I want to go there

So.... we've been exploring other schools for the kids (Jacob is still on the waiting list at the charters - I checked in this week).  We also found a private school that sounded appealing:

http://cooperativeschool.org/

So, I met with one of the directors, then went in a observed the school and met with the teachers, and then finally took the kids in for a visit this morning.

Brief synopsis of the school: private, but not religious; very small (right now 8 kids, but they would like to grow to two classes of 12 kids each); sort of a one-room-school-house kind of feel.  They have an integrated curriculum (right now they are reading Treasure Island, making a pirate dictionary in writing, and learning about the properties of water in science).  They teach both Chinese and Spanish in the afternoons.  All kids have computers.  It's housed in former K-8 school associated with a church.

When I first broached the idea of visiting the school (Wednesday) - it was met with horror by the kids.  "But we LOVE Berry.  I don't want to go anywhere else.  I'll miss GYM!"

I showed them the website, tried to up-sell a little bit, and told them that Mom and Dad get to make this decision, but that we'd listen to their opinions.  However, in order to have a good opinion, they had to visit the school.

By yesterday in the car, they were informing the neighbors that they might not be at Berry next year (still a big *might* at this point).  It happened to be "dress like a pirate day" at the Cooperative School, so we dug out what pirate gear we had and the kids were slowly getting on board.

Well, I think they had fun.  They joined the reading groups when we got there (the students were sharing adventure stories they wrote), while I shared Allison's current IEP with the math/science teacher.  Above all else, we don't want to move the kids if it's not going to be successful.  We're not trying to hide anything from them.  Then she encouraged me to go out and get a cup of coffee and return in an hour.  The kids stayed and did a math treasure hunt with the other students.  The treasure was donuts (had the teachers not planned this an advance, I'd have thought they were trying to sell the kids on the school too).

In the end, the kids had a really nice time.  Allison said "I definitely want to go to this school." and Jacob said "I kindof want to go to this school.... more than I did before."

So, I'm going to follow up with them next week, and they are going to share the accommodations in Allison's IEP with the afternoon teachers to see if they thought it would work out or not.  Cautious optimism.  Also, it's right down the street from the environmental charter school, so if Jacob were still to get in there, and Allison were to go here - it would be a very easy pickup/dropoff situation.