I have several questions about Thousand Oaks:
- My child is already reading, and is also advanced in math. How well does the school serve children who are on the 'accelerated' end of the academic spectrum?
- What is the after-school program like? I know other schools have enrichment classes in addition to basic after-school childcare/homework help. What does TO have?
- How are the arts - - visual, music and performing arts -- integrated into the curriculum and/or offered as enrichment?
- Discipline -- are the classes, especially the upper grades, well managed and orderly?
- How does 'full inclusion' impact the distribution of resources in the school, and are students with disabilities served at the expense of enrichment activities or advanced academics for other students?
- How is the academic level and student focus in the upper grades when the class size jumps? How are the 3/4/5 teachers?
- How does the Spanish bilingual program interact with the English classes? How well do these two streams of students integrate with each other when they merge in the upper grades? Is there a cohesive sense of community among the students across the language barrier and separation of classes?
- What is the culture of the PTA? How much are parents involved in the school and in what capacities?
- The yard strikes me as sprawling and huge. Is it well managed and safe, especially for the little kindergarteners? Thanks for your input! Surprised to find ourselves at Thousand Oaks

Re: Looking at kindergartens
My daughter is in 2nd grade at Thousand Oaks so our kindergarten experience is stil pretty fresh! It was an absolutely wonderful year. She had Teacher Libby who is lovely, kind and so in tune with the kids. Kindergarten totally exceeded our expectations in every way. The other Thousand Oaks K teachers are also great. We did several group activities so we got a sense of their styles as well. Also, lots of parents end up wanting their younger kids to have the same teacher as the older ones--which is a terrific testimonial to how great the teachers are at Thousand Oaks. The sense community at Thousand Oaks is very strong and positive, too.
thrilled TO parent

Re: Kids of GLBT: Where do they go to School?
Sounds like you may be considering only private schools. If you are considering Berkeley public schools, then I recommend Thousand Oaks School on Colusa. My partner and I have been very happy with the gay-friendly atmosphere there, and our 3rd grade son has several friends in his current class from gay families, as has been the case since Kindergarten. I can count at least five of the teachers who are gay and out. Moreover, the teachers who have taught our kid have been excellent, in addition to being gay friendly. Please feel free to contact me if you want any more info about the school.

Re: Rosa Parks School
Look into Thousand Oaks school as well. There are bilingual classes (no immersion program), but not all kids who speak Spanish at home are placed in the bilingual classes; some are in English only. Not sure what it depends on but I've assumed it's parent choice. You would be eligible for bus transportation from near Rosa Parks, to TO. There are some really great teachers at TO, and a fairly active parent community. Check it out! Rosa Parks neighborhood; attending TO

After agonizing last year over sending our daughter to a public or private school, I just wanted to say we are really happy at Thousand Oaks (TO)Public School in Berkeley. We got into the private school of our choice and turned them down to go to TO right in the midst of all that budget crisis stuff. I worried we were making a mistake, but after almost 3 months we are really pleased.

Three things we like about TO. 1) the academics are outstanding. For example, my daughter is putting words together into sentences! and adding! and it is fun! 2) the social situation is varied and respectful. She is hanging out with kids from all walks of life AND the kids are learning how to treat each other with respect. 3) Economically, we are not stressed and can spend more time with our child versus working to pay for private school. Public schools are free AND of high quality. I'd recommend them!! Kellie

My daughter is a third-grader at Thousand Oaks, and we have been very satisfied with the school. There are lots of special programs at T.O., including the Julia Morgan/Lincoln Center performing arts program, which is wonderful. Right now the school is in its second year of a three year Magnet grant, and a lot of attention is being paid to arts and technology. The teachers are all recieving training right now in new conflict resolution skills, new literacy programs, and the afore-mentioned arts program. T.O. has after-school enrichment classes such as Spanish, chess, yoga, art, jewelry-making, karate, Indian dance, Mexican dance, drama, world percussion, etc. Once a month, the whole school gets together for community- building via singing and sign language and dance. Additionally, within the school day, each class gets drama, music, gardening and cooking/nutrition, and P.E., each with a specialist once a week. There is a science speacialist, but I'm not sure how much time each class gets with him. There are several different programs to help kids who are having problems learning to read. About the only thing I have a problem with is that so far, there are no official, school-wide programs to encourage or challenge academically gifted kids. That remains up to the individual teachers. Nina

I am thinking of sending my son to Kindergarten at our neighborhood school, Thousand Oaks Elementary School, next year. I would be interested in hearing from parents whose children are now at the school. I had heard that the previous principal was quite accessible. I would appreciate parents' impressions of the current principal and the teaching staff, particularly the Kindergarten teachers. A Berkeley Mom