Lamorinda public school
We currently live in El Cerrito and our children attend a private TK-8 school nearby. Covid aside, we couldn’t be unhappier. Academics are lacking, the mere focus is on socio-emotional development. While this is important, it is merely taught on a superficial level. The school is not willing - despite endless meetings and interventions from doctors and psychologists - to respect and support our children’s‘ medical needs and learning challenges.
We are now looking into moving to Orinda: one child would be in 4th the other one in 7th grade. We would either attend Wagner or Glorietta and OIS. As a family we are members at OPP and both children love swimming and Waterpolo.
We are looking for a school that focuses on:
* academics
* supports kids whose primary language is not English
* can accomplish 504 plans: our younger son suffers from a benign form of epilepsy and needs to snack regularly even outside the scheduled lunch times in order to remain stable.
any current views on the performance of lamorinda public schools? Any parents who are confronted with similar challenges and are happy at Lamorinda schools?
Is Glorietta or Wagner better our needs?
thank you!
Parent Replies
Contact SEED Lafayette. It's an organization that advocates for Special Needs kids. https://seedlafayette.org/
The ratio for K-3 is low in Orinda public schools, but starting in 4th grade, the class size goes up 2x. Your experience can vary a lot depending on how experienced the lead teacher you get. We had a terrific teacher with 30+ years of teaching experience when our son was in 2nd grade, followed by another who was a 1st year graduate, and the results showed.
OIS is the only MS in Orinda, so the class size can be quite large --> which may not be the best environment for kids whose primary language is not English.