Thornhill Elementary School
Berkeley Parents Network >
Reviews >
K-12 Schools >
Oakland Public Schools >
Thornhill Elementary School
Feb 2009
Re: Art programs in Piedmont/Montclair/Rockridge
Thornhill School includes (through the Parent Faculty Club donation
drives) music
classes during the day; an Orff-trained teacher for the lower grades, and
a singing and
instrumental teacher at the upper grades. They include art, generally
just projects
supervised by teachers with parent assistance, also. Again, materials are
via donation.
Karen
Jan 2008
We are in the process of looking at various schools for K. We
understand Thornhill is an excellent school with good teachers
and great parent volunteers. I would like to find out how
parents feel the educational experience compares to local
private schools. Many kids enter private schools for middle
school. Are they well prepared? Will an advanced child be
adequately challenged? Does one see the strain of teaching to
test and ''no child left behind'' pressures of public education?
neighborhood parents
We moved to the Thornhill neighborhood for the school when my oldest son was 4.
A year later when I visited the school I was so saddened by the kindergarten that we
moved (yet again!)! I was a teacher for 12 years, so I had certain expectations, but
the amount of seat work that is expected because of low test scores was nothing
less than ridiculous on the day we observed. It is a good school in its spirit and
there are some very dedicated teachers and fabulous parents, but we felt we
could not put our sons into that situation.
We decided it would be less financially straining to move to a good
public school system than to go private. If you talk to some parents who are at the
school you will hear good things-they are a dedicated bunch!-but after observing
and then speaking ''Teacher to Teacher'' with the very dedicated, but frustrated
kinder teacher, we had to make our own decision. Good luck with your decision!
Old Neighbor
My son is in his second year at Thornhill. There are some very good
things about
this school, including lots of parent involvement, excellent after-school
programs,
and some very experienced and caring teachers (not all teachers are
equally good
however -- I don't think there is any school with a perfect teaching
staff).
There are also some significant negatives (as I'm sure there would be in
any school).
The two biggest, in my opinion, are the reading/math curricula mandated by
the
district, and the heavy fundraising pressure. The latter's pretty
self-explanatory,
and also most likely pretty universal. The former is my biggest complaint
with the
public school experience. Although many of the teachers here are able to
work
creatively with Open Court reading and Harcourt math (to their great
credit), the
curricula themselves more or less embody the pressures of public education
that
you ask about. They are pretty formulaic and unimaginative, and for my
son
anyway, are both hard to keep up with logistically (in terms of filling
out all of the
worksheets and reading all of the little booklets), and yet not
intellectually
challenging (math is very repetitive, reading booklets don't actually
qualify as good
stories). Kind of the worst of both worlds.
In terms of comparison to the private schools, I think it all comes down
to your child
and what will work for them, and the teachers you happen to get. If the
match is
good (as it is for us this year), the experience will be fine. If the
match is poor, the
experience will be too, and I think this is just as true in private as in
public schools.
Karen
Nov 2006
There are few reviews in the archives about Thornhill Elementary in
Oakland. I have
heard great things about Thornhill, and was hoping some current or
recent parents
would share their experiences. One thing I am wondering about, is
there a formal
program or ad hoc way that the school teaches kids to include each
other / not
bully? Overall, are the parents and kids friendly to each other? Does
it seem like
most of the kids are enjoying it there?
thank you
My son, now in 8th grade elsewhere, went through Thornhill and
was very happy there. We participated in the parent organization
(I ran one committee for several years) and always felt included,
even though I was a working parent. (There is a core group, thank
goodness, that is around the playground and in the classrooms to
do art, help with fieldtrips etc.)
Teachers include some very longtime veterans who are dearly loved
and newer teachers that fit in well and are very popular with the
kids. (Remember that my perspective is 3 years out of date, of
course.)
My son never seemed like a particularly strong student when he
was there, but he was accepted in all 3 of the middle schools to
which he applied. I think that Thornhill's basic preparation of
its students is thorough and as creative as any CA
standards-based education can be. The long tenure teachers manage
to integrate their experience and their favorite teaching topics
into the standards-based curriculum, even with Open Court reading
(if they still use that.)
Hope that helps.
a 6 year Thornhill parent (1998-2004)
My son's just started Kindergarten at Thornhill. There are many very
good things
about the school -- my son's teacher is one; the principal is a caring
person who
already knows all the new kids' names, the parent community is very
involved.
I don't believe there's a formal class for inclusion and not bullying,
but it certainly
appears to be emphasized in general. I've felt pretty much that the
community is
friendly.
I'm always concerned, however, when people refer to Thornhill as ''the
best'' school
in Oakland. Yes, it has the highest API scores in Oakland, but those
are primarily a
function of socioeconomic status and educational level of the parents
-- which are
very high at Thornhill.
The big downside is Oakland School District. In addition to being
broke and paying
for nothing (library, music, PE, facilities repairs -- all are funded
by the parents
through fundraising, not the school district), Oakland forces the use
of a simply
awful reading curriculum called ''Open Court'' -- the teacher has to
follow a script
with limited use of his/her own professional judgment, must be on the
same page
as everyone else in the district regardless of what the students need
-- and there
are absolutely endless worksheets (and there's a ton of research
showing that
worksheets are not good for kids). Unfortunately, the math curriculum
looks
similar.
The teachers and staff do the absolute best they can, the kids are
great, and the
parents are involved. But the school district is enough to make me
seriously rethink
the private school question
anonymous
June 2006
Hello,
My daughter will likely attend Thornhill next year but wanted
to hear some recent reviews of the school. Also Is there an
aftercare program?? If so, what is it like and what are the
hours??
Thanks
Annie
My children are in the Oakland Public Schools - we live near Thorhill
but are at
Chabot (long story) so I can not tell you directly what is happening at
the school but
I have good second hand info from another family on our street, and our
general
experience.
The schools are terrific because of the wonderful energy being brought
to the
schools by active, involved families who care about education! There is
a wonderful
after school program called Adventure Time at the school (my son
attended AT at
Chabot last year during his K year) but they often fill quickly for
upper grades so call
the central office now.
Feel free to contact me if you want to talk about OUSD and the public
school
experience.
Maggie
My son just finished kindergarten at Thornhill. He was in the
all-day kindergarten with Mr. Thompson, who we were very pleased
with. I have also heard great things about the other
kindergarten teachers. I especially liked the diversity of the
class and the Thornhill community geared toward helping all kids
achieve their best. Parents at Thornhill help out extensively in
the classrooms. Thornhill also has a very active parent faculty
club that raises money to help fund the librarian, music teacher,
p.e. coach and art. I was very pleased with my son's progress
during the year.
Thornhill has several after school options, including
Adventuretime, which is located in a portable classroom onsite.
Another option is Jewish Community Services (you do not have to
be Jewish to participate). They pick the kids up from campus and
take them to a site on Redwood Road. Both are good options and
worth checking out. There may be others too that I am not aware
of. My son spent some time at both Adventuretime and JCS this
year and enjoyed both.
I hope this helps. Good luck with your decision.
Susan
Oct 2004
Re: transferring into Oakland schools
my son went to thornhill from k-5 and it's a great school...just
look at their test scores,,,that say's it all.
thier is a great parent participations and the teacher's are
wonderful...i have another child and i have no problems sending
him back thier..that is the best reccomentdation of all
April 2003
We're about to move to Montclair and are considering
Thornhill School for our soon-to-be first grader. I'd love to hear
people's perceptions of it -- the good, the bad, the strong,
the worrisome. All are welcome. We plan on visiting the school
next month. Thanks so much.
Nancy
Thornhill Elementary school has been a fantastic educational
experience for our child. I cannot say enough good things about
the teachers and education. The State test scores for Thornhill
have been very high for a number of years. There is a very
strong PFC (similar to PTA) that fundraises to supplement within
the school what is no longer available; such as music, art and
the like. And there are also fee based programs before and after
school such as Spanish, Drama, Science, Chess club, etc. which
you can take advantage of. Many parents in the area have
actually taken their kids out of private school to attend
Thornhill.
BUT the district is in trouble as you probably already are
aware. At tonights PFC meeting we discussed what type of support
Thornhill is at risk of losing based on the district financial
problems and it looks like the PFC will be on top of things to
minimize disruption to the kids.
Thornhill Parent
I have heard nothing but praise for Thornhill school. It has an
active parent group, a stable teaching staff and excellent test
scores. It's a highly sought after school in intradistrict
transfers. It also seems to do a better than average job at
handling social issues.
Good Luck.
Oakland Mom
Feb 2009
Hi there,
I'm interested in finding out more about Aftercare at both the
Thornhill and Montclair Elementary Schools. Any information you
can give is very appreciated.
Thanks,
Jen :)
Thornhill Elementary has several after school options. FIrst, they have a pretty
extensive after school enrichment program (art, music, fitness, martial arts, Sarah's
Science, chess, lego) -- you could, if you wanted, sign up for one of these every
afternoon. They generally run 3:00 - 4:00, and each has its own price. You can find
out more about them at www.thornhillschool.org.
Second, there's an on site program called Adventure Time. It's mostly just play,
although the care providers can supervise kids doing homework, also. They provide
snacks, supervised outdoor play on the playground, and toys, games, and art
materials indoors. Kids can stay until 6:00, and you pay by the hour for what you
schedule.
I believe the JCC, and maybe the Montclair Community Center, also have pickup
programs, though I have never had my son in these.
Karen
Hi - The same progam is run at both schools - it's called
Adventure Time. Can't speak to the one at Montclair, but the
Thornhill one is great - for starters, staffing is really very
stable, which seems pretty unusual for aftershool care. The
teachers are really great with the kids, offering activities
indoor and out, structured or not. It's not academic by any
stretch - just supervised play, really. My son goes a few times
a week for an hour or so. Cost is reasonable, too.
thornhill mom
Feb 2005
My son is starting kindergarten at Thornhill Elementary in the
Fall. I'm looking for a good aftercare program. There seem to be
three choices: Adventure Care, Smiles Day School, and Jewish
Community Services. These three are either on-site or pick up
from school. What I've heard is that Adventure Care may be a bit
too unstructured for some younger children who are used to a
more structured preschool. I like what I've heard about JCS
because they offer programs like swimming, gymnastics and piano
lessons. I've heard little about Smiles except that it is big
and possibly impersonal. Can anyone comment on these or
recommend any others?
Thanks.
Recommended:
Jewish Community Services (2)
Home |
Reviews |
Advice |
Members |
Post a Message
Join BPN |
Help |
What's New |
Search |
Contact Us
Last updated: Apr 28, 2009
Copyright © 1996-2009 Berkeley Parents Network
The opinions and statements expressed on this website
are those of parents who subscribe to the
Berkeley Parents Network.
Please see
Disclaimer & Usage for
information about using content on this website.