Melrose Leadership Academy
Parent Q&A
Parent Reviews
Parents, please Sign in to post a review on this page.Hi! My kids go to MLA. I would say that #13 isn’t bad. You might get in! Although I realize TK is only one class so that is a harder waitlist to move up than other grades. You could always apply again for kínder.
What I can share is that aftercare at MLA is full. They are trying to expand capacity but it is waitlisted already. If you get in for TK you’ll likely have to figure out an off campus aftercare.
If you do apply for her for kínder next year, I’d enroll in mla aftercare just in case. It comes out in March/april. I did that when my kid was waitlisted for kínder and he got into MLA in the first week of school. I was so glad we had a spot for aftercare already!
As for Emerson, I have friends with second graders who go to Studio One for aftercare and like it.
Hope that helps!
Hi, my son is in kindergarten at Melrose and has an IEP. Also diagnosed with autism, at age 4. Overall we've been happy with the school. Happy to chat more about our experience, phone may be easier, please feel free to message me directly.
The school board decided to expand Melrose Leadership Academy in response to its high demand, so it will be a bit easier to get in to compared to previous years. Plus, there is a limited number of students who have the language abilities to start in later grades to fill the spots opened by attrition, so you probably have a good chance at a spot for a first grader, even with late enrollment. (Don't be disheartened if you are initially waitlisted - spots always open at the last minute.) The neighborhood around Melrose Leadership Academy is pretty nice if you are looking for somewhere relatively affordable.
There are many great elementary schools in Oakland. My kid goes to MLA and loves it. We are very happy there.
I don't know what your criteria is, but if you are considering Chabot (which is very big) and Peralta (small), you may also look into Glenview, Cleveland, Montclair, and Sequoia.
I know you wrote you want to live in Berkeley, which is understandable since you will be at LBNL. However, there is an excellent public bilingual "dual immersion" Spanish-English public K-8 school in Oakland near Mills College called Melrose Leadership Academy. The commute would be long-ish, but not impossible, and the neighborhoods near Melrose are nice - you could probably afford to rent a whole house down this way (my neighborhood) for much less than in Berkeley. You could take Bus or BART to Berkeley, and there is also a shuttle between Mills College and UC Berkeley, though I don't know it's frequency or limitations. The school website is http://melroseleadership.ousd.k12.ca.us/ Berkeley Parent Network discussion of MLA is at: https://www.berkeleyparentsnetwork.org/recommend/schools/oakland/melrose
Oakland neighborhoods near Melrose Academy include : Laurel District, Maxwell Park, Millsmont, Steinway Terrace/Jefferson, Brookdale Park, Allendale, and Redwood Heights. This sounds like a lot, huh? the neighborhood boundaries are quite small and a neighborhood may be only 4-6 square blocks. For example, my neighborhood (Steinway/Jefferson) is only 4 x 3 city blocks. But these are names to use when looking at real estate maps when looking for a rental. This general area of Oakland is about 30 min by car from North Berkeley, depending on traffic and the route you take. The closest BART station is Fruitvale, which has dedicated bike parking and a bike service station. We have friends up the street who commuted to LBL for several years on a (electric assist) bike.
My daughter goes to MLA and it is awesome. I highly recommend you check it out. The principal is a strong leader with caring, loving teachers. I know parents who have kids in TK there and are very happy with it.
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Manzanita Seed vs Melrose Academy
Dec 2013
Hi! I recently toured both MLA and Manzanita Seed and didn't feel like I got a thorough sense of the school community. I'm interested in hearing stories from families that looked at both and decided with one vs. the other. Happy with your decision? What do you love most about the school? Thanks in advance, searching for spanish immersion in oakland
Hi,
I, too, did both school tours and had a difficult time choosing. In the end, I chose Melrose Leadership Academy based on speaking with parents in the school, talking further with Principal Moira about the curriculum and school ethos, and reading more about the 90/10 immersion approach (vs. 50/50). I am very happy with my decision. My son is thriving academically, and is learning Spanish very quickly. He also loves being at school and actually asks me to pick him up late from the afterschool program.
Parents at MLA are really committed and I am amazed at how everyone works together, volunteers willingly, and wants to make this a better school. We recently worked one weekend to put together garden boxes and create a green space on the blacktop playground. We also cleaned classrooms and washed rugs that same day. I had heard that MLA had a strong PTSA, but I am witnessing first-hand how committed everyone is and I think it is great.
I also love the diversity and the strong cultural learning that my son is receiving, not only in school but in the after school care. My son is learning yoga, Capoeira, doing lots of art, and dance. (This weekend he had a capoeira class and performance and I was really impressed by how much they have learned) He gets a lot of time outdoors too, which he both needs and wants.
Needless to say, I am really grateful to have my son at MLA. There are always going to be things that are not ''perfect'' with a school but I believe that it is up to the community to do something about it, and at MLA, I believe that our parent community steps up to do so.
Good luck with your decision. MLA parent
Aug 2012
Re: Bilingual Schools in Oakland and Berkeley
check out melrose leadership academy in oakland, mills college/maxwell park area. it is a two-way immersion program growing to 8th grade. kinder starts out at 90% spanish. currently k-3. we've been very happy there but more importantly my son loves it. mla mama
June 2012
Re: Expeditionary Learning Schools
The two Oakland schools using it are Manzanita Seed and Melrose Leadership Academy. My son is at MLA & this is the first year they implemented EL. He loves the expeditions they have done so far and has been very engaged with the process. We are looking forward to what they do with EL for next year.
Dec 2011
Re: Spanish Immersion after 5th grade
In Oakland, we have Melrose Leadership Academy, a public two-way immersion school that is building a k-8. Right now I have a son in 2nd grade and every year a grade will be added until 8th.
Dec 2011
Re: Comparing school districts: Bilingual Immersion
If you change your mind and consider moving to Oakland. There is a public dual immersion (span/eng) school in maxwell park called Melrose Leadership Academy that has been phenomenal for my child. http://melroseleadership.ousd.k12.ca.us/ buena suerte!
June 2011
Hello- I live in Maxwell Park near High Street in Oakland and wonder about this new-ish school in our neighborhood called Melrose Leadership Academy. It is a dual-language immersion school (Spanish/English) which appeals to me, but beyond that I don't know anything else. My kid will be attending Kindergarten not this coming Fall but the next. I'd love to send him there since it is close to home and he would learn Spanish, but how is it REALLY? Do any of you have feedback about your experiences with this school? Thinking ahead about my options Oaklandmama
Melrose Leadership Academy has just completed its second year with an elementary K & 1st grade dual immersion Spanish program (which means that 50% of the student population speaks Spanish and 50% speaks English as their primary languages and are immersed into a Spanish educational program). MLA has been in existence for about 10 years as a middle school 6-8th grades (which have many Spanish speakers but is not an immersion program yet) and now has Kindergarten and 1st grade and will add a new grade each year. The 2011-2012 school year will include 2nd grade.
The administrator, teachers, support staff, families and community are working together toward its goal of having ethnically and socio-economically diverse classrooms along with a balance of English dominant and Spanish dominant students who will become bilingual and bi-literate and will develop a respect for diversity of language through the intentional inclusion of multi-cultural education.
My daughter has attended MLA for the last two years and my son will begin in the fall. I have served as a member of the design team for the school and am also part of the Parent Teacher Organization for the school. I would be happy to chat further about MLA please feel free to contact me. keller
Hi, I too live in maxwell park. We have been part of MLA since the beginning. We started in the first kinder class and now my son is going into 2nd grade. We are a spanish speaking household. MLA is unique for many reasons but the two that stand out for me is that it's growing into a k-8, I personally love the idea that my son won't have to transition to a new school when his hormones get all wacky and it's two-way immersion vs bilingual so the focus is for ALL students to retain their mother tongue and to learn a new language too. The classroom is purposefully designed to have 50%native spanish speakers and 50% native english speakers. Kinder starts 90% spanish/10% english and tapers off as the grades get higher. For ex: 2nd grade next year will be 80/20. There are also many exciting things happenning right now: collaboration with stopwaste to improve our schoolyard, a weekly farmer's market, restorative justice practices, and a strong parent group. But most importantly, my son loves going to school. He is happy there and feels loved and safe. Having said all this, we are a growing school so hence we have some growing pains but with that there are so many parents stepping up to say how can we help/support. I really can't ask for anything more from my neighborhood public school. If you'd like to know more or get a sense of the school community please free to bring your family to a workday. We have them the first saturday of every month and we'll start again in September. Feel free to email too. Good luck with your research/decsion! libby
To the person who lives in Maxwell Park and asked about Melrose Leadership-- There are a few families in the neighborhood getting together in the fall to talk about neighborhood options for the school year 2012-13. We are hoping to hear from families of both Maxwell Park as well as MLA students. If you are interested in attending this meeting please let me know. Jennette
April 2010
I am curious to hear more about Melrose Leadership Academy and the dual immersion program that just started this year. How are parents of kindergartners liking the program so far? Can anyone share more info about the plans for adding additional grades in the future? My son will be going to elementary school in 2012 and I would love to keep him in a Spanish language setting (he's at Monte Tavor now). I love the idea of the dual immersion program but I have heard that it can be difficult for kids who are Spanish speaking to transition to the 50/50 language split since they start at 90Spanish/10English. Does anyone have experience with this sort of program? Why do they start at 90% Spanish? How does the transition to 50/50 work - is it gradual, or sudden? What's the plan at MLA? Any advice or insights would be great. I also plan to contact the principal this year but love the advice from this community so appreciate any of your thoughts. thinking ahead
My son is in the current crop of kindergartner's at Melrose and is really loving it. He is a native English speaker and had no background in Spanish. He's doing great and the 90/10 set up of the program has not hindered him. It's my understanding that 90/10 is more effective at getting children bilingual faster. I believe that it stays 90/10 in 1st grade and then progressively moves 80/20, 70/30 etc. until it is a 50/50 program. The school plans on adding a grade a year until it is a K-8 dual immersion program. Right now it is just K and 6-8. My child will be in the 1st first grade class and an new group of kinders will start in the fall. I suggest you speak with the principal, she has a very clear vision for her program. We have a pretty involved parent community as well. I encourage you to take a closer look at the school and its program. We've been very happy. Please feel free to contact me via email if you have any more questions. Tina
Oct 2009
Re: Kindergarden Next Year, but which one?
If you are in OUSD than I would highly recommend checking out Melrose Leadership Academy in the Maxwell Park area of Oakland. It is a dual-immersion Spanish/English K-8 school of which my son is lucky enough to be a student. Check it out here: http://melroseleadership.ousd.k12.ca.us/ and here: http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_13404444 Tina
Oct 2009
I've heard that Melrose Academy is a Spanish Immersion school. Is anyone in this community going there? What have been your experiences? I'm interested in all opinions. Thanks! Should I send my child to Melrose?
Hi! My son is a student in the kindergarten at Melrose Leadership Academy. We could not be happier with the community of children, parents and educators. It is a wonderfully diverse group of kids and the program itself (90/10 spanish immersion) was intimidating for me as a parent initially, but my son (with very very limited spanish background) adapted quickly and loves it. I highly recommend speaking with the Director, Moyra Contreras to get a feel for her philosophy and see if it works with your needs. You can also read about the school here: http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_13404444 and view a news story from Telemundo here: http://video.msn.com/?mkt=es-us=videoByUuids:uuids:e66ff530-4f10-4308-87eb-5facff906076=true=IV2_es-us_Telemundo=gtlv2 tina
Hello, My son, who is already a fluent spanish speaker, attends MLA. It's only been a few weeks since school started but my son loves it so far. He comes home singing songs and excited to do homework. The principal is very experienced and warm. Also, in a short time the parents have really come together to support the program. His teacher is great too. The not so great? The afterschool program is still getting it's footing though we appreciate having a safe place for him to be, it's more like childcare. They will be offering art and drumming so eventually it will be more enriching. There are also some logisitical issues with drop off that hopefully will be resolved soon. Finally, they need more spanish speakers. There are current openings in the program for spanish speakers so if you know of any send them our way! happy mla parent
We were nervous about enrolling our child at Melrose Leadership Academy for kindergarten this year. There was no kindergarten class to visit last year! It's been really great though, and we are so glad we decided to go for it. We are thrilled for our child to have the opportunity to attend a dual-immersion Spanish/English public school, and amazed at how much the kids are learning so quickly, in both languages. Both kindergarten teachers are great, and the director is also wonderful-- experienced, and dedicated. We are also getting to know many wonderful families in a very short amount of time. Many parents are involved in the school, and also with volunteering in the classrooms. A weekly farmer's market happens evey Wednesday afternoon on the playground! There is also a beautiful garden on the school grounds. The after-school program got off to a slow start, but the kindergarten kids now have an after-school art program, and capoeira classes, with more classes to come. Come and meet this wonderfully diverse community!! The school phone number is 879-1530, if you want to call for more information about the program, or to come visit the classrooms. The director's name is Moyra Contreras. --Very happy MLA parents
March 2009
I can't find any info on the BPN about Melrose Leadership Academy's K-8 Spanish/English dual immersion program. My understanding is that this is not a charter school, but a regular Oakland public school. Can anyone tell me more about it? Thanks! Diana
Hello, No previous postings because it doesn't exist yet! Currently it is a middle school. It is a small school and you can enroll in it through the regular OUSD process. It's first dual immersion K classes will be THIS Fall. They will have 2 Kinder classes and each year will grow a grade until they get to 8th. My son will be attending and we are looking forward to growing with the school. The Principal is very open and I'm sure would be happy to talk with you in greater detail. http://www.smallschoolsfoundation.org/mla
libby
Melrose Leadership Academy is an Oakland Public School not a Charter school. Currently it is a 6-8th grade but is beginning a spanish Dual Immersion Kindergarten this fall 2009. Spaces are still available for fall enrollment. If you are interested please contact Moyra Contreras (principal) moyra.contreras [at] ousd.k12.ca.us. I am currently serving on the Design Team for the Dual Immersion School as a public elementary school teacher and a community parent of a child that will begin Kindergarten at MLA this fall. Here are the websites available with information about Melrose Leadership Academy. http://www.smallschoolsfoundation.org/mla http://melroseleadership.ousd.k12.ca.us/ http://www.melroseleadership.org/ kellerthomsak
I'm afraid I don't have experience at MLA but my second kid is in TK at Greenleaf right now. While their Spanish immersion program doesn't technically start till K, since the majority of students are Spanish speaking much of his classroom time has a Spanish component. The main teacher only speaks English but teaching aid is bilingual and does at least 30 minutes of Spanish instruction a day. My child had also been in a Spanish immersion preschool and he has continued to increase the letters and sounds he knows in Spanish along with his English pre-literacy skills. And if your kid is there for TK, you've automatically got a spot there for K. My oldest is in second grade there now and we've been very pleased with the school and the education they've both gotten. Would recommend to other families looking for bilingual education in OUSD. Happy to chat more about the details.
(I believe that Manzanita SEED also has TK but I'm not sure how their program is set up and don't have personal experience with it.)