Gravenstein

It’s a great school for my child beacuse she has learned so much from the teachers and loves it

We are so thrilled to be at SunRidge Charter School. The principal honors the principles of Waldorf education through her knowledge she shares with the community, bringing guests, to which she herself offers, to speak on Waldorf and the whys behind its approach, and equally important the teachers she hires. She cares about the school and families. My child has had to adjust to the caliber her teacher requires of her students, and wow... just wow! We moved from two other Waldorf Charter schools in the area and my child was not prepared for the expectations of her class. My child has caught up and moving with the class now, thanks to the teacher's immaculate organization and use of google classroom to share her lessons with her students and parents. I'm so impressed how the teacher's lecture notes are extensive and expand beyond what I ever was taught in public school. There are projects at the end of every block and meaningful work that is done on a daily basis. It is absolutely evident that a lot of thought and forward planning are given to how each subject and block progression unfolds in the year. This teacher is a Rock Star, and the best we ever had (between my two daughters' experiences including private waldorf that we were able to attend through remission)! The kids in my child's class are sweet and inclusive. On my child's first day, she was given a card by one of her classmates welcoming her to the school with hopes that my child would find SunRidge as her new home. This classmate is the most sweetest and profound thinker for their age, and based on my child's interaction with them in the past, my child seeks out this child for advice :). My child was able to make friends easily (one of her biggest fears starting yet again at a new school). There seems to be no walls between classmates as I've heard that children weave between groups and are never pushed away when a classmate joins a group in their class. Specialty teachers are wonderful. My child enjoys her new instrument and teacher, loves her Spanish, Handwork, Woodwork projects and teachers, and absolutely is learning her strength in math and loves her new math teacher. We were just offered a spot at a nearby school today but, it is a no-brainer that we are staying here. I can't thank this school enough, led by an incredible Principal, Ms. Haedo, and held and nurtured by my child's class teacher. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

A devoted staff at every level. Children feel cared about and a family feeling is palpable. Beautiful, natural surroundings provide a sense of serenity and expansiveness. Highly recommend!

My child was relentlessly bullied here. He wound up getting a concussion. We never really recovered as a family.

We love Park Side! My child is thriving here, academically and socially. We love the drama program they offer as an after school club, as well as the garden class they get during the week. My child is learning so much, and loves coming to school everyday!

Overall it’s a decent school for learning and the teachers are nice it’s just very bare minimum. School plays and events are done during school hours while parents and families are at work etc so it’s nearly impossible for people to make it without having to leave work. That also cuts into the kids learning time and educational priorities. There were only a few field trips and one of them was a trip to the park so I’m not sure if it’s due to budgeting or low funds. There’s little to no parking. Trying to come in and out of the school is really hard and there’s no nearby public parking due to the road ways. I don’t see any developments done to the school or any plans to fix the parking lot issue. My biggest issue with this school is the family activities, they are always done during school hours when parents are at work so I don’t see how that encourages family activities when most families can’t make it. Some fields trips we were notified that only a selected group of parents could attend. Talents shows, plays, conferences, open houses, etc in my opinion should be conducted after regular school hours. Everything is crammed and rushed and organized very poorly.