Maybe it has improved since 1976. The reason I went there is that I could afford the reg fees while…read moreI worked. The faculty were from so-so to okay. I was trying to make up my mind about going for the doctorate. After finishing my MA I was exhausted and broke and just never got back to it. Too bad because in my field you can't do a damned thing without a PhD and even if you earn one all you can do is teach. I had no interest nor aptitude for teaching. I realize that all of my profs are dead by now. But they FAILED IN THEIR DUTY. The students requested a meeting with faculty to discuss careers. They told us that they had nothing to do with it and that it was our problem if we chose to attend. They had their jobs so they didn't give a damn if we got one. I wish that I had said it to them then----PUT IT WHERE THE SUN DOESN'T SHINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My puppy Chancho had his very first groom here yesterday 1/2/26 and Andrew was very informative and…read morehelped me understand what to expect. My puppy did well and looked so cute afterward. I'd like to thank Andrew and the student that worked on him for giving him a great first experience. I was even taught how to work with him at home to desensitize him when having his face worked on. Thanks so much

Thank you to Andrew and his amazing Team for always doing an amazing job with these 3 furry kids.read more

Hello, If you are…read morereading this review, you'll probably consider St Ritas for your child, keep in mind that our child attended St Ritas for 3 horrific months, it took that long for us to be convinced that the TK teacher was mocking and making sarcastic remarks to our child, not something you would expect from a TK teacher. Stay away from TK at this school, Alverno is a much more peaceful place for a 4-year-old child. Love the church and all the wonderful members, let me start by saying god loves everyone, thank you lord for guiding me and helping me make clear statements. Unfortunately, it seems the TK teacher have lost their passion for teaching and are merely comfortable with their jobs. We are disappointed to hear that some teachers use awful language and sarcasm on four-year-old kids. I feel that if Jesus had a team and had to pick team players, he wouldn't have picked this TK teacher to play in his team. One teacher in particular has gained an uncompassionate reputation that has followed her for many decades. We have spoken with many teachers in different schools, such as Alverno, and they have confirmed that while this teacher has a good teaching record, she is simply an awful person to deal with. Some of the school staff have left St Ritas to find a peaceful work environment at Alverno. Thank you for your time and hope this can help save someone from the stress found at St Rita's School.

Caring and supportive staff with excellent teaching skills. My nieces had to pull their children…read morefrom a competing Sierra Madre "Catholic" school with a nice mansion but that was all it offered. The kids have been so much more enthusiastic about their learning and the environment at St. Rita's. The school is established and that says a lot. I think they hit a rough patch when a past principal was fired, took staff and the student roladex to start the competing school. St. Rita's seems to have weathered the upheaval and are strong. My family really enjoyed their inclusive nature. One family is a practicing Catholic but the other not and says no one makes a big deal about it. Both say they feel very happy with their choice of St. Rita. No one seems to shun my one niece who goes to a church closer to where she lives. That says a lot about acceptance too. I toured the school with them. I could just tell the staff knew what they were doing. They discussed their methodologies and how they handled the different learning abilities of their students. Looking forward to their grandparents day, debate tournaments, theater and other events they offer. This school has so much more than just a sports program. There is a variety of opportunities for each of my grand nieces and nephews that do not require they be in a sport. Their PE program is well rounded. I am not sure if St. Rita's has an immense budget but from what I could see the teacher's and staff are creative. No child is lacking from talking with returning families. My kiddo's are making friends and the families we met are delightfully involved. No one is pushing their agenda or sticking their hand out for money all the time. So far so good.

I have visited this Y twice only - first time to get set up with personal trainer service and the…read moresecond time to meet my new trainer. Their weight rooms are small with less equipment compared to other locations in the area so we set up our following sessions elsewhere. They have two pools here - one outside that's seasonal (I think) and an indoor pool year round - and you make timed reservations via their app. Super easy to use and you can block out 30 minute increments as available in each lane with no limit to how long you want to swim - so helpful in avoiding conflicts! They also have a small weight room with nautilus machines and some free weights, and a treadmill room that includes bikes, ellipticals and a stair master. They have weekly classes you can also sign up for - also very easy to do in their app. They don't have as many class offerings as they used to though - but I think they're all still trying to get things back up and running again from the pandemic. This location does seem to offer more classes than the Monrovia location at the moment. The staff are all so helpful and friendly! Prices are very reasonable- especially compared to all the other gyms in the area - I've been shopping around for general gym services with a pool and personal trainer for several months now and the prices here beat all the others. They have ample parking but it's near a local park and fills up fast.

I'm here five days a week. Soooo much better than traditional "gym rat" places. You're nuts if u…read moredon't go.

My 8 year old year sister adores coming here and looks forward to it every time she goes. From…read morelearning different art techniques and new mediums she is inspired to create more and more. Her favorite teacher, Miss Taylor, cultivates an expressive and enjoyable leaning environment for her students. It's wonderful to see my little sister enjoy showing off her creativity.

I took art classes here as a young child. It was perfect environment for me with the discipline and…read morestructure. And it's where I fell in love with art. I went on to the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts with the foundation I learned here.

We still look back at our time at SMCNS as some of the best time spent on our children's…read moreupbringing. My now high school aged child thrived while at SMCNS and still recalls fun memories of his time there. He was accepted to every private school we applied to in the Pasadena-area, including some of the most prestigious ones, with no extra tutoring or educational supplementation. We moved away when my younger child was in attendance and finding a similar preschool in our new area was impossible. My son was much more prepared for Kindergarten than my daughter who attended a less developmentally focused preschool.

I just transferred my son from a highly rated, 2-year- wait list school in the area. He was…read moremiserable there for some unknown reason, which I still can't pinpoint exactly what went wrong. The teachers, director, and I tried everything we could think of, and my son continued to hate going to school everyday. He threw massive tantrums and pushed boundaries with his teachers, he eventually did the same at home with me and my husband. I was unaware how stressed he was for 2 months until the week my son joined SMCNS. Last couple of months, he started struggling at bedtime and sleeping 1-2 hours less at night. I thought he was going through sleep regressions or that he just didn't need as much sleep as he's getting older. Turns out he's been stressed. Since the first day at SMCNS, he calmly settles down to sleep at night and sleeps for 11+ hours through the night, uninterrupted. He is not cranky after school and does not fight over little things with us anymore. He's back to being his old happy self again. I shed happy tears seeing the immediate changes in my son, and wish I had switched schools earlier. I've been a teacher for 15 years with a child development background, and have 5 education certificates. Children need meaningful and purposeful play-based learning and develop social emotional skills to build the foundation they need to succeed in the future. I'm so glad to be part of the SMCNS community and know that my son is in good hands.

Both of my children went to this school through 6 th grade. It is a wonderful school and is rated…read morewell. One of my neighbors was displaced by the Altadena fire, and has 2 daughters who currently attend this school. They love it so much that they hope to still attend there when their home in Altadena is rebuilt.

On February 20th, my husband and I received some very disturbing news. Our son, Michael, shared…read morewith us that he was using the bathroom at school and a 5th grader was in the same bathroom watching him use the urinal. Our son expressed that it was making him uncomfortable and told him to leave. The other child refused and did not stop looking at Michael's private parts. In fact, he made a comment to the effect of "Next time I am going to take a picture and send it to your Mom!" This is completely unacceptable behavior and frankly warrants taking action. Michael also expressed that he shared this experience with Ms. Alma who later shared it with Mrs. An, his 4th grade teacher, and Mr. Budd, Special Education Teacher, only to be told that Mr. Budd knows who Michael was talking about!?! We as parents were not notified until we reached out to the school, Sierra Madre Elementary School and PUSD. As of today, our son Michael has not received an apology from the student nor the teachers who he trusted the most to share this disgusting experience. When will SME and PUSD take accountability for their actions and mistakes!!!

Wow they offer so many wonderful classes from ceramics to garden tours. I want to draw and paint…read morehere. Super close to the heart of Sierra Madre and many restaurants. Beautiful sculpture garden and peaceful fountains. Picasso only wishes he was here, too bad he's dead.

We stopped by for a quick glance at the artwork which usually we are not impressed with most…read moregalleries. This place had some great artwork that we really would love to have in our own home. I didn't see too many paintings with prices on them so I was afraid to ask what they cost.

Driving up the foothills in the shadow of the recent bobcat fire, I wondered how safe is the air…read morequality and where is Alverno? Then it appeared two massive iron-rod gate doors which lead to the grounds of this majestic campus. It's what I would assume the mansion of great expectations once was. There are strawberry and oaks trees for acres and a linear koi lily pond. So here the history lesson: it was once a mansion which consumed hundred of acres of land. As time marched on, as it does hundreds of plots of this plantation-Spanish styled looking mansion were sold-off. Creating the adjacent neighborhood of Sierra Madre. Including, a large plot to this now existing school, Alverno. The mansion is host to the girls drama classes and plays: Bravo! I can't speak to the school or the educational quality but as a shooting location it's Ethereal. Such a delight and an endless time capsule of history. The city of Sierra Madre was wonderful and welcoming. And this feature film we are shooting which I can't say much abt, truly will be the stuff of legends.

The high school closed down unfortunately due to poor management. They claim it's declining…read moreenrollment but none of the other high schools are closing down. they took the money in donations and tuition from families who are expecting their girls to be invested in the school. They never let the parents know they were in financial trouble. that was wrong and I don't think the whole story because the new principal now says at public meetings she is going after much younger students because that is where the money is. It's sad when a school has to focus on the their heads giant salaries and not the students once the Covid funding stops. On the plus side it's a very cheap school Unfortunately they have a lot of interest in holding weddings (almost every weekend) and filming (even during school hours) on the campus. I wouldn't want my kids around strangers when they should be getting educated. My nieces enjoyed a good high school 30 years ago. My grandnieces and nephews have not at the new Alverno. Their parents pulled all three kids out. They felt the education was lacking compared to other schools. And are now enrolled in and very happy. The staff seems ill equipped. Some teachers are nice others seem very disgruntled. they really don't seem happy to teach there. It comes across to the children. some teachers are just there because the kids are getting discounted tuition and that doesn't make them qualified either. There is a mentality between those who have which are a lot against those students who have less. So much for Christian teaching The new Alverno is not the school that it use to be. The school require the kids to enroll in a sport so they can claim they have a big sports program. More fees. I find it misleading especially upsetting for kids who have no interest in their team sport but would rather compete in something more individual or that the school doesn't have (like gymnastics). Or in participate in the arts. Every time one turns around there's a fee for something (Jagothon,field trips, fundraiser in school hot dog lunches) so the school isn't as inexpensive as initially thought. They constantly want money for some sport courts. They have lot's of land but lack the accoutrements a proper school like a gym with showers, an updated cafeteria, a proper theater, etc. Their hand is out throughout the year. This makes the tuition more expensive in the long run. They really should have skipped allowing the new lower school to come in and worked on improving the high school. It ruined the campus