I am SO grateful we discovered Port Gardner School! My son is in 3rd grade here, and is taking (or…read morehas taken) Spanish, drama, and hands-on, environmental science, in addition to the subjects we do at home. The staff and teachers are wonderful and willing to go the extra mile to support homeschoolers (especially new ones, like us). They have great options for onsite classes, a vibrant PTSA, and all the community you hope for in a brick and mortar school. Port Gardner has helped me gain confidence, both in my choice to homeschool, and in teaching itself.

Wow this school is good! I have had two kids go to this school over the years and I really…read morerecommend it. They go above and beyond really the teacher my son has for kindergarten is the best she is so sweet caring and helpful I hope my younger son gets her lol I really really recommend this school

SMM Review I…read morecouldn't be more impressed by our teachers and staff at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic School. During this time of School Closure we have not missed a beat. Our kids lost only 1 day of instruction due to Covid-19. School was closed on Thursday and by Monday we were in class online. Over the remainder of our school year, our teachers provided wonderful content and in a time of such uncertainty they also provided continuity and routine to our days. Our 8th grader had regular class time every day...each of his teachers providing this regular class time on Google Meet through Google Classroom. He was given projects and assignments. When things proved a bit overwhelming, we had an online meeting with all his teachers, counselors and our principal to come up with a plan to help him through the rest of the year. We felt completely supported. Our 5th grader was given daily assignments. Complete with online video tutorials from her teachers. It was as if she was sitting right there in class. She was also so lucky as our amazing Music teacher provided Keyboarding and Guitar lessons for any of the 5th graders once a week through Zoom. I have had 4 kids at St. Mary Magdalen, 2 have graduated out and are thriving in high school. I have always loved our school community. I have always been so impressed by our amazing school staff. I know there are many wonderful teachers in this world. But there is a concentration of dedicated, talented, kind, teachers and staff at our school. As I have but one child left at SMM I look to the next few years, our last few years with both excitement and sadness as our time here will draw to a close. But I also know my children will move forward in their schooling with an amazing foundation brought to them by St. Mary Magdalen.

I moved from CA to WA in 2016 and needed to find a school for my daughters. I had one entering 2nd…read moregrade and one entering pre-K. We toured different catholic schools in the area and were blown away at SMM. I LOVE that there are 2 classes per grade, that helps because a bigger school can offer more extras. Like a new library and science room, new diversified learning center too. The principal is young and has great energy and lots of ideas for the school. And preschool!!!!! OH the preschool!!! Mrs D is AMAZING! She has the kids garden, play outside, do art, play in sand, and learn about God. They also get to go to the library and PE and music. It's an amazing program in the preschool, I feel so lucky to have found it!

This school is wonderful because the contributions of the parents make it wonderful. The students…read morehave so much support. The current principle is supportive and engaging, and thankfully makes up for the rudeness of the front-office staff. It's really sad because these women are a poor representation, and a questionable first impression for such a great school. If you report the front-office staff for any reason, the administration will tell you what you like to hear, and then will do absolutely nothing. And they will give you a reason to complain. You'll want to steer clear of the office assistant. She is unabashedly confrontational. As an example, she frequently creates scenes in their packed front office. One day in particular I will share, is a day where as usual, I sat in the chair with my daughter as she read a book, awaiting my son to come from his class to the office. My son was being picked up early that day, and had been for about a week. On a random day for no apparent reason, she accused me of loitering, and asked me to leave, embarrassing me in front of several other parents. Another parent had observed the confrontation, and while we stood outside the office, to me stated that she also had a confrontation with this woman, and said that she was "very rude." She keeps a snarky tone on the phone because no one has ever discipled her for her behavior, and she knows no one ever will. I've reached out to several staff members, the principle, and the district office about her. There is another one in the front office at the main desk who likes to cut people off when they're talking, rolls her eyes, and makes passive-aggressive comments. My husband told me one day she was talking behind my back to him saying she liked to talk with him better than me. There's an older woman I frequently see in the front office who was once abusively shrieking at my son one day as he walked, and I reported her as well. I was very concerned about the tone of her voice towards the children, and thought she must be shouting at other students in the same way as well. The first year my son started school there, the school "nurse" was spamming me with multiple letters to my home address, in my son's backpack, and even stalked me in the hallway, even though I had asked her to stop. She used profanity once in the hall towards me after I publicly reprimanded her for following me around the school with a piece of paper, and waiting for me to come out of a classroom to hand it to me. I filed a complaint about her and accused her of stalking me. It was completely outrageous. Never in my life had I imagined someone working in a public school would actually do this to someone. I think it's important that I share these experiences. Because their behaviors go undisciplined, it's difficult for any parent to file a complaint and not be brushed aside. Hopefully when people start speaking up about this problem, someone will see that these people promote a terrible image for this great school. Other than that, keep up the good work.

Our daughter started July 24 and the growth she has shown is amazing. We love how much she's…read morelearning and we're sad to see her teacher leave but the admin is very supportive and open to communicating any way needed.

Montessori School of Snohomish County Review (MSCC). After the Fall of 2022, it has been more like…read morea hostile takeover in comparison to the well-run Montessori School that we had been enrolled in for almost three years prior.   These are just a few documented situations I have seen in the past 18 months that have made me un-enroll and leave these reviews and reports to various groups.   1 Teacher turnover. There has been a concerning amount of teacher turnover, teachers who have been teaching for multiple years, had continued education and training in the Montessori world. They valued the education and structure they were giving and teaching to children. They left for lack of organization, and violations of children's safety (medicine mix-ups, observations of students being grabbed, put in restraint time outs, children being cut down for what they wore or were given to eat from home. False situations are being documented targeting children they don't want to work with anymore). They left because of not being paid correctly, not having the correct ratios or ages in the classroom, not being given adequate breaks, and being threatened by office employees that listen to conversations from the cameras throughout the buildings. These teachers are now being replaced with "walk-in applications" teachers with no experience. There has been no confirmation that background checks are even being done.   2 Communication on school closings, and fees. One minute they are a school and go according to the Everett Public School calendar for days off/snow days. One minute they are a care facility and want to do days off for conferences for two- and three-year-olds. They seem to change the way they run things based on what is convenient for them. There is no rhyme or reason. As a parent, you are just at the mercy of the poorly communicated, and illy timed messages from the app.   3 You will NEVER get a callback; three observed concerns were so concerning that the owner was called directly. All three times she answered her phone, she declared that the situation was concerning and did try to communicate her dedication to safety but yet... she continued to allow her office employees to make some major mistakes without real repercussions on them. She may be dedicated to safety by handing out money for new locks on a few doors but that is about all that is seen. There is never a call back on a true solution.   4 Not Montessori anymore. They may have 1-2 teachers that have previous Montessori backgrounds, or a little continuing education. But generally, outside of the materials and the "rug play" there are no Montessori foundations or accreditations. Just the Montessori payment monthly.   Care is hard to find but keep searching.

Our daughter is in the Nursery/PreK class. We have never felt more welcome or supported as a family…read moreas we do here. There is an incredible level of focus on each individual, and the teachers and philosophy do an amazing job meeting each child's needs. What drew us to Waldorf education was it's strong focus on building the whole child, and a huge component of this is character and world citizenship. The teachers at WIWS are absolutely incredible; far and away it's best asset. We are also impressed with the ongoing education opportunities available to parents and the community. The community is warm and vibrant. The setting is stunning. We love our little school in the woods!

I am so thankful to have found this gem of a school in these beautiful woods on Whidbey Island…read more The teachers are incredible; their love for the children is so evident in many areas of their work and care. The community built here is strong, warm and welcoming. This school offers a great balance of learning, movement, being outdoors, care and respect for our world and other people. I couldn't imagine being in any other school!