Hi Lisa and Tatiana,

Just a note of thanks for yesterday. I have participated in EF workshops before (not Classroom Matters) and yours was by far the best and most helpful :). Looking forward to receiving the slides and sharing with my kids.

With gratitude,
Jennifer J.

Thank you so much for the wonderful presentation! It was so valuable for the parent community who joined us today. And we look forward to continued collaboration to support ALL students and their families.

Best,
Dr. Rebecca Hawley, Ed.D
Tilden Prep/Inclusive Schools Group

Kyle is fantastic — he connected with our daughter from their very first session and continues to fuel and support her interest in math, often exploring topics beyond her school curriculum — so much so that she is now reading books about math education for fun and is strongly considering a math major in college. (And he also made AP Chem a lot more manageable!)

- M

We absolutely adore working with Miriam; she’s brilliant at tutoring and using all the school’s digital tools to figure out what’s on Ilan’s plate. He has learned to trust her and appreciate her guidance. In addition, I have really appreciated her being my partner in keeping Ilan’s educational journey going strong in these difficult times.

- A. Davis

I'm really impressed with how CM is coming up with great programming in the face of these huge limitations. You've been much more steady in your offerings and communications than our actual schools have managed to be in the last two weeks. Not that I blame the schools--everyone has a lot to deal with. But you're inspiring me!

- Rachel (Enrichment Programs parent)

It’s been ages since the kids took the HSPT in the Oakland area, but I wanted to share our gratitude and praise for Sam Bordia. Chloe took the HSPT before tutoring with him and then again after tutoring with him. For NP-NS, she went from 80-7 (pre-Sam) to 91-8. Her SS went from 570-612. So great! And the results automatically earned her a place in honors classes. Thanks to Classroom Matters and to Sam!

- V (mom)

Max was heading into his final exam in Trigonometry (worth 50% of his grade) with a solid F (47%).

In just 2 tutoring sessions, he figured out all the baseline problems tugging at him that were bringing his grade down, and he scored a B+ on the exam. He ended up passing the class.

Thanks again to you Classroom Matters, and to you Geoff for pulling off another miracle.

We owe you a debt of gratitude.

- J

Hi Amanda,
Thank you so much for all of the work you are doing with [son].  I checked Illuminate last night and [son] has A’s in all of his classes except Spanish, where he has a B+.  More importantly NO MISSING ASSIGNMENTS!  This is a far cry from where we were last year at this time.  While I realize there may not be too many assignments to work on during tutoring, I feel strongly that this weekly 3rd party accountability at Classroom Matters is what is keeping [son] focused and building good habits. 

- Berkeley High mom

Hi Nikki,
Thank you so much for Story Hour. It was easily the best virtual experience [Iris] participated in during the shelter in place, and the only one that she fully engaged in. Thank you for all you do and for being so great at it. It truly was a god-send.

Have a wonderful summer and I hope our paths cross again at some point.  

Warmest regards,
Ali 

Dominique,
THANK YOU for a year of amazing work with J! You've been able to get through to him in a way that I cannot, and inspire him to reach goals. I love that you are not just great with students or great with parents, but both. You are very much appreciated for your affability, creativity, spontaneous ideas and deep understanding. May we reserve you for 2020-21?

Tatiana,
THANK YOU for the wonderful support you gave in so many ways. I'm grateful for your insight, wisdom, and optimism - and for pairing J with Dominique! :) 

- S.

Dear Classroom Matters staff,
I would like to formally conclude my son Max tutoring sessions for the semester. The tutoring services have been incredibly helpful, and have helped make sense of difficult material. As a testament to tutoring efficacy, Max's final grade in chemistry is an A (both for this quarter and last), bringing his grade up from an F for the first quarter :) We are thrilled with this outcome, and it has given Max enormous confidence to learn how quickly he can turn things around with the right help. Thanks also to the staff for the swift and seamless transition from in person to online sessions.

I would go further to say that Classroom Matters is well positioned to teach this course for all who need it!

You guys should establish a formal alliance with BHS to deliver the content.

Thanks again. We look forward to working with your team in the future!

- Jennifer

Tatiana,
You and Chara are the best. Thank you, specifically, for your empathy, kindness and depth of knowledge about kids' special learning needs and the often complicated IEP "world."

I recently recommended you to another parent who is at her wits' end regarding school and her young son who needs academic support. It reminded me of the time I reached out to you at Chara's suggestion because I was totally overwhelmed. Even though it's been over two years since you worked with our family as an advocate during his IEP renewal, I will never forget the immense relief I felt knowing we had you in our corner. Aside from making sure our son had the support he needed in 4th grade, you helped me personally by making me feel I wasn't alone (or crazy) in all of this.

- A forever grateful Berkeley mom

We used Sam Bordia for HSPT test prep and high school application essay writing. My son was admitted to all the Catholic high schools he applied to, and is going to O'Dowd. Sam really helped him.

- Parent

Reggie is AMAZING and we absolutely could not have managed this pandemic related transition without his incredible organization and helpfulness. 

- Gael

Thank you so much for all your help this year!  [Son] had a fantastic experience with Ryan, and also Luke before that.  They made a HUGE difference in his chemistry and math classes this year and with his own self-esteem.  We love CM and will come back whenever we can use the help, and will recommend you to others. 

All our best,
Berkeley mom

Silas really enjoyed the Geography workshop. He was engaged and focused. It had the right balance of lecture to activities.

We have signed up for the remainder of the series. I highly recommend this course!

Cheers,
Keri

I wanted to let you know that my daughter did great on the SSAT and HSPT. She already had strong grades but the test prep you did with her boosted her test-taking confidence and skills. She ended up getting offers of admissions from College Prep, Lick Wilmerding, Marin Academy, and Bishop O'Dowd (BOD even offered a scholarship based on her test scores & grades). She'll be going to Lick next year. Thanks again for the great test prep!

- Berkeley parent

Hi Chara,
I’ve been meaning to write to tell you what an amazing job I think you’ve been doing keeping the class going. An hour is a long time on Zoom for their age group but you are managing to hold the space really well. Evie is kind of struggling with the whole online format in general, so I’ve been sitting in with her (as you’ve seen), and I just wanted you to know I appreciate how hard you are working to keep it going. I know it isn’t always easy to keep the train on the rails!

- Deborah (Enrichment family)

Thank you thank you thank you. This trimester has been extremely hard due to school campus closures. It seems most kids at her school felt they were receiving much more work while being at home. Zoey’s math grade is 82% and Spanish 92%. She said she feels "extremely accomplished." Not only is she proud of herself, it makes me proud that she sees she is capable of excelling when she puts the effort in. Without the help Classroom Matters has provided it, would have been a tiring struggle to receive a barely passing grade. 

We are beyond grateful for the support, finding tutors Zoey was able to connect with, and a teaching style that worked for her. I hope Zoey is able to keep up the good work and pray that Classroom Matters can help her in areas that the education system lacks in order for her to be prepared for college.

Once again thank you soooooo much for what you the tutors and staff do. It really makes a difference.

- Rickishia (Zoey’s mom)

Hi Tatiana, it was so fun and helpful to hear you and Lisa last night! Hopefully no one could lip read me and Chris telling the kids to pay attention repeatedly.

I loved the two minute family discussion segments and we had some good conversations. It was unclear what the impact on the kids was, but Willem brought his backpack upstairs after the session to prepare himself for the morning and Josephine made the attached (morning routine checklist).

Very much appreciated the advice to parents about what a stressful time this is and what a long process developing executive function is. When we were late yet again this morning despite our very best efforts, I told the kids to remember that twisty curvy line from failure to success.

So grateful to have your expertise in this community and see such a beautiful and friendly face on the Zoom.

- R.J.

Hi Amanda - 
Just a note to say thanks for all the great work with Elle.  Her report card for Q3 came in and it was the best in ages.  Considering she started the quarter off with some low marks, it was amazing progress.

Last week before the session she thought she would drop out of taking the advanced math test, but sounds like you got her re-focused and now I find her doing math drills for fun when she should be doing her actual homework.  That's not a problem I ever thought we'd have!

Thank You,
Stephanie

Hi Tatiana,
It's amazing how much you and Cole have done in two days!  And a heads up: After each session with you, Cole has come home very content and in good spirits... don't tell him I shared this with you because he enjoys his 'grumpy' reputation.  Lol. As you are aware, Cole doesn't share much with me about his time with you, so your thorough reports are appreciated. It's fantastic you took him to the nursery and advised he might like working with the non-talking plants. HA!  FYI, ever since I've been removed from homework duty, our home life and mom/son relationship has drastically improved. You have to be around until Cole's senior [year] because we'd both be lost without you!!!!

Gracias por todo,
LUPE

This was truly a life changing workshop for me and my family. Now that we have some great tools, I know we can help our daughter more with her ADHD. I have so much gratitude for the amazing tutors at Classroom Matters and all the resources they offer to parents. It takes a village to raise a child and this organization is an integral part of ours.

Em

K and I want to express how thankful we are for the support Elizabeth has received from Sara. Sara has been a wonderful resource in all subjects. She has provided Elizabeth excellent academic support while providing an empathetic mentor and example. We do hope Sara will continue provide guidance for the spring.

Regards,
M.E.

I am writing to let you know that we would like to end Eli’s very successful tutoring engagement with Ryan Soe. I also want to extend a huge, special thanks to Ryan for 2 years of super successful tutoring! Ryan, you have done a great job of reaching Eli and connecting with him and he thoroughly enjoyed coming to see you every Monday! You have made a super positive impact on his attitude towards Math and his grades and confidence have improved SO MUCH! We appreciate your efforts so much and thank you for being a tutoring rock star!

Wishing you the best,
Becky + Eli

I wanted to respond to the call re: feedback on how Samaliya is doing with the tutoring and also wanted to say thanks to Brandy. Brandy, I'm not sure if Samaliya let you know, but she got all 4s for her midterm progress report! We are super proud of her and so glad that you are supporting her in preparing for her tests, presentations, and overall academic success. At the end of last year and beginning of this year she was saying she wasn't smart (despite the feedback from us and her teachers). With your help she has regained her confidence in her academic smarts.

Thanks so much!
Bridget H.