Millennium High School
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Millennium High School
Feb 2009
My daughter is pretty unhappy in her public high school and
she says she is interested in Millennium High in Piedmont.
I know there have been other postings from time to time
about Millennium, but I wondered if anyone has more current
information on the school. I am very curious about the
school and classroom structures, the teachers, the
administration, and the schedule. I'm trying to get a
sense of whether it's a fit or not. Thanks in advance.
Anonymous
My daughter is a Jr. at Millennium H.S. and it has been
great for her. I've been impressed with the teachers, who
seem to be very available to work with kids individually.
My daughter has a lot of friends at Piedmont High, as do
many of the other kids, so my fears about status issues was
relieved.
She reports that some of the kids aren't into school and can
be noisy in class so the kids who are interested sit in the
front row. The classes are relatively small and I like
their grading and credit system. Also, the principal is
dynamite: very smart and savvy about teens.
If you haven't visited, definitely do that.
Jan
Dec 2008
Hello -
I am trying to find a good fit more my daughter who is
academically gifted, but struggeling in the large classes
and crowds of Berkeley High. We are considering a smaller
school like Millenium or Maybeck (my ex lives in
Piedmont). Does anyone have experience with either or both
to share? We would like to find a place where kids can
develop personal relationships with teachers in an kind
and intellectually challanging environment. (shouldn't all
schools be like that?).
curious mom
My daughter went to Millennium from freshman year (fall
2000) through graduation (June 2004). My son went to Maybeck
for his junior year (2007/08). These schools offer very
different types of opportunities. Millenium is tiny--less
than 80 when she went. About half the students otherwise
would have been at Piedmont High, and the other half were
from other districts. For her, the great advantage was that
classes were graded by what she accomplished, and units
allocated by how much she accomplished. It took her a very
long time to complete some classes (math for example), while
others she completed very quickly. There was a lot of leeway
in how assignments were accomplished, so if she didn't feel
like writing a paper, she could do a poster and a collage or
present a scene from a play (much less choice in
math--perhaps why it took so long). The down side was that
she didn't get much experience with some of the more
traditional skills one needs for college. The plus side was
that she graduated (I don't think she would have made it
through PHS) and that she felt good about her
accomplishments. Maybeck is much more challenging, and does
a much better job of prep for college. My son wrote at least
a paper a month in English class (as compared to at most one
a quarter at PHS), the feedback was intense, and there was a
lot of personal attention. For him, the down side was the
size (around 100 students) and one teacher, with whom he had
really serious problems (generated on both sides). He went
back to PHS in his senior year for the social scene, and is
doing much better there this year, but he admits the quality
of the teaching for most of his classes was excellent at
Maybeck, and that he learned a lot while he was there. Both
my daughter and son felt the diversity at their respective
schools was a real plus. There are a lot of Berkeley kids at
Maybeck, so it might be an easier transition socially than
to Millennium, which is more and more PHS transfers, from
what I hear.
A parent who seeks out alternatives
My daughter attends Millennium and has many friends at Maybeck. Your child
sounds like a good candidate for Maybeck which is more challenging than
Millennium. My daughter has liked Millennium a lot, but doesn't do much
homework and gets A's and B's without much effort. She was interested in
Maybeck but knew herself well enough to know she didn't want to work as hard
as they expect, quit a bit I think. So if your child is motivated I'd chose that as
I
think they have a great program.
Anon
[Editor note] additional reviews were received for
Maybeck HS
August 2008
We live in Piedmont and my son is currently a middle
schooler. He has difficulty with some classroom activities
and has received support in elementary and middle school. At
the same time, he is bright and is interested in engineering
as a career. I'm curious if there are parents out there who
have gone through Millennium or PHS with a child with LD. Is
there enough support at PHS? Is there adequate academic
challenge at Millennium? How easy is it to move from one to
the other or take classes at PHS if you're at M? Thanks for
any thoughts!
planning ahead
My child graduated from Millennium 2 years ago, so things
may have changed since then. I think the new Principal was
looking to bring standards up. However~ he went through the
Piedmont school system as an average student, and when it
was clear that PHS wasn't for him we switched him over. He
was more comfortable there, but comfort does not =
competence! There were rarely hard deadlines for
assignments, mediocre work was given B's and even A's, and
comments back from the teachers were mostly along the lines
of ''don't worry about it. He's fine.'' Well, no, not really.
I think the school can be good for self-motivated kids who
don't fit in with the very traditional learning atmosphere
at PHS, but I'd check carefully in your situation!
anon
July 2007
I would love to hear from anyone who got their teenager
into Millenium High School who lives outside of Piedmont.
What kind of student is your child? What kind of students
do they accept? I have heard they don't take children with
IEPs for learning disabilities -- do they take kids with
ADHD? I'm exploring the high school possibilities for my
child and I'm trying to figure out if it is worth pursuing.
Mother of a soon-to-be 8th grader
My daughter goes to Millennium High School. We first had her spend a
day there to see if she would like it. I would recommend having a
conversation with the principal, Jamie Adams, to ask her to explain
the school . We then applied for an inter-district transfer (we live
in Berkeley). We did that in November. We then applied for the
school and were accepted after an interview - I think she was
accepted in March or April. I found out that starting the process in
November is the way to go because it's kind of first come first
serve. My daughter had been at Waldorf school and needed something
different from just a regular public high school. Millennium offers
a more independent kind of learning and students can learn at their
own pace. It's not strictly lecture and testing - it seems to be a
more interactive process. It worked really well for my daughter in
math because she struggles. She was able to work at her own pace and
since they give the kids a choice by telling them what they have to
do to get an A or B or C, she was really motivated to get an A and
she worked really hard. It is also a small school so the kids get
the attention they need. I really like the principal and the
counselor, Pam Brandau. I have also been impressed by all the
teachers I have met, they seem very dedicated and very smart. There
isn't a lot of homework and I have sometimes worried that my daughter
is not being challanged enough and that college will be a shock. I
have expressed this to the school and we have been encouraged to have
my daughter take some classes at Piedmont High since they tend to be
more difficult. So I would say that we have been quite pleased with
the school. It is a small school but since it is next door to
Piedmont High they can have lots of friends without having a huge
classroom experience. I don't know anything about how they address
learning disabilities. My daughter has to work hard for her grades
and she has done very well at Millennium. She has always been a good
student but things don't come easily to her.
Millennium Mom
I have a soon to be 9th grader with significant learning
disabilities. She was at a private middle school, and when
it came time to apply to high school, I went back to the
public school where we live, and got my daughter re tested
and commenced an IEP. My daughter was qualified, and would
receive services in the public school, and the IEP mostly
completed. I then applied to Millenium (as an out of
district application/tansfer) because I too heard that it
was a great place for kids with learning differences. I
spoke at length with the principal, and she was very clear
that she would not accept an out of district transfer of a
student with an IEP even if I agreed to waive services by
the Piedmont district. I am told what she said was illegal
- but frankly, I appreciated her candor. I think if I had
to do it all over again, I would not have had my daughter
retested and get the IEP before the application - I am not
certain that it would have helped. My original attitude was
that in order to get the best high school fit, I had to be
honest and direct with each of the high schools because I
wanted to make sure that the school could meet my daughter's
needs and that she could be successful there. We ended up
selecting a different private high school.
Anon
October 2005
Our family lives in Oakland and we would like our daughter
to attend Millenium High School in Piedmont. We think that
this would be a great fit for her. My parents still live in
Piedmont and would participate in after care (our daughter
could walk there after school) but legally we can't use
their address or have her live with them.
We know we need to do an interdistrict transfer via Oakland
School District. Any specific advise on how to do this? Do
we need letters of recommendation from Oakland or Piedmont
residents or educators?
Lisa
We live in Oakland also and I got an interdistrict transfer
to Piedmont for my daughter so she could attend Millenium.
I was able to get it because I sometimes worked in
Piedmont. Oakland can be very difficult to deal with and
many people told me to keep on trying even if they deny the
request the first time. The form you have to fill out
gives you about half a line for your ''reason'' not much room
to convince them. Feel free to email me if you'd like more
info.
TAM
February 2003
RE: 10th grader is doing poorly at Berkeley High.
Look into Millenium High School in Piedmont. I know a few other kids
from BHS who are there. It's a very small (60-70 kids) environment.
I don't know muchmore than that but I will be considering it for my son
in a few years I think.
April 2002
Hello. I've looked on the website, but there were only 2
recommendations, both from around 3 years ago.
Can someone share information about this school? Would it
be appropriate for a child with LD and an IEP? Is it
structured? Please give me the ''low-down''.
Thanks.
Tunisha
My daughter is a freshman at Millennium High this year. Millennium is a
small alternative high school in the Piedmont Unified School District
(about 70 students this year). Classes are also small--probably 10-15
students/class, students can work at their own pace, and there is more
personal attention than in a normal public high school. Students are
encouraged to take advantage of their strengths in doing assignments. For
the first time in years, my daughter has had moments, at least, of feeling
she is excelling academically. Students earn credits according to how much
they accomplish in class. They also earn credits for outside activities,
including sports or individual physical exercise programs, music and
dramatic arts lessons and activities, employment, community college
classes, and community service. The class schedule is flexible. Some
students have a full day, 8:00-3:00, but most have a shorter schedule,
either starting later or ending in the early afternoon. They are able to
take courses at Piedmont High, if the schedule fits and there is space in
the class. Students have a minimum rate at which they have to advance, and
if they do not meet this requirement, they are assigned to afternoon
tutorial classes. My daughter has learning differences but did not qualify
for an IEP. She struggled and lost all motivation in Piedmont's very
pressured middle school. Millennium has been a place where she feels
accepted and successful, and where she is able to learn and enjoy her
accomplishments, rather than feeling pressured by how much she hasn't
finished. Also, this school allows her to focus on music and drama outside
of school, activities that she learns a great deal from.
Millennium won't work so well for some students. Children who are not self
motivated in anything may find the opportunity for earning outside credits
too inviting as an opportunity to just hang out. Students who have
learning disabilities that require help from a learning specialist would
need to coordinate this service with Piedmont High, as it is not available
at Millennium. (This would probably be an option available for Piedmont
residents, but my guess is that a resident from another district might have
trouble getting a transfer if it would add to demands for the already
overloaded special ed program in the district--but it never hurts to
try). Also, students who like to be part of the mainstream social milieu
of a high school would probably find Millennium too small. (My daughter is
happy to be completely removed from that milieu.)
May 2002
The Millenium School sounds very interesting from the short discussion of it
here, but I'm having a hard time getting very much more information about it.
They say prospective students and/or parents can't visit--that, because of
its size, visits would be "too disruptive." How can anyone send their kids
to a school they haven't visited? My child wants to know if this is a school
that just "screw-ups" go to? Any more information would be appreciated.
Thanks.
To the parent who wants to know more about Millennium and has not been
given the opportunity to visit the school: I'm sorry I didn't see the
request until today, because Millennium had a fund-raiser, Cabaret Night,
last Saturday night (May 11th), which would have given a sense of the range
of talents at the school. Almost all the performers were MHS students (a
few were from other schools), and their interest in the school and
commitment really showed. Performance went on for two hours and included
several dance numbers by Attitude Dance Troupe--the director is an MHS
student and troupe members are from MHS and other high schools, two more
dance numbers with about 8-12 MHS students, choreographed by themselves,
several song numbers, a flute player, poetry, a great jazz combo of drums
and sax, and several band numbers which were very well received by the
kids, where some of us parents had to retreat outside to get it to the
decibel level we could tolerate. This is from a school with about 65
students. Teacher attendance was impressive, showing their commitment as
well. The school is not just "screw-ups," but it does offer more personal
attention for kids who can't seem to keep it all together in a large public
school setting. I'll actually come out of my anonymity since I haven't
mentioned my child in this note--you can send me e-mail or call if you have
other questions. Also, I would recommend that you talk over things with
the principal, Ken Yale. He interviews every student who applies, with
their parents, so you would have a chance to see at least a bit of the
school then, even if you might not get to visit a class in session.
For those wanting to know more about Millennium: Millennium High School's
"Spring Showcase" will be held on May 30 at 6:30 at the Ellen Driscoll
Theater, 325 Highland Avenue in Piedmont. (If you plan to come, you should
probably call the school to confirm the time and place a day or two in
advance). Cynthia
February 2002
I would like any information on the Alternative high school in Piedmont.
Bonnie
To the parent who wanted info on Piedmont's alternative school:
My daughter is a freshman at Millennium High, the alternative
high school in Piedmont, and we think it's heaven. Sometime after her
first few weeks there, she said, "Mom, it's like I'm not even in
school." ( She's already on the honor roll, so it's nice to know she
meant she loved the work, not that she wasn't doing it.)
Their web site, http://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/mhs/, gives a
good idea of the school. About half the curriculum is on-site in
small, seminar-like classes, with much of the learning being done in
the classroom through discussion and projects rather than through
lectures and homework. The other half of the curriculum is put
together by the student (with the help of the school staff) using
activities like volunteering, working, classes at community college,
martial arts, ice skating, you name it. The great thing is that the
program really honors that old proverb, experience is the best
teacher, so the work the kids do outside a classroom setting is
honored equally with class work.
Also, a huge contrast to my daughter's experience in middle
school is that the students are graded on what they've done, rather
than on what they have not done. Subpar work is not accepted, and the
students keep working on a project (say a math assignment) until the
concept is mastered. If that means a student gets 6 assignments done
instead of 10 in a grading period, they'll get a good grade but fewer
units. When they catch up the work, they'll get the units. There is
none of the gotcha attitude that prevailed in middle school, where
kids were often not allowed to turn work in late, and had to keep
going ahead even when they hadn't mastered what they were working on.
A nice aspect of having the kids work through subjects at
different rates is that many of the classes are made up of kids from
freshman through senior. It seems to give a very rich texture to the
classroom discussions, and the classes are so small that the teacher
can make sure each student is doing work appropriate for their grade
level.
The school is open pretty much automatically to Piedmont
residents, but out-of-town families go through an application and
interview, and then must get an interdistrict transfer if
accepted. This was no problem from Berkeley, but parents in Oakland
have had a harder time getting the transfer.
I could go on and on about what a godsend Millennium is, but
this is already too long. Email me if you have any more questions.
Kay
My daughter is a 9th grader at Millennium High, the alternative high
school in Piedmont. The school has approximately 65 kids, about half from
Piedmont and half from other places. Most of the Piedmont students are
there because the traditional schools in Piedmont have not worked well for
them. The students from other places are there for a wide variety of
reasons--some because they want an alternative approach, some because they
want a school where they can get credit for outside work, community
activities, and arts activities, some just to escape from a poor high
school elsewhere in Alameda County. The admissions process is much more
selective for the students from outside the district than for those from
Piedmont. The classes are much smaller than at Piedmont High--probably
8-12 students is a typical range. In the school's academic classes
(English, social studies, math and science), students earn credit by
completing work with a grade of C or better, so they are graded on what
they do, rather than graded down for what they do not do. If they have
problems completing enough of their work to stay on track for graduating
in 4 years, then they are put in tutorial classes, where they get some
additional help and some homework oversight. A few electives are offered
at the school, including art and some leadership classes, but many
electives, and subjects such as PE, foreign languages, and music, must be
completed elsewhere. For example, my daughter does lots of
extracurricular music and drama, and gets credit for these classes. She
gets PE credit for ice skating. She also takes Piedmont High's A Capella
and Orchestra classes, for credit. Some students take advanced math and
science or foreign language at Piedmont High, but it's on a
space-available basis, no guarantees of admission. Others take these
topics through local junior colleges, correspondance courses, summer
courses, etc. This school has done two important things for my
daughter. First, by taking away the pressure of turning in assignments on
time, she finally feels like she has talent in at least some academic
subjects, getting B's and A's instead of D's because of all the late and
missing work. Second, there is MUCH LESS social pressure. Everyone at
the school is a bit different in one way or another from the typical
high-school student. None of them aspire to be part of the social
in-crowd at a large public high school. A few, from Piedmont, have had
some serious problems that have led them to come to the alternative
school, but most are just there because they need a change from their
previous school. It doesn't work for everyone. One other 9th grader who
started with my daughter found there was not enough pressure to get her
work done, and went back to PHS. Another of my daughter's friends felt it
was a license to avoid all limits, and is now in boarding school (but she
was a limit-pusher from the start). My daughter has also benefitted from
meeting students from all over the county. I'm not sure how long this
advantage will last. Piedmont students have priority, and the school only
has permission to take students from outside the district if they have an
enrollment of under 65. (On the other hand, there still are 2 or 3 dozen
outside residents--it's worth a try if you're not from Piedmont).
Piedmont Independent Learning High School
From: Tamara (4/99)
In the April 23 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle appears an article
announcing that the Piedmont Independent Learning High School is accepting
applications. Any parent who has a child that requires a different
academic setting should consider this campus. It is part of the "regular"
Piedmont High School -- same building complex. They accept transfers from
other school districts. All that we needed to do for Berkeley High was to
request, by phone, an intra-district transfer, pick it up from the District
Office and carry it to Piedmont High School. The Principal, Ken Yale, is a
great administrator and person to work with. The teachers are all
wonderful. It is structured with classes from 8-12 Noon, five days per
week. It is a form of continuation high school that is different from many
others. Students are there for many different reasons. My daughter needed
less time in school while she focused on therapy for eating disorders. It
enabled her to graduate on time and continue onto college (where she is
now) and at the same time allowed her a much more flexible schedule that
she needed, along with the peer group of other troubled teenagers. If
anyone has any questions about it, please contact Ken Yale at:
510-594-2702.
this page was last updated: Feb 28, 2009
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