Trust Montessori School

I have a 7 year old boy and 4.5 year old girl, both of them are going to graduate from Trust in two months. They started going to Trust when they were 2 year old. The school is part of our daily life for 5 years now, and there are so many things to write about, I will try to make it brief... 1. How I come to Trust- Trust is a chinese-english bilingual private school for kids from 2 year old till first grade. As a first time mom, I visited all the bilingual school with 20miles distance in 2010, to find the right one, and picked trust among all, because, 1). the class rooms are clean, and temperature is comfortable. 2). the teachers have genuine smiles and smile right into my eyes. 3) The administration is very open an take me around classrooms without reservation. 4). the school is in a real campus, instead of residential house or commercial building 4) kids look clean and happy, 5) no complicated tuition structures, it is 7:30 to 6:30. 6) back to the teachers, they are all very upbeat and gentle at the same time, without knowing much, I can tell these are the people I would like my kids to spend time with. 2. The teachers: the kids change room each year, and will be with different teachers. For 2-3 year old, there are 3 teachers for each class, and for the 4 -7year old, 2 teachers each room. We have worked with most of the teachers if not all. Each everyone of them is awesome. On top of being loving, caring, knowledgable, they are also charismatic individual in life. Ms D, the head teacher for first grade and kinder garden, has a colorful background, includes performing, before becoming a professional educator. Her teaching is vibrant, and effective. Ms Joy the Chinese teacher for the same grade, always cheerful with great imaginaton, my son learnt so many chinese words from her. Ms Yang and Ms Daisy, my daughter's current room teachers, they really know how to talk to and play with younger kids, and truly cultivating the young minds. Ms. Katy, Shirley, Peng, Eva, Gina, Sarah, Julie, Kelsey, Jackie, they are all outstanding educators, I will need to write different reviews for each teacher, and all 5 stars! 3. The administration, Ms Ann and Ms Flora, are very supportive and accommodating. They really listen to parents feedback in terms of each student individual need, and make arrangement accordingly. 4. School activities: the school put a lot of efforts in singing, dancing and performing, and that is for every single kid. I can't imagine how hard it is to teach two year olds to sing and dance on stage, but nonetheless, they spend the time and energy to let every kid to have the opportunity to perform. I bring my family and friends every time to watch the performance, and we enjoy it every time. There are also field trip to Egyptian museum, San Francisco Opera, Almaden mining museum, CDC, pumpkin patch. 5. Classmates and parents: I found the kids and parents here are very likable too, a smart and happy bunch too. My kids love their teachers, and the school, they ask to come back for after school, and I am very happy with the school, they are my friends and almost like family at times. It is a great experience for all of us.

My kid is new in their preschool program, overall, the teachers are engaged in kids' learning and montessori teaching. My son enjoys his daily activities and is happy.

We had a very pleasant experience in how we were received by the school. The school has a welcoming and safe environment and its Montessori programs are great. We like it overall and have recommended the school to our friends. We found teachers warm and kind in their caring for our child and our child enjoys each day at school. Parents voted Trust Montessori as the Best Bilingual Preschool in San Jose area in the 2008 Bay Area Parent magazine survey.

My son has been in pre-school class at Trust for almost one and half year. All teachers I know are still there. I don't know why a parent said the teacher turn over is high. I like the teachers. They seem to know each kid's personality which is good. The Chinese teacher is very good in my son's class. My son is able to recognize quite a few Chinese words. I am a little concerned about his English. I heard the kids in Challenger can read when they are 3-yr-old. My son seems to be behind in English. I am not quite satisfied about the facility. It's in public school district. It looks old and there is no a/c. It is very warm in summer. The bathroom is old. It is terrible that kids have to wait outside for a long time before getting in the bathroom in winter. But Overall, I like Trust.

Parents I know in this school are very happy with the learning environment and educational quality: 1. The playground is safe and not crowded; classrooms are big and nicely decorated. 2. All the good teachers have been working in the school since its opening in 2007. 3. The curriculum for Mandarin teaching is highly recommended. Each week, parents received the weekly Chinese song and poem to be taught. Winter and graduation performances show what and how much children learned. Parents are so impressed by how well the teachers have taught and how patient they are with the children. 4. The classrooms are located on the west side of the campus and do not get direct afternoon heat during the winter. Each classroom is equipped with at least two fans and one central cooling system. Usually, the indoor temperature is pretty high during the winter since the heating systems work very well. Children only need to bring in a light blanket for napping time. Each classroom has windows and doors on both sides to get fresh air at any time. 5. Spring break tuition is included in regular monthly tuition just like most other private schools so the school can be closed during the spring break for the staff to have a restful week. However, in order to help parents who need daycare, the school opens during spring break week for daycare. Those who need to attend actually find it much cheaper than attending other programs. 6. The school also provide a rare one-time Vacation Privilege which allows each family not to pay the tuition up to one whole month if the child will be absent between September and June. The school has around 185 students, calculate how much money the school is willing to help the parents to save and you will find how generous the school is to the families. In addition, the school provides free nutritious hot lunch for the full-day students. The school has the least holidays. The School Calendar is posted on the website and you can compare it with other preschools’.