Ocean View Elementary School

Here is a review from my daughter:
I think Ocean View is a great school because the teachers are nice; I like the principal; I have lots of friends there and the playgrounds are fun for me and my friends to play with. One of my best friends I met from kindergarten even though I didn’t expect to make a friend or two. I think it is a great program; I think it is like a forest in the tree area in the front part. Almost all of the kids are nice and there isn’t much bullying there at all. I’m glad there are conflict managers. I love the 3 b rules: be responsible, be respectful, be safe. I like how the teachers keep us safe and there are many ways I love the school. My friends there are so nice and so kind to me. I love all the different things on the playground. I love how creative the arts are and all the grades and how it is fun to be in the school. I’m not excited for the 5^th grade because I will have to graduate.
I think Ms Hanna, my teacher from last year, is a very nice teacher; she didn’t give many consequences at all and made up a lot of songs and chants too. I love her creative art ideas. And Ms Briones, this year, is a very nice teacher. I love her personality and even though I’ve had a few tardies,… it’s OK. I just like being in school. I love the theme song about otters. Otters are the special animals for our school. I think it is cool how you can have friends of the week at school. There are so many nature things and fun things to do with my friends. If I had a favorite thing at school, it would be being friend of the week. I love the different jobs you can have: in school people have different jobs like table leader, line leader, caboose,… all these creative jobs. I think it is very safe and a lot of people have been following the 3 b’s. I feel it is a big fun house. I’m glad I met so many friends there since friends are the one things that matter to me. The teachers have been so nice to me. I can’t wait to be in second grade and whatever grade I’m going to be in later.

One of the best public elementary schools in SF Bay area. My 2 kids are lucky to go there, my 5^th grader feels a little sad he has to graduate and move on in the end of the year. Both boys are thriving there academically and socially. The diversity is amazing, kids teach each other different cultures they are coming from. No bullying, kids themselves are in charge to ensure mutual respect and zero violence at school through conflict management and student council programs. My kids formed friendships there I’m most certain will last a lifetime. Special thank you for the wonderful teachers my kids learned so much from: Ms. Judith Sinclair, Mr. Chris Hanson, Ms Kimberly Hwang, Ms Eunice Kim, Ms Sally Davis, and many more wonderful teachers my kids are enjoying learning from. And of course special thank you to our awesome OV Principal Ms Terry Georgeson! PTA is very strong and creative, coming up with so many ways to raise funds for our school. We especially enjoyed this year Ocean View Walkathon where our 5^th graders were in charge of game booths and helped raise so much needed money for the school, what a great experience!!! Oh, almost forgot, (school) handball is very popular here :-)

We have been very happy with our kids’ education at Ocean View. I credit the staff’s dedication and hard work for creating an positive environment for learning. Just as important I think, is that the school is one where tolerance, diversity and cultural understanding are embraced.
It’s not a perfect school. It seems the student-​teacher ratio is on the high side. Like many public schools these days, Ocean View must do the best it can with the limited resources available to it.
That said, I trust Ocean View with my kids’ education, and recommend giving it a look if you are thinking about the Albany School District.

The Albany School District has enjoyed a highly-​regarded reputation for quite a while. We ourselves chose to settle here when we relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area from Los Angeles. Overall — we are quite glad that we did.
Teachers — out-​standing!
My son & daughter have had the most wonderful teachers. My 5-​year-​old is finishing up kindergarten. My 8-​year-​old is finishing up 3^rd grade. For kinder, Ms. Eunice Kim has provided a very rich learning and playing environment where my daughter feels loved & challenged. For 2^nd & 3^rd grade, Ms, Meredith Rogers & Ms. Rebecca Sarikakis respectively, each created a challenging & team-​focused arena where my son flourished & quickly made a community of friends.
PTA — pretty good:
The PTA tries very hard to involve busy parents. They provide lots of opportunity to volunteer with special fundraisers & events throughout the school year.
Enrichment Classes — ok, but…
My one concern is that there is less opportunity at this school, compared to the other elementary schools for participation in Enrichment Programs provided by the Before & After-​School Provider, East Bay Center for the Performing Arts. The other schools offer Pre-​Engineering and language enrichment that is not offered at Ocean View. This lack of equity is pretty blatant and I am surprised that it is not being effectively addressed, even after several parents have expressed concern.
Bonus — Ocean View international community:
The international, mult-​cultural and multi-​lingual elementary school experience is a great boon to the Albany School District. A large portion of the students here are children of visiting scholars from around the world, studying & working at Cal. That, in addition to the already diverse Albany area makes for a truly unique environment in which the children learn, play, and grow.