Millennium School Schedule

[Martin Glow]

Pleasecheck with the school to make sure that there has not been a necessary schedule change. When you register, the school representative will ensure that the dates you are registering for are correct.

Hi - my child attended as an out of district transfer. It was a very positive experience - I highly recommend that you speak to the Millenium principal Shannon Fierro even if you are just at the contemplation phase, she is amazing. My only warning is that there is some stigma about being in Millenium, I think the Piedmont students tend to look down at those students.

My son is a 10th grader at Piedmont High and is having a rough time academically. The pace seems too fast for him. He is in the process of getting assessed by the school district. We are wondering if a transfer to Millennium could be beneficial or more like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, not to be morbid. Thank you for any insights you can share.

I think your situation is exactly what Millenium is designed for - my child transferred in from out of the district, and had a complete turnaround with the new atmosphere. Their whole mission is to meet students where they are at, and help them find the path through the curriculum. The current principal, Shannon Fierro, is phenomenal as is the current school counselor, Stefanie Manalo-LeClair; there's only one teacher that I have objections to. I would schedule a meeting with Shannon to discuss your child's particulars; doesn't mean you're locked in if you have a beginning talk.

I have a 9th grader at Millennium High School (Piedmont), and it is a great environment for someone who could benefit from more personalized learning. They have a wonderful counselor (academic and wellness) who works closely with the students. Feel free to contact the school and they can help answer any questions / arrange for a tour, etc.

My son attends Millennium High School which is a free, small, public school. We live in Oakland and he transferred from OUSD to Millennium last year. He enjoys the school environment and all of the students, teachers and staff. Every family I have met at Millennium loves the school and feels like it is an outstanding school community! If your child would benefit from being part of a very small, supportive environment, please consider coming to Millennium!

It feels like there is a wide range of things you might be looking for. I am a Berkeley resident with an 11th grader enrolled at Millennium High School in Piedmont (note it is a public school). Our challenge at the Berkeley Middle School he had attended was poor performance and pretty limited support from the school (he was not doing well, but doing well enough to pass while fading back and just doing the minimum and a gap growing year by year- just for context on our specific challenge). We would periodically hear from teachers that he needed additional help outside of school but they would continue to give him decent grades and had no interest in coordinating any outside support. Millennium is small (which was a better social fit for him) has some different flexibility on completing work, has small class sizes (at times, I think, as small as half dozen kids- so no fading into the background), and continuity of at least some teachers across his entire time at the school. In addition, he does have access to classes at Piedmont High School, so for the subjects he is really interested and engaged in, he has had some access to more variety.

My daughter attended Millennial High. Because it is a part of the Piedmont Schools we were told it has the most resources of the three schools you mentioned. This came from a therapist who coaches people on IEPs. I do believe this was true at the time. She graduated in 2015. That said, I have heard things have changed under the current superintendent.... Still, it is a small school and kids do have the options of taking some classes at PHS. They were extremely flexible with our daughter and we are grateful.

We are considering both Oakland Tech and Millennium (in Piedmont, through an interdistrict transfer) for our 8th grade child, who does well in math/science ; he also struggles with dyslexia and ADD. He wants to do well in school and has been very frustrated with his academic limitations, and has needed a lot of support emotionally to manage. He has accommodations that his middle school has managed (extended time on tests and assignments, oral testing, etc.) We are wondering what experiences people have had with these two schools in terms of the resource supports, the emotional support and understanding, and how a child like this might do socially in these environments. Thanks in advance for any insight. concerned parent

Millennium has been a great experience for our teen and us. The staff has been very supportive of needs (mainly emotional support for anxiety that severely impacting academics, even to the point of not going to school, with lots of absences.) They don't punish for late work; grades are different than 'credits,' meaning a student can earn an A on the worked turned in but may have only complete2/3 credits for the term. They are supported in making up the credits to earn the full amount by the end of the term/year.

That said, the social life can be challenging; freshman classes are only 8-10 students total. Upper grades might be 20-30 as many MHS kids come in from PHS for various reasons as juniors. Students do have access to PHS classes which is great if they are up to the academics of those classes. Our kid has chosen to keep the academic load at a minimum and now has a full social life across the entire PHS campus. Kids also have complete access to sports teams at PHS.

MHS has learning center class periods and a learning specialist, but I don't have first hand knowledge of those services; they honor accommodations. We have found the staff to be very willing to help and be supportive, all the more so when you keeep them in the loop about your student's needs. MHS parent

I would love to hear from current Millennium High School parents, especially any who have had kids move from PHS to Millennium. We're considering a move in Junior year for our student who has struggled academically at PHS. I'm hoping to learn more about the school culture and quality of education. Thank you for your advice.

My daughter is ''successfully'' but miserably completing 9th grade at Berkeley High. We are looking for a better fit for next year. She is an artist with an experiential learning style and some dyslexia (not profound). She is somewhat introverted and needs a supportive community of peers. Does anyone have experience to share about Millennium High School, or other ideas? Searching Mom

My son attended Millenium for two years graduating in 2011. Dismal, dismal experience that ended up just waiting to get through it! The approach at the beginning of his junior year was definitely alternative, no or very little homework but engaging teachers and attentive principal. With the change in principal, there came a shift to a clearly remedial approach. Math classes were a joke and taught to the lowest common denominator (same math fact practice sheets that my fifth grader was doing!!). Open house was SUCH a disappointment. The quality of the work was inferior to anything imagined (grade-school dioramas were more elaborate and better thought out!). As a senior poetry assignment to bring in samples of great American poets, my son got full credit for Shel Silverstein's collections. By the time he was a senior any transfer would have been extremely difficult since he was so far behind the curve of any other school that we just decided to let him ride. He intended on working a few years before going to college and has been taking community college classes to make up what he missed.

I can't speak to how it's been lately but I strongly encourage you to visit the school, ask to see samples of work (or even sample of assignments) or attend an open house. For kids who need remedial work and are out of the mainstream of ''high school then on to college'', Millenium is a safe place to park them and have them get their required HS diploma. For anyone intent on college, beware! The saving grace for my son was that he could take AP classes and play varsity sports at Piedmont High. Word to the wise.... Alternative does not equal remedial!

My daughter is pretty unhappy in her public high school and she says she is interested in Millennium High in Piedmont. I know there have been other postings from time to time about Millennium, but I wondered if anyone has more current information on the school. I am very curious about the school and classroom structures, the teachers, the administration, and the schedule. I'm trying to get a sense of whether it's a fit or not. Thanks in advance. Anonymous

My daughter is a Jr. at Millennium H.S. and it has been great for her. I've been impressed with the teachers, who seem to be very available to work with kids individually. My daughter has a lot of friends at Piedmont High, as do many of the other kids, so my fears about status issues was relieved.

She reports that some of the kids aren't into school and can be noisy in class so the kids who are interested sit in the front row. The classes are relatively small and I like their grading and credit system. Also, the principal is dynamite: very smart and savvy about teens. If you haven't visited, definitely do that. Jan

Hello - I am trying to find a good fit more my daughter who is academically gifted, but struggeling in the large classes and crowds of Berkeley High. We are considering a smaller school like Millenium or Maybeck (my ex lives in Piedmont). Does anyone have experience with either or both to share? We would like to find a place where kids can develop personal relationships with teachers in an kind and intellectually challanging environment. (shouldn't all schools be like that?). curious mom

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