Garden Gate Elementary School

As a parent I am satisfied with my kid accadamic perforformance and teacher because fortunately this year my kid get areally very good teacher, but I am worried about next year. Committed Parents volunteering is really good support for school but so much volunteer involment effect the equal opportunity for every kid especially in extra curricular activity eg. most of the volunteer kids get selected for theater despite of lottery system. Some of the long term volunteer parent take decision behalf of you that you are available or not certain activity.
—Submitted by a parent

All classrooms for a grade do not seem to follow same homework packets.All Classrooms for a grade teach diff chapters and are not in sync mostly. Kids are not allowed to take their Math/Science text books home unlike other schools . Parents do not know what chapters are there in store for the year..whether teacher is finishing all chapters for the year. Last yr one of the teachers in 3rd grade rushed up the other chapters like dvision, fractions, probabilty in the last 1.5 month..spent most of the yr teaching multiplication. For a few years we have been getting the CA Math homework ,classwork books home at the end of the yr with a some pages torn out of it and worked during the yr. What is the use of giving that book home at the end of the yr ? Parents go in search of extra books, extra classes, register online for various math sites for the child to practice despite 4 Math books provided per child and GG gets the API. Last year in apr, his classroom had not done fractions, measurements, probability .For the last couple of months his teacher has been giving only 1 ..rarely 2 sheets of math for the whole week. Cupertino schools are a hype!! Principal was sent this mail..no reply :(
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent school and teachers. Parent participation provides support for any gaps that might exist. My child has been going to this school for the past 2 years and we have been fortunate to have really good teachers who go above and beyond. I regularly volunteer at the school so it is easy to stay informed with the school activities and better understand how your child is performing. The teachers are easy to approach and pretty responsive even when contacted via emails.
—Submitted by a parent

I am as a parent very satisfied with this school. The teachers take that extra effort to make sure all kids are at grade level. I regularly volunteer and have seen the teachers up close. They not only help academically but also take time to help students with art,sports and theater. As in any school there will be very good and media ore teachers but this school stands out for its great teachers on whole and very good and committed volunteers. Kids from this school are definitely instilled good manners which is way more important than only academics. They also have a wonderful music program. On the whole it is a school with a lot of happy kids who love to go tot school.
—Submitted by a parent

I think the school in cupertino are over rated, and so is Garden Gate. So the only real beneficiaries are the home owners renting their houses or the apartment communities who charge a premium due to cupertino school district. What matters is how good a teach your kid gets, Our son has been going to Garden gate for the past 3 years - All of the 3 years we were not fortunate to see good teacher, the teachers were average and one was really below average. The only thing positive is that the Parent involvement is very high, so many gaps in school activities are fulfilled by volunteering parents. The education system in california is really broken, the school infrastructure is pathetic.
—Submitted by a parent

As a teacher at Garden Gate, I have to say that I love our school, our kids, and our parent community because I feel that we all work together to make our school wonderful. I love coming to school everyday because I work with a group of teachers who give their all for the amazing students they work with each and every day. Have a wonderful day!
—Submitted by a teacher

This is a school where parents did a lot of efforts in helping their kids to achieve, not the teachers. There were other families we know complaining about the teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

My kid is in this school from 3 years. Teachers are very nice, principal is exceptional , active, and kind. I have been helping in class room and seen teachers very closely, they work very hard toward well being of kid in all aspects. My kid is happy , encouraged, accepted hear. What else i can ask for? project cornerstone, drama,music,PE, volunteers,safety are major plus...list goes on . Be involved, don't just drop off.
—Submitted by a parent

Teachers are great , PTA is great, My son loves it. Parents and teachers work together to achieve the same goal. that is good education.
—Submitted by a parent

Most of the teachers are wonderful. There is NO favoritism at all. They are involved, and are very friendly. My child's 5th grade teacher Mrs.Hastings was excellent. The principal is very involved. She makes sure the kids have fun, while learning. The campus is clean, and the school itself looked inviting.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a school where parents did a lot of efforts in helping their kids to achieve, not the teachers. I moved my son out of this school after 2 years of trying. We were not alone. There were other families we know complaining about the teachers. They are not the ones you ask for help. They gave you only one choice: retaining your child if they show the sign not being able to make 4 sentences structures or not being able to do addition and subtraction in kindergarten.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is a good school because it has balanced homework, there is a garden in the back of the school, the teachers explain thouroughly and tests are every 3-5 weeks.
—Submitted by a student

This school is really good and encourage all the parents to get involved in as many ways they can. Most of the teachers are dedicated. At the same time, it is parents pressure that makes the student get more smart. Some teachers even have partiality and they encourage the child they like and discourage the child they are not fond of. Sounds weird, but very true. submitted by a parent.
—Submitted by a parent

Great school with wonderful teachers and lots of extra curricular activities. As parents we are given lots of opportunities to involve ourselves with school activities and above all the school is basically parent friendly.
—Submitted by a parent

We are transferring out of this school.Extremely unhappy with this school. The quality of teachers varies from great to abysmal that its the luck of the draw what kind of education your kids get in this school. Any school is only as good as the principal .Our experience was horrible. Submitted by a parent
—Submitted by a parent

I love the teachers and the programs at the school. My son is happy (K and 1st) and my daughter will be in K this fall. I would like to see more parent involvement on school wide events such as the book fair, etc. - it's always the same handful of parents. There are very few American families. I am enjoying getting to know the Indian culture more - the families are lovely, but there is a cultural gap which we cannot ignore. I would like to see more diversity in my child's school, but it is what it is. I'm just glad that the families value education - sometimes too much, though. I know there are kids who are under a lot of pressure. I am not going to send my child to school all day and then to tutoring. He needs to be a kid and play too.
—Submitted by a parent

It's a good school overall. Qualified, experienced teachers, dedicated principal, typical campus with buildings and trailer-look-like classrooms. It's academically oriented but enjoys music, art, exercise, and special science programs. Like with any school, if the kind of teacher you get matches your expectations and needs, you strike gold. I have been in the school one year, and I find that the teacher my kid had was excellent in many aspects, but I could have used somebody more organized, more communicative, more motivating, less forgetful. Maybe if the teacher was more open/demanding to have parents volunteer, or if she could have had an assistant more than once a week or so. The curriculum is extensive, teachers have little time & no help. Parents are very competitive, poor drivers, poor pedestrians . Kids need to learn to keep their campus clean. There is no garden. Tests almost everyday. Many kids go to Kumon.
—Submitted by a parent

My 2 sons (who are average students) have been going here for 3 years. We love this school (especially the principal). Last school year, there was a combo 2nd/3rd classroom for the first part of school. Once openings in the 3rd classes were available, all 3rd graders were moved from the combo class. The first day that these 3rd graders went to their new 3rd-grade class, Ms. Wood (principal) sought out each 3rd-grader and asked him/her how was their first day in the new class. I was impressed! Also, with about 600 kids, Ms. Wood makes it a goal to look at each student's progress report once during the year and adds her comments. Due to a strong PTA, teacher, and principal involvement, monthly family fun nights are held allowing students/teachers/parents to interact in a fun environment. Aside from two teachers, the teachers are awesome and teach concepts in creative ways.
—Submitted by a parent

My son goes to this school along with many children staying in valley green apartments. The principal is very whimsical and lacks vision. There is too much favoritism.
—Submitted by a parent

I have a mixed experience about this school.It would be wrong to say that this school is not good.But parent involvement has definately set up high standards and expectations academically.Many teachers with more empathy and experience with children are very great guides in this school.But if your child is a slow learner the scene changes dramatically.He is constantly compared with his smart peers.Some new and inexperienced teachers definately have less patience with such kids.So a great school for parents with great kids.
—Submitted by a parent