My daughter has been going to Heritage Academy for 5 years now and we are so, so happy to have…read morefound this school! This is truly a place where the kids are seen and known individually; not just in academics, but across their whole personality. Helping the students develop spiritually, socially, emotionally, and academically are top priorities for the teachers, and in our experience they have consistently done an exceptional job in every area. This is a very special place where children are treasured and treated as a "heritage from the Lord".

Wonderful school! My wife & I were looking for a school for our daughter to attend. We were…read moredelighted to have found this hidden gem of a school. The class sizes are small, so a lot of individual attention & specialized learning. The teachers & staff are outstanding. We could not be happier with our decision. Highly, highly recommend.

What an amazing place. Jan and I are privileged to be part of the LAUMC family. We have had such a…read morewelcome this last fortnight. We hope to welcome LAUMC members to more exciting trips to Europe in 2014 and we shall certainly be back, hopefully in time to see the Giants next season!! This church is truly inspirational.

One of my friends got married in this beautiful church. There is a decent size parking lot, so…read moreguests should not have trouble finding a spot. This church is really easy to find, too. It is conveniently located on the corner of Magdalena and Foothill Expressway. I took 1 star away, since there is no AC inside the church (except inside the restroom..lol). When it got kind of hot inside the church, I noticed a lot of people were fanning themselves with the wedding programs.

My son has just graduated from LWHS this school year. Only three years ago, he had went to PALY…read morefor a year and feeling distressed, anxious and low in self confidence. The past years at LWHS has completely changed his outlook, his ability to express himself, his anxiety level, his self confidence level, and his lack of interest in academic work. LWHS' teachers and staff are nurturing and caring. My son really feels like he was being paid attention to and cared for adequately. It is in this type of caring and nurturing environment he is able to thrive and grow. He is emerging into a young adult with good confidence and self esteem level, mature and calm. Most importantly, he is in touch with his anxiety level and know how to use tools (meditation etc) that were taught at school to manage it well. The school emphasizes on community bonding, sharing and collaboration. While most academic learning is done via remote learning, there are plenty of opportunities for students to share and learn/mentor in group settings. Passion projects showcases student's individual passion at the end of each school year and it is a great way for students to get in touch with individual interests and passion ideas. I can't recommend LWHS enough. It is a wonderful school. My younger son will be attending LWHS as well.

Our daughter attended Living Wisdom High School and we feel so blessed. It's a very unique and…read morespecial place of support for kids who need something other than the mainstream route. The structure of education here fit our daughter really well and enabled her to succeed, graduate with honours and get accepted at several prestigious universities. But more importantly, she acquired skills that are even more important than academics. Mindfulness, caring for others and for our planet, importance of self care, movement and meditation, among others. We are forever grateful to this school and its directors and staff.

Ventana School is a truly wonderful school and I'd give it my highest recommendation. It starts…read morewith the leadership, who are a passionate group with a founder's mentality and a strong philosophy on how to inspire lifelong learners. And, this ethos and commitment extends down the line, through the teachers, administrative staff and the students themselves. I am blown away at how well each of the teachers understands the Ventana goals and curiosity-based (Reggio) method of teaching, and how they can explain how classroom structure, lessons and activities relate to it. And at how the kids understand it, and apply it. This is not just a stale mission statement taped to a wall somewhere. It's a real intellectual commitment and culture, and it shows. We've been at Ventana preschool for a couple of years, and a few other great things stand out. First, everyone cares. The environment is nurturing, and beyond that, deeply invested in the long-term success of your child. Second, the parents community is wonderful. We've met great new friends through the program, and been delighted by the way people show up to activities and care for each other with the parent groups. And we've found folks to be pretty down to earth for a Bay Area private school (and we've seen a couple other programs, so this is at least a somewhat qualified comparison). Lastly, we've seen the kind of kids that graduate out of the program. The Ventana philosophy really seems to deliver. The leadership recently noted that in an incoming Stanford class, there are 3 Ventana alums. 3 students out of a single-class graduating size is impressive. More impressive is how well-rounded the 5th graders are. They are articulate, grounded, capable of holding complex abstract extemporaneous conversations with adults. We look forward to the rest of the journey for our little one!

I highly recommend Ventana School to anybody in Bay Area, especially to those who seek a warm and…read morekind community and whole child education where students grow up feeling happy every single day. My four children all enjoy Ventana in their own unique ways and my husband and I are both thankful for having this school in our life. Both in preschool and elementary school, my kids grew up so much at Ventana. I can tell that every teacher loves teaching and they are very enthusiastic in helping children to find learning a true happiness. One of the key words at Ventana is "curiosity" and my kids are always very curious :) Also, they all feel cared and loved by the whole school community, and it's making them nourish very strong self-confidence. At play dates, parks, outside of school activities or even at supermarket, many people have asked where my kids go to school because they play collaboratively, show kindness and have good leadership. I always feel that I myself get great support by school. Small conversations with Ventana teachers at pickup and drop off are always positive and encouraging, and school began providing different kinds of instructive parenting classes after Pandemic and that's very helpful too. Preschool: Lots of hands-on activities The teachers prepare a variety kinds of hands-on activities every day. They are incredible and I can't do the same at home. Through those sensory activities, kids explore their own wonder and learn so naturally. Elementary: Depth of learning Ventana provides a great teacher-student ratio in each classroom. So, each student can get full attention from teachers, and I'm always amazed to see how well the teachers know about my children. The teachers catch when the students need support, and they don't miss the cues when the students are ready to have challenges. That creates ideal educational environment where every single child will acquire firm reading/writing/speaking/communication skills and mathematical ability. In my sense, it's more important how deep they understand rather than how advance they learn, and in this way Ventana alumni are so ready for middle school.

The best Church I have been to in a long time. Today I was ked by the holy Spirit to this place. It…read morewas all I could want. It was friendly and welcoming. I felt comfortable and intrigued. I will be back. I found a new home to worship the Lord.

I was pleasantly pleased with my visit to University AME Zion Church on today. This church is…read morelocated in Palo Alto on Middle Street. I actually found this church on Yelp. There were both positive and negative thoughts. I allowed the Lord to lead me. I was immediately greeted by Annabel. A lovely bright young lady. From the moment I stepped on the grounds, through the worship service and the word brought forth by Pastor Smith was pure servitude. They made me feel welcome. The praise and worship team led by Pastors wife sang uplifting songs to the Lord. The congregation was fully engaged and the Holy Spirit showed up. The children's church recited bible verses that they learned. Just warmed my heart. Pastor Kaloma Smith brought the word from 1 Kings 18: 20-40. Resetting our Expectations of God! He shared his experience of hearing the Lord. Having faith and favor during the transition from the East coast to the West coast. His wife supporting him and standing with him. They have a digital online network. Scriptures on Demand. This sermon is worth hearing again. Just powerful and plain explanation of today's practical wisdom. When I'm in Sunnyvale again, I will definitely visit again.

Until I found Unity, every church I attended implied that I was bad and needed saving. Unity…read moreimplied the opposite: I am whole and good, and my work in life is to live more and more from that place of innate goodness. It's more spiritual than religious. No hard rules or beliefs you have to buy into. Just practical ideas to make life better.

I've been researching churches in the area after deciding to leave my former church. I had been…read morewith the former church (denomination: Lutheran Missouri Synod) since the 2nd grade on and off. I felt wasn't growing spiritually, and for the longest time I thought it was me that was the problem. But in reality the church wasn't the right fit for me at all. I had outgrown it. (Don't get me wrong, I still talk to and hang out with people from my former church. In terms of my spiritual growth, I felt I had to move on.) Here's the criteria I searched for: -Active church community: size of the church isn't too small or too overwhelming -Young Adults group (I turned 30 in October.) -Welcoming to all people of different racial & ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientation, and other characteristics. -Church service isn't too early in the morning or too late in the evening. -Located near where I live (San Carlos) -Accessible by public transportation (I don't drive.) Anyways, today (12/31/17) was my 1st time attending the church, and it won't be the last. I saw on Facebook that they were having a Burning Bowl Ceremony/Writing Letters to God, and it definitely appealed to me. I have a LOT to let go of. I took the train to Palo Alto, transferred to take the 35 bus. Got off near Starbucks. That's another plus - it's a 15 minute walk from Starbucks, and there's a Philz Coffee too (6 minute walk)! WIN! Ate breakfast, and walked over to Unity Palo Alto. I arrived right after they had started when they were making announcements. I was immediately greeted with smiles. Apparently, they give a flower & a welcome packet when it's your 1st time at their church. That was a nice gesture! The format of the service is different than the traditional Protestant services I used to attend. But I welcomed it as a new way of experiencing God's love & presence. The actual Burning Bowl Ceremony was very cathartic & calming. I was able to write a succinct, but meaningful letter to God. I'm sure I already forgot what I wrote, but I'll be surprised when the church mails it back to me after months have passed. I'm sure it'll be affirming to read. Service is an hour which is shorter than what I'm used to, but I like how clear the message (or lesson) is, and how practical it is in our lives. When service concluded, I was able to talk to the minister. I asked him about the Young Adults group. Apparently, it's on hiatus as the facilitators are on vacation. But there had been some people going/interested. I like how straightforward & friendly everyone is here. Oh, the social media team on their official Facebook page are pretty responsive too. Anyways, I'll be back next Sunday (1/7/18) for the White Stone Ceremony. I'll update this review once I've attended the church a little bit longer.

I told my 6-year-old I was going to write a review about her school. She said, "mom, I love…read moreeverything about Tru." We transferred in for 1st & 3rd. Within days of joining both kids felt safe, comfortable, and included. All of the kids are friends, it is a small school in the best way, like a big uninhibited family. The teachers help to support and ensure this by designing community rituals that often involve singing and mindfulness and by masterfully coaching them through conflicts and differences. The teachers are exceptional, they meet the kids at eye level in such a calm, clear, and respectful way. The K/1 teacher is rarely standing, she's sitting with them, next to them, leaning in and listening. They feel it. It is a teacher-owned and teacher-led school. The philosophy is so aligned. All of the teachers believe in integrated learning, seeing educational opportunities in the interests of the kids by encouraging and observing their everyday play. My daughter's interest in gardening manifested in the creation of a new work job for which her teacher procured new equipment and thoughtfully developed tasks. The collective class interest in grass turned into a scientific exploration of grass structures with microscopes, diagrams, and artistic renderings. The curriculum is ever-changing and thus incredibly adaptive and relevant. The teachers re-write the whole thing every year. Twice a year they produce new plays with original lines, songs, choreography, costumes, and hand-made props. They introduce new themes, new projects, and new units. They make almost everything by hand with the kids. The kids cook feasts, weave tapestries, cobble together inventions, set up experiments, and test out their ideas. No iPad apps. They learn to type so that they can write and create. The vibe of the school is inspired and focused. The class sizes are small and distractions are brilliantly managed. The kids work incredibly hard. They have long blocks of time to get into deep work during the day. No homework. And yet, they're academically thriving.

My son attended the school from last year as a kindergartner. He loves the school, had lots of fun,…read moremade many friends, and made lots of improvements in many areas. Now it is the summer holiday, and he can't wait to go back to school. The school is very small and teacher/student ratio is good, so the students can get enough attention and personalized education plan. Everyone knows and plays each other, just like a big family. The teachers are very decent, patient and really caring about the kids. They have lots of field trips that the whole school will attend together, there is a small garden in the campus, so the kids are pretty close to the nature. There are two big drama plays every year and everyone will participate. They do mindfulness meditation every morning. They make some stories together (such as everyone plays a role in a tribe). They practice public speech even from kindergarten. There is a lot of fun and plays there, and kids can learn and grow from those activities. Tru is not like a traditional school. It provides a versatile experience for students, and integrates the learning from projects and plays. It is great for child's development.

Love how small the classes are and how attentive the teachers are. My son always wants to come…read moreearly and never wants to leave.

We have 3 children that have been at UOP recently. It is such a warm and loving environment. Our…read morekids have all thrived there. Some of the many reasons we love it: 1. The class sizes are super small compared to other area preschools. Enough kids to make friends while also getting individual attention they wouldn't elsewhere. They really get to know your kid and it's not a one size fits all approach. 2. The older and younger classes mix at times. Nice for sibs to see each other and to have the experience of a mixed age environment. 3. The teachers are fantastic and genuinely care tremendously about each child. No teacher turnover in the past 3 years we have been there. 4. Our kids were well prepared for Kinder and never even knew they were learning. It's relaxed and play based. 5. While it's a faith based school no matter what your background you will feel part of the family. The children learn good values and that they are loved. I would strongly recommend UOP. Please take a moment to tour it if you're considering a preschool for your little one.