We have a first grader at Tessie and we started this past year. My daughter has been thriving at Tessie and loves going to school each day to experience a unique education model where the emphasis is on learning through hands on projects and well laid out journeys that are integrated into the curriculum. Due to the low student teacher ratio, my child's teacher has been able to tease out my child's strengths and areas for improvement and challenge / support her accordingly. The school is definitely not a 'one size fits all' model, thereby making it interesting for students each day. We moved from an academic group of private schools where monotony had set in and my child did not have an opportunity to look past academics and perceive the broader context of topics. This past year, she has learnt so much across various topic areas and seems to have developed a more holistic personality. The school has also supported with SEL topics and strategies to work on accepting failures, addressing perfectionism and other such challenging areas for gifted kids. The specials like theatre, music, innovation and nature are not just blocks in the schedule but times of the day when my child is able to have new experiences and learn from them and build her skills in those areas. With the new leadership and management change, revision of schedule and curriculum, I am confident the school is heading in the right direction on its mission to offer differentiated learning for gifted students. I strongly recommend this school to other interested parents! read more

First, there were 75 reactions to my original post plus I received many messages from families who felt 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. read more

Having a preschool aged child, I speak to many families about their interest in Tessellations, so I thought 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. read more

We applied to Tessie a couple of months ago. I cant comment on teaching quality or whether my child would like it there yet. But... What I can say so far: I loved the admissions process. It wasn't a pain and the team was highly responsive and efficient. Startup kind of efficiency! Everything was clearly explained, necessary and presented in a logical order. We appreciate the evaluation from Anne, it never hurts to learn something new about our daughter. We respect her time reading into our long comments and providing us new feedbacks on how to better guide and help her. With virtual meetings so common everywhere, we didn't think there was an issue video chatting. We read some reviews claiming Anne may be in another state, we can't validate if it's true or not. I thought to myself after reading it, why does it matter? Don't most of the companies work remotely in the tech world? Why can't we revolutionize the education industry? I love the concept of having children go into the nature and learn in the nature. The arrangements of transporting children to their nature campus regularly is something I feel so excited for my daughter. I wish my school could do that when I was little. Lastly, I admire the courage of founders who started this school. Going through a few startup journeys myself, one of them in education, it is very hard to find great teachers and employees, even for established companies good employees are hard to find. Firing a lot of employees quickly may sound concerning to some in traditional industries, and yes it may break a newly established teacher-student bond, but do you rather have that or your child staying with an underperforming teacher? At least we know the administrators are keeping their standards high and not compromising on protecting and executing their mission. We bought into this startup's vision and understand there will be risks and changes, which is the nature to a startup. read more

This is our 4th year at the school for my now 6th grader and Tessie has overall been a wonderful experience for my kid. Since no school can be perfect for every kid, I will list PROs and CONs for people to assess whether it is the right school for their kid. PROs: - Tessie is dedicated to gifted education, based on a solid understanding that giftedness almost always comes along with asynchrony, which makes serving the needs of gifted students difficult in any setting. Tessie's approach is to identify and challenge each individual student's area of proximal development in various dimensions e.g., there are kids more than 4 grade levels accelerated in math, but may struggle with preparing an outline for a grade-level writing assignment. (I say grade-level, though I don't think anything they do is really grade-level compared to public school.) Tessie spends significant effort to stretch each kid at the right level for both academic and SEL skills. - Tessie's education philosophy is inquiry based. Whether in the context of approaching an engineering challenge or making a persuasive argument, kids are challenged to identify the right rationale, resource and/or fact pattern that supports their claim, proposed solution etc. They frequently engage in Socratic discussions to flex their intellectual muscles. There is a heavy emphasis on learning through projects, though the balance for middle school has been shifting to include a bit more direct instruction this year. Still, the majority of the time is spent learning by doing as the kids tend to learn the instructional material very quickly - e.g., this semester, in a matter of 2-3 weeks, my kid learned about the atomic structure, the properties of the periodic table, the orbital model, and can draw Lewis structures for simple compounds. - Music and drama programs are phenomenal and cater to every skill level to create performances twice a year. All kids participate in an experience that brings the entire student community together. I am truly amazed. For my own kid, who has been playing an instrument for years, the start of the music program has been a true highlight - my kid now loves sharing the love of music with friends and has been practicing and creating with great enthusiasm. - The community is great and supportive. Parents are engaged with their kid's education and work collaboratively to elevate constructive feedback and help out to improve the school. There is self-selection of parents who value progressive education so there is philosophical alignment. Parents respect teachers. The parent association and the classroom leads actively work on events that bring the community together in positive ways and also act as constructive representatives to make sure parent feedback is heard by the administration. - The Board includes competent and caring parents as well as increasingly more professional educators. The Board operates with emphasis on transparency. The parents on the Board are motivated to make the school the best version of itself for the benefit of all students, including their own. - The kids are so kind and wonderful and truly happy to be at the school. My kid always looks forward to the end of school breaks to reconnect with friends. The kids are also brilliant and inspire each other. I coached many of my kid's friends in math and engineering challenges and their intellect always amazes me. It's also super interesting to observe how their brilliance shines in so many different ways. It's a treat to be around them. CONs: - Tessie is relatively young so not everything always works perfectly and only this school year for the first time, the Board hired a professional Head of School. So there have been growing pains, but Tessie always greatly cared about parent feedback and attempted to address issues as best / fast as possible. The new Head, Luthern Williams, is wonderful and collaborative - a Harvard grad who brings decades of experience as a head of school and educational leader. Under his leadership, improvements have been coming forth more quickly, and he's shepherding Tessie's growth toward becoming a school with established processes. - Tessie has been expanding and some further expansion is likely in the next few years to give students more friend and course choice. With every new hire, there's a learning period to integrate with the school's philosophy and processes. This year, there were a number of new teachers for the 6-7 grade band and a lot of procedural improvements were implemented at the same time, which led to integration problems. There's been a serious effort to accelerate teacher integration and address other pain points as fast as possible and great progress has been made, but, of course, there is a risk of adjustment with the integration of each new hire. For our needs the PROs vastly outweigh the CONs at Tessie. We're also not aware of any other school that could come close to meeting our particular needs as well as Tessie. read more

The GREATEST SCHOOL EVER. The teachers always pay attention to the students, and the curriculum is engaging and unique.and the social dynamic is always very fun and interesting. - Chris P Bacon PS. not biased at all read more

This review is for the TCC only as I can't speak to the rest of the school. We thought this was going to be a great program, and there is a lot of fun play at the school centered around learning themes. Generally speaking, the photos that came through the app of what the kids are doing seemed lovely. And the tables set up around the theme are often great and engaging. The ratios sounded nice on paper but as a parent I didn't see the benefit when I stepped into the classroom during non standard pickup and drop off times. In the odd hours I stopped in, I often saw many (not all) standing around not engaging with the kids at all but maybe that's because by the time I arrive they are tired? This observation happened on many occasions, not once or twice. I also didn't see any SEL benefits coming from the significant staffing. I'm not sure the teachers get any training here on this. Little explicit effort is made to prep kids for K admission (either to get into or go outside Tessie) and only 50% or so will get into K at Tessellations. I sense parents are doing a lot behind the scenes to make sure they get in elsewhere. It's unclear if admissions at Tessie values the feedback and observations by the teachers in the classroom at their very own school over what they see in the admissions cycle. Most egregious - i heard many stories of families being told by teachers their kids have disabilities and need treatment, which they get checked for and are told they don't have by professionals. This matters for several reasons - you can't get into K at Tessie with such diagnoses, if you don't pretend you agree with the teachers and play along you are not a cooperative parent and good luck getting a good recommendation out, and it's a lot of time and effort spent doing treatments, therapies and diagnosis for things your kids don't have. My heart breaks most for these families. For a school that is suppose to understand gifted kids, it's incredibly clear they don't understand them, the spectrum of behavior that is completely normal and that kids change quickly and develop non equally on different dimensions but eventually get there. They ask parents to participate in a co-op program (ie, spend a few hours per week volunteering). It is optional but will you feel it's optional if you need things from the school (letters of recommendation out for example)? The premise behind it is great (so teachers can go to school meetings), but other schools make it work without this. There is a new head of the entire school but with so many fires at the larger school this program (which is a small % of the total student body) is unlikely to be the top priority. The school has a great mission. I hope it can one day live up to the promise. read more

I did a school tour of Tessellations for my middle schooler and the TL;DR is don't waste your time. They're nowhere near ready yet to have a middle school or high school. ***There's no curriculum. There are no AP classes or electives. They don't even have a course catalog which was a huge red flag. I got the sense the school was making things up as they go along. ***There are no school clubs, sports teams, or activities. A friend whose kid goes there and tried to apply out told me that their applications weren't competitive because they didn't have much to put on their application compared to students at other schools. They also felt pressured to stay at Tessellations and didn't feel supported in applying out to other schools. ***Having mixed grades in middle school felt inappropriate for academic and social reasons. It also seemed really weird to have elementary school students in the same math class as the middle school students because of the maturity and executive functioning gap between the students. ***There's been a ton of teacher and staff turnover. I couldn't get a straight answer for why. Most teachers and staff seemed to have been there for a year or less. The college counselor that does the video on their website left in 2023 and there are ongoing lawsuits against the school from former middle school teachers. ***The facilities are elementary school level, because well it's at an elementary school. There are no science labs, computer labs, performing arts center, etc. that even our local public school has. There's also no foreign language program. Everyone this year took beginning Chinese. It didn't matter if you were fluent already or had no interest in it because that's the only class they had. ***They wouldn't say this on the tour, but the high school only had 8 students this year. Most families don't want to stay there for high school because this is way too small of a school to have enough academic offerings or enough social and extracurricular opportunities for students. read more

As a middle school parent, I've been deeply disappointed with our child's experience at Tessie, especially in math which was promoted as a major strength. Students do not get into good high schools from here and most don't want to stay at Tessie for high school. I was genuinely shocked when another parent asked me to post a positive online review. She even showed me a spreadsheet Tessie uses to assign parents to write glowing reviews on different websites each month and asked me to sign up. If you want an honest view of how current parents feel, here is actual feedback given by many different parents at a middle school meeting we had this year. Our kids seem to have become more jaded about Tessie. I've heard many of them comment about not trusting anyone or counting on any decisions. Algebra 1: While my child likes the math teacher, s/he is often still confused and relies on extra math sessions with family members to understand the material. Unfortunately s/he has gone from enjoying math to treating the subject as something painful to finish as quickly as possible. +1. My child is also in Algebra 1 and relies on sessions with family members to understand the material because s/he feels often the homework is assigned without enough in-class instruction of the lesson/new concepts or when s/he asks how a problem is solved, the teacher shows how the problem is solved without rationale/explanation of the steps. +1. This was extra true in Algebra 2 last year - my student had three teachers over the school year - but is still the case in Geometry this year. It seems clear that they know the material but are tentative in the execution. We are finding also that instruction in algebra is happening at home and the pace is fast without enough time to learn the fundamentals and go in more depth. The pacing feels too fast, leaving gaps in fundamental understanding. Not sure if the challenges come from a wide age and skill gap among the students. There is a direct line from the debacle of losing the math department chair to the state of the math department right now. I'm hearing that the current middle school curriculum is not good enough to prepare kids for academically rigorous high schools. One of my child's friends started 9th grade this year at their local public high school and had to repeat their 8th grade math class from Tessie because they didn't know enough of the fundamentals. In many of the disciplines, students are given homework without any or enough teaching of the underlying material. There have been specific instances when the student does ask the teacher to explain concepts in the homework, the teacher either tells them to figure it out on their own (implicitly or explicitly stating they are gifted enough to) or explains in such a way that the child is still confused. Parents have had conversations with specific instructors but things don't change so wonder if there's either a difference in philosophy or lack of teaching skills? read more

I really wanted to be a neighborhood public school family, but after two years at a wonderful local school where by all standards within the classroom my daughter was thriving, it was clear from the moment she walked in the door after school that she was not. From day 1 at Tesselations I saw my wonderful kid as her own, special self, truly thriving. "I'm too tired to tell you about my day. First we..." and she spills 25 highlights. I thought she was socially well-adjusted before; now that I see a lighter, sillier, more confident version of herself. Hot off the semi-annual Tessellations family camping trip, I am full of more evidence of what a kind, curious and supportive group of kids this is - and what a diverse, generous broader community Tessellations is. I don't understand all of how the school does it, but for our family, the difference has been transformational, and I am truly grateful. read more

Best school I have ever gone to. The teachers are outstanding. And all the kids are so nice.

This is probably the longest review I will ever post, because I don't want future parents to be duped. First - gifted school? I'm not so sure. Their gifted survey is completely manipulable and it's just strange that they wouldn't be aware that parents could easily see what the admins want to see in the survey. We intentionally withheld our IQ test results (it was not required) to see what they would say and were surprised at the wildly inaccurate and strange comments we got from Anne. Everyone should also know that Anne gets paid by the school (the school does bear her name), but she is not actually deeply involved with the school in meaningful ways. The other comments here suggesting to look deeper merit attention. Her voice seems to carry little weight in the school. I along with my husband took walks in the neighborhood around the time kids were heading in as well as when they were getting out of school. Children generally did not look very happy and neither were their parents. I know it sounds insane but we did this three times to make sure we were getting a good sample. I suggest everyone do the same. What is stated and what is actually revealed are completely different. I spoke with a few parents who attended Open Houses. I actually attended two of them, to be sure. Each time, I walked away feeling like they don't think they owe you anything. And when I looked at their IRS report, it is obvious why. The Head of School Grace and his wife, who heads operations at the school, are not paid by the school. That's cool but I assume their kids don't pay tuition at the school - and everyone else is paying quite a bit. I can't have my children attend a school that is led by people who seem to be so entitled with little accountability. It is common knowledge that many new schools start with donations from individual parents who are promised no or a lower rate of tuition. I don't know if this is actually the case at this school, but when I asked about this, I encountered strange conversational avoidance tactics. Judging from the way current parents become hyper defensive and avoidant when you raise valid questions, it is clear to me they are looking for extremely *docile* families, which is completely counter to the idea of giftedness and willingness to challenge authority. Why is this the case? I don't know, but maybe it is because they themselves broke away from another gifted school for heaven knows what reason and are fearful that it might happen to them. It feels like a very unhealthy cult. I don't mind cultish behavior if the underlying reason is healthy. But this seems far from it. Look beyond the social media posts and the same highly enthusiastic parents who keep repeating the same messages on Facebook. New families who join now and "founding families" are not the same. --- A number of people have asked about the preschool in gifted forums. Anyone looking to go to the preschool should realize that there is a very good possibility that the preschool tuition is in place to help launch the high school. In fact, it is probably not a bad idea to assume that the high school as the number one area where funds will be spent. I hope one day Tessellations board and executive team provides more transparency and clarity on how funds will be spent. We will NOT be applying to Tessellations. read more

My child currently attends Tessellations. I think the issues that the 1-star reviews point out are very fair. As a parent at the school, I see the same issues; however, I wanted to share why we are sending our child to this school and why I would give the school 4 stars. (1) Our child loves going to this school. She loves her teachers, her school friends, and the learning environment the teachers & staff create on a daily basis. (2) The curriculum is constantly challenging, the learning environment & her teachers support a growth mindset, and we have seen enormous growth in SEL development from our child. I am a bit more accepting - but no less aware - of the issues the 1-star reviews pointed out. - No start-up is perfect, and the school has gone from 0-100 mph in the blink of an eye. As a full-fledged school now, expectations from families are higher than ever - can leadership meet this moment? I have been through 3 start-ups, and growing pains, evolving founder control, staff turnover, management challenges, etc. are often a painful & necessary part of growth. How leadership navigates an organization & communicates through inevitable challenges is all-important, but it's hard to measure it as a simple snap-shot in time. - Other private schools we toured and diligenced had similar issues with turnover - with families leaving and then coming back a few years later. In some cases, the school could not keep a head of school for more than a few years. Good luck to everyone in the search for the right school for their child. read more

It was a little risky joining a school that formed during the pandemic and only just found itself a campus this school year. I expected things to be rocky, important academic things might be missed, communications might be inconsistent, parents might regularly be asked to jump in and save the day with time or money or both.... Happy to say I've been wowed. It's mostly been smooth sailing so far. I'm not privy to what's happening behind the scenes, but my kid looks forward to going to school, I'm in close contact with her math teacher (which was an area of concern for my child in the past), and I love hearing about what my kid is learning in their "Journey" class where they're traveling the Oregon Trail (virtually). One area of concern for us was whether our child who is "only" at grade-level in math (3rd) but reads at 9th grade level could be both challenged and supported at this school. So far, we've found there are many children who are reading the same books, can recommend others, and plenty who are reading closer to grade level. I was worried being at grade-level in math in a school for gifted kids can be a bit challenging socially as my child is grouped ability-wise with mostly younger kids, but the messaging is - everyone has unique strengths and areas where things don't come as easily. My child was initially taken aback, but she loves her math teacher, has gotten to know and like the younger kids, and has adopted a more positive growth mindset towards math (thanks to her teacher, who teaches growth mindset along with math). In their Journey class, the 3rd graders are learning about early factory work and tenant farming, working in teams to decide what to bring while considering the weight their wagon can carry, building miniature wagons, etc. I believe she'll remember what she's learning because the learning is deep, constructive and hands-on, i.e., memorable. Her class also spends a good chunk of every Tuesday at the school's nature campus hiking, journaling, planting seeds. If I could, I'd attend this school myself! read more

Tessellations or Tessie as we all call it fondly, is more than a school. It a sanctuary for children to grow into their own at their own pace and time. My son is a rising 3rd grader and our experience has been excellent so far. Teachers work collaboratively with parents to share timely feedback, discuss opportunities for growth and learning, and provide support in making constructive progress. My son, who would be considered a "late" reader by common standards, transformed quite unexpectedly this school year into an avid reader - from being terrified of reading a sentence to reading whole fiction novels. The highly personalized approach allows children to blossom in their own time without imposing any artificial expectations on them. So when they are ready, they fly! The school community is held together by the common thread of love for our gifted children. The teachers demonstrate their love for the students and their growth in every interaction. The awesome parent community has come together, since the very beginning, in innumerable ways to lay a strong foundation for the school and to create possibilities for growth for our children. This has become possible because the leadership of the school is in great hands (not to mention the most endearing hearts) with Grace Stanat, Anne Beneventi and Christina Emmett at the helm. We are grateful to be a part of such a wonderful community of teachers, parents and educators. read more

Tessellations school understands gifted kids. My kids are thriving there - developing their deep interests, exercising their vast creativity, and being in a community who understands them and celebrates their quirkinesses. With gifted children and asynchronous learning, each child can be at a wildly different level than her same-age peers. This is especially true for math. So Tessellations has Math Specialists teaching math and each child goes to the math classroom appropriate for his/her level. Emotional regulation and social emotional learning (SEL) are important for every kid to learn, but I think that gifted children tend to have a hard time here. Tessellations incorporates SEL education into their curriculum, and I see a big difference with my children. They are more resilient, more curious, and more willing to try something and risk failure. Tessellations understands the importance of Nature and the connection to the outdoors. Nature helps us to regulate our own bodies - improving mood and the immune system and recharging creativity. So the school chose a campus with a lot of outdoor space for next year where children can run and be active and where some lessons/experiments/etc. can be held outdoors. The school will also be incorporating hikes, outdoor learning, and camping trips next year. (We couldn't do it this year due to the Pandemic.) Tessellations puts an emphasis on each student following their own interests and developing those interests by setting milestones, making plans, committing to regular practice/study, and presenting progress and milestones to fellow students and the school community. (I am impressed with the presentation skills my children have learned!) Tessellations' Teachers understand gifted kids. (And Tessellations School understands the importance of hiring great teachers.) My children adore their teachers. The older one told me that her 5th grade level math teacher is one of the few adults who really understands what it's like to be a kid. (As a result, my child looks forward to math, views her teacher as a role model, and strives to meet the expectations of her teacher.) If you are looking for a traditional, hard-core education with a lot of tests, memorization, and competition against students for the best grades, this is not the school for you. (But consider what education could be like if we didn't conflate achievement with competition. Read this article about the value of cooperation and what that could look like in the classroom: https://www.alfiekohn.org/blogs/cl/. That is Tessellations.) read more

We love Tessellations. Our son, who is a 3rd grader, is excited to wake up and be ready for school every day. The wonderful teachers/staffs and his classmates keep him engaged throughout the day. He has more fun doing research and building a, "The World Explained" website with his classmates in his spare time than to play with the Nintendo switch. We simply can't believe it. Tessellations creates an environment for kids to organically come together with their peers and work on projects that they love. We are very grateful to have Anne Beneventi who is a nationally recognized gifted expert at Tessellations. Anne knows each of the Tessellations kids and her guidance is invaluable to our son's development. Tessellations sent us surveys on the overall experience of the students and our son eagerly said that he would rate them 10/5 without hesitation. We are super excited for the kids getting together on campus (in-person) soon. read more

We are very pleased with our experience at Tessellations. Teachers encourage students to think on their own, express themselves, and listen to others. My child is always motivated to learn at school because his curiosity can flourish with lots of support from teachers. The low student-teacher ratio allows them to be fully engaged in the class even during the remote learning. He found his true peer here at Tessellations who can share their own interests and works to build up new projects. I wondered if the gifted kids can get along with each other as they have vigorous interests in many different areas with all different levels. But, it turned out that we are in the right place to support our child because students at Tessellations learn how to advocate themselves and respect others with deep sense of empathy. The social emotional learning (SEL) is well woven into the curriculum. My son has been making progress on regulating and managing his emotions. Emphasis on perspective taking helps students see other people and the world around them from various points of view. Academically, Tessellations provides each student with an individualized/differentiated curriculum such as math class by ability. Enrichment is another example of it. Most of all, our family feels fortunate to be here at Tessellations with such a wonderful parent group. read more

Tessellations School has exceeded our expectations. True, it is only one year old. The teachers are well-trained and experienced with teaching gifted kids, and they truly care. What a great group of families too. My kids have true intellectual peers of all ages at the school -- friends who are insatiably curious, kids with really diverse interests and talents, and most of all, really fun friends who are also intensely playful. The kids are doing well both emotionally and academically. I am really grateful that they are in a school that supports their areas of development, while allowing them to study at the right level in their areas of strength. The environment lets gifted kids be kids, while challenging them to think deeper and learn meaningfully. SEL skills are integrated into many discussions. Children are also exposed (age appropriately) to social justice, environmental issues, societal issues, in a manner that allow them to think critically about the broader world. Such deep dive into particular issues culminate in service projects to show the kids they can make a difference in the world through personal actions. In any school, the teachers are the most important. Tessellations staff is truly amazing. What a capable, passionate, and hard working group. We are really glad that the teachers seem so happy in their jobs and have such excitement to keep taking the school to the next level. This positive energy within the community is infectious as we charge on to making year two an even more amazing experience for the kids. read more

Tessellations is not just a school, it is a community that allows our gifted children to thrive and develop their natural talents and interests. The teachers here are phenomenal and you can tell they all love what they do. Our child loves going to school every day and he feels connected to the teachers who truly understand his needs. They work collaboratively with parents to help guide our children and discuss opportunities to help them grow. When you hear Tessellations talk about SEL, it is not just a "pitch" they are giving you, they take it seriously and we have seen how much it has helped our son understand his own emotions. Learning emotional intelligence in a classroom setting by teachers who are skilled in this area is priceless. The leadership at Tessellations has created such a wonderful community of parents, teachers and children. The happiness you will see in the faces of the teachers and children is a reflection of the amazing leadership at this school. Grace S who is the head of school is truly a remarkable leader and he also has gifted children so he understands their needs and aspirations. You may have read that prior to Tessellations, Grace had no experience running a school, but I actually think that is a very good thing. He brought to Tessellations a wealth of knowledge from his prior life as a successful entrepreneur, and we are all fortunate that he decided to help build Tessellations. I can honestly say I think it is likely impossible to find another head of school anywhere else with his caliber of leadership and creativity all focused on helping our gifted children succeed in life. Anne Beneventi was recommended to us by the Gifted Support Center in San Mateo. Her gifted Qualitative Assessment helped to give us insights into our child's unique learning style and it changed the way we viewed how to raise our children. (I have practiced pediatrics and my wife is a special education teacher, and even still with our extensive knowledge of children, this QA was life changing for us....even if you do not go to Tessellations, I would highly recommend it...just go to her website here: http://childrenevolving.com ). Through Anne, we found our way to Tessellations and we are so thankful that we did her QA years ago. Lastly, the parent community has been the cherry on top. It has been heartwarming to see how this community has come together during the difficult time of Covid. We have made friends with so many compassionate and amazing individuals here. Now, the only potential drawback of Tessellations is its size. There will not be sports teams playing against other schools, nor will there be middle school bands, or the large events such as school plays, etc associated with larger schools. For us, those types of things were meaningless, and our child is happy playing soccer at school with his friends or coding club after school. But I know some parents who live for their child playing school sports and similar activities, so I did want to mention that in my overall review. read more

I have been delaying this review for too long as there's simply too much to say about our experience at Tessellations! We have two kids (currently grades 5 and 9) who attend/graduated from Tessie. For context, my older child attended public school K-5, and my younger child has only known independent/private schools. We sought out Tessellations for the school's progressive curriculum, curiosity-driven learning environment, small class size and peer community -- happily, we have discovered these attributes have served our kids well. We love Tessellations for many reasons, but mainly because Tessie kids can be their authentic selves in school. If kids want to dive deep on a niche subject or hobby, they are encouraged and nurtured by their teachers/peers. It's truly an inclusive culture and community. The peer/social network and community is what makes Tessie a special place for us. Prior to Tessie, one of my kids was afraid of public speaking and hesitant to try new things. Because of the small class size and close-knit community, I have seen my child take on social risks and open up -- even going so far to run for Student Council and speak at school-wide assemblies/gatherings. To see the most introverted kids flourish and gain self-confidence is a beautiful thing -- and we are grateful to Grace, Anne, teachers, staff and students for creating such a welcoming community. I also have to add that Tessie's school administration is unlike any other admin team. They make themselves accessible and available for questions, feedback and suggestions. Grace, Anne and Tessie teachers have spoiled us with their rapid response time. Parents and students feel seen and heard. As the school is still quite young and a bit "start-uppy," there is a culture of flexibility, creativity and opportunities to help evolve the school. My observation is that if parents want to get involved, there are ample opportunities. But if you don't have bandwidth to be involved, that is also acceptable. I've proposed a few ideas to the school (eg, family volunteer days, a field trip to see elephant seals) and the staff has been supportive in making the ideas come to life. When he was an 8th grader, my son proposed a few ideas with his classmates (t-shirt contest, dance/social events) and the administration gently guided students to hone their advocacy and leadership skills to make it happen. It's pretty rare to enjoy your middle school years, but my older child is nostalgic for his time at Tessie and keeps in touch with teachers and students. There's no place quite like Tessellations! read more

After our first year of searching for the right school for our profoundly gifted son, me and my husband finally enrolled our son in Tessellaions (Kindergarten) this year. And we are absolutely happy about our decision ever since! This is a wonderful school truly tailor made for gifted kids. The main reasons we think Tessellaions is a wonderful school: 1) project based curriculum + differentiation learning + social emotional learning + small ratio of teacher and students + large nature campus with amazing nature programs + wonderful after-school programs...... 2) people! -- Anne Beneventi's gifted Qualitative Assessment is the most child-focused and child-led admission process I've experienced, and it truly see through your child's giftedness and gives you insights about your child's learning style; the head of school (who has two profoundly gifted kids) is the most inspiring and transparent entrepreneur with the most phenomenal leadership I've ever seen, we trust him with all the decisions for the school and he really knows how to make things work; teachers are super experienced with gifted kids. My son loves his kindergarten teachers; parents are so hands-on and involved, basically it feels like a small startup where recruited bunch of smart ppl who share the same value. This community is just very supportive and has the power to make the magic! 3) the culture! -- Tessie (how they call this school) has strong startup culture which is what I like -- they always respond and act very fast to make sure things work out the best way for their school, even though it means they sometimes need to get rid of something that aren't working well. They are open-minded, energetic, willing to take risks and good at problem solving. And deep down in there, they genuinely care about these gifted kids and how they will be well-served with the education they need. That's why we decided to enroll this school even this is only their first year of in-person learning with a real campus. But so far it has been proved that we have made the right decision! Our son is happy and thriving in there, he loves his teacher and peers, he loves getting up in the morning and going to his school to spend the whole day! read more

Our son had a wonderful first semester in Tessellations, with passionate teachers, great curriculum, and a small yet very open and warm community! The school definitely exceeded our expectation in making the young kids stay engaged during remote learning, and the teachers somehow made it appear so effortlessly -- I know there must be a ton of design and preparation behind it. Really grateful for all they've done! Our son looks forward to the classes every day, and can't stop talking about various projects -- they are so fun and inspiring, and I wish I were a student in Tessellations too! More importantly, even though our son is an introvert and is usually very slow to warm up, he has quickly found several other kids with the same interests in facts, Lego, and Minecraft, and has gained a strong sense of belonging to the Tessellations community. Really look forward to the next school year in the new campus! read more

We are delighted and grateful to have found Tessellations, my daughter attends the school. The school is structured around "project-based" and social-emotional learning (SEL). The teachers and staff are dedicated, nurturing, and enthusiastic. They are well trained to understand the uniqueness of gifted children and the curriculum is built to meet the needs of gifted learners. The school offers opportunities for academic acceleration with math, so kids attend math classes that match the level that they are at. Tessellations is wonderful for kids and parents alike. We love the school's opens in listening to parents and students, and addressing issues as they arise. We heartily recommend Tessellations to those parents seeking a nurturing project-based school, with involved parents, dedicated teachers, education that balances structure and rigor and understands the learning needs of your child. read more

We love Tessellations in several ways: The teachers- They care about each kid's individual's needs. 2020 was not an easy year. But the teachers were incredibly patient, listened to what our daughter had to say, and encouraged her to keep positive. We feel comfortable discussing issues with the teachers to find out the best solution. We feel they are always on our side to do what is best for her. The community- Parents in Tessellations are continually working together to make Tessellations better. Our kids are friends and so are we. We go to park playdates in the afternoons and occasionally camping trips with several families. If there are important projects, we never have problems finding volunteers, and many are very talented at what they do. We discuss our kids' issues and talents comfortably to find solutions and support in the community. We know no one will judge them for who they are. Anne Beneventi- Anne Beneventi is one of the school founders and has many years of experience in working with gifted children. We first met Anne in 2018 when she came to our house for a Qualitative Assessment. After the assessment, Anne told us that our daughter is profoundly gifted (145+ IQ). I did not believe her at that moment. A lot of people told me that she is bright but she was 4 and could not read. From the stories I saw online, gifted children can read earlier than 4, some even at 2. Anne explained to us that my daughter best learns using a different approach. She is a whole word learner and we had been using the traditional phonics method to teach her. She gave us links to information about how to adjust our approach. Within a month, my daughter started to read. In two months, she can read a whole book without help. Now she is reading and learning math several years ahead of her age level. It made me realize that our daughter is not typical and will need us to support her differences. We also took a Quantitative IQ test, WISC-IV, and it confirmed Anne's diagnosis, but Anne herself points out that standardized tests sometimes miss the intellectual spark that characterizes the gifted (especially if the kid is having a bad day). We feel Tessellations is one of the few schools in the area that works hard to identify and welcome the profoundly gifted and try to adapt to their extraordinary abilities. read more

I am so grateful for Tessellations. We have had an amazing year. Tessie understands the gifted learner and their project based educational strategy's means full in depth learning. Add this with their new campus and outdoor program you have a unique program that doesn't exist anywhere else. read more

We had a lot of hesitations when transferring our daughter to Tessellations for 8th grade last fall. We're very glad that we did - she enjoys her experience at Tessie and her younger brother is looking forward to joining this fall. There are so many reasons to love this school. The top ones on the long list include: * It's a very close knit community: students (and their families) bond through Tessie gatherings every friday, student camping/backpacking trips, family camping trips, halloween parade, holiday party, community service day, school sponsored get-togethers outside the school, and many other activities. There are a lot of cross grade interactions. My daughter has friends from kindergarteners to 8th graders. * Small class size with highly qualified teaching staff. All of the teachers are very supportive and engaging. There are many interesting projects throughout the year. Quoting my daughter: "one of my favorite projects that we've done in 8th grade was our human impact project. For this project each person in our class chose something that humans are doing that has a negative impact on the environment. Some examples are overpopulation, noise pollution, and deforestation. The first part of the project was creating an infographic with data and models to explain our human impacts. After that we got to create our own companies to combat whatever human impact we chose. For this part of the project we came up with advertisements, logos, and advertising videos that explained what our companies do and how they fight the negative human impacts. I loved bringing design and fun into my project as well as learning from my peers through their videos and infographics." After the first semester, we received a 14-page narrative report card with a lot of details on her strengths and growth areas in each subject, much more informative than the standard grades. * The administration team is very supportive and quick to respond to any feedback or request for help. As a new family, we've received help from so many people. Every interaction has been positive. Most recently I inquired about transferring my daughter's website that was created on the school google account to a personal account. I was pleasantly surprised to receive responses from Grace (the head of the school) and Michael (the IT director) right away. Same as how I feel, my daughter told me that "there's always someone in the school that you can go to if you have a problem." Another example of the strong support from the school is that Grace writes recommendation letters and calls high school admission offices to advocate for each student. * Anne (our founding visionary) is THE expert on gifted education. She did evaluations for our kids. Both of them really enjoyed their conversation with Anne and we have learned a lot from talking to her. Soon after my daughter joined Tessie, she needed a recommendation letter for a program with a very short turnaround time. Anne did not hesitate to help even though she was on sick leave. Under Anne's and Grace's leadership, the school really emphasizes social emotional learning and the culture is very supportive and nurturing for creative minds. * There are a lot of afterschool choices (LARP, D&D, debate, yoga etc.) and art electives (fiber art, maker's space, urban sketching, digital art...). Julie, the director for afterschool programs, and her staff are amazing. They do their best to find interesting programs to bring to school and are very supportive in accommodating students' schedules. The list can go on and on. I strongly recommend Tessellations if you're looking for a top notch project-based experiential education experience for your child. read more

My child attends Tessellations and I have nothing but positive things to say about this school for gifted students. - The teachers and staff really *get* gifted kids, how they often develop asynchronously, and their personalities and quirks. - Kids attend the math class that matches the level they're at. If your child is a year, two years, or even three years ahead of their grade level in math, that's the class they'll attend (and my child has peers who are 1, 2, and 3 years ahead in this math class). There is no stigma because it's the norm. - With the small class sizes, teachers are able to meet students at the level they're at for reading and other subjects. - Enrichment (which meets twice a week) allows a deeper semester- or year-long dive into whatever subject the student is particularly interested in. My child wanted to learn perspective drawing and the teacher helped elicit this interest as well as to offer online resources about the topic. - Online, remote learning has been real-time, interactive, and engaging instead of working solo most of the time. And there have been screen-free breaks built in to the schedule, given all of the computer time. - Starting with the upcoming 2021-2022 school year, Tessellations has secured what looks to be a great campus with plenty of indoor and outdoor space, garden space, and more. (I don't recall all of the details from the presentation I saw, but I was impressed.) - The parent/family community is caring, supportive, and engaged in the school. read more

Tessellations has been a safe, compassionate, and nurturing environment for my middle schooler and elementary-age kid. After trying other schools, including expensive private schools, we found a great fit at Tessie. My kids are challenged according to their abilities in math. This keeps them more engaged and interested as they get to learn new materials and avoid drills in materials that are easy for them. At Tessie, several kids are in math levels 4-5 years ahead of their grade level! There is a lot of personalization in humanities as well. With a small student-to-teacher ratio, teachers know my children very well and accommodate different learning styles. They play to the strength of the kids while helping them build the skills to overcome their weaknesses. There is a lot of opportunity to express your creativity in academics, innovations, arts, music, leadership, etc. The stress is a lot lesser than in other private schools. Nature campus is a unique feature of the school - kids get ample sunlight, learn social skills, and explore science in the outdoors. The community - kids, families, and staff - make the place warm and welcoming. We are very excited that we can stay at Tessie longer because we are opening a high school next year! read more

I am very overdue in writing this review for Tessellations (or Tessie, as I now lovingly call it). I was somewhat skeptical about moving my son to a new school for the end of his Middle School journey, but I am so glad I did. From the moment we met the head of school, Grace, we really felt seen as a family. We were struck by how much he wanted to grow the community with families that were the "right fit." The Gifted Qualitative Assessment (GQA) that our son received was more insightful than over a half dozen years of report cards in public school. Our son was challenged academically, and more importantly thrived socially and emotionally. His classmates welcomed him with open arms. His confidence in math skyrocketed, he developed a wonderful strong relationship with the school librarian, and he absolutely adored Nature Campus. We were welcomed by the parent association. Tessie was a great fit for our family. If am excited to see how the school continues to grow. read more

We have been at Tessellations since Fall of 2021 when our now 2nd grader started as a 1st grader. We love that he can be academically stimulated while also receiving a high focus on social emotional learning. Math and reading are also taught according to specific level of student rather than age, so he can be challenged accordingly. The low student to teacher ratio ensures he is engaged and he's always excited to go to school. The nature campus once a week is also a giant bonus, as it is a beautiful large campus just 10 minutes away but feels like a different world where they can learn and experience more than traditional classroom setting offers. Administration also really takes into consideration staff needs and opinions, ensuring high quality staff and retention. There are also many opportunities to get to know the other families as well as staff, and we feel so fortunate to be a part of this respectful and caring community. read more

We love this school! Our son just finished his second year here and he is thriving in every way -- socially, academically, intellectually, and emotionally. He is disappointed to be on summer break and looked forward to school every single day all year -- no exaggeration! I'm not sure what more we could ask for. The after-school program is quite robust with activities he finds enriching and rewarding. The middle school teachers are remarkable human beings, let alone instructors for our kid. Parents are warm and welcoming. The school took a very science-based, dynamic, conservative approach to COVID, which the community overwhelmingly supported, and has had very few cases and no spread on campus. Tessellations has absolutely been the right choice for us and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a warm environment that nurtures the whole child and provides intellectual rigor in a community that supports entire families. read more

We are very grateful for this school. Our daughter is thriving and loving every minute at Tessellations. Teachers at Tessellations are simply amazing - kind, dedicated and experienced. Math and reading is personalized for each student's needs. Class size is small and learning environment is very supportive for students to excel. School follows project based learning which is very engaging and fun for kids. The school also has an enrichment program where students take up a project of their own liking and reach a meaningful milestone. Kids pursue varied interests such as creative writing, coding projects, building architecture projects - to name a few. Last but not the least, we are also very thankful for the incredible parent community who support each other. read more

School is very diverse with cross functional project-based learning. Once a week nature camp and learning knowledge outdoor is extraordinary. Teachers are very professional and kind. Students are happy to be in the school even vote for no summer holiday. read more

Our 7th grader is thriving at Tessellations. Being surrounded by a community of kind, deep thinking, imaginative peers is energizing for him and allows him to be himself. He enjoys math with a small group of ability matched peers and teachers with expertise in advanced mathematics. The progressive, theme-based projects encourage critical thinking and perspective taking. I feel grateful for this growing community of administrators, teachers and parents who care deeply about the well-being of gifted children. read more

Our daughter started at Tessellations a year ago in 5th grade and she loves going to school and the staff and student community at Tessie. The school has been great at providing her with opportunities to develop in different areas- combining creativity with learning in the form of learning journeys, group explorations like writing for the school newspaper, becoming independent (overnight camping trips with teachers/friends twice a year). Math classes grouped by level have helped her find her rhythm as she works with older and younger students in her class. The small class sizes mean students and teachers work closely and get to know each other very well. Everyone knows almost everyone else and she has friends from K all the way to 8th grade. The teachers are engaged, kind and super responsive. All the students we have met at Tessie are kind and love intellectual/creative pursuits and we are really happy that our daughter has found many role models among peers, older and younger students. Last but not the least, the nature campus and integration of the Nature program in the curriculum is a special feature of the school that allows the kids to experience and understand nature in rewarding ways. Grace & Anne have built this community with a lot of care and we are really glad to be a part of it. read more

We searched for the right school for our kids for years. Here are the criteria we had in mind: (1) The school's curriculum is designed, taught, and adapted by experienced teachers for gifted kids building on teachers' own strengths (vs. canned curriculum); (2) has strong focus on SEL; (3) nurtures kids' unique talents enabling them go as fast and as deep as they can; (4) while stretching them in other directions to ensure their well rounded development. In addition, based on my expertise in organizational development we also hoped for an (5) effective school governance, administration, and teachers' engagement that are not always visible from outside but are key for the long-term health and sustainability of all the above. Lastly, being immigrants it was important for us to find (6) a cohesive and supportive community with shared values not only on paper but also in practice. It was not easy to find such a school, and we are lucky Tessellations is everything we had asked for. The pandemic further tested the importance of all the above, and I am grateful for the teachers, staff, and for the wonderful community. read more