St. Nicholas Elementary School

Our family has been very happy with our experience at the Waldorf School of the Peninsula. From the first moment we stepped onto the campus, we were amazed at the welcoming atmosphere and the scope of hands-on activities. We’ve never seen a school that offered such an array of experiential learning opportunities, fostered critical and ethical thinking, and nurtured such a strong sense of community. For instance, our older grandson’s teacher learned that there would be ‘historic’ low tides at Pillar Point near Half Moon Bay in two weeks. The teacher quickly organized a field trip, rallied chaperones, and led her students on an exploration of the vast tidepools with guidance from a young biologist. This was after school hours and lasted into the late evening so the students could look for bioluminescent organisms in the tide pools. What stood out for me was the teacher’s passion for learning and sharing discoveries alongside the students, and the way she asked questions that inspired them to reach their own conclusions. In another instance, the school received a grant for entrepreneurial skill building incorporating the school garden and event planning. Working closely with faculty, students learned to plan an event, secure supplies, harvest food from the garden and transform it all into a seven course meal, all from scratch, and beautifully executed. The students were clearly so proud of their accomplishments and the new skills they developed in the process.Equally important are the ways this school fosters ethical thinking. For example, the students study the myths and origin stories from cultures across the globe, and embedded within these tales are exemplars for living by a moral code. Our younger grandson especially loved hearing these stories from his teacher, and we still have the beautiful artwork he created as part of those lessons. This school fosters a deep sense of community among the students, who develop bonds as they move through the years in a cohesive cohort. This contributes to their sense of well being and social emotional intelligence. Community extends beyond their classrooms to their family members, who are invited into the school and provided with opportunities to engage. Plays, potlucks, field trips, sports and the famous Winter Faire all offer opportunities to engage. Our family is grateful for the ways the Waldorf School of the Peninsula has enriched all of our lives.

My daughter started kindergarten in Ventana. She is now in 1st grade. Our experience so far has been great. She loves going to school. She actually misses school when she gets sick and has to stay home.We picked Ventana because of its SEL-inspired program. But I do see my daughter making good progress on academics too. They have math, reading and writing workshops daily. On top of that they have speciality programs throughout the week. Such as science, art, and PE. You also have the option to sign up for more enrichment classes after school (3-4:30). There are a variety of them.Besides their program, I also like that they have a much bigger space compared to their student size. It has multiple multi-purpose indoor and outdoor spaces. It’s a secular school with a touch of spirituality and it’s a very diverse community even by the bay area standards.