Berkeley Parents Network: Julia Morgan School for Girls

Berkeley Parents Network

Julia Morgan School for Girls

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > K-12 Schools > Julia Morgan School for Girls

Website for Julia Morgan School for Girls: www.juliamorganschool.org

April 2008

Now that admissions season is over...I have a question. If your family chose Julia Morgan....why J.M. i.e. what do you consider its strengths and weaknesses? How ''academic'' is it? How are the arts? How diverse is the school, economically, racially, and in learning styles? Most importantly, I have heard they are closing, are they? I appreciate your thoughtful comments. Daughter in 4th grade
Thinking ahead

We will be starting Julia Morgan next year, and would like to correct the 'closure' rumor. Not sure where you got that idea, but as a new family, my impression is that JMSC will be going strong for years to come. We were drawn to it for it's commitment to the an engaging, academically challenging curriculum integrated with the arts, and the social-emotional needs of 11-14 year old girls. The have a strong commitment to diversity, and strive to bring families to the school to ensure diversity along a number of parameters. All the families I know that have had girls there reinforce what I experienced on the tour and information nights - there's just nothing quite like it. I'll leave it to someone more experienced to comment on it's weaknesses. I don't think it's for every girl, or every family, but it knocked our daughter's (and our) socks off. Happy New JMSC Family

JMSG is a wonderful school. Next year will be its tenth year and it is stronger than ever. We chose it last year for our daughter and as an education professional, i was quite picky and observant throughout the process. The academics are rigorous, engaging, contextual (meaningful too), and incredibly integrated. This last part is especially poignant in that it takes enormous effort and skill to integrate subjects and the fact that the projects and themes are so intertwined says a good deal about the faculty and staff of Julia Morgan. The social scene is also dynamic and positive with great attention on the social developmental realities of middle school girls. From the advising groups' curriculum to the staff attention to relationships, i am confident my daughter is growing and learning how to be her best self and to value integrity in others. The student and staff population is quite diverse - about half of the students are girls of color, and the groupings in class and lunch reflect the mix authentically. One last note, being all girls has other advantages beyond the inclass issues of not competing with perhaps more assertive male learners (as was our situation in elementary school)- just last week I watched a group of girls playing red rover at lunch, and others sitting under a tree talking and others on the volleyball court. They get to be themselves and play and hold onto youth for just a short while longer at JMSG. JV

I'm taking the liberty to respond to the part of your question about the future of the Julia Morgan School for Girls. As an administrator at the school, I can assure you that we are going strong. The School is in excellent standing, financial and otherwise. We will continue to educate and inspire girls here on the Mills College campus for many years to come.

Someone may be confusing us with a wonderful school, the East Bay School for Girls (grades K-5), which sadly closed its doors last year. M B

First, the school is NOT closing, and is doing quite well. Our older girl chose JMSG after we toured the school, and we were so happy with her 3-year experience there that our younger one goes there now too. JMSG is quite diverse (about 1/2 are girls of color, and about 1/3 receive financial aid). If you tour the school, you will clearly notice a very supportive, creative, energetic, and 'happy' feeling there (yes, with lots of girl power). No school can be everything to everybody, of course; JMSG is academic, but not in an oppressive way, the teaching methods geared towards individual learning styles, and with lots of group projects. The arts are quite good too, though IMO music can be a touch more outstanding. PE has come a long way as well, and seems to be on track for more improvement. happy JMSG dad

April 2007

Re: Private Middle School for Nature Loving 6th Grader???
My daughter is at the Julia Morgan School for Girls in Oakland, which is a wonderful school. The academics are strong and creative. As far as your question about "social responsibility," there is a strong "service learning program" where every teacher tries to integrate some form of community service with the course material for his or her class (so a Spanish class, for instance, might do a puppet show for a Spanish-speaking kindergarten class somewhere; the financial literacy class goes to the Alameda county food bank etc.). The school is very diverse, both socio-economically and racially. There isn't a particular focus on "nature and animals" but there is a general environmental ethos, including some curriculum that deals with energy conservation, and any time you put 180 middle school girls in one place, you will get a culture that tends to love animals. :-) It sounds like you would be a really good fit culturally at JMSG. We have a number of families from Orinda so there are usually carpool possibilities. I'm not sure there are any openings left for the coming fall, but it couldn't hurt to call and ask -- sometimes things open up at the last minute. The admissions director is Marcia Bedford at 510-632-6000. Ilana

October 2005

Hello; Julia Morgan School for Girls is a relatively new school, and not too many recent reviews (positive or negative) have been posted.

How is the school now, 5-6 years after its initial opening? Are the teachers and staff stable? How are the academics? The after school program (if there is one)? What about finanical aid; it seems fairly pricey, even for a private school. Are there a fair number of families accepted on financial aid, and how much aid is available?

Any way of assessing whether the girls graduating are in fact more confident than girls from co-ed schools? Or, other notable differences?

What do parents like and dislike about the school? Girls?

Thanks for your input. Looking at JMSG

The best way to answer your questions is to attend an information night. You will probably get a sense right away as to whether it feels like a good fit for your daughter. You can find specific dates for these on the website at www.juliamorganschool.org. I would say that JMSG is not perfect for everyone, but it was perfect for our girl, who graduated two years ago. They have an uncanny ability to hone in on each students' particular strengths and "areas of growth" and to really focus on helping each girl reach her potential, both academically and socially. Not much gets by them. They made an enormous difference in our daughter's life and she is thriving in her high school. Their teachers are incredibly energetic, dedicated role models. I've heard that there has been a little turnover but this came after five years, which is a not uncommon period of time for teachers to stay at one job. Satisfied Parent

My daughter is aspiring to become one of the next attendees of the JMSG and recently we had the chance to attend a 'INformation Night' in which we were able to meet the director, teachers and current students.

I must say that I was a bit impressed at the level of academics and activities for the girls. The girls who attend JMSG not only learn advanced academics skills that will place well above the traditional public schools, they teach the girls practical aspects of life such as balancing a check book.

The girls have the opportunity to take yoga, dance, finance among other things. It appears that the staff and director really believe in the school and the girls, and their ability to grow as individuals.

As far as the tuition goes, my daughter currently attends Ecole Bilingue (The French-American School in Berkeley) and I would say that the tuition is around the same. I think the private/independent school tuitions throughout the east bay are fairly similar. The director did mention that approx. 60-70% of students are on financial aid.

Overall I think the JMSG is nice learning environment for girls who have a high apptitude for advancing academically and artistically. Since the acceptance is quite competitive ( it's a 6 month process and usually 1/2 the candidates are not accepted), I would suggest you and your daughter visit a Information Night and see how the environment feels. It is situated on the Mills College Campus and is quite lovely. Had I had a choice of which private school I attended when I was younger, this would most likely be it. I hope this helps. Good luck! KMM

Our daughter is in 8th grade at JMSG now and our expereince there has been wonderful. The teachers are very inspiring and motivated. They really support the individuality, creativity and self confidence of the girls. I believe about a third of the families receive some kind of financial aid. Academics are very good all around. Only slight weakness for us was P.E. (esp. 6th grade, though that may be improving)--not a big deal for us, since our daughter does sports outside of school. I too suggest attending a parents' info night to meet some of the faculty and students and feel the energy for yourself. extremely pleased

Nov 2003

I recently attended a tour of the Julia Morgan School. It seemed too good to be true. I'd love some updated feedback on this school as a whole, with a comment on how/if the insidious problem of girl bullying and cliques is dealt with.
Interested

I, too, am interested in feedback about the Julia Morgan school--both positive and negative. I am particularly interested in knowing the quality of math and science throughout all 3 grades and how ''welcoming'' the commuinity of girls are, esp. to someone who would be starting in 7th grade. And, I would like to know if there has been an issue around cliqueiness, as well. Thanks so much for your input.
Believe in Single-Sex Education

For the parent who was wondering if JMSG is too good to be true: it's not perfect in every single way, but it's very, very, very good. I can't think of a better place for our daughter. She entered with a fear and dislike of math, and is about to graduate saying that math is her favorite subject. The teachers are absolutely passionate about teaching, about teaching girls, about encouraging girls to be leaders, to relate to the world with a high degree of engagement and enthusiasm. They're rigorous academically, but the girls feel like they're having fun so they don't notice how rigorous it is.

As far as ''girl bullying,'' and cliques, well, these things do exist to some degree, as they do in all middle schools. But I think they are minimal, and they are addressed head-on. The advisory groups are very good, invaluable actually, in this regard. The good thing is that EVERY girl has friends. She might not be friends with everyone, or like eveyrone, and everyone might not like her. But there are no isolated, lonely, ostracized girls. Everyone has a group of friends that they feel comfortable with, and the school does a great job in dealing with and managing the periods of unpleasantness that are part of being an adolescent girl.

Overall, it is an amazing place, and it makes me emotional to think about it. The advisors, the amazing teachers, are so dedicated to the girls and wanting them to be their best selves. They are REALLY available to both the girls and the parents, and I've leaned on my daughter's advisors for advice often. The school has a mission and a vision and I am infinitely grateful that we've had the experience of being part of their community.

And with the move to the gorgeous building at Mills College, I think they'll be even more able to fulfill their visions. I truly think you couldn't go wrong sending your daughter there, and can't imagine a girl who wouldn't benefit enormously from a JMSG education.

Happy Parent

To the person who wondered if Julia Morgan is too good to be true: I am happy to say it's as good as you have heard and maybe even better. My daughter is in 7th grade and she started last year. We are all very happy with the school and grateful that such a place exists. The teachers are incredibly enthusiastic, the administrators are superb: smart, principled, responsive, and straightforward. They give the girls the space and encouragement to be individuals, while modeling great values and consistently teaching the girls to be responsible citizens. They are fiscally prudent (conservative, really - they only print on both sides of a piece of paper), and they dedicate 33% of their budget to financial aid to promote class composition that reflects their community. Really, I can't praise it highly enough. (And no, they're not paying me!)

Lisa

I am responding to posts about the Julia Morgan School for Girls. My daughter is currently an 8th grader at JMSG. I have been very, very happy with the school. It's not perfect, but I believe it can only get better, especially with the move next year to the Mills College campus. The administration and the teaching staff are dedicated to the education of girls, with a clear vision and mission. They are involved, know the students well, and are accessible and generally open to student and parental input. I believe there has been all-around excellence in the areas of language arts, math, science, technology. The school also offers financial literacy for girls (wonderful), brings in great speakers who are generally women leaders in their fields,integrates technology into much of the coursework, emphasizes cooperative learning,has a groovy art teacher, etc etc. The grading system and parent-student-teacher conferences are empowering. There are some weaknesses in music and physical education, but I've seen good efforts to improve in these areas.

One of the very unique aspects of JMSG is the advising groups. Each girl is assigned to a group of ten of her peers, and they stay together throughout the three years, with a new teacher/adviser assigned each year. There is a loose curriculum covering areas like friendship, stress, sex, substances, making responsible choices, etc. It has become my daughter's ''support group,'' a place where she can explore subjects she might not choose to bring up at home. It's also a forum where issues such as girl ''cliques'' are discussed. Yes, there are cliques at JMSG, but the staff are aware and equipped to address the issues before they become problems. In addition, I think that not having the distraction of boys helps the girls focus and concentrate on their own studies and growth.

I highly recommend JMSG. Now that my daughter is headed to high school, I consider the three years at JMSG as a gift to her. She has definitely gotten good academic preparation, and leaves with a better sense of who she is and what she can become.

A satisfied JMSG parent

JMSG is focused on teaching math and science to girls. Studies show that girls at this stage of their life often begin to loose interest in these subjects and JMSG is working to change that trend. The faculty reseach and apply what works best to encourage girls of this age to be interested in these subjects. For instance there is a financial literacy component to the curriculum where the girls learn how to manage money, invest in stocks, and understand supply and demand, ect.! Wow, real world applications of math & science and the girls get excited about it. The primary objective of the Julia Morgan School is to prepare our dughters to be the confident, capable, creative, and compassionate women and leaders of tomorrow.

You also were concerned about clique-i-ness -- somehow without the influence of boys, the girls are less likely to compete with one another at that emotional level-- which is often the basis of cliques. The school places a strong emphasis on group dynamics and does not tolerate exclusion of other girls.

I highly recommend JMSG and wish something like it had been available when I was in middle school. If you would like more info. feel free to contact me.

JMSG Mom, jmd

Jan 2003

My daughter is in the 6th grade at Julia Morgan School for Girls (JMSG) having come from a Berkeley public school (Malcolm X). I have been very impressed with the school so far. She was reluctant to attend JMSG due to its being all- girls but has recently admitted how much she enjoys it. In particular, I am impressed with their curriculum, teachers, and their success at creating a positive and inclusive social environment for the students. The negatives are that its site on the 2nd floor of a building at Holy Names College means that there isn't a convenient gathering place that might result in a natural sense of community for families. However, the parents association exists and is active and the families at the school seem like a diverse and likeable bunch so I highly recommend it and am happy to answer questions. April

June 2001

Re: changing middle schools
I am a parent of a student who will be entering 8th grade at the Julia Morgan School for Girls. Applications for incoming 6th and 7th grades far exceeded spaces for all the girls who applied, and the 8th grade class already has full enrollment for fall. Have you looked into the East bay School of the Arts and Sciences Middle School or the Community School (both in Berkeley)? Transitioning into a new school for the final year of middle school may be difficult for a young person who is already struggling, but it sounds like you are on the right track in trying to find a place for your daughter which will be more attuned to her needs. Good Luck! Laurie

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