Bay View Elementary School

My granddaughter completed kindergarten there in the classroom of Haleigh Fox, I could not be more pleased with the professional instruction & attention that she received there. I had some special concerns for some special needs that she had, and found that she was in great hands with Ms Fox and the principal and others at this school.

Bay View is an excellent school. I initially was apprehensive about sending my children to Bay View because we are programmed in society to evaluate schools based on test scores. During our process and school search, we visited many private schools in the area. However, when I spoke to parents who’s children attended Bay View I noticed a commitment and a loyalty, and a pure love of the school that I didn’t find at other schools. Upon visiting the school I observed racial diversity, rich cultural activities, a beautiful life lab, dedicated teachers and dedicated parents. Due to initiatives passed by the city of Santa Cruz class sizes are low. Due to the many parent volunteers in classrooms and on field trips ratios are fantastic. Many days I volunteered for «center time» (where children rotate through different subjects like, math, language arts and science) and had only 2 – 3 children at my station at a time. The art and music programs are wonderful. During our short time at Bay View a Caldecott honoree has spoken to the children during an assembly, performance artists have narrated stories, we have enjoyed the Fiesta De La Artes each year and many more activities to broaden the children’s global awareness. This year at Fiesta De La Artes, in addition to, Folkloric dancers, children performed polynesian dances and learned to write their names in Japanese characters. Bay View has a higher population of English learners than some schools in the area. Bay View has families of diverse education and socioeconomic levels, which is important. Bay View provides a more accurate snapshot of what the world is really like. In the real world we do not solely interact with people of the same ethnicity and socioeconomic status. My daughter is thriving at Bay View and we believe in the school. My husband and I are both college graduates. Education and academic performance are priorities for us. We encourage others to give the neighborhood school a chance. When community schools are successful the entire community benefits. All children deserve exposure to education and experiences that will best prepare them for success in life. That is why we chose Bay View.
PS. I forgot to mention that Bay View is also the first school to be certified «Green.» The Mayor and many community leaders attended a dedication ceremony. The children and staff have all worked hard to attain this milestone.

Where everybody is somebody.
Bay View really lives up to its slogan. The teachers and staff put their hearts into this place and it shows.
This is a real community & a great place for your kid.

I think sometimes people get a little over-​anxious about junior’s second-​grade experience. Is he being challenged? Are his interpersonal skills appropriate encouraged? Do his teachers understand his personal foibles? He’s in second-​grade. So long as he’s reading the appropriately-​colored book and hasn’t bitten anyone, he’s probably fine.
This was a great school, as far as I recall. We were a rag tag bunch of kids of hippies, some farm workers, academics from UCSC and pretty much everything you could think of. What I remember best is that we had great guest speakers. There was an environmentalist from up on campus who came to give a talk about unleaded gas (yes, I’m that old), and a lady from the temple who showed us how to play the dreidel at Hanukkah, someone’s dad gave a translated account of Mexican Independence for Cinco de Mayo, and a sweet hippie who played us songs about love and peace in music class.