WELCOME TO ACDS We challenge students intellectually; inspire their confidence, curiosity, and creativity; and prepare them to thrive in a diverse and complex world by ensuring that they are independent learners, effective communicators, community minded citizens, and balanced individuals. The Mission of ACDS is expressed best through the experiences of our students, so we invite you to read their stories on the following pages. Then, come visit and see our students and teachers in action. We look forward to getting to know you as you discover what an ACDS education can offer your child.
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Walk into any ACDS classroom and you’ll see students actively developing academic, athletic, artistic, and interpersonal skills.
INDEPENDENT LEARNER Guided by experienced and dedicated teachers, students are challenged to explore, reflect, collaborate, and solve open-ended problems.
INDEPENDENT LEARNER
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Alexandra Alexandra and three of her first grade classmates are engaged in some serious negotiation around a pile of paper plates, pipe cleaners, foam trays, paper clips, and tape. They’ve been tasked with designing a container with a handle that will carry at least four apples using only the materials provided. Their initial design plan isn’t working as expected and they all have different ideas as to how to fix it. After much discussion and some trial and error, the group completes their design and successfully carries not just four, but ten apples in their container. Hands-on, experiential lessons are commonplace in ACDS classrooms at all grade levels. From center time in Kindergarten, to Colonial Day in second grade, to participating in a Silk Road simulation in fifth grade, to building a SeaPerch Remotely Operated Vehicle in sixth grade, to using a room-sized coordinate plane to create human graphs of linear functions in seventh grade, students are active and engaged participants in their learning.
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CURRICULAR HIGHLIGHTS LANGUAGE ARTS Reading and Writing Workshop, an instructional approach developed at Columbia University’s Teachers College, is used to ensure that our students gain the necessary skills and knowledge in phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing craft, and mechanics, as well as spelling. There is also a strong emphasis on oral language development and public speaking in all grades.
MATH Students in Kindergarten through seventh grade follow the Math in Focus program, a version of Singapore Math, well known for its challenge and effectiveness. All eighth graders take Algebra I, and the most advanced level of this course introduces geometry concepts. For Middle School students with exceptional mathematical abilities, there is also an opportunity to receive additional challenge through an online program.
SCIENCE The science program incorporates studies of earth, physical, and life sciences as well as health, biology, and beginning chemistry. STEM concepts are incorporated at each grade level and the entire sixth grade year is dedicated to STEM integration.
HISTORY Social studies teachers bring history to life and regularly teach through interactive simulations, field trips, and debates. Starting in third grade, we use the History Alive! curriculum.
SPANISH Students are introduced to Spanish language and culture in Kindergarten. In subsequent years, they strengthen and broaden their comprehension and expression skills, as well as their knowledge and appreciation of the cultures of the Spanishspeaking world. By eighth grade, students complete the equivalent of high school Spanish I and have the opportunity to put their Spanish skills into practice during a class trip to Puerto Rico.
ď ľ Students in all grades also receive regular instruction in art, music, drama, and physical education.
INDEPENDENT LEARNER
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Jack In the seventh grade history classroom, Jack prepares for class by adjusting the height of his desk. He’s decided to stand, so his ergonomic stool sits unused behind him. The desks are in a u-shape as Mr. Girard leads an allclass discussion on feudalism, and then instructs the class to break up into groups of four. After quickly wheeling his desk over to his team, Jack lowers it to a seated height, grabs a stool, and gets to work. In all Middle School classrooms, students utilize adjustable sit/stand desks. The health benefits that come with not having to sit all day are well-documented, but the added agency these desks give students over their learning is perhaps an even more beneficial feature. Each student is empowered to determine which position allows him or her to be the most engaged and attentive at any given moment, and both students and teachers alike have seen the positive impact in the classroom. Lower School students sit on ergonomically designed Hokki stools. Rounded on the bottom, the stools build core strength and allow for movement, which increases student focus and on-task behaviors—and the kids love them!
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From the moment they begin our Kindergarten program, ACDS students are learning to become effective communicators through a sequential and in-depth curriculum. The result are graduates who are uncommonly strong public speakers, writers, and communicators.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR
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Caroline “It’s writing time, it’s writing time, it’s wr-wr-wr-wr-wr-writing time!” exclaim Caroline and her Kindergarten classmates as they gather on the rug to begin Writing Workshop. On this day, Ms. Hall’s minilesson is centered around strategies that can be used to further develop ideas and expand their written pieces. At the end of the minilesson, Caroline knows that “when she is done, she has just begun” and begins to apply the strategies she’s just learned to a piece she is working on.
The Writing Workshop model, an instructional approach developed at Columbia University’s Teachers College, provides the framework for writing instruction in all grades at ACDS. Teachers begin writing workshop with a short minilesson in which they demonstrate a particular teaching point. Students then work independently on their ongoing writing work, drawing on what they have learned that day and in previous lessons. While students write, teachers confer with children individually and lead small groups to provide responsive, differentiated instruction. The workshop closes with a brief group recap – this is a time when the teacher may highlight things that individual students did during the workshop that could benefit all of the others. Throughout this process students receive continuous and specific feedback designed to develop their confidence as writers, hone their skills, and constantly provide additional challenge that elevates the quality and sophistication of their written expression. Their progress is evident in the many opportunities they have to share their writing, whether in a favorite piece of writing shared at the second grade celebration, a reflective speech delivered at Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day, a science fair presentation, or a graduation address.
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Isabelle The room is crowded with peers and parents as Isabelle steps forward to begin her seventh grade Speeches & Sweets presentation. Although the thought of having to deliver a speech strikes fear in many adults, public speaking, both formally and informally, is something Isabelle has been doing now for eight years. There are still some nerves, of course, but she’s relaxed and confident. Her words are powerful and they are delivered in the polished style of a person well beyond her 13 years. Public speaking at ACDS begins in Kindergarten, where students become comfortable sharing thoughts with their classmates during morning meeting, and might even be found making an announcement about their food drive for Blessings in a Backpack to the whole school at an assembly. Starting in first grade with the Authors’ Tea, students begin reading their written work in front of peers, parents, and, in the case of the third grade poetry reading, St. Elmo’s Coffee House patrons. In fourth grade, students find themselves on the stage, preparing to deliver lines with confidence and expression in their class play. Students in all grades, K-8, regularly present work completed in a small group to the rest of their class. Beginning in fifth grade, students participate in our annual Speeches & Sweets program. Each year, students get up in front of their parents and classmates to deliver a formal speech. By the time they deliver their eighth grade speech, it resembles a TED Talk in style and quality.
Watch Isabelle's speech at bit.ly/acds_speech
Speeches & Sweets presentations increase in sophistication through the grades.
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Fifth graders identify and communicate a lesson learned from personal experience. They read from behind a podium with a smooth pace and frequently make eye contact with the audience.
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Organization and a clear explanation of ideas are key as sixth graders deliver advocacy-themed speeches. They frequently refer to notes, but no longer read verbatim.
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Seventh graders enhance their speeches with visual aids, use the full presentation area in front of the podium, and rarely refer to their notes. A TED Talk structure begins to emerge.
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Eighth graders are storytellers and use their voices and gestures to convey passion for their topics. They read the audience and adjust their speaking to maximize engagement.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR
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ACDS students and teachers look for new and dynamic ways of communicating their ideas using video, audio, animation, graphics, and still photography. Fifth graders analyze the differences in ancient philosophies by producing image-filled comic books that tell the stories of how characters were treated under Laozi, Han Feizi, and Confucius.
Eighth graders create interactive websites on Washington D.C. monuments, using creative photos to illustrate the personal significance of these sites.
Sixth graders produce stopmotion “claymation� videos demonstrating mitosis.
Our technology integrationists work closely with teachers and students to help develop these technology-enriched activities, and our students benefit from the myriad modes of expression to which they have access.
For his third grade state fair project, Ty chose Hawaii. Like students in countless schools, he thoroughly researched the state and prepared a poster board presentation to share with students and parents. But Ty also headed to our Innovation Lab, where he used our blue screen and video equipment to create a tourism video for the state of Hawaii. With some help from one of our technology integrationists, Ty’s video, along with videos created by his classmates for their states, was placed on an interactive United States map and became another tool for communicating his learning.
We believe that the ability to communicate one’s ideas with clarity, creativity, and passion is one of the most important 21st century skills. By the time our students graduate, they have had a varied and intensive experience with numerous forms of communication, and when they go on to high school and beyond, this preparation distinguishes them from their peers. High school teachers and admissions officers frequently comment on how poised and articulate our students are and how capable they are as communicators.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR
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COMMUNITY MINDED ACDS students are encouraged to understand community in both local and global terms. They take an active role in the school community as classmates, leaders, mentors, and friends, and find ways to have a positive impact on communities, here in Alexandria and throughout the world.
Zethan Zethan bounds up the front steps eager to begin his day in Kindergarten. He is greeted warmly by the Heads of Lower and Middle School at the front door, as well as many students and staff on his way to his classroom. Later, while walking to Spanish class, Zethan sees his eighth grade buddy in the hallway, exclaims “Hi, Davis!�, and receives an enthusiastic greeting and high five in return. These daily social interactions with adults, classmates, and older students let Zethan know that he is safe, known, and valued at ACDS. At ACDS, the social and emotional well-being of all our students is of primary importance. One simply has to walk into a classroom or see students interacting with one another at recess or in the hallway to feel the nurturing and supportive climate. Character education and building self-esteem are woven in throughout the school day through the use of Responsive Classroom in the Lower School and Developmental Designs in the Middle School. Lower School students begin their day with a morning meeting in which every child is greeted
by name. There is also an activity meant to teach a certain social skill or strengthen the classroom community. In the Middle School, students are assigned an advisor and meet with their small advisory group of approximately ten students first period each morning. These meetings are used for Circle of Power and Respect (CPR). A key component of the Developmental Designs program, CPR periods are carefully designed to give students and teachers opportunities to engage in conversations and activities that build character and community. The sessions explore challenging questions our students face as they consider their role in their school, their community, and the larger world around them. Combined with the informal interactions that take place during the day, teachers and students have significant time each day to build strong relationships that help them grow. The sense of community is also fostered through our buddy program in which older students become mentors to their younger peers. Buddies participate in a variety of activities together throughout the year, including service learning projects and a joint art/technology field trip.
COMMUNITY MINDED
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Kirsten In a bustling cafeteria, Kirsten and some of her classmates are gathered around a funnel station, working together to package meals for hungry children around the world. This annual activity, where the entire school community works together to package 20,000 meals for Stop Hunger Now, has quickly become one of Kirsten’s favorite mornings at ACDS. As a sixth grade member of the service learning leadership group, M.U.S.C.L.E, Kirsten not only participates in ACDS’s many service learning projects, she helps to plan and organize them. Service learning at ACDS is a thoughtful program of investigation, planning, action, and reflection that allows students and teachers to address authentic community needs while deepening their RESEARCH COMMUNITY NEEDS understanding of the world around them. Each SERVICE grade chooses a theme for the year and begins LEARNING with an “investigation” stage, where they AT ACDS research community needs related to their DEVELOP & IMPLEMENT A theme. As they develop and implement their PLAN OF ACTION plans for action, the students share their learning with each other and the school community at large. In addition to these thoughtful and comprehensive student-led projects, there is an SHARE LEARNING WITH all-school half-day of service in November and an allACDS COMMUNITY school full-day of service in April, and we enjoy occasional opportunities for one-time community service projects as well. SELECT AN ANNUAL THEME
THESE ARE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF THE WORK OUR STUDENTS HAVE DONE. Kindergarten and first graders conducted a fall food drive and filled 50 bags of food each month for Blessings in a Backpack.
Third graders organized two blood drives for INOVA Hospital and made goodie bags for children being treated for cancer at INOVA. Seventh graders organized a shoe drive that collected over 1,000 pairs of shoes for people in Honduras.
Second and fifth graders cleaned up parks in Alexandria.
Eighth graders helped prepare a meal at DC Central Kitchen.
Fourth graders organized a book drive to help an ACDS alumna build a library at a girls’ school in Pakistan.
Sixth and third graders collected food at local grocery stores for ALIVE! and helped sort food at the ALIVE! warehouse.
COMMUNITY MINDED
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BALANCED
In today’s world, children are too often asked to focus on achievement and their academic work at the exclusion of all else. At ACDS, we nurture a balanced approach to learning and to life, providing an exceptional academic program that is infused with ample time for play, artistic expression, and physical fitness.
BALANCED
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Astrid As afternoon recess begins, Astrid quickly scrambles to the top of the Spacenet on the front lawn. From her high perch, she sees her schoolmates swinging in the basket swings, playing ball on the Sport Court, and playing chess on the giant chessboard. For morning recess, she chose to join a high-energy soccer game over on the field. Tomorrow, she may choose to head to the back playground. She loves having a variety of spaces to pick from for her twice-daily recess periods. Play and learning are intimately intertwined at our students’ ages (at any age really, but especially in Kindergarten through eighth grade). Children use play for physical development, but also for cognitive and social development. Solving
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RESOLVE CONFLICT
SOLVE PROBLEMS EXERT JUDGEMENT TEST LIMITSTHINK CREATIVELY
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Timothy To thunderous applause, Timothy and his castmates take their curtain call after a performance of The Little Prince. His hard work in drama class and after-school rehearsals showed in his fantastic portrayal of the title character. As a fifth grader, Timothy took advantage of every opportunity in the arts and athletics, joining the basketball team, and performing a rousing xylophone solo during the fifth & sixth grade band concert.
All students, K–8, receive regular instruction in P.E., music, drama, and art. Lower School students have twice-daily “specials� classes that rotate among art, music, drama, P.E., library, and Spanish. In Middle School, students study either art, music, or drama four days per week for an entire trimester. Fifth and sixth graders perform in the band the trimester they take music and have the opportunity to be a member of the cast of the fifth and sixth grade play. In grades seven and eight, students may perform in a play, in a musical, and with the seventh and eighth grade band. Middle School students have P.E. class four times per week and are invited to participate in our interscholastic athletic program. Fifth through eighth graders can participate in soccer, basketball, softball, and Ultimate Frisbee. Cross country, swimming, and tennis are open to students in grades four to eight. Our nocut policy promotes physical fitness through participation, and student-athletes gain experience in leadership and sportsmanship.
BALANCED
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P.E. AND ATHLETICS
THE ARTS
P.E. (K–8th) Soccer (5th–8th) Basketball (5th–8th) Softball (5th–8th) Ultimate Frisbee (5th–8th) Cross Country (4th–8th) Swimming (4th–8th) Tennis (4th–8th)
Art (K-8th) Music (K-8th) Drama (K-8th)
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AFTER ACDS ACDS works closely with each eighth grader and his or her family to facilitate the high school admissions process and find the best school for the student. Our current high-school-aged alumni are attending 38 different independent, public, Catholic, and boarding schools, including: Bishop Ireton High School Emma Willard School (NY) Episcopal High School The Field School Georgetown Visitation Gonzaga College High School Maret School Mercersberg Academy (PA) National Cathedral School Sidwell Friends School St. Albans School St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School T.C. Williams High School For a complete list, go to acdsnet.org/admissions/after-acds
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Zoha ‘15 (second from right) opens a school library in Pakistan. In 2014, Andrew ‘11 is awarded the rank of Eagle Scout in a ceremony held at ACDS. Dana ‘94 (middle) poses with Founding Head of School Joan Barton and retired teacher Anne Sullivan on a recent visit to ACDS.
Zoha
Andrew
Dana
As an ACDS seventh grader, Zoha chose to research and speak about girls’ education in Pakistan for her Speeches & Sweets speech. That speech, along with a passion for service nurtured at ACDS, inspired Zoha to continue to further her understanding of the challenges facing girls in Pakistan and take action. During her ninth grade year at Sidwell Friends School, she partnered with the ACDS fourth grade and members of her high school community to collect approximately 2,500 books. She used those books to build a library at a girls’ school in Pakistan in March 2016. With a friend, she has recently started an organization, HER, to support girls’ education around the world and set a goal to build four more libraries in 2016–2017.
Currently a double major in mathematics and computer science at the University of Chicago, Andrew developed his love of learning, especially in mathematics, during his nine years at ACDS. The foundation he built at ACDS, both academically and socially, allowed him to thrive during his high school years at St. Albans. Continuing his love of mathematics and science, he was captain of the J.E.T.S. team, a competitive physics and chemistry team, that won States each of his four years. He was also a successful member of the school’s math team. As a double varsity athlete in cross country and rowing, he helped lead the St. Albans rowing team to a Stotesbury Gold his senior year.
An accomplished educator and author, Dana attended St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School for high school and Georgetown University after her time at ACDS. She then received a Masters degree from Harvard University and a Doctorate of Education, Art and Art Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. A preschool teacher and researcher at Buckingham, Browne and Nichols School in Cambridge, MA, and the author of Everyday Artists: Inquiry and Creativity in the Early Childhood Classroom, Dana returned to ACDS in November 2014 to speak to current and retired faculty and staff. In her speech, she thanked her teachers for inspiring her career path and for teaching her to ask, “What might be possible?”
Siddiqui ‘15
Vallaster ‘11
Frantz Bentley ‘94
TUITION & FEES
for the 2017–18 school year
TUITION Kindergarten–Grade 3 . . $28,500 Grades 4–8 . . . . . . . . . . . $30,800 FEES Bus Service (yearly) . . . . . . $1,600 one way $2,140 round-trip Hot Lunch Program . . . . . . Fees vary based on usage AM/PM Care . . . . . . . . . . . Fees vary based on usage For current fees for the hot lunch program or for AM/PM care, please email Robert Powers, Business Manager, at rpowers@acdsnet.org. DEPOSIT AND PAYMENT PLANS Upon enrollment, a non-refundable $1,000 deposit is due, along with a signed contract, on or before March 16, 2018. Families may select one of the following payment plans; the deposit is deducted from the balance due: Annual Payment
Payment in full, due on or before July 1
Trimester Plan
Three payments due June, September, and January
Monthly Payments Ten equal payments beginning in June FINANCIAL AID ACDS provides $610,000 in need-based financial aid to 26% of its families each year. Alexandria Country Day School does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, or national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid program, or any other school-administered programs.
2400 Russell Road, Alexandria, VA 22301 703.548.4804 www.acdsnet.org
ADMISSIONS TIMELINE for the 2018–19 school year
DEADLINES To apply for admission to ACDS, please visit our website at www.acdsnet.org. January 12, 2018
Application due
January 31, 2018
Supplemental application materials due: Teacher Recommendation(s) (one for K–1; two for grades 2–8) Transcripts/School Records Completed Testing—applicants must take the WPPSI IV (K –1), WISC V (1–5), SSAT (6–8), or ISEE (6–8)
January or February Parent Interview—please arrange with the Admissions Office once the application is submitted January or February Student Visit—the visit will be scheduled by the Admissions Office after the application has been received February 20, 2018
Financial Aid Application deadline
March 2, 2018
Admissions decisions sent
2017–18 OPEN HOUSES October 18, November 4, November 10, December 6 (Grades K–4), and January 9 (Grades 5–8) CONTACT Please contact Julie Lewis, Director of Admission and Financial Aid, at jlewis@acdsnet.org or 703.837.1303, to RSVP for an Open House or for more information.
2400 Russell Road, Alexandria, VA 22301 703.548.4804 www.acdsnet.org
For more information, to schedule a visit, or to apply, please visit www.acdsnet.org or call the admissions office at 703.837.1303.
2400 Russell Road
Alexandria, VA 22301
703.548.4804
www.acdsnet.org
Alexandria Country Day School does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, or national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid, or any other school-administered programs.