Ocean View Elementary School
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Afterschool Care for Albany Elementary School Kids
July 2015
We would love to get any feedback about the afterschool care options for our 1st and 3rd grade boys who will be attending Ocean View this year. Which program have your kids liked- Albany YMCA, Cedars and Maples or the Friendship Club? Any recommendations about why your kids have enjoyed the programs would be much appreciated! Wondering Which Program To Choose
Welcome to Ocean View! I highly recommend Cedars. My daughter, who's entering first grade, had a great experience there last year and was always begging me to let her stay later. The kids have a lot of choice in activities -- she did various art projects, outdoor games, cooking, building toys, etc. The teachers are great. I really think it was one of the best things about my daughter's kindergarten year. happy cedars parent
June 2014
Re: Music-focused public or charter kindergarten?
I would stick with your local Oceanview elementary in Albany. It's a great school, with amazing teachers and a very diverse student body (due to many children of international students/fellows from UCB). And I've heard that starting this fall they are really beefing up their music program in the elementary schools (as music had previously been very downplayed in elementary in recent years)-- Now it will be for all K-5 kids and will be taught in the Kodaly style. I don't know much about their curriculum, but I know my children's former music teacher, Jeff Luna-Sparks, is one of the teachers, and he is amazing-- a total local gem. You can look him up under ''Jingle Jeff'' or ''Jingle Jamboree''-- maybe he can answer some questions about the program for you. I'd LOVE to be in your position of being zoned for the excellent Albany Schools, which sadly are totally out of my price range, alas! --envious!
Ocean View School, Mandarin after school program
August 2011
Hello BPN community, I am looking for advice about the Ocean View Mandarin after school program in the Albany School District. I have heard there is a long waiting list for this program, but when I call the Albany Children's Center it is very hard to get information about this program. I am planning on visiting the Albany Children's Center in person to try and set up an appointment to visit the after school Mandarin program. However, I am looking for advice on a few things: 1. Do the children really learn Mandarin in this program, even just a bit? My son is an English speaker but we are really looking for language immersion programs while he is young and his brain is open to language. He is 4 now. 2. I read an article in the Albany Patch from 2008 that there are no native speaking teachers in the program anymore. Is this true? Any information would be helpful as I am also considering the Bahia after school program as well.
Thank you Wishing CA public schools cared more about languages!
My son has been going to Ocean View School, Mandarin after school program for the last three years. His Mandarin has improved a lot from there.
Last year there was an incident when the new school year started. They had a non Chinese native speaking teacher there for a short while. However after couple months a proper Mandarin speaking teacher was being assigned to the class.
They always have two teachers in the class, one teaching the kindergarteners and first graders; the other one teaching the rest of the grades. Not only my son learns how to speak and write from the school, he also learned many Chinese songs from there. They had performances normally during Chinese New Year and Ocean View's talent show.
Try to talk to the Albany Children Center's director, Susan; or the assistant, Felicia Lien. Good Luck! Mom of Ocean View School
July 2008
Wondering if I can get any current opinions/feedback on Ocean View Elementary. Specifically, how is the new principal? What do you think of the school's large size? What are the kids/families like? Thanks in advance! DDP
My daughter has been attending OV for half a year and we have been very happy. OV has the highest test scores of the Albany elementary schools most recently but I think they are all pretty much the same statistically in the area of test scores.
Specifically, how is the new principal? Terry is very responsive and proactive. She has a strong presence with the kids and parents.
What do you think of the school's large size?
The school's size can be a little overwhelming at first (especially on the playground), but after only a few weeks my daughter was quite at home. K has a separate playground and activities are organized on the field for older students.
What are the kids/families like?
We have met some very nice families to carpool with and appreciate the diversity. My daughter has friends from around the world. OV Family
April 2008
Re: Albany Elementary Schools...What are the pros/cons?
I'm an Ocean View parent. Yes, O.V. does get a lot of kids from UC Village and some of them are English Language Learners, but in my experience it is NOT disruptive - there are extra sessions and aides for helping these kids catch on, and as far as I can see most of them are doing pretty well. They have an annual event called the International Potluck, which is pretty good fun - food (and people) from all over the world. I like being at the school of the village; many kids walk to school with parents or their friends, very wholesome scene. (But we don't live in the village, and when we drive, it's hectic - not a great drop-off situation, and people are well advised to park a block or two away and walk.)
The downside of O.V. is, they've had to take in a big portion of the increased student enrollment in the last couple of years - more than their fair share, I've heard. So there is some tension about having enough playground supervision to keep everyone safe; my kids have survived it, but my older kid did find it a little too noisy (may just be her temperament, though). O.V. parent
March 2008
Re: Cornell or Marin elementary?
Our son is at Ocean View kindergarten this year and doing great. I am writing on the ESL question; I learned when I did my research that all the Albany schools have a good many ESL students. There was a Russian student in our son's class this year who entered speaking NO English and is now chattering away. I don't view this child's presence, or that of the many other predominantly (and well varied) Asian ESL speakers as a disadvantage. On the contrary. My son has in no way been held back academically, these kids are learning at many times his rate and often lead his own 'bright' self in the full range of academic activities. In addition, he has learned what it is like to interact with kids who don't speak English or speak it well (and who don't look just like him) and to still value and respect them and make friends with them. He is even learning about their cultures and places of origin. I find it hard to identify a more valuable skill set for success of any sort in the world these children will live in. Margaret
Oct 2002
Re: Kindergarten Options in Albany
My daughter just started kindergarten at Ocean View, where she attends after school care at Cedars (literally next door to the kindergarten rooms!) We have been very pleased with her teacher, the kindergarten program, and with Cedars -- almost every day when asked how her day was, she says ''FanTAStic!''
I do not have experience changing a Late Bird assignment, but I can answer your question about dropping your child off when they are not scheduled to be there: no, you can’t. Your child is only allowed to be left at school during their own official school day. If you are unable to afford childcare during the other hours of your work day, there may be subsidies available. In the past, these funds were often underutilized. You could contact the ACC to ask about this. On the other hand, if you can afford it but don’t want to, unfortunately you don’t really have a lot of options to force the district to care for your child. The district is not obligated or funded to provide daycare when school is not in session, and there are no minimum hours for kindergarten, which is why the district was able to temporarily go back to AM / PM Kindergarten to facilitate the school construction projects. I guess one possibility would be to apply for an out-of-district transfer to a nearby district with longer kindergarten hours.
If your child has an IEP or 504 plan, can you amend it to state that your child needs to have an early bird assignment? If this doesn't work, and your school in unable or unwilling to make any changes to your current assignment, I would appeal to the district office. Perhaps there are openings at other schools that could accommodate your schedule requirements.
I'm not sure I understand your last question, but it seems like you are asking if you can drop your child off at school before your scheduled start time, as long as the school is open? If that is the case, I would say no, your elementary school is not a free childcare center.
Sounds like you are struggling with what to do about childcare, which is a valid concern for working parents. I get it! But that's not the school's problem to solve. If you are unable or unwilling to pay for extra day care, you will need to cut work hours or rely on family. I recognize that's a very presumptuous privileged suggestion but there are many many people in your shoes who make it work. Doesn't make it easy or fair but I think you'll need to shift your perspective on what school is and isn't (or can offer or not offer).