Testimonial

It was a little risky joining a school that formed during the pandemic and only just found itself a campus this school year. I expected things to be rocky, important academic things might be missed, communications might be inconsistent, parents might regularly be asked to jump in and save the day with time or money or both…. Happy to say I’ve been wowed. It’s mostly been smooth sailing so far.

I’m not privy to what’s happening behind the scenes, but my kid looks forward to going to school, I’m in close contact with her math teacher (which was an area of concern for my child in the past), and I love hearing about what my kid is learning in their “Journey” class where they’re traveling the Oregon Trail (virtually).

One area of concern for us was whether our child who is “only” at grade-level in math (3rd) but reads at 9th grade level could be both challenged and supported at this school. So far, we’ve found there are many children who are reading the same books, can recommend others, and plenty who are reading closer to grade level. I was worried being at grade-level in math in a school for gifted kids can be a bit challenging socially as my child is grouped ability-wise with mostly younger kids, but the messaging is – everyone has unique strengths and areas where things don’t come as easily. My child was initially taken aback, but she loves her math teacher, has gotten to know and like the younger kids, and has adopted a more positive growth mindset towards math (thanks to her teacher, who teaches growth mindset along with math).

In their Journey class, the 3rd graders are learning about early factory work and tenant farming, working in teams to decide what to bring while considering the weight their wagon can carry, building miniature wagons, etc. I believe she’ll remember what she’s learning because the learning is deep, constructive and hands-on, i.e., memorable. Her class also spends a good chunk of every Tuesday at the school’s nature campus hiking, journaling, planting seeds. If I could, I’d attend this school myself!