This is my son's 3rd year at Seattle Waldorf. We love our school. The school is a beautiful…read morecommunity where my child is seen and nurtured. Teachers and administrators are very creative and supportive in their work with all children. My child has greatly benefited from the large beating heart of this school. He's engaged in every class and is happy and excited to go to school. He's learned so much and the pace is thoughtful and age appropriate. Not only is he learning academically he's also made huge leaps socially and emotionally. He's grateful to get the chance to be outside and also creating with his hands every day. His experience in this community is helping him develop a rich depth of knowledge and self worth that will be something he can rely on for the rest of his life.

A beautiful school with a profound way of educating the human being in an age appropriate way!read more

I can't say enough positive things about our family's experience at The Perkins School in Seattle…read more Our son joined as a 4th grader, and from day one it was clear he was genuinely known, supported, and cared for. I asked him recently what he liked most about Perkins, and he said, "the community -- I really liked the teachers and the kids." His teachers prioritized getting to know him; at our first parent-teacher conference, we were amazed when his teacher described details of his strengths and weaknesses the same way we would have. We watched his confidence grow as he was challenged in ways that felt supportive. That foundation has truly paid off--he's thriving in middle school, both academically and socially. We are forever grateful for the love and care the entire Perkins community showed our son and our family.

Our kids have loved their experience at Perkins! We've been at Perkins for five years now, and…read moreregularly make the 30-minute drive (one way) to school because it's such a wonderful place for our kids! Unlike many other independent schools, Perkins places a very high level of importance on building community within the school, and on the social and emotional health of each child. Perkins has a down-to-earth, kind and loving feel that runs through the faculty, staff, parent community and the kids. It's such a rare find! In addition to building a strong academic foundation for success, every Perkins student enjoys the experience of being truly known by every teacher, and most of the students know each other. This creates a truly "small town" community feel and one that is overwhelmingly positive! This school does differentiate for ability in the core subjects, and also provides enriching "specialist" subjects for a well-rounded overall education. We can't imagine our kids being anywhere else!

We are family that came from Isreal during the war. Since we…read morehad to leave our home due to the situation in Israel, we came to Seatle to stay with our family. SJCS welcomed our children and opened their doors and hearts. Yarden loved going to school and meeting with her new friends and teachers. Despite the difficult time our family went through, we were happy to discover such a warm and loving place, with brilliant teachers and supporting staff, who welcomed us right away. We would like to express our deep appreciation to the school and thank you again for all your great help and support. Regev Family

We chose to send our child to SJCS because we sought a pluralistic Jewish education with strong…read moreacademics and a focus on social emotional learning and community. We couldn't be happier. The school has helped our son grow and addressed minor learning challenges competently and compassionately. We've noticed greater resilience and problem solving that we can attribute to the school's strong social-emotional curriculum. The teachers are caring and in tune with his and his classmates' needs, and the cohort model has suited him well where he strives in some areas academically but struggles in others. The cohort model allows him to extend in the areas that come easier to him, and he gets the support he needs in the areas that are more challenging. The community itself was incredibly welcoming (we joined in second-grade), and the kids are kind are welcoming too. We appreciate the pluralistic approach to Jewish education - although our family is on the more traditional side we feel welcome and included and we the same for kids from less-traditional families. Together the students are all developing strong Jewish identities and appreciation for our history and culture. And the Hebrew curriculum is set up so that both students with no Hebrew background (or Hebrew-speaking parents), and those with Hebrew fluency can all learn at their level.

Brightmont has been a light in the darkness for our family. Our daughter was struggling with doing…read moreall of her schooling online with Seattle Public Schools. She said she didn't feel connected to the material. Her grades and self esteem were plummeting. I spoke with a number of her peers who were having a similar experience. They all reported that they didn't feel like they were learning much in the public school remote learning environment. Signing her up at Brightmont has been a fantastic decision. She is back to actually learning again, and she really likes her teachers. Her confidence in her ability to learn, and be successful in school has also returned. I have been very pleased with the administration. They have been kind, accommodating, and very responsive to our communications and needs. My expectations are exceeded, especailly knowing how busy they must be! The school is doing a great job with covid precautions. I feel safe when my daughter attends in person. She also has the option for working remotely online. Attending in person gives her some social interaction where before she had had none. I highly recommend this school.

Granted, everyone might be exceedingly busy right now as Brightmont and every other place had to…read morevery QUICKLY transition to online distance learning platforms! But I do have to say, that communication with school administrative leadership has been slow, waiting several days for replies to emails. On the other hand, applause for Brightmont not skipping many beats in this transition. 1:1 classes went online maybe a week or so after the Seattle area closed all schools due to Covid 19. The jury is out whether the instruction is just as good as in-person, face-to-face--I'm sure that varies by instructor, student, and material/content. If digital distance learning is just as good as IRL, we might not go back to in-person instruction. Distance learning is a ton more convenient wrt commuting time, and I'm guessing better for the environment, too.

We're loving our new neighborhood in North Seattle! After picking up my daughter, we decided to…read moreexplore and stumbled upon the beautiful St. Matthew Catholic Church. We took some photos outside and were drawn to its peaceful atmosphere. As a Catholic, I'm excited to visit the church when it's open and experience its beauty firsthand. The exterior gives a glimpse into the tranquility that lies within, and I'm looking forward to reflecting on my faith in this sacred space. Maybe next time we'll get to go inside!

Sacred grounds for fundamental concepts of community and affinities to catholicism. It's enviroment…read moreof calm hymns, homilies, and prayers has remain a classic practice with some subtle progress in sitting/kneeling protocols. Bread and Wine combo remains pure and holy. One of the largest change featured a new class of devotees that brought youth and diversity to the prayer session. It was a refreshing sight to see a vocal variation in the choir, aswell as a fresh interpretation of bibical reference. Lastly, a once enduring pain of one hour, it's full experience felt snappy, quick, and on point. A nostalgic religious experience, one that merits donuts and lemonades at their community center once the alot time commited to the words of god has been fulfilled.

This elementary school is brand new, and just opened! It is a beautiful school, and the library is…read morewonderful! I would love to have my children go here!

I had a child in Meadowbrook 5's with Teacher Sarah and am looking forward to having more of my…read morekids in her program. She really meets 5 year olds at their level, with a rich natural science based curriculum (she is a former zookeeper so has awesome ideas on that front!), tremendous emphasis on fostering successful social relationships, and fantastic pre-writing, pre-reading ideas. At first glance, the space isn't as appealing as at some other co-ops. It is in the basement of achurch, and the parking lot and back side constitute the outdoor play space. But the room itself is cleverly divided to create a rich learning atmosphere (the little elevated library space is to die for and you always find kids sprawled out in there reading books!) and Sarah is able to work wonders with the outdoor area. Toward the end of the year, the kids LOVE her outdoor kid Olympics, complete with flags and medals. We all cried a little at the end of the year "graduation" b/c our time together was so special, and my daughter (entering 1st grade and having experienced another preschool) still remembers her Meadowbrook 5's class as her favorite year in school. For me, co-op has been a great preparation my kids schooling and also a great parenting help. It's more work than your usual preschool, but the affordable price and the rewards make it well worth the effort.

My family is in our 3rd year at Meadowbrook co-op and we absolutely love it there. My middle child…read morejust started the pre-3s and he couldn't wait until it was his turn to go to school! The classroom is a fun open space for them to play and explore. The high adult to child ratios and parent involvement make the kids feel comfortable and really helps for kids who might be a little hesitant about leaving mom or dad. Yes, co-op is a bit more work than dropping kids off at a a traditional preschool but it is a much more rewarding experience. I have loved getting to know other families in our neighborhood and feeling part of a community. This is an awesome school filled with caring people!