Avoid this school if you have a student who is, in any way, more sensitive, emotionally complex, or who just needs a consistently nurturing environment.
This school is located in a business park and it has the feel of a business park :(
There is no playground so kindergarteners and younger kids only have a grass field to play in. Again, a con of having a school in a business park. The kindergarten classroom had no toys in sight.
The kindergarten teacher, while she seems nice enough, has a very heavy Spanish accent (and I grew up in the South Bay but I still can't understand every word she says). My kindergarten son has a lot of trouble understanding her and I can't see how a kindergartener is supposed to learn reading, writing, and English from a teacher with such a heavy accent. (Please note, his preschool teacher had a beautiful Spanish accent and this was not a problem but a benefit because it exposed him to different people from different background and she was articulate and proficient enough in English to teach him).
The worst part is the principle, Anna Knudson. My son's father deployed two months before he started kindergarten and he was going through a lot of separation anxiety and attachment issues. When being dropped off at this school everyday, he would cry for 30 minutes or so and need a teacher's assistant to take him out of the classroom to help him calm down and feel safe. It is only the 3rd week of school, mind you so this is still well within the range of normal new school kindergarten behavior for a child whose parent just deployed. This week, the principal found me in the parking lot after drop-off and told me that she "can't have him in there acting like that" because she has to "protect the reputation of the school and it doesn't look good to other parents to have a child crying in the hallway." I told her my concern was not for her school's reputation but for the wellbeing of my son. She said, "Well, to be honest, it's the other parents. They are in the hallway staring and making comments." She also lied and said, "Well, this goes on for hours." I told her, "You obviously did not consult with your staff before you came out here to speak with me because as they will inform you, this only goes on for about 30 minutes. Why are you telling me otherwise when you don't even interact with him?" HOW INSENSITIVE! HOW UNPROFESSIONAL! Well, Ms. Knudson, you made the priorities of your "school" very clear. My son will NOT be going back here. Thanks for the lack of support for military families. If I could give you zero stars, I would. And if her supervisor is reading this, my recommendation would be to provide soft-skill training for Ms. Knudson so that she understands how to engage families with difficult backgrounds, sensitive situations, or children who are going through personal difficulties. read more
