With the tune from "God Bless America" and the image of Kate Smith stuck in our heads, we walked…read moreover to College Park High School tonight with a few hundred neighbours to view the July 4th Fireworks. We left the dog at home as pets are usually scared of fireworks, and I still have memories of my old dog Whisper wedging herself behind the toilet. On this cool and clear evening, we sat on the baseball field bleachers and enjoyed the band in the distance playing various tunes including Stars and Stripes Forever. The real highlight was a double feature fire works show from both Pleasant Hill and Martinez. And during the overlap, sparkling lights filled the sky, and to the oohs and aahs of the crowd. It was a fine family holiday evening out, and a most enjoyable community event.

Great school. Every one is helpful. Great sports too! Especially Football! Yelp wants me to write a…read morenovel.

I sent/sending all my kids here from TK-8th. & YES it's not FREE, We worked hard for their tuition…read morefees & expect the best for them! First, my daughter graduated at QAS, she didn't do well academically, most of her classmates are unfriendly. It's OK.. I thought it was OK! now she's in high school she finally had the courage to tell me on why she wasn't doing well. It is because of bullying, she wasn't happy with the MEAN GIRLS, then boys on their batch are misbehaving too much to the point they missed out too much activities. No one can tame them. They didn't do much out-of-school activities. NO CARITAS on their batch. Bullying are mishandle and no resolution at all. NO GUIDANCE COUNCILLOR/ Counseling. Some classes are taken out slowly.. NO MUSIC, NO LANGUAGE & ART CLASS/ Spanish, they took out the MOTIVATIONAL Speaker (Principal said no budget/ they are very expensive) School gatherings are taken out too. Good thing they kept the BOO BASH because that the only big event in school which families can use their MANDATORY HOURS. I just never liked some PACE STAFF who acts like an employers during volunteering hours. They acted like they are inheriting QAS... like literally.. EVENTS supposed to be fun were parents happily working together building haunted house / cooking & not monitoring them if they are doing something or NOT. To be there instead of going to work is something , don't make it hard for parents to volunteer. It used to be fun years ago when parents meet-up during events. We laugh , we enjoy , we are building good relationships & always looking forward for the next events. Now they have this tactless PACE which I don't know for some reason she is always screaming.. so to me, just go to work if your boss is better than the PACE President.. or else these PACE STAFF eyes will be on you during the whole time. Now my daughter is doing great at Carondelet , she's making friends , she's happy , she's loud & doing great academics. Currently, I still have 2 boys in QAS, & hopefully the new Principal will do better with the BULLIES. Treating evryone fairly & handles issues carefully... I heard someone said that it's becoming to look like POLITICAL DYNASTY... if you know what I meant by that. some parents complaining about the standard of education is not what it used to 5-8yrs ago.. kids struggles in High School? I hear that a lot lately. MATH teacher Miss V , is good she gave my daughter D grade thanks to that! gave the boys A, fair enough because YES the boys are smarter. Mrs. SURA, my son said she is a good teacher Mrs Clark... very nice & caring teacher We missed Miss.GILMAN we need more teachers like her. She's tough & caring to her students. PE COACH? He must be doing something great to still be there after 5yrs. Secretary Francisco, very helpful & her smile puts her where she's at right now... FRONT DESK OFFICER you will always be greeted with a smile. 4-6yrs ago.. best teachers MISS BUTLER MISS GILMAN MR. O MISS MACMILLAN who inspired Kirsten to go on... Mrs. GRAY Secretary MUSIC Mrs. Davis who handles ALL PLAY. & PACE best President Christine NACA!

We've been a part of this school for about 10 years - our older son started in TK and is now in 7th…read moregrade and we have a younger son in preschool. I honestly believe God had a hand in bringing us here, the school has been so nurturing to our children and it's always been a source of great comfort knowing I'm sending my kids into an environment that shows them the love of Christ in everything they do. Teachers are communicative and regularly available, parents are involved and invested in the school, and overall QAS feels like a big family. There's lots of fun traditions like older students coming to teach younger ones, the annual Halloween party, the yearly auction - but more importantly the community is genuinely filled with good people who care about the kids and I couldn't be more grateful for the impact they've had on our lives.

The location is nice, students are overall nice but staff are only talk and don't follow through…read morewith what they say they will do. Sports system is terrible. Integrity does not exist within the school l.

If you have a choice, send your child elsewhere. The administration is unresponsive to the simplest…read moreof questions. Their first and only reaction to parent-teacher issues is to hope that you'll go away. The administration appears to have nothing but contempt in what little communication occurs with parents.

We were so lucky to find Orion Academy! Our teen joined sophomore year, and they have been thriving…read morein ways we've never seen them thrive before. The kids are bright and quirky and kind, and the teachers and leadership truly understand how to support 2E/ASD kids in ways that will prepare them for life after high school. My teen has become so independent in just a year at Orion, and I am confident that this will only increase as they begin the transitions program in 11th grade. Social emotional, speech, executive function, and self-regulation support is cohesively built into all aspects of every class in ways that are clearly transferable to other settings during and post-high school. The school is 100% committed to helping prepare every student for whatever their goals are for after high school. As a bonus, the school is super sensory friendly in all ways, something no public school IEP can really accommodate for. Dr. Stewart has designed a real gem of a school!

My son is now 26. He went to Orion for 4 years starting in 8th grade…read more The school insisted on laptops but refused to allow parental control software. The school puts personal laptops in front of the kids all day at school and all evening for homework. These smart obsessive kids search porn and develop computer addictions due to unlimited computer use and no supervisory software. One girl cyber bullied others then hacked the school's system. The school refused any responsibility. The school said keeping kids from porn and obsessive use was a parenting issue. Secondly, they have no physical education for already resistant kids. They made it mandatory for parents to provide PE after school and on weekends. Overstressed, overtired parents battled to get homework done. and did their best but failed. My son is now a computer/porn addicted adult who has no physical passion. He is a shut in. This happened to several of the kids in my son's class. Be warned. As there may not be options. Insist on parental software if you can. Talk with other parents.

Great school! The staff including the cross guards and staff assisting drop off are all amazing! I…read morewish parents were better at following the traffic laws and didn't block the crosswalks, park in red zones and make illegal left turns.

The principal, Ms Pappas has been a total disaster for Valhalla. How does she not get fired? She…read moreran the school almost to the ground. Valhalla used to be rated 9/10. Under Pappas it went down to 6/10. Most of the best experienced teacher left the school. Class sizes skyrocketed under Pappas. It's time for her to get fired.

Please closely evaluate K.Wilk who teaches kindergarten. My child does not attend the school, but I…read morego on daily walks at hidden Lake Park and I have seen her yelling loudly at students and yanking them by their shirts. I found out her name after going onto the website. The other teacher does nothing to intervene. Very disturbing!

Involved parents and a great school. Have really enjoyed the teachers. Happy to be here!read more

Went to their "open house" this past weekend to see if this would be the right place for my…read moregrandson. Oh no it was not. No one got up and greeted us. They sat in their chairs shuffling us out to look around. No information packets, no actual tour. The last person we met on our self-guided tour was so helpful and provided so much information. We were grateful for that. You also need to be aware, they have an open campus. Kids 13 and above can not only leave campus to go to the store or the library, but they can also "chaperone" younger kids to go along with them. I do not know of any 13 year olds that could fend off an abductor or stop a car, or protect a child from injury. Even if the school had been perfect in every way, that would have been the nail in the coffin. I'm sorry but for $21,500 annual tuition, I would expect the place to be clean and organized. They currently have 13 kids enrolled. I would also expect books and information to be current. There is no working AC. Makes one wonder where the $21k per student goes? Most of the building, supplies, furniture, games, etc. were run down, raggedy even. Very disappointing. We compared this to The Open School (virtual) and were so disappointed. Also, if you are looking for cultural diversity (my grandson is Filipino/American) this is not the place for your child. We were very clear with my grandson that he could make the decision on this school. His decision was he never wanted to go back there. The Sudbury model is such a great educational theory. But this school is a very poor representation of that model. There is a Waldorf school in Walnut Creek, you may want to look at that.

DVS is a democratic school that centers student autonomy and agency at every possible turn…read more Students learn to run an organization, advocate and vote for causes that are important to them, and serve in leadership roles. If you're looking for a typical or traditional school experience, this isn't it. But if you want your student to be self-determined, a pro-social community member, and lifelong learner, DVS is a perfect community for you.

We are 13 days in to the school year and my sons first year at Gregory Gardens! He is a…read morekindergartener. We live close by and are able to walk to school which is great! It is clear the staff at Gregory Gardens cares about their students. My husband and I love how they put an emphasis on inclusion and kindness! The energy is undeniable(pop music in the morning during drop off) and fun! The volunteer program for parents is great! My son is thriving and comes home everyday to show us what he's learned!! He has Mrs. Conneely as his teacher and she is so gentle and sweet and we've heard from other parents she's the best at teaching kids how to read! We are excited to continue the school year at Gregory Gardens!

Did you ever wonder how the streets of Gregory Gardens got their names? The Developer who built…read morethis area used the naming rights as a way to reward his best workers. He ran an employee of the month contest and the winner was allowed to pick the name of the street. The only condition was that it had to be a woman's name. The workers usually picked their wife's, daughter's, or mother's name. And that's why the streets have names like Belva, Marta, Luella, and Doray that were popular back in the 1950s.

Fair warning: I work here. Not only do I have the privilege of supporting and advocating for…read morebrilliant students, but I get to walk with them through their world and their education. Bonus: the staff here are the hidden gem of this district and are severely undervalued. Olympic started in the 60s in the basement of a church. Today it is a thriving community that is helping catch students and giving them the support they couldn't access or was never given at a comprehensive high school. We are strictly credit recovery. The students graduating is what makes it all worth it. During their time at Olympic/Alliance, students have access to a smaller setting, flexible classes, and alternative/creative ways to earn credit. Additionally, there is high staff support and high teacher involvement to meet the often eclectic needs of our students. I hope that Olympic/Alliance continues to be a strong program within our community, and those in need will access it when the time comes.

My Grandson went through his Freshman year at Olympic High School. What a great school for kids…read morewith problems, small classes, counseling and there was always someone for him to talk to when he was having a bad day. The staff is great and really cares about the kids. The one down side is that there is know athletic programs for these kids. My grandson plays basketball and is pretty good, they had a program for a while and then it was cancelled. These kids need and athletic program more than any other high school kids. To play they have to keep their grades up and pay attention in class and their teachers. For a lot of these kids, their sports was all they had.