Three of my four kids went through Waynflete - one for high school and two for preschool through…read moreGrade 12. These three children are vastly different. The school did an amazing job of preparing them for College and for life and adapting for each of their goals. Their focus on critical thinking and excellent writing and presentation skills has served our children well. My daughter went on to get an MD/PhD at Duke and her final training in the Harvard system. My youngest son has held increasingly important roles in a major renewable energy company and my oldest son is an artist and LSW. I mention their trajectories to counter comments that this school doesn't prepare students for the real world. It was a sacrifice for our family to afford but so worth the investment. They are all happy and fulfilled.

This school has been great to me for many years as i have been going to Waynflete since 1st graderead more

A wonderful with wonderful staff. They are very passionate…read moreabout the kids. The playground & field are also wonderful.

i loved the teachers but absolutely hated the art teacher. she made many kids cry and once even…read moreripped a kids art because it wasn't what she was looking for, and made someone cry once, but if you do it exactly like hers then she'll tell you to be more creative but if you're creative then she'll make you re-do the entire project until its what she's looking for. but other than her the school is amazing, its very clean and the teachers-other then the art teacher- are amazing.

The schoolhouse is a jewel from American institutional design circa late 1970s / early…read more1980s....hopefully the new school will keep some of the old design fundamentals when designing a friendly space to learn. We do not need pretty we need functional and sustainable with this campus! Great teachers, Awesome location and fond memories of Middle School! This is MY school! It is set up just like all schools should be setup. It could use some updating but all in all it is a great schoolhouse with Amazing opportunities for students of all levels. But we could use an auditorium.....the music/band/theater students need help sounding as good as they are. So maybe a little splurge for the sake of acoustics and comfort could be arranged I Love that this place has always had a Breakfast Club feel to it. ;-) The interior decor will bring you back! I have fond memories of the education I received at BJHS! I am also excited that my children will have a similar experience, not much has changed here since the olden days! Ha Go Huskies!

If I could give zero stars I would, I have been to this school for three years and it was…read moreabsolutely miserable. Prepare yourselves for a very unorganized list of my grievances. First of all, the schools staff does NOTHING if you report being physically, verbally, or sexually harassed or assaulted. I had reported all three and the biggest result I saw was the kids getting told to "stop because it is not nice", you heard it here folks, threatening to rape someone isn't nice. The staff at this school are all for the most part racist, homophobic, or in general very judgmental and make assumptions before even interacting with you. The staff also fully ignore your 504 or IEP accommodations, or despite being in a roll where they were supposed to be made aware of the said accommodations are not told. I have had a teacher tell my class(along the lines of) "You all don't put in effort, none of you will be able to get into college like this", which I find pretty cruel to say to a bunch of kids??? I've had a staff member make me clean up broken glass on the ground that I wasn't involved in breaking, I had happened to be in the room(across from the class when it broke) and was left in during motor break trying to clean it up with no supplies, so of course I got cut, and then I got in trouble for not going out to motor break when I was told to clean up glass. My last problem with the staff is, the social worker, Ms. Wood, is AWFUL(respectfully), she tries to blame your parents and won't do what she says she will do, she caused more harm to me then any good. Moving away from the staff, the school itself is in awful condition, we have little to no AC, the sinks and toilets regularly just stop working and will be left inoperable for months on end, not to mention the bathrooms are totally unmonitored, I can't count the amount of times fights have broken out or things have been purposely broken and the staff are unaware, which to me seems like a major safety risk but what do I know. Some classrooms in this school are sinking into the ground, one of which drops a foot suddenly(It is not built to do that for the record). I can count on both hands the amount of times I've heard of rats or mice running into classrooms, which is a health hazard for the record. Finally for the school itself, false fire alarms regularly go off, I have been subjected to the school evacuating around 15 times in the last three years. Moving away from this, the student body of this school are all very rude and caused my mental health to plumet multiple times, and the school is VERY aware and doesn't care, picking to project the popular kids and allowing unpopular or "weird" kids to be harassed daily. Also the school hardly takes the vaping problem seriously, I see kids walking around openly carrying vapes which I find absurd. Overall this school is horrible, do NOT send your child here if you want them to have a good school experience and mental health. I beg of you to homeschool your kids, send them to a different district, anything besides this absolute shitshow of a school. I cannot think of any positives to give this school. The only teacher I liked is Mr. Ellis, give him a raise or something he's chill and doesn't judge you. Ps. This year we had a sub regularly say the N word, old white woman by the way(she got fired because a kid got a recording luckily)

My son attended public school from Kindergarten through 6th grade. He had a few wonderful…read moreteachers, but for the most part, his educational experience was far from inspiring. What pushed me to look into the Waldorf School was my issue with young male video game culture that seems pervasive in main stream culture thus a part of public school. I felt as if I was swimming upstream for years while I resisted letting it take up residence in our household, and then I finally conceded when my son was in 5th grade. A neighbor gave him a secondhand x-box that was her grandson's. As a gesture of graciousness and with an attitude of experimentation, I opened myself to the experience for a year, before I couldn't stand watching the effects anymore. I had enough of watching my formerly contented son turn into a restless, ill-contented drone. I had enough of watching and listening to the violence as my son obliterated the "Russians" and "North Koreans"; I wanted something more for him. I wanted him to feel alive in school and out of school, meanwhile I so sadly was beginning to watch him lose every ounce of enthusiasm for both his public school life and for his interests outside of playing video games. I was determined to find an environment for my son to go through puberty that was grounded, kind and nurturing. I found exactly what I was looking for at the Ashwood Waldorf School. My son leaves school literally beaming, smiling from ear to ear and full of stories of his day. He is finally in an environment that engages not just his mind but nourishes his spirit. Here are three reasons why I believe my son has come alive in this environment. The Ashwood Waldorf School honors traditional academics (such as memorization and recitation, which was non-existent in my son's public school experience). Integrated sensory learning activities are incorporated with each main lesson block: e.g. they have to do research and write a report, copy it with a fountain pen onto "main lesson" paper, create an art project, and do an oral report for each topic studied. Secondly, he is in an environment that also values physical beauty from the landscaped school grounds, hand work, carpentry, music and art classes, to the beautiful chalk board art in each classroom. This element and value placed on beauty seems to really nurture kindness and curiosity in the students and faculty. This value was something I would not have thought of to look for as a perspective parent but has been a wonderful surprise to me. And lastly, the class teachers, as a part of Waldorf education, insist on the daily fundamental exercise of practicing respect between each student and their teacher. They do this by implementing something so simple: a greeting that consists of a handshake between the teacher and each student, mutually looking into one another's eyes and saying one another's names as they say good morning as the student enters the classroom first thing and say good bye as the student departs at the end of their day. Wow, what a difference, just these three educational experiences have made in my son's growth into a young man. I feel as if the Ashwood Waldorf School offers an opportunity and an environment for both young men and women in middle school and junior high to mature in an environment that allows them to be themselves. My son is in eighth grade; the kids are just, not, pre-occupied with name brands, tech gadgets, or peer pressure to be anything they are not. It is so promising and cool to see healthy middle school kids. I have a happy 13 year old son that is engaged and enjoys going to school and enjoys the adults in his life! You just can't ask for anything more at this age. I also have to note that I would not have been able to afford a Waldorf education in many other parts of the country. Ashwood's tuition is roughly half of what most Waldorf urban schools cost. I thought I moved here for family and work, but what I'm getting is so much more than that. Perhaps we actually moved here so I could get my son back, and so he could come home to himself again through the gifts found at Ashwood.

We are thrilled with Ashwood Waldorf School. Our daughter is thriving there--academically,…read moresocially, and creatively. The kids are respectful and intelligent, and the staff is second to none. And most importantly, our daughter loves it. She looks forward to going to school every day.

Our daughter is currently enrolled in the toddler program at 2nd Nature Academy, and has been since…read moreshe was eight weeks old. I truly believe there is no other place I would have felt comfortable dropping off my daughter! The staff are professional, kind, and clearly love what they do. The physical campus is also incredible, and I cannot believe the spaces she is able to explore. She never stops talking about the farm animals! She is so delighted to go in each morning, and we could not be happier that we found such a wonderful place for her to learn and grow.

My child is so very happy at second nature. I am thrilled we found the perfect school. Public…read moreschool was just not right for my son. He is learning Mandarin and conversational Spanish along with his core subjects- all of which he is able to move along at a pace that works for him. I particularly like the way they handle typical "elementary" conflict. They hold a meeting, everyone can speak their mind and then they all decide how they can work through it.. a real life skill! In my child's old school an argument at recess meant children "sitting out" not able to play simply because they had a conflict about something. This fostered ill feelings amoung the children rather than empowering them to work out issues and move on together.. a very adult way to handle things. It's the small details like this that make all the difference in the world for ensuring children become productive members of society. After visiting many private schools we are so glad we decided on Second Nature Academy!

First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in South Portland is a great place to connect…read morewith God's spirit. Young, old, male, female, tall, short, thin, fat, rich, poor - no matter who you are and where you are on life's journey, you ARE welcome there. It's a large building and large congregation, but you quickly feel like a member of the family. FCCUCC SoPo offers 2 worship services most Sundays (just 1 in July & Aug). First service is held in Chapel at 8:30. It's a less formal style service. The other service is held in the Sanctuary and starts at 10 am. This service is complete with choir and other musical offerings as well as scripted prayers. Child care is available at the 10am service and Sunday School takes place at that time also. There are currently 2 pastors on staff, both of whom help the congregation take a look at being a christian in this day and age. Many social clubs, and various activities are sponsored by this church.