Advice on transferring into Mira Vista, Valley View, WCMS?
Our daughter is entering Kindergarten in the fall and we are planning to request a transfer out of our neighborhood school (Riverside) and into another school in the county. We are considering Mira Vista, Valley View, and West County Mandarin School. I would love to hear from any parents with children at these schools, and their opinions of them, as well as anyone who has had luck (or no luck) transferring into them. We need to balance our two allotted picks with schools we're excited about *and* how likely they are to accept transfers. It is hard to get a sense of the latter.
Thank you!
Jan 4, 2024
Parent Replies
I have two kids at WCMS and we love it. It seems to get more popular every year and there's a large waitlist but all students within the district can apply for transfer and then may get accepted (via a lottery system). It's not a neighborhood school so all students are technically "transfers". I'm not 100% sure but my understanding is transferring to neighborhood schools (that don't have a language program or other special programming) are simply based on IF there is space leftover after kids zoned to that school get placed. You may need to reach out to the district to see if those two schools typically are full or overenrolled to get a sense of your odds. Good luck!
We have a first grader at Valley View and are pretty happy with our little neighborhood school. New principal is a former teacher and has a good relationship with the teachers. Small class sizes (14 in K last year and 16 this year in 1st). The campus is unfortunately modular trailers because they ran out of money to rebuild but the upside is they are pretty new and have air conditioning. The very dedicated parents club makes the school feel homey and got us a grant to start a farm which is currently being constructed and another grant for a gardening teacher. Very diverse school with caring teachers. My only real complaint is probably applicable across the public school system. They use a very old school approach to classroom management. Names on a color chart that get publicly raised or lowered based on behavior, candy bribes and desk groups competing against each other. Overall though we're pretty happy. My child also gets speech and OT and I have found the services to be easy to access. Also, I believe they are staring a TK next year. There is a kindergarten info session 6pm 1/25 with the principal and probably Mrs Mosbey, the current K teacher.
Hi there! I’ve been a Valley View parent since 2016 and would be happy to share or answer any questions. Definitely get on the principal’s radar if you’re trying to transfer. Feel free to text/call at 510.499.2244. Also, here’s info for an upcoming event you may be interested in:
Incoming Kinder and TK families can begin registration on Tuesday, January 16th. Valley View is hoping to have a TK class next year! So spread the word to any families with 4 and 5 year olds. Principal Sundberg will hold a Kindergarten (TK included) info night on Thursday, January 25th from 6-7pm.
We love Valley View! My oldest went there from K-6th and my youngest is now in 5th grade. The principal and teachers have been fantastic. We have a new outdoor classroom and a growing garden program. They are having an information night on Thursday, January 25th at 6pm.