I haven't heard a lot about Cleveland School (near Lake Merritt), but I recently found out their API score was over 900. Can anyone shed some light on this school. I am starting to look for a school for next year. Thanks.

The API scores there are no accident and as I'm learning, it's all the more remarkable given that most teachers don't teach to the test and we have a group of ELL's (English Language Learners) and an excellent mixed Special Ed/regular class. The parents and teachers seem quite devoted and committed to learning in a diverse, inclusive environment. And there's a warm sense of community that we've found quite inviting.

One last thing: our son is a small boy, also enrolled in soccer and a play-based after school program on site and we were somewhat concerned how he'd interact with larger and older kids. As it turns out, while the kids are energetic they're also considerate as well. He's in a safe place.

If you have other questions feel free to drop a line. My wife is a child psychologist and could give additional perspective if desired (she's a big booster for the school). I believe there are tours coming up at the end of this month. If you have trouble finding info online you can also contact the PTA or myself to get details. Take care and good luck on your school search! -Ed

School Tours Mon., Nov. 26, 1st tour 9am, 2nd tour 10am Tues., Nov. 27, 9am & 10am Wed., Nov. 28, 9am & 10am
Please note that since we will be touring the school while classes are in session, the morning tours are adults only. All tours have translation services available, upon request. No need to register for tours. Simply show up at the times listed above.

Open House Wed., Nov. 28, 6pm, an evening Q&A session Childcare for ages 3+ and food provided.

Picnic Sun., Dec. 2,11am-1pm, Meet Cleveland parents and students at a picnic on campus by the lower play structure. School information will be provided as well as parent Q&A. Children welcome. Carrie

I invite you to attend our Open House and School Tours at the end of this month. Tours will be Nov. 26-28 at 9am and 10am. We will have an evening tour, with childcare provided, on the 28th at 6pm. Our Open House Picnic will be Dec. 2 at 11am-1pm. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions, or need any more information. Thank you. Liz S, Cleveland PTA Co-President

Academically, we have been really happy with Cleveland too. The kids get a strong foundation from very experienced teachers, and have music and art in all grades. The Ecoliteracy program is amazing and the kids really enjoy learning about science and nature in a hands-on way.

So, I would say, come check it out! We will be having tours, a picnic, and open houses later in November. Here is a link to the Cleveland Facebook page for details (you don't have to be on Facebook to view this, by the way) -http://tinyurl.com/bgjlybu Chris

Hi BPN'ers, We've been assigned Cleveland Elementary School for our son who will be in Kindergarten. People seem to love Cleveland, and everyone says it's a good school, but I can't get a good read on the school, and I don't have a good sense of what people like about the school. Unlike a lot of other high performing schools in the district, Cleveland's website doesn't seem to have a lot of information. In particular, I am trying to find out more information about:

After school program offerings: (Are there cool classes?/Can we go just a few times a week?) How much art, music, and movement (PE or otherwise), and outdoor time do kids get? Is art incorporated into the work? How much hands-on work is done? Is it mostly worksheets? Are there any options for foreign language instruction? (Before, during school, or after school?) How is discipline handled? I've got a sensitive/emotionally young, and socially awkward kid who does best in environments that are compassionate, yet structured, but not so much that he'll be harshly penalized every time he cries.

I'd also love to hear your experiences if you're a Cleveland parent of a black male child-- positive or otherwise. Thanks in advance! Does Your Child Love Cleveland?

My son was in Ms. Luong's kindergarden class and he loved her. Really. She is a patient, caring teacher, and she's a Cleveland parent. The kindergardeners have art classes weekly that are taught by artist/teachers from MOCHA. All students take PE with the wonderful Mr. Tumor. He has been an educator and administrator in Oakland and Berkeley school districts for many years. The music program includes all grades. The older students all have instruments provided by the district.

I encourage you to attend the orientation for new families on Tuesday, May 22, at 5:30. I will be there. Please introduce yourself to me. Welcome to Cleveland! Liz

As for your son and his sensitivity to new situations, I highly recommend meeting and touching base with your assigned teacher. They know how to handle these situations.

I am on the PTA board, and love this school. It truly is a little gem, great families, and wonderful teachers.

We are having a kinder orientation on May 22... There will be a bunch of parents there to answer your questions.. Also I can connect you with a mom whom is black and has 4 boys that have/ are going through Cleveland... She's lovely. Please email me with any questions or concerns you might have! Alexandra

Hello. We are looking to move to Oakland, and found a home that we really like that would put us at Cleveland. Everything that I have read about the school is very positive. My only concern is the demographics. The school is only 5% Caucasian, and mostly Asian. I also saw that many of the parents and kids speak Cantonese. I am concerned that my child (who is white) may have difficulty fitting in and making friends at school. I guess we are just not used to being the minority. How inclusive is the school? Do the children integrate fairly well? While I love the idea of exposing my children to different cultures, I just don't want my son to feel left out. I would love to hear from current families at the school and learn about your experiences. Thank you! Rachel

What I have observed since my daughter started at Cleveland, is that the kids who aren't culturally/linguistically asian tend to hang out together. My daughter's best friend is half Korean/half white, her other best friend in K was half black/half hispanic. Which is not to say that there is a hard and fast diving line with Chinese speakers (at home, I mean. Almost all the kids in my daughters class speak English well) on one side and everybody else on the other, but maybe a blurry porous dividing line. My daughter definitely has friends on both sides of the line, but her best friends have tended to come from side A.

It isn't an ideal situation, but I definitely don't think that you should let it keep you from Cleveland. Know where you are coming from

Looking for recent information/reviews on Cleveland Elementary. Considering attending this fall for kindergarten. Pros/cons? Kindergarten class size? I am also concerned about average age of kindergarten students as my child's birthday is late in the year. Any information is much appreciated! Thanks. K ready mom

We are a diverse school, with excellent, long term and experienced teachers and staff that are truly committed to our school and our students. We have great API scores (886!) that has gone up every year for the last several years ( check us out on Greatschools.net: http://www.greatschools.org/california/oakland/196-Cleveland-Elementary-School/ ).

Our school offers music for K-3, orchestra for 4-5, in- school art provided by MOCHA, PE program, a fabulous Ecoliteracy program (taught in our amazing outdoor classroom!) as well as many other enrichments during and afterschool (chinese caligraphy, various afterschool classes, etc). We will begin Mandarin and Spanish language classes next year in our afterschool program. We also have two fantastic afterschool care options: OASES which takes kids based on academic and economic need via lottery as well as BearCub City, a private, low cost care program. Both offer homework help, tutorial, arts/crafts/enrichments and support our school in many ways.

Our parent community has become much more active over the last few years and we do many great things for the students and staff to raise money for programs (first ever walk-a- thon happening soon!), as well as raise awareness for themselves and their local and global community (discussion on Haiti by Haitian natives).

Of course with the budget cuts that will effect each and every school, we are anticipating some shortfall, but we are certain they will not touch the programs listed above as we are making plans now to make sure they remain in place. We are committed to keeping Cleveland as one of the best OUSD has to offer.

I can talk for days about my enthusiasm for Cleveland, and OUSD in general. Feel free to email me for more specifics or just to chat. jamie

Re: transferring to a school closer to work
I don't have any advice on the mid-year transfer, but my daughter is in kindergarten at Cleveland and we are really happy with it. There are 3 aftercare options: Oasis, which is geared toward low income kids, has limited enrollment and not much flexibility in terms of early pick-ups. Bear Cubs is new on campus this year, and I don't know much about it, other that a couple of my daughter's friends go and seem happy. My daughter goes to Lakeshore Children's Center (their preschool is reviewed on BPN but they also have aftercare serving Cleveland, Glenview, Crocker Highlands and Lakeview with van pickup after school.) Carrie

Hi Everyone, The most recent info on Cleveland Elementary I could find was from 2007. Do any current parents have some feedback on Cleveland? We are thinking of moving into the neighborhood and would like some more info on the school from parents who send their kids there. Are you happy with it? What would you say is the best thing about it? What would you say is the biggest challenge? Do you feel your kid is getting a stimulating, enriching education even though Open Court is mandated? Do you feel your child is safe there, and is getting enough individual attention? Any feedback is welcome! Thanks, Isabel

Hello all, we're a new family to the Cleveland community, and very happy I might add! My children are in the 2nd and 4th grade. They've both transitioned very well, and are thriving in their new learning enviroment. They have two wonderful teachers, who are caring, knowledgable, and aware of the whole child. I'd like to mention that all the teachers, and staff work very hard at Cleveland. Thanks for all that you do! Ms. Settles, who is our principal is awesome! She is hard at work making sure all Cleveland students receive an equitable education. Her vision to help make our children become aware, will produce critical thinkers, and children that have a love for learning. We have some wonderful families in our community. We all know that It Takes A Village To Raise A Child, so let's keep working together in an effort to continue to be a welcoming community, and raise Critical Thinkers. I know that their will be some trying times in our educational journey here at Cleveland, but I belive to resolve any issuses, the key is communication and respect, which will help us move forward to our ultimate goal: The Children!!! Cleveland Elementary is a hidden treasure in the OUSD! Terry

What has been your experience with Cleveland Elementary? Any families currently going there or going to start this fall? What about after school programming? Thanks for any and all information. julie

In January a new after care program was ushered in. It got funding through Prop 49 and is provided free for families with financial need and focuses on academics-- working with teachers to help kids get up to standards. It also has some really fun stuff like dance and drumming. The staff is great and in many ways my son prefers the new program OASES Quest. (check out their website www.oases.org). They have been very succesful at Lincoln School. But the hours are not as flexible due to the language of the grant money (hours are 3-6--no early pick ups, which cuts into family time) and I am not sure my son will get in next year (YMCA kids were grandfathered in this year) if acceptance is based on financial and academic need. They have spots for 90 students. The principal tells me we have 200 students who need afterschool care. Currently we are in discussions with the district, OASES and PTA to see if we can come up with solutions for next year that will meet the needs of our diverse population--ESL learners, financial, academic, working families. I am hopeful we can have on campus care for all.

Alternatively many families use Lakeshore Children's Center which picks up at the school, or FM Smith Recreation program. The PTA also sponsors after school art on Thursdays with care until 6. Feel free to contact me if you have more questions. Sarah

Although we're a couple of years away from a decision, I'm curious to know of anyone's experiences, academically and otherwise, with the Cleveland Elementary School in Oakland. I live nearby, and hope that the school is a reasonably good option for our son. Michael

Here's why we love Cleveland:
- Diversity! Cleveland is one of the most diverse schools we've seen in Oakland. With each year that we've been there, we've seen that diversity increase.
- Teachers! We have extremely dedicated teachers at Cleveland. Many of our teachers have been teaching at the school for years.
- Community! Our PTA has been active for the last 3 years and has accomplished a lot. Each fall we have a Fall Festival with games, activities and fun for the students in conjunction with Halloween. We also have Family Reading Nights, Family Health Nights, and a Spaghetti Feed.
- Academics! Our school consistently scores very well on the state standardized tests.
- PTA! Our PTA continues to offer fun activities for the students to participate in. We especially like the afterschool science program during the spring (through Tree Frog Treks) and the school drama program (through Kids Take the Stage).

I highly recommend Cleveland! The only drawback to our school is that there is currently no childcare/afterschool care program. The PTA is working with the school to get something established by the Fall of this year. Heather

Why Cleveland?
* Consistent high scores on standardized tests
* Diverse population
* Teacher's who are dedicated to their students
* Active PTA

Cleveland Elementary, 745 Cleveland Street is a wonderful school. We have room for your family at our school and we'd love to have you join our community.

For more information about Cleveland Elementary School contact the school at 879-1080. -Cleveland Elementary Parent

I wanted to let any parents looking for a good public school in Oakland know about Cleveland Elementary school. Cleveland recieves extremeley high test scores (ranks 9 out of 10 on greatschools.net) and has very dedicated staff. The PTA has recently become much stronger than in recent years and hope to continue to have a lot of parent involvement. Cleveland is a wonderful school and has plenty of spaces for kids looking to transfer in. If you have any questions about this school, feel free to call or email me c/o the PTA: cleveland_pta AT yahoo DOT com
-Heather

My son may be going to Kindergarten at Cleveland Elementary in Oakland in the fall. I'm wondering what other parents do for childcare at Cleveland since they do not offer childcare onsite. Also, in a school that is 70% Asian, how well can I expect my 1/2 white 1/2 Latino son to fit in? I recently visited the school in Feburary and only saw one picture of Martin Luther King Jr. even though we were in the middle of African American History month. Is this typical at this school? Have they done a good job of introducing aspects of all different cultures within the classrooms? Anything positive or negative you can share about this school would be helpful to us. Thanks