I am looking for first-hand experiences of parents who have sent their kids to Piedmont Avenue Elementary School. There are a few posts that date back to 2009 and 2010, but I'd love to hear from some current parents about the school, it's culture, performance, and general likes and dislikes about it.

My husband and I are putting an offer on a home in the Lakeshore area and it is zoned for Piedmont Avenue Elementary. I know some of the public schools in Oakland are not great, but I am a firm believer in trying to support your public school and would like to send our daughter (now 1 yr old) and any future children we may have to our local school if possible.

Would be great to hear from families who live in the area zoned for this elementary and are actually sending their kids there. Thanks! Lakeshore Parent

They interact with all different kinds of kids every day -- each year, there is a child who arrives mid-year and joins their class speaking little or no English. This year, a boy from Ethiopia joined their class in the spring, and they got to know him by playing soccer with him on the playground.

The teachers overall are very strong, and we're delighted with Mrs. Ahmad, our principal, now in her 4th year at the school.

Truly, our only regret is that we haven't been able to persuade many of our neighbors to try the school -- it would have been an even better experience with more local families who could easily attend meetings and with more time to spare for volunteering in different capacities. Regardless, it's been a great experience for us and our kids.

Thanks for asking about PAES! Philippa & Jeff

I have looked at some reviews, but have not seen any new reviews on Lakeview. Does anyone have a kid going or know of someone? Or if you live in this area and had trouble getting into a school of yr choice and had to go to Lakeview in the end? This brings me to my second question, the lottery system in Oakland. Our family can not afford private school,and we can not sell our home because of the market. I have read reviews on each persons experience, it's both half and half. Does anyone have some pointers for us? Do we try out charter schools too? Go meet with principals? What does it take? Or is it just luck? Any advice would help!

I attended the kindergarten roundup (orientation) 2 weeks ago, and was thrilled to see that 40 families showed up on a Sunday afternoon in July to meet each other! Please feel free to e-mail me directly if you have other questions about PAES or the OUSD lottery. Very best wishes! Philippa

My kids are in their 3rd year at Piedmont Avenue Elementary, and we have been very happy there. There are now many neighborhood families sending their kids to the school, and we'd like even more local families to join us.

We have a super-star principal, Mrs. Ahmad, who is in her second year with us, and a wonderful group of teachers who are working very well under her leadership.

There is tremendous diversity at the school, which is welcoming to kids of all ethnicities from all across Oakland -- Caucasian, Asian, African-American and mixed race.

Do you live in the Piedmont Avenue area? If you want your child to go to school with his/her neighborhood friends, then try Piedmont Avenue and encourage your neighbors to do the same.

Your child will also be in class with kids from Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal), Asia (China, Vietnam and Mongolia), Latin America (Mexico, Cuba and Central American countries) and Europe and the Middle East (Russia, Czech Republic and Yemen). This linguistic diversity means that our school API scores will never be in the 900's, but once you see all the beautiful children lined up to go into school in the morning, you won't care anymore!

Do you enjoy living in the multicultural city of Oakland, in the International Gourmet Ghetto that is Piedmont Avenue? Then put your values into action and send your child to Piedmont Avenue Elementary. We're here hoping to see you!

Send me an e-mail if you'd like to have a cup of coffee and have a no-pressure chat about any remaining misgivings you might have. Philippa

As a parent of a 4 year old, I'm trying to decide between my local school, Piedmont Ave Elementary,the options lottery, and private school. I'd like to share my impressions of Piedmont Ave so far, but I'd love to hear from other parents in this area making a similar choice. First, undeniably, Piedmont Ave is not in the top tier of Oakland public schools, and many of my neighbors aren't sending their children there but I'm pretty sure they haven't looked at it closely. I'm a big believer in walking my daughter to a local school, so I am looking at it closely. And I've been pretty impressed.

They give tours every Wednesday morning at 9. I don't know if this is typical, but when I went, I was the only person, and the principle gave me an awesome private tour. She took me in to all 3 kindergartens, and into an example of each of the other grades. Given only an hour, it seemed really good - similar to what I'd seen at Peralta. There's a PTA and a group of activist parents working to make the school better, though it's smaller than what you see at the top tier schools. The principle seems really sharp which helps a lot. I have the impression that it would be productive to put energy into the school because there's good school administration, and a decent parents group to work with. I strongly encourage other parents to at least take the tour. You can also join a yahoo group, walktoschoolPANSA, and there's a Kindergarten Information Night happening on Weds. December 9th.

If you're considering this same decison, what are your thoughts on it? Erik

We are considering staying in the Piedmont Avenue area and considering sending our children there. I'd love to hear recent parent's experience with Piedmont Avenue. It seems to get a bad rap because of the beating a few years back but I know there are other experiences out there.

Please come to one (or more!) of the following informational events:

There is a school tour with the principal every Wednesday morning at 9:00am. We began our tours in early November and will continue through December. (Note that the school is closed next week, so the next few tours will be December 2nd, 9th and 16th.)

We will have a Kindergarten Information Night at the school on Wednesday, December 9th. More information is forthcoming.

There will also be a more informal prospective family get-together in a current parent's home on the following Tuesday, December 15th, for people who can't make the December 9th event, or who want to meet lots of current families. Everyone is welcome.

Send me an e-mail and I'll keep you in the loop. You can also sign up for our neighborhood's school Yahoo group, by sending an e-mail to: walktoschoolPANSA-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Thanks again for your interest. Philippa

Re: transferring to a school closer to work
Hi there!I'm sorry for your dilemna of basically trying to be in two places at one time!I can't even imagine the challenges you face being a single mom, dedicated to making sure your kids are delivered and picked up from school on a daily basis, along with your own work schedule.But if I were in your shoes, I'd probably make the effort to transfer the kids to a closer school to BART. You had mentioned Piedmont Ave. Elementary, and a bullying issue. There was an incident a few years ago, but since that one time, Piedmont Ave.Elementary has blossomed into a very warm, inviting, multi-culturally diverse school, with wonderful innovative & energetic teachers, a wonderful Principal, alot of parent involvement etc. I know, because my children have been attending Piedmont Ave school for the past two years, and they LOVE school so much, they make it a point not to miss a day of school!( fortunately they are healthy).My husband and I are active PTA members and I am a daily school volunteer.Feel free to contact the school to come in for a tour and/or to talk to the Principal, Mrs. Ahmad. Or if you prefer, you can Google''Piedmont Avenue Elementary'', and the link will connect you with the ''Great Schools.net'' web site, which can give you some current insight of our wonderful school. Good luck and hope this helps! Denise

Re: Small public elementary school in Oakland
Hi -- I read your question about searching for a small public elementary school in Oakland and I want to encourage you to really consider Piedmont Avenue Elementary, near where you live.

It's not a particularly small school, but I don't know that you'll find a smaller one that you can transfer into -- not to mention that OUSD is considering closing elementary schools that have fewer than 360 kids enrolled (exactly Piedmont Avenue's enrollment). My twins are in first grade and we have really been delighted with both teachers they've had. They are reading and doing increasingly challenging addition and subtraction. They take Spanish after school two days per week and they enjoy a vibrant music program and a great P.E. program (with our Sports for Kids staff person) during school hours.

We have a wonderful new principal, who herself taught kindergarten at Chabot for many years and who is building on the good work of the previous principal. The school is extremely diverse -- Caucasian, Asian, African American, East African, West African, Middle Eastern, Hispanic -- Mexican and Central American, Eastern European, mixed race, and more! Last year we counted at least 17 different languages that the kids' families speak at home, including Spanish, French, Amharic, Tigrina, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Arabic, and Swahili.

To learn more about Piedmont Avenue Elementary, please join our community Yahoo group, which is called ''walktoschoolPANSA''. Send an e-mail to: walktoschoolPANSA-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Please feel free to contact me directly at my e-mail below. You can also come to our next PTA meeting, which will be on November 10th at 6pm in the school library. Hope to meet you soon! Philippa

Parents keep saying that the public schools don't do enough for their children. I moved to Oakland and was very scared about sending my child to a public school. My children and their happiness is top on my list. I could either work overtime to afford to send both my children to private school or I could get involved with my public school and help make it great. I joined the PTA. It wasn't easy because I work full time. PTA, the dedicated teachers and principal were able to bring lots of programs to our school from all of the hard work.

Piedmont Avenue Elementary now has music classes, a great after- school program,and retired professionals coming to the school to talk to the children, and a garden outside. We are looking into having a foreign language at school. Starting in April, Kaiser Hospital will be picking up 1 class a week, and taking them to a farmers market where they will be met by Doctors, Nurses, and other staff to talk about different careers. There will be a series of informational lectures at the school on health, fitness, careers, disaster preparedness, etc. Piedmont Avenue is a great school and a true hidden jewel.

Here is the take home point: Ask not what your school can do for your child, but what you as a parent can do for your school. RENEE

Re: Oakland ''Hidden Gem'' Elementaries
Regarding ''hidden gem'' elementary schools in Oakland, I want to spread the word that Piedmont Avenue Elementary has a lot going for it these days. We have 2 kids there, and have been very pleased with the teachers, principal, the physical plant and the growing involvement of the PTA. The school needs some more parental (and grandparental) involvement, and that is starting to happen. There are also some great volunteers -- local retirees and the Experience Corps -- as well as two high- quality after school programs. Two music programs, an art/dance teacher, and a Sports 4 Kids physical education teacher round out the school time offerings.

There are 2 upcoming house meetings for people interested in learning more about Piedmont Avenue for their incoming kindergartener or older child. Philippa

I went in to Piedmont Avenue School to check it out unannounced. What I saw impressed me a lot. I saw classrooms in which the students were engaged and studying. The classrooms were clean, quiet, and not overcrowded. I made it a point to talk to teachers that I met in the hallway. I found them to be friendly, well spoken, and polite. After that I asked the secretary in the principal's office if by any small chance I could meet the principal. I didn't expect to meet her. I was surprised when she came out, greeted me and invited me into her office. I got to ask her questions about her school, what I had heard about the school and her, and talk about the philosophy of the school. She encouraged me to get involved with the school and the PTA. I left there very excited. Up until now I was not sure if I was going to send my children to this school. My husband and I were thinking of trying another district or going the private route. I really wanted this school because I live in the community. I have decided that from my brief meetings that my option is to get involved with the PTA, volunteer as much as I can, and become part of the school and make it mine. I want my kids to go to a place they can be proud of, learn a great deal from, and be safe. I invite everyone to check it out. You may leave very happy to have found a public school that you can call home. Renee

Dr. Angela Haick, the principal of Piedmont Avenue Elementary School in Oakland, is leading school tours at 9:00 am each Friday in January for parents of prospective Kindergarteners. You'll visit all of the Kindergarten classes and tour the library and computer center run by our full time librarian/computer teacher. You'll find out about our Arts/PE program run by a full time teacher, our band program that includes a component for all third graders, and our afterschool programs. Piedmont Avenue School has a diverse student body and a beautiful facility that blends an earlier Art Deco building with a modern wing built in the last several years. We're located at 4314 Piedmont Avenue in one of Oakland's most vibrant neighborhoods. Come check us out! Susan B, PTA Mom

Re: Did not get your public school choice in Oakland?
We also applied to a charter school, only to find ourselves competing (unsuccessfully) with 74 other families, for 5 kindergarten spots! To me, it seems pretty clear that we will not be able to transfer to an already excellent public school outside of the neighborhood, this year or in the near future. Therefore, I am hoping to feel comfortable sending my child to our neighborhood school next year -- we're doing 1 more year of preschool, for a number of reasons. For those who live in the Piedmont Avenue Elementary School neighborhood, and are thinking some of these same thoughts, I hope that you will sign up for the Yahoo group I started. Here's the information: Group name: walktoschool Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/walktoschool Let's talk about what we can do together so that our kids really can walk to an excellent Oakland elementary school.
Piedmont Ave parent

Hi. I am a parent of a 3.5 year old and am starting to look around at kindergartens for my son for September 2007. I just attended an informational meeting for Piedmont Avenue School, our neighborhood school, with its relatively new principal, Dr. Haick (she's in her third year there). I was very impressed, and I'd like to encourage other parents in our neighborhood to please take a look and visit the school before making a decision about where to send your child. In the past the school has not had the greatest reputation, and parent involvement had been quite low. Dr. Haick and some very dedicated teachers and parents have changed all of th at -- there is now an active and growing PTA. Test scores have improved dramatically in the past few years. Dr. Haick is also doing her best to bring more art and music into the school, as well as to improve the computer facilities -- they now have a computer specialist on staff. I encourage everyone to check it out for themselves -- there will be tours every Friday morning at 9am from now till April -- just show up at the school, located at 4314 Piedmont Avenue in Oakland. Diane

Thinking about a public school in Oakland? Check out PiedmontAve. Elementary on Piedmont Ave. at Echo. It's really up and coming with a very dedicated pricipal, teachers and staff. The PTA is very active with fundraising and increasing parent participation to make the school the absolute best! Before you think about enrolling in another Oakland school, or have a preschooler and are just beginning your search, come visit the school and see the good work going on! Pam

I am looking for other parents iliving in the Piedmont Ave. area who are interested in looking into Piedmont Ave. elementary. If you would like to consider PIedmont Ave. school as an option for your child -- or would be interested in improving the school for others -- let's talk. (My son is only one year old, so school is a ways off for us -- but would like to find out more, meet others, begin to organize, etc.). also -- any advice from other parents who've worked to improve other oakland public schools most welcome! Jacqueline