Black Pine Circle - Academic Support / Social Emotional Wellbeing
Dear BPN Friends:
We are looking for an updated perspective from any current or recent families with kids at Black Pine Circle school - specifically their middle school. We have a 5th grade child who is applying for BPC’s middle school. Application results come out in a couple of weeks, so we were hoping to get some BPN perspectives ahead of time.
In particular, we would like to understand how much academic pressure there is, the expectations for kids and families to keep up vs school-provided support, and the social-emotional well-being of kids. Some of the specific areas include
1) What is the homework level from 6th-8th grade like?
2) What kind of support do the kids get with homework, or if they are struggling with a particular topic in a class? (Our kid can need assistance with math specifically and with executive functioning in general.)
3) does the school do a good job of knowing the kids, and managing the social emotional well being of kids? What kind of support/intervention does the school provide when there is inter-personal conflict?
Any other middle school-specific advice/commentary about BPC? Feel free to DM us if a quick chat is easier.
Parent Replies
Hi there. We have a sixth grader at BPC (she attended public school K-5). We have had a great experience. The school provides an academically enriching experience while keeping stress levels low. The sixth grade math teacher is my daughter’s favorite teacher. There is a strong focus on social-emotional development and there are counselors on staff. Homework is roughly 30-60 minutes/day, and the teachers coordinate so that big projects are not due the same day. The math teacher helps kids during the lunch hour. All kids get a planner and instruction in how to keep track of their assignments. The head of the upper school is very focused on the students’ well being and I would trust him to handle interpersonal conflict in a supportive and affirming way. It’s a great school.
I have a 6th grader who started this year at BPC. We were worried about him being ready academically, as he'd gone through a public elementary, with Covid loss, etc.
We have tried to allow our child to manage his own time and homework, something he wasn't able to do at all in 5th grade. So far, he has really stepped up. Whatever the teachers are saying seems to be working for him. I wouldn't say there is a lot of academic pressure. The students are expected to do their work and show up ready to engage in class, and the teachers are there to support them in this. Happy to chat more if you'd like to dm me.
We are a happy BPC family who joined in 6th grade from a public elementary school. We've loved the strong math program, incredibly dedicated teaching staff, thoughtful administration and general kindness of the community. Our outspoken and assertive kid loves the Socratic dialog encouraged in most classes and has developed great relationships with teachers. In our experience homework has been completely manageable, ramping up slowly from 6th grade to 8th. BPC is great at teaching kids to self-advocate and teachers offer re-dos on tests and extensions on assignments if the student communicates their needs ahead of time. We're lucky to have an academically strong kid but I get the sense that teachers are proactive at providing support if a student needs it. The faculty and staff are wizards at managing the interpersonal issues that inevitably arise in middle school and our kid weathered the socially dicey middle school years with a strong group of friends, including many kids who have been at BPC since early elementary school. We couldn't be happier with our choice!