Trillium

My children have been attending this school since 2004. One of my students has struggled there (but is now in a new grade level and will have a different teacher which I think was an aspect in his struggles), and the other has thrived. I think both of them are learning what they need to know to operate in the real world. They are both thoughtful, smart and well spoken. There is a great sense of community. Regarding the changes in the administration, there were a couple of very turbulent years, and some tough decisions had to be made, but now they are on solid staffing ground and I have confidence that the new director has the experience and leadership skills necessary to help the school reach its full potential fulfill and exceed its mission.
—Submitted by a parent

I have been a parent of a student at Trillium for 7 years, and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants their children to learn problem solving, conflict resolution, and community involvement. It may not be the best choice for every child, but it certainly is for mine.
—Submitted by a parent

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this school to anyone. We spent a total of 5 years with this school and it was a disaster. I didn't realize how much of a disaster until I moved my eldest child out of the school and into a traditional public school. My daughter was horribly mistreated AND emotionally harmed by her last teacher at Trillium. My husband and I pulled her out of the school after an especially traumatic event. Unfortunately, the staff involved in the decision to suspend my child after the fact, never bothered to meet with us nor did they make any effort to resolve the situation. Had this occurred in a traditional school, this teachers would have been fired. My child entered her new school two full academic years behind, she could barely read or compute simple math problems and she had no knowledge of punctuation. She was referred for special ed testing and had a very severe learning disability, something all the teachers at Trillium failed to notice. My son had a great experience at Trillium. His teacher was amazing. Unfortunately, she was forced out by the new administration. Before you decide to send your child to Trillium, attend a Board Meeting.
—Submitted by a parent

Trillium was once a great place where the kids were the main focus. The new administration systematically forced out the founders of the school. Most staff members who started with the school have been let go or have quit. The new administration has not one bit of experience in running a school and would rather decorate her office then buy books for kids. Most programs that made trillium unique are being phased out. Such as garden and traveling. The new administration would rather the school be filled with upper middle class white children.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has seriously taken a turn for the worst. They used to care about the students. Now they care about making the administration look good. I wish that it was the same place that I loved once, but it just is not. It is a twisted place that needs to get it's head back on straight.

As a parent of both current and former Trillium students I must express an extreme disappointment with the school as a whole. They profess to subscribe to a democratic process, but I have seen that fail on many occasions. There isn't continuity between classrooms and boundaries are almost nonexistent. While much energy is spent on community activities, there isn't enough focus on academics. Services for special needs students are hard to get. I spent 4 years trying to get extra help for one of my kids to no avail. In less than 3 weeks of dis-enrolling from Trillium and enrolling at our neighborhood school we were getting the remedial help that Trillium refused to provide. There is a complete lack of accountability from students to teachers to administrators. Family involvement is strong. Unfortunately the needs of the students and school can take second place to the beliefs of the parents. There is a core of dedicated staff and parents that are keeping the school afloat. The kindergarten program is phenomenal and I would recommend it to anyone, but beyond that I would advise people to make alternate educational plans for their children.
—Submitted by a parent

I have had three daughters attend Trillium. It is a wonderful school. Unusual is the decision making process where the children learn that their opinions truly count and they learn to resolve conflict with words. At times this takes a long time and a lot of care, but what a skill to learn. Two of my daughters had Rob Van Nood, who teaches 3,4,5. He is an amazingly creative teacher. This year, he decided to start the year in an empty room with no furniture. They have developed a learning style that is fluid and hands on, with the kids moving around the room in all sorts of interesting explorations. The school is not for everyone, but it is truly a kind a loving place.
—Submitted by a parent

I Love Trillium because they Care! Also in the upper grades they allow the students to work together & help one another. My Son Loves Trillium & he's a Senior this year! Yeah!
—Submitted by a parent

This is a great, innovative school that really helps the kids that are ahead of their grade level, while gently pulling up those who are below their grade level. Their full-spectrum programs don't focus entirely on the simple math, history, english area, but also include humanities, music, and other less common areas (horticulture, anyone?) For a small charter school, they do a great job - heck, for a big school they do a great job.

I love the school's focus on sustainability, democracy, and nonviolent communication skills.
—Submitted by a parent

Individualized learning for each child
—Submitted by a parent

We love Trillium because of the focus on the local and global communities. My 9 year old is aware of the importance of recycling, composting, reusing as much as possible, the value of arts education and the value of being part of a respectful, compassionate community of amazing people! Trillium is truly unique and we can't imagine sending our children anywhere else.
—Submitted by a parent

Trillium is a public school with a strong sense of community and in addition to preparing our kids to be a beneficial member of society it encourages them to become a part of the greater community now and engages them on many levels.
—Submitted by a parent

There are lots of pluses: A K-12 environment where kids interact with students of all ages, a high level of creativity, lots of child decision making, and kids are empowered to take charge of their school.
—Submitted by a parent

Trillium Charter School is a public school that nurtures each child's inherent curiosity, creativity and connection to community. We support diverse learning styles and use democratic processes to help students grow fully as human beings and contribute to and enhance the world.
—Submitted by a parent

A small K-12 (plus pre-school) school where students really have a say about what and how they learn each day. This makes for a wonderful learning environment. Plus families are actively encouraged to be involved in many ways making for an awesome community.
—Submitted by a parent

the teachers at Trillium seem to really like kids - they are warm and kind and creative, and the parents are involved.
—Submitted by a parent

My child loves to go everyday. The program teaches to the whole child. The staff works with each child on an individual basis. Individuals needs and interests are developed.
—Submitted by a parent

Mixed age classes, experiential learning, very little 'sitting still', great teachers
—Submitted by a parent

This school thrives on community involvement. In this democratic environment, the students are involved in just about every decision making process in the school. They truly care about how their decisions affect the members of their community, and democracy is key in every facet. They spend their money on what matters to the students and place a great deal of importance on the arts, as well as teaching students to be good stewards of the earth. Even their hot lunch program focuses on balanced, healthy, organic meals. I could send my daughter to the neighbourhood school here, but love Trillium so much that we send her there. My child is truly saddened when she has to miss a day. The teachers are wonderful, caring, incredibly patient, and really love children. They focus on positive conflict resolution, and work through mediation rather than strict punitive consequence when there is a problem. They involve the parents early when they sense there is a problem that can be resolved quickly and with minimal drama. The kids don't fall through the cracks at this school.
—Submitted by a parent