Callanan Middle School

I wanted to leave an updated review. My child went to preschool at WSS and now is in kindergarten. They are very receptive, works with families and my child loves the Metro program! I like the comfortable and flexible environment. They use the app well to communicate to families about things that are happening. I like the Urban setting of WSS, and my child loves the fact that his school is in "his city". They have diversity in families and children they serve. So far so good in our early school career. I am happy with the choice of enrolling my child there and he is thriving. Working with the school team to identify possible problems and working through solutions. This school is not under the same principal from earlier reviews. My child is very proud of the character awards they give at school.

First of all I would like to say sorry for the experiences from the families that adamantly criticize the St Theresa's principle or schools staff as a whole. As a parent of 5 children currently attending here, our family has only have praises for the staff. The main reason why we kept our family at this school is from the compassion that we have recieved from them. We have been here for 10 years, beginning with the 3yr old program.The principle here always greet and assist the kids in upon the beginning and dismissal of school. Even when when it's -20° or more below with windchill she is usually the last staff there to assure the safety of the students to and from the school and their means of transportation. That's every day, that she is at the school, for the past 10 years that we have been here, in frostbite, rain, or muggy 100° plus weather. Many staff are there to assist well. That's dedication and caring.As a parent of 5 pre-highschool students, everyone of my kids are different in their own social and mental abilities, and depending at different stages of their growth. The staff here educate, nurture, and support the students as to the staff's best abilities. They will customize and adapt special teaching activities according to the students individual abilities. I have been called into the principles office and have also met with staff about some disciplinary situations regarding my kids. Never have that made me felt uncomfortable, offended or upset in any means. I felt that they really cared about the kids.Even with all the crimes/shooting going on in the schools of our nation, I know that my kids are at a school where I can feel the less worry about situations like that arising.Sometimes I wish that they have more language classes or more advanced math and science classes, but I understand that it's a private charter school and don't have the extra funding as the public schools do. But that does not outweigh the countless positives programs that the school brings. I could explain dozens of additional positve experiences, I hope you get the idea. We are Blessed to be a part of this St. Theresa School family!

100+ This school has been the best choice for our family. The focus on values, morals and high educational expectations have benefitted each of our children from kindergarten into elementary school.

Phenomenal school. Amazing teachers. Great community and support from parents. Awesome kids. Wonderful before and after school programs.

My husband and I have four children who attend Bergman Academy. Therefore my experience spans the breadth of the school in terms of teaching staff, varied learning styles/needs (of my children) and the social emotional differences between a young child and a preteen. Bergman has been a wonderful choice for our family. I have found the teachers to be one of the most valuable assets of the school. They are responsive and make the extra effort to meet the needs of each child. I have felt that my opinions and perspective of my child's learning needs matter and the partnership between home and school has been extraordinary (especially for my kids that need specific types of support to make school successful). Given the small class size, I truly feel each of my children are well known and uniquely valued not only by their current teacher but by teachers and staff across the school. The curriculum is relevant, cohesive from grade to grade and I am continually impressed by the way the staff collaborates with one another in creative ways to teach with cross-curricular projects and opportunities for learning that extend into the community and beyond the classroom. As my children have gotten older there is a clear effort to build the student's autonomy and accountability for their work. And the way Bergman builds social and emotional learning into the day in organic ways is neat to hear... mentoring between older and younger students, community mindedness through partnerships with a nearby retirement community and the utilization of our natural setting in ways that keep our kids learning in bigger and deeper ways. The sole reason I chose to write this review is because we moved to Des Moines from a large city across the country. Reviews on schools were one way I worked to understand the options my husband and I had for education in a place where we had no network. Bergman Academy has been a key factor in our overall adjustment to moving to Des Moines. The education and the community are both things I feel grateful for often.