Choosing an elementary school in BUSD NW Zone

Hi, we live in West Berkeley and are very excited to be applying for our older son to start kindergarten in fall 2022. We have attended all the zoom nights for the schools in our zone and they all seem lovely. I definitely appreciate that they use the same curriculum, which seems to be really solid and well thought-out. And, I know there is a lottery aspect to all this. But, since we still have to come up with some ranking, we have a few remaining questions that I would love to hear from current BUSD elementary parents on. Is Rosa Parks still an environmental science magnet? It sounds like such a neat program as described on the website, but I can't really tell if it exists or in what form. For families who don't get into LEARNS/BEARS, are there other before-school options? I know there are after-care options through the City and some other orgs, but it doesn't seem like these have a before-care component. And, are there differences between the schools in the NW zone in terms of opportunities for art or music as kids, especially as get older? Feel free to message me directly. Thanks! 

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