spaceneedlesevie

Dumb question, is SPS Religious?
I know I could do a quick search but I haven't found a stone answer yet.

And Indy, I think that there will be printers across campus. As for footwear, yes, rain boots and everyday shoes are the most basic you can get. You can invest in snow boots or sperry's for special events, but if you're looking to not spend that much money, then the basics are fine.

creative1

My son is bringing a laptop, but should he bring a printer?
Some kinds do but many don't. There are printers available across campus and in the dorms to use. Added bonus is not having to worry about paper and ink. Sent my child with a printer freshman year. It didn't return to campus the following 3 years. Some like the ease of printing in their room but my cild thought it took up scarce space in the room.

Also, looking for suggestions for foul weather footwear... Rain boots? Hiking shoes? Snow boots? What do guys normally wear?
2 of the more popular options - certain kids will wear one of these and not be seen in the other :
Timberland - Men's 6-Inch Premium Waterproof Boot
Men's Bean Boots by L.L.Bean, 8": Winter Boots | Free Shipping at L.L.Bean

is SPS Religious?
SPS is affiliated with the Episcopal church but the majority of the student body is not Episcopal. Here's some info: St. Paul's School ~ Overview

gr8pond

As far as spending money, my son goes through about $10-$20 per week, but we send him food on a pretty regular basis. The kids like to go to Tuck and hang out, and they snack while they're there. The more food you can send, the better (pop tarts, gatorade powder, oreos, etc...).
My wife and I sent him there with $500 and told him to figure out a budget. He did just fine.

gr8pond

I think Creative1 answered a bunch of questions in his/her last post - all very accurately.
You don't need a printer
Bean boots rule
Religious but not overly so

friendlymom

Poking around on the website I found the link to the weekly menu. This should be a good thing to give DD all kinds of grief about:

http://millville.sps.edu/allaccess/d...rvice/menu.pdf

Malecki

Thanks @creative1 and sunnylake for your answers. My S would not feel comfortable asking those questions without assurances of anonymity.

friendlymom

School year has started at SPS! I think they managed the first day for new students pretty well. Everyone checked in at the Rectory and met up with their Big Brother/Big Sister, then were guided around to take care of some logistics by that very helpful VIth Former - we found the chapel seat, got the PO Box opened, even went to the bookstore to pick up D's books. I think the bookstore part was maybe a bridge too far as D really just wanted to get to her room by then, and the bookstore is pretty far from many of the dorms.

After some unpacking time (and lunch) there was a dorm meeting for the students and a separate orientation for the parents. This was an excellent idea because it made the whole leaving process a little bit gradual and easier (on the parents). We just went to a meeting knowing we would come back to the dorm to say goodbye. Once we came back to the dorm D and her roommate were fully involved in unpacking and we felt very superfluous, so leaving campus at that point seemed like the natural thing to do.

3 days in D seems very happy! The cellphone access is minimal since D's phone doesn't work in her room and they're not supposed to use phones elsewhere. Facebook has been useful for quick messages, and we have a Skype date tonight. From the pictures being posted on facebook she's clearly getting right into everything. Although it's far too early to know anything at all, signs are very good that SPS is a great match for D.

creative1

Glad your daughter is off to a good start, friendlymom. As far as cell phones go, Verizon has the best coverage in that area but its still not perfect. Does she have a phone for her landline? Love Skype!

Last night was the first dance to kick things off since all students were back on campus.

SevenDad

@friendlymom: Your closing statement "SPS is a great match for D." underscores something that so many newbs/prospects fail and fail again to understand.

It ain't about what boarding school is "best". It's all about what boarding school is best for your child. Glad to year that the first week is going well.

friendlymom

creative1 - she has Verizon but her dorm is a bit of a dead zone. She has a landline phone but needs to get herself over to the bookstore to buy a phone card. She had heard all about the Nash Bash thanks to the helpful people on CC so she arrived prepared. Clearly everyone loves the Nash Bash!

SevenDad - I couldn't agree more. SPS feels like just the right size and tone for DD. That's what it's about.

friendlymom

House trips tomorrow! DD says they're heading to the beach. She loves her dorm and is excited.

How's the start of the year going for everyone?

runandjump

My D has found SPS very welcoming, seems happy so far, and was excited for house trip. There are many things to figure out at a new school with new people and managing everything while away from home for the first time, but she reports making progress with them. No mention of missing home!

friendlymom

Not only have we had no mention of missing home, my D flat out told me that she doesn't miss us! She's finding the homework load heavy but I haven't heard that the academics are more difficult than she anticipated.

DD managed to get herself a head injury in the early days of school and I've been very pleased with how the Clark Center managed the situation and D's maturity in handling the effect on her ability to try out for sports and complying with the follow-up care. Dr. Bassi is terrific! I think that moving the health center from Armour (where it used to be located) to the center of campus was a very worthwhile physical change. Student health might well have been at the forefront for the school regardless, but the physical arrangement makes an important statement here, IMO.

friendlymom

Family Weekend is coming up and I'm sure I'm not alone among SPS parents in being very excited to see DD and have a chance to check everything out first hand.

Do inside grades come out before the weekend or after? Are there progress reports or just the grades?

On another note, I think it's pretty entertaining that intervis is starting 2 days before parents weekend. I guess they really want to put the advisers through the paces when that comes up in the conferences!

mayhew

Good question about the progress reports/grades - last year, I think we saw them on Parents Weekend, and we were able to go over them with our advisor. Perhaps they come out on Friday? Not sure, but we will find out soon enough Looking forward to being back on campus! It certainly seems as if more than just a month has gone by since school began....