Allen at Steinbeck School

I was saddended to read one parent's assessment (9/12/12) of Allen. I attended this year's orientation/back to school night and may even be one of the individuals referred to. My wife and I have volunteered countless hours at the school and have a different view. Allen is filled with great kids, caring parents and quality teachers. We feel the student diversity is one of the schools greatest assets. I encourage these parents to volunteer and spend some time at the school. Hopefully they will see firsthand the well rounded quality education their student is receiving and all the opportunities Allen does offer.
—Submitted by a parent

I have children currently enrolled in this school and they love it! My children have enjoyed every teacher they have had and the staff knows everyone by name. It is disturbing that another parent at this school is judging other parents and children because of their socio-economic class or appearance. They should take the time and introduce themselves to our "volunteer" run ABC Reading Program that teaches children the 41 assets they need to succeed. The PTA does a fantastic job getting out a Weekly Bulletin via the school's Yahoo Group. There are many before, during and after school activities that are available for all age levels. Volunteer opportunities are around every corner for programs like ABC Reading, Los Dichos, Science Vista and Art Vista to name a few. Back to School Night was fantastic! My husband and I enjoyed going to our kids classes in a relaxed and fun environment. We wouldn't change a thing. You should never judge a book by its cover!!
—Submitted by a parent

We have been at this school for 5 years now. We're very satisfied with the staff and the opportunities afforded the students here. We have a child who successfully transitioned to high school thanks to this school. There are quite a few extracurricular activities available. Right now we have Band, Choir, Fit for Fun, Open Gym for basketball, Ballet Folklorico, Tennis, Mad Science, Young Rembrandts, and I think I saw a flyer for Chess. Later in the year we have Drama, Junior Achievement, Basketball, co-ed Baseball, Soccer, Football. I'm probably missing something. We are big fans of the Middle school here. Students are not another number here. They visit high schools and Universities to prepare for their educational future. They participate in leadership activities with other schools in the district. They are trained as peer leaders for recess activities with the elementary grades. There are middle school dances and a week long overnight trip (Yosemite in past years) in addition to field trips out on the SF Bay and after school hikes. We are very pleased with this school.
—Submitted by a parent

i would just like to say that this school is amazing!! From the custodians to the principal and everyone in between it is full of top notch people. Aside from being a very aesthetic school it also has an amazing environment. It harbors a very family like atmosphere that makes you want to be involved as much as possible. The teachers that my son has had so far have been to good to describe. I wouldn't want my kids(next year they will both be here) to go anywhere else and lucky for my wife and I (and our kids) they won't have to until high school!
—Submitted by a parent

I am thankful that Allen at Steinbeck is my Neighborhood K-8 School. Allen is a warm, friendly, inviting, exciting, learning institution where the kids are accepted for who they are and encouraged to be their best. Ms. Waller and her team strive for positive change and are open to learning about how they can better prepare themselves as educators to give our kids the best school experience possible.
—Submitted by a parent

My children have attended Allen at Steinbeck since it began in Fall of 2005. I feel so privelaged to have been able to be a part of the growth of such a great place to the learn! My children have thrived in our neighborhood school with stellar teachers, supportive administration and a community that is not only diverse, but feels like home. We had a choice to attend other schools, but I'm glad we stuck with our home school. My children have befriended kids from all over the world and experienced a quality of education I could never have given them elsewhere. Though it has a large population, don't let it fool you - if you are there to support your child, he/she will recieve a personalized and top notch education!
—Submitted by a parent

I have three children within the San Jose Unified School District. Two of my children have promoted from Allen at Steinbeck and have been given a pretty good education base to have them succeed while moving forward. All schools...no matter where you live or attend has it's pros and cons. What separates the experience one may have at ANY school are these questions one has to ask: 1) Are you involved with the school? 2) Are you involved with your child's homework? 3) Are you expectations realistic? of the school and of your child? ...if you are...then you are in the correct frame of mind of knowing that teachers/schools cannot teach YOUR child without your involvement. ...If you are not...then...what can you do to assist in those areas? I know that we don't live in a perfect world. But I know that my children will do alright because the teachers that they have had...cared about their education and want to see them succeed an an individual...my being their parent...just makes sure that I follow through what they are being taught at school and working with that at home. You can't complain if you honestly have done everything you could do help others succeed.
—Submitted by a parent

Allen at Steinbeck was a positive, warm and enriching place when my child attended school there. He had all great teachers and excelled in all areas. He was more than ready for middle school when he moved to Castillero. I still sub there sometimes and really enjoy seeing the happy students and wonderful staff. The school continues to grow and so do the tests scores. I am so proud to say that my child went to Allen and Steinbeck!
—Submitted by a parent

We have been at A@S since it became A@S. My daughter had great experiences and has the best memories of her time there and had some awesome teachers!! My boys are entering 3rd grade and are thoroughly enjoying 'sharing' some teachers with their sister. We have seen some teachers change levels and really find their niche where they are thriving and so are the kids!!! We're proud to be part of such a great school and are excited about the upcoming school year.
—Submitted by a parent

We have been at A@S for going on 7 years now and think it is a wonderful school. My oldest is going to middle school this year, but it is through Allen that we were clued in that she may have special needs. She was diagnosed as high functioning autistic and A@S was fabulous at providing certain services (OT, Speech, RSP, IEP meetings, Special Day classes) and meeting her needs. The staff worked with her tirelessly and really cared about her success in academics and happiness in life. My youngest in not a SD student, but I find her needs are met quite efficiently in the mainstream classrooms as well. I think the parent involvement is superb, leadership is strong, teacher quality is high, curriculum is challenging, the arts are appreciated, and diversity is embraced. Any situation with misconduct among students is taken care of in a caring, yet professional manner. Discipline is not ignored, but they tend to take a positive approach with it (caring for the child first and finding the reason behind the misconduct, not rushing to the punishment). My children were (and are) very happy at A@S and my younger child will be there until she graduates 5th grade in 2013.
—Submitted by a parent

My child has been attending Allen at Steinbeck from the opening 6 years ago and has just been promoted to 9th grade. He scored advanced on CST testing and has been enrolled in geometry for high school. We had an outstanding experience at this school and would highly recommend it.
—Submitted by a parent

My children have been going to Allen at Steinback since they were in Kindergarten. We have enjoyed the many different opportunities for my children. They love it here and score on their State CST in advanced. They offer lots of programs for the community such as monthly Family Dinner Nights , ABC Reading, Story Fun Night, and Fall Festival. We feel we are a great family amongst teachers and staff who really care.
—Submitted by a parent

My 5th grader consistently scores in Advanced . My youngest has a disability and the resource teachers have done a fabulous job meeting her academic needs. She now scores two years above grade level in the area of reading, which was one of her areas of focus prior to receiving the support from the school once her disability was identified. Besides being a parent, I am also a teacher in a different district. With this, I feel I am able to evaluate the teachers and staff accurately with my 23 years of training as a Mentor Teacher and educator. The teachers spend many hours evaluating and assessing each student so that they can provide the best learning environment for each child. They provide differentiated instruction based on each child's level. As far as the parent commenting on the school being a Program Improvement school, she may not be aware that in MY district, all of the schools, including the ones in the country club with API's over 900 are categorized at Program Improvement due to the overall scores from the entire district. This can occur with the district overall is diversified.
—Submitted by a parent

Both my children have attended Allen. My eldest child is now entering middle school and my second child is entering third grade. Both my children have scored well on CST and their benchmark teats and earned excellent report cards. This school offers many excellent programs. I believe my children's academic success is due partly to the excellent teachers they have had, parent involvement of community members, as well as myself.
—Submitted by a parent

We had a great experience with Allen school. My older child started at one of the magnet schools, but after one year came to our neighbourhood school. That prooved to be a good decision. Now we have be with the school for four years and only seen things improve from academic and extra curricula activities to community support and events. The principal and staff are doing an amazing job to introduce new important programs each year considering the budget crisis. Now and then every school can get badly behaved kids. It is the way the school deals with them that is important. Allen school has been handling conflict situations gracefully and appropriately. We did not have any doubts about sending our younger child to this school and looking forward to enjoying another fun-filled year eat Allen school. I think if more families from the neighbourhood chose to attend Allen it would do even better!
—Submitted by a parent

I think Allen at Steinbeck is a great school. My children have had some really wonderful teachers there and they are both excelling academically. I love all of the artwork and class projects along the walls of the hallways. It feels like a very comfortable and inviting place to learn. Allen at Steinbeck also has some awesome programs that make it really special...Art Vistas, ABC Reading, Los Dichos, Junior Achievement, Science Vistas, Cooking Vistas, Ballet Folklorico, and much more. There's something for everyone!
—Submitted by a parent

All of my children went to Allen at Steinbeck. When given a choice, it was clear to me, that I wanted the K-8. K-8 Schools increase property values, with their proven success to create a tolerant, strong community, devoted to support for education and student growth. The parent teacher volunteers, including me, know in these difficult times, we must share our time and talent to make a difference in our children, and our schools. I always found the front office team to be friendly, approachable, and supportive to find a resolution to any challenge. I see the Principle and Vice Principle to be visible in every event, and throughout our shool on a daily basis. In three years, our school has grown and was able to retain the arts when other schools were unable to do so.
—Submitted by a parent

Allen at Steinbeck is a great school. My son really enjoys going there. The staff cares about him, is very kind to him, and have always met his needs. There are many wonderful programs at this school such as music, choir, art, science, and after school activities. He is looking forward to going there again this year.
—Submitted by a parent

I was interested to read what the 1 star parent had to say. My daughter attended Allen last year as a 3rd grader, and will continue as a 4th this year. Originally we were in the Cupertino school district, and had a wonderful experience there (my older daughter for 5 years, the younger for only K). Needless to say, we haven't seen a school that compares in the SJUSD. BUT... Allen being our current neighborhood school seems to be a fine environment for my daughter to be in. She enjoyed her classroom, the school events, and her teacher very much. As a result, her learning and test scores improved throughout the school year. I hope she continues to grow and help the new class of 4th graders and up that they can be positive examples instead of the poor ones mentioned in the other post. I'm hopeful they will be, with parent involvement to ensure that.
—Submitted by a parent

Steinbeck has fallen very short of expectations. Many parents have been pulling their students out over the last couple of years. The school is deteriorating due to very poor discipline policy, total lack of district behavior policies or follow-through. It is a horrible environment for people who demand educational and academic standards to be upheld and in place. Allen is now classed as an IP, or improvement program school. It needs a complete overhaul; from useless staff who cannot control their classrooms which affects their ability to teach, to useless and inefficient RSP service providers who refuse to carry out their mandated services to students and refuse to be accountable to parents and the students they are paid to help. A huge majority of students from grade 4 on have no self control, are not responsible students and not respectful to teachers or their peers, are rude, swear constantly, cannot be contolled in the classrooms or the yard. Allen has become the neighborhood ghetto school. Students are out of control. Positive reviews are likely from parents with little experience in higher achieving schools.
—Submitted by a parent