This is a review for Synapse's TK program. My son has been in Teacher Mickey & Teacher Natasha's…read moreclass for a year this year. My son's TK experience has been truly above and beyond what we wanted for early childhood education. All the great activities that foster joyful learning, all the field trips, events that bring the community together have been so beautifully thought out and planned, we had no idea this kind of education was even possible for little kids. We were grateful each day when we sent my son to school, because we trusted that he would be well taken care of and have a good time. It meant a lot to us as parents. The teachers cared so much about students' happiness, well-being, and materials they were learning. They truly, genuinely cared, and all the parents of TK students could feel it. Throughout the year, we were constantly impressed by the teachers' willingness to go above and beyond. These teachers are not ordinary teachers who rely on easier field trips or simpler projects. They take kids to the most interesting and enriching places on their field trips, places such as ice skating rinks, beaches, ponds where you can catch tadpoles, senior centers, pumpkin patches, cactus garden, etc. Their creativity and willingness to get messy were also truly inspiring. The TK class built an awe-inspiring life-size whale shark together and had so much fun celebrating Holi. The TK class cooked great lunches and sold them to parents as well. The teachers went an extra mile, even though it meant so much more work for themselves, because they have a genuine passion for sprinkling curiosity and exploration in their students. We also deeply appreciated how they created so many opportunities to recognize diverse cultures and bring families together for events like Diwali and Lunar New Year. They were extra careful to include all of the countries' traditions, which gave my son a sense of belonging and harbored a pride in his heritage. We are immensely grateful and feel incredibly honored that my son had such thoughtful, dedicated, and innovative teachers like them. Knowing he was in their care gave us immense peace of mind. And this review is not just about TK teachers at Synapse. Everyone we met at Synapse has been genuinely nice and down to earth. All the teachers, staff, students and parents formed such a warm, wonderful community.

The children are marvelously guided to follow their curiosity and do meaningful projects like study…read morechange makers in society. I have worked with many schools and never seen such attentive care for children and teens by teachers. It's a joy to see!

Great campus by the looks of it. I like the animal that's symbolic for the place, panthers rock…read more The teachers seem to really care here and the parkings great.

The preschool program for this school is unrealistic of what 3-5 year olds should be. Our 4-5 year…read moreold went here. As he was navigating who he was as a person, the school would constantly send him home if he was not immediately obedient. He was referred by the preschool director to multiple psychologists who all said he was a "normal age appropriate child". We are dealing with financial debt and continued counseling to help my son rebuild his confidence and trying to help him want to go to school again. We had to transfer schools in hopes he would be happy again. That said, the upper educational grades (6-8) is fantastic. The teachers are engaging and supportive. The sports program is also wonderful. If you want to put your kids here, i would recommend starting them after 1st grade and skip the preschool program.

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.

Speaking as an alumnus The school has a shortage of…read morecomputers, and another student may not want to share. The school can be too unstructured. I only found out during a parent teacher conference that my child's academic progress had fallen significantly behind as she was spending all her time outside of class on the campus grounds. This had been going on for a significant amount of time and was addressed after the fact. My daughter had some amazing Raku pottery displayed with her class in the white building behind glass and her pottery was stolen. A female prospective student wanted to join the class and the teacher had her students decide if she should come in the class or not. The prospective student was a beautiful looking girl that some other girls in the class were jealous of and therefore did not want her to join their class. I felt sorry for the prospective student when I saw the teacher telling her she would not be joining the class. Further, I knew this student would have been a wonderful friend for my own daughter. I like the woodsy feel & the arts of the school, but I fail to see the school would be truly anything without the presence of the white building.

This school was hands-down the best choice we made for our son. He had a fantastic experience in…read moremiddle school and is now excelling as a 10th grader, with his sights set on the Diploma Program.

Our son started summer 2020, with K and 100% distance learning…read more Excellent experience! School leadership, teachers and staff are all super professional, very friendly. They really know how to make learning via zoom exciting and valuable. We highly recommend Alto to anyone looking for top IB education in the SF Bay Area!

Incredible faculty and educational experience! We've had our two children at PBS for 3 years now,…read moreand have appreciated the partnership and community. They did a great job with COVID, and I always appreciate how thoughtfully major decisions are communicated. My kids enjoy school and love learning, and are challenged in the classroom and (more importantly to me) appreciate the focus on social-emotional skills as a complement to the academics.

My 4-year-old had an accident while at PBS. He required 8 stitches in his face. I was saddened by…read morethe accident and the school's response. We made the decision to leave mid-year.

Do you want to find the best school? Do you want your kids to learn about new things? Do you want…read moreyour kids to get a good education? Would like your child to feel special? Then Laurel School is the best place to go!!! Laurel School is the best because it makes kids feel special. For example, we celebrate birthdays and also 1/2 birthdays. Kids bring in parents and get to share their most favorite book. We also share treats. Another reason that Laurel is great is because we have a lot of celebrations. One of the many celebrations is pajama day. Pajama day is a special day where you get to wear pajamas all day because of good choices the kids made in class. A third reason why Laurel School is so AWESOME is because there are lots of wonderful teachers your child can learn from. For example, there are separate librarian, music, art, P.E., and Spanish Immersion teachers. And all of the kindergarten-3rd grade teachers are AMAZING!!! These teachers work very hard to give the students a great education. We know you will love Laurel School if you come here! Adults and students agree that this is an outstanding school. Even the experts agree, we earned the California Distinguished School Award in 2014!!! We hope you are lucky enough to join us one day. Reviewed by Mrs. Yee's and Mrs. Bassett's First Grade Class C-5!!!! Go Laurel!!!

Laurel has changed a lot since I entered kindergarten there, but it still elicits a smile when I…read moredrive by. I had great teachers and many fun memories of the place still live in my mind. It always seemed so big when I was there, now it seems so mini. Guess that comes with growing up!

I just love this school! Words cannot describe how excited I am to send my 7 kids here. I went here…read moreback in 87'. I have always loved this school and will continue to love it with all my heart.

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.

Great school! Great teachers, great organization, great students, lunch and breakfast everyday with…read morebig gym and places to eat. Lots of activities and classes every day.

The auditorium is pretty amazing here. Its huge and great for having events…read more The track and the soccer field here are very nice also

Trinity has truly helped my kids find their place in a warm, caring community. The teachers each…read morebring something unique, and the staff are always present and ready to help. The parent community also plays a big role in the school's operations. Kids feel heard, supported, and of course, academically challenged. If what you see on the school's website aligns with your vision for early education, chances are you and your kids will feel right at home here.

Our child is currently in 1st grade at Trinity, and we love the school's heavy focus on whole child…read moredevelopment and SEL. The academic focus is strong without the high pressure typically seen in Bay Area Schools. The Math is differentiated to be challenging and engaging. The teachers are very nurturing and truly care about the children.