Satori Charter School

Satori school embodies everything a school should in its approach to a child's learning experience. My child is currently in eighth grade.he has been at satori since he was three years old.he has gone from a child that could hardly sit still to an excellent student. He was recently informed that he passed the entrance exam for university high school.i believe this is a direct result of satori's nurturing and excellent educational program. I can't say enough in praise for this school!!!!!!!
—Submitted by a parent

I have one child at Satori now, and have had two others who went there. The academic standards are very high, with a focus on creativity and critical thinking. They include art and music into the curriculum and focus on building a community among students, teachers and parents. I love Satori. The middle school program is especially great.
—Submitted by a parent

Love the school, love the staff, love how happy my kids are to go here. Could not be happier than I am with this school, my kids are embraced for who they are and taught according to their learning styles. When I have concerns I feel they are addressed at once and resolved. The after school programs are varied and interesting, my kids BEG to go to after care and play more with their friends. The other parents are friendly and supportive. An awesome place to educate and enrich kids.
—Submitted by a parent

Transfering my daughter to Satori is the best choice I've ever made. She is excelling academically and socially!
—Submitted by a parent

How refreshing that the students at Satori get to write and produce their own plays. This is so much better than the "boxed" productions we have been forced to do elsewhere. I heard from my kids that the process of creating the plays was not always easy and sometimes there was pretty serious group discussion about which way the story should go. As far as I am concerned, working out problems and overcoming obstacles is part of the learning process. I am sure this is a lot riskier for the teaching staff, but I enjoyed knowing the scripts came from the students. Thanks Satori!
—Submitted by a parent

It has been so wonderful to see a school like Satori work through problems they have had in the past. There math program was not working so they spent the time and money to make sure the students were getting what they needed. My daughter now not only loves math but has improved in all areas.
—Submitted by a parent

Agreed with other postings. Satori is sub-standard in all areas. The focus on creative arts is just silly given the unimaginative and mediocre assignments, instruction and exposure to art forms. They do arts and crafts, have one broken down piano and stage "plays" that consist of the kids waiving their arms around and rolling on the floor. An arts based curriculm would be far better supported with infrastructure, real artists as instructors and truly creative assignments. The "gifted" notion is just a notion. The kids are no more gifted as a group then any other set of middle class kids. The general tolerance for spoiled unruly behavior, bullying and intolerance is shocking. I also find too many of the parents to be snobs, which is sort of odd given the demographics. We are leaving the school.
—Submitted by a parent

We have such positive experiences at Satori daily. We love going to school there. The people are friendly and the teachers and staff maintain excellent practices and work hard.
—Submitted by a parent

I agree with the 11.25.09 posting. Our child is now in Highschool and experiencing diffficulty in areas of math skills, homweork , testing and other expecataions. Looking back Satori reminds us of an ongoing lets's get it better charter school with our child paying the price of the talented and gifted education received.
—Submitted by a parent

Our children have been at Satori for years. The alternative approach to the whole chid and the commitment to preserving creative thought is why we have stayed. The student population has changed dramatically in the last few years, from a school with exceptional children to a run of the mill public school with children who don't seem to care about their education or their community. Our children used to feel like they were part of a family at school, and now they just feel like they have to survive with bullying and disrespect to the teachers. We were holding out for the middle school program because our friends' kids have graduated from Satori into honors programs in high school and attribute their success to Satori, but we don't think we can wade through with so much social problems. It's too bad that Satori has lost sight of its unique mission.
—Submitted by a parent

We have a child in 6th grade. We are completely unsatisfied with the education she is receiving there. Perhaps it was a good school for the early ages, but it is completely lacking at the middle school level. The kids are treated like babies. They claim that testing is a 'new' practice at the 6th grade level. They hardly test on anything. No vocabulary. No grammar. 'Reports' can be drawn instead of written. They are not expected to adhere to any due dates. They turn in 'late' work with no penalties. They are allowed re-dos on most everything because they don't want the kids to feel bad that they got a bad grade. They are allowed extensions for no reason. What this school teaches is that the kids should expect something for nothing and it sets them up to fail. Do not recommend.
—Submitted by a parent

Satori is a good school compared to the other schools that I have been to in the past. I would recommend it but it is a little disorganized
—Submitted by a student

Maybe Satori was a gifted school once, but now they are a charter school they want all the students they can get and it is all about numbers and money. Your gifted child will not receive the attention they need at Satori.
—Submitted by a parent

Satori is a wonderful school for children and parents that are serious about learning and enjoy creative education. Class sizes are small, the sense of community is wonderful, and the teachers are all top notch. You have to be willing to endure a bit of disorganization, but it's worth it.
—Submitted by a parent

Satori has student disciplinary issues that continue to need to be addressed. Students with severe behavior issues-i.e. emotional melt downs, slamming class room doors, etc are allowed to continue robbing class rooms of their learning environment. There is also seems to be a lack of communication amongst families/students and administration.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a student who used to be at TUSD and then came to Satori 3 years ago. I had never felt so excited about going to school as I do now. The teachers are supportive of different perspectives and of creative solutions of all sorts. Another plus is the inclusion of instruction on music, art, PE and Spanish. I also took great joy in taking violin and gymnastics after school. I feel safe at Satori and it has a great community feel to it. I would recommend this school to anyone!
—Submitted by a student

We have had two children at Satori over the past three years and think it is an absolutely amazing school. It is leaps and bounds better than TUSD. They have excellent teachers who use the multiple intelligence model to creatively teach to a wide range of learning styles. There is great parental involvement. They have drama, music, art, Spanish and/or French, PE, and tons of field trips. After school activities are offered for a fee and include soccer, softball, karate, violin/piano, gymnastics, dance, and costume creation/drama. They have improved their math and science curriculum greatly. They hold a science fair every year and are participating in Odyssey of the Mind. If you have a gifted child, I can't recommend this school enough! Our children have never been bored since attending this school because children are challenged at their level, as opposed to a 'one size fits all' approach.
—Submitted by a parent

My son went to Satori for 5 years. While in the pre-school to first grade he received the best education possible! The teachers were well trained and magical. The principle was insightful and very helpful. There was a lots of parent involvement. However, when it was time to go to the 'big' kids school, everything fell apart. Discipline and safety were huge problems. A new principle and new teachers who did not understand the 'Satori way' of community building, multiple-intelligence education, parent involvement and non-violence on the playground, infused the school with the TUSD way of life. What a crying shame! I hope the school recovers, but we won't be there.
—Submitted by a parent

The magic that used to be Satori has been extinguished by management and staff issues. The very steep tuition does not reflect the uncleanliness of the school, or the lack of money spent on classroom supplies. Sadly, most of the gifted students and staff have left.
—Submitted by a teacher

Staff very supportive and responsive to children's needs. I would recommend school to other parents!
—Submitted by a parent