This school does well because of the many hours put in by dedicated parent volunteers. It also does well because it is located in an area where funding is raised quickly and efficiently (again, by the parents). Most of the teachers are excellent. However, the principal, Bob Scott, has a very poor
... Read more attitude. He gives off the appearance of being dedicated, however, if you ever disagree with him, it becomes very clear that all he cares about is being right. No matter what the dispute, his opinion is ALWAYS the correct one. He is disrespectful and condescending and despite what he believes he is NOT loved by the community. Read less
Posted by a parent on 08/21/09
Sycamore is a wonderful school. I think that the school works so well because of the high level of parental input, great teachers and a smart principal. Further, our school foundation and PTA do a good job of supporting programs that help all of the students in terms of technology, reading and writing
... Read more and library. Read less
Posted by a parent on 04/08/08
Top quality school with top quality teacher. Very involved parents
... Read moreRead less
Posted by a parent on 11/02/07
We have been very pleased at Sycamore. All of my children have done well and have had their needs met. Our teachers have been very open and willing to talk with us if/when we have had a concern. The principal is very involved and knows most of the families. Some may see this as controlling...we feel
... Read more fortunate he cares enough to be involved with over 500 families. We feel this is great as many friends at other schools in the district have 'hands off' leadership. I would take overly involved leaders and staff any day. Academics are strong if you are willing to partner with the teachers in your childs education. Science is very strong. We don't need add'l P.E. given the amount of extra-curricular sports we have in our area. The music program is expanding this year now that there is add'l state funding. Read less
Posted by a parent on 08/11/07
Our special needs son lasted 2 months in it's kindergarten class when we sadly began to realize he was not wanted in this school. The principal was very controlling over his services and had an 'I know what's best' attitude about our son instead of really listening to us, his parents. The teacher had
... Read more a 'fine, I'll take your child' attitude concerning his placement into her class. They made it obvious to everyone around that our child had issues. It was a very disheartening experience. Read less
Posted by a parent on 05/14/07
I think Sycamore is a great school the average to above average child. I have three very different children, from being gifted in the GATE program to having special needs, and they've all done well at Sycamore and been challenged. The principal works hard and has the children's best interest in mind.
... Read more However, I think the special education program is weak and needs a lot of improvement. Read less
Posted by a parent on 10/18/06
I have several little concerns about the way things are run at this school, but my biggest concern is that Sycamore teaches math in a way that is confusing & that the children have to relearn math just to get into middle school.
... Read moreRead less
Posted by a parent on 07/25/06
Great parent participation. The math program used at this school is very abstract and confusing to many students and parents. They have to relearn math the traditional way in 5th grade so that they can do it properly in middle school. And phonics has not been a priority in recent years but I believe
... Read more they are beginning to realize the need to teach this basic skill. Read less
Posted by a parent on 11/28/05
I have two children that attend Sycamore and we have been completely thrilled with our experience there.
... Read moreRead less
Posted by a parent on 11/13/05
When moving into a new area the first thing you look at are schools and this one looks great on paper. The school survives by an abundance of volunteers who do a great job. However, I have seen many academic programs and this one is the worst. There is no formal music class and art is taught by volunteers.
... Read more PE combines 2 classes together. The kids are divided into two groups (good readers and need improvement readers), which is a good idea, however, the need improvement group gets extra help with an additional teacher for their time while the good readers are left to read to themselves. It doesn t get better with the administrative staff. Bob Scott (the principal) has a whatever I say attitude and is never open to other outside opinions. Needless to say, I have been very disappointed with this school. Read less
School Profile for Sycamore Valley Elementary School
Test scores
Enrollment
Programs
Resources
{TEST_SCORES_TAB_CONTENT}
Student enrollment:
551
Students per teacher:
12
Full-time teachers:
47
Number of classrooms:
32
Music
Band, Choral
Vocational Education
Phys Ed
Special Education
Speech/Language Pathologists
*The resources listed are programs that the institution is staffed to support. Staffing for a program does not guarantee that it will be offered. This content is provided by the institution and may be incomplete. The institution may offer programs not listed here. Please contact the school directly for additional details.
Advanced Placement
AP classes are college-level classes offered at the high school level. Once a student completes an AP class and passes a final comprehensive examination conducted by the College Board, the student earns college credit for the course. AP classes are specific and not to be confused with other higher-level classes such as honors classes.
Before/After School
"Extended day" programs where the school day is extended before and after school to accommodate working parents. These programs should not be confused with common after school clubs or athletic activities.
Gifted and Talented
A school system may identify 10% to 15% or more of its student population as gifted and talented. A brief description of each area of giftedness or talent as defined by the Office of Gifted and Talented:
general intellectual ability or talent - high intelligence test score (usually two standard deviations above the mean), and high levels of vocabulary, memory, abstract work knowledge and abstract reasoning;
specific academic aptitude or talent in one area such as mathematics or language arts;
creative and productive thinking, the ability to produce new ideas;
leadership ability, the ability to direct individuals or groups to a common decision or action;
visual and performing arts, special talents in visual art, music, dance, drama, or other related studies;
psychomotor ability, such as practical, spatial, mechanical, and physical skills.
Vocation/Technical Curriculum
Vocational and/or technical courses offered within a comprehensive school, usually a senior high school.
Special Education Classes
A school or program within a school that provides services and training to students with moderate to severe mental and/or physical disabilities.
Adult Education Classes
Programs offering GED or equivalent courses for adults within regular schools, whether classes are held during evening or daytime schedules.
English as Second Language
English language classes for students whose first language is not English.
Homes for sale near Sycamore Valley Elementary School
Blackhawk schools — Sycamore Valley Elementary School is located at 2200 Holbrook Dr, Blackhawk CA 94506. 2200 Holbrook Dr is in the 94506 ZIP code in Blackhawk, CA The school district for Sycamore Valley Elementary School is the San Ramon Valley Unified Sd. Sycamore Valley Elementary School is a Public school that serves grade levels K - 5.
School information provided by OnBoard Informatics Copyright (c) 2008. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
We won't spam you. Nor will we give, sell, rent or otherwise make your email address available to third parties.
All our mailings include a link so you can easily unsubscribe. For more details, read our full privacy policy.
Parent Reviews
These reviews include feedback from parents, students, former students, administrators and other staff. This feedback
may help you further evaluate and compare schools, along with other information such as test scores, academic programs,
school resources, classroom and teacher ratios, etc. The reviews are provided by GreatSchools.
Ask a question about this school on Trulia Voices to learn more
about this school or district from residents and other local experts.
Test Score Ratings
Test score ratings are based on the most recent standardized test results reported by this state. These ratings may help
you compare similar schools in this district or area. For example, a rating of 8 indicates that, on average, students in
this school scored better than 70% of the students in the state on the same tests. We have indicated below which tests
were used in calculating these ratings. Other factors should be considered when comparing schools, including teacher
experience, academic programs, extracurricular activities, resources for special needs students, etc. These ratings are
not provided by the state Department of Education, which may have their own rating systems.