BUSD Southeast Zone
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Nov 2012
I have a question about South Zone's schools.. With LeConte becoming Spanish
Immersion only, does that mean it is open to all zones? And with Malcolm X being a
split school with Central Zone, how does this effect our south zone families'
choices as far as competition for 1st pick schools? Do we have less kids in this
zone? How are we able to ''share'' 2 of our 4 schools with the rest of Berkeley and
still receive priority? Or am I misreading this situation?
Trying To Figure It All Out
You're right, LeConte will be open to students from all of Berkeley; it will be
uniting the TWI programs that are currently at Rosa Parks and Craigmont. The
mechanism for admitting new students hasn't been determined yet, but in the past
TWI admission was determined by a separate lottery from English-only programs,
so parents could list two sets of preferences on their application.
And yes, there are fewer kids in the Southeast district. Presumably, when
LeConte has more students from the North and Central districts, Malcolm X will
have a greater proportion of kids from the Southeast.
LeConte dad
LeConte TWI will be open to all families Cb regardless of zone Cb wanting TWI
for their kindergarteners (though it will probably still be difficult to get
into unless you're a Spanish speaking family). We live in the South Zone and
really wanted Malcolm X, but didn't get it. It seems all the families in my
neighborhood (basically those within walking distance of Malcolm X) didn't get
it. If you're in the Central Zone, you have a much better chance. However,
families I know in the Elmwood neighborhood did get assigned Malcolm X (even
though they requested Emerson). I understand and support BUSD's efforts to
increase diversity, but I feel the system is a bit outdated as the
neighborhoods' populations have changed and I'm not sure -- in the Malcolm X
case at least -- that it's really helping. The system also unfortunately
discourages walking as many of the cross town trips involve driving.
South zone parent
November 2007
looking for input from present/former parents of children who
went to any of the 4 public schools in the southeast zone:
Emerson, Leconte, Malcom X and John Muir. we are looking for an
accademically strong school that also combines nurtruring and
progressive education. unfortunately, we won't be in town for
the berkeley public school open house so we are making a
judgment based only on 45 minutes spent in a classroom at each
school, which seems so random. we would appreciate any further
input from parents. thank you.
undecided
First, you can schedule tours at each of the schools from now
until January. At LeConte, tours are about 1/2 hour and parents
are invited to return to observe at their leisure. Our child is
at LeConte, and despite some reservations at first, I am very
pleased with the school. Sheryl Wilson has been principal for
about three years and is really super. She knows each kid, she
truly loves each kid, and the love and caring permeate the
school. LeConte has the Farm and Garden and cooking classes,
where kids grow foods that are then used in cooking classes that
are then served for lunch. As integrated of a curriculum as
you'd want. Staff is dedicated and professional. I think the
brightest to the neediest children can thrive there.
Happy LeConte Parent
Most of us who read BPN and bother to respond probably love and are very
loyal to
our own schools, so you'll probably hear great things about all the
schools. That is
the good news, because it means it's hard to go wrong, even if you don't
end up
getting your first choice. My son is in third grade at Malcolm X. I
basically moved
to South Berkeley so he could go to this school, and I have not been
disappointed.
The community of families at Malcolm X is very diverse and lovely. My son
has had
one great teacher after another. All of the teachers strive to be
thoughtful about
how to teach in rounded, innovative ways while still meeting state
guidelines and
sadly, due to No Child Left Behind, focusing on test preparation to some
degree.
There are great ''arts'' classes - fine art, drama (sometimes), dance,
music,
gardening, cooking. There's a strong PTA and wonderful PTA afterschool
classes.
Will you be able to go to the open houses at the individual schools? Four
long years
ago, I found these to be very helpful!
Nanu
My son is currently attending Kindergarten at John Muir School.
He is having a wonderful year, learning to read and write while
also having time to play and making lots of new friends. He
loves his teacher and is excited about his new school. He has
also been enjoying the many extracurricular activities at John
Muir, including biweekly assemblies with student performances
(dancing and reciting poetry) and special guests (such as the
Red Panda Acrobats and a performance about the school's
namesake -- John Muir); dancing with a fabulous dance teacher
who has had all the kids performing at the assemblies; gardening
with Farmer Jasper, PE with Coach Victoria, and cooking with
Chef Carrie; visits and a performance from the Berkeley Symphony
Orchestra; and a field trip to Tilden Park.
As his mom, I am enjoying the John Muir community, which has
lovely families and an active PTA. We have enjoyed the
community activities, including a barbecue at the beginning of
the school year and MayFaire in the spring.
We are thrilled with our choice of John Muir and would
definitely recommend the school.
Happy John Muir Parent
March 2007
We are curious as to how the school lottery treated people in
the South Zone (Malcolm X, Muir, Le Conte and Emerson). Did
people get their first choice, 2nd or 3rd?
Thank You,
Anon
We got into our first choice school in the South Zone (Malcolm
X) and we know of two other families that did as well plus two
families that got John Muir and it was their first choice. As
far as we can tell, lots of happy families in the South Zone.
Happy to be a Malcolm X Family
Our child was assigned to LeConte, which was not our first,
second, OR third choice. In our daughter's preschool in Berkeley,
two other children had the same experience of requesting the
other three South Zone schools and getting put into LeConte.
Another child in her preschool class (who lives across the street
from LeConte) got accepted into his first-choice school, John Muir.
dismayed lottery loser
April 2006
Hello,
We are moving to Berkeley (into the BUSD Southeast Zone, in the
Elmwood neighborhood 94705) in May. Our daughter will be in
Kindergarten in the fall, but we did not buy our house in time
to enter the first round of the BUSD lottery. Does anyone know
how hard it is to get into one's first choice of school if they
do not enter the BUSD lottery until the second round? We are
hoping for John Muir. How are different demographic factors
considered in the lottery (e.g., ethnicity? location of home?)
Also, does anyone have any recent information about John Muir,
Emerson, or Malcom X? Finally, I have heard through the
grapevine that the magnet schools (like Malcom X) have a
separate lottery system such that if you put Malcom X down as
one of your preferences, you are likely to get it even if it is
your third choice. Is there any truth to this?
Thanks so much in advance for your help,
New Mom to Berkeley
We also live in the Elmwood neighborhood ( 94705 zipcode). Our son is
in 4th
grade at Malcolm X elementary and our daughter will start Kindergarten
in the fall. I
really can't explain how the BUSD lottery system works. I had not
heard that there
was a separate lottery system for magnet schools, but that doesn't mean
there isn't.
Perhaps someone else can provide more insight into how the school
assignment is
done.
We have been very happy with Malcolm X and feel that it is a wonderful
school. I
don't have any personal experience with John Muir or Emerson, but I
know people
whose children attend those schools and they are also very happy with
them. John
Muir is one of the smallest schools in the district, so it may be
harder to get into
since there are just fewer available spots. When my son was entering
Kindergarten
other parents told me that they were able to get their first choice of
school by going
on a waiting list, but that often they didn't know until the very last
minute what
school their child would actually be attending. That was too
nerve-wracking for me,
so we went with the school we were assigned to and it has all been for
the best.
My two biggest concerns about Malcolm X (that it was large and was the
farthest
school in the zone from our house) have turned out to be complete
non-issues. My
son was a very shy preschooler, but he has really grown in confidence
at MX, and
you would never think of him as shy now. He loves school - which I
attribute to the
wonderful teachers he has had at MX. I have been very impressed with
the caliber
of the teaching staff and how well they all work together. The
principal is very
experienced and fosters a wonderful teaching and learning environment
at the
school.
Good luck with the school assignment process. I hope you are happy
with your
daughters school, whichever one it turns out to be.
Janie
I can't address all your questions, but I can answer two, based
on my experiences as a incoming kindergarden parent last year.
1. You ask ''How are different demographic factors considered in
the lottery (e.g., ethnicity? location of home?)'' I talked to
the district about this last year because I wanted to know how
it would affect our chances. The answer was it isn't *your*
specific ethnicity, level of education, etc that matter, but
those of the census tract in which you live. In other words, if
most of the people in your census tract are considered to be
white, educated, etc. that's how your application will be
weighted for purposes of mixing, regardless of the specifics of
your family.
2. Last year we chose Malcolm X, but were applying from out of
zone. I was told by the district at the kindergarden fair that,
while they couldn't make any promises, since Malcolm X is a big
school if they have to add another kindergarden to accomodate
everyone, that would be a likely school to add it since they
already have the facilities set up. In other words, the chances
of getting in were good, and we did get in. There are three
kindergardens at Malcolm X this year, as I believe there have
been in recent years. I do not believe that the so
called ''magnet'' schools like Malcolm X are actually treated
differently in the lottery as you mention you've heard, but I
could be wrong.
Parting notes: We're *delighted* with Malcolm X. But I believe
there are great things going on at all the Berkeley schools so
you'll probably end up happy no matter which school you're at.
Also, I've heard that which school is the most popular in each
zone really changes around, and it does seem that Malcolm X is
at the top of a lot of people's lists these days, so maybe
you'll have a better chance of getting into John Muir if that's
your top pick than you would have a few years ago?? Just a hunch.
- Charis
March 2006
We just received our school assignment for Kindergarten for our
son and we did not get our first choice. I'd like to know from
those out there who have been through this whole Berkeley school
assignment thing what our next steps should be to give my son
the best chance of getting into the school we prefer. We've
already sent an email like the letter suggested and my husband
plans to go to the Admissions office to make a written request.
Any success stories out there from others who got re-assigned
after the initial assignments were mailed? Do we even have a
shot? We are interested in John Muir for what it's worth...
thanks.
Our daugher was placed on waiting list for John Muir Kindergarten three years
ago.
We did a very active letter writing campaign and were admitted in the middle of
summer. My advice is to write weekly and keep it up. If they don't admit your
child
before the first day, just show up at JM anyway. Chances are some kid who was
asigned to JM won't show up (because they could we waiting to get into the very
school you were assigned to but don't want to go to). John Muir, as well as all
the
schools in our zone are great but I think it is worth getting into the school of
your
choice. The enrollment process sucks, but in the end it seems possible to get
the
school one wants. I also suggest you contact the principal Greg John and tell
him
of your efforts and then cc him the letters you are sending downtown. Good
luck,
see you in the fall!
LR
Oct 2005
We are looking to move to the Elmwood section of Berkeley and have
heard mixed
reviews of the public schools (we have two toddlers). Do you have any
opinions about
the public elementary schools (Malcolm X, Leconte, Emerson, and John
Muir) and the
Middle School (Willard)? Also, could someone recommend some good
preschools in
the area? We are very interested in Spanish or Chinese immersion
programs, but above
all else, we would like our children to be in an environment where kids
are learning and
loving the process of learning. Also, if anyone has an opinion about
pros/cons of
raising your children in the Elmwood section of Berkeley we would very
much
appreciate it.
Thanks!!--Tara
We have 2 young kids and have lived in the Elmwood for the last
15 years. The area is great. We patronize the shopping district
almost daily and it's easy to walk to most amenities. We do a
fair amount of walking and the Elmwood is great for the stroller
crowd. In general, the Elmwood is a wonderful area to raise your
kids. There is easy access to transportation, the library, parks
and UC. As you are probably already aware, the housing prices
are obnoxious (even by Bay Area standards) so most of the
community is upper middle class.
As for the schools, you are asking a pretty big question that
will probably give you many different responses. I can only
relate our experience. Our oldest child is currently in
Kindergarten. We extensively toured 2 of the 4 public
elementaries (we're within easy walking distance of John Muir and
Emerson) in our sector and liked what we saw and heard. We
didn't formally tour Malcolm-X but had heard great things about
it so thought that would be a good option as well. Le Conte was
the only school that we heard negative things about and we didn't
really care for the facility so figured we had a good chance of
getting one of the other three. Unfortunately, the lottery gave
us Le Conte and we were bummed. We could have gotten on wait
lists and toughed it out but didn't really want to be at the
mercy of Berkeley Unified. Our child is now enrolled in private
school and we couldn't be happier with the decision. She's
receiving a phenomenal education but we also pay dearly for that
privledge. It's kind of a shame but the 'neighborhood' school
doesn't really seem to exist in Berkeley and Elmwood is no
exception. As for preschools, there is Heart's Leap, Monteverde,
St. John's, and Benvenue Children's house that immediately come
to mind. All have great reputations but we have no personal
experiences with them. There are also a lot of great preschools
close by in the Rockridge area. Best of luck on your many options
and decisions. And, if you move to the Elmwood, Welcome to the
neighborhood !
- Elmwood family
my son went to john muir for 3 years (2001-2004) and we were very
happy with the school. it is one of berkeley's smallest elementary
schools and there was a real sense of community. the principle who was
there (and great), h! owever, relocated at the end of the last school
year, and the school secretary, who was also great, left at the end of
the year as well. so, i am not sure what the new environment is like
but i do think you can stop into the office to see about visiting and
asking questions. willard for a middle school, in my opinion is a bit
sketchy. we chose a private school for our son because willard just
seemed too big and too rough. while i think that it's probably not
terrible, i have heard of incidences occuring that seemed out of line
for kids to deal with. our neighbors allowed their daughter to attend
there, despite their protests, since she wanted to be with her friends
from elementary school. she ended up asking to change schools after
one year. again, a school visit and lots of questions might help your
decision making. as for the elmwood area. we love it. there are a lot
of school play yards and parks that we utilize over the weekend, and
walking to college ave with the kids is great. there are a lot of
families throughout and it seems to be a very safe, friendly area.
-elmwood mom
I have a child at LeConte Elementary in the South Berkeley zone
and I feel the need to respond with some positive comments about
LeConte. We are a wonderful small school. We have a new
principal who knows every child by name and greets them all
every morning. She spends every lunch with them as well. Our
afterschool program is really blossoming with an enthusiastic
young director with a degree in multicultural education from
Mills College. Our Farm and Garden program is loved by everyone -
the kids come home talking about whole grains and green zebra
tomatos! Look beyond the scores and you will see that there is a
vibrant and diverse community at LeConte. Come and see for
yourself before you go with old news about how things used to
be - or check out the website: www.leconteonline.org .
LeConte Parent
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