First, there were 75 reactions to my original post plus I received many messages from families who…read morefelt mistreated. I just want to express my deep sorrow for every family who has been mislead and mistreated by this school. It has been devastating to get a glimpse of the dark reality. Final update: this school is even worse and more corrupt than before, in my carefully considered and humble opinion. We had a deeply concerning and disturbing set of interactions with the new director, Luthern. I remain proud of the way that we handled our interactions, and very bothered by the way he treated us. Furthermore, we undetstand that they are removing and/or drastically reducing the nature campus component of their program which was a huge part of the draw in the first place. We are thrilled that this chapter is permanently closed for us. We finally found the most outstanding school for our children, and we will never look back. Good riddance to a poorly run institution with what we believe is an unethical and corrupt administration. And by the way, the "Gifted Qualitative Assessment" is manipulable. It's largely based on parent surveys, and which parent searching for a school for gifted children won't see their kids as gifted? We all do. Your best bet if you're not a founding family is to make sure you have a ton of money and that you are willing to part with in their capital campaign, and always tread cautiously when it comes to expressing yourself authentically.

Having a preschool aged child, I speak to many families about their interest in Tessellations, so I…read morethought it'd be helpful to share my experiences with children in both the K-8 and preschool programs. When my son was struggling in a more traditional education setting (with boredom causing other issues), and as we thought about the skills and traits to nurture in an evolving world, we found what we wanted with Tessellations. "Challenging experiential education" is a core part of Tessellations' mission, and I see it everyday in the projects, conversations, and enthusiasm for school. I've seen the growth in my children's capability and confidence in tackling new problems, and their continued curiosity. It's amazing to me that in 4th grade, my son and his friends can talk excitedly about the latest non-fiction book they are reading, which could span many subjects. One of their favorite games just involves taking turns talking through imagined adventure scenarios. (And that's when they're not being active - I hear that most of their recess and lunch is spent playing dodgeball across many grades.) Video game addiction is pervasive in these times, but I feel we have a haven from it here. The kids have so many interests that gaming is just one of many. Social emotional learning ("SEL") is a priority at Tessellations, and though many schools now say they focus on this, it can be an elusive goal. One evidence I see is how kids (K-8) play together across many grades: this requires empathy and adjustment. I believe that this is promoted by the general culture, the kinds of kids here, and mixed grade classrooms. The preschool program, called Tessellations Children's Center (TCC), started just last year, has been equally wonderful for our younger child. The teachers, who are engaging and observant, supervise almost a full day of free choice time, play-based learning, and novel activity options. Recently they planted vegetables, learned about space, drew self-portraits, and experimented with pendulums. Note that TCC is separate from the K-8 school, and kids must go through a separate admissions process for Kindergarten. Although my kids have loved the school, I'm giving 4 stars since it's been a bumpy ride, and I feel for those who've been affected. We've had growing pains and changes in leadership as we've grown to Pre-K through 9th in just four years. Many admin (and parents) have felt stretched thin as they balance competing needs. As we evolve from a startup to a larger, more established school, there will continue to be bumps. During this time, I'm so grateful to the amazing teachers, and staff, including our new & experienced Acting Head of School, pouring their hearts into the school and mission. Even though Tessellations has grown incredibly quickly, it is just one school, and not enough to handle the tremendous demand for progressive and gifted education, especially in the Bay Area. I hope we will see more schools that cultivate the love for learning and holistic development like this one.

My child goes to kindergarten here. Overall, he's having a great experience, mostly because of the…read moreclassmates mix in his class. Teacher is really organized and we get proper and timely updates from her. I volunteer in the class sometimes and feel comfortable with the classroom environment the teacher provides. During morning drop offs, the principal and a number of school staff are in the front of school greeting everyone, providing an opportunity for us to talk to the principal if we need to.

My son goes to Collins and he told me to write a 4 star review on Yelp for them. I would agree with…read morethe 4 star rating based on our experience.

Villa Montessori has been an incredible experience for our kid. The teachers have been patient and…read morethoughtful in helping him build structure and routine, and we've watched him grow so much since starting here. The classrooms are always clean and well-organized, and the parent volunteer program is something we especially appreciate, it gives us a real window into the classroom and keeps us closely connected with the teachers. A special shout-out to Mrs. Lin, who is truly exceptional at what she does. She's warm and kind with the children while also being firm in the best way, gently guiding them through the Montessori approach. You can tell she genuinely loves the kids and the work. If you have a 2-5 year old, this is such an enriching environment. We feel lucky to have found Villa Montessori and would recommend it to any parent looking for a nurturing, thoughtful preschool. Five stars!

Villa Montessori is the best thing that has happened to our family. This is my 4 year old's second…read moreyear at Villa and he started as an extremely shy and sweet kid with no previous day care or school experience. In the past year, he has blossomed into an independent and assertive child, and he has learned a lot both academically and socially. Villa has an amazing ratio of 1-8 (3 teachers per classroom of 24 kids) that sometimes falls to 1-6 or 1-7. They are a true Montessori school, and the child stays with the same teachers for all the years. My son's two main teachers, Mrs. Fan and Mrs. De Silva, have been with the school for over a decade. My son has received a lot of individualized attention and loves his teachers. I think he would like to live with Mrs. Fan if given the chance. :) The teachers at Villa are extremely good at what they do and very passionate about Montessori education. When I went in for "observation day," each child was doing a different "job," so the teachers were managing 24 different activities, but everything was still very orderly. Even the tiny 2.5 year olds knew the rules and everyone knew to clean up. We really appreciate how diligent our son has become with washing hands, tidying up spaces, and wiping surfaces! Director Lin's leadership is also really exceptional. She is extremely organized, responsible, and sets clear expectations for the kids and parents. I love that the handbook, documents, twice-a-year report cards, and paperwork are all in good order. She is also very hands-on and I have seen her consoling a crying child in her lap, spoon feeding another child during lunch, and taking the time to talk with the kids individually. I am so impressed that she takes the time to get to know every one of the forty-some kids at Villa. She works many many hours at Villa and commutes from an hour away. Villa is not just a job for her - this is her life's purpose. Everyone at the school is very responsive and excellent with communication. Karen (who manages most of the administrative tasks) and Director Lin will usually respond to messages on Brightwheel within a few hours. We really appreciate how they take parent concerns very seriously. The flexibility of programs at Villa is also great - they have AM program (9-12 pm), PM program (1-4 pm), PM plus extended care (1-5 pm), full day (9-4 pm), or full day plus extended care (9-5 pm). I feel very lucky to be able to enroll my child in a half day program so that he gets a few hours of school every day, and we still get enough hours to go on an adventure together outside of school. One really brilliant and unique thing about Villa is that their after-school program (school ends at 4, there is another hour of after school until 5 pm) teaches the children Mandarin Chinese! I enrolled my son in the after school hour just for the Chinese class - Mrs. Fan and Mrs. Liu are both excellent Chinese teachers from Taiwan. I sat in on one class to see what it would be like, and was astounded that all of the kids had excellent pronunciation. Chinese tones are very difficult so it was really surprising to see a room full of non-Chinese kids speaking perfect Chinese! Lastly, the other Villa families also makes this place special. Villa is a non-profit with a governing board that is made up of parents. We really appreciate the parents that have taken on this responsibility. We have also made many friends at Villa, and really appreciate the sense of community. We truly couldn't have asked for a better preschool experience and will definitely miss this school when our son graduates!

I've been putting off writing this review for a long, long time. But I am at a place in my life…read morethat I feel this information will be useful to anyone considering placing their kids in this school. The students at Portal get good grades. We learned useful information, valuable life skills, and made friends just fine. But... at what cost? At the cost of my self-esteem and mental health. This school is a house for teachers who simply do not care about treating students with any form of respect. I was told several times I would "never graduate", and that I would "never be successful" when I didn't perform well in my classes. I remember a staff member even telling me I would "work at Burger King for the rest of my life" and to "not even bother trying anymore". (these are ALL true statements said to me during my time here). As a kindergartener, I didn't know any better, and I got in trouble a lot. The punishment for kids who don't pay attention in class, apparently, is sitting them in a dark, cold, room in the office for the entirety of the day. No explanation of how I could better myself, despite my younger self not even understanding what I did wrong. Not permitted to use the restroom or go eat lunch. Just sitting there, to "think about what I did wrong", (quote courtesy of the office staff). I was once denied permission to use the bathroom- when I inquired about why, the principal told me I was "undermining her authority", a quote that I remembered for years, but didn't even understand until I was a lot older. If you want your kids to be swamped in HOURS of homework each day, this is the school for you. If you think your child deserves unusual and exaggerative punishments for simply BEING a child, this is the school for you. If you want your child to be held to the expectations of a full-grown adult, this is the school for you. If you're okay with discrimination and playing favorites, this is the school for you. However, if you value diversity, if your child is physically or mentally impaired, if you're not rich, if you even care about your child in the SLIGHTEST, this is not the school for you. I'm a full-grown adult now. I graduated. I learned my rights from my wrongs, and I discovered that this school... is very wrong. It seems anyone is hired here, regardless of how they interact with children. Being someone who regularly interacts with children, I would never, EVER, treat a child the way I was treated here. To the teachers, office staff, aids, and the rest at Murdock-Portal: SHAME ON YOU. A school is not a prison. It is not a place to use your authoritative position to worsen a child. It is a place to teach, to nurture children, to value ALL backgrounds, to accept everyone, and to prepare them for a future they can be successful in. I didn't have that. I was left to my own devices to push myself to be better and teach myself, and to find solidarity with those also ostracized by the staff here. If even one person reads this review, I just ask that you consider literally any other school. Despite the amount of "distinguished" and "honorable" awards they boast about, this school will do absolutely nothing for the development of your child. I suffered a lot at this school. Don't let your child go through what I had to.

This is a lottery school in the Cupertino area. My kids were very fortunate to get in…read more My little girl is learning a lot at this school. The principal, Connie Rowe is excellent at communicating with parents and students. Teachers are good too. The school is clean and most people there are nice. My son likes it here too. There are a few bad kids, but no school is perfect. They try to keep the bullying to a minimal, but it's hard because teachers can't be everywhere. Traffic Conditions: Some parents are really bad drivers and do unsafe things with their kids like crossing the street without looking, but that is the case with most school. The school tries to make it safe, but it's a losing battle. Staffing issues and a shrinking budget make it difficult to monitor and prevent unsafe situations. Donations: Parents are expected to donate around 600 dollars per student a year. I have two kids so, I donate the full amount each year for the past 5 years. On top of that, all parents are asked to donate money to field trips and other things during the year. They call field trips "enrichment programs" and if parents don't donate as needed, they cancel fried trips b/c the school cannot leave non-paying kids behind. You do get a tax deduction, but its not substantial. I've been donating to this school for years. The only bad thing about voluntary donations is that there is a group of parents that don't donate year after year and they get away with it. So, some of my donated money goes towards benefiting other families that don't donate. It's not a great feeling, and I probably won't donate next year. The school tries to encourage people to donate by sending reminders in emails and newsletters, but that's all they can do. End of story. Good Old Days: Five years ago, the school was great. Staffing was better than today's standards. But with a budget that keeps shrinking year after year, this school is very close to being mediocre. The principal tries to cope with it by always being positive. Resources continue to diminish all around her, but she keeps her head high. She doesn't have a vice principal and I wish they would give her one so she could focus on other things instead of spending most of her time with the usual kids that act out requiring some sort of discipline and parent involvement. She is a great principal and the school is very lucky to have her.

Truthfully this is by far the best community for your children, nieces, nephews and grandchildren…read more I speak from experience, my daughters attended SJC and currently my grandchild is attending. The education, community and lifelong friendships are why I love this school so much.

Absolutely love the TK/K class. The class size is small due to the Cupertino population aging with…read moreno new inflow of young parents. In addition to that, a big chunk of teachers and students left after some conflict with the former principal. The school is now rebuilding with the new principal, Dr. Palladino, who is awesome with kids. The TK class I've experienced so far is fantastic. The curriculum is well structured and my child is engaged all day, thanks to the small class size. They even split the already tiny class to fit each child's needs. I've noticed that a few kids are doing additions and some kids are taking it a bit slower and focusing on writing numbers and counting. I've toured almost every school within a 15 minute drive and SJC had the most productive and structured daily schedule for TKs. I felt like most of the schools have too much free playtime and nap time and some have half-day classmates, meaning all the learning ends by noon. At SJC, the teachers are doing something with the kids all day, whereas many schools have several hours of mere childcare. I love that the day includes number senses, math, English and language arts every day. They also learn Spanish (the teacher is amazing btw), P.E., art, music, science once a week. The teacher follows a well-known curriculum from start to finish, rather than piecing in materials from here and there. Another point I love about this school is that the older kids are nicer in small communities. The big kids play with my child and take care of her at extended care and everyone gives my child a hug when I pick her up. I highly recommend SJC. I've seen some people discouraged to join due to the small class size but I'm seeing positive effects on my child. The kids all play well together and they don't divid into groups. The eight graders look like they are basically a family. I suggest that you at least try it out in TK and see how it is. If you decide to move, most schools expand their class size in K, so it won't be that hard to get in.

My kid goes here. I have to like this place. Her teacher seems ok. This is our assigned home…read moreschool. Will be here for the next 6 years.

The teachers here are extremely rude! During pickup, a teacher screamed at my daughter while all…read morecars were completely stopped. I told that teacher to stop yelling my daughter because I saw my daughter suddenly feel so scared and shocked by that yelling! And suddenly three teachers came to me and explained they didn't want my daughter to run over the car, but all the cars were stopped, how could she get run over?! That's ridiculous! I saw a big fear on my daughter's face, but that teacher still kept interrogating her rudely: 'Do you know that? Do you know that!' and I said:" Stop!"and I saw my daughter just frozen there by their ridiculous behavior! And also if the goal is to protect kids, there should be one clear entrance -- not all open entrances with Teachers yelling at children in the first place. I have witnessed multiple teachers yelling at students. I will never accept this yelling culture. This is unacceptable behavior from school staff.

I'm a previous Easterbrook Discovery School student. Now, I go to Prospect High School, Santa…read moreClara. I loved E.D.S. (Easterbrook Discovery School), which changed my perspective on school. When I think of school, I think about EDS and how it was such an amazing school. They have a nature path and a giant place called the Moreland Woods Moreland School District continues its legacy of outstanding musical programming and is thrilled to announce that the Easterbrook Discovery School instrumental music groups were recognized in several categories at this year's Music in the Parks Festival and Competition. The EDS band, orchestra, and jazz band all participated and each went home with a trophy. Symphonic Band placed first in the category with a rating of "excellent". Symphonic Strings was placed first in the category with a rating of "superior," which is the highest possible rating. Jazz Band placed first in their category and also received a "superior" rating. Just wanted to say: GO, HUSKIES

Best school I have been to in a long time. My kids go here and the teachers are loving and caring…read moreto kids AND parents. They use hands-on curriculum that is tailored to each child. How do they do it?!?! There are garden areas, a nature path, and an art room. The staff make sure the children are well rounded socially as well as academically. I wouldn't send my children anywhere else. EVER. Thanks EDS for making our community and world a great place to live.

Very good school. Extremely hard working teachers. Many high quality programs.read more

I went there for fifth grade and my brother went there for all six years of elementary school…read more Sadly, I would have to say that the school overall did not provide nor foster a loving learning environment for either of us. The majority of our teachers were not supportive and were very disorganized, though this does not apply to ALL teachers, as I believe there were some who actually were very helpful and caring, allowing us to really enjoy learning new material. However, out of the seven teachers that me and my brother had, only one cared about her students and her class was the only one that we felt we actually loved learning new material in. In addition, there were many times where if there was conflict between the students, the teachers would often jump to pointing fingers and placing blame on innocent students instead of getting the story straight first, making us students feel things were unfair and affecting our social skills and love for school. The office administration staff is okay, though there were some secretaries in the front office that would often disrespect students, often talking to us with a "I'm better than you because of my title and position" voice, not having any form of self-respect and dignity to allow students to grow. Ms. Tanya Robertson especially did not have any form of communication to students, and would address us in a disdained tone, but then change her voice to a respectful one when any parents were nearby, making us students feel lowly and not allowing any of us to feel any confidence when growing up. The lunch ladies and yard duties there were also not very nice, too selfish and addressing students in a dismissive and irritated tone as well. Many times yard duties wouldn't even bother to actually keep an eye on students, just busy talking to one another and dismissing us students whenever we needed help. They would often be quick to place blame on students as well when there was conflict, placing blame on innocent students instead of getting the story straight first. The lunch quality at De Vargas is also very bad, and there were many times where the milk from the lunch line would be expired. All this created a sort of back-stabbing social environment for the students, and led to many animosity between classmates and did not provide a supportive community at De Vargas elementary at all. Thus, I sadly have to say De Vargas did not provide a loving learning environment at all, and, if possible, going to another school that would help give children a better stable foundation would be better for the students and their future. I hope that there will be changes to De Vargas to help provide a community for students and parents alike.