Came here for the open house and I was very impressed by the setup, and blown away by the friendly…read moreand professional staff. The space is plentiful, and filled with fun and educational tools. I'm glad I'm sending my children there, and can't wait for them to share their camp experience with me!

WhizKids is a great find for us. We signed up our children after a friend's referral last summer…read more So far, we had gone to their summer, fall and spring camps. We also attended their holiday parent's night out. It's located in an office building near the freeway and the program keep the children very safe. The teachers were fantastic and the activities are well planned. Their program tailored to different age groups and had a different theme each day. The children enjoyed variety of activities: science experiment, language art, Chinese calligraphy, food making, and many more. I took the advantage of the partnership WhizKids had with local restaurants and ordered lunch for the children. They even provided fruit/veggie infused water for the children. We are definitely going back for summer camp this year.

Both our kids went to LACS, and I highly recommend it to anyone else looking for a Mandarin…read moreimmersion program. Zhuang Laoshi has been there for years, and she is an incredibly thoughtful educator who is wonderful with kids. To this day, my older daughter still tells me she misses Zhuag Laoshi. Our younger daughter had Zhang Laoshi, who was the most kind, warm, and nurturing teacher who really helped her feel comfortable during the preschool transition. LACS plans thoughtful and creative projects, and they really help children grow independently. They foster an environment where young children can build their social skills, which was a priority for us. Another bonus is the extra-curricular activities that happen at the school, so you don't have to drive them somewhere on other days (ballet, drumming, music, etc). They also love English lessons with Miss Eleanor. The rest of the leadership are responsive and caring, and I appreciate the daily updates on how they ate/slept. It's a smaller community, so the teachers and staff really get to know the families well. It's also convenient because they run the afterschool Chinese program at the LASD schools, as well as the vacation/summer camps, so when students graduate from the preschool, they still have opportunities to interact with their old teachers. We are so happy to have LACS in our community.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Zhang Laoshi and Zhuang Laoshi. From the very beginning,…read moreit has been clear how much care, patience, and dedication they bring to the classroom every day. They create such a warm and nurturing environment where children feel safe, happy, and excited to learn. What really stands out is how thoughtfully Zhang Laoshi and Zhuang Laoshi support each child's development. They balance learning with play beautifully, encouraging curiosity, creativity, and confidence. My child often comes home talking about the fun activities, songs, and stories from class, and it's clear that Zhang Laoshi makes learning joyful and engaging for the children. Zhuang Laoshi and Zhang Laoshi also communicate very well with parents, sharing helpful updates and insights about how the children are growing socially, emotionally, and academically. It's reassuring to know that our child is in the hands of teachers who truly care about their well-being and development. We feel incredibly fortunate that our child is in a classroom led by Zhang Laoshi and Zhuang Laoshi. Great preschool teachers make a lifelong difference, and they are truly special educators who help children build confidence and a love of learning from the very start.

A Thriving, Inclusive, and Supportive Community…read more We are incredibly grateful for the Mandarin Immersion program at Orion. As non-Mandarin speakers, my wife and I wanted our children to learn a new language, and this program has exceeded our expectations. Both of our kids absolutely love the school--so much so that they would live there if they could! Our youngest even gets upset if we have to pick him up early, which speaks volumes about how much they enjoy being there. The teachers are excellent--caring and compassionate while pushing the kids to reach higher standards. The level of parental involvement is something special too; it's supportive in all the right ways. As a multicultural family, with my wife being African American and me Hispanic, diversity and inclusion are very important to us. Orion fosters a sense of belonging not just for our kids but for us as parents as well. Our children also speak Spanish, and learning Mandarin has been a rewarding challenge for them. In fact, they jokingly call it their "secret language" because neither my wife nor I speak it, which adds an extra layer of fun and pride in their learning. The community here is fantastic--inclusive and most importantly, supportive of one another. Even without Mandarin support at home, our children are thriving beyond our wildest expectations. Their proficiency in Mandarin, as well as in Math and English, is impressive. The high standards set by the school are matched by the dedication of the teachers, ensuring that our kids are growing and learning more than we could have imagined. We couldn't be happier with our choice to enroll our children in Orion Alternative Elementary School. It's more than just a school; it's a community that we're proud to be a part of.

A recent transfer this year, we have fully immersed ourselves into this amazing community. From…read moreMaze Day we were received with opened arms. Fantastic Faculty & Staff. My 3rd grader LOVES her teacher. It is both rigorous and fun. So many school events put on by our PTO. The PTO involvement is amazing. We've been searching for a school like this and so happy to call this school home. The MI (Mandarin Immersion) program is wonderful too. The Enrichment programs and cultural enrichment are fantastic. You should definitely consider enrolling your child in this choice school!

My son joined at 4 years old. We've had generally a good experience except there was teacher…read moreturnover. Also the teacher surprisingly spoke a lot of English. I thought it would be more immersion. In this preK class, most of the parents stay in the classroom and help out the kids. My son does enjoy it usually. I like that there is often someone selling Mandarin books outside. They are so hard to find. Also there is often a guy selling dumplings and zhong zhi (still have to take it home to cook I believe). He often sells out - must be good. Parking can be an issue. Often we park on the street.

Very dedicated teachers. Great location and safe and clean environment. My son joined at…read moreKindergarten level and now is in 4th grade. I also joined as a room parent to help out, at the same time, I learned Chinese. Surprisingly, there are a lot of kids whose parents don't speak Chinese. Maybe these parents should join the CSL classes while waiting for their kids. Check out the CAMPUS NEWS section at the website www.npms.org . It has tons of great pictures. BTW the cost of one year tuition is about the cost of one week summer camp. Can't imagine anything better. The only thing is that it does not have summer camps. That would be so awesome. Now, after school ends in May, my son gets up on Saturdays and I have to find him something to do because he got used to going to Chinese school.

We have been at Peninsula for 5 years.  Over that time, our son has overcome attention and social…read moreengagement challenges which prevented him from succeeding at other private schools.     It is difficult to know how to credit the people, the place, the other students, external help and just the passage of time,    but he has enjoyed going to school every day. He has always been an extremely curious kid,  choosing to tinker and watch documentaries when other kids choose video games and play sports.    (OK OK he plays video games a little more now).       He turned out to be a great natural reader.  However he has challenges with processing speed and working memory.      Given that, the school has really fed his curiosity and met him where he is, sometimes adapting small groupings with similar levels in math or other topics,  and being able to offer some accommodations like sitting near the front, scaffolding tasks, or headphones.   Each year has been different, but we have found a way to work with each teacher to support him.       We have an older child in a much more "structured" prep-y private school.   The contrast in community and experience is stark.   Peninsula is a haven of good-willed people looking for something a little bit missing in the modern world, which has been a source of connection for us as adults as well.    While we value both environments, Peninsula has been the right answer for our younger child and for our family.

We have been in Peninsula 3 years. We have one good year…read more Last year is a complete disaster (k). The school allowed a metal stick to be thrown at my son's head and refuse to take the stick away from the yard, saying it's a normal toy.( Let us pray all 5 year old know the correct use of stilt). The non- caring attitude afterward is beyond comprehension. In addition, the ineffective ways of dealing with bullying from the same person who throw the metal stick, both mentally and physically, has negatively impact our family life, and my son's health, resulting an early withdrawal from the school year and on going therapy session for my 6 years old for $350/50 mins. The school also denied our access to school counselor during these trouble time.

First of all the German is bad, second a Chinese teacher in 4th grade was too strict but taught 1st…read moregrade math, because the Chinese teacher taught math in Chinese. Last The food service is really bad.

Never pressed submit so my review is dated but still accurate. - I just have to give a shout out to…read morethe staff at my children's school during such an insane time in the world. I feel incredibly fortunate that we are part of this community during such trying times. Many people have been so negative and I believe that is primarily due to the fact that this is obviously a terrible time for so many people. INTL is doing everything in their power to provide the best education possible during a world wide pandemic. We have to keep this in mind. My children's teachers have been exceptional considering the challenges of the world right now. We are lucky they even get to go to school. They are excited everyday, I feel like they are safe onsite and that the school is doing everything to the best of their ability. Teachers have found unique ways to share what happens at school with parents online. Pandemic aside- my children are only exposed to Chinese at school and come home singing to themselves in the mirror in Chinese. The program is IB which focuses on creativity and questions. They learn through discovery. The school is as international as you can get in the Silicon Valley which was really important to me having grown up internationally myself. Thank you INTL for working so hard to make such an unreal time in our lives as good as humanly possible.

Currently my daughter's goes to Sora three times a week and she's truly enjoyed the Japanese…read moreinteraction she's gets at school. She's only cried once during her first day of school but since than she's look forward attending school and washing her hands first thing in the morning. Just be aware that before your child goes to preschoolers. They need to know how to drink and eat on their own. Also, there's wont be any straws at school to assist them with their drinking. I understand They are strict, but Japanese are known in their country to well disciples. Anyways, My husband is Japanese and He's very happy with how much his daughter is learning. We both looking forward transitions her into preschool and K in the near future.

Small classes (6 max) - nice teachers. Not your typical instructional type program. Each student…read moregoes at their own pace so levels can be varied in one class. Only Japanese is spoken - this is a better alternative to the more rigorous program on Sat at Hoshuuko.

Amazing Dual-Language Pre-school, we wish we had signed our son up earlier. Parts of the curriculum…read moreare in Japanese and other parts are in English. The staff is very high-caliber and do a great job with the children, everyone is very friendly, sweet, and are great at their job. We highly recommend this current location or the one in Campbell with a lot of the previous Palo Alto staff. We have been going to Sora since the Palo Alto location was open a couple years ago. Our son has blossomed immensely while attending Sora International Preschool. In the beginning, he had minimal knowledge of japanese language or culture and had a timid but friendly disposition. Within a few short months, he was able to recite hiragana, sing japanese songs, and put together short sentences. In the course of a year, it was a joy to watch our son grow more independent and outgoing in character and equally important, gain a greater understanding of japanese language and culture. The classrooms are also very,very clean and well organized with beautifully designed furniture and sophisticated colors that don't scream "baby/kids". They have very stringent Covid-related protocols so it is very safe for children and staff.