Schools. Desire input from teachers and parents.

[mom2soren]

We are moving to WS, and I’m already planning ahead for my 4yo. From this blog, I’ve gathered that Pathfinder and Chief Sealth are excellent schools. Also, Explorer West looks fascinating from its website.

Anyone else have raves or complaints about the above 3 schools, or any other (public or private)? Personal experiences? Any teachers have input?

For my child, I’m seeking a good academic program, but equally important is a supportive, friendly, nurturing atmosphere. I want my child to feel happy attending school, and continue to develop a strong self esteem. An ideal school would know who he is as a person, and allow him to cultivate his individuality. I think academic success would naturally follow this sense of belonging.

This would mean weeding out schools with bullies, crimes/gang activity, stressed teachers, poor ratios, an impersonal or ineffective principal, and little parent interaction. If I feel that public schools would squash my son’s security and love for learning, I’d devote my whole salary to sending him to private school.

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[mrhineh]

Here is the site from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Wash. state. You can drill down to each school district in the state, and then filter by each school within the district for test scoring, absentee rates, ESL, etc. Its not an end all, but does have some indicators if you want to compare one school to another. It looks daunting, but filter down and you can get some good info. Great Schools is another good web site. Open houses start in January and its never to early to start looking (look at School Public Schools website for more info).

http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/summary.aspx?year=2007-08

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[Smitty]

Welcome!

Lots of good options, both Private and Public. We chose Holy Rosary (second grade now) and absolutely love it. Keep in mind that I am not Catholic (my spouse is) if that makes a difference or provides any credibility. In addition, classes are “full” so this is not a recruiting post!

The teachers and administrative staff are excellent. The turnover is minimal – and the parental involvement is incredible (but not “over the top”, if you know what I mean).

25-30 kids per class, two classes per grade. Roughly 520+/- in K-8.

Religion is certainly part of the curriculam(sp?), but not overbearing. The “family” feeling and the overall spirit of the school is what I enjoy the most. Good families, well-behaved children and a nurturing, positive environment. It’s not as expensive as you might think, although parental hours are required – but I feel that adds to the community feel.

If your child is “gifted” then this is probably not the right place. The public schools have some exceptional programs in that field.

It depends on where you are locating as well, West Seattle is fairly big geographically, so keep that in mind as well.

Here is the web-site – feel free to stop in and talk with the Principal – she is incredible, and is really the one who sets the tone for the school.

Good luck to you!

http://www.holyrosaryws.org/

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[Oliver]

My child is three and a half and I am now evaluating the kindergarten options. Other parents with kids at Pathfinder tell me it is fantastic, but it’s an alternative program that has to be right for your child’s learning style. I’ve determined (with the help of my son’s preschool teachers one of which has a child at pathfinder) that it’s not the right environment for my son. I would suggest touring the schools and getting to know them. Pathfinder’s physical home is currently uncertain (see posts on this blog). It’s also helpful to know which school would be your reference/default school and what cluster you will be in. Chief Sealth is not typically known as a good school, but a lot could change by the time your child is in highschool.

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[SpeakLoud]

Explorer West is a Middle School so you have a long time till then put good to put in the back of your mind that it’s excellent-I have a 6th grader there.

This blog site has links to all the schools public and private-I would encourage you to click on them and visit the sites and make a list from there-next call the school to find out about 09 enrollment. It is going to make a huge difference for public school where you live as the process has changed-you will now be assigned a refference school based on your address and you can apply to get into another school but I can’t imagine that’s going to work for anyone since we seem to have an overcrowding problem at the “good” schools already.

My own words of support are to stay in tune with what is right for YOUR family-paychecks come and paychecks go-childhood is one brief and monumental impression, private school may be more affordable than you think!

Good Luck and welcome to the Island!

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[sld]

If you send me an email sldevine@comcast.net, I will give you my opinion as a teacher and parent. Hopefully, it will help.

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[ebaer]

I am a parent at Pathfinder, and I have found it great for my daughter. But one of the best things about W. Seattle is that there are a variety of schools to meet you and your child’s needs. I know that Pathfinder is always open to having a visitor (call first and check in with the office… you don’t want to come on a field trip day!). Also Pathfinder and Chief Sealth are public schools while Explorer West is private, so there is a substantial difference in cost. Many people worry about getting into Pathfinder, but I believe that everyone who registers on time typically gets in (even if they go on a wait list for a little bit). So if Pathfinder is your choice, be sure to submit your materials to SPS by their first cut deadline (which is in March this year, I believe.)

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[Bonnie]

I think it all depends on the child. When does your son turn 5? Will he be going to kindergarten next year or the year after? If it’s the year after you’ll have more time to decide. I plan to send my daughter to Arbor Heights. My son goes there and we like it.

Originally my husband and I had planned to send our children to Hope Lutheran (where my husband went)but my son (now 8) was born premature, has learning disabilities and is on the autistic spectrum we decided on public schools because it was the best choice for him. So we’ll send our daughter to public also. (she’ll be in kindy next year)

Anyway, a lot of it also depends on where you’ll be living in West Seattle. Where are you moving to?

Good luck!

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[FullTilt]

I was a long term sub at Explorer West and found it to be a caring, creative, tight-knit and supportive community. It is small so the staff can really change things up to meet the needs of all the kids, something the larger schools struggle with. Claudia in the office is a born and bred West Seattle-ite, and may have some good suggestions for local primary schools.

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[Que]

I am a Gatewood elementary parent. My daughter has been there for 3 years now and we absolutely love it. Her teachers KNOW her and how she works and thinks and learns. It feels like home to us. However, it is not about what works for US, it is about what works for YOU.

Keep an eye out for the South Seattle Community College Kindergarten Fair (or whatever they end up doing this year since the registration dates have been pushed back a month). I found that to be a really valuable resource in terms of figuring out which schools didn’t feel like a good fit and which schools I needed to look into further. Go on the tours of the schools that you want to know more about. Ask questions, lots of them. Breathe. Know that you have lots of good options and that there are multiple good choices that you can make in this process, not just one.

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[Bonnie]

Unless things have changed I have this info for the kindergarten fair:

Saturday, January 10th 2009 (9am to noon)

Stanford Center at 2445 Third Ave South (at 3rd & Lander, south of Safeco Field, two blocks east of Sears)

This citywide Kindergarten and Middle School Fair features school exhibits and enrollment information. Talk to school reps and enrollment specialists to learn about schools and the enrollment process. Bilingual staff available.

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[Que]

Bonnie- I haven’t been to that one. The K-Fair that I was talking about is run by the Co-op Preschool program at SSCC. It focuses only on WS Schools, and all the public and private schools are invited. It is consequently a little more specific to our needs (and a little smaller in scale than the one at the Stanford Center). I heard that the SSCC one is being postponed from it’s earlier date because of uncertainy about some of the school closures, so unfortunately I don’t know the new date for it yet.

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[Bonnie]

I went to the SSCC one a few years ago before picking a school for my son (now in 2nd grade) but I haven’t seen it listed recently. It would be nice to go to. Thanks.

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[Robindianne]

Bonnie,

FYI don’t go to the Jan 10 school fair at the Stanford Center. It’s cancelled since we haven’t finalized “capacity management” and building closures yet.

Here’s the link:

http://www.seattleschools.org/area/m_news/comp.dxml?app=Story&storyId=2276&settings=default

and here’s an enrollment link http://www.seattleschools.org/area/eso/story.dxml

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[Robindianne]

PS I’m a teacher and you can pm me if you want any thoughts on the school I’m at (kinders or other elem).

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[Bonnie]

Thanks Robindianne!

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[Caduceus]

My girlfriend as well as a handful of my friends attended Holy Rosary in the Junction. They all loved it, and their teachers. None of them are specifically religious and the school being Catholic didn’t seem to effect them one way or another. My girlfriend also lives literally 15 feet away from the school and there are always parents everywhere, parked up and down the adjacent streets and the whole shabang. They have little fairs and things throughout the year and seem to be VERY family/community oriented.

Hope you find what you’re looking for.

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[Anonymous]

The Seattle Times has a school guide:

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/schoolguide/

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[jbar]

Make a list of the criteria that’s important to you — it’s hard — and I have to say that I didn’t know what I was looking for until I found it, if that makes any sense. We have been at Westside School — pre-school – 5th grade — for 8 years and we’ve loved it. The pre-school program is amazing (awesome teachers) and is a great way to “test drive” the program. The community is amazing — teachers, parents, and the admin/staff team, and my kids love love love school. My 5th grader is confident and self-assured and is thriving in her new middle school — much of it due to her experience at Westside (and her fabulous parents!) Go on visits, tours, ask questions — it’s not too early to start. Get multiple opinions. And don’t let the cost of private school be a barrier — most schools, including Westside and Explorer West have tuition assistance programs. You might hear that both EW & WS are hard to get into — don’t let that be a barrier either, if it’s the right fit for the student, the family and the school, it usually works out.

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[mom2soren]

I thank all of you for the comments. It has been of tremendous help, and I have been scouring the internet for additional “insiders info” on all of the schools mentioned above. I know where the published information can be found on all the Seattle public schools & via school fairs, but it’s really the personal experiences and opinions that reveal what a place is truly like. I’m grateful to this blog. Thanks again!

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[add]

I will add that it’s best to visit the school (during tours and on a regular day) and talk to families currently enrolled. There is so much of “I heard xxx about that school” – hearsay/opinion is really hard to process when you’re trying to make your decision!

The other thing is that kids are remarkably resilient, and if you find that the school your child enrolls in is not a good fit, you can usually move them without too much problem.

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[kh]

the city’s kindergarten fair has been cancelled this year. http://www.seattleschools.org

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[Lisa]

mom2soren,

I am a west seattle native with a 16yo daughter. Besides loving Explorer West for Middle School, we JUST loved Tilden School for K-5 years (http://www.tildenschool.org). Featured on WSB: https://westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=11831

Tilden is a small independent school with such wonderful atmosphere, acedemic focus, great music and other programs. Many Tilden kids go to Explorer West for continued great educational experience. I would encourage you to call Tilden and schedule a visit to see it for your self. Best Wishes!

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[mom2soren]

Tilden seems to have a very supportive, nurturing environment. Would anyone know how many teachers work there, if they are certified, etc…? Also, do they have a library and playground? Finally, where do most kids find after school care?

Thank you!

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[Julie]

mom2soren, for answers to your questions I suggest it would be best for you to call Tilden at (206) 937-5205, or email info@tildenschool.org.

As you say, this blog is a fantastic resource for the “word of mouth” personal experiences and opinions that can help point you in useful directions, and which can be hard to find otherwise; like earlier posters, I strongly suggest that only a personal visit can give you a sense of whether a given school is a good fit for your child and your family.

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