Cornerstone Family School
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Cornerstone Family School
Dec 2007
Some additional information about Cornerstone Family School, in
case anyone is considering it. I was initally attracted to the
school because of the small class sizes and the parent
involvement. When I researched Cornerstone, I was told about
the required 2 hours of classroom time each week and committee
involvement but was also assured that it would work out, even
though both my husband and I work.
We've been there 4 months now and it has been quite difficult.
I am lucky enough to have a very flexible employer who allows
me to take 2 hours off (unpaid!) every Wed. morning. However,
almost all the families seem to have one parent who stays at
home, so almost all the committees meet during school hours.
In addition, there are a TON of Saturday and evening events.
No one has outwardly scolded us for not participating in most
of the social events, but I am definitely getting a negative
vibe. I don't want to attend school events EVERY weekend, I
just want to reconnect with my husband and son, clean the
house, grocery shop, get some exercise, get my drycleaning, see
my parents, maybe even my friends!...well, if you work full
time, you know how little time that leaves.
I really think Cornerstone is a great program that offers a lot
for families who are interested in that sort of environment. I
just wish that someone would have painted a more realistic
picture for us.
Overbooked Mom
Nov 2006
Re: Eagle Peak Montessori or Cornerstone Family School
We're interested in hearing about others' experiences with
these charter schools in the Mt. Diablo District. Thanks in
advance.
anon
Cornerstone is the best kept secret in Mt. Diablo School
District! I have to smile as I read the debates on choosing
public vs. private school thinking I've got the best of both
worlds: small school feeling, parent involvement, small class
size, FOR FREE! Being an educator myself, I am very picky
about, well, everything that has to do with my kids and their
education. Cornerstone does a great job of balancing the
academic requirements (we are a part of the dist. and therefore
must adhere to the same standards/testing) and making learning
fun and hands on. My son is in first grade so K-1 is really my
only experience so far but they have a great art teacher who
comes in twice/month, field trips once a month and a wonderful
music teacher they see every week. What makes Cornerstone
unique is the mandatory parent involvement. Having Mom's and
Dad's in the classroom allows the teacher to work with small
groups and one on one. This allows the teacher to give extra
support to those who need it and extra challenge to others. My
son LOVES school and the best part for him is having the same
friends he had last year, same classroom, same teacher. It
would be very stressful for him if he didn't know who his
teacher would be next year and which of his friends he might
have with him. We're trying to get our test scores seperated
from YVE for publicity purposes but I can tell you from being
there, there is a significant difference between the two. I had
heard two negative comments about Cornerstone before we
started, neither of which were true. So I suggest you come and
check it out to see if it's right for your child. You can call
our president, Ilana at 671-7758. School almost feels like an
extension of home because we feel such a part of it. If you
want to be involved in your childs education, I highly
recommend Cornerstone. By the way, I also looked at Eagle Peak
and I know fabulous families that go there and hear great
things. It's just a matter of your childs' learning style. My
son gets overstimulated by noise so he wouldn't have done well
with the large classes but it's an option for my willful,
independently minded daughter. Good Luck and feel free to
email me for more info!
Torie
As a former Cornerstone parent, i feel compelled to counter a
posting that was made in the November 13 newsletter by another
parent. We had a disastrous experience at Cornerstone and we we
were only there for one year. My son had been in private school
from Jr. K to 3rd grade and started Cornerstone in 4th grade. We
were attracted to the prospect of a small school with lots of
parent involvement, small class sizes, and a more child centered
way of teaching, where kids learn in a variety of ways and
manners. Yes, there was a lot of parent involvement and the
parents and Cornerstone board members were great, but the rest
was not so. Small class sizes ends in 3rd grade, they need to
fill 30 or so slots for their 4th/5th combinded class, so even
when all 3rd graders move up, there are openings that could not
be filled. My understanding was that the school needed to fill
all 30+ spots to continue operating with state funding (this how
it was explained to me but I could be wrong)so they took a lot
of ''overflow'' kids from Ygnacio Valley. To clarify, Cornerstone
is a 3 classroom school that operates within the YVE school.
They share playground, cafetaria, and all other resources, so in
a sense, Cornerstone is a ''school within a school.'' The parents
of the YVE kids did not seem to work in the classroom, as was
required by Cornerstone, and generally were not involved. If
there was an issue with one of the Cornerstone children, parents
talked about it which was great. When there was an issue with
one of the YVE children, I did not feel comfortable calling
these parents, they did not seem very approachable because they
did not care as much about Cornerstone and they were often
hostile. Since there were more than 30 kids in the class, it was
chaos. My son's father worked in the class and he told me that
the majority of the teacher's time was spend with disciplining
the kids and keeping them in line. Also, the teacher often
favored the girls and made it very clear to the boys that they
were much more trouble. I always pride myself on teaching my son
that girls can be and can do anything boys can do too, so it was
hurtful for me to see a teacher that clearly thought boys were a
nuisance and not as quiet, smart, etc. as the girls.
Furthermore,it was very hard for my son to concentrate due to
the size and chaos in the class and he fell behind, especially
in math and writing. Furthermore, YVE is a large school with a
large playground, with very little supervision, and my son was
constantly beaten and bullied. He once came home with a bruises
on his neck and lip from being physically harrased. I can go on,
but I wrote a reply to ''Public vs Private School Regardless of
Cost'' also in the November 13 letter so you can read this too if
you want. Again, this was our personal experience, which might
be different from others.
happy in private school
March 2004
I've heard about a few alternative schooling opportunities for
K-5 in Mt. Diablo Unified School District, and wanted to get
input from others. Has anyone heard of Cornerstone? I would
love any advice because I'm not happy with the neighborhood
school my son will have to go to in Kindergarten. Thanks!
My daughter goes to Cornerstone Family School and she is in the
1st grade. I love the program because it is a parent co-op and
I have never seen any other program like this for public
school. There are 3 classrooms, each one is a grade combo:
K/1, 2/3, 4/5. The connection to the other families in the
program is magnificent and my daughter is doing so well there.
I highly reccommend it! It is available to anyone who resides
in Mt. Diablo Unified School District and it is located in
Ygnacio Valley Elementary. You can call (925)682-9336 for more
information, or email me directly. Good luck!
ilana
Re: Pleasant Hill Elementary Schools
I don't know anything about those schools in particular, but I
can highly recommend an alternative school in Mt. Diablo
Unified called Cornerstone Family School. It is located at
Ygnacio Valley Elementary in Concord and open to anyone
residing in MDUSD. Briefly, Cornerstone is a parent
participation program where parents are required to co-op once
a week in their child's classroom for 2 hours. This
participation allows for a lot of small group work and the
teachers get a lot of help that they don't ordinarily get in
other schools. We also have one field trip a month, monthly
park play days, monthly parent meetings and required
participation on committees such as fundraising, field trips or
family functions. There are 3 classrooms in the program, one
for K/1 (10 students each grade), one for 2/3 (10 students each
grade) and one for 4/5 (15 students each grade). It is such a
wonderful school and my daughter is so happy there! My son
will start in Kindergarten next year. Please email me with any
more questions or you can call the school directly to arrange a
visit. Good Luck! Ilana
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