Stevenson PACT School is a public K-5 school that offers progressive education and a developmental curriculum. Through experiential learning, innovative teaching methods and a strong collaboration between teachers and parents, we emphasize growth of the whole child – intellectually, socially, physically, and creatively.

The school day is approximately 8:30 to 2 for kindergarten, 8:30 to 3 for older grades.  For all grades Thursday is a half day (minimum day). Click to see our bell schedule.

No. Stevenson PACT is a public school, so it does not charge tuition. However, each year Stevenson PACT families are asked to make a lump sum tax-deductible donation.  For school year 2011-2012, the amount asked is $300 per child.

Stevenson PACT families come from all sorts of backgrounds and many different communities around Silicon Valley, yet they hold a shared philosophy about how important it is to the child to provide a developmental and innovative learning environment that involves parents.

Our family situations vary greatly and include parents who both work out of the home, single parents, grandparents, and families with many children in Stevenson PACT at once.

New parents who will be working in the classroom are required to attend a 10-hour training course. On-going "refresher courses" are offered to returning parents at various times through the year.

Stevenson PACT is administered by the Principal and Staff. In addition, there are three leadership groups, comprised of both parents and teachers, that help oversee day-to-day operations, policy and curricula.

Due to popular demand, PACT has always had wait list at the beginning of a school year. The list has grown significantly in recent years as more and more families want their children to receive progressive education.

Your child(ren) must meet all enrollment requirements at the time of registration to be included on the wait list. In other words, a child cannot enter the wait list till he or she is eligible for Choice program in MVWSD. The list is created each year after Choice lottery completes. As long as you check PACT as your Choice program on your registration form and do not withdraw, you are on the wait list through January.

However, you must make the same choice the next registration season if you haven't been selected to enter PACT program by then. (Current PACT students have priority to continue in PACT.)

PACT stands for PArents, Children, Teachers.  It signifies the close partnership the three parties must form in order to implement a developmental curriculum.

In acknowledgement of individual learning styles and developmental levels, Stevenson PACT teachers and parents use a variety of teaching methods to engage all children. Material is frequently presented in an experiential, hands-on manner that allows children to gain knowledge through research and guided discovery.  Additionally, we aim to develop more than academic abilities in students.

As a result, you can see in PACT classes

1. Children may be in different activities (called learning centers) at a given time.
2. Children may move around freely during a given activity and when they change activities.
3. Children may be asked to choose their individual activity from a list during certain periods of time.
4. Children often work with a partner or in small groups on a given subject.
5. Especially in lower grades, children tends to do lots of drawing and other crafting to help them think and express themselves

Under Mountain View Whisman School District's Choice program, Stevenson PACT is open to any student, kindergarten through 5th grade, in all neighborhoods served by the District. Inter-district transfers are currently not being accepted by the MVWSD Board, but existing students from other districts have been allowed to continue. These policies come under review each year and are subject to change.

If you live outside of MVWSD and wish to explore whole child education, www.wholechildeducationchoices.com provides a list of Bay Area alternative/charter schools. (Stevenson PACT is unaffiliated with this organization.)

Yes, Stevenson PACT teachers cover the district's core curriculum, but our students' education goes far beyond what is mandated by the district and the state. Our classroom environments support individual choice and responsibility. Within this framework, Stevenson PACT emphasizes that students challenge themselves academically and personally.

The Stevenson PACT School has been successful at recruiting and retaining high quality teachers. All of our teachers are fully state certified. Teachers work in Stevenson PACT because it matches their personal philosophy of learning, teaching, being innovative and collaborating with families.

Because Stevenson PACT parents participate in the classrooms, our classes frequently have two, three, or four adults working with the students. This allows Stevenson PACT teachers to spend more time with each student and offer differentiated instruction.

On the state-mandated achievement tests, Stevenson PACT scores are among the highest in the district across all categories: reading, math, language and spelling.  Since PACT landed on Stevenson campus in 2009, the state has been releasing full school data under Stevenson Elementary School (CDS code 43-69591-6049464).  Search on this site for related data and links to official sites.

PACT School follows the same guidelines from MVWSD as any other school. For the current school year, all of the K-4 classrooms were roughly 25 students each. We have two kindergarten classes, one K/1 combo class and two first grades. We have two second grade classes, and two third/fourth combo classes. The fourth/fifth grade combined classes are roughly 30 students each. The arrangement shifts somewhat year-to-year based on enrollment, student dynamics, and the teachers. These numbers are subject to change.

Stevenson PACT parents bring their own expertise into the classroom. Parents have implemented activities such as our intensive Arts Focus program, an educational garden, woodworking, dance, engineering projects, cooking, music and theatrical arts. Stevenson PACT students go on twice as many field trips as other schools in the district.

No, Stevenson PACT teachers plan a curriculum which meets district and state requirements. However, parents are invited to initiate and implement enrichment activities in collaboration with teachers that support core curriculum.

Call the Enrollment/Attendance Coordinator, Amy LaGalante, at the District Office to request an interdistrict transfer. Phone: 650 526-3581

Stevenson PACT is currently accepting students into all grades, as well as into the incoming Kindergarten class.

Since school year 2009-2010, PACT School has its own campus at the reopened Stevenson school site at 750-B San Pierre Way.  Select "Contact Us" from PACT School menu for a map.

Our Stevenson PACT newsletters have lots of information about current Stevenson PACT activities, our curriculum, and our teachers. The website is updated frequently, so visit often. Stevenson PACT offers recruiting-season social events like game night, where there are usually Stevenson PACT siblings the same age as your child. The annual Arts Focus exhibition in Mountain View City Hall is also a great place to meet Stevenson PACT families, and learn more about our award-winning Arts Focus program.

The very best way to learn about the program is through our public events such as Info panels, coffee nights, and tours. The info panels are the most formal, explaining our teaching philosophy. Coffee nights are very informal, and a good place to talk in a small group or ask lots of questions. Tours tend to be a larger group setting, and are the only place you can see Stevenson PACT children at work with their teachers and classroom parents.

Yes, we have a wealth of extracurricular activities for our students. While there is some variation from year to year, current after-school activities include chorus, chess club, drama club, art class, engineering with Legos, soccer, and Mandarin language class. Some extracurricular options are free, such as Chorus, while others are paid classes such as those offered by PACT PALS.

Yes! There are a variety of choices, so we gave child care its own page so you can learn more details.

The following are the parent commitments for the current year, and these are subject to change as the school’s needs change year over year:

• Work in the classroom two hours per week, per child
• One classroom "job" (coordinator, calendar, pet care, etc.)
• Chaperone or support two offsite learning excursions (field trips) per year, per child
• Serve on one committee (Publicity, Arts Focus, etc.)
• Work in support of the school (library, yard duty, etc.)
• Attend a 10-hour course on aiding in the classroom (new parents only)
• Submit updated TB test result per district requirement

You can search for additional information on this site.

According to MVWSD publications, the March notification is for kindergarten enrollment.  If you want your grade 1-5 student to enter Stevenson PACT, the timeline can be different.  For school year 2012-2013, the district will send notification in May. (Timeline is always different for any interdistrict requests including incoming kinders.  However, because MVWSD presently does not allow interdistrict transfers into PACT, this is not affecting us.)