When many of us think back to middle school, it was clearly an interesting and challenging time of rapid change and socialization in our lives. It is truly a delicate time of growth and can really have an impact on and shape the life path you go down. Coast Redwood Middle School is the most supportive and engaging environment I could imagine our son being in. He started off in a public school setting, and while his aptitude was labeled as "gifted", something just wasn't clicking for him with the pace, social structure, and style of learning he was seeking. His entry into the SLV Charter program, particularly Coast's project-centered focus area and unheard of individualized support structure, has been and continues to be essential to his growth and development. I can't imagine a better fit between CRMS’s fabulous teacher (If I could go back to middle school and choose someone to facilitate my learning...it would be her), the teacher who supports math, who took the time to really make math click for a number of kids in the class, the gardening program led by the Charter’s Master Gardener, and the other families. Our son has expressed over and over how supported he feels by all, but particularly how the environment the teachers create is one that facilitates encouragement of one and other and minimizes any self-esteem damaging social pressures. As beautiful as it is on its own, our family would move to SLV to participate in this program alone.
Matt Landi