How do you like Pathfinder?

[diveatlas]

I’d like to hear good &/or bad experiences related to Pathfinder K-5 from parents with kids at the school. Our daughter was assigned to kindergarten there for 08/09 and it’s hard to get a true feel for the school just by brief visits and talking with school employees.

Thanks in advance for the insight.

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[add]

We’ve been a Pathfinder family for over seven years and I just love that school. As someone posted in another school-related thread, most people who have settled in to a school think their’s is the best! In a nutshell, I love the expeditionary, hands-on learning model, overall philosophy/values, the focus on the whole child (academic as well as social/emotional) and the incredibly talented and dedicated staff. It is a great community all around. Would be happy to talk more off-line, just post an email address.

PS – Pathfinder is K-8.

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[ebaer]

You might try calling the school and talking to David, the principal, and see if there would be a good day for you to come and spend a bit more time. I have found Pathfinder to be a terrific place for my daughter. She loves school, is allowed to follow her own passions, and is always challenged to do her best academically. Of course the great thing about Seattle Schools is that there are lots of different schools and will want the one that meets your daughter’s needs the most, so go visit! It is also a great community for parents.

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[jkg]

I have 3 children at Pathfinder and have been very happy with the education they’re engaged in there. There is no perfect school and different people have different ideas about what the “best” education looks like. My fundamental criteria for a good education is that my children learn who they are, their strenghts,weakness, and passions, in the course of learning about the world and testing their abilities. I want their education to lead them to make good “true” choices about how they will spend their lives and with whom they will choose to spend them.

I believe Pathfinder does a great job encouraging kids to discover themselves (not something that I think is found at every school) while still creating the more traditional academic/WASL success.

Good Luck in your decision!

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[diveatlas]

I have visited twice. It’s just hard to tell from a visit. One specific question I have is for parents with students who went to Pathfinder through 5th grade and then moved on to another middle school. How did their child handle the transition to a more traditional school?

Another thing that seems to be a little short at Pathfinder is the amount of time with teaching specialists (PE, Library, Technology, Art, Music) for the students. Their specialist set up is a little less than some schools that don’t even have to share them with middle school students.

I’d really like to hear parents’ thoughts on these issues. Thank you so much for your time. It’s great to hear Pathfinder has a very active parent community.

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