The most common place for students to learn business skills and to share cafeteria style activities…read morelike lunch and breakfast together. The cafeteria staff members are exceptional people. A tasty variety of fresh fruits and gourmet vegetables and hot meals made by expert chefs and cooks! I had good luck shopping in the textbook center for sensible and cute sweatshirts and cute rainproof jackets. This alumni experience was on trek by bicycle and bus routes as I searched through file folders for my relentless pursuit at academics. Nobody beats St. Mary's College of Moraga for its history and classrooms. Top San Francisco PD executives have complemented me on wearing licensed clothing for St. Mary's College of Moraga because their sons attended and utilized the facilities. Happy to be logged onto the "QUIET LOUNGE " -computer library! It's an awesome place to find the motivation to go with the scrumptious lunches- No worries to accomplish my tasks for all my files. Thanks for giving me a chance to print everything out and get work done! I'm so grateful for the library staff at St. Mary's College of Moraga because they really listen to my needs. Thank goodness for expertise to make improvements! Everyone is so supportive and dedicated! As a mother of 25 year olds, both my daughters are fully grown adults. They are both actively engaged in the pursuit of excellence too! It really makes a difference! My mother's cancer has brought me back here because it's so private and beautiful grounds amongst the gorgeous flowers of St. Mary's College of Moraga College!

I took some grad photos here for a student who will be attending St. Mary's in the fall and this…read morecampus is gorgeous! While we didn't get to fully explore all of it's beauty, the areas we did see were stunning. We had no trouble finding parking on a Saturday afternoon although the GPS took us to the back of the campus. It was nice and quiet with only a few students walking around. Looking forward to going back to explore some more in the near future.

Great place to swim, but playing water polo here is the worst. Im not sure what chemical they are…read morerunning in the pool...but, it is the worst in Northern California. I get the feeling they prefer to dump chemicals into the pool instead of test it?

3 huge pools ! Nicely heated ! Great location with parking ! Hard to figure out how or maybe when…read moreto sign up on the genius site but I just show up and typically someone has cancelled . Been a delight during covid in particular !

I would highly recommend Sarah Harvey's tutoring service to any student in need of math support or…read moreadditional math challenges. My daughter has worked with her the past two years as a sophomore and junior in high school and it's been key not only in her getting good grades, but more importantly, keeping up her enthusiasm for math. Sarah is gifted in breaking down math in a way that's understandable and effective. Sarah's booking system is easy to use, but make sure you reserve in advance, as she is high demand!

Sarah is an exceptional math tutor. My 9th grade son has been working with her for the past year,…read moreboth in person and more recently online as a result of the Covid 19 restrictions. Both methods have been rewarding. Sarah is highly focused, has an incredible talent for explaining concepts clearly, and a real ability to help prepare for assessments. My son consistently achieved an A in Geometry with her help. Further, his solid foundation and confidence gained throughout this process will help him in other areas too (Physics). He is continuing to work with Sarah (his choice) this summer as he will be taking Alegbra II Advanced next semester. We cannot recommend her highly enough!

Seems to be working so far. Its a lot of work for both parents and child. The system approach they…read morehave makes sense but its time consuming.

Wonderful center! Definitely the best in the area. Kind and attentive teaching and great…read moreexplanation of the materials. Really glad that we found this place! Totally worth a bit of a drive for the excellent experience.

"It takes a village to raise a child" and Lafayette Academy was a part of that village in our…read morehousehold. Weekly tutoring, college counseling, and ACT/SAT prep is why our three children attended Lafayette Academy from the beginning of high school through graduation. The math tutoring was the "extra" they needed to thoroughly grasp the lessons and excel on their tests. In addition, Kathy and Mark Bressler made college planning and ACT/SAT prep successful for our kids by keeping them on track and motivated. Our children attended UC Berkeley, UC Davis and Saint Mary's College; the latter two awarded large academic scholarships. We know they would not have had that level of success without the Bresslers' knowledge, dedication and experience, in partnership with their team of professional tutors at Lafayette Academy.

4th grader and 7th grader needed extra help in math so we have been trying Lafayette Academy. It…read morewas really easy to sign up and they got us in for appointments at the times that worked for me. The tutors are great and the kids are really learning a lot. I highly recommend it!!

This school is an absolutely gem. My child transferred here from a public school at the beginning…read moreof this year. After having two extremely difficult years in a public school system, where my child went from happy and thirsty to learn, to nearly hating school, we knew we needed a change. From the first conversation with Mel, to watching their open house video and hearing their viewpoint on learning, we instantly felt this could be the environment that our child needed. As a Licensed Marriage, Family and Child Therapist, I am consistently reminded the importance of a safe and nurturing learning environment for the overall well-being of a child. The Saklan School understand the importance of children feeling safe and connected in order to learn and grow. Today's parent-teacher conference confirmed everything that we had thought this school would be. My child is absolutely thriving. His teacher doesn't just tolerate his "all in" nature, she encourages and celebrates it, while pushing him to be his best self. The small class sizes allow for each kiddo to feel seen and be known, and project-based learning gets them excited. We absolutely adore this school. Yes, it is a big financial investment, but we are already seeing the return in his growth and joy, and it is also having a huge impact on our entire family's quality of life. We're so thankful for The Saklan School.

We gave the Walnut Creek public school system a try then decided to send our 1st grader to Saklan…read more It's been two months and we've seen a huge change in his attitude towards learning. You cannot beat the small class size and the personalized attention your child will get. We've noticed a renewed love of learning, more confidence and comfort in his skin. My husband and I believe that investing early in his education, creative expression and social emotional development will give him a leg up in life and a strong sense of self. We also love Saklan's project based, hands on approach to learning. Focusing on the whole child is difficult to do when there are 23-30 kids in a classroom. In fact, studies show that learning outcomes diminish when there are more than 18 students in a classroom. When our son comes home excited about something he learned/experienced or tells us how much he loves to read, this warms our hearts because his teachers are getting through to him. We also love that he's learning a foreign language early (Spanish); you many not get that in public school. The public school system is a one size fits all mold. Everything is about meeting benchmarks/assessments and keeping the test scores high without looking at the whole child. At Saklan you have the luxury of knowing that your child's education is flexible enough to both challenge and support them where it's needed. We are thrilled with our decision to invest in our son's education at Saklan.

It's movie night at Los Perales Elementary School tonight. It's a big night with all the students…read moreof all ages participating. First big event of the school year. Last year was Despicable Me. Tonight, looking forward to what it is this year. It's a wonderful tradition for students annually, the kickoff to many events ahead in the new school year, including field trip to Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley Botanical Gardens, and more.

Lisa B. The Moraga…read moreSchool District is proud of its schools, staff, parents and especially of our students. The District strives to create a positive learning environment for its students - and we've had great success over the years - especially with our Character Education program. We also recognize the importance of feedback and constructive criticism. I invite you to contact me so that I may understand your concerns in our on-going efforts to improve our schools. I can be reached at 376-5943. Please ask for Bruce.

Initially I sent my son to a Montessori school nearby. They did not meet his social and emotional…read moreneeds. Everyday during drop off he would vocally tell me he didn't want to be there. So for a few reasons we decided to switch him to TOPS. His demeanor instantly changed. Although this school isn't "academically focused" he gained self confidence and doing much better in social settings. For him, that was exactly what he needed to continue to thrive and "learn" from all the interactive and magical activities that occur at TOPS. Our son is now more confident than ever in all social settings including with strangers and adults. The confidence set the foundation he needed to thrive in other areas of learning and development. Being first time parents, it was the best decision we ever made. (On a side note: The parent participation and abundance of optional school events have fostered a genuine community of parents at TOPS. I really appreciate the connections I have made here.)

TOPS is an amazing place. Last year, my wife and I moved to Orinda from San Francisco in July (a…read moremonth before school started) and we were welcomed with open arms. The school is play based. TOPS may not be for everyone. In fact, our oldest daughter would have been a deer in headlights in this unstructured environment. However, our son loved the cornucopia of all the wonderful activities inside and outside the classroom. He's so excited by all his options that he's eager to get going after getting dropped off. Which has been wonderful, because we were worried about teary eyed goodbyes every morning. The teachers and staff at TOPS are beyond excellent. Many had been there for years, even decades. They are very knowledgeable about child development, discipline, etc. I feel very comfortable leaving my son in their care. Last, but not least, is the superb TOPS community. Because parents have to be involved, there's a great sense of belonging and camaraderie that is fostered by TOPS. In summary, TOPS is a wonderful school and environment for kids.

Great school! Amazing programs, academics, and sports. Most teachers really care. Good principal.read more

Review #095 - 2020…read more My son attended Miramonte HS for all four years so I'm sure he has no way of comparing it to other high schools since all his cousins make fun of him for being "privileged". I went to Richmond High School for four years--so as a mother, I'd never want to send my child to anywhere that I felt uncomfortable with. My son has mentioned that he liked most of his teachers, minus a few that he wished he never had to be in their classes. Academic-wise, Orinda is known for having some of the best schools; but I have to admit that most parents that send their kids to Orinda schools are a little pretentious. They believe that their kids are "privileged" so they try to be accepting of "under privileged" kids and allow them into the schools even when they don't live in our neighborhood. I appreciate their so called "kindness", but I worked my butt off as a parent to get out of Richmond (one of the worse neighborhoods in California) just so I can own a home in Orinda--not so someone can feel sorry for me for being from the hood, but I digress. My son's social distancing graduation on June 1st, 2020, definitely had me in tears because all the staff members did a wonderful job of putting everything together even though it wasn't easy going through the pandemic. Overall, I'm still undecided as to whether I want my 4-year old to attend Orinda schools.

We are lucky to have had our daughter attend Orinda Afternoons for 3 years. Bekki and her staff…read moreprovide a safe, loving and educational environment which has helped our daughter to thrive. Orinda Afternoons is as professionally run as any larger non-home based program - electronic sign-in/-out, daily digest e-mails, and very consistent and high-quality staffing. At the same time, it retains a very warm and caring atmosphere. Bekki takes a genuine personal interest in the children and is highly proactive in helping us stay ahead of our daughter's needs and interests. She's even offered the opportunity to take swimming and gymnastics lessons while attending the program.

I cannot say enough about Orinda Afternoons! They have been a godsend to our family. Bekki and her…read moreassistant teachers are unfailingly kind and communicative. Our son is very high energy and they have been able to redirect his energy in a positive manner while teaching him about the alphabet, numbers, volcanos (which he adores) and hydroelectric power to name just a few of the subjects taught. He has made friends and we have also made friends with the other families attending. Bekki has been available for calls on the weekends and evenings. I feel that I have an adult that is as invested in my son's success as I am. There is not greater comfort for any parent.