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March 2023 by P R S.
While this school does have a few excellent teachers, the majority of this school is meant for the majority of the population, meaning that if your child excels in any way, be forewarned that Sundance will try to push your square peg into a round hole due to complacency and then gaslight you throughout the process. Gave them several years of chances, and in the end, they were unapologetically stifling our child's abilities, which is really inexcusable given the low student-teacher ratio. So many missed opportunities for them to do better! And they ask for suggestions but rarely take them - unless you are a "favored parent." Beyond that, they defend inappropriate and poor-performing teachers over concrete evidence of misconduct by teachers, as well as by students (they lie about it, too). Also note that, unless things have changed, they teach "inventive spelling", which means having your child go through several years of incorrectly spelling words before being corrected, which makes (re)learning to spell properly very difficult and frustrating. If you are considering this school, don't just drink the Kool-Aid: dig deeper and ask to speak with multiple parents of attendees (not just the cheerleaders) because it's definitely not what Jeff and Ginny created years ago.
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November 2022 by Gentle W.
I don't know if the original founders (I think the wife's name was Ginny) are still part of the school, but hope they see this. I tried to reach out to them a couple of times years ago, but they were non-responsive to my email or calls. And my son only went there for a short time. I think he did half a day at age 3 and four or 3 1/2 and 4 1/2. And yet it was still one of the most transformative and best educational experiences. This says a lot because my son ended up getting into Ivy League schools including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT and others. Sundance taught him things in that small but CRUCIAL time period that he never learned in school. Things like pointillism & how sewer pipes worked. They actually built models in the school auditorium. They were a model for the way every preschool in the United States should be run, but sadly isn't. I explored many preschools and it was a sad joke. I had a child who was doing 100 piece puzzles and they were doing 1 to 3 piece puzzles in most preschools. First, they didn't even have more advanced puzzles for those students ready for them. What's the point of entering school if your child has already maximize the potential of what might be learned?! When I would ask how they would challenge my son, they were befuddled because they thought 1 to 3 piece puzzles or even 5 to 10 piece puzzles for the older kids were good enough. Then I visited Sundance. There they believed that little children were actually capable of extraordinary learning. And they taught in a way that the children in fact learned. It wasn't just my child who may have been born innately gifted. Every child in that room came out of there better than they went in. Hands-down. I still remember Miss Bobbi, his teacher. She was warm and had a quick sense of humor. She as well as the other teachers encouraged my son to do more challenging math puzzles. But for some reason he only wanted to do one or two of the supposedly easier ones. They gently allowed it while still encouraging him to try another puzzle. I don't know if it was the familiarity or if my son was working out something else in his head. All I can tell you is fast forward about 24 years, and my son graduated summa cum laude in mathematics from arguably the top university in the world! I don't give credit to my son's private school in middle school or elementary school. Or his magnet high school. I give credit to Sundance, and I can't imagine what he would have achieved had he actually stayed there for five or six years. However I think kindergarten what is the highest grade if they even had kindergarten.I can't imagine what kind of extraordinary things he would've learned or achieved had somebody created a school for ages five through 18 in the same vane (vein?) that his preschool years were. They didn't just teach basics. They didn't only have the kids ride around the tricycles during free time. They did this, but they did so much more! They talked about the planetary systems. They taught about art. They taught math and reading and everything else literally under the sun. And these were kids ages three and four. And they weren't all brilliant. But they were all capable of learning because a belief that children can learn is important and not dumb it down. By the time my son went to the public kindergarten he was so many light years ahead that we had to take him out and put him into a private school. I imagine many of the other Sundance graduates had the same issue. This is not necessarily a bad issue to have, however. I have no idea how the school has moved forward in the past 20 years but if it was anything like it was 23 years ago, I am so glad they stayed open. Some may wonder why I am writing a review 23 years after the fact. That's the whole point. This place made such an impression on my son and myself, that I remember them fondly over two decades later. Thank you to the teachers that were there back in approximately the years 1998 -2000. You were all kind and wise, a
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December 2020 by Phyllis Conneely
A wonderful school in so many ways. The staff, the teachers, the students and the patents all working together.
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December 2019 by Yanato Chin
This 103 year old lady taught here
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December 2019 by Anokhi Sharma
I love this school so much. I went here since Stars and the teachers and the students were very cooperative, patient, and kind. I had such a wonderful time at Sundance. I would always come to school with a smile on my face and I would say “I am ready to go to school, I can’t wait to see my friends and teachers.” I can’t even put this school into words it just makes me so glad that all the teachers believed in me and in the other students. And when something was wrong they helped us through it. And it made everyone so much happier and they went home and said “I had the best day at school.” It makes parents very happy for their child to say how much they are enjoying school. But it’s not just that, the curriculum is just outstanding. I loved the theater programs they had. Also there camps I highly recommended. There is a theater camp and a art camp. In the theater camp they have choices of 4 plays that you can sign up for and in the art camp you get to express your inner artist. I really love the creativity and community of this school. Of all the schools I have ever been to Sundance was the best. Sundance is my 2nd home. Everyone there I thought as my family, because of how they treat you and also how there is a balance of education and arts. Sundance will always be in heart. And forever my home.
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December 2018 by heh h
This school was amazing! I went here years ago, and was lucky enough to send my daughter here. The trust and love I have for the staff I cannot put into words. The education is very well structured and in an environment where your child is always thriving at all phases of the school year. I love this school so much and would highly recommend to any parent who cares about their children's education and trusting who cares for their children!
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December 2017 by Nancy Medwid
Sundance is a great school. My son absolutely loves it. They foster the arts and theatre as well as academics. He is truly having a wonderful experience and loves going to school every day.
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December 2016 by Fred T. Whale
I would be very careful when considering this school.Positive:- I will say that my child did get the attention, classroom flexibility, and education that we were promised.- There are several excellent teachers in the school.Negative:- Since the founders sold the school several years ago (5?), the school has been struggling to redefine itself.- There has been a new principal almost every year.- Politics are high among the parents and within the administration (vyying for positions of influence).- Clear favoritism within the theatre program (the children openly acknowledge it)
