North Oakland Community Charter School

I visited an open house at the North Oakland Community Charter School this past Thursday morning.  I've never visited a charter school before so I did not know what to expect.  I was especially curious to see what is different between a charter school and public school.  After my visit to NOCCS, I see a charter school as somewhere between a public school and private school.  Each charter school has a personality, depending on the vision of the school.  I found out about NOCCS from a family I met at Little Skate in Alameda, the two little boys my son was skating with seemed so genuinely sweet and inclusive as far as welcoming my son to play, and the mom told me they had a social emotional curriculum at their school.  When I visited the school, I saw this social-emotional curriculum in action as well as evidenced all over the school.  They don't just talk the talk, they walk the walk!  I found the teachers and administrator truly inspiring, and most have their own children attending the school.

The NOCCS opened doors in September 2000 as a K-1 school.  The classes are all combination classes.  The kinders go home at 1:30, which I think is smart!  Then, the 1st graders stay and do reading/ language arts.

The school welcomes and depends upon parent volunteering, and that is a requirement for attending the school.  The school wouldn't survive without many hours of volunteering on the part of parents, extensive fundraising activities, and fun events!

I have to say I love this school, it really has a heart.

Best things about NOCCS in my opinion:

Teachers seem happy, enthused, caring, warm
Administrator seems honestly dedicated to social and emotional health of children
Children seem engaged and happy
Parent volunteers are welcome in school, valued, and appreciated
conflict resolution skills are taught starting in kindergarten.
school goes through 8th grade
naturally socioeconomically and culturally diverse