Sky View Elementary School

I am concerned about the Jr high math teacher's ability to instruct his students. My student is in the 7th grade (and is special needs). The last 2 math tests that were given to my student s class have resulted in only 4 students passing the test. The remainder of the students failed. Instead of taking some of the responsibility, the teacher solely blames the students. He then makes matters worse by telling them that since they are failing his class they will be held back next year. The majority of the student's grade is based on their test scores. This teacher does not grade the student's daily math assignments. He told me he does not have time to grade that many papers. Several of my child's friends have told me they have this teacher after his Prep time and on a regular basis, they wake him up when they enter the classroom. I didn't realize prep time was break time for teachers I thought it was time set aside for teacher to prepare their lesson plans or to grade papers?
—Submitted by a parent

I am going to be going into seventh grade next year. we just moved here. Would you recommend this school to me? I hear they're alot of kids in the neighborhood. Which is great for me! Thanks for reading! My rating is based on the reviews i have read.

Could you imagine a teacher/school/principal punishing a student who cannot read? Expecting the illiterate student to read successfully a novel, and then at the end of the day, when they just couldn't tell you what the story was about, punishing that student for not reading? The staff repeatedly ignores suggestions of the developmental pediatrician stating that "this is the only way they will learn how to behave and think twice before doing it again." These students do not process information and/or events the way that most students do. Instead of getting the root of why a student in this special setting maybe upset or "acting up" and making "teachable moments" in these situations, the staff "punish" the students and send them to isolation. How are these children supposed to work on learning the skills they lack compared to their "normal" counterparts, if they are forced into isolation? I am sickened and appauled at the way these special little children are being treated. I have been an educator for 10 years, and never have I seen such blatent attempts at damaging impressionable little minds.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is on the cusp of finishing his first year at Sky View. He has gone to many schools and has had extreme difficulties with authority figures. When the school year started, my stomach was in knots. I had no idea what issues were going to take place. In the past, my days revolved around phone calls and meetings from the school. Since August, I have had only one phone call and no meetings. My son understands the authority that adults have in this school. His grade point average has fluctuated from a 2.7 to a 3.4 this school year. I hate admitting this; before he came to Sky View, the words to describe my son were functional illiterate . Today he looks forward to going to school. He has made many friends and shows genuine concern when his teacher is out sick. I read in another post that the principle Mrs. Leafier does not take the time to care for the children. I hold this to be 100% untrue. This woman is at nearly every single school event. I have even had the opportunity to witness her ill and still manage to support the student body. She strives to get things and has taken a firm approach, that in which many may be opposed.
—Submitted by a parent

I'm completely disappointed with how my concerns were handled by Mr Laureano He wanted nothing 2do with my legit complaints in regards to my brothers academic deficiencies. He failed to accept responsibility 4this student(possibly more)lack of knowledge to read & write. His answer was I've only been his teacher for 1 1/2 years TELL ME WHY Mr. LAUREANO PASSED him onto the 8th grade! When i asked what he was going 2 do2 improve my brothers acedemic skills he proceeded2 explain the "STEP PROGRAM" which isolates students. He only wanted 2 state my brothers conduct which is in direct relation 2 frustration of not being able 2read or write. Mr. LAUREANO kept saying "I give him the work, and he does not do it" how can he do work w/o the teaching of basic skills of READING and WRITING. Mr. L felt cornered&offended by being exposed 2the facts& failure of not only himself but the implemented programs&the school as a whole. He said i was insulting him! Again only by me stating facts that my brother is being pushed through grades illiterate&frustrated with signs of misconducts attributable2 his frustration4 the lack of comprehension& diminished academic position. he simply hung up!!!!!!

This school has been a complete disappointment. My son was been bullied for two (2) years, and my duaghter has been bullied, also. The principal is lackadaisical in her approach of managing the campus. The only consistent example of her consistant best effort is her ability to ensure the success of her self-serving agenda. For example, her memory on behalf of a bullied child fails when it matters most. Her neck, causing her to look the other way in critical situations, never fails.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a 7th grader who attended the school year of 2010/2011 at Sky View elementary school. Based on my experiences as a student i would say this school needs much work in various areas. The principle Mrs. Leafier and co principle Mrs. choceran were not very proactive and trustworthy in counseling kids who have done wrong to others(A.K.A bulling), they undermine staff and do not take them seriously which causes the teachers stress, which causes student stress.Some 7/8 graders are very rude and bullies to other students,and are very rude to teachers as are teachers to students. I would not recommend this school to anybody who wants a good future, education, and good social skills.

The art teacher is super mean. They should her right now.No one should have her at their school

I have two kids who attend SKY VIEW, and they have been there from the beginning,(4yrs.). My kids have Always gotten the help they needed attending this school. And I love how they kept all the special class like Art and Muisc and other classes that help kids learn what they are missing. All the kindergarden teachers are great and I give Kudos to Mrs Freeman for being the Best, and the cross-walk lady who ALWAYS Care! My Kids Love this School And I do Too!!!
—Submitted by a parent

I do student teaching at Sky View and also my niece attends there. I think its a pretty good school. Mrs Richey is who i student teach for and i can honestly say that she is an amazing teacher and i would recommend her to all parents that have children that are going to kindergarten. Your child will learn so much and will definitely grow while being in her class!! My niece is diabled and they do really well with her. At times i feel they need to work on some things but for the most part im very happy with them because her asistant would do anything for her and she is very SWEET =).

Sky View is a progressive school that has a very effective behavioral learning special education program. This program supports Art and Music Therapies. These state of the art services make a unique and creative difference in the children it serves. These treatment modalities allow critical thinking to occur in students who might otherwise be left behind. KUDOS Sky View

This is a marvelous but under-rated school based on my child's experience. Thanks to administration, teachers and staff.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a grandparent of a 5 year old who attended the developmently delayed pre-K at Sky View. I can't say enough good about the teachers, and very hard working aides. My grandchild has gone from being an introverted non-communicative three year old ,to a chatty, interested and interesting child that is ready for Kindergarten in the fall. The staff have my thanks and appreciation !

My son attended Sky View for 3 years, I was very unhappy with the principal, asst. principal they had no shcool experience or skills to be in charge. Some of the teachers are very unorganized and unwilling to help. When asked for tutoring, they gave me a list of people whom I would have to pay instead of offering their help! It is a very unstructured school with poor leadership. And my son who did very well school was always second best. It is really sad. No parent involvement and kids were not properly disciplined and principals were not really concerned with the safety of the children. I am very glad we changed schools. We are very happy at our new school. Everything needs improvement!
—Submitted by a parent

We recently moved to the area and I am very impressed with this school. The school my children came from was not that great so needless to say I was very skeptical coming here. This school has already exceeded my expectations in many ways. My son who is a difficult child sometimes to get to school has made vast improvements at home due to a positive school environment. He likes school now and I hope his attitude continues. The staff is very friendly.
—Submitted by nikki, a parent

I think sky view is great in some areas the kindergarten program is great ms Richey is wonderful! I would recommend her as a teacher anytime. But on the other side in other grades the teachers need to let the kids succeed if they are ready not to hold them back. But other wise our experience has been great.
—Submitted by a parent

The principal leadership is very poor. There are some very good teachers at Skyview, however, one cannot tell by looking at the test scores. There are a lot of kids that come from unstructured homes and the parents really are not too concerned about their grades. The extracurricular activities that are offered are the same as other Peoria schools, however leadership is very inadequate.
—Submitted by a parent

Sky View has great quality and the things that my son learned has gave me enough gratitude to say this.
—Submitted by a parent

I think the lack of leadership from within the administration is obvious. Teachers are expected to bend over backwards and accommodate each and every parent while the administration shows their complete lack of back bone. This school needs some new blood to revitalize it. We had some terrific teachers leave due to the lack of support, and aggravation. As parents we all need to become more involved in the school. A few can not and should not be expected to lead the many. Take the initiative and step forward to do something.
—Submitted by a parent

We had experience with the E.D. classroom. The staff was very good to work with but this was not a good placement for my daughter. The district would not provide an appropriate placement so we ended up homeschooling her. Kids are routinely placed in ED Classrooms that need a program for the developmentally delayed but don't qualify because of an unrealistic IQ cut off of 70. Kids with lower IQ need support not role modeling from kids with behavior issues. If your child has behavior issues I would recommend this classroom. If your child has some behavior issues due to not being provided with an appropriate classroom, steer clear of this placement. It caused some long term problems for my child.
—Submitted by a parent