Bais Fagia H.S. | Imamother

amother

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 3:49 am

This year Bais Fagia is really going to start a High School.

I was reading the TLS and it seams that they are not accepting everyone. Only girls who have no older sisters. It also seams that even if you have no older sisters it is not a for sure that you will get in.

My question is:

How can they say they are Bais Fagia High School if they are not accepting everyone?
While I hear the argument that they can't start off so big, I understand not accepting girls that have big sisters, I don't understand not accepting girls that don't.

Did I just read the TLS wrong?

amother

Olive

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 4:23 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

My understanding is their chance for success is much stronger if they start with 60 girls in 2 parallel classes rather then 6 parallel classes with 180 girls from the start.
If they start to big they may fail which also helps no one.
I think they are being realistic about how hard it may be to get a solid school started from scratch.

amother

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 5:12 am

amother [ Olive ] wrote:

This will only work if they only have about 60 girls with out older sisters.

If they have more then that I pity anyone who has their oldest girl in Bais Fagia this year.

If their daughter does not get into the new school they are not getting their daughter into another school.

Simple1

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 5:18 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

This is just a guess, but I think they will take it on a case by case basis, and would accept that girl. The general guidelines were made to narrow it down to begin with.

keym

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 5:21 am

I had a conversation with Mrs Epstein a while back that probably explains why.
Years ago (12/15) there were only some schools. New ones were not really opening. Instead Bais Faiga opened parallel classes and occasionally one of the other schools did also. I'm talking when Bnos Devorah opened.
Bais Faiga hit 10 classes and couldn't open more. Bais Anya wasn't built yet. They physically didn't have room. They couldn't accept all the girls that needed to come. Massive crisis.
My daughter was in kindergarten that year and (she's now in 10th) and it was crazy.

After that, new elementary schools started popping up. Shiras Chaim, Bnos EM, then Moreshes, Chain, Nachalas, etc, etc, etc.

If Bais Faiga commits this year to taking all "oldest girls", then who's going to go to Bnos Basya- help it find it's footing and become a great school? And Meiras- the other new school? And the amazing existing schools like Bais Kaila rely on taking some new students each year so they don't become old and stagnant.

By Bais Faiga stating straight out that they won't accept everyone, they're actually being forward thinking and allowing other schools the ability to open and flourish.

Chayalle

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 5:35 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

BTW this is not technically correct. I received the letter (I have an 8th grader in BF) and it says girls who don't currently have older sisters IN HIGH SCHOOL can apply.

(so technically my DD - youngest in my family - can apply. Her older sisters are out of high school already. )

I think they will gradually become a BF high school. They are thinking smartly, not wanting to collapse existing schools, or as keym said, allowing other new schools to flourish.

I do hope, though, that BF students will continue to be able to go to other high schools in town. As a mother I can say that a BF high school would've been a dream for some of my girls - who were so happy in 8th grade and wished they didn't have to part from their friends and start over - and a disappointment for others, who look forward to a change.

amother

Cherry

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 6:13 am

Since Bais Faiga is talking about opening another girls' school I sure hope they plan for this to be one very large high school. I find it worrying that they aren't guaranteeing acceptance because does that mean some girls form BF will be left without a school?

Chayalle

Mon, Oct 25 2021, 6:20 am

amother [ Cherry ] wrote:

I hope they don't plan on it being a very large high school. If need be, they should open additional high schools. Girls thrive in smaller, not larger, high schools.

They aren't guaranteeing acceptance, but think of it this way. At least 60 additional students will have a school this year I"YH. And as they continue to grow, hopefully this number will increase, probably double at least (they plan for a max of 4-5 classes, and I don't think a high school should be bigger than that.)

Not everyone in BF wants to go to a BF high school, so BF will continue to feed into other high schools as well.

amother

Tue, Oct 26 2021, 10:06 am

keym-
I don't agree with you. Bais Fagia might be the big "Behemoth" in town. But, there are a lot of other schools now. I would not be surprised if there are more then 60 girls that need a high school this year then last year. Your reasoning is that if Bais Fagia does not send to other High Schools the other High Schools will suffer, is not based on realty because there are many other places in town. I believe that this year there are 2 schools that are having there first 8th grade and another one or 2 that added another class. So there are plenty of girls that need a place this year.

Chayalle-
Once a school starts a high school good luck getting into another high school, other places do not want to take you, because why should they take someone that has a place when there are so many girls that don't? If Bais Fagia will not take every girl with out an older sister in their new school, then they are going to have a big problem on there hands come next September, when there girls will not have a school. What are they going to do then? Why are they causing there own girls to have a big grudge against them?

Cherry-
Some of the problems that some schools have is because they grew so big to fast. High schools need to have a different system when you have 60 girls a grade and 160 girls a grade, trying to run a big school like a small school is asking for problems. I do agree with you that they should start now with preparing to be big instead of it happening with out preparation.