Mrs. Mugnaini and Mrs. Campbell and great teachers please if your child is in 4/5 grade make sure…read morethat they are in those classes

Sierra Oaks is a really great K-8 school. The principal Mrs. Butorac is very active and makes…read moreherself available and doesn't just sit in her office all day like other past principal's my daughter had.Most of my child's teachers keep me informed with what's going on each week and sends home progress reports quite frequently which is a big plus. I will say that one of the office staff who's name starts with a M is not very personable and acts as though your bothering her if you need more information on school events or just have basic questions. My daughter is in the 7th Grade and I will say it will get quite pricey once you child gets into 7th and 8th grade is when they take really nice trips to Florida and Southern Cali etc.. Overall I really like this school for my daughter parents are very involved in school activities and I can't believe how well mannered the students are. I would highly recommend Sierra Oaks if you have high expectations for your child's education. my daughter is really happy she goes to this school.

It's like a family here. Small class sizes, attentive teachers and staff, supportive staff…read more Communication, and great set up.we are doing our second year and excited to continue my child's education here.

If I don't write the review right away I forget so....we are just getting home from the Choices…read moreCharter School graduation ceremony this evening. It deserves commendation that this relatively small school has such committed staff and it was evident from the moment you walked into the ceremony. It was evident in their warm greeting as you entered through the doors, their effort to keep the focus on the kids and their families and to the plenty of security personnel present to keep an eye on things. While not a parent of a student (just an aunt) I was moved to write this review because this small staff has raised a large sum in scholarships to provide to their students. The staff is clearly bonded to the kids and it was touching. This year 8 kids rec'd scholarships including the munchkin I was supporting today. It's quite a phenomenal feat to raise these funds and this act shows genuine commitment to their students. Thank you Charter Choices for your commitment to the children.

I was at this school like years ago and I had rlly bad trauma from the teachers especially Mrs mila…read moreshe still haunts my dreams and the principal and teachers there were really scary so ya but that was like 10 years ago

This place is a gem. I could not recommend this daycare/preschool more highly. Our children have…read morecycled through each room at Marconi Montessori and every single set of teachers has been absolutely incredible- they are kind and warm, focused on helping our children learn how to interact and grow together. The dedication toward developing the whole child is evident in interactions staff have with children. (Even in moments when I unexpectedly show up for a midday pickup- this is consistent.) Watching the teachers/staff interact with kids is a masterclass in raising tiny humans- it's honestly shaped me as a parent. I truly believe that my kids are better people because of their time spent at MM. I feel deep gratitude for the staff at this school and the community they've built. In my experience, the director bends over backward to meet the reasonable (and sometimes unreasonable) needs and concerns of families- I don't really know of anyone who feels otherwise... and I do a lot of chatting with parents at birthday parties. My belief is that preschool is about little ones exploring the world around them and learning to interact with others (which is a big enough job as it is) so my focus isn't on academics, but I know that's a big question people have: My 4 year old is going to be entering kindergarten extremely well prepared. She knows her letters and letter sounds and can sound out words, and is adding and subtracting at MM! She knows about music (calling out, "Those are drums!" "That was piano!"when we listen to songs) and excitedly tells me about the seeds they germinated in class and how flowers grow. My sense is that teachers aren't pushing kids past what they're ready for, and are instead focused on building a love for learning, but that hasn't resulted in less exposure to pre-k and kindergarten academic content. My only rec is to get on the waitlist early because it's a long one.

My son made friends and had a good time here the have good fundraisers events and way more it is a…read morelittle classy inside it's a opened campus but very big a just 4 stars because it is not the best best but still pretty good

I as a previous student at this school I have to say my experience was horrible, the only year that…read morewas good was kindergarten. The kids where so mean and got NO punishment for bullying me , teachers always believed the other students and gave me MANY write ups to the point I was in the principals office for standing up for myself. For many years I would go home hungry because kids threw away my lunch and cafeteria said I would have had to pay for another lunch and the teachers did nothing about it I tried to speak up about my problems and they never cared. They where incredibly rude to my parents one time they rolled their eyes at them. Some of these people saying that this is an amazing school baffles me because I was crying almost every night because of the rudeness and the amount of unfair that they did I wrote something personal in my diary. It was about the students that mentally hurt me. to be honest sometimes even physically hurt me I wrote a list saying on how much I hated them and they took that out of context and they rushed me up to the office made me dump out my backpack and went through my diary without consent. They questioned me without an adult present mind you I was about six maybe and I hated my state of mental health by six so I didn't care what they did. I was just scared because they were questioning me and doing a bunch of weird things with each other and they were like whispering so my six-year-old mind did not know what was going on. I would like to say that Miss Ryan was one of my favorite teachers because not all of the teachers were horrible. I can name like only four teachers that I liked in the entire school. it was like picking apples from a tree with those teachers they were like oh we like them so we're gonna make your experience bad. I was removed after fourth grade because I just could not continue going to school with the kids that were a part of that I would 100% not send your kids to that school . I hated my time there and if you want your child at this school just take this as a warning. (just as a little thing, they didn't do any assault. They were just extremely unfair and rude.'

My son started at this school last year, he's been having an amazing experience, he has made a ton…read moreof friends, he looks forward to going to school every day. They have dance class, music class,

so far so good. we are new to the school, however the staff has all been pleasant. they are well…read moreorganized and on top of it. The school offers sports programs for the kids at no expense to the families. although my children are new to both campuses, teachers all seem to know them already- which tells me they are attentive and dedicated. Thank you!!!

My daughter has been at St. Francis since freshman year. She's graduating this year. Honestly, I…read morecouldn't be happier. Sure. There's always ups and downs with kids at this age and personalities that clash with teachers. But I always knew she was safe, And getting an amazing education. Dean,Cost Is absolutely amazing. I'm not the easiest parent to deal with and if I had this to do over again I would choose it a thousand over.

This is my daughters freshman year at St. Francis. We are extremely disappointed. Although the…read moreteachers seem to care about their students, the administration clearly does not. They are not willing to do anything to help the emotional well-being of their students. Weather it's students suffering from racism or the mental health of the girls during this terrible year, they do nothing. They are obviously focused on profits, not the students. I've heard this was a good school once upon a time. Very sad!!

The community at AM Winn is kind, welcoming, and open-minded. Every teacher is dedicated and…read morefantastic. This is the underdog of the area Waldorf schools - we are scrappy, diverse, and creative. We have been growing every year. I moved my children here from another Waldorf school, first feeling like it was a risk, but my children and I are so happy we made the move. The low reviews seem to be from people who don't understand what waldorf education is, and are upset their children aren't getting drilled and rigorously tested. Your children will get a good education here, not only academically, but socially and emotionally as well. And the work may sometimes be disguised in song or helping the earth. Raising kind humans takes all those things.

This is a great school and a real community. It gets back to the heart of teaching and not just…read moretesting, and truly allows kids to be kids while reaching them where they are. Before switching my daughter from a college prep to AM WINN I scheduled a visit, did my research on the curriculum, and checked with some coworkers who grew up in a Waldorf education and found that there were so many beneficial aspects. The curriculum is based on what's appropriate for the age and fully submerges them in a subject. The kids learn actual life skills (think in the sense that most middle/high schools lost home economics, cooking, gardening, sewing, cursive, etc - these kids are learning it from K-8). All of the kids play an instrument each year. They transition through various handwork - finger knitting, knitting, crocheting, sewing, etc. And after meeting several kids in the neighborhood I noticed they have such amazing temperaments and spirits and are so welcoming and joyful. I am truly glad that we found AM Winn as my daughter is blossoming in the Waldorf community and education approach. At first glance I believed Waldorf was something only "white, hippie people put their kids in" as I read some reviews on Waldorf education, but I was so wrong for going along with that belief, even if only for a moment. Consider that as adults we all learn differently and receive information differently - so why do we expect our kids to learn one way in school? AM Winn and the Waldorf approach reaches kids by incorporating every learning style. It's a holistic approach with a concern for the mind body and spirit of the child. They will not only learn about a culture/era, but they will build shelters, take a field trip to an exhibit, sing about it, write about it, draw it out, etc. Math is taught in a way for the kids to think through it in various methods, not just regurgitate information. It's age appropriate not where the district says they should be for their funding purposes. And I love that the school is VERY culturally diverse. Had I gone based on some of the school rating websites or testing sites I might have steered from the school, But I toured the school and fell in love. Some of the reports show that it's not diverse, the kids are far behind in subject matter, and it received some negative reviews - that I will say from my experience here that info is false. My daughter is multiracial, and she has a diverse group of friends that don't see color, she is just as knowledgeable in subjects as my step kids who attend another public school, thinks on a deeper level than they do, has developed a strong sense of empathy and justice for others, and we love it here. I've watched my daughter recover from some of the damage that her previous school did to her She previously attended a college prep school that I won't name but literally broke her spirit, and I've known many people who reported the same thing. The kids were expected to "slant" and sit perfectly still while others finished their work, she would get in trouble for READING in class or drawing because she wasn't slanting, and wasn't actually taught to work through a math problem only to memorize answers for timed lessons. There wasn't much play involved with only a tiny jungle gym in the parking lot - she didn't even have the coordination to do the monkey bars. Math was drilled in and time tested, without the proper attention for those that didn't understand. I had to make a change because my daughter who once loved school cried every evening and had anxiety with math. The college prep/common core was not actually taught in a way to solve the problem but merely to memorize and test well for funding. After making the change to AM Winn it was a drastic change in her. It took a moment for her to adjust but she loved it. She gets to be creative. She gets to be free. And most importantly she gets to be a kid- something that many children are missing out on in today's society as we push them to grow up quickly and test well. My daughter has become quite the artist, loves playing the guitar and singing, she's a great story teller and writer, an avid reader and reads 3 grades above her level. I say all of that to say this - just as everyone has their own taste in food, so too our children will have their own taste in learning. As a parent you have to allow them to satisfy that taste and not just force the norm on them. AM Winn might not be the best school for everyone, but for many of these kids a traditional public school that drills in information but doesn't address the heart of the child isn't the best for them. AM Winn reaches for their heart when material is presented and these kids WANT to learn because of it. So if you've made it through reading all of this it's because you're interested in the school and wanted a real opinion on it. I would say your next step is to visit and see if it's right for you and your child.