is much more accelerated compared to American curriculum, but it's for everyone there, not just for gifted. You seemed to be confused between gifted program and academically accelreated curriculum.
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EASY. They accept anyone who applies and hire one MOM with lots of time on her hands to call them "gifted" on UB. Not enough applications to fill K this year - pathetic failure.
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LIE. They accept anyone who applies. It is a joke and failing. Will be out of business in 3 years.
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I'm not the major donor, but I'm a parent who did a lot of research before accepting a spot there and talked to all the major donors. Speyer could save a lot of $ cutting corners, but they never do as far as I have seen. Kids are getting top teachers and lot's of enrichment and differentiation. I have heard a lot about the buildings they are looking at for their long-term home. Anyone who has a real concern and is accepted at the school can find out these details.
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Save your breath, anti-Speyer troll. No one's buying your anti-Speyer campaign. Position it anyway you want but nothing, I repeat NOTHING, will change the fact that the the school attracts and is filled with damn smart kids and you know it.
[ Reply | More ]Damn smart kids? Or average kids who didn't get in anywhere else and wanted to throw money away to a for-profit school with no advantages over regular GenEd?
[ Reply | More ]Save your breath, anti-Speyer troll. No one's buying your anti-Speyer campaign. Position it anyway you want but nothing, I repeat NOTHING, will change the fact that the the school attracts and is filled with damn smart kids and you know it.
[ Reply | More ]SAVE YOUR BREATH PRO-SPEYER TROLL. YOUR SCHOOL IS WORSE THAN BAD - IT IS A NON FACTOR.
[ Reply | More ]HM mom and PRO-SPEYER for sure. As the OR said, no matter how you position it, you ain't gonna change the facts sweetie. Nothing, nothing you say, no matter HOW LOUD you say it, ain't gonna change the truth one bit. Speyer is for superstars. Live with it.
[ Reply | More ]Sorry, Sweetie, Speyer ain't that good. It has zero reputation in NYC and "superstars" just aren't going there. I know you chose Speyer for your Snowflake but reality can't change the fact that it does not have a good reputation, it is so-far not successful at attracting anything CLOSE to top tier students and it is considered by most to be a last-choice safety in the event DC is shut out. You know it is true. We know it is true. All your endless posts about it being tier-1 can't change reality. Sorry to be the bearer of such bad news, but admit it, you know this is true all too well....
[ Reply | More ]blah blah blah ... NO matter how you position it. Nothing, absolutely NOTHING you say, no matter HOW LOUD you say it, no matter how much you repeat it. you ain't gonna change the truth one bit. Speyer is for superstars. No doubt I would have chosen Speyer for dc. No doubt whatsover, HAD IT BEEN AROUND 5 YRS AGO. I sure as hell hope those kids apply to HM for highschool. They'd be prized for sure.
[ Reply | More ]Those S kids will their pick of highschools i'm sure. Some of the TT legs will likely head their parents alma maters.
[ Reply | More ]Sorry, Sweetie, Speyer ain't that good. It has zero reputation in NYC and "superstars" just aren't going there. I know you chose Speyer for your Snowflake but reality can't change the fact that it does not have a good reputation, it is so-far not successful at attracting anything CLOSE to top tier students and it is considered by most to be a last-choice safety in the event DC is shut out. You know it is true. We know it is true. All your endless posts about it being tier-1 can't change reality. Sorry to be the bearer of such bad news, but admit it, you know this is true all too well....[
[ Reply | More ]np: nor horse in this show, but "superstars"? really? don't use that term for little kids. you are not doing yourself or the school any favors. it's ridiculous to xall any kindergartner short of, say, Mozart, a "superstar."
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I'm a Speyer applicant. I have a highgly gifted dc and I think she'll be in plenty good company at Speyer. The joke's on you OP. Btw, at what school did your dc end up? Oh wait, no need to answer that because, well, I actually don't care.
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yes! i know, i know. she's a pretty talented artist too (sorry for the clearly non-veiled bragging but i can't do it in real life)
[ Reply | More ]that's great. best of luck to your dd. btw, how do you feel about all the school bashing?
[ Reply | More ]thanks! doesn't phase me. i doubt it phases anyone who's interested in the school. the bashing is over the top so the envy is apparent. even the subtle (more passive aggressive) stuff is obvious. my friend's dd declined an ss tt for speyer so i know to dismiss a lot of intentional misinformation on this board. that said, i think most objective readers know the difference.
[ Reply | More ]np: 99x7 poster here. feel the same way. hope our dcs get in. long shot i know but one can hope!!!
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It absolutely does happen. The only reason I can say that with certainty is because we chose Speyer over another TT. Can't speak for others at the school but given the caliber of dc's peers I wouldn't doubt they had similar options. This is not meant to diss other top privates. They're all great schools. We chose Speyer for best fit as did many families there.
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I'm Trinity mom and Speyer supporter. Trinity gets bashed more than any other school imo. Speyer and Trinity are schools people seem to love or hate.
[ Reply | More ]Fake! Only YOU Speyer-Spam-A-Lot would ever compare Trinity with Speyer. One is one of NYC oldest and most prestigous schools with $100,000,000. The other is a start-up without enough applications to fill its spots who pay someone (hopefully - pathetic if you did this for free) to post incessently on UB comparing a CRAPPY wanna-be mid-tier with the best of the best.
[ Reply | More ]Trinity's endowment is $40.4M, not $100M, see: http://www.trinityschoolnyc.org/podium/default.aspx?t=123554
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Trinity mom here. Sorry to burst your bubble but am not fake. My dear friend is at Speyer and our dcs are good friends. Lovely family, dedicated philanthropists. Couldn't convince them to come to T. I'd have been more than happy to write the letter of rec but their connection T is even stronger than mine. Call this fake all you want. The reality is a T spot became available because of them.
[ Reply | More ]Dalton chess mom here (and speyer fan). I have to say Dalton gets bashed way more than Trinity. We win on that front ;)
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Dalton chess mom: Speyer wasn't around at the time but would have been perfect for dc#1. To compensate we supplement with tutors for extra stimulation. We applied for dc#2 but he did not get in. We are happy at Dalton and hope some of dcs' friends at Speyer consider Dalton for highschool.
[ Reply | More ]I thought Speyer curriculum is accelerated, like a few grades ahead. Do they need to go to HS after they finish Speyer? Is your dc #2 at Dalton?
[ Reply | More ]This is fishy. You turned down early decision at Dalton for your younger child so you could try your chances at Speyer? And then you got into Dalton regular decision? This is so fake.
[ Reply | More ]How dare you make assumptions about my/my family's life choices. You know nothing about me. You know nothing about my family. You know nothing about my dcs. You know nothing about our relationship with Dalton and early decisions. And you clearly know very little, if anything, about Speyer. I've tried hard to be civil but you leave with no choice but to say FU .. and oh, and have a good day.
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SPAM! No one with any intelligence applies to Speyer unless they get Shut out EVERYWHERE else.
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Give it a rest OP. You know full well Speyer has more than succeeded in attracting the smartest of the smarts. Kills ya huh.
[ Reply | More ]Sorry, Sweetie, Speyer ain't that good. It has zero reputation in NYC and "superstars" just aren't going there. I know you chose Speyer for your Snowflake but reality can't change the fact that it does not have a good reputation, it is so-far not successful at attracting anything CLOSE to top tier students and it is considered by most to be a last-choice safety in the event DC is shut out. You know it is true. We know it is true. All your endless posts about it being tier-1 can't change reality. Sorry to be the bearer of such bad news, but admit it, you know this is true all too well....[
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Save your breath, anti-Speyer troll. No one's buying your anti-Speyer campaign. Position it anyway you want but nothing, I repeat NOTHING, will change the fact that the the school attracts and is filled with damn smart kids and you know it.
[ Reply | More ]Sorry, Sweetie, Speyer ain't that good. It has zero reputation in NYC and "superstars" just aren't going there. I know you chose Speyer for your Snowflake but reality can't change the fact that it does not have a good reputation, it is so-far not successful at attracting anything CLOSE to top tier students and it is considered by most to be a last-choice safety in the event DC is shut out. You know it is true. We know it is true. All your endless posts about it being tier-1 can't change reality. Sorry to be the bearer of such bad news, but admit it, you know this is true all too well....[
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Speyer Mom posts more than any other Mom. Pathetic. Loves her kid, hopes her dirty postings will somehow benefit the non-existent reputation of Speyer.
[ Reply | More ]OMG. Neither the Speyer Moms nor the anti-Speyer Moms look very good based on this post.
[ Reply | More ]I got a kick out of this thread. There's a notable difference in maturity from the different posters. The Speyer applicants sound normal. The Speyer moms and their friends/fans seem like a close-knit moms clique. They sound calm, cool, and collected though that HM mom sounds just like a loud HM mom I know (no offense HM moms). The anti-Speyer moms sound angry, immature, and far from credible. Crazy thread though now I am intrigued by Speyer.
[ Reply | More ]ha. that was my take too. the anti-speyer posts are far-fetched (and were never credible). the mom clique sounds like the mom clique at dc's summer camp. maybe it's just coincidental but there's a speyer mom, hm mom, trinity mom, and collegiate mom in that group. thick as thieves and snobby as hell.
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Wow. Someone missed a calling for creative writing. Trinity mom with a Speyer friend who had "an even better connection". Dalton Chess Mom. Speyer 99x3 Mom. You do realize we can see right through it right? A better way to fool people is to develop only one persona on each thread. Not enough traffic on this board for there to be 2 TT moms who are pro Speyer.
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This is one of the most amusing threads ever. Thank you to the Speyer spammer and the anti-spammers.
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