Mosaic project at schools

My son attended Mosaic in 2010 so some things may have changed. All BUSD schools participate. Kids generally go in 4th grade. It’s during the school year. My son went in May. Yes, everyone in the class goes. And you really wouldn’t want your kids to miss out. It was an amazing experience for my son, he grew so much in those few days. There are parent and teacher chaperones. You’re not required to volunteer.  It’s extremely well run and your kids are with professional educators. I believe there is a requested fee but it’s minimal. And if you’re not able to afford it there is always financial aid available. I’m not sure if it’s PTA funded. Mosaic is an incredible program. Please don’t stress over it. Your kid will be lucky to attend. 

My child is at Cragmont.  Cragmont participates in Mosaic, and I believe that one or two other BUSD elementary schools do as well. From what I understand, it is not a district-wide program.  While there is some in-school programming that teachers present during the school year (during 4th/5th grades), the key component of Mosaic is the 4 night/5 day overnight camp.  In prior years, the camp was in Napa; it is now housed at a conference center in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  At Cragmont, the fourth graders attend at the beginning of the fall.  While not all kids attended, most did (out of 75 kids, I believe that 5 kids didn't go).  I don't think that kids who stayed back felt awkward.  I believe that the kids who stayed back did so because their families weren't comfortable with overnight camp.  Each of the three classes went during different weeks, so kids who didn't attend simply were assigned to a different classroom while the rest of their class was away.

Each family is asked to pay as much as possible toward the tuition/transportation.  Our school's PTA covers the remaining costs.

At least at Cragmont, parent chaperones are not allowed to attend, as Mosaic staff is in charge of the kids both in the dorms/cabins and during the daytime activities. The classroom teacher accompanied the kids.  While I don't know whether this same rule holds true for other schools, my understanding is that "no parent chaperones" is part of the Mosaic camp experience.

I believe that all BUSD elementary schools have some type of overnight camp experience for 4th or 5th graders.  Other camps emphasize science or the outdoors.  The focus of Mosaic is building peace.  While that sounds like Berkeley-speak, in practice the camp staff teaches kids to appreciate differences as well as giving them real tools to reduce conflict.  I had my private doubts but my child found the camp to be a powerful experience.  The staff really challenges kids to ask and answer tough questions about navigating their world and how to interact and respect kids who have different perspectives. The camp intentionally invites schools with differing demographics to attend during the same sessions so our Berkeley kids may be paired with classes from a private school in Marin, a suburban school from the Peninsula or a charter school in Oakland.  All in all, I thought that the week was well worth the money spent.

If you haven't already, I encourage you to check out the Mosaic website at https://mosaicproject.org/.  There is an awesome video on the site in which the kids explain the value of Mosaic camp far better than I can.