Berkeley Parents Network: Montera Middle School (Oakland, CA)

Berkeley Parents Network

Montera Middle School (Oakland, CA)

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > K-12 Schools > Oakland Public Schools > Montera Middle School (Oakland, CA)

March 2009

My son is a sixth grader attending Montera Middle School. I want to know if anyone has any information about the school. Are there problems with drugs, ''sex clubs'', or a lot of fighting? I have spent time on the campus, have asked my son in as vague a manner as possible and have even tried calling the police station to get informtaion. I have also called the school and left messages for my sons teachers and principal - none to have been returned. Does anyone have any feed back on Montera Middle school? Concerned parent

I, too, have a 6th-grader at Montera and have found it to be a responsive, safe and genuinely caring environment. It has many strengths, not the least of which is a strong and engaged principal who expects the best out of kids and, more often than not, gets it. Like any school any where q public, private, urban, suburban q Montera has to deal with real-life issues. Fights? They happen infrequently and they're stopped immediately. Behavioral expectations are clearly outlined and problems are dealt with swiftly. Drugs? I don't know about it, but I'd be naive to suggest that out of almost 900 kids it didn't exist. Look, you obviously have a lot of concerns. Please, please contact the front office to make sure the principal is in, and either schedule an appointment or just go and speak to him in person. I am absolutely confident that he will be responsive and, better still, be able to put your mind at ease. Nancy

My daughter is also a sixth grader at Montera and has been having a great year there (along with all of her friends who came with her from Chabot Elementary). In our experience, we have had no problem communicating with the principal who always seems very present and available. Each teacher has his/her own system for communicating but they have always gotten back to me about any concerns or questions I had (granted they were always about my daughter and not general questions as you were posing). I am not on campus very often during the day, but the few times I have been there the principal is out and about and talking with the students. I am comforted by the fact that my daughter is very good at reporting any incidents that are a concern and the issues she had brought up seem small or are things that any middle school would be confronting. She says that she has only seen (or perhaps heard of) two or three fights this year and they were quickly broken up (one time by the principal himself!). The kids love him and I think that his approachable and friendly personality gives him the ability to work well with not only the students, but the parents and teachers too. I would encourage you to stop by during the day if you are worried and perhaps you will catch Mr. Mesfun and have the opportunity to talk to him then. Kristin

March 2008

Hello, I heard there is a new principal in Montera and the discipline is under control. But how about the quality of teaching? Are the students challenged academically? I hear there is a lot that is done to tutor the under performing children. But what about those who excel? Are they treated with advanced material? Thank you very much. worried 5th grade parent

Yes, the atmosphere around Montera is definitely better this year, thanks to the new principal. The teachers are in particular quite happy. Mr. Mesfun has taken a tough line on discipline, he is quite open about asking parents to do their part, and he seems to have totally won over the kids. My daughters are both very happy there. I will also say that Montera has some really outstanding teachers -- and has always had them. Now they are just happier and feel more supported by the administration. Happy Montera parent

My daughter's interests were in math/science and music so we chose Montera for her, after many visits (went to every 6th grade classroom, school events etc.) She is a highly-gifted child - we only evaluated her once (wasn't our idea) when she was in 3rd grade and she was found to be then in language at 8th-grade level, math at 5th-grade level and overall development at 16 years. She had high (some perfect 600 scores) standardized tests scores etc.

Montera has many great teachers, and my daughter got lucky to get a full set of excellent teachers in 6th grade. Her math & science teacher has Ivy League education, is a PhD and has 30 years experience of teaching his beloved subjects. The English & history teacher is young, in her 2nd year, full of enthusiasm, energy, knowledge and has excellent rapport with students. Music - my daughter was admitted to the string orchestra by audition (violin) and plays in the after-school jazz band (clarinet). Even the PE teacher is absolutely great.

I think we hit a jackpot here. My daughter is learning a lot, loves her school and is surrounded by students like her, together with the full diversity of students that Montera offers.

After school, there are academic and non-academic programs. For example, my daughter is in Mathletes, an advanced math training programs, where they are taught and then compete with other local schools at Mathletes competitions, American Mathematics Competition, Math Counts competition. The only school Montera lost in Mathletes to is Black Pine Circle, a small private school, but not to other private or public schools in the area.

There are after-school science programs organized by Berkeley Lab scientists for GATE students, a 7-week poetry program we bring to more than half classrooms, Cal Shakes workshops we're starting in a few classrooms this year, Junior Achievement will come to teach economics and global business over 7 weeks. Lots of exciting things are happening at the GATE committee - which is no surprise with 390 GATE-identified students out of the total of 867 students in this school.

Come join Montera and work with us on the GATE committee!

Jan 2008

I wanted to update the review of Montera Middle School. As a new parent of a sixth grader this year, I am thrilled with the positive energy, hard work and dedication of the new principal, Mr. Mesfun. My concerns were safety and academic challenge for my shy, gifted girl. The campus has 3 active security guards, and a principal who can be found roaming the halls interacting with students and reminding them of the dress code and of their importance. He validates the children's academic and social behavior with student of the week awards. He has set up new enrichment Mandarin classes and is hiring a librarian for the computerized updated library and added tutoring for those scoring below grade level. Needless to say, my daughter's social life can thrive because she feels safe, and her academics are soaring because the classes are under control. I highly recommend this as a safe and academically challenging middle school option in Oakland.

I felt a strong need to submit this information for new parents looking at the public middle school options in Oakland. A relieved middle school parent

I concur with the positive review of Montera Middle School. Since the 2004 BPN review, there has not only been a 100% turnover in students, but also in the administration! The new principal has energized teachers, staff, and parents to make signficiant improvements, especially with a new, comprehensive discipline policy. There is a good mix of veteran and young teachers. Parents are now encouraged to be involved on campus, helping during lunch hour, in the classrooms and library, and with choosing after school activities. My motivated 8th grader has been happy, particularly because he took algebra in 7th grade and now geometry in 8th grade. Most private schools don't offer advanced math classes in these grades. We've also been happy with the overall quality of teachers in other subjects. The principal is very dedicated to continuing to improve academics, and this is now his focus. Looking at high schools, we've been told by public and private high school administrators that Montera grads. are highly sought after because they are so well prepared for high school, both academically and socially. Typically, Montera grads. not only go on to Skyline, but are also accepted into the highly acclaimed academies at Oakland Tech., to Head Royce, CPS, Athenian, Bishop O'Dowd, etc. If you are a 4th or 5th grade Oakland parent who is considering private school for middle school, please take a look at Montera. We're very glad that we saved our money for college! 8th grade montera parent

January 2004

Hi: We are lucky enough to have our two older children attend Joaquin Miller Elementary, but we are wondering about middle school. We would prefer to send our oldest (now in 4th grade) to Montera Middle School, and would love to get input from parents of children who have attended Montera during the last 4 years (since the new principal started). I am especially interested in information about the GATE program and how this works. Thanks so much mom of 3

My daughter graduated from Montera 2 years ago. She came there from Joaquin Miller. She had some excellent teachers at Montera, and some really bad ones. She is now at a private high school. In every class she had at Montera there were several kids out of control. That meant that even the best teachers spent quite a bit of time doing discipline in every class period. My daughter is very bright, and I think she is probably a year behind where she might have been, because the classes were slowed by the discipline problems, and a lot were just generally ''dumbed down''. The bathrooms were horrendous. My daughter was slapped, her backpack kicked, her stuff stolen, and in her last year she unwittingly ''stepped on a gang's turf'' at lunch. The gang hassled her after that, pushing her into metal poles, bending her fingers back, etc. She was afraid to say anything because of fear of them. She now has post-traumatic stress signs that she is getting over slowly. On the plus side, she had friends of all races, and (she is white) protectors that were African American. She arrived at high school well-prepared in science and math, but inadequately prepared in everything else, especially writing. She wrote a lot in middle school, but deep thinking was not required, even though her grades were excellent. I would have done what I needed to do to get her into a private middle school if I had known what I know now. anonymous

I was saddened by the feedback I read about Montera Middle School in your recent newsletter. My daughter attends Montera and is very happy there. Her classes are challenging, and in general she is at the same level as, or even ahead of her friends in private school in some subjects. She's got tons of friends at Montera. My strong advice to parents considering any middle school is to talk with as many experienced parents as possible before making a decision; take a calm and common sense approach. Don't take any one person's word for it, don't make assumptions and visit the school yourself. Given all of the hysteria out there, it's difficult at times not to fall prey to cynicism. I really feel this article portrayed a very atypical Montera experience. There are some great schools out there that don't cost an arm and a leg. Ellen

January 2003

I have 3 kids who have attended Montera, two with special needs and one gifted. I have generally been happy with the school. I feel that the administration cares about kids and the teachers are qualified. Gifted kids are not served particularly well. There is no specialized instruction or tailering of materials to their level in a given class that I'm aware of. One thing Montera does well is to test kids coming in for Math skills. If a kid is advanced they can skip a grade or two in math. My son is taking geometry in 8th grade and learning a lot. Kids are placed in the appropriate level for band and language classes too. Getting information about individual assignments gets harder at this age with multiple teachers and kids not necessarily telling you. I have found teachers responsive but they don't tell me if my kid is not working to his potential. mary in oakland

Hi all; I figured I ought to write. I've been a a science teacher at Montera for 12 years, and have taught 7th, 8th, (and 9th, when Montera was a junior high). Currently I teach 8th gr. physical science. I think that Montera is the best public secondary school in Oakland. The teachers are credentialled, experienced, and talented.Montera truly has a good core curriculum in all subject areas. We have the largest pool of GATE students in the OPS. And, most crucially, we are the most truly diverse, (using many parameters) community of teachers and learners with which I've had the privilege to work. Come by! Try a PFSC meeting, speak to some kids and some teachers. We're there for you! Sincerely, Andrea

May 2000

My daughter entered Montera Jr. High in Oakland as a 6th grader this year. I understand that the need for space, caused by class size reduction, pushed 6th grade into the Jr. High schools. This is an unfortunate situation, since many children are not mature enough for the larger campuses and chaotic environment of the Jr. Highs.

This first year at Montera has been a great disappointment for us. She attends combined a combined math/science, core subject classes, conducted by an incompetent teacher who cannot control the classroom. When my daughter told me how bad the classes are I hoped that she was exaggerating the situation. At her invitation I attended a day of classes with her. Her first period band class,( in which she plays drums) was quieter than the math/science classes. Debris flew, kids were fighting and the decibel rate was extreme. Many students could not control themselves and another bunch delighted in disrupting any forward progress. This behavior was evident in other classes, but other teachers handled discipline problems more effectively.

I contacted the administration: They promised to do something. They offered this teacher every possible form of support, but nothing has changed. In fact the students claim that the conditions are worse now.

My daughter has always participated in the district's science fair with great enthusiasm - until this year. She did complete her project, with no support from the teacher whatsoever. Needless to say, she is losing interest in school at an alarming rate.

My daughter wrote a letter to the school asking why conditions were so poor. Why, she asked, can't we have classes for kids who WANT to learn? Why won't the schools and parents deal with these problems more directly? Why are the kids who do behave and participate penalized by the behavior of the troublemakers? The Vice Principal at our school knows and understands these issues, but needs more support from the district to confront and resolve the problems.

The new superintendent, Dennis Chacones, wants to eliminate elective courses at middle schools in order to give the teachers their much-deserved raises. Far too many of these undisciplined kids genuinely need the electives; these are often kids who are not motivated by academics. Creative work help kids of all abilities, they NEED these electives. This is where the kids feel an investment in their lives as students; choices such as these are very important to them. Mr. Chacones seems to feel that the district needs to concentrate on improving the reading scores of jr. and sr high school students who are many years below grade level in reading performance. Does it make sense to remove elective courses such as music, creative writing, studio art or foreign language in order to offer remedial reading to a limited portion of the school population?

It is regrettable that there are so many kids whose parents didn't take the time to read with them, who never came for teacher conferences, and who expected the schools to educate their children in subjects that should have been taught at home. These kids have routinely been "socially promoted" for so long they have no idea what school is for. These kids seem to think that school is a great place to "mess around" and delight in being a great source of frustration to as many teachers, administrators and classmates as possible. The adults in their lives seem not to care, and the kids don't either. But why do the other kids have to pay such a high price for the absence of self-control of these troubled people. The notion of mixing classes of capable and disciplined kids with the behavioral problems is ineffective and grossly unfair to those who want to learn.

How do other parents feel about this? What would parents think of establishing programs within the same schools for the kids who can control themselves, come to school prepared to study, and display a desire to participate and learn? Why can't the schools provide some resources for kids who need to be challenged, encouraged, nurtured, and honored? The district is sending a message that there is no special value for their good performances, behavior, or dreams and desires to excel. It seems the district doesn't think it's "cool" to be smart and well behaved either! I'm not suggesting that we build fancy new facilities for this. Let's just consider giving the kids with good citizenship an equal opportunity.

Without question teachers need to be paid fairly. After experiencing a bit of the chaos they endure daily I can't understand why they return. Many teachers I have known expressed a love of teaching and seeing children learn and grow. They also freely noted the frustration they must live with because they know they are neglecting the best and brightest in many cases. This is a situation any teacher would find deplorable.

As parents, what are our alternatives? We can't all afford private school. We already are in the school deemed "the best." Is home schooling the only other possible solution? What are other parents of dedicated kids thinking? I can't be alone in feeling this way!

What a shame this is. I attended public school in California 30 years ago, and I believe that I received a comprehensive and, in some areas, even exemplary education. This is a different world now, I know. I just find it unacceptable that everything has deteriorated so completely for the schools in a state with so many distinct advantages and resources. Are there other parents who would like to work to improve this situation and make it better for ALL the students? I surely hope so!

-Sharon

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