Urban Montessori Charter School (Oakland, CA)
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Urban Montessori Charter School (Oakland, CA)
Oct 2012
Re: Hands-on, no-homework private/charter elementary?
Urban Montessori is the school you want then. A public charter school in Oakland,
the school was founded on Montessori/Design Thinking philosophies. Hands on,
project based with no homework is pretty much the exact model of the school. For
more information visit http://www.urbanmontessori.org/about/our-mission
UMCS parent
Sept 2012
I would love to hear how Urban Montessori Charter is going in its first month and
what thoughts anyone has on this school. My child has just started kindergarten
at a top-performing Oakland public school but I'm already wondering if the
high-pressure, cookie-cutter setting is one she'll really thrive in. She loved
learning so much until now.... Please share any insights into where UMC is at,
and appears to be headed. Thanks so much!!
-Want my child to love school!
My daughter is in kindergarten at Urban Montessori. We got into a very good OSD
school but decided to take a chance, and I'm glad we did.
We are new to Montessori, so this has been a learning experience for us.
She comes home every day with something new--a word, a song, a story. She's taking
yoga and Mandarin and in aftercare has taken a cooking class, jewelry making and
African dance.
They managed to get a great cross section of families-- there are black and white and
straight and gay and rich and poor.
For a brand new school, it's incredibly well organized. Yes, there are glitches--
information isn't always easy to get, and they're still trying to figure out their
best practices-- but far fewer than I expected for a start-up.
Everyone I've encountered has been friendly and supportive: from parents to staff to
teachers.
The location stinks-- it's way out by Mills College-- but they won't be there
forever, they're going to outgrow it soon, and they're hoping for a more BART
central, Uptown-ish location.
At this point, I have no regrets, and I'd tell anyone looking for a 'different'
approach to school to try it! I have a feeling in 3 years it'll be like NOCCS, and
everyone will be desperate to get in.
New Montessori Mama
When I saw this message I decided to go straight to the source and ask my first grade
daughter how she likes her new school and she said, ''I give it three loves.'' The
teachers are amazing and the design team that founded the school is unbelievable.
There are challenges as there would be with any start up, but that is also part of
the excitement. This is a public school so don't expect the low student to teacher
ratios. There are 34 students and 2 teachers in my daughter's class. There is an
amazing amount of diversity, which is a major draw but also a major challenge as
there are children at very different ability levels. If you are looking for the
equivalent of a private school you are not in the right place. But if you are looking
for an alternative to a regular public school but with a public school feel than UMCS
might work for you. If you're not familiar with Montessori (I have no prior
experience with the method) it is a bit of a leap of faith. But I feel like I can
trust the teachers and founders to provide my child with a wonderful education. And I
plan on volunteering a lot to make this dream school a reality. Oh and I love love
that there is no homework. Last thing, the parent community has been fantastic. When
the school couldn't provide after school care for the first week people quickly came
together to help each other out. I agree with my daughter, I give Urban Montessori
three loves!
Signed: UMCS Parent
My daughter is in first grade at Urban Montessori and so far it is going very well.
There have been some bumps along the way but I feel that they are now settling into a
groove. In addition to the Montessori classroom, the kids have music, art and
language (Mandarin or Spanish) a few days of the week and PE every day. When I ask my
daughter what she likes the most, it is those special classes that she mentions. She
also likes that she gets a lot of time to draw in her journal during the work period
(she still does her other tasks). I worry a little bit that with the independence
that kids get in the Montessori model that my daughter will spend too much time on
the things she likes and not enough time on the things that are hard for her. After
talking with her teacher I can see that she (the teacher) looks at each child and
finds ways to use their strengths (for my daughter drawing) to help in other areas
(reading and writing in our case).
Last year my daughter was in kindergarten at a different first year charter school. I
can tell you that the staff at Urban Montessori is doing a much better job at dealing
with the inevitable issues that come up when starting a new school. I believe this is
a school that will continue to improve over time. I am very impressed by the teaching
staff and the administration. They have a very ambitious mission and they seem to be
on track to achieve it.
happy UMCS mom
Hi,
So far UMCS has been wonderful for my second grader. My child has come home learning
how to divide and multiply in the first three weeks! I find the focus on personal
responsibility and independent thinking remarkable. We have had a gecko at home for
two years. It mainly sat quietly alone with the parents taking care of her. But two
weeks ago, my second grader asked to have a lower table for the gecko and is now
regularly feeding it and giving it water (I am still working on having the cage
cleaned). it has been a transition in terms of friends and schedules, but overall I
would say my child is thriving.
I won't deny that there have been some hiccups regarding communication to parents,
but this is a start up public school with limited funding so I am patient and working
hard to correct this issue as a volunteer.
I will fully disclose that my family has been involved in the start up of the school
so i have tried to focus on my child's progress and comments to me.
Christina
We are so pleased to be a part of UMCS this year. The vision the design team is
holding is an ambitious one, but the resources are there to meet it. I have loved the
community created at the school, and the parental involvement. For a start up, this
school is organized and clear in its vision. They're also willing to review and
revise as needed. I'm excited every day my daughters have something fun to report -
working with materials, cooking, capoeira, yoga, and the lessons taught by talented
teachers.
UMCS Parent
this page was last updated: Nov 3, 2012
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