Roses in Concrete Community School

As we get ready to start the new school year, I found myself thinking about how grateful I was for finding this small gem of a community school. Born and raised in Oakland, a product of OUSD, and in the education field, I am very familiar with a fair amount of Oakland elementary schools. Roses in Concrete is a dual immersion program with a big focus on social justice, responsibility for and within the community, and an amazing arts program. There is a thoughtfulness and mindfulness about both the curriculum, and how it is implemented, that has been missing from many Oakland Schools for awhile. My daughter will be starting her third year at Roses in Concrete in the fall. She is THRIVING. I have watched her become a confident, assertive, responsible, kind Warrior Scholar. She is happy, she is engaged, she is learning. Most importantly for me, she feels seen and loved. Her teachers have all been very open, engaging and thorough in their responses. The day and after school arts program was rich with dance, visual arts, music, piano... I often would arrive early and sit in the hallway listening to the children learn. There is such a strong sense of community among the children here. I look forward to the next 6 years (and hopefully for High School) watching her continue to grow with her Roses family and adding to it as our younger sons enroll.

Hello,  I am new to the site and have enjoyed all the resources! Thank You! While I was parousing, I wanted to stop by and share my thoughts on this wonderful school.  Last year was out first year, as we moved to Oakland from San Francisco.  What drew us to the school was the dual language (dual culture) program, the amazing arts program, and the social justice focused curriculum. It was the school we had always dreamed of! for our first and fourth grader! As the school year went on, my kids enjoyed learning topics, skills, arts that were relevant to their experience.  It was the first time they asked to be in after school programs- and they still hated leaving at the end of the day.  While the school is still young, going into its third year- it is refreshing to see the school leadership value parent voice and input. We are so proud to be a Roses in Concrete family! and did I mention- it will definitely be a K-8 with goals of a K-12! What a huge plus! Thanks for reading and good luck with your school searches <3

Hi I am new to the site and am just seeing the request for info on Roses in Concrete.  My daughter goes there and is in Kinder.  She loves it so much she is doing great and is reading so well in both English and Spanish.  The school is in its permanent location and good funding.  The founder is JEFF DUNCAN-ANDRADE, PH.D you can look him up online.  You can also set up tours of the school.  They have a great after school arts program and after school care as well.  The teachers here treat the kids like they are their own children so I feel she is safe and loved every day she goes to school.  Let me know if you have any other questions.