Great Shows!!! Love the school they have amazing plays and dancing performances also great music…read moreprogram!!!

we transfered our son in the middle of the school year from a larger Catholic school, and I must…read moresay, the only regret we have is not joining St. Matthew School earlier! The principal and teachers are warm and welcoming, and our son finally felt he is cared for! hE IS IN 5TH gradeThere are 17 students in the classroom , and he thrives, he retains more information, now that he is able to interact with his teachers and get his questions answered. He adapted from the first day and made friends easily, I strongly recommend this school beyond other private schools!

My kid went here. Unless you donate a bunch of money to the new principle your kid won't be…read morechallenged nor helped. Only a small portion of the donated money goes to helping parents with tuition the other amount goes in the principals pocket. My kid was never challenged and always told me their group would not get help when their hands were raised and the teachers only paid attention to the donator's kid. No hot lunches are served. Highly disappointed in this school. On top of tuition, do note that they expect a donation of X amount of dollars per school year. The educational system of a private school is failing.

Full-day Kindergarden for 4 & 5 year olds. Program based around children's literature with daily…read moreart adventures. Great curriculum. Wonderful alternative to crowded public school K's!

As a student I was punched in the face by another student and Patrick Mordhorst the Assistant…read morePrincipal of Curriculum Design at Central Catholic told me that I deserved it. This was widely unprofessional and extremely immature for an adult to say this to a minor. The school has a notorious lack for holding it's staff members accountable whether it be things like this or staff members saying derogatory or racist remarks. As someone who likes the school this is majorly disappointing and I hope things can change and that Patrick Mordhorst and other staff members who have manipulated the power of their position will be held accountable.

My little Timmy was having such a good time here. He always tells me on what he learned and all the…read morelittle friends he has here. it's such a great school un til we had to move but still a great school. Even for a single dad like me.

I stumbled onto this diamond in entertainment and art in Portland. Most university choirs are…read morerelegated to the darkest corner concert hall on campus. Not this group! They go out into the community and the world! The Portland State Chamber Choir was founded in 1976. Since that time it has performed at many prestigious venues, touring internationally and singing in the United States by invitation at National Conventions for the Music Educators National Conference, the American Choral Directors Association, and The Society of International Music Educators. The Chamber Choir has been the sole, the ONLY one, American representative at International Choral Festivals in Tallinn, Estonia; Keffalonia, Greece; Mallorca, Spain; and, Prague, Czech Republic. Why? Well, the current conduction Ethan Sperry is a big part of their success. He is an internationally acclaimed, in demand, conductor with a style all his own. I attended a concert in a local church. I was expecting some college student music. What I got what the most amazing music experience I have EVER had. If you ever get a chance to hear this group it will be money well, well spent. Treat yourself and a friend.

My updated review reflects our family's experience at Ren from grades 1-8. Our child is now a…read moreFreshman at St Mary's Academy and is on the honor roll despite having some learning differences. Ren prepared our daughter for a rigorous college prep program. Although she had some nervousness about final exams and needed a primer on letter grades and GPA, she was academically well-prepared. The girls who attend St Mary's after Ren School seem to excel. Most importantly, Ren was instrumental in helping my daughter develop a strong sense of herself. Ren's holistic approach to education, with a focus on social and emotional development, is stellar. It mattered to me that our daughter's education encompassed far more than just book learning. Over the years, she was nurtured and went from a timid and anxious child to a confident and creative young woman. As a college professor, I recognize the importance of academic preparedness. I also know that social and emotional stressors can make it challenging to learn. Being in a safe community where she was known and cared for by all the teachers meant the world to our family. Thank you, Ren!

Ren is still a really magical place, as per my previous review. Like at most smaller schools,…read morespecific experiences and accommodations will vary by grade and teacher, which means it can be a bit of a roll of the dice year to year. My experiences thus far are still all with the lower school, which has a noticeably different feel than the upper, though there's abundant mingling in all the good ways. Reading through a bunch of other more recent reviews I'm updating mine to reflect reality on some points that others have found frustrating in theirs: * The school does not have specific services, expertise or accommodations for neurodiverse kids. There is no counselor or administrator with specific training or credentials for helping ND scholars, and the overall body of staff lacks up-to-date pedagogy and training on the most current and effective ways to help these students, though there are *plenty* of well-meaning, helpful adults on the team, who do their very best. That said, the open, creative and varied nature of the environment *can* make it a much better fit for some ND kids than a standard classroom, and as such there are many ND kids in the student body who are thriving. But it's important to make sure that your kiddo will fit within the (not super explicit) boundaries when deciding if Ren is a good fit. Be open and clear about any special needs/quirks/features of your child to make sure it'll be a good fit, and if your visit day leaves you with open questions, ask for another one! Everyone wants everyone to succeed and no one is helped by accepting a student who won't flourish. * The school is not well organized, in terms of paperwork, documentation, administrivia, follow-up, etc. If you're looking for the well-oiled accountable machine of larger or more established environments, you may find this very frustrating. Everything takes a while, and you generally have to bring things up a bunch of times before things start moving. It's a worthwhile trade for a space where your kid can feel safe and happy, but one you need to decide to make so it doesn't irk you along the way. * While the kids form solid and important relationships in school, that does not extend out to the parent-body, which can leave some families feeling isolated. No PTA or parent interest groups, and minimal volunteer participation, though there is a core of very willing and available parents who show up if an effort can be organized for a specific issue or by a specific class. I remain an enthusiastic parent of multiple scholars, and am grateful that a welcoming and creative space like Ren exists, even if it does have rough edges to keep working on. If you find me in a local parent group or some such thing, I'm always happy to talk about Ren and answer questions. Good luck!

I really enjoyed the chip and white bread Sammy. It was a delightful mix of disappointment and…read moreexcitement. 5/10, but would try again. I only attend this college for the chip sandwiches. DO NOT DO THE DORITO SANDWHICH. It will give your liver failure.

This campus is beautiful. Lots of green spaces. I attended this community college from 2008 to…read more2011. I ended up with 2 associates degrees, associate of science in Business Administration and Associate of Arts-Oregon Transfer. I think the education I got was well rounded. The employees are friendly, the services offered are extensive and the instructors are involved with their students. There is a walking path that goes around the campus, fields for sports balls playing. Their automotive school is large and offers actual car repair services (as a means to educate their students).

Lady Blues, show your pride!…read more Yes, I am an alumnus of the great St. Mary's Academy (SMA)--the only all-women's college preparatory school on the West Coast--class of 2003. I think it's safe for us all to say that we have memories from our golden years, whether they be good or bad. Thankfully, 98.6 percent of my memories of good ol' SMA are very fond. From the spirituality of the Encounter retreat (ask me sometime!) to Ms. Gorman's STD slideshow (the cauliflower penis scarred us all) and falling off the Ark, those four years were great. I remember Sister Linda (the Prez of Student Affairs) would walk through crowded SMA dances, and separate girls from their dates who were dancing too provocatively, telling them to leave room for the Holy Spirit. And if you were caught again, you were taken to the cool-down room, where Mr. Hemmen (a religion teacher) would kindly lecture you. Obviously, *I* never made it that far. For a full list of SMA oddities, just check out the Facebook group [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2230163620]. While SMA wasn't the school for everyone (i.e., the extremely boy crazy, and the ones whose parents forced them to go there), I thought it was the perfect place for me. It definitely fostered my growth as an intelligent and well-rounded person, and the teachers and staff never treated us like kids, even though we were in our teens. And I have to say that I feel I received an A++ education that TOTALLY prepared me for university. I mean, when I went to college, I had LESS homework than during SMA, and my classes were way EASIER than my high school ones. Pow! Take that! They taught me how to stand up for myself and how to get involved and ask questions. When I went to college, I was surprised to see that not many people were vocal like I was. Oh, and St. Mary's does not have uniforms (common misconception), and last time I checked they have the most liberal dress code of all the Portland private schools. Yes, you can wear flip-flops (Central Catholic doesn't allow that)! And SMA is right downtown. I took Tri-Met to school every day for four years! And because it's not a huge campus, you can leave the grounds for lunch after your freshman year. AWESOME. The teachers rock, the students rock, and they offer good financial aid packages. And I like the aid program they've got going on: For every $100 they give you in aid, the student has to do one hour of service work. It totally got me involved during my time. Oh, and no one's mascot has anything on SMA's (Laura N....that means your poet, too!): It's a blue music note. Ha! I've got nothing but love for this place. Send your baby girls here.

Best school ever for developing strong women leaders of tomorrow. Also, the Cleanest men's…read morerestrooms I have ever seen in a high school. Always spotless.