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Forum -> Chinuch, Education & Schooling
Tehillas Chaya Sara in Lakewood-info needed
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amother
Seagreen


 

Post Tue, Aug 08 2017, 9:35 am
Hi, I'm trying to find info about this school. They are actively recruiting us (I know this sounds strange in Lakewood, but given the situation-which I don't want to discuss-it makes sense).

What can you tell me about it? Some things I'd like to know:

-Do they have an 8th grade yet? If not, what is highest grade they have?

-Number of parallel classes

-Size of classes

-How well do they deal with kids that don't fit in the box?

-How are the academics? How do they deal with kids who are very bright? Kids that are slower?

-Who is the principal? How involved are they with the girls?

-Who owns the school? How much are they involved in the decision making?

-What "type" of families send there? Is tznius an issue? Is there a need to 'keep up with the cohens'?

And anything else you think a parent considering the school should know.

Thanks so much!

Sorry for being anonymous but it's necessary given the circumstances.
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Chayalle




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Aug 08 2017, 11:36 am
They are a full school thru 8th grade. They have two parallel classes in the younger grades, but not all the older grades. Normal class sizes (not overly large). I think their box is bigger than some other Lakewood schools, in terms of how they deal with kids out of the box - but there certainly are standards for parents and students that must be followed.

The academics are okay/standard but slightly lower than some of Lakewood's more academic schools, like Bais Faiga and Bnos Yaakov, for example.

The staff is very warm and accessible. I've attended two graduations for nieces in TCS and was impressed with the warm and personal relationship the principal has with the students.
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amother
Seagreen


 

Post Tue, Aug 08 2017, 1:20 pm
Chayalle, thanks! That's great info.

Do you know the oldest grade that has parallel?

Also, what do you mean by normal size class. Is that 20? 25? 30?
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amother
Seagreen


 

Post Wed, Aug 09 2017, 7:19 am
Does anyone have any more info?
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Chayalle




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 09 2017, 7:26 am
I believe the oldest grade does have a parallel - there will be two eighth grade classes this year. Normal class size in Lakewood would usually be 20-25. 30 would be big!
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amother
Seagreen


 

Post Wed, Aug 09 2017, 6:51 pm
Anyone else have any info?
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energybar




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Aug 09 2017, 8:02 pm
I work very part time in the school but will try to answer ur questions.
There are no parallel classes, although 8th grade used to be two classes but two years ago, they put them together. So now, there are approx 32 kids in the class. All other classes have one class per grade. The number of students per class varies but safe to say there are approximately 24 girls per class, some less. It definitely has a name of being more open-minded and my impression is that some parents there are more liberal (non Jewish movies is ok..) but some are more plain simple yishivish folks. (I can always tell who comes from a good home.., when they have good middos...)
Is tznius an issue? For who? There's a uniform and starting from 6th, (possibly 7th) Tights! As far as other times, Kids usually mimic what they see at home. So, setting a good example will help. I don't see the kids often enough to know if they feel pressure of keeping up, (def. no great emphasis) though prob depends on the class.. maybe in the older grades (trending... hunter boots, etc..)
The principal, Mrs. Bressler and Mrs. Raizik are amazing, warm and respected by the students. They take an interest in each student progress and accomplishments. There's nice programs and extra curricular throughout the yr. Hope this helps.
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amother
Seagreen


 

Post Thu, Aug 10 2017, 5:30 am
Thanks Energybar! That was very helpful.

These are my specific tznius questions (and they might not be 'deal-breakers', I just like to know what the reality is, and since it's the summer, I can't just go look):

Is the tights rule actually enforced? (I've seen lots of schools where it's not)

Are the uniform skirts generally long enough? (I've noticed that even in the 'better' schools this is becoming an issue)

Do the mothers dress appropriately when they come to school? (even just for pick-up/drop-off)
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debsey




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 10 2017, 10:20 am
amother wrote:
Thanks Energybar! That was very helpful.

These are my specific tznius questions (and they might not be 'deal-breakers', I just like to know what the reality is, and since it's the summer, I can't just go look):

Is the tights rule actually enforced? (I've seen lots of schools where it's not)

Are the uniform skirts generally long enough? (I've noticed that even in the 'better' schools this is becoming an issue)

Do the mothers dress appropriately when they come to school? (even just for pick-up/drop-off)


Depends what you mean by these things.

Tights rule is not as tightly enforced as in other schools, but it's there. Uniform skirts are same as anywhere in Lakewood.

What do you mean by dressed appropriately? shoulder length sheitel, pearls and a twinset? (Gloves optional)?

From what I've seen (I have a neighbor and a friend who send there) maybe a bit more casual than other Lakewood schools, but definitely tznius.
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amother
Seagreen


 

Post Thu, Aug 10 2017, 5:37 pm
debsey wrote:
Depends what you mean by these things.

Tights rule is not as tightly enforced as in other schools, but it's there. Uniform skirts are same as anywhere in Lakewood.

What do you mean by dressed appropriately? shoulder length sheitel, pearls and a twinset? (Gloves optional)?

From what I've seen (I have a neighbor and a friend who send there) maybe a bit more casual than other Lakewood schools, but definitely tznius.


Thank you!

In terms of the tights, in some schools the rule is totally ignored, in some it's basically followed but 'rule-breakers' are ignored, and in some it is strictly enforced (with 'rule-breakers' calling home or being provided with tights to change into). I assumed TCS did not fall into the 3rd category, the question was which of the 1st 2 was closer to it's reality.

The uniform skirt length is the same problem all over town but the better the tights rule is enforced the less people notice it (ie in the schools that REQUIRE tights even from younger grades the shortness of the skirts is there but not as easily noticed because you aren't seeing skin between socks and skirt).

(eta: BTW there is (at least) one school in town that could (almost) meet your criteria for appropriate mothers' dress- and, years ago, I was told not to apply there if I would wear more casual clothing to pick up my daughter)

In terms of the mothers, I was referencing tznius, sorry if I wasn't clear. For example, are they wearing socks/stockings, are their skirts long enough, tops (and skirts) not too tight, etc.? Basically I've seen some schools around town where the mothers are suffering from 'hot Chanie syndrome' and aren't embarrassed to come to school in those outfits.
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debsey




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 10 2017, 9:31 pm
amother wrote:
Thank you!

In terms of the tights, in some schools the rule is totally ignored, in some it's basically followed but 'rule-breakers' are ignored, and in some it is strictly enforced (with 'rule-breakers' calling home or being provided with tights to change into). I assumed TCS did not fall into the 3rd category, the question was which of the 1st 2 was closer to it's reality.

The uniform skirt length is the same problem all over town but the better the tights rule is enforced the less people notice it (ie in the schools that REQUIRE tights even from younger grades the shortness of the skirts is there but not as easily noticed because you aren't seeing skin between socks and skirt).

(eta: BTW there is (at least) one school in town that could (almost) meet your criteria for appropriate mothers' dress- and, years ago, I was told not to apply there if I would wear more casual clothing to pick up my daughter)

In terms of the mothers, I was referencing tznius, sorry if I wasn't clear. For example, are they wearing socks/stockings, are their skirts long enough, tops (and skirts) not too tight, etc.? Basically I've seen some schools around town where the mothers are suffering from 'hot Chanie syndrome' and aren't embarrassed to come to school in those outfits.


Something tells me that the school is not for you. Even if you'd fit in, you'd be hyper-conscious of those elements.
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energybar




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Aug 10 2017, 10:29 pm
It's not all the mothers across the board but I've definitely seen some mothers come pick up in more trendier clothes. As far as I know the tights rule is followed very well by the students and there may even be some kind of contest that the girls are motivated but most do not need that. There will be sometimes one or two girls that don't follow the rule but that's in every school I think.
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amother
Seagreen


 

Post Thu, Aug 10 2017, 11:04 pm
debsey wrote:
Something tells me that the school is not for you. Even if you'd fit in, you'd be hyper-conscious of those elements.


I know it doesn't sound that way, but these things don't necessarily bother me (although you are right, I do tend to notice), the reason I'm asking is because we are being told certain things as a reason to come there and I want to know how true they are. I'm very happy where we are, but there are some issues. Someone is trying to tell us that TCS has the positives of where we are, without some of the issues. I'm trying to find out how true that is.

Are the girls there happy to go to school? (Even the older grades). Do they feel loved/cared about there? Are the teachers happy?
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Chayalle




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Aug 11 2017, 7:02 am
amother wrote:
I know it doesn't sound that way, but these things don't necessarily bother me (although you are right, I do tend to notice), the reason I'm asking is because we are being told certain things as a reason to come there and I want to know how true they are. I'm very happy where we are, but there are some issues. Someone is trying to tell us that TCS has the positives of where we are, without some of the issues. I'm trying to find out how true that is.

Are the girls there happy to go to school? (Even the older grades). Do they feel loved/cared about there? Are the teachers happy?


I know my niece was very happy there, and the staff really looked out for her. When it got to high school, she was accepted to 2 of her 3 choices - I really think the school went to bat for her (she's a very good kid).
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amother
Amethyst


 

Post Fri, Aug 11 2017, 7:21 am
I did hear that this year A lot of girls from TCS did not get into high schools.
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amother
Brunette


 

Post Wed, Sep 19 2018, 10:10 pm
What is the current situation wth high schools for them? Do they get accepted, and to which schools?

And what type is the crowd, in terms of economic status, tznius, exposure to technology and non-Jewish culture?
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amother
Mistyrose


 

Post Wed, Sep 19 2018, 10:18 pm
As a parent there it’s definitely a lot of wealthier/very comfortable people. The tznius of a lot of the mothers is shvach and outside of school there are girls in short skirts and leggings. Unfortunately there is a lot of exposure to technology. There are girls in my daughters class who have a chat. I find that totally unacceptable. The teachers and principals have the warmth and frumkeit but the parent body isn’t the greatest in that department.
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amother
Brunette


 

Post Wed, Sep 19 2018, 10:20 pm
amother wrote:
As a parent there it’s definitely a lot of wealthier/very comfortable people. The tznius of a lot of the mothers is shvach and outside of school there are girls in short skirts and leggings. Unfortunately there is a lot of exposure to technology. There are girls in my daughters class who have a chat. I find that totally unacceptable. The teachers and principals have the warmth and frumkeit but the parent body isn’t the greatest in that department.


I really feel for you!

Prob a stupid question but you're not ransferring out of there because it's hard to get into any other place?

ETA: is ateres Tziporah different in all the aspects that you've mentioned?
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amother
Orange


 

Post Tue, Sep 24 2019, 8:05 am
Can anyone give me updated information on this school? What highschools do the girls usually get into?
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Chayalle




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Sep 24 2019, 8:16 am
I don't think the info in this thread is outdated with regard to the school.

The majority of girls from TCS go to Bnos Bais Yaakov. A few girls in each grade will get into Oros or Bais Kaila (or both).
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