The Waldorf School of Bend

Every teacher my 3 kids have had has been helpful, attentive, kind, and generous. They are truly good people themselves. Also the vice principal is helpful and thorough, and the rest of the main office staff are friendly and work hard. I feel very fortunate that my kids all go to Bear Creek!

Best school in the district. This school is a Title 1 school with an underserved population that exceeds the diversity of other schools in the district. This school is ranked number five in the whole state for schools with similar demographics. There is an equity team that addresses disparities regularly, teachers differentiate to reach all students, and bias reporting is made easily available by the school’s administration so that all incidents of bias can be addressed immediately, whether that bias involves poverty, disability, LGBTQIA, race, or something else. The rating given to this school by Great Schools is not reflective of the school at all. This is a school with high poverty and with fewer white kids than the other schools in this district, with kids who are often from households who aren’t as available as more wealthy families in Bend due to financial disparities. The teachers, therefore, must fill in those gaps and address problems not seen much in kids from wealthier families in the district. Kids learn coding from kindergarten on, using a hand-on approach—not just screens. They use storyline in first grade, have a yearly film festival, have a coding competition, engage in Battle of the Books, and have a rocket activity for fourth graders. Students use stop motion to describe their learning process and become their own teachers and lifetime learners. This is the best school in the district, with staff members who constantly collaborate to reach all students on an individual level. This school has an on-site counselor and specialists to address behavioral and learning needs. Bullying is not tolerated, and teachers work tirelessly to engage students in meaningful activities that will enrich their learning. The music program is great, and students have a library with a reading well—the only one in the district. There is a yearly Walk-A-Thon, and health and well being for all students is a priority. Best school in the district by far. Also, the school grounds are gorgeous and there are several buildings that allow for a lot of outdoor time. Outdoor play is scenic and not flat like other schools. It’s right next to Pilot Butte! Teachers and staff have a great working relationship, with minimal conflict—and this shows a lot. Best school in the district by far.

Exceptional school in every way! Every time I walk in the door (which is often because it's a very community minded school) I wish I could stay! The staff are warm, inviting, patient and knowledgable. The curriculum is top notch. Students learn to be confident and creative with a solid foundation all academic areas.

Our family LOVES Westside Village! We think it's a hidden gem. We have 2 kids there (kinder and 1st). They are thriving! We feel they learn tons academically and socially/emotionally. We love the teachers, the principal, everyone that works there honestly. Everyone including the principal knows all the kids' names and they greet them by name in the halls! We love their alternative options and field trips: ice skating, watershed investigating, skiing, camping trips, community gardening...We also love that it's K-8, it's a small community, the start times are a bit later than other elementary schools since it goes to 8th... They have aftercare and before care, clubs that our kids love...They mix ages in classes and meet the kiddos where they're at. They are super supportive of their social interactions and them as whole people, not just kids learning school things. We also love their 6 weeks celebrations where your family goes to the school to interact with other families and teachers, see what your kids have been working on, and watch them do a little performance. Can't say enough good things!

There are only 2 Spanish language speakers on staff at this school and one is an administrative assistant. It shows, too, as language learning is not strong at BIS. To see the grammatical errors and errors in speech tells me that they ought to take Spanish language learning more seriously. I wish that I could disagree with rhe other review but it is true.The school disciplinarian/dean/activities coordinator uses outdated punishments and clearly has little understanding of child development. He rejects more developmentally appropriate scientifically backed strategies for working with children and it shows. Behavioral problems are not addressed well. Bully is a fair description due to his intimidating demeanour and inclination to go with the Frenchsystem of justice: guilty until proven innocent. Many parents have complained to no avail. When a student does call an issue to the attention of staff they are dismissed and the issue minimized. If it is escalated staff band together and start to question the student instead of addressing the problem. It is a very dysfunctional environment. The departure of the original director was a huge improvement as she was very dismissive of students and unpleasant and difficult to work with. She lacks a background in education. The new director, while an improvement, is not effectively changing the problematic staff culture at BIS. I wish I could write a better review as the concept is a wonderful one. The execution, is lacking.