I'm more than qualified for a position with this company, but they didn't even contact me for an…read moreinterview. I guess they discriminate on age or other things. You loss, not mine.

Dear Chartwell, When I first arrived, you were perfect…read more I was learning at the perfect pace. Now I have graduated, and I can not say the same about you. If I was to describe Chartwells current state in three words, they would be the following: Racism, Sexism, Lies. These are the three most common examples of things that I witnessed while I attended your school. Your staff is underpayed, and your students as well as staff are gaslighted to believe that the school is doing good. I did not meet the necessary requirements to graduate, yet you let me walk and hand me a diploma. Thank you for my first three years Chartwell, but I will not be saying your name again until the Netflix True Crime Documentary comes out.

My daughter is thriving at Chartwell, school for kids with dyslexia. When we first went to the…read moreopen house, we were amazed by the airy, modern beautiful campus on the green lawn, small class sizes (3-8), fun classes like robotics, claymation, and we saw two 3-D printers. That means they teach CAD (So clever as kids are addicted to Minecraft)! They do hands-on, multi-sensory teaching where they might create a 3D object to measure the volume by actually measuring the length of sides. Language coding, much more explicit way of learning the language, made a lot of sense for us. However, it was the art display on the hall way and everywhere on campus that took our breath away. They are displayed in the way that you'd think this is an art school. The kids' art at all ages were so expressive, vibrant, and really intriguing. They even have a pottery studio. Art has always been my daughter's passion so we looked at each other, eyes beaming with enthusiasm. To get a taste of Chartwell, my daughter went to their summer school. Wow, what an eye opening experience it was for her! She said that the teachers made things so fun that even doing homework was fun. "It feels so good to understand everything, mom!" she said on the very first day. She was so proud of her daily mini achievements and she was sending me photos of pottery she made, video of a rocket she launched, even the photo of the white board that showed a tough math problem that she did correctly. My daughter started in the fall, and we received nothing but overwhelming support from her teachers and staff. I feel so fortunate that my daugther is at Chartwell. The next three years might be the pivotal point in her academics. She is ever so curious, happy, and proud of her learning progress. If she can approach learning in the way that she does now, I strongly feel that she is set for life, thanks to all her dedicated and passionate teachers at Chartwell.

Being a first time mom, first time (full term) preggo, having anxiety over a previous miscarriage,…read moreand a little type-A, preparing myself for the ultimate woman-making "race to the finish line" was something I knew would help calm my fears of the unknown. As mentioned, I'm type-A, so you would think I would have had this class all pre-planned however, with a previous miscarriage, I didn't allow myself to fully take in that a baby was fully on her way--despite an ever-growing belly. Two months before the due date, we finally nailed down some times. Being that we were commuting over an hour to work everyday, Aimee gracefully offered to meet us at our home, on our requested times, on our requested days! She made it so easy to make it happen with the little time we had. She even shifted things around when we had an abrupt loss in our family as we were about to take the class. The actual class was easy to absorb and super eye-opening. Knowing our rights, knowing what a woman's body is supposed to do, knowing what drugs actually do to you, knowing alternatives, knowing things we could do NOW to help with labor was absolutely priceless. You see, I had a breech baby. Aimee suggested how to do exercises each day and even gave me a gentle nudge to see a chiropractor. After that visit--boom--baby wasn't breech! The entire class gave me the knowledge I needed to prep myself for the day. And as far as mentally and emotionally prepping myself, she lent me a book on positive birth stories. She was helping me remove that horrible stigma around terrifying labors. Well, come 37 week appt and I had to be induced, medicated, and eventually c-section as baby flipped back to breech during the process of trying to lower her. However, guess who was on the other end of my anxiety-ridden text messages? Aimee. She was there to help with decisions I felt uncomfortable with and to even let me know that even though it wasn't the birth I had wanted, I was doing everything right for my baby and my health. As you can tell, I think Aimee is amazing. If you're looking for a partner, a guiding force, or just some real knowledge on birth/labor, Aimee is your gal.

Aimee was my birth doula in September, 2019. I was really nervous about giving birth, and Aimee…read moretook the time to meet with me on multiple occasions to make sure all of my questions were answered and I was supported. During my unexpected c-section labor, she advocated for me and made me feel like I could get through anything. I couldn't have done it without her and I would absolutely recommend her to all of my friends. Still to this day she checks in with me to see how I'm doing. Thank you Aimee!

Today I took an art class at Open Ground Studios (OGS). Denese Sanders taught the class in…read moreaccordion book making. As with every class I've taken at OGS, it was artistic and informative, and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. The studio itself is inviting, with enough room to work, lots of supplies, and really nice folks to get to know. Classes are fairly small, for personal interaction, and include time to focus, as well as time to collaborate and get to know each other a bit. I always learn more from being in that space than simply the topic I signed up for. I always wish for more time and space in my life to participate at OGS. If I could, I'd attend classes at least once a month, and/or "open studio" time. It's a wonderful place to create, and to be.

Last weekend I had the good fortune to take a workshop with Erin Hunter and I cannot sing her…read morepraises loudly enough! She opened my "heart door" to find my way back into the love of drawing I enjoyed as a young girl. Erin is one of the most gifted, generous, and skillful teachers imaginable. Also the Open Ground Studio Space is beautiful and filled with inspiring images and is well stocked with art supplies.

I have been a member for two and a half years at the time of this writing. I didn't set out to join…read morea Toastmasters group but a friend of mine was in the group and the meetings were held at Tarpy's back then, where I'm a regular diner. I came as a guest and felt included. The group is relaxed and fun with a wide variety of members from all backgrounds and that makes for interesting speeches. The club members all take an interest in each other and are genuinely happy when they see progress. I've come to count on their support, which has enabled me to try new things that I never would have such as asking the audience to stand and lock arms or inviting people to laugh out loud for no reason. I have confidence to try new things so it affects every area of my life. The fact that my speech is improving is almost an afterthought because I've found community who care enough to challenge me and supports me when I do well.

So much fun! Abraham was fun, patient, and so helpful! This was the kids first time surfing and…read morethey had a blast! They both were able to have a great time and enjoy the waves! I highly recommend booking with them! Thanks, Abraham!

Fantastic to work with! We rented boards and wet suits from them two days in a row and they were…read morefriendly, made the process really easy and efficient and were all around nice dudes. They even went above and beyond and offered us cookies, water, and Gatorade after we finished surfing. They operate out of the back of a van and had enough equipment for 15 of us to rent suits, surf boards, and boogie boards. Highly recommend!

They offer amazing summer swim classes. My son has improved drastically from taking the classes…read morethey offer at Hartnell pool.

My son has taken lessons at two other facilities in the area for the past three years without…read moresuccess. Finally, private lessons through Dolphin swim school and he is not afraid to go underwater and is finally learning to swim. I couldn't be happier. Instructor Camille has been wonderful. She is patient, positive and apparently a miracle worker. Very pleased.