Washington Elementary?

Hi,

The waitlists we were on last year had almost zero movement. I've heard stories about others having better luck.

As for Washington, it was low on our list last year for all the reasons you listed, and we've really loved it. The principal is communicative and high-energy, and our K class's families were incredibly engaged. The commute is still the worst, but the community and teachers are great. 

Hi, 

Our kid started kindergarten at WA last year and it's been a great experience. To be honest, we moved from a school district that has terrible and significant discrepancies between schools, one of the primary mountains for moving to Berkeley. We also had heard that all BUSD schools are good (neighbors and friends kids go to 3 other elementary schools and no one is unhappy or needing to move their kids), so I ranked mostly on location. It was our second, only because our first would've been walkable but we have enjoyed it a lot. And most importantly, our kid loves it. Our kinder teacher was fantastic, there's a number of family/community oriented events to get involved with, everyone respected our kids gender (she's trans) from day 1, the garden and redwood trees (!!) are lovely and we organize a morning drop-off that helps with the congestion/downtown location. I also found the diversity (economic, racial, LGBT, etc) to be refreshing - I had had misconceptions (fears?) of Berkeley being mostly upper class white straight families but have had a different experience. We love it. Good luck and hope you find your community!

Hi, my kids both went to Washington, and while it was a while ago, I want to mention that the downtown location ended up being a huge plus, especially as the kids moved up in age. The teachers could take their classes on many easy field trips - they walked up to Zellerbach for performances, to BAMPFA for art exhibits, to the downtown library, etc. They also took BART (with lots of chaperones) to the Oakland Museum and to San Francisco. The school is also the easiest elementary for Cal students to reach, so there are robust mentoring programs which my kids loved. Maybe most importantly, the central Berkeley location made it easier for families from different corners of Berkeley to gather. Lots of families came to evening and weekend events, and the community was really strong.

Hi, current (and long time) Washington parent here.  I’m surprised there are not more responses as every WA parent I know loves the school. My younger child is there now and my older child, who is in middle school, went there K-5th grade. 

Washington has a very warm and engaged community. As you know by now, the school year starts with grade level potlucks, which are a great way to meet other families with kids around your kids age. There are regular Friday morning coffee hours after drop off where you can meet parents of kids of all ages. There are many fun events throughout the year that bring the community together including, but not limited to, the Winter Party, Black Excellence night, math night, science night, multicultural night & the Spring Party.

As others mentioned, the location is fantastic for field trips. My kids have walked, taken the city bus, and BARTed to places other schools can’t get to because the school buses are prohibitively expensive. They still get their bus field trips, in addition to the others! My kids have been on field trips to many state parks, several Bay Area art museums, numerous science centers, plays, music performances, botanic gardens, Angel Island, sailing in the Bay, ropes course in Tilden, etc., etc. The school also has fun assemblies, and the librarian regularly brings famous authors to visit. All of the kids play with the San Francisco symphony in the Spring. In 5th grade the kids go to a sleep away science camp and have the option of attending a sleep away music camp too. Some years parents plan an optional local camping trip for anyone interested in joining. 

As far as the PTA funding goes, I feel like there has always been great arts curriculum. That never seemed to be lacking and also includes a deep dive poetry unit in 4th grade. And yes, the PTA spends money on PE because we have THE BEST PE teacher, Coach Don. He is worth every cent (and much more)! We also have an award winning science teacher who is fantastic, and also happens to be a Washington parent. Many of the teachers are parents of WA kids and alumni. 

I hope now that the school year has started you are feeling settled in at Washington. If not, please attend a school function, or just wait awhile. You’ll see why many call it BUSD’s best kept secret.