<p>Excellent!</p>
<p>Thank you for that post, Winterset!</p>
<p>What happens on drop-off day for 3rd formers? Is there a program for parents or do the kids move in and parents are asked to leave at a certain time?</p>
<p>I have the same question, but for a 4th former…I’m assuming all the new students will fill out stuff then go on a tour or something, but not sure when the rents will leave.</p>
<p>There is a nice greeting process. You will get info from the school about the schedule soon. last year it went like this:
families/students arrive and go right to the Rectory where you check in and are greeted by several folks. By the time you have shaken hands with several SPS administrators and Mr and Mrs Matthews, your student guide will have arrived to take you to the next step which is information tables - po box and combo, class schedule, books, etc (i think it is all this), then you proceed to either your dorm and unpack or the book store to get your books (the line can get long there) At your dorm, you’ll meet the faculty/staff affiliated with your dorm. then lunch and after lunch an info session/panel for parents (by sps staff and current parents) Parents tend to be ready to go about 3 ish. If you have any in-town needs, that can be done mid afternoon.
this would be the same for all new students (III, IV, and V forms). Returning students who do not have prefect or other duties, or are not there early for sports, don’t return for a couple of days.
There is plenty of time to ask questions - of the student guides, advisors, SPS administrators, etc. They are all there to help.</p>
<p>um at my school now they take the PSAT in 10th grade…do they do that at SPS? i read something online that said i should register for the SAT II chem and the math because we’d be ready for it?? do people usually do that?</p>
<p>Does SPS have someone that takes team game photos and then post the photos on the web? I have a few friends that go to other schools and they say that is how their family & friends get to see them playing in games</p>
<p>Crayola, yes SPS offers PSAT for both fourth and fifth formers. For SAT II’s, it varies by student, but if you will be in fourth form would take them at the end of the year anyway. Get input from your teachers.</p>
<p>bigblue, no SPS does not have regular postings of photos/videos/blogs from games or other activities. Usually there is a game summary posted online, which includes significant contributions, such as who scored. Some athletic events are featured on the news portal, but these tend to be special things, like “hockey team headed to championships,” or “player receives honor.” Sometimes there is informal photo sharing for a team, but not on the SPS website.</p>
<p>Official housing now up.</p>
<p>And as you may have discovered, if you go to the “St. Paul’s School Online Facebook” on the Parents Portal you can pull up your dorm and then see all the students in Drury, Nash, Middle or wherever. You can sort by Form.</p>
<p>wow! I’m in a quad! :)</p>
<p>I just got into SPS this fall as a late applicant for grade 10!!! (I started the whole process of looking at schools in the US, visiting, applying like 6 weeks ago). I also have offers from some other really good school, so I’m not sure about whether I’m going to SPS ;)</p>
<p>Since the other schools I am looking at are smaller, I have some questions.
- Being an int’l, I haven’t really played too many sports (the only one I’ve actually played properly is squash, and I really suck at it). Is this a big problem? Is it hard to try new sports out as a 4th former? And how hard is it to make JV Guys teams for sports like squash?
- Does SPS actually feel like a family? How supportive is it? Do you get to know like everyone in the whole school?
- Are there social boundaries at SPS, or is everyone friends with everyone? Do int’ls tend to hang out with other int’ls?
- How hard is it to adjust as an int’l? (I come from a really different culture) Are people really accepting?
- Any other advice, warnings, comments?</p>
<p>Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>Re: Sports
There are varsity/jv sports and then club sports which many kids do, so you can participate at what ever level seems best for you. It is my impression that it is not difficult to try a new sport as a 4th former; it may depend a bit on the sport as to what your chances are to play on a JV team.
As a parent, my impression is that SPS is pretty supportive - you have an advisor (who either lives in or is associated with your dorm), you have an advisor group your advisor and the 6-8 other kids who have your advisor too) which gets together on a regular basis (in the winter you eat dinner with your advisor group once a week, I think). You also get to knw others through classes, sports, seated meal dinners (2x week). The kids seem pretty supportive of each other. I think Mr Matthews (head of school) and his wife, Mrs Matthews are very friendly and VERY involved in the school community. This sets the tone for the school community. The Matthews live in the Rectory and there is an open house at the Rectory every Saturday night. Most of the students go at some point during the evening to play games, talk, play music, watch TV shows, movies or sports, eat poppyseed cake and lemonade, etc.
I would say that the St Paul’s community is pretty open to different cultures. St Paul’s is about 1 1/2 miles from downtown Concord, NH (the capital of NH). Concord is not very diverse however it is probably more diverse than most of NH.
From my experience, I would say that St Paul’s is a nice size - not too big and not too small. It seems that kids make close friendships and due to changes in sports, activities, classes through out a school year, one is always getting to know someone new and broadening your circle of friends/acquaintences. Then each year you have a different group of dorm mates so friendships shift then too.
I would say that one thing that SPS does pretty well is having activities that create community – a variety of fun, goofy activities which help keep the atmosphere light. </p>
<p>hopefully some current students will chime in.
good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>1) Being an int’l, I haven’t really played too many sports (the only one I’ve actually played properly is squash, and I really suck at it). Is this a big problem?</p>
<p>No this isn’t a big problem, even if you’re not good at a sport you can also play at the “club” level at SPS, which is not as competitive but yet still enjoyable </p>
<p>1b) Is it hard to try new sports out as a 4th former? No, you can try whatever you want and try it on some level.</p>
<p>1c) And how hard is it to make JV Guys teams for sports like squash? Not sure, but the JV record last year was good, but the varsity record was sub-500. But you will be given a proper shot to make the team at SPS.</p>
<p>2.) I haven’t attended yet, but from everything I’ve seen, SPS is a huge family and everyone seems to know each other. There is a good advising system, you can get support from anyone on the campus at any times it seems. SPS is one of the only schools that is fully residential, so everyone lives on campus with each other. This really helps towards the family feeling and support system.</p>
<p>3.) I’m not sure, but if there were it wouldn’t be anymore than any other boarding school. I also don’t know about the intl’ls.</p>
<p>4.) People at SPS seem to be accepting of everyone so I wouldn’t worry about adjusting as an int’l. </p>
<p>5.) Come to SPS. Perfect size, community, beautiful campus, excellent academics and so on. I can’t imagine any of the other schools you got into can compete with SPS.</p>
<p>You have a quad milk? Wow lol, thats pretty crazy. What dorm are you in? I just have a normal double…and my room mate doesn’t have a facebook. Which is pretty annoying but w.e</p>
<p>Haha newb moment…</p>
<p>Milk is in the quad as in one of the dormitories in the quad (Simpson, Manville, Brewster and Ford)</p>
<p>Our squash team was sub 500 this year however last year we were ranked forth in the nation. ( lots of graduating seniors)</p>
<p>Oh ok I get it. Doesn’t look like much of a quad by the map lol…but w.e. I guess it works better in real life.</p>
<p>no, I have three roommates. It says under housing Three girls</p>
<p>I find that really hard to believe? Are you sure?</p>
<p>yes im positive! I clicked on Housing because its August 1st and it said Your Roommates: and there were three girls listed with information and theyre all new kids. I’m not complaining though.</p>