Baltimore- new girls school

amother

Clover ↓

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 8:15 am

amother Seagreen wrote:

Posts like this get me so mad about Baltimore. Everyone's all into the beauty of it not being separated, achdus blah blah but it's one sided. Beth Tefiloh and OCA can have their own schools, more modern than BY and Bnos, Chabad can have their own school, Chasidish can have their own school, but if chas v'shalom the more yeshivish, right wing want a frummer school than BY (and gasp there are actually real people living here who strongly feel BY is to the LEFT) we are called out for wanting a different mihalech. WE have to be open minded and accepting and expose our children to things we'd rather not, but but that doesn't apply to the above mentioned schools. Sorry, that's called misguided achdus at best.

And to the poster who asked why someone would want to live here if they don't feel BY and Bnos are frum enough is just dripping with sinas chinum. You obviously don't feel everyone is welcome here- only those who share YOUR hashkafos.

I have a sibling who wants to move to Baltimore so badly. There's 2 of us here so far and the ONLY thing stopping her is the fact that there is no right wing BY here. Her boys would attend TI in a second. If you really want to promote achdus let's welcome all of klal yisroel to Baltimore and not fit everyone into the same box. There's shivim panim latorah- not just your brand of it. Baltimore is a beautiful city and coming from in town I appreciate so much about it but I'm so tired of hearing about the achdus when it only works one way.

There is a difference between opening a more right-wing school with inclusive admissions, and opening a more right-wing school with exclusive admissions.

Do Beth Tefiloh and OCA reject kids from yeshivish families? I am guessing that yeshivish families don't send there because they don't want what those schools offer, not because the schools exclude them.

amother

↑ cornflower

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 8:41 am

amother Cyclamen wrote:

Quote:

There are girls in BY and bnos that talk about movies and have smart phones. I would move to Baltimore but there’s no school like my Lakewood school and I don’t want my kids exposed to movies, internet, Netflix YouTube, smart phones and the leggings with no socks look. My girls always wear knee socks or tights and are not exposed to internet or movies.

I grew up in Baltimore, and graduated over 25 years ago. So I will agree times have changed. But I had some very modern girls in my class who because the school is so mixed, landed with the right friends and became way "frummer" than their family. In one case that comes to mind, she married a guy who learned in kollel and now her married son is in Kollel. This could only happen in a school like Bais Yaakov of Baltimore.

I don't know Bais Yaakov rules, but Bnos has rules about socks. Officially they don't allow leggings under the uniform (but I can't say the rule is never broken, but it's really a tiny # of kids) I have no clue which families have internet or watch movies as it's just not really brought up amongst my daughters friends. The parents on their own made a rule in my kids class that no technology be used at all when friends are over.

I heard more information about the new school over the weekend. I did not hear it 1st hand so take it as you may...The vaad harabanim of Baltimore is not allowing a more yeshivish high school to open. It would have all the other schools require re-admissions for their high school, causing issues like in Lakewood where girls don't have a school because they are closed out.

They are started with preschool maybe 1st grade. They can work their way up the grades including high school (but cannot start with high school). They were told by the vaad Harabanim, that they CANNOT turn away kids of other hashkafos based on hashkafa, but they can make strict rules that will be less of interest in the less yeshivish chevra such as no internet period in the house. The rumor is that the new kollelim in town plan to send their kids there.

If there is no internet period, it will be an issue if the wives work from home.

Even most Lakewood schools don't have a no internet period rule. There is usually a heter for Parnassah and you need strict filtering from TAG

amother

↑ Violet

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 9:05 am

amother Pewter wrote:

Your kids will be exposed to all sorts of looks and people in Baltimore, as the community is very diverse. In general I think families are respectful of technology use when friends are over. Even if you send to a certain school, there will be neighbors around with different hashkafos.

amother

↑ Wheat ↓

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 9:09 am

amother Pewter wrote:

If you think this is only a girls school issue, I have a bridge to sell you. Boys also discuss this.
How are you so sure BY isn’t like your Lakewood school? Are you basing this on facts or rumors? BY has a knee socks only rule and no one wears leggings with no socks, or leggings with socks unless specified to do so. (And when they go on trips let’s say to climb zone and are asked to bring leggings, they have to wear knee socks over the leggings.) I’m pretty sure they don’t allow smart phones either. If something isn’t in the dress code or not mentioned, it’s because no one does it or has it so it doesn’t even have to be mentioned.

amother

↑ Pewter

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 9:38 am

amother cornflower wrote:

Even most Lakewood schools don't have a no internet period rule. There is usually a heter for Parnassah and you need strict filtering from TAG

I never said no internet at all. I said my kids don’t watch videos on the computer. We have a strong filter and password so no YouTube or Netflix. We have email on the computer and miscrosoft word if the kids need to type reports. I would also want a school where the rule is only cholev yisroel but not everyone is makpid on yoshon or pas yisroel

amother

↑ Wheat ↓

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 10:12 am

amother Pewter wrote:

BY is only CY and only serves yoshon and PY. No one is allowed to bake anything at home.
Have you read BY’s technology policy? Sounds to me your going on rumors, not facts.

amother

↑ Cyclamen ↓

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 10:32 am

Quote:

Do you think they would actually have a rule that you cannot have Internet at all?

We want to move to Baltimore and DH would want a drummer school... But we do have Internet, filtered, but it still exists in my house. Do you think the new school would be that strict with it?
Just curious

no clue. I didn't hear it 1st hand.

But like other mentioned, you never know what your neighbors do. So even if they have internet policies you like, would you ban your kid from playing with neighbors?

amother

↑ Cyclamen ↓

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 10:34 am

Quote:

Garbage can come in forms of emails too.

amother

↑ Cyclamen ↓

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 10:36 am

Quote:

I believe all the mainstream schools serve CY. Most serve everyone yoshon or at least have a yoshon option. All outside packaged food (home baking is not allowed) brought in for the class (ie a party) must be CY too if milchig.

When my kids go to friends I always get asked if we keep CY or any other restrictions.

amother

↑ Wheat ↓

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 10:37 am

amother Cyclamen wrote:

Quote:

Garbage can come in forms of emails too.

And texts, and all sorts of ways!
I’ve even been in frum stores where they have videos playing for kids to watch while the parents are shopping. Outside ideas etc can even come in thru little kids shows. The outside world is crazy!

amother

↑ Cyclamen ↓

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 10:40 am

none of the baltimore schools are exclusively yeshivish. But there are many many yeshivish families that send to the local schools (by, bnos, ta, ti and yts) and are happy there. I'm sure if you looked into it for 2 minutes, you could get a list of names and talk to them directly.

Some are old time baltimore, but many are not. I know a bunch off hand that moved here because their husbands got rebbe positions and send their girls to BY. I've spoken to some directly and bh they are very happy.

Please do your research before making assumptions.

amother

↑ Jean ↓

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 10:51 am

amother Cyclamen wrote:

Agreed. And if you send your kids to our Baltimore community schools but want them to be a little more sheltered, then carefully pick your neighborhood and neighbors. Some neighborhoods that skew more yeshivish are: the labyrinth/clarinth/Williamson nieghborhood. The Gist area around Agudah of park heights, and the scotts hill neigbrhood near to TA where everyone is yeshivish (about 40 frum families a lot of whom are rebbeim.)
These neighborhoods tend to be less expensive too in general.

amother

↑ Wheat ↓

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 11:11 am

amother Jean wrote:

I wouldn’t make a blanket statement like that.
Rabbeim live everywhere.
The neighborhoods aren’t as cheap as they were.
Houses in some neighborhoods are listed for over a million, even by TA where not everyone is yeshivish, houses are listed for 400-500.
And just because the parents are yeshivish doesn’t mean the kids are. And the other way around too.

amother

↑ Cyclamen ↓

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 11:21 am

Quote:

She isn't saying there aren't exceptions, just a generalization. I live in one of those areas. We are JPF leaning yeshivish. Many/most in my area is yeshivish, but not everyone. And some very yeshivish have kids off the derech. But that could be anywhere. She's giving generalization of areas.

Yes they aren't "Cheap" anymore, but they are still cheaper than most other areas in Baltimore.

amother

↑ Jean

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 11:30 am

amother Cyclamen wrote:

Quote:

exactly. thanks for clarifying.

amother

↑ Clover

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 11:44 am

As someone in a smaller OOT community which has been growing rapidly, I am watching Baltimore with interest. Our community also has a mixed community approach. All our schools have a mix of families. Unlike Baltimore, we don't have any MO schools, but if we opened one, it would also be open to the entire community.

We have quite a few families here who don't allow their kids to watch non-Jewish videos or listen to non-Jewish music, just for example. But, from what I've seen, these families don't try to shelter their kids from befriending or playing with other kids who do consume these things.

So far, it seems that people who prioritize completely sheltering their kids from any interaction with less sheltered families don't move to our community in the first place or leave relatively quickly.

I worry about our community becoming more segregated and exclusive as it grows, and I've always looked to Baltimore as a model for coexistence on a large scale.

amother

↑ Seagreen

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 12:58 pm

I don't have a problem with the fact that BY has a diverse crowd.

My daughters BH are friends with the yeshivish crowd and there isn't mixing out of school. While TI is diverse too, the line is much smaller. In BY, there are mothers who don't wear socks or have some hair showing but I've never seen that crowd in TI. The diversity gamut does not run nearly as broad.

When I said some consider BY to be to the left, I didn't mean in terms of exposure to outside influences. I meant their policies of which many are more in line with the MO schools in the tri state area. They don't lean Tzioni but when people want a frummer school they mean one that implements right wing/yeshivish policies and hashkafos, which by the way will naturally attract a more yeshivish parent body- no need to exclude anyone. I think some people are just growing tired of hearing that a more right wing school can't open because it will detract from the achdus in town when we all know the achdus kvetch goes out the window when a school to the left wants to open. I'm hoping this new girls school really will implement more yeshivish hashkafos because I know people who would move here that could be a huge asset to the city.

Just want to add that even yeshivish schools in the tristate mostly don't ban internet altogether for the parents. Either they ban smartphones or there needs to be an approved filter. I think most schools understand that internet access in some capacity is becoming a necessity.

amother

Tuberose

Mon, Sep 09 2024, 1:34 pm

amother Seagreen wrote:

As a native Baltimorean. THIS. THIS. THIS.
Shout it from the rooftops!!