St. Joseph Elementary School

I am a parent of a student here and it appalls me that some of the recent reviews are not positive. It seems after reading that it is from a select few that may have gripes that either are unreasonable or may be part of a situation the school cannot discuss due to HR concerns. Parents need to take more responsibility to work to fix the issues within their limitations. Staff and Teachers have far more to worry about in todays age such as school shooting and the students emotional wellness that is not being addressed by parents that either have very busy schedules or are disengaged. Let's not forget that teaching and administrating of children is a calling and its not done for monetary gain. If you are that disappointed then we all know where the door is. Don't kid yourself though the grass is not always greener. The staff at St. Joseph genuinely care and have the best for your children in mind. Not every day is full of sunshine and rainbows and you wont always get your way but at the end of the day your children are getting quality Catholic education and their values and safety are always a top priority.
—Submitted by a parent

From the outside St Joseph looks like the cream of the crop, but on the inside it is one of the most frustrating educational environments ever! To say the school lacks leadership is an understatement. The principal seems more concerned about generating money than creating an environment that is conducive to learning and cultivates positive social relationships for the students. Students are allowed to bully with little penalty, and if your student desn't look a certain way or act a certain way, he/she is ostracized. The school is more concerned with making students follow rules than actually encouraging learing. I haven't experienced the christian-centered culture here that the school pretends to represent.
—Submitted by a parent

There are committed teachers and parents here who really try to make a difference but it's not enough to overcome a dilapidated school facility, a few sub-par teachers and a principal who is a poor leader and communicator. The principal does not listen to the PTG co-Presidents or the School Board President's concerns at all. I'm not even sure why we have them or why they bother. The principal and the parish Father make decisions in a vacuum. Parent feedback is neither solicited nor welcome. Feedback given is rarely if ever acted upon. Just a fake "I'm taking care of it" and then no follow up. My child is not getting anything close to the edicational excellence that the school promises. More time is spent chiding parents to go to church, give alms and use the rhythm method (ridiculous!) than focusing on creating an excellent faith-based education. Many families show up so excited to attend this school and then leave bitterly disappointed by the principal's lack of leadership in addressing problems and driving improvements. We are unfortunately one of those families.
—Submitted by a parent

St. Joseph school is in crisis. While there are several outstanding, dedicated teachers and parents at this school, there is a complete lack of leadership, communication, transparency & proactivness from the principal. The result has been devastating. We've seen very enthusiastic parents & teachers be completely demoralized. We've seen bullying issues not be properly addressed. We've seen teacher performance issues allowed to continue across multiple classes resulting in kids who have been not been properly taught to grade level. Parents have spent hours constructively organizing and trying to have their issues addressed while the principal takes it as an affront and does nothing. The principal would only like to address any concerns you might have one on one so that she can smile, nod and then dismiss them. Several families who have decent options are leaving and others who don't are unhappy and just trying to get through. It's a total shame and it all boils down to leadership and competence at the top.
—Submitted by a parent

I felt compelled to write, but conflicted about the stars. I'm only giving it 3 stars for many of the teachers who truly are dedicated and really want to get it right. I usually don't say anything just to avoid saying anything bad (if u don't have anything nice to say, then say nothing). but I must tell the truth. We've been at st. joesph in pinole for 6 years now-long enough to really know. We are very hands on and active in the school-I'm there practically every day. it's been a great school, mainly because of the parents and most of the teachers, but around 3rd grade when realized the academic standards just aren't up to snuff; fifth graders are behind and the poor teacher has had to rush them thru lessons/concepts just to get caught up and meet diocease standards. Consequently the kids aren't really learning anything. I feel the main issue is the principal. SHe has poor communication/problem solving/leadership skills, & quietly avoids dealing with situations that principals are supposed to. Morale amongst teachers/staff is horrible! Many parents know this adn talk about it, but no one wants to say/do anything about it. I do love the school community, but can't take it anymore.
—Submitted by a parent

St. Joseph School is part of an amazing community of children, parents, teachers, and parishioners. The Sixth graders help the parish seniors every month. They also have secret senior pen pals throughout the school year. In May, they invited the seiors to a tea party to meet them in person! What a beautiful opportunity to get to know members of our parish, not to mention practice writing and social skills!
—Submitted by a parent

I love the way the staff help students. They always make sure that students are paying attention. All the fun field trips are going with what the students are learning. For example, If the students are learning about static electricity, they take them to Lawrence Hall Of Science. This school is great for me.

I love the environment at St. Joseph School. The staff is very hard working, and the children are happy. The academic standards are set very high, and there are many wonderful enrichment programs such as, music, art, spanish, and PE. These types of programs have been cut at many public schools. I feel bad that there are people who feel the need to take what was intended as a private comment out of context and display it publicly. Those types of actions do not reflect or model the character traits, and Christ-like actions that the teachers at St. Joseph's work hard to teacher our children everyday.
—Submitted by a parent

I attend St. Callistus Church. My children have to pay more tuition because we don't go to St. Joseph Church. There's a lot of ridiculous penalties. This school is all about money!!!!
—Submitted by a parent

I think that it is such a shame that the negative reviewers from March 3rd and 4th sought to grind their own axes instead of giving an objective rating of St. Joseph School. St. Joseph is not perfect but it has a wonderful committed staff and principal. St. Joseph has high standards and one of its main goals is to teach the students how to become responsible, productive citizens some day. Each student needs to learn to be responsible for personal actions and possessions. This process is started in Kindergarten. There are many wonderful parent group sponsored events (fundraising as well as free events to families). This is a great community with many fantastic parent volunteers. There are a few challenging students, but the staff does everything that they possibly can to help them. In some instances, when there is a student who has behavioral issues, it is usually a lack of parental support or denial of the problem by the parent rather than a lack of effort on the part of the staff. As for teacher bullies PLEASE!! As far as I know it is not being a bully to have consequences (time outs etc) when a student doesn't follow the rules. St Joseph is a great place to send your kids.

What a hard working environment! Teachers who want to get it right everyday. To say, this community has survived several traumatic episodes, dealing with the passing of loved ones, is amazing!!!! Very lucky students. The principle has dedicated teachers who provide a wealth of knowledge to the students and work daily at tapping into resources as they present themselves.

AWESOME!!! What a great place to be a part of!!! If you don't believe it, go and see it for your own eyes....
—Submitted by a parent

If you've done your homework on East Bay Catholic schools, then you know that St. Joseph's is quite a bit lower on the food chain than places such as St. Jerome or School of the Madeleine. However, we were surprised at how poor the interaction is between staff and students. The kindergarten teacher has very little patience with the kids and interacts with them like she's in a corporate environment. The principal is just as bad. I would avoid this school.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is horrible! This school has no Special education teacher but they except students that are special ed and have behavioral problems they are unable to help these students. Some teachers don't have no control in the classroom. There are a lot of students and teachers bullies. Catholic school has changed for the worst! I regret sending my children here. This school is a waste of money.
—Submitted by a parent

My 2 sons enjoy going to this school. I like that they foster friendships among children from other grades and being good role models for younger schoolmates through their "faith buddy families." I feel they are getting a good quality education, both academic and religious.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter enjoys going to school everyday, that's tells a lot about Saint Joseph Shool in Pinole. The teachers and staff offer caring, orderly, safe, and nurturing environment. In addition to emphasis on academic excellence, the school also teaches my child values through faith. The children treat each other with respect, no matter what age they are. When my daughter was in Kindergarten (she is in 4th grade now), she had "school buddies" who were in 7th and 8th grade. She still remembers and talks about them. The older kids set a good example for the younger ones to follow.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent school environment focused on not only educating children but building character and community as well - a perfect balance
—Submitted by a parent

This school is great for me. I am a student at St. Joseph's School and my friends keep me going. My teachers are very nice and take teacher courses to learn even better ways to teach us. The sports in this school are volleyball and basketball. We have a nice music program including musical instruments such as the recorder. Also, the art program is fun, because our teacher always surprises us on subjects. Every year something changes, and I think that more students would be nice.
—Submitted by Marlon, a student

Very good school. Outstanding education in a healthy child-centered and Christian atmosphere. Class size is a bit large, but TA's yield a low ratio of teacher to student.
—Submitted by a parent