Stacia Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I put up an earlier post about Tacoma, WA -- very slight possibility of moving there because of a job transfer. However, it's not set that it will be Tacoma; it's just as likely to be a move to Portland, OR. I've never been to Portland. So, any info you can share about it/living areas/etc... would be most appreciated. Some things that would be important to us: Great school system (dd is planning to enter public high school for the upcoming school year) Homeschooling info (ds would still be homeschooling for a few years until he reaches high school age) Great community (libraries, family friendly, community arts/activities, etc...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Stacia, I know that you and your dh would love, love, love Ptld. :D I used to live there and, given what I know of you both, yes, would like it a lot. Yes, all the things that you listed are there. I don't know much about the homeschooling part, since I was an undergrad then, but the rest - it's a fabulous place. The only thing that I personally dislike is the weather, but I know that for you guys, that's fine. I'm excited for you both and hope that the right doors open if they're meant to. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Oh, and btw, I much prefer Ptld to Tacoma. Just my 2 cents. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Oh, and btw, I much prefer Ptld to Tacoma. Just my 2 cents. :D :iagree: Portland is MUCH nicer than Tacoma. Homeschooling there is easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemongoose Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Great school system Meh...they are ok, some are better than others Homeschooling info easy peasy, send a one time letter of intent for each child to the district. Take the standardized tests in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. You have to pay for a testing person, you cannot give them to your student yourself. Most districts have you hold onto the scores, you do not even send them in. Districts may allow your student to participate in PS activities as well as single classes if they want. They are not required to, and you have to be up to date on testing in order to do so. Great community yep! Museums, libraries, OMSI, Orchestra, Theater, etc. Portland tends to be artsy. Plus there is hiking, the coast, and the mountains. There are a lot of beautiful parks and recreation areas. You do have to get used to walking in rain often :lol: __________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alenee Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Portland certainly is fun and weird and would make a great place to live. I have to say though that if you want a good school, Portland is one of the last places I'd ever move. They have a terrible track record and their graduation rates are just plain scary. If you want to live *near* Portland, Vancouver, WA is just over the bridge and has better choices when it comes to schools. Many people live on the WA side but work/school in the Portland metro area. The one down-side to that is paying the OR state taxes. WA is an income tax-free state. Going back to your original thoughts on Tacoma, you'd really have the best of both worlds there: great schools and close to Seattle, no income tax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 We loved Portland! :001_wub: The library system in Washington County is great. We also had a card for Multnomah County. They give homeschoolers and teachers a special card. Dh worked downtown, so it was easy for him to pick up holds there. There are lots of cultural and fine arts opportunities. There are lots of homeschoolers, and homeschool groups. Homeschooling is easy there, and widely accepted. The outdoor opportunities are wonderful. We've always lived in the western suburbs of Portland, and found them to feel very safe overall. Pubic high schools vary widely. You could probably get lots of help from a realtor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemongoose Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I forgot to mention...I heard recently (have not looked it up to verify it-it is not relevant to me as I am not looking to put kids in PS) that a new law came into effect on March 1st that allows you to transfer to any school in any district you want to if they have space to accept your student. So you could transfer your DD to another district if you find Portland not to your liking. Many of the burbs have good schools (especially on the west side and some in the south...not so much on the east side though). You could check into that if it helps you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyK Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I love Portland. We've lived all over the country and we just love it here. We live in the city and walk or take public transit a lot -- great for kids. So many cultural opportunities. As far as public high schools -- it really depends on where you live. In Portland proper, I hear really good things about Grant, Lincoln and Cleveland. The suburb of Beaverton has really good public high schools. That said, we have real funding issues here. Many people aren't as happy with the public schools as they used to be. Still we have a very high capture rate for a city and public schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 We loved Portland! :001_wub: The library system in Washington County is great. We also had a card for Multnomah County. They give homeschoolers and teachers a special card. Dh worked downtown, so it was easy for him to pick up holds there. There are lots of cultural and fine arts opportunities. There are lots of homeschoolers, and homeschool groups. Homeschooling is easy there, and widely accepted. The outdoor opportunities are wonderful. Where are you now? We had a bit of culture shock coming from the midwest. We love our community though so you could check out Yamhill too. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemongoose Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Kelly, are you in Yamhill the county or town? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Where are you now? We had a bit of culture shock coming from the midwest. We love our community though so you could check out Yamhill too. :) You quoted me, but I'm not sure if you meant me. We moved from Portland to Texas. Talk about culture shock!:001_huh: And climate shock! :001_huh::tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) Where are you now? We had a bit of culture shock coming from the midwest. We love our community though so you could check out Yamhill too. :) :w00t: Yamhill????!!!!! Yamhill County, yes. Yamhill, the town - oh dear, NO!! Trust me, I know that place very well. The surrounding area is absolutely beautiful, but the town government and the school system are, well, let's just say not the best. In fact, our school district is really messed up. I was born and raised in the state of Oregon and have lived in the Willamette Valley on the west side of the state nearly all of my adult life. There are things about the Portland Metro area that I have loved a great deal: things like the cultural centers, events and activities. The city of Portland is clean and beautiful, and I love the downtown core area. You'll also find that recreational activities abound both in and around the city. But then there is the weather....mild most years, but cloudy and rainy a great deal of the time. Most of us in Oregon are on high doses of Vitamin D supplements if that tells you anything. The Portland School District is okay for ps, but like someone else said earlier, it varies from neighborhood to neighborhood. The quality of education as a whole here in Oregon is not as good as it is in other parts of the country though. (i.e. I recently heard about and read that ps in the state of MN is nearly of the same caliber as private schools here on the west coast.) The Portland area does have some really exceptional private schools, however, and if we did not hs we'd be looking that direction. I will not send my child to ps in this state. Period. Oregon is a very liberal state politically. So if you are a conservative, you would become quite frustrated with a lot of things. (At this point and time I am thinking more and more of the possibility of relocating because of this, combined with a personal desire for a fresh, new start.) There are good people here though, so don't take me wrong. But, as you may already know, Oregon has long been the most un-churched state in the nation and has one of the highest divorce rates as well. As you can see, I have mixed feelings about the state of my birth. My parents were both from the midwest and I've often wished I'd grown up there instead. I have always felt kind of displaced for some reason. Sorry to go on and on...I'm just in a mood today I guess. :lol: Blessings to you as you search out the right plan for your family. Lucinda Edited March 9, 2012 by HSMom2One Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Portland is a lovely city, I never have regretted moving here. Honestly, I wouldn't send my kids to a ps here. I made that mistake. Different neighborhoods are different, some may be better than others, but overall school administration is Oregon is not good. Last year I posted about some troubles my SIL had with the high school in Oregon City and people did not believe me. Posters had questions and I talked to my SIL to clarify her situation and OMG, it was much worse than I had even let on. Her three high school age dd's were failing classes and still being advanced and playing sports until one of them needed to play varsity level. Honestly, all her problems were from administration not being easy to understand. I did not repost with an update because I didn't want to stir people up anymore, but I will say, no way, no how, would one of my kids attend ps here again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I put up an earlier post about Tacoma, WA -- very slight possibility of moving there because of a job transfer. However, it's not set that it will be Tacoma; it's just as likely to be a move to Portland, OR. I've never been to Portland. So, any info you can share about it/living areas/etc... would be most appreciated. Some things that would be important to us: Great school system (dd is planning to enter public high school for the upcoming school year) Homeschooling info (ds would still be homeschooling for a few years until he reaches high school age) Great community (libraries, family friendly, community arts/activities, etc...) In my previous post I forgot to comment on these points. Hsing in Oregon is pretty easy. You file a letter of intent with the local ESD and you are required to test prior to August 15th after grades 3,5, 8 and 10. The results are to be filed by parents and ready to show if one is required. That's it. Portland vicinity is family friendly and as stated in other posts there are plenty of things to do here. The library system is fine, and the crown jewel is the downtown Portland library that was completely renovated a few years back. There are numerous branches throughout Multnomah County, and other neighboring counties have pretty good ones too. Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Yes, no sales tax, but property and income taxes are high. Closest thing to average European city than most other American cities I've been to. Very socially conscious and politically correct. Ptld itself is very Democrat. It's sort of similar San Fran & Berkeley - but of course, much smaller. Similar in ways of tolerance and politically, a bit. Very walkable city - much like NY in that way. The suburbs are different. Most families live in the suburbs, obviously. I do not recommend Gresham. Public transport is very good there. Again, l love everything about there, except the weather. I cannot stand all that NW rain, etc. It's a city with fabulous coffee and great bookstores - Powells, etc. - lots and lots of reading and artsy movie theaters also (last I was there). :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WistfulRidge Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) You quoted me, but I'm not sure if you meant me. We moved from Portland to Texas. Talk about culture shock!:001_huh: And climate shock! :001_huh::tongue_smilie: My parents moved us from near Portland to eastern NC when I was 9. OMG. The culture shock! The humidity! It was very, very overwhelming. I spent most of my childhood near Portland (Newberg). In my heart that area will always, always be home. I love it there. Edited March 9, 2012 by theAmbitiousHousewife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 I forgot to mention...I heard recently (have not looked it up to verify it-it is not relevant to me as I am not looking to put kids in PS) that a new law came into effect on March 1st that allows you to transfer to any school in any district you want to if they have space to accept your student.Not any school, but you can now apply outside the district without having to get permission from your "home" board. Each year on March 1, districts announce the number of students they will take (there is no obligation to take any -- PPS will probably not be accepting students from outside the district), and applications must be in by April 1. Any student applying outside this time period must follow the old procedure, as must athletes who wish to be eligible to play the year of the transfer. PPS has dramatically reduced options for school transfers within the district, as you can see from this year's list. Of comprehensive high schools, only Jefferson, Roosevelt and Madison have more than 10 spots available, most have no "regular" slots at all. You're essentially stuck with your neighborhood school unless your child is in an immersion or other magnet stream. http://www.pps.k12.or.us/files/enrollment-transfer/12-13_HS_Transfer_Slots_English.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Some things that would be important to us:Great school system (dd is planning to enter public high school for the upcoming school year) Depends on your neighborhood. Homeschooling info (ds would still be homeschooling for a few years until he reaches high school age)Strong hs community, lots of activities in the area, socially acceptable. :) Great community (libraries, family friendly, community arts/activities, etc...)Yes, yes, yes, yes, and etc. :D I love Portland, and have no desire to move anywhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deannajo Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 YAY! This thread was exactly what I was looking for when I entered "portland" in my WTM search window ;-) - We are moving there this summer...from KS. I've never even been the Pacific NW, so I'm totally flying blind here. But I think we'll like it there! Seems like a good fit on paper anyway. Any of you helpful folks from Portland have any great dance studios to recommend? We are tentatively focusing our search on the west side of the city (like Beaverton area), but we aren't committed to that, and would welcome thoughts and suggestions! We also found Village Home Education Resource Center, and the girls want to try out a few classes there (which is sorta why we were looking in the Beaverton area - the Beaverton campus seems to have a wee bit more to offer) - anyone know anything about that or have any suggestions, thoughts? Feel free to PM me if you'd rather. I've also joined a few yahoo groups, but they seem to be mostly announcement based...which is great, but the kids would like to maybe meet some other homeschoolers, etc., so smaller groups or something could be nice. But I figure that may come later, after we find a house and all ;-) TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Any of you helpful folks from Portland have any great dance studios to recommend? We are tentatively focusing our search on the west side of the city (like Beaverton area) TIA! As far as Dance Studios, I'd suggest calling Dance Togs.(it's in Beaverton, and probable where you'd buy supplies and get fitted for shoes) The owner there is very knowledge about the studios in the area and can tell you where to go. We're in the Salem area, and if you landed more over here... I could recommend a few. We also have a co-op with a Christian Worldview. If that works with you... and you end up within driving distance, I'd be glad to tell you about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigomama Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Beaverton to Portland would be a bit of a commute. It's not one, I would want to regularly make, especially not near rush hour times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Beaverton to Portland would be a bit of a commute. It's not one, I would want to regularly make, especially not near rush hour times.Unless you live near a Max stop. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Beaverton to Portland would be a bit of a commute. It's not one, I would want to regularly make, especially not near rush hour times. Funny :) It's perspective, I suppose :) My husband traveled an hr to work each day... sometimes took over 2 hrs back home if traffic was bad... for years... (10+) He's on his shortest commute ever at only about 25 minutes :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deannajo Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Beaverton to Portland would be a bit of a commute. It's not one, I would want to regularly make, especially not near rush hour times. We'll both be working from home - but DH will have to go to the airport regularly, and will have clients all over the area (and beyond) but we don't have to worry too much about a regular rush hour type of commute. He likes the idea of Vancouver because no state tax in WA and no sales tax in OR, but I already spend a huge chunk of my life driving the kids around, I want to make sure that wherever we land is somewhere with lots of resources, homeschooling, dance, and theater, for them nearby. As far as Dance Studios, I'd suggest calling Dance Togs.(it's in Beaverton, and probable where you'd buy supplies and get fitted for shoes)The owner there is very knowledge about the studios in the area and can tell you where to go. We're in the Salem area, and if you landed more over here... I could recommend a few. We also have a co-op with a Christian Worldview. If that works with you... and you end up within driving distance, I'd be glad to tell you about that. Thanks so much! I will definitely make note of Dance Togs! And let you know if we are in the Salem area for recommendations! And thanks so much for mentioning your co-op - we likely wouldn't fit in with a co-op with a Christian Worldview, but I totally appreciate the offer!! Very helpful!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 We also found Village Home Education Resource Center, and the girls want to try out a few classes there (which is sorta why we were looking in the Beaverton area - the Beaverton campus seems to have a wee bit more to offer) - anyone know anything about that or have any suggestions, thoughts? Feel free to PM me if you'd rather. More seem to like it than not, but I know more people at the eastside campus. There are so many opportunities for homeschoolers in the area, proximity to VH would not be my first consideration in choosing a place to live. I'd concern myself with transit, a walkable neighborhood, and parks first, but those are my priorities. :001_smile: I've also joined a few yahoo groups, but they seem to be mostly announcement based...which is great, but the kids would like to maybe meet some other homeschoolers, etc., so smaller groups or something could be nice. But I figure that may come later, after we find a house and all ;-)Orsig isn't as busy as it used to be, but you might with to post there (specify Portland area, as it's a state-wide list). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 He likes the idea of Vancouver because no state tax in WA and no sales tax in OR, but I already spend a huge chunk of my life driving the kids around, I want to make sure that wherever we land is somewhere with lots of resources, homeschooling, dance, and theater, for them nearby. I don't know a single family with younger children and living in Vancouver proper who doesn't wish they'd settled in Portland instead (given the financial wherewithal). [Though I bet someone from here will chime in now, just to prove me mistaken in my impression. :D] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deannajo Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 I don't know a single family with younger children and living in Vancouver proper who doesn't wish they'd settled in Portland instead (given the financial wherewithal). [Though I bet someone from here will chime in now, just to prove me mistaken in my impression. :D] Thanks! I wondered about that - DH is already out there working the area - he comes back here on the weekends, and he has met a couple of folks that just love Vancouver and recommended it to him, but they are both older and don't have kids. And when I research things for the kids...homeschool stuff, dance, theater, etc., I'm just not seeing as much in that area. Regarding your other post, I had to laugh because I keep saying that targeting my (online) home search towards an area I know nothing about just because the kids want to take a graphic design class at Village Home seems kinda silly, but hey! Its all I have to go on :tongue_smilie: - I would prefer walkability and public transit too, but my husband is more rural, so large yards and privacy are important to him, and often those two things do not go hand in hand. He'd actually prefer living out in the country with no neighbors. I'd prefer more urban - like you said, walkability. We, thus far at least, compromise with suburban - close enough to stuff that I'm ok, but large enough private yards that he's ok. Its always a compromise, but I do not want to live in the middle of nowhere, and he doesn't want to live in the center of things. We hope to have the house listed on April 9th, and as soon as we get that done, we'll start planning our first house-hunting trip to the area. But as I said, DH is already working out there, and he's doing a bit of exploring whenever he can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deannajo Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 (edited) I just realized that I don't have a sig so some information about my family might help too! - I have three girls still at home (I have an adult daughter too), by the time we move, they will be 13, 10 and 8 - we've always homeschooled - they are all very involved in dance, theater, voice - all things stage related. We fall more on the relaxed and secular end of the homeschooling spectrum - we use a lot of WTM resources and suggestions even though we tend to be pretty relaxed. :001_smile: DH is a territory manager, so he will be traveling and on the road a lot - he is in charge of OR, WA, ID, HI, and AK and parts of CA and parts of CO - I think - most of his clients are in the Portland area though and when he isn't in the field, he will be working from home - he's been transferred to that area, and that's why we are moving. I've always worked from home, freelancing in the publishing industry for the past 12+ years. Edited March 24, 2012 by deannajo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 We commuted an hour to Beaverton for four years so my child could take classes at Village Home. It is an absolutely wonderful place and I highly recommend it. I know several families there have students involved with dance, so if you join the Village Home yahoo group, you could ask for studio recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 25, 2012 Author Share Posted March 25, 2012 Regarding your other post, I had to laugh because I keep saying that targeting my (online) home search towards an area I know nothing about just because the kids want to take a graphic design class at Village Home seems kinda silly, but hey! Its all I have to go on :lol: Glad you're resurrecting this thread. Still unlikely that we'll end up in Portland, but it's also still a remote possibility, so I like hearing/learning as much as I can. Like you, I'd be blind going in as I've never been to Portland. (I have at least visited the PNW in general, though -- Seattle & northward.) Don't know if you found this website already (or even how accurate it is), but this gives a run-down of various Portland areas: http://www.jolynne.com/suburbs.html It seems to be pretty helpful, imo. Portland residents, do you agree w/ some of the descriptions on the website? Since you mention dance studios, do any of the Portland folks know of Irish Dance studios out there? Just asking because Irish Dance is my dd's passion & it would be something she definitely wants to continue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigomama Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 OK, I surrender! I personally would not commute from Portland to Beaverton on a regular basis for classes for my kids. But it appears others do/would. I'm currently, the same distance from Portland on the East side, and it feels like an all day trip to me, when we have to go into "town". But, I grew up in a small area in Ca where going 20 minutes in the car was a big deal:D I love Laurelhurst district. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deannajo Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 (edited) We commuted an hour to Beaverton for four years so my child could take classes at Village Home. It is an absolutely wonderful place and I highly recommend it. I know several families there have students involved with dance, so if you join the Village Home yahoo group, you could ask for studio recommendations. There's a yahoo group?? I can't find it! Are you still in the area and still attending Village Home? I've lurked on some lists, and on the facebook pages of various things, and haven't heard a bad thing about Village Home - the kids are really excited about some of the offerings and opportunities they see there. And I have gotten a few dance studios recommendations in that general area (Beaverton/West Portland/Tigard, etc.) - If I can find a home within a few mins of an awesome dance studio and co-op type classes, that would be fantabulous! Right now I belong to a HS group, and we are constantly driving to classes and activities all over the place..and then the girls are at the performing arts school every evening. It just seems like I'm always in the car and we are constantly trying to fit stuff like my work or home stuff around all these other activities. So when I see Village Home, I see our outside homeschooling activities being condensed into a once or twice a week, single location option, freeing up days for more down time and family stuff..I think the dance/theater thing will be constant no matter what with these kiddos...but right now Village Home seems like a very good solution to a big part of what I deal with now. At least on paper..Since I haven't seen Village Home in person, or tried out a class or anything :tongue_smilie: Stacia, I have seen that website, but like you, wasn't sure how much to trust it - so I'd also love to hear if folks agree with the information! ETA - nevermind, I was thinking of another website that talked about areas in and around Portland (I'll look for the link later to share with you - I don't think I bookmarked it though, d'oh!) so thanks for sending this, off to check it out! Thanks all, this is so great!! Edited March 25, 2012 by deannajo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 We commuted an hour to Beaverton for four years so my child could take classes at Village Home. It is an absolutely wonderful place and I highly recommend it. I know several families there have students involved with dance, so if you join the Village Home yahoo group, you could ask for studio recommendations. You're probably not over our way (Salem) but if you are... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Here's the link to the yahoo group for Village Home: villagehome-subscribe@yahoogroups.com I would also recommend watching the video on the front page of the Village Home website. I think it gives a great overview of the special place that is Village. We travelled from Salem for four years and some people thought we were crazy. Although depending on where you live in the Portland metro area, the drive can be even longer. We knew people traveling further than we did, including from Hood River. We still live in Salem, but my son stopped taking classes there when he was accepted into a special program for high school students at our local LAC (Village teachers wrote his letters of recommendation!). Many of the older teens at Village take CC classes, but with traveling from Salem and regular college classes, my son reluctantly gave up Village last year. He's still in touch with many of his teachers and friends, and we occasionally attend Village events. His private math teacher in Salem also teaches at Village, so he keeps up with all of the news and happenings. Let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyK Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 I would suggest you look at NE Portland, as one option. There's less at the Village Home campus there, but we're close (depending on where you live, walking distance, definitely public transit) to lots of cultural opportunities, classes, etc. There is a homeschool Waldorf school in NE, Shining Star. There is a one day a week nature study option, for example. Someone said that fewer families with kids live in the city proper but my neighborhood in NE seems to be overflowing with kids. http://theleotard.com/ is a dance supply store near me in NE that we've used. Seems to have a lot of info about classes. There are several aerial-type groups in town that offer classes -- Circus Project and Do Jump are both good possibilities. We have enjoyed dance at BodyVox and NW Dance Project. There is a serious school at Oregon Ballet Theatre. Great afterschool classes open to all at my older son's school, Northwest Academy. He takes a tap class there but they have many afterschool dance classes there, and you don't have to be enrolled in school there to take the Arts After Hours classes. That's just what I know is our there for dance. There are really more classes available for kids in Portland than we would ever have time and money for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deannajo Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Here's the link to the yahoo group for Village Home: villagehome-subscribe@yahoogroups.com I would also recommend watching the video on the front page of the Village Home website. I think it gives a great overview of the special place that is Village. Thanks! I actually saw that video, and its a big part of why we got all excited!! We belong to a great performing arts school here and from that video, it reminds me of what we have here. The community/family feel, and whole-person focus - honestly that video helped me feel better about what we are leaving behind here. I just keep trying to remind myself that for right now, its just a website..I just hope it lives up to what I'm making it out to be in my mind :D Thanks EmilyK - we will look at NE Portland as well - we aren't set on any location of course...especially since the kids and I haven't even visited the area yet! DH will be in the area again this week (last week he split his time between Seattle and Spokane, WA) so he'll hopefully find some time to explore some more for me. I found what appears to be a great house online that I want him to look at - it has a loft area that would be perfect for a "homeschool room!" :) And I think the kids would love some of those circus/aerial classes! We looked at Oregon School of Ballet, and heard amazing things about it, but the girls want to be in a studio where they can do more classes like tap, hip hop and jazz - ballet is their first love though - they just find the other stuff fun, and it tends to be more limited at places like Oregon School of Ballet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyK Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 For hip hop and jazz, I would look at BodyVox (in NW Portland) and NW Dance Project (in NE Portland). I'm sure there are other great programs, but those are schools run by nationally known choreographers and dancers. I would also check out the arts after hours classes at Northwest Academy (downtown). I'm sure there are others too -- Portland seems to have a lot happening on the dance front. http://bodyvox.com/dance-class/child-teen-classes http://www.nwdanceproject.org/classes.html http://www.nwacademy.org/aah.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deannajo Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Thanks again Emily! I saw the BodyVox site, but the other two places you mention aren't ones I've found in my own searching. I'll add them to the list - I just got sucked into NW Dance Project's gorgeous photo gallery! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kailuamom Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 We moved to Oregon three years ago -- we found Village Home the first month we were here and we LOVE LOVE LOVE it! :) http://villagehome.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deannajo Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Cool! We're excited about it! We come out next week to start house hunting. I just wish our house here had an offer/contract on it - I don't know if we would want to put an offer on anything there without knowing that this house has sold first. Sigh. But we need to get moving on it all too. I think we've decided that even if this doesn't sell, we'll be out there living in temporary housing by the end of the summer so we can be there when things (like Village Home) starts up in the fall and we'll just cross our fingers that the house sale falls into place. Hopefully it won't come to that though and the house will sell soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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