Alta Vista School

Our kids have really been thriving here.

We joined Naval Avenue this year with 2 of our kids and have had a great experience. Teachers who are engaged and love what they do, very good at communicating. They have specialists to assist those who need extra help and have worked really hard at bringing the pandemic kids up to the grade level with small work groups and individual instruction. I think it is important to note that parent involvement is crucial to a better school experience, you get out what you put into it. We collaborate with the teachers to work on each of our kids challenges and opportunities and see vast improvement in their academic and social/emotional skills. As soon as a bully issue arose, we spoke with the teacher who not only dealt with the individual student, but also did an entire unit for the class on standby bullying and how it affects people too. I was impressed and learned the bully apologized to my kid and they have been friends since. We were given an opportunity to move our kids and have decided we like where they are and the support from this school has been great.

I am writing to provide feedback regarding my recent interactions with some of the staff members at West Hills Stem Academy.While I appreciate the hard work and dedication of the faculty, I have noticed that some of them have displayed a negative attitude towards students, parents, and colleagues. I have observed that some staff members are not as flexible as they could be in accommodating the needs of students and parents and other staff. It is important for the school to be responsive and adaptable to the needs of everyone. In fact, out of all the staff I've interacted with, only half of them were kind and seemingly flexible with working with me. The other half seemed to talk at me. Instead of having an effective and respectful conversation, I left feeling scolded and unwelcome. Furthermore, one staff member, in short, told me that asking for my name was trivial. I felt our interaction was disappointing and unprofessional.I believe that it is important for all staff members to maintain a positive and respectful attitude towards everyone. This not only creates a welcoming and inclusive environment but also helps to build a strong relationship between the school and its community.

Lots of bulling and disrespect toward my child, and then toward me when I tried to do something about it.

My child has been enrolled since age 2.5 and is now 5. What I appreciate most about Discovery is that the staff don’t give up on the child when they don’t check the box for the “Montessori poster child”. They go above and beyond to try and find what teaching style works best for each of their students.