Village School

I have heard so many wonderful things about Village, with one HUGE exception... The complete failure on the part of the Campbell Unified School District, to be fair and unbiased when following enrollment guidelines for placing students into this lottery based school. CUSD has failed to account for and administer enrollment practices. They have blatantly manipulated and grossly mismanaged a very important role in our community. This is an outstanding school being dragged down by an inept school district.
--Submitted by a parent

A successful parent participation school requires a well-respected leader to create a cohesive community and encourage parents to put in 100%. In September, our beloved principal suddenly left to take the helm at another school. Our new principal means well, but lacks experience and connection. On the plus side are required Positive Discipline classes; a focus on the whole child instead of tests; the teaching of conflict resolution skills; many field trips and community-building activities; music, art, and PE classes and parent-led workshops; an outstanding school secretary; and, a feeling of cleanliness and safety. Challenges include: the principal building a stronger spirit of collaboration; more students with developmental issues, some of whom take over the classroom with disruptive and disrespectful behavior, affecting the learning opportunities and behaviors of the rest; the need to better utilize parents talents in the classroom; and, the small physical space.
--Submitted by a parent

We feel so blessed to have Village for our children. I couldn't even imagine sending my kids to a school with 600+ children and minimal supervision on the playground. At Village, there is so much parent involvement that children are safe and teachers can spend more one on one time with kids in the classroom. The challenge is fitting a parent participation school in your life if you are a working parent. I run a business full-time, and it can be difficult to fit it all in. With that said, my children are a priority to me. My children get a private school education within the public school sector and I'm willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make that happen. Thank you Village for providing us with a safe place to go to school and for allowing my children to thrive in their education.
--Submitted by a parent

Having had one kid move through Village and having a second one still in the school since kindergarten, I'm seeing changes that I don't much care for. In the last year we have seen several of the keystone families withdraw their kids and move to other schools due to conflicts with the prinicpal. I've also seen a number of behavorial issues in the upper grades (group bullying) simply not be addressed by either the parents or the administration. The intimate tie we had between the staff, kids & families is simply NOT what it once was.Sadly the school is a vicitm of it's own success. A great community led to high scores and a great reputation. In turn it has led to enrollment by folks unready for a real parent participation school.
--Submitted by a parent

Village School has consistently worked with me, and my family, to get the best education for my son. An earlier review stating that the change in leadership this year was responsible for starting a culture of bullying seems to be looking at the past through rose colored glasses, because my family had to deal with this issue 3 years ago (with the old principal), as well as this year. I have found that the current staff has been at least as responsive to my concerns, if not more so, than the previous administration. I have seen the new Principal out on the field during my lunch recess shift most weeks and have been able to use her as a resource to help deal with any situations on the spot.
--Submitted by a parent

Our principal is supportive of the staff, parents and the students. When she is on campus, she spends her time in the classrooms, out on the playground for morning and lunch recess. I hope that parents don't perceive her frequent absences due to district meetings and business as a lack of desire to meet the kids and parents. If she is in her office, you will often find she is meeting with a student, parent or a group of parents. Village is a warm, supportive community and continues to be the best school in this area. Not everyone can truely appreciate what we have.
--Submitted by a teacher

This is my 6th year at Village School. It has been an amazing educational experience for my daughters and me. The teachers are dedicated and energetic, bringing a lot of creativity to our curriculum. I feel as though my 5th grader has learned a lot of academics and gained social intelligence as well.
--Submitted by a parent

Great kids, great parents, great teachers, great programs. What more can I say.
--Submitted by a parent

It's a very charm community where parents share a lot of time raising kids, learning, helping each other and having fun. It's like a big big family!!
--Submitted by a parent

The teachers, administrators, and staff really care about the children getting a well-rounded education. It's not just about teaching academics for them, it's about real-world education for our children. The children learn positive skills to get along with others and how to contribute in a positive way to society. The parents are really involved, too. It makes a huge difference, because it's so true - it takes a village to raise a child!
--Submitted by a parent