Albany Elementary Schools...What are the pros/cons?

We're planning on moving from Oakland to Albany in order for my child to start kindergarten there next fall. I've read all the postings about the three Albany elementary schools, and get a sense that Marin is the most coveted of the three, but I'm not sure why that is the case. Is it because it is smaller? Better funded by the PTA for arts, etc? Does Ocean View get most of the non-English speaking students from UC Village or is this more evenly distributed? And, if Ocena View does have the highest rate of non-English speakers, is it disruptive? beneficial? does the school have a method for integrating the students quickly? I really don't have any sense for Cornell...can someone fill me in? Finally, are the Albany schools really worth the move from Oakland? We can afford private school, but I'm a public school alumna myself...and think community and divirsity rate up there with academics...just trying to strike the right balance. Jennifer

Our children attend Albany schools, and they are good. There is ample parent involvement, and the PTA has money.

But, the teaching is not excellent by any means. The reason the test scores are high is in large part due to the demographics. I am much more impressed with schools in El Cerrito, where, despite all of the challenges teachers face with the demographics, they continue to move children forward in amazing and innovative ways. Albany schools are also very crowded.

Is the $800,000 housing price worth it? I am not sure. It is a nice town, small and sweet. But there are nice neighborhoods next door in El Cerrito, too. I am still on the fence as to whether or not the school is right for us. Not swayed by the test scores

The downside of O.V. is, they've had to take in a big portion of the increased student enrollment in the last couple of years - more than their fair share, I've heard. So there is some tension about having enough playground supervision to keep everyone safe; my kids have survived it, but my older kid did find it a little too noisy (may just be her temperament, though). O.V. parent

One of the things I love about Marin is that it IS a neighborhood school; the ease of walking to and from school is an advantage not to be scorned! We do feel that there is a very strong school community, something that is important to me too as another public school alumna.

I can't speak to your specific questions about the other Albany grade schools because we did get Marin. (As you may or may not realize, students who live in Albany are guaranteed a spot in an Albany school, but not necessarily the particular one to which they live closest.) It is more or less true that the Marin neighorhood is a tad more affluent than the Cornell neighborhood, and somewhat less diverse than the Ocean View neighborhood. (Though Albany in general is much less diverse than Oakland, of course.) Parent involvement and spending may be a little higher at Marin. But all of the Albany schools are good. If we'd been assigned to Cornell or Ocean View instead, our biggest disappointment would have been the farther distance to travel from our home to get there. Marin School Mom

What's good about Albany--for the most part, kids can attend the school in their neighborhood. It's a friendly town and families are very nice. Since 98% of the elementary kids show up each day fit and ready to learn, there's very little classroom disruption. Parents participate--a lot at Marin, less at Cornell, and much less at Oceanview. However, as compared to our previous elementary school, even Marin has fewer parents participating. Lastly, the district is finally giving the staggered reading program a hard look. They added 20 minutes to grades 1-3 school day this year, and they're re-examining the utility of the staggered reading program. Marin School parent

The teachers do seem to have a traditional as opposed to an innovative approach to education. But, I believe they also have more flexibility in curricular design than those of other school districts.

After care is abundant and inexpensive. Yes, it is basically babysitting and not enrichment as one poster commented. But, again, this is not private school. My kid is cared for and relatively happy while I work. I'm satisfied.

If you are considering public school in the immediate Bay Area, Albany is an excellent choice. -Cornell parent

Parents participate--a lot at Marin, less at Cornell, and much less at Oceanview.

First, there is no way that the poster from Marin can judge parent participation at schools such as Cornell and OV that her child does not attend. I believe that according to the newsletter rules you are only supposed to post from personal experience of a school? I have two children at Ocean View and there is a very large amount of parent participation. When my son was in kindergarten there was a parent volunteer in his classroom almost every day, sometimes more than one. Parents help supervise the playground before school and at lunch. Any time a teacher in one of my children's classes has requested volunteer help there are always plenty of willing participants.

Also left out of the description of the early bird/late bird program is that the purpose is to provide individual reading instruction. During this time there are only 10 children in the classroom, and at least at OV there is often a parent volunteer and sometimes a teacher's aide present, giving an opportunity for an adult to work with the child one on one. I was a parent volunteer during this program when my child was in first grade so I can personally testify how helpful it is for children to get that type of individual attention.

My experience at OV has been a very supportive community of parents that highly value education and dedicated teachers who are highly committed to providing an exceptional eduation for every child. -Ocean View Parent

How do the 3 elementary schools compare?

We are considering which of the 3 Albany elementary schools to send our kids to. The archives are a few years old, and it appears that people who wrote had good things to say about the school their child attended. But other than choosing the school that is the closest to your home, what other considerations come into play? How are the teachers, parent participation, class size, resources, quality of the school buildings and grounds, diversity, etc., for each school? Would there be a reason NOT to choose the closest school? Thanks!

Any current info/opinions on the three Albany public elementary schools? How do they compare to eachother? The District seems to have a good reputation, though I'm gathering a lot of that from older posts. My daughter will be entering first grade in the fall, and as we just moved, we don't know which school she will be enrolled in yet, but I'd like to get a general feel for the schools. thanks, singeli

If your child isn't enrolling this fall, watch for elementary school Open Houses in May, and visit each of the schools to see what the kids and teachers are doing. You can take your child and it's really fun. I'd also encourage you to visit the schools when class is in session (call each school for visiting days and hours - used to be that you could only visit silently on Tuesday mornings). Also watch for school events (often posted on this list), where you can get a feel for each of the schools.

At this point, you may not have a lot of choice for the coming year. The district aims to balance the classes (so you don't have 15 boys and 5 girls or vice versa), and aims to keep siblings in the same school if they wish; preliminary assignments have probably been made by now. You can get morning daycare if your child is assigned to afternoon kindergarten; and I notice that Cornell may be offering morning Spanish classes to kindergartners in afternoon kindergarten, for the first time this year.

Do join the albanyschools e-list on www.yahoogroups.com, to get a flavor of the district and the issues that are under consideration (including a brand new bond measure this fall, to provide ongoing support for small classes and counseling).

Finally, when your child is assigned to a school, plan to volunteer in the classroom and to attend PTA. That's easiest to do in elementary school (teens are less thrilled to see you in class in middle school and high school) -- and it gives you the best view of what's going on in class, and the best access to teachers and the principal, if you have any ideas to improve your child's learning experience.

My opinion is that you and your child will do well at any of Albany's three elementaries. Merry

The parent community at all three elementary schools is involved and active. The schools are wonderfully diverse. The budget problems are signigicant, but the parents and teachers are all dedicated to providing a great educational experience for the kids. It's wonderful to go to a community public school -- a lot of kids and parents walk to school, for example.

We are very happy with the Albany schools thus far and feel fortunate to be a part of this district. Anon

Standard & Poors compared the 350 school districts in California. Albany was one of about thirty districts that out-performed its peers. [Around 15% of Albany students are economically disadvantaged. Albany students, on average, scored higher than students in other California school districts with similar demographics.]

State test scores for the 2004/05 school year will be released on August 15. Test scores do not tell the whole story; but, they do provide some useful information. Debbie

General Comments about Albany Schools

Re: Kindergarten Options in Albany

Our older two kids also attend Albany schools, but went to kindergarten through second grades at now-defunct Vista, so I can't speak to Marin or Cornell for kindergarten. The big advantage to Ocean View for kindergarten, in my view, (in addition to the excellent teachers), is for parents needing onsite child care. It is also available at Marin, but I understand that there the kindergarteners are mixed in with 1st and 2nd graders, while at Cedars it's only kindergarteners.

After having had kids at the elementary, middle and high school levels, I can say the following about Albany schools:

* My children have had (particularly in elementary school) dedicated, enthusiastic and excellent teachers. There appear to be a few more duds in the higher grades, but overall I think the teaching staff is amazing.

* My kids have benefited tremendously from the diversity in Albany schools, due both to the UC Village and Albany's permanent residents' demographics. As one little example, in 2d grade, my child's class had a ''trip around the world'' program in which once a week a child (and her parent) presented information about a different country. They did France, China, Taiwan, Korea, Brazil, Chile, Japan, Russia, Indonesia, and many more I can't remember -- all by kids in the class whose families came from or had lived those places!

* While ethnically diverse, Albany has neither really rich nor many poor people. As a result, I think, there's less conflict generally among kids, and certainly way less pressure on my kids to buy or have certain material things than there would in other schools in the Bay Area.

* There is lots of parent participation and involvement with education, and lots of smart kids, so that my kids have friends and classmates who are also very engaged in their schoolwork.

* Maybe I notice this because I went to a couple years of high school in Walnut Creek, but one of the things I like is that at the middle and high schools, it isn't considered cool to wear lots of makeup!

* Kids generally seem to get along well. The fact that it's a small community and high school means that by high school everybody knows each other. As someone who moved a lot growing up, that seems to me to be a good thing, especially when you've got big-city advantages nearby too.

On the other hand:

* There's not as much for bright kids (resources, expectations, AP classes in high school) as there would be at private school, or even in a bigger district.

* School hours are too short in elementary school. They say the split schedule for first through third grade (or is it second) (half go 8:30-1:30, half 9:40-2:40) is so that the kids get more individual attention for learning to read, but I think an extra hour of school per day would help at least as much. And it's really a pain for child care arrangements if your kid is a ''late bird.''

* Inadequate resources devoted to music, math, science and foreign language, at least through middle school; inadequate resources generally.

All in all, whether Albany schools work for you depends on what you want for your kids. My kids are getting a decent, if not great, education. They're also in a place that feels pretty safe and pretty supportive, have friends from different backgrounds and ethnicities, and are not growing up either with a sense of entitlement or with the feeling that they're poorer than everybody else. It works for us.

They're happy, so I'm their . . . Happy Mom

Re: Albany

Before I respond to the questions, I would like to point at that the
open registration period for Albany schools is happening right now,
and will continue through the end of the month, approximately (I don't
know the exact dates). As I understand it, if your child is new to the
district, you need to register during this period if you want to have
some say on which school your child will attend.

> 1) Albany parents:  do you still believe that it is just as ok 
> academically and socially to send Albany kids to the Albany public 
> schools vs private schools?

Yes, we certainly believe it is, and we have a lot of company. The other 
day, we found out a neighbor would be sending her son to private school, 
and that was quite a jolt! I don't think we know any other Albany parents 
who send their children to private school; it's certainly very unusual. 

> 2) Which kindergarten/elementary school of the four in Albany (MacGregor, 
> Cornell, Marin, and Hillside) do you think is best,  (a) for boys; (b) 
> for girls; 

I don't think any of the schools is necessarily better for one sex or 
another. I can tell you what I see as advantages and disadvantages of 
each. MacGregor and Vista (not Hillside) schools are small (under 200 
students), and have grades K-2 only. Some parents prefer to have their 
children in a small school for those early grades, and also like the idea 
of a smaller age range. Vista is in a pretty setting on Albany Hill, and 
is therefore very popular with Hill residents, as well as UC village 
residents. One of the big advantages of MacGregor is that it is the only 
school at which onsite afterschool childcare is provided, at least in the 
younger grades. However, like all Albany schools it is very crowded, and 
as I'm a librarian I couldn't overlook the fact that the school library 
is in the hall outside the office!

Marin and Cornell schools are K-5, and have over 500 students
each. Both are fine schools, and there's not much to choose between
them. Cornell has received a grant for a bunch of computers, which may
be of interest to some parents. Marin's administration may be more
responsive than Cornell's, from recent comments on the digest and from
our own experience: we have a girl in kindergarten at Marin, and have
found administration and office staff to be great so far.

> 3) What do you think are the best after school options for 
> kindergarteners and then grade schoolers in Albany? 

As far as I know, there are four main afterschool options. One is the
Albany Children's Center (I think it's called that), which actually
has 2 centers.  One of these, as I mentioned earlier, is at
MacGregor. Right now it's housed in a trailer, and from what I've
heard can get *crowded* on rainy days.  But the obvious advantage is
that kids don't have to get on a van every day. The main Albany
Children's Center site is in UC Village. They do not provide van
service, but as I understand it they have parent volunteers show up at
the schools every day to walk with the kids back to the village. (I
hope someone who is in this program will add to this; I'm very hazy on
the details.)  At any rate, this option is obviously desirable to many
Village parents.

There are two more afterschool programs in Albany. One is the Kids Club, 
run by the YMCA, and located in the old Library building on Solano, 
between Talbot and Cornell. Since the Kids Club is just around the corner 
from Cornell School, it is a very attractive option for parents whose 
kids go to that school; but they also have a van that picks up kids at 
other Albany schools. The other afterschool program in Albany is the 
Friendship Club, located in Memorial Park. They also have vans that pick 
up and drop off at all the schools. I don't know too much more about 
these programs; I hope someone else will fill in.

Finally, there's the Jewish Community Center, located at Rose and Oxford 
in Berkeley. We felt this was clearly the best choice for our daughter, 
especially this year, when she's in kindergarten: kindergarten classes in 
Albany are only a little over 3 hours long, which would make the rest of 
the day very long if she wasn't in a good program. JCC's vans pick up at 
all Albany schools. The site is very large, with many rooms and even an 
auditorium available, which was a blessing in this El Ni~no year. The 
"counselors" are a good mixed of experienced, wiser heads and young, 
energetic types. They have art and cooking classes as part of the regular 
program, and also "specialty" (gynastics, drama, tap dancing, martial 
arts, and one or two others) classes for an additional, but reasonable, 
fee. Our daughter's social skills have progressed greatly since we 
started her at JCC last summer, and we would recommend it highly, 
especially for kindergartners.