Poway school district -- do they have music. art. pe classes?? (San Diego: 2013, college)

[momof3seattle]

Hi, we just moved from Washington state. Our children (K and 1st) were going to a private school (we lived in not so good school district). Now we are in Rancho Penasquitos and we were wondring if we should continiue to send kids to a private school or try a public school here (Poway unified school distict). We were told that public schools don't offer music, pe, art, etc.... Is that true? There are few small private schools near by Rancho Penasquitos, Mira Mesa area. Are those schools better than Poway public shools? Thank you.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by momof3seattle

We were told that public schools don't offer music, pe, art, etc.... Is that true?

Call the school and ask them. Even better call and ask to speak to an administrator and request a visit to the school.

Originally Posted by momof3seattle

There are few small private schools near by Rancho Penasquitos, Mira Mesa area. Are those schools better than Poway public shools? Thank you.

Very doubtful since the Poway schools are all "10" rated and are considered to be among the best in California. The elite private schools like Francis Parker are closer to the center of San Diego.

[docmcstuffin]

Originally Posted by capoeira

Very doubtful since the Poway schools are all "10" rated and are considered to be among the best in California. The elite private schools like Francis Parker are closer to the center of San Diego.

No, they are not all 10s. Here are scores for all of the schools in Poway Unified: 2012 Base API LEA List of Schools Report - Poway Unified
Only 2 out of 5 HS have a rank of 10, 2 are 9s and 1 is 8. That 8 is in Rancho Penasquitos (Mt. Carmel High).

[docmcstuffin]

Originally Posted by momof3seattle

Hi, we just moved from Washington state. Our children (K and 1st) were going to a private school (we lived in not so good school district). Now we are in Rancho Penasquitos and we were wondring if we should continiue to send kids to a private school or try a public school here (Poway unified school distict). We were told that public schools don't offer music, pe, art, etc.... Is that true? There are few small private schools near by Rancho Penasquitos, Mira Mesa area. Are those schools better than Poway public shools? Thank you.

What part of Rancho Penasquitos do you live in? That makes a big differences in how good the Elementary school is. If you live on the west side (park village or a long Camino Del Sur), I think the public Elementary is probably just as good as some of the private school academically. However, it doesn't have the social connection/prestige as Francis Parker or La Jolla Country Day does. So, if those stuff is important to you, then no public school can match. There's a reason why they can charge $27k+/year.

[momof3seattle]

Thank you! So I guess most poway elementary schools are great considering the facts they don't have PE, Music, art (just called the district as your advice). Does that mean they do focus only on core subjects like math and reading to keep high test scores? I feel that subjects like PE and Music are also as important... also we are christians and if we could afford, we would like to send our kids to christian school. Do you know anything about christian schools (not catholic) in Rancho Penasquistos/Mina mesa areas? Thank you.

[momof3seattle]

accoding to our address, our school would be Sundance elementary

[earlyretirement]

Originally Posted by momof3seattle

Thank you! So I guess most poway elementary schools are great considering the facts they don't have PE, Music, art (just called the district as your advice). Does that mean they do focus only on core subjects like math and reading to keep high test scores? I feel that subjects like PE and Music are also as important... also we are christians and if we could afford, we would like to send our kids to christian school. Do you know anything about christian schools (not catholic) in Rancho Penasquistos/Mina mesa areas? Thank you.

Yep, as doc mentioned, they aren't all "10" rated. Personally I find the schools to be really excellent in this area. Especially at the Elementary school level. I'm just as comfortable sending my daughter to a public Elementary School in the PUSD like we are at Willow Grove vs. any private school. In fact, I much prefer sending my daughter to Willow Grove vs. some of the expensive private schools in the area.

As far as Christian private schools in your area, there is one right near you.

Elementary Schools San Diego, Elementary School San Diego | The Cambridge School

I have NO idea what it's like but I pass by it all the time. You might want to go there and take a tour of there and admission doesn't seem crazy like some of the other private schools in San Diego.

[momof3seattle]

Thank you earlyretirement!
So what do you do to supplement what's missing in public schools (such as PE, Art, music, etc...)?

[hitman619]

Originally Posted by momof3seattle

Thank you earlyretirement!
So what do you do to supplement what's missing in public schools (such as PE, Art, music, etc...)?

AYSO Soccer Starts pretty soon.Art classes at the local Rec center after School.
I'm not sure who you talk to at the PUSD office but all elementary,junior high and high schools offer music programs.

Looks like it doesn't start till 5 grade
Elementary Music Teachers

I've herd pretty good things about this place.
Play & Learn, Music, Art, Sports, School Skills, and Preschool Classes for your Baby, Infant, Toddler, and Preschooler - Gymboree Play & Music

[earlyretirement]

Originally Posted by momof3seattle

Thank you earlyretirement!
So what do you do to supplement what's missing in public schools (such as PE, Art, music, etc...)?

You're certainly welcome. There are other Christian schools in the area that aren't too far. For example, Maranatha is near 4S Ranch and I drive by there all the time and the school is GORGEOUS. I have a few friends that send their kids there and they seem pleased. Maranatha Christian Schools San Diego |

Yet, other friends send their kids to Horizon in Rancho Santa Fe - Horizon Christian Fellowship - North County

They are expanding Camino del Sur now so it will be wider and traffic won't be bad. So you can just take Black Mountain Road to Carmel Valley Road down to Camino del Sur and you have pretty easy commute to either of those schools if you like them.

None of these schools is too far for you being in Rancho Penasquitos. And they don't have the price tag as some of the ultra expensive private Christian schools in the San Diego area. So you might want to check all of them out and see what makes the most sense for your family.

I'd check school by school and see what programs they do/don't have. My kids are still quite young and my daughter is only in Kindergarten. But her school Willow Grove does expose them to PE, music, etc. Now whether that is enough for you is probably an important point that you need to evaluate.

But for me I don't really care too much about PE, etc. Our kids are VERY involved with other extracurricular activities. They are busy most days of the week. Ballet classes, tennis lessons, swim lessons, karate classes, horse riding lessons along with several play dates with other parents. The last thing I worry about is PE. LOL. We set up the physical extracurricular activities so they are mixed with group stuff (ballet, karate, etc) vs. individual stuff (swimming lessons, tennis lessons, etc).

I do think that most of the schools do have Art type programs. I'm not too worried about Art. And for music type stuff we will also possibly make available lessons if they want to take lessons as well but I don't worry about that too much to be honest.

You can EASILY supplement and expose your kids to those type of activities. You will find that people are VERY open to playgroups, play dates, etc. in the area. It's very easy to meet up with other parents and make friends if you have kids. Also, you have stuff like Kidding Around (Kidding Around | "Life is more fun when you are kidding around!" | Life is more fun when you are kidding around!) right there in your area which is GREAT! You can meet other parents there and your kids if they are K and 1 will enjoy it. They have wi-fi so you can work while your kids play.

IMHO, I'd save the $7,000 to $10,000+ per year on what you'd spend on private schools if you live in PUSD and use the money towards their college fund as well as extracurricular activities.

Also, feel free to PM me. I have kids your age so you're always welcome for a play date. We live in nearby Santaluz. Welcome to the area. You did really well selecting the area. We couldn't be more pleased with the area and here for the long haul.