Berkeley Parents Network: St. Jerome School

Berkeley Parents Network

St. Jerome School

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > K-12 Schools > St. Jerome School

Feb 2008

Hi - We are trying to decide between St. Jerome and The School of the Madeleine. We like them both. Our daughter will be entering Kindergarten in Fall 2008. Does anyone have experience at both schools? Or current Kindergarten and 1st Grade experience at either school? Seeking Info

I can only speak for St. Jerome. I have twin girls that went to Kindergarten in Mrs. Payne's class. Mrs. Payne has been teaching Kindergarten in St. Jerome for many years. She is one amazing women, the students love her including students that had been in her class and moved on up to the higher grades. They stop by on a regular basis to check in with her before going on to their classes. Mrs. Payne also has two wonderful volunteers that have been by her side also for many years. They are a great team and I am thankful for the many wonderful memories my girls experienced in their first year of school. annon.

We transferred from the Madeleine to St Jerome this year and have been happy. While I think the Madeleine is a good school in general, and my younger child would have found success there, the Madeleine was not willing to make some relatively simple accommodations that were necessary for my older child due to learning disabilities. When I presented the recommended accommodations to the principal at St. Jerome she was openminded and willing to make things work. Over the year I have found that the teacher has followed through with all the recommendations. With these simple changes my older child is now feeling successful in school and is much happier.

There are many current Madeleine parents on the list, so they can better address your questions about the teachers in k and 1st; both of those grades have new teachers this year.

My younger child is in kindergarten at St Jerome this year and Ms. Payne is wonderful. She has been at the school for about 20 years and her expertise shows. My child comes home singing and happy everyday. There is homework nightly, but it is not burdensome in any way.

The connection between the parish and the school is stronger at the Madeleine. Contributing to the sense of community is the fact that more families at the Madeleine live near the school. Instead St Jerome could almost be a stand alone school, and there are many families in attendance that live in Richmond or further.

We have found it easier to be a family of two working parents at St Jerome. The family events are scheduled so that we don't have to take time off work. Also, there is both before and afterschool care at St. Jerome.

Overall, we are very pleased with our new school and are happy to recommend it. been to both, now happy at St Jerome

Editor Note: reviews were also received for School of the Madeleine

April 2006

Possibly leaving a berkeley independent school.I'm very interested in any comments about St Jeromes Catholic School in El Cerrito. How do they handle very active boys? What's their discipline strategies like? How do the academics and arts compare to a private school? Any information is helpful. anon

We Love St. Jerome's! We have a daughter finishing Kindergarten and have found the experience to be positive & rewarding. My daughter is a high energy kid, who has done well with ''we mean business attitude'' at St. Jerome's. They are strict, however, it is not arbitrary. They are tough, but loving & fair. The children know what is expected of them. Disipline is balanced with care & attentivness. It is a whole life approach. My Daughter is learning academics (in exciting ways) while, enjoying art, learning about the environment, & learning to write thank you notes & get well cards. It is a Catholic School. So the teachings are church directed. The students attend Mass.

We have really come to love the community & community building environment. Student Families are one example. Students have Buddies from each grade to help show them the ropes & do activities with. It creates a great community. There is no exclusion, bullying, or stife among the students. Any Kindergarten is comfortable approaching & chatting with any eight-grader.

As for activities: The children enjoy: Dance, Band, Sports,choir various clubs (ecology, student council) Rallys and field-trips. Each teacher seems to have a speciality. I believe next year all grades will have Spanish. There are also events put on by the PTG (our PTA). It is a great place. I could go on and on... We will be having a Spring Festival on Sunday May 21 from 10am - 3pm. I would strongly encourage anyone considering St. Jerome's to come & see what the school & community is like. Angela

Nov 2005

We are looking for a racially diverse school. Driving by St. Jerome's recently I noticed the playground was very diverse. We are not Catholic and are not really gung-ho on the religious education element of a Catholic school. Is there an opt out option? World religions alternative? I would appreciate any updated opinions of the school.

St. Jerome's is a wonderful school. We have been very happy with our daughter's education there. Yes, it is very diverse and the school embraces many different cultures. But the one thing it has in common is it is a catholic school and the children are taught the catholic religion. In the early years, they teach the values and morals of what it takes to be a good christian, a good neighbor, a good friend, basically a good person along with some of the basic stories of the bible. They go to church as a school almost weekly and each grade is responsible for planning one mass a year. Last year, the christmas pageant was at the church, titled Christmas around the World and celebrated all the different ways the world celebrates the holiday. The kindergarten class sang a song in Nigerian. It was wonderful. The sc! hool has ''families'' where a child from every grade is put into a ''family'' of nine children (K - 8th grade) and they do various projects throughout the year together, from decorating scarecrows at Halloween, to making and collecting gifts and food donations for the needy during the holidays.

The poster had stated that they were not really gung-ho on the religious education element of a Catholic school. I just hope to clarify that they will learn religion and how to practice it. That is what you get when you choose a catholic school - religion and the history, morals and values that go with it. It is why most people choose it over a public education. That being said, not everyone at St. Jerome's is catholic or even go to church regularly. I choose St. Jerome's not only for it's diversty, but for it's community of wonderful parents, teachers and staff, who are involved in the day to day process of ma! king this an even better school for our children and gives them the environment to succeed in. Kerri

Nov 2003

This is in response to the request for information on School of the Madeleine and St. Jerome. Our experience at St. Jerome has been mixed. The school is academically strong, my child will have an excellent preparation for high school. It is a safe environment, everybody knows everybody, there is very little bullying, though there are cliques. There are some wonderful teachers, especially the fifth grade teacher. Having uniforms simplifies life immensely, especially for a girl. The school is bright and clean and attractive. Having said all that, there are some serious negatives too. I've had difficulty before getting negative remarks posted on this board, so the OP can post her/his email & I will gladly send my negative comments directly.

In response to the question about St. Jerome: It is an extremely nice high-quality school with only one major drawback--unfortunately it is very major. Nevertheless, you may still find that it is a good choice for you after all. The teachers are all very good and very dedicated.A few are truly outstanding.It is relatively small--just one class of each grade. The students are extremely diverse -- black, white, Asian, Hispanic, and all points in-between--you would have a hard time deciding what there is the ''most'' of. The children are genuinely fond of one another, and it is a pleasure to see how the older kids interact with the younger ones. The playground is safe, and there is never any fighting. It is definitely a Catholic school. However, if I had to guess, I would say that maybe as much as 40% of the student body is not Catholic. Religion is taught seriously, but it is not heavy on dogma--more of the God-is-Love Jesus-is-the-Good- Shepard Treat-everyone-with-kindness-and-respect Be-good- stewards-of-the-earth variety. Academics are strong, but teaching is generally aimed at the ''high middle'' of the spectrum. If a youngster has an extremely difficult time keeping up or is extremely advanced,it may not always be the best fit. The teachers are always willing to work with any student who needs help. So, what is the big drawback? The administration tends to be very authoritarian and confrontational. Consequences are often out of proportion to the crime and can seem utterly arbitrary. Nevertheless, there are many satisfied parents who find the administration to be nothing more than an occasional annoyance, more than outweighed by the advantages of the school. So, check it out, but be very aware of the situation. So much depends on your child--it may turn out to be perfect for you, or it may turn out to be a nightmare. It is a good school with many wonderful families. anonymous

January 2003

I would like to pose similar questions about St. Jerome's in El Cerrito that the parent in Berkley did about School of the Madeline.

Would anyone be willing to share some of their experiences at St. Jerome's? We attend church regularly (Unitarian Universalist) and my partner and I have both taught Sunday School but are looking into Catholic School for our son, particularly the late-elementary/middle school years.

What percentage of the families at SJ are non-Catholic? Are students ever accepted for higher grades (3,4), or just K? How are the academics? The spiritual studies?

We are a 2-mom family and my son is part Latino so we are concerned about the tolerance/diversity among other parents, students, teachers, and school administrators. Many thanks.

This is in response to the questions about St. Jerome School. Out daughter attended there 4th 5th and 6th grade. I would discourage you from considering that particular school for some of these reasons... - This is a commuter school with students form the far reaches of CC county. It is not a natural geographic school community and unless you are a member of the church, it may be a little difficult to connect. There was noone from Berkeley in my daughter's classes. - You will be dealing with a larger percentage of religious Catholics than in other schools and I'd be reluctant to attend as a two mom family. There were no families with two dad's or mom's when my daughter attended (4 yrs ago) - Class sizes are BIG.

Having said all this, I should add that you won't find as many discipline problems in the school and I did like the inclusion of teaching moral values in the curriculum. If you'd like more info feel free to contact me. monika

I have two children who have gone to St. Jerome's since kindergarden, they are now in 6th and 2nd grade. I would be glad to share e-mails with more details, but here are some of my general impressions.

In every grade there are several non-Catholics and probably several more who are Catholic but not particularly active in the church. The religious emphasis in each class depends somewhat upon the teacher's beliefs. We are non-Catholic (and also attend the Unitarian Church!) and I have never felt particularly uncomfortable there. There is a very strong emphasis on racial and cultural tolerance which was particularly noteable after ''9/11''. The proportions of different racial backgrounds seems to follow the racial mix of Bay Area society as a whole and the children all seem comfortable with each other and respectful of differences. Students are often accepted for older grades. I don't have recent public school experience to compare, but I know when my daughter was in the end of 3rd grade she could read Harry Potter by herself and many others were doing the same. St. Jeromes is having an ''open house'' this Sunday, the 26th, if this post makes it out in time! Again, I would be glad to e-mail anyone in private who wants more information. Liz

I'd like people to know that we as a family are quite happy with St. Jerome School. This is our second year there and both of our children attend in kindergarten and 1st grade. We have a bi-racial family. My husband is non-Catholic and I am a non-practicing Catholic and we have never felt uneasy about the religious aspect of the school. The fact is that if you attend a Catholic school, yes, there will be Catholics there. However, in both of my children's classes, the split is probably over 50% non-Catholic. The diversity is what has really drawn me to the school both ethnic and religious. We have many religions represented in the school, including Muslim, Baptist and others. This is a school that has changed with the times. I went to 12 years of Catholic school myself and this is absolutely nothing like it. The curriculum embraces diversity and teaches respect for differences in all people. I'm also amazed at how the children really get to know just about all of the other children in the entire school. There are many activities where the younger kids are paired with older ones to do projects and help each other. In the first weeks of kindergarten I was stunned that while walking onto the campus, older children were greeting my children by name. I feel it is a wonderful environment for my children to be exposed to many ethnic and cultural backgrounds and learn how to be a good citizen, to say nothing of the academics. My kindergartner is reading her second book this week and my 1st grader is well on his way to completing a chapter book.

I'm sorry that someone who posted a comment previously did not have a positive experience but things do change in 4 years. Right now St. Jerome's is a good place to be and I am committed to keeping my children there through 8th grade.
Janeen

March 1998

Re: Non-Christians considering Catholic School
I am fairly agnostic (with a Christian background) and my husband is fairly agnostic (with a Muslim background); our daughter has attended St. Jerome's for the past 2 years.

There are a surprising number of non-Catholics and non-Christians there, and I think that the teachers there are fairly used to this. I have never felt that there was stigma attached to this, but they do tend to express things in Christian terms, things that my daughter calls "important stuff" because that is probably what her teacher says to get them to sit still and pay attention. Sometimes she complains that there is "too much important stuff in this school, Mom" but I'm not quite sure if this is because she is feeling excluded or because she just finds it boring, since it's never discussed that way at home. They don't seem to be fundamentalists as far as curriculum.

What's really nice about the school is that the students take care of each other....my daughter is never intimidated by the older children (they have mixed after school care from K through 8th grade and they all sit down and work on homework and do art projects together). Kids form strong friendships (which are aided if they all attend church functions together, but certainly are formed with non-church goers as well) and people make a point of greeting you on the stairs, etc. Maybe this friendliness is true of all private schools; my experience with public schools was a long time ago with a much older child.

You do have to be respectful of actively religious people, because that is the reference that the teachers and staff have there for life. I tell my daughter that the "important" things are very important to her teacher and should be respected, even though they do not pertain to what we do as a family. Liz

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