Parkside Community School

Our daughter is three and a half, and she just finished her first year of preschool (Primary) at Parkside. We couldn't be more pleased to have her attending this special school. From top to bottom, it's an excellent program with marvelous staff and leadership, and a wonderful community.

Some of things we love most about Parkside: it's uniquely and authentically Montessori, which was important to us when we were looking at schools. The teachers (called guides) are loving, creative, and thorough in their teaching methods. We were blown away when barely a month in, our daughter came home singing about all the continents of the world! The 12-acre campus is beautiful and well maintained. The kids get lots of outdoor time and often take hikes together as a class. They learn to value and sing about nature, including our new favorite song, "Chlorophyll" written by the founders. Music is a big part of Parkside life, and at least 1-2 events a week are organized around it (parents are invited to participate as well). We've enjoyed all the opportunities for families to get involved at Parkside and we've made some great friends already.

Even through the craziness of the pandemic, Parkside staff led the way with through health protocols and regular communication with Austin Public Health to keep the kids safe and allow school to continue.

In short, we've found Parkside to be an amazing, friendly, beautiful place that is nurturing our daughter to her full potential. We highly recommend it!

FIVE ENTHUSIASTIC STARS! Parents in Austin are fortunate to have many excellent school choices -- both public and private -- for their young children. Parkside Community School is one of the best. It is a special place, founded by and staffed with special people, who are doing special work. This review will be a bit lengthy, so sit back and grab a beverage. As I reflect upon more than 6 years of sending our children to Parkside, here are some aspects of the school that continue to impress:

HOLISTIC EDUCATION. First and foremost are the high caliber, insightful, kind instructors (called "guides") in the classrooms. They're talented, committed, and good at their craft. Fundamental to the Montessori method, the guides emphasize not only academic learning but also each child's social and emotional development. So at least twice per year in parent-teacher conferences (more upon request), we receive specific feedback about whatever our kiddos might be handling well or not-so-well at the time. Students are also given many opportunities to allow their imaginations and creativity to flourish.

INNOVATIVE LEARNING MATERIALS. While Parkside's classrooms are filled with traditional Montessori materials, the school's founders remain flexible and open-minded enough to employ other hand-picked learning tools as well. I love this avoidance of dogmatism. I'll always remember how my then 8-year-old son, using an innovative "non-Montessori" resource, developed a better conceptual understanding of Algebra than I had during my early years of high school. Incidentally, our son is now enrolled in the Kealing magnet program, and Math remains his favorite subject.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. Children at Parkside are routinely exposed to helpful life skills such as conflict resolution, "grace and courtesy," and balancing passion with restraint. Over time, this has led my wife and me (and many fellow parents) to marvel at the heightened levels of emotional maturity and happiness displayed by many off the children as they interact on campus.

"SIMPLE GIFTS," MUSIC, AND GUITAR. Music is an integral part of the school's culture. For example, early on Friday mornings the entire community of students, staff, and available parents convenes for "Simple Gifts" -- an assembly with singing, dancing, and live instruments (I volunteer). Also, all third-grade students learn how to play the guitar. Lifelong guitar playing has been promoted at the school for over 20 years. An interesting side note is that professional musician Shakey Graves attended Parkside in the early 2000's. He told me that he fondly remembers the Simple Gifts songs from his childhood.

STUDENT PERFORMANCES: "GHOSTS OF THE PAST" AND "CULTURAL CHALLENGE." These events give the children invaluable experience with identifying personal passions and skills, preparing in advance, handling adversity and stress, and speaking or performing in public. "Ghosts of the Past" during the Halloween season might be the most popular event of the year. Each child picks a deceased person, dresses up in a costume, and presents "autobiographical" information to the community. "Cultural Challenge" is another longtime favorite. Each child chooses something for a special solo performance (reciting a poem, playing an instrument, telling jokes, etc.), again presented to the entire community.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR ENHANCED LEARNING. Much research has been published in recent years about the benefits of exercise on the brain. Accordingly, Parkside has incorporated physical activity into everyday school life. For this purpose, the 12-acre campus with lots of trees and space to roam is a big plus. Students participate in frequent nature hikes, outdoor games, and other physical activities. For after-school life, several years ago there was a vibrant Marathon Kids program (I volunteered) which has been replaced by an outstanding and very popular Bike Club.

In closing this review, I offer you best wishes as you search for the ideal learning environment for your child. As someone who is deeply passionate about education, I understand that it's a big decision. If you are willing and able to consider a private school, Parkside belongs high on your list of candidates. They truly deliver on their slogan -- "Montessori from the Heart."

Our son just started his second year at Parkside, in the 1st-2nd-3rd grace class (lower elementary). We came to Parkside after 2 previous schools had not worked out, 50% because our kiddo was lagging in social-emotional development and 50% because the staff in both cases didn't know how to deal with that (or let us know about it in a timely fashion). Nothing clinical, just a class clown and a mimic who finds the wildest kid to buddy up to, you know? And when your kid is that kid AND he's bored by the actual school activities, it's a recipe for chaos.

So we needed a calmer environment for him and a place where he'd be very engaged in his work and encouraged to be a helpful member of the community. Parkside has knocked it out of the park. When we did a classroom observation before enrolling, we were shocked that there were so many kids in the room. They were working in small groups and everything was so smooth, we'd have guessed about 20 and there were maybe 28, with 2 teachers rotating through the groups giving lessons and help. Great classroom management. There's also a big focus on "grace and courtesy" that has worked well for our kiddo to settle down.

The new campus on Slaughter is huge and I expect as they work on it over the next few years, it's going to get even better. Parent communication is top notch, with newsletters both from the school and from the child's classroom teachers. When we had an issue with things going on at school, we asked for a conference, and his teachers scheduled it immediately.

Very happy!

Our son will begin his first year in upper elementary this Fall (4th grade). He began at Parkside as a first year in lower elementary (first grade, age six) and my husband and I cannot imagine there would have been a better school for our son's early education.

In a word, Parkside is Exceptional. The balance between academics and creativity is near perfect. Our son's knowledge of math, science, geography, and history are excellent - he could transfer to any school in the city and be at the top of his class. At Parkside our son loves to learn and has become a voracious reader and seeker of knowledge. At Parkside he is encouraged and nurtured in his passions.

I also love how from the get-go our son and his classmates are taught kindness and respect for others and this really shines. The children are taught to resolve conflict with care and communication between them. I also love the vertical mentoring where the older children assist the younger children in the classroom, and the younger kids get to learn from the elders. During the three-year cycle in a multi-age classroom like this the children really thrive in their community. Community being the operative word at Parkside - not just the children but the parents and siblings as well. My husband and I have grown and learned ourselves thanks to Parkside's emphasis on community building and good citizenship!

And thanks to Parkside's twice yearly Cultural Challenge our son is a confident speaker and performer in front of large crowds and this confidence carries over into his day to day interactions with others and in everything he does.

The best testament to Parkside's success as an elementary school is when we pick our son up in the afternoons and ask him how his day was. Each time his answer is the same: "Awesome!"

I wish I had gone to a school like Parkside when I was his age!

Our older daughter is completing her 5th year at Parkside and our younger daughter is in her 3rd. Our girls are thriving emotionally and academically and are presented with challenging material on a daily basis. The environment is incredibly supportive, and the focus on social and emotional learning has given our children an incredible foundation for their future. I wish every child could have an early education of this caliber, and am encouraged to see public and other private schools opening up to the proven Montessori methods embraced by this school. In all of our years (and we will be back for next year) with this school, we have not had one disappointment. Highly recommend Parkside!

This is the cream of the crop when it comes to building the foundation for your child's future. Everyone here is always warm and welcoming. I love that they are advocates for education, community, and the well being of our children.

After a bumpy transition in fourth grade from public school to a private school that wasn't a good fit for our family, we found such a blessed soft landing for fifth grade at Parkside. My son has blossomed at this wonderful school! Enough praise cannot be heaped upon the directors, staff, and educators. This school is organized, communicative, compassionate, and has the perfect balance of rigor and creative exploration. When I drop my son off he is excited to get out of the car and actually looks forward to school! Thank you Parkside and the Upper El team for instilling confidence, and inspiring curiosity and such a love of learning in my son.

Have been at Parkside with our daughter for three years and to say that the loving and caring environment are good for her would be an understatement. She is thriving, challenged (intellectually, socially and emotionally) and HAPPY. Worth checking out if you are considering Montessori for your children.

We have two daughters at Parkside. Our experience has been very positive. As parents, we have found that our daughters are inspired and challenged at this school. The teachers are caring and make learning fun, while also setting proper limits and expectations. We appreciate this balance, and our daughters love their school.

There's not enough space here to tell you about all of the wonderful experiences we have had at Parkside. We honestly believe that Parkside's approach to the Montessori method has provided "growth to the whole child" with regard to each one of our children. The 2013/14 school year will be the 12th year at Parkside for our family. Our eldest son began as a 1st year in Lower Elem. and stayed for 6 years. He went on to O. Henry MS and just completed his freshman year at Austin High. He is in the top 10% of his class and played football, basketball and baseball for AHS this year. Our middle son just finished his 9th year at Parkside. He started Primary just before his 3rd birthday and will be at O. Henry MS next year. Our daughter also started in Primary at age 3 and is now entering her 3rd year in Lower Elem. For our family, "the proof has been in the pudding." We have seen how well our eldest son acclimated not only academically but socially into MS and into everything that he does. We continue to see these same capabilities in our other 2 children. I would invite you to schedule an observation of the classes and join us for Simple Gifts every Friday morning. You'll be glad you did.