Christa Mcauliffe

I am a parent of 2 children at Christa McAuliffe -- grades 5 & 3. I have known of McAuliffe since they moved into the facility on Titus in Sept. 1989. I am in the Education Field and am aquainted with MANY families who have attended McAuliffe since this time & have been VERY successful continuing on into HS & College.
I had moved out of the area in 1994. I was so sold on the school & it's amazing & unique program it offers that when my son was old enough for Kindergarten, we decided to move back so he could attend McAuliffe. Two years later, his sister joined him. We have had absolutely no regrets as we have watched our children grow & blossom into independent well rounded, thoughtful, well spoken individuals who embrace school socially, emotionally, & academically. The Staff is AMAZING as is the involved community.

I would strongly encourage you to go on a tour of the facility so you can see the program in action first hand. Tour dates are this Wed. Nov. 19th, Fri. Jan 16th, and Tues Feb 3rd. To schedule a tour, contact the school at ###-###-####.

Hi A., Before we moved a few months ago, I researched schools for my fourth grader. I handpicked Christa McAuliffe and sent my husband flying up here to attend an info night and tour. Then we moved within the district to make sure we could go. We have not been disappointed. My child, who hated school, now loves it. His class goes on many field trips to learn what other kids read in books. Yesterday they went to Monterey and got to brand a piece of leather, card wool, weave, play with historic child toys, all in their study of California history. Last week they visited Quicksilver Mine Museum and town to learn about that part of California. Later they will go to Auburn to learn about the Gold Rush. Day to day school is good too. One parent per family is required to have a school job and a classroom job. I love getting to see first hand how kids solve problems and learn there. You asked how the kids fared outside into high school. I have 5 babysitters that are alumni from McAuliffe (2 in college and 3 in high school at Lynbrook) and they each impress me. They are easy to talk to, involved in the community at large, academically sound, and seem like happy people. Next year I will be sending my 4 year old to McAuliffe. I hope my reply was helpful to you.
N.
PS. If you want to go on a school tour, the Prospective Parent School Tour is November 19 from 8:45 to 11:45.

My daughter is in 5th grade at Christa McAuliffe, and has been there since Kindergarten. We've been very happy with the school.

Looking at my daughter now, there are two things that I see that make me very happy with our choice.

One is that she genuinely loves to learn. She's curious about things she hears around her, and how they relate to what they've talked about at school. She's likely to bring paper and pencil to the dinner table to further explore something they learned in math-- not just to practice what they were doing, but to see how she can extend the concept.

The other is the social skills she's gained. She started out as a very shy child, who had trouble joining in with activities in preschool. She's blossomed, and can start a conversation with children and adults she's never met before. She can lead a group. She's comfortable with a wide variety of situations, and I think her time at McAuliffe, with the skills they teach directly and the support the kids get on a daily basis has really helped her grow.

There are other things that I appreciate about the school in general. I really like the hands on approach to learning. I like the integration of different subjects. A great example of both of these was the 3rd grade Pioneer unit, where the class broke into "families", and simulated a journey across the Oregon Trail. They had to write the history of their family, budget for the journey and "buy" the supplies they would need, and make sure the weight would work for their covered wagons. They tracked the path they would take on a map, and journaled daily about how they responded to events along the way. The unit ended with three days/two nights on a working ranch, where they helped care for the animals, and made a presentation to the town council as to how much land they would need, and what their families planned to do to settle in the community.

I'd strongly recommend considering this school.

L.