Berkeley Parents Network: The Renaissance School

Berkeley Parents Network

The Renaissance School

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > K-12 Schools > The Renaissance School

The Renaissance School was formerly called A Child's World Montessori School

Website for The Renaissance School: http://www.therenaissanceschool.com/

Nov 2007

Re: Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley
We considered EB a couple times and in the end decided to send our children to The Renaissance School (TRS), a bilingual Montessori school (pre-K to 6th grade) in Oakland. EB offers a very thoughtful approach but TRS' very structured Montessori education made much more sense, to us, from developmental perspective. Our children started at age 3 1/2 and now our oldest is in the first grade. We have found that they have thrived academically and enjoy a rich environment of language, culture, music and art. The primary classrooms (ages 2.9 to 6) at TRS are truly bilingual. There is 1 French bilingual classroom and 3 Spanish bilingual classrooms. In the French classroom, there is a marvelous native French-speaking Montessori teacher who speaks only French to the children. There is also an AMI trained Montessori teacher who speaks only English. All the children receive lessons in each language every day. Though it is not complete immersion, it is truly bilingual. My children are learning to read and write in French, to cook in French, to sing in French, to do math in French and more. Once the children enter the elementary level (grades 1-6), there are native French and Spanish teachers, so their education becomes trilingual. It really is amazing. In addition, the school values music and art education like no other school I've toured or heard about. The children learn music through the Kodaly method and choral music is a part of their day every day at the elementary level. TRS is a small school with a very strong point of view. It may not be the right place for everybody, but it sounds like it may be worth considering for your needs. The staff is very helpful and I know they have regular tours. Here is the website if you want to contact them: www.therenaissanceschool.com

May 2007

I was wondering how much the Renaissance School encourages or discourages imaginative play. I went to Montessori school myself, so I understand and support all the cooking, cleaning, and general self-sufficiency that is emphasized there, but I also believe in the value of role-playing and imagination for small children (mine is 3). Any experiences with the school one way or the other? anon

Regarding the question about whether the Renaissance School encourages imagination, I would say that the school more importantly encourages creativity. While there is a focus on the Montessori activities cited (cleaning, cooking and so forth), there is equally a focus on developing one's creative self. The art program there is superb and relies on the child to develop and execute his/her own ideas, while not relying on copying the ideas of others. In fact, the school has an art show every year that is the testament to the amazing work of children from ages 2 and up. This year's show is called A Celebration of Children's Creativity, and it will be held June 10-24 at 5900 Hollis St. in Emeryville. I urge anyone considering the school to attend the show, meet other parents and see for themselves the joy and creativity of the children. My daughter has attended the school for 4 years, and I like not only that aspect of the school but also its philosophy of non- consumerism and the discouragement of television. I think this has done as much for my daughter's creativity and imagination than anything else. TRS parent

May 2007

I'm curious to know if anyone has received either an acceptance or a rejection letter from the Renaissance School for '07? We followed all their application guidelines for our child, including an interview with the director, but we've heard nothing back. According to their website, letters should have been mailed in March but when April rolled around and we still hadn't heard one way or another, I called to ask if letters had been sent. The person in the admin office who answered seemed unsure how to answer whether or not letters had been sent (odd) and then passed the phone to someone else who said something like, ''we're behind schedule but you should be receiving something soon''. Before I jump to any conclusions, I'm just wondering if anyone else received letters yet. Thanks. annon

Hi - I received a response about a month ago. The letter was sent out later than originally expected, however it was only about a week or two late. It sounds like your letter was lost in the mail or some other issue...I would call and ask to speak to the head of school, Leslie Hites, or Rosario Toward. Ren School Mom

Your experience with the office is unfortunately not unusual. To give you some perspective, the returning families also did not receive their new contracts....and basically got the same response. They are way behind.....and sadly are really bad at proactively communicating about it. There are new people working in the office who have not gone through contract time before, so my suspicion is that it has just become way more challenging than they expected or planned for. Also, I would guess that if the current families don't have contracts to sign and get back, then they have no way to gauge how many openings there are because signed contracts are how they find out who will and will not be returning. I would recommend that you call again and ask if they could be more specific about timelines....it's not that they don't want to help, they're just overwhelmed. Renaissance parent

I too applied to the Renaissance school and have not received an acceptance or rejection. We heard so much conflicting information from them that it's hard for me to know what to tell you here--first, their website and brochure say they inform applicants by March, then at the tour we were informed that we would have an idea immediately after the interview (which we had to call and schedule--they never contacted us as they said they would), and now, after multiple phone calls to the school, it appears we will not know until the first or second week of May. Their application process seemed so transparent at first! Guess not. Oakland

Our daughter currently attends TRS and just to reassure you, even the kids who are currently enrolled in the school have not yet received packets confirming the upcoming school year. I, too, called the office and got a similarly vague response that there's been a delay this year. I wasn't overly concerned because my daughter's an existing student. If you are concerned about whether your child has a confirmed spot, I'd call the office again and specifically ask that either Leslie Hites or Rosario Toward (Head of School and her assistant) return your call directly. I'm sure one of them will. Good luck - it's a great school! Still waiting too

March 2007

We are considering moving our 3-year old daughter out of her large preschool, where she is overwhelmed, and into a Montessori program. Can anyone comment on the Renaissance School in Oakland? We are interested in the quality of the teachers and the Director, including how effectively they communicate with parents. Any thoughts would be most appreciated. Elizabeth

We didn't enjoy Renaissance Montessori, and after 2 years, switched schools. Our problem was with the French program -- people had totally different and very positive, experiences with the Spanish program. We felt that a lot was promised that wasn't delivered. I'd also consider whether you are truly committed to the Montessori approach (Renaissance is VERY traditional), as opposed to just wanting a good preschool. This is NOT the place if your particular child would do better in a play-based learning environment. PS: we switched to Ecole Bilingue and had a wonderful preschool experience. It's an excellent school to transition to, once the child is school-aged.

Our child had a very difficult time transitioning to Renaissance. Some of the teachers such as our classroom teachers and music teacher were quite good. However, we found the school to be extremely strict, and unwilling to take our recommendations into consideration for our child. They felt that if a child cried for months, it meant that the child was trying to trick the parents into believing they weren't happy at the school. They were not very willing to be flexible with early pick ups the first couple of weeks of transition and didn't want to help our child overcome shyness by making connections on the playground, stating this was the child's own responsibility.

Ultimately, we decided it was not a good fit for us and our child thrived at another (more playbased) preschool. I now feel terrible that I inflicted that horrible experience on my child. As a child expert once told me, if you as an adult don't like to live in a rigid atmosphere, then why should you expect that of your child? If you have a very independent child and are looking for a more rigid montessori, you'll be happy with this school.

I wanted to respond to the post requesting recent feedback regarding The Renaissance School. My three year old has been at the school for over a year and is now in the French primary classroom. We are very happy with the school. The teachers are wonderful -- they are very caring and attentive to the individual needs of each child. There is a very positive energy at the school, and my daughter is excited to go to school every day. In addition to the very high quality of teaching in the classrooms, the school's music and art programs are terrific -- the children participate in vocal and instrumental performances and art shows throughout the year.

The original poster asked specifically about communication at the school. I have found the teachers and the administration, including the Head of School, to be very accessible to parents. I have daily interaction with the teachers in my daughter's class, and if parents need additional time to discuss anything, teachers will make the time to talk over the phone or in person. Parent-teacher conferences, class parent meetings, open houses, and other gatherings provide additional opportunities for parents to communicate with teachers, the administration, and each other. Parents are definitely encouraged to be an active and involved part of the school community. We are very happy that we decided to send our daughter to TRS! Kerry

Dec 2006

Re: East Bay Bilingual Montessori
You MUST check out The Renaissance School in Oakland. It's a hidden jewel. I don't know what language you are looking for, but The Renaissance School has bilingual programs in French AND Spanish for the primary level (ages 3 to 6) and TRIlingual program for the elementary level (through 6th grade). We moved here from France a couple of years ago and really wanted to find a bilingual French program. We checked out the Ecole Bilingue and liked it but it wasn't quite right for us. We are believe very strongly in the Montessori method so when I found The Renaissance School, I was over the moon. Each Primary classroom has a trained AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) teacher who speaks English and an AMI trained teacher who speaks either Spanish or French. The head of the school has very high standards for her teachers. They must be native speakers and have completed the AMI training. The Spanish and French teachers speak ONLY their native language in the classroom. The children have all their lessons in both English and either Spanish or French. In addition, they have language lessons to help build their vocabulary. They also sing and listen to music in the second language. Our daughter is 5 and is now learning to read in English and French. She is also learning to write in French and is learning to use a stylo plume just like French students! It's amazing. My husband and I are both American but speak French and love that we can also keep up our French by singing and reading with our daughter and speaking to her French-speaking teacher everyday. Our younger daughter, who is 3 1/2 and is in the same classroom, was not exposed to as much French when she was little but loves learning the language now and thoroughly enjoys receiving lessons from her French-speaking teacher.

The Spanish classrooms are the same. Everyday when I pick up the children I hear the teachers speaking to their students on the playground in Spanish. It's normal and expected to hear several languages on campus. It's a very international school with many multicultural families.

I should also point out that The Renaissance School has an incredibly strong music and art program, which is another aspect of the school that drew us to it. The children are taught music using the Kodaly method and really develop beautiful singing voices and an understanding of music very early while having fun doing it. Depending on their age, they have a total of 1 or 2 hours of dedicated music each week in small groups with a wonderful music education staff. Of course, they also sing in their classroom. When they are old enough, they can take chorus and instrumental lessons at school, which cuts down on schlepping kids around after school to various lessons.

I'm glad you asked this question. Whenever people say that the Ecole Bilingue is the only French bilingual school in the East Bay is just wrong. True, it is the only bilingual school accredited by the French government, which may be important to some, but their are some of us who have more flexibility and it's important to know there is a choice.

If you have any questions about the school, I'm happy to answer them. The school has been great for our children. They are growing into caring, kind, respectful, interesting, curious, intelligent, musical, French speaking children thanks in part to this great school. Carrie

Sept 2005

We are considering The Renaissance School for our nearly 2 year old daughter, does anyone have any personal experience with this school to share? thank you, tina Anon

My three daughters started at Renaissance School each when they were two years of age and the whole family is quite happy with this decision. Renaissance provided a strong foundation for their education to follow. My older two moved into the Renaissance elementary program for a number of years (now eldest is just starting high school and middle is still in middle school), and my youngest just moved this summer into the Renaissance elementary program. Because of the skills they learned at Renaissance, my older two have excellent time and project management skills, are independent, and have always been self-sufficient in their schoolwork. They learned to take ownership of their education which is valuable. The preschool program provides a nurturing environment that also encourages the children to explore and learn. Not only do they learn math and language skills, but also practical life and presentation skills.

Here's an example of how the school supports student ideas - Last year after the tsunami, my daughter's preschool class talked about how tsunamis occur and what happened to the people in SE Asia. During the course of this discussion, they wanted to collect money to send to the tsunami relief agencies. So the several kindergarteners of that class wrote up a proposal and approached the Head of the School. With her blessing, they set up collection cans and in teams of two, they went to all the other classrooms (including the elementary classrooms) to give a presentation on the tsunami and explain why they were collecting funds. It was incredibly touching from a parent perspective, and the children felt empowered and supported in their ideas.

And the music program is out of this world - I doubt you'll find anything comparable. They use the Kodaly method and it's amazing to watch even the preschoolers playing bells alongside the choristers. When they move into the elementary years, different instruments play together harmonizing. I never understood how much they were learning until a work colleague with extensive musical background happen to look at my eldest daughter's homework assignment to write a song. I tried to explain the assignment to him, and he understood everything, but noted that it was unusual that the music teacher would allow her to put a particular chord in a certain spot of the song. When I asked my daughter about it, she smiled and explained that she asked for permission. These were eye-opening conversations that I cannot explain any better, because I don't have that music theory background. You may have specific questions, and sinc! e I've been associated with the school for awhile, I'd be glad to share a parent perspective. I do encourage you to learn a little about the Montessori method so that you'll understand the activities your child's experiences in the school. If you (or any other parent) would like to talk about the school more or have some specific questions, feel free to write back and we can set up a time to talk. Janna

My daughter attends the school and is very happy there. Please e-mail me directly if you have specific questions. Jeannine

April 2005

I'm interested in finding out information about the Renaissance School's preschool program. In particular, I'd like to know whether people are pleased with the program and why? Or unhappy and why? Also, I'd like to know whether the kids in the program are generally happy or does it seem overly strict? Finally, are kids who complete the program generally well prepared for elementary school? Thanks so much for responding. Anon

My preschooler went to Renaissance School for two years. I would suggest that you look carefully at the school before sending your child there. During our time in the school, there was a tremendous turnover in teachers. Many of the teachers were young and inexperienced and some did not even have Montessori certificates. The inexperience began to trouble us when we discovered that the teachers did not even realize that our four-year old could read! I witnessed two separate very tense arguments between two of the teachers (one on a field trip, of all things) that underscored for me the general tension within the school.

The school has a rather tough love approach to teaching independence in their students. Athough I agree with the goal, the message is delivered rather harshly. For example, if your 3 or 4 year old cannot tie his or her shoes you better work on this before starting the Renaissance preschool. The teachers will not assist a child who needs help with shoes or socks.

My husband and I were quite attracted to the language program but, in fact, very little language instruction really happened during our time with the school.

That said, the music and art teachers were outstanding. If the quality of the rest of the teachers and instruction matched the standard set by these two, we never would have left.

Changes may have been made in the school since we departed. I suggest that you ask careful questions before making a decision. Signed: anon anon

Both of my kids are now in preschool at the Renaissance School and we have been extremely happy with the school. The staff and teachers are fantastic and are very devoted to the well-being of each child and take each child's development very seriously. My daughter is very shy and the teachers have gone out of their way to help her feel comfortable and develop her social skills. My son just started in their two-year-old program. Both kids love school. We are not a very strict family and the kids seem to welcome the structure at the school. That said, the philosophy of Montessori teaching is about letting the child take the lead in what they want to do and the Renaissance school takes that seriously. So while they provide a lot of structure, within that the children have a great deal of independence to pursue what they want. I can't speak to the issue of elementary school placements. If you have any questions,please feel free to email me. Overall, the school has really exceeded our expectations. roxanne

I have to respond to a recent negative posting about The Renaissance School to say that my experiences are not anything like what that person reported. My daughter has been there for two years of preschool and she is absolutely thriving. Not only are the art and music programs spectacular but my daughter is doing impressively well learning French, learning to read, developing cooking skills and working on social skills including helping the younger children learn. In talking to other parents, I have never heard anyone complain about any of the issues brought up in this posting, and other parents seem very pleased with the school. I don’t sense any tension within the school or any issue with getting teachers to tie shoelaces. With regard to the turnover of teachers, there was a large turnover at the beginning of this school year, but I don’t think it’s fair to imply that it has anything to do with the school; each teacher had her own personal reason for leaving and it was coincidental that several of them left at the same time. I sense complete dedication on the part of all of the teachers.

Of course this school, and Montessori schools in general, are not for every child. But I would hate for people to form an impression about The Renaissance School without hearing from a number of parents. Jeannine

January 2004

The Renaissance School, a Montessori school in Oakland, does have a good language program. However, it's not a total immersion experience. There are three ''primary'' classrooms (ages 3- 6) with two English-speaking teachers and one Spanish or French teacher per class. The kids receive instruction in both English and the other language throughout the day. (The pre-primary program for 2-year-olds does not have a language component that I'm aware of.)

In the short time we've been at the school (we started in Sept) I've been amazed by how much Spanish my 3- year-old has picked up (she sings in Spanish and understands quite a bit). Even my 5-year-old, who's not particularly verbal, can understand some basic Spanish now. There are many families from Spanish- and French-speaking countries at the school -- it's a very international student body. Hope this helps! Happy at TRS

December 2003

This is in response to the parent looking for Oakland Montessori preschools that emphasize arts, music and creativity. The Renaissance School (on Dimond Ave next to Dimond Park) has an outstanding music program that utilizes the Kodaly music method. Jutka teaches ''music appreciation'' to all levels (preschool starting at 2 y.o. up to the middle school kids) - the comprehension level and grasp for music theory and performance is quite amazing. In addition to singing, there are various instrumentals (e.g. piano, drums, guitar, etc). The piano students often will accompany the choir. My older girls were playing piano duets with one another by the time they were 7 and 8 years old. Art is also well integrated, and creativity and expression are everywhere in the Montessori curriculum. The school does utilize the typical Montessori curriculum, but I felt that there was far more music than elsewhere and arts and creativity were evident in the program. If you have any questions or want more extensive comments, please feel free to write to me. Janna

March 2003

I am interested in any recent information about the Renaissance School (formerly A Child's World) or the Growing Light Montessori School's Oakland site. The web site has outdated info for Renaissance and no info for the Oakland location of Growing Light. Any details on teacher quality, balance of program, and well-handled transitions would be much appreciated. Lori

We just moved our Daughter to The Renaissance School this month, to get a head start (and to make sure she was in for kindergarten this fall) and we are so happy! She is very happy with the teachers and we have seen just in the last 3 weeks that she has become more curious in learning. I know it is pricey, but it is worth every penny! She loves the weekly cooking, music, Arts and the emergent Spanish program and all the tools to learn with in the classroom. We love it! Yvonne J

My son has been at the Renaissance School for 6 years (he's now in fourth grade), and my husband and I are extremely pleased with his academic progress. My child is enthusiastic about going to school every day. The Renaissance School is more expensive than some others, but they offer a program that has both breath and depth. Also, they have the entire line of specilized Montessori equipment for all ages, not just a selection. Music, art and foreign language are fully integrated into the curriculum. The staff and student body are culturally diverse. The school sets high standards which the children meet. It's a place where the kids take pride in their accomplishments. In short, it's a great school. Helene

Feb. 2003

Re: Spanish Language Pre-school?
The Rennaisance School in Oakland has what they call language immersion in the pre-school years. English, and Spanish or French, is spoken consistently in the classrooms. They have a truly international comminity and it is not uncommon to find other bilingual kiddies in the same group as you child. Worth checking out. -- happy Renaissance School parent

August 2002

My son has attended the Renaissance School for five years and we are very pleased with the education he is recieving there. The head of school, Leslie Hites, is terrific. She is a woman of vision, with lots of drive, and is dedicated to excellence in education. She is also a mother of six (adult) children, and has a deep understanding of how to motivate and guide children on how to be their best true selves. I took a series of parenting class from her that she taught for our community that has helped me become a better parent in more ways than I can explain. The school is in a building phase that should not greatly impact the preprimary and primary levels, but you should definately bear that in mind as you evaluate your choices. Helene

2001

RE: school for bright kids
Check out the Montessori philosophy of education. I think it is by far the best approach for super bright kids. It allows the child to work at his or her own level and speed and fosters independence of thought, self reliance, and respect for oneself, others and the environment. My son attends The Renaissance School, (formerly a Child's World Montessori School), in Oakland, and they have a few kids there who are in the super bright category and are thriving. The school has both a tremendous breath as well as depth in the curriculum. Also, I would suggest you read some of Maria Montessori's books to understand the philosophy and how it translates into the classroom in order to understand what the education is all about. Unfortunately, most journalists who write about it only repeat standard clics and are woefully uninformed. Good luck in your search. Helen

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.