116 Duplex, San Mateo, CA 94402

We have a kindergartner. Our first year at the school introduced us to a very engaged and motivated parent community. There is a lot of support for the schools! We were immensely disappointed by the kinder teacher who did not communicate with us that she felt our son needed a tutor, extra homework studies in the form of flashcards, and OT, and that he was telling her he was in pain while writing. Once we learned about the concerns we wanted to proactively engage with the teacher to support our son. She couldn’t understand our request for information. She said explicitly that she doesn’t worry about him and couldn’t understand why we’d be checking in. There were 15 kids in class - perhaps spare some worry for all of them? Yikes! He has come home in tears or with bruises and scrapes - no communication despite repeated requests to let us know if he cries or is injured. Gosh, this all feels horrifying to write. The teachers in specialty areas like music, iLab, phys ed, and library seem caring and thoughtful. The enrichment from these classes is wonderful. For reference for incoming families, your kindergartner should know all their letters or hire a tutor. Curriculum is fast paced. Spelling tests by spring in kinder. Homework is spelling, math, and phonics each night + reading. Recommended donation is 2900 per year per child as of 2022. If it helps keep the programs like music and library and iLab I support it. Expect zero communication from the teacher so plan to check in more than the conference schedule - in our case at the end of September he was fine, by early November there were a host of concerns only shared after our outreach. If I knew what I know now I would have gone to a private school or a San Mateo Public School. Teachers in other districts who I’ve spoken to are appalled at the communication.