Pioneer Hills

My eldest child started at this school when she turned 2 years old in the Young Children's Community. She recently entered the Lower Elementary after completing Primary. My youngest child has attended this school since 6 months of age (in the Nido) and is now in the Primary classroom. The teachers and administration at this school are very attuned to the needs of each child and work to develop the whole child. Teachers provide regular formal conferences and in my experience have always been welcoming of informal conference requests. I love how much time all the children spend outside each day, the mixed age classrooms, and that each classroom fosters development of intrinsic motivation within each individual child. Each classroom is rich with learning materials and designed to be used independently by the children. The school also fosters a sense of community with families, offering informal gatherings and formal events for families throughout the year.

My family has been part of the Seneca Academy community for the last five years and I will forever be thankful to have found this special school. We fell in love with the school’s beautiful campus and small class sizes, but the greatest gift Seneca has given us is the way our kids feel known and valued every single day. They wake up happy to go to school and come home with smiles on their faces, having been engaged and challenged in a place that makes them feel safe, supported, and free to be themselves.We really value the teacher-to-student ratio and inquiry-based approach to learning because it allows teachers to meet each child where they are and nurture their strengths, while encouraging them to reach even further. We find the academics, particularly the early reading instruction and mathematics curriculum (former math teacher and current engineer here!), to be excellent. As a former teacher myself, I know how beneficial a love of learning is and am thrilled with the strong foundation Seneca is providing for my kids, not only in academics, but also in social-emotional growth, curiosity in the world around them, and confidence in themselves as people and learners.As parents, we’ve found something just as special – a real village. The community of teachers, staff, and fellow parents has given us friendship, support, and a shared sense of purpose as we raise our kids together. We feel lucky to have found a school where academic excellence goes hand in hand with such warmth and care.Another really important aspect of Seneca is the dedicated and supportive admin team. I’ve never hesitated to reach out with questions, concerns, or ideas and I feel that our family is known and valued by them, as well. We loved and appreciated the strengths of our previous head of school and are extremely excited and optimistic about the direction in which our new head of school is leading Seneca. As active members of this special community, we’ve met many families across different grades, and I am confident in saying that our positive experience at Seneca has been shared by each of them.If I have one complaint, it’s that our time at Seneca Academy won’t last forever – but I’m beyond thankful the memories, friendships, and academic & social-emotional growth will.

Saturday evening's annual Mary of Nazareth School Gala was yet another testament to the incredible things happening at our school every day. The more than 350 people in attendance proud to be a part of this great community and committed to its ongoing academic and spiritual excellence. We feel blessed to be led by Mr. Friel, our principal, and his assistant principal, Mrs. Schultz. Thanks, MON, for such an amazing evening!

My son was there for two years. 3s and Pre-K. We are from Spain so English is his second language (we came to the US when he was 2).At Pre-K during January the teacher recommended us to keep him one more year at Georgetown Hill as Kindergarden was going to be overwhelming for him and a feeling of failure would invade him. Well, they had 5 more months to make him be at the right level but they simply gave up on him. Maybe, they were just interested in have one more client, on more year or they are just not in the mood to work harder and make him be at the same level (my guess, the teacher should be retired) So, I taught him what they couldn`t (or wanted). One day, one of the assistant teachers told my husband "whatever you are doing with him, it is working". I just taught him letters and how to read them. Just what they didn't do at school. This year, 2019-2020, he has been in Kindergarden, he has been happier than ever. He got a P (profiency) on everything. I would not recommend this school.