Applying to McGillis

After you complete the demographic information for your child and family, there are 8 questions for you to answer about your child.  This is your opportunity to let us know about your child through your eyes. The more detailed the information, the better our admissions committee will understand your child.

Your child has their own portion of our application to complete!

Below are the questions we ask applicants.  You will see these same questions in the Admissions Portal and will upload their responses directly to your child’s application checklist items.

If applying for the Middle School (grades 6 - 8) please respond to all of the questions below:

• What is your favorite academic subject and why?
• What are your favorite activities and/or sports and why?
• What is your favorite book or magazine?  Please write a paragraph explaining why.
• Describe the most memorable thing that has happened to you.
• Describe the most difficult challenge that you have ever had to face and how you responded to it.

Through the Admissions Portal you will enter your child’s current teacher’s email and the teacher will be automatically sent the teacher recommendation form.  You will receive an email once the teacher has completed the form.

Further instructions on how to submit the recommendation are available via your online account. 

Upload your most current report card/progress report from your child’s current school.  If there are no records, please type up a quick document stating that there are no school records available/your child has not attended a preschool that has formal school records and upload to your child’s application checklist items. 

After all the required admissions materials are completed in Veracross, Admissions staff will schedule a visit day on campus.  This visit day will provide the opportunity for us to observe your child interacting with others, engage with the curriculum in our classrooms, have an interview with the Middle School Director and complete an evaluation of reading, writing, and math skills.  A candidate’s evaluation results from this visit are only one of several items that are given consideration during the admission process.  McGillis is equally concerned with a child as a person as with a child as a student.

After you complete the demographic information for your child and family, there are 8 questions for you to answer about your child.  This is your opportunity to let us know about your child through your eyes. The more detailed the information, the better our admissions committee will understand your child.

Your child has their own portion of our application to complete!

Below are the questions we ask applicants.  You will see these same questions in the Admissions Portal and will upload their responses directly to your child’s application checklist items.

If applying for grades K – 2, please select one of the following topics:

(Parents! Please write an explanation of your child’s drawing for the admissions committee if necessary)

• Write about or draw a picture of something you like to do when you are not in school
• Write about or draw a picture of a time when you were happy

If applying for grades 3-5 please select ONE of the following topics:

• Write about a time in your life when you felt successful.  Describe why you felt this time period was successful.
• Write about something you like to do when you are not in school.  Describe why you enjoy this activity.

If applying for the Middle School (grades 6 - 8) please respond to all of the questions below:

• What is your favorite academic subject and why?
• What are your favorite activities and/or sports and why?
• What is your favorite book or magazine?  Please write a paragraph explaining why.
• Describe the most memorable thing that has happened to you.
• Describe the most difficult challenge that you have ever had to face and how you responded to it.

Through the Admissions Portal you will enter your child’s current teacher’s email and the teacher will be automatically sent the teacher recommendation form.  You will receive an email once the teacher has completed the form.

If you have a Kindergartener and your child has not attended a preschool, please send the form to another adult who has had the opportunity to see your child in a setting outside the home and with other children, such as a coach, church or synagogue class, gymnastics program teacher, etc.

Further instructions on how to submit the recommendation are available via your online account. 

Upload your most current report card/progress report from your child’s current school.  If there are no records, please type up a quick document stating that there are no school records available/your child has not attended a preschool that has formal school records and upload to your child’s application checklist items. 

Neuropsychological testing is an in-depth assessment of skills and abilities linked to brain function.  The evaluation measures such areas as attention, problem solving, memory, language, I.Q., visual spatial skills, academic skills, and social-emotional functioning.  The benefit of the evaluation, and the diagnoses and recommendations that come along with it, is that it allows other treating professionals, teachers, and parents or guardians to better understand why your child may be having difficulty in specific areas.  The evaluation will provide recommendations for the types of interventions or treatments that may be effective and appropriate, given your child’s specific set of strengths and weaknesses. 

An IEP is a map that lays out the program of special education instruction, supports, and services a student receives to make progress in a public school. The term IEP is also used to refer to the written plan that spells out the specific types of help a student receives.  Both the program and the written plan are covered by special education law, or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). A student must be tested through a special education program at a public school/district to determine qualification for these services. 

A 504 plan has two main purposes.  One is about removing barriers for students with disabilities in public schools.  The second is to protect students and adults with disabilities from discrimination in school settings and beyond. 

At times, 504 plans can be confused with IEPs.  They are not the same.  Special education is special instruction for students who need more than the standard classroom instruction. A 504 plan, on the other hand, is about making sure the classroom fits how a student learns. A 504 plan is not to change what a student learns.  It’s to change how the student learns. A student will read the same books, do the same math, and work on the same material as other kids.  But the student may be doing it a little differently.

After all the required admissions materials are approved by The Learning Center Director, Admissions staff will schedule a visit day on campus with TLC Director and teachers.  This visit day will provide the opportunity for us to observe your child interacting with others, engaging with the curriculum, and be evaluated by a specialist in our Center.  A candidate’s evaluation results from this visit are only one of several items that are given consideration during the admission process.  McGillis is equally concerned with a child as a person as with a child as a student.