Archive for the ‘STEM Education’ Category
11
Jun
Posted by Anonymous in Charter schools, Education, Pacific Technology School, School activities, STEM Education, Success, Teachers, Testimonials. Tagged: Algebra, Charter school, charter schools, Education, Math, Mathematics, Pacific Technology School, Student, Teacher. Leave a Comment
Parent Testimonial:
My daughter was in a very famous school district in Orange County last two years. A lot of parents choose this city for the school district. That’s why I first moved into this city as well three years ago. I have been closely following Pacific Technology School (PTS) Santa Ana. I had a couple of friends whose sons and daughters attend PTS. I wasn’t very happy about my daughter’s Math in her local public school. She wasn’t challenged at all even though I talked to her teacher couple of times. I saw her decline in Math in her two years at this school. One final obstacle for her was the Algebra screening test. Based on that screening test, she wasn’t allowed for Algebra in seventh grade because she missed one or two more items on the test. This was tipping point for me. I decided to move my daughter to PTS. After talking with my daughter, we went to PTS. She got a screening test there as well. She was allowed to take Algebra there. Besides regular Algebra course, she was challenged with Advanced math problems every week. She was trying her best effort through out the year. There were always some problems she wasn’t able to solve. But she liked Math again. I sometimes questioned the strategy of her teacher as well. But, her teacher was confident that her method works and my daughter gained confidence in Math and she is not bored with Math anymore. I don’t need to try to motivate her anymore.
From my first year as a parent of PTS, I am impressed with how teachers put all their energy and effort for all of their students. They consistently monitor student progress and inform parents right away. No student slips through the cracks at PTS. Kids are inspired to do their best and they enjoy Math and Science.
Thank you PTS!
6
Jun
Posted by Admin in Charter schools, Education, Magnolia Science Academy, School activities, STEM Education. Tagged: Charter school, Education, Learning Theories, Magnolia Science Academy, Methods and Theories, Student. Leave a Comment
Parent Testimonial:
I feel very strongly about the merits of charter schools and how they can change the trajectory of a child’s life, as it’s the case with my family.
My youngest son is advanced in science. While many schools lack the ability to foster a student like him as they are focused on students who are struggling, at Magnolia Science Academy my son’s gift is recognized and his growth encouraged. Rather than having the entire class work through the curriculum at once, the students group together who are on the same level, so my son and others like him can move forward when they are ready to, rather than having to wait. After-school activities and the science club at the school also provide extra learning opportunities within settings that are further focused on the topic.
Charter schools instill a love of learning in their students from the very beginning which translates to future success in school and beyond. Both my younger son and my older son who attends Magnolia Science Academy understand they are being given the opportunity of lifetime. They don’t complain about the extra homework or other commitments because they are seeing how these things are helping them fulfill their goals.
Charter schools are setting the bar in education. They encourage autonomy, exercise accountability, and the quality of education they offer is excellent.
28
May
Posted by Admin in Charter schools, Education, Magnolia Science Academy, School activities, STEM Education, Teachers, Testimonials. Tagged: After-school activity, California, Charter school, Computer Science, Education, School, Teacher. Leave a Comment
Parent Testimonial:
MSA 5 is an exceptional school that prides itself on maintaining good communication between both parents and students. The teachers and staff work very hard to see that the students receive the attention and encouragement they need to advance to higher education. They offer specialized programs such as Advanced Math, Computer Science, and Science programs which involve many competitions throughout the year. They have tutoring and after-school programs such as running club, food critic, year book club, and robotics. I would not send my son anywhere else. He has learned so much.
8
May
Posted by Anonymous in Charter schools, Education, Magnolia Science Academy, School activities, STEM Education, Teachers, Testimonials. Tagged: Charter school, charter schools, Education, FIRST Lego League, Learning, Lego, LEGO Mindstorm, Magnolia Science Academy, Robot, School, Teacher. Leave a Comment
Parent Testimonial:
We were all honored when our son selected for the Lego Robotics club as well as the invitations to the Math club. Study Table has been good for him too as he gets focused time to work on the homework that challenges him the most. He has really come out of his shell and gaining confidence in his scholastic abilities.
Our son was absent from school for about a week, due to an illness. While he was out, the staff and every teacher was very helpful by providing with the necessary materials for our kid to study. Once he returned, everyone helped him and all the teachers went out of their way to get our child back on track.
I’m thankful for the dedicated Magnolia Science Academy staff..
19
Apr
Posted by Anonymous in Charter schools, Education, Magnolia Science Academy, School activities, STEM Education, Teachers. Tagged: Charter school, Education, Parent, San Diego, School choice, Science education, STEM, Teacher. Leave a Comment
Parent Testimonial:
We moved to San Diego last year. Moving within itself is a pretty huge hassle. It gets more complicated when you are moving the kids’ school as well. You need to find a good school for your kids.
We have done a thorough review of the schools in our neighborhood and its surrounding schools. We found out MSA San Diego. We really liked what it was offering. So, we did a school visit and we were attracted to the welcoming environment of the school. The decisive point for us was when we learnt about the challenging programs offered, which help kids surpass their peers.
My son was often bored in his math and science classes in the past couple of years. I was trying to motivate him towards science and math, but you cannot do it by yourself at home; students need to be social as well.
We have seen that at MSA, it is ok to be smart. Kids can go as deep as they can with programs like A-Star. My son is challenged each week. Sometimes, the homework he brings home becomes a family puzzle time. The teachers are not just lecturing the standards or curriculum. They are further teaching kids how to solve the problems; the kids learn from one another and their teachers. I think they have a very good program.
I also like the safety procedures at school; the teachers and administrators have great communication with parents. I am updated by the automated school information system periodically. So, I have a pretty good sense of what is going on my son’s life at school.
I wish MSA San Diego had a high school as well. We started to think about high school now as my son will go to 8th grade next year.
15
Mar
Posted by Anonymous in Charter schools, Education, Gulen charter schools, Jealous bloggers, Magnolia Science Academy, School activities, STEM Education, Success, Teachers, Testimonials. Tagged: Charter school, Education, Gulen, Gulen Charter School, Gulen charter schools, Magnolia, Magnolia Science Academy, Student–teacher ratio. Leave a Comment
Magnolias (Photo credit: James Jardine)
Parent Testimonial:
Magnolia offers a great academic program. My daughter has a chance to excel in both math and English. She also has computer classes and she likes computer programming. Her typical day in public schools used to end at 2 pm, while now Magnolia has an extended academic day with high expectations.
Magnolia Science Academy was the choice of my daughter.. At first, I was objecting her because I was in doubt of this little school with 10 or less classrooms and a few staff. We are happy to see that at last I made the right decision to enroll her.
In these difficult economic times, Magnolia is making great sacrifices to offer clubs, free tutoring, social activities, on and on. The student-teacher ratio is so low that I cannot believe it. Previous year, she attended a reputable public school in an affluent community. The number of students in her class was 38. This year, she’s in the class with 27 kids.
Recently, I found out there are a few people who speak ill of Magnolia schools. I feel like they’re rather reacting to the schools’ success. They try to defame these schools by labeling them with some sort of illusive “Gulen charter schools“, whatever it means. I tried to make a little research on it. But when I faced too many self contradicting, baseless articles, I gave up.. I was very disappointed for my wasted time on those unreasonable information.
My personal opinion is that, it’s better to go to school and take a closer look on Magnolia. As a parent, I see care, respect, commitment, and high standards at school staff. Beyond that, I do not really care. All I care is that my daughter is happy at Magnolia Science Academy; her eagerness for knowledge has notably improved and improving everyday.
20
Oct
Posted by Admin in Charter schools, Education, Gulen charter schools, Magnolia Science Academy, School activities, STEM Education, Teachers, Testimonials. Tagged: After-school activity, Charter school, Education, Gulen charter schools, Magnolia Science Academy, Parent, School choice, Teacher. Leave a Comment
Parent Testimonial:
“Gulen charter schools” rumors
My son has completed his first year at Magnolia Science Academy. In his first school, he was behind in math and reading and I believed he was not getting the attention he needed. I had begun to do research about alternative schools in our neighborhood. Since it was impossible for us to afford a private school, charter schools seemed a viable option. I have heard Magnolia Schools from a few friends one of whom also talked about something like Guelen, Gwlen or Gulen charter schools she read on the web. Since I had known too little about Magnolia, I found the rumor quite interesting but contradictory. Given that anyone can write anything on the Internet, I did not give up and scheduled a school visit at Magnolia Science Academy.
Yes, the school site had some physical limitations, like a lack of a large gym hall, but I found the principal to be very warm and honest. I asked many questions about their academic program, clubs, parent involvement etc. What I had heard from the principal persuaded me to enroll my son in Magnolia Science Academy. I also met a couple teachers who were very nice. After a second visit to Magnolia Science Academy with my husband, we decided that this would be the school for our son.
Both my husband and I are grateful that we have decided to be part of the family at Magnolia Science Academy. My son is benefiting from working closely with caring teachers. His math and reading are at his grade level now thanks to his teachers who spend time with him after class. We believe that Magnolia Science Academy teachers and principal are genuinely interested in our children’s learning. Children are getting individual attention and support from their teachers in a positive environment.
Thank you, Magnolia Science Academy! You made a big difference in our son’s life.
- A tribute to Magnolia teachers (parents4magnolia.org)
- Back to School Tomorrow (parents4magnolia.org)
- My kid’s future (parents4magnolia.org)
18
Oct
Posted by Admin in Charter schools, Education, Magnolia Science Academy, STEM Education, Testimonials. Tagged: Charter school, Child, Education, Parent, Science Olympiad. Leave a Comment
Parent Testimonial:
Schooling for the future
My son has been at a Magnolia School for two years. At first, like every parent, I had a few concerns about sending my child to a charter school. However, comparing my concerns about the elementary school in our neighborhood, they seemed to be minor. Plus, I had heard from other parents about Magnolia Science Academy’s strong discipline and academic excellence.
After two years, my son and I are very happy that we chose Magnolia Science Academy. I am impressed and confident with my son’s school. They indeed have a rigorous academic program and they offer a variety of programs from robotics to Math Matters/Counts, Science Olympiads to music programs. Most importantly, my son’s teachers care about the students and they do beyond their best to promote their individual growth. The principal is also very caring and responsive when there are problems. I believe Magnolia Science Academy is a wonderful school with a safe environment and high standards for my child. THANK YOU for all you do for our children!
11
Oct
Posted by Admin in Charter schools, Education, Magnolia Science Academy, School activities, STEM Education, Teachers, Testimonials. Tagged: Charter school, Child, Education, Learning, Parent, Student, Student–teacher ratio, Teacher. Leave a Comment
Parent Testimonial:
Teacher
I first heard the term “Charter School” in 2006. I chose to send my children to Magnolia Science Academy for the following three reasons: Creative game plan in teaching, low teacher to student ratio and a challenging atmosphere. A friend of mine was talking highly about her experience with charter schools but at the time my kids were too young to be enrolled. However, a couple of years later that time came up and the conversation I had with my friend made such an imprint in my mind that I researched local charter schools and am happy to say I enrolled my children in Magnolia Science Academy 7.
As a parent your goal in life is to give your children what you never had. I never had a chance to express and/or learn as creatively as I did as a child and still do as an adult. Needless to say, I wanted to give my kids the opportunity to expand their minds and ability through learning in a non-traditional way and Charter school is the answer. The main purpose of charter schools is having an alternative means of increasing innovation in learning and supporting creative learning methods which may lie outside the traditionalism of the public system.
The ratio of teachers to student is low, which means my son is able to get the attention he needs in subjects he’s presently weak at, while my daughter excels in reading and writing and is continuously challenged to strengthen her skills. Not only do they provide a fun learning environment but they work with your child strengths and weaknesses.They are both in love with mathematics as well and are challenged by their teacher’s curriculum daily. Teachers stick to their agenda and provide learning assistance in all academic areas. It is great to see the experience of teachers at their best which then brings out the best in their students as well. In all the parent/teacher conferences I’ve attended each teacher has taken the time to explain and go through their curriculum with each parent for their individual child, in which I’ve heard nowadays is hard to do considering class sizes are huge to provide such attention to detail for a teacher. C’mon what more can a parent ask for?
Honestly, I had a very ignorant mind set of learning facilities prior to having children. I thought money was the key for a better and higher education to achieve proper, well behaved children that were held to a high caliber to excel. Little did I know I was wrong. I love how charter schools have a system that allows teachers to be creative in their own work along with the environment being welcoming and encouraging to both the parents and students. I am aware of the financial issues that arise in the charter schools because it is government funded, and I, one of many parents will do whatever means to continue supporting the Charter Schools. Charter Schools is a wonderful idea that was executed beautifully because it made happened by Professor Ray Budde who I deeply give thanks to.
26
Oct
Posted by Admin in Charter schools, Education, Magnolia Science Academy, STEM Education, Testimonials. Tagged: Charter school, Education, Magnolia Science Academy, Teacher. Leave a Comment
Parent Testimonial:
I live in Culver City. Even though, I am not that much close to my neighbors, we do have some conversation time to time. One morning, I saw my next door neighbor in the morning with her daughter while she was going to drop off her daughter to school. I have a son who is now in 5th grade, and will be 6th grade next year. So, I asked my neighbor what school her daughter was in (she is in 7th grade now). She told me she was attending Magnolia Science Academy which was a public charter school focused on math, science and technology. I was very interested, because my son is very much interested in science, so asked her for more information. She gave me the contact information of the school. I checked the school website and was very impressed and became more interested. She told me how her daughter was doing well at her classes and mentioned about the enhanced programs they had. She expressed many times about how the teachers cared about their students. It just made me happy to find a school like that, because my son will be in 6th grade next year, and I already decided where he’ll be continuing his education.
