Madison Richard Simis School

My two kids went to Simis and as a family we cannot say enough great things about the teachers and leadership of the school. Both my kids thrived at Simis. From top to bottom, everyone cares about the well being of the students. There is a place for working and non-working parents to be involved. It is the overwhelming parental involvement that makes Simis such a great school. These parents understand that it takes a village to raise an excelling school!
--Submitted by a parent

Madison Simis is the flagship school of the District and the entire staff and community contribute to what makes this school so special. Dr. Flowers is a very accessible principal who works hard to continually improve the school. The school is currently going through the IB application process and it is an excellent fit for the school. My kids have and will be moving to the middle school so will not reap the benefits of the IB program at Simis. I really wish Simis was a K-8 school. I love the community, the teachers and the entire staff. I will miss the wonderful sense of community you feel when you are an involved parent helping the children, the teachers and the staff and community. The PTO works hard and longs for greater involvement from working and non-working parents. The PTO does a lot to make the teachers and staff feel appreciated at Simis. Simis also has an amazing gardening program that is organized and run by all parent volunteers. The gardening program is integrated into the child's grade level curriculum and every grade gets the opportunity to grow in the garden. My 6th grader still misses Simis - it is a great school!
--Submitted by a parent

Ok, so I have to be careful, but I want to let people know what's going on at this school. If the district happens to read and make changes, even better. Simis is the flagship school of Madison. They have the community to be a excelling school over and over again. They have a decent parent support, though it's also somewhat bullyish. I have overheard teachers comment about how they don't need to "worry about" what Student A learns because they won't count on their test scores since they're new. I've also heard the principal threaten and intimidate parents and teachers alike. Dr. Flowers (you can't call her Ms., she'll correct you) is hand's down the poison in this campus. Her philosophy is make the squeaky wheels happy, have high scores, and "the data" will show how great the school is. I have had quite a few quality interactions with teachers and believe many of them are beyond qualified educators. I do however feel like those in power are the very same that Ms. Flowers has under her thumb. The school will remain a good school, but the underbelly is ugly. I strongly recommend Madison Heights, or even Rose Lane over Simis.
--Submitted by a parent

Madison Simis has a tradition of excellence. The good really stops there. They are very clear. They caare more about how they appear publicly thhan actually educating each child. They are responsive if you know someone in power, but are immoveable if not. My son is in the top of his class, not a behavior and gets special concessions. As a teacher myself I see the vast inequities that surround this school. Simply if you can make the school look good, you get the red carpet. If not, well, move so someone can. This all stems from Dr. Flowers who is, to put it simply, looney bins. I feel bad, but mh child will be moving on to another district after this year.
--Submitted by a parent

Wonderful school, filled with caring teachers. The principal, however, is a real piece of work! It will be a better time when she leaves or retires. The school has become overcrowded, but they are soon to open a new cafeteria and music room. Most parents are very involved, and the teachers seem to really like being there. *Note to District administrators...get a new principal. She acts nice, but is not!
--Submitted by a parent

Our child transferred to Simis just this last year and it has been amazing! He's a good kid and he did well at this old school (was in the gifted program) but we had to move and we were delighted to find a school that was rated so highly near the area we wanted to be. He hasn't had any trouble keeping up with the material, and I don't feel like he is being pressured or pushed in any way. They expect a little more behaviorally from the kids than his old school, but I think I prefer that anyway - he's been better behaved at home, too. I haven't yet had any problems with the administration or teachers. They all seem very nice, very involved, and have always communicated well. I don't feel like there is any extreme behind-the-scenes administration drama here so far, but I guess that's hard to tell. The principal seems nice, and sincere. Maybe my kid is one of the 'normal' ones who 'fit in the box' like some jaded reviewer mentioned, but this school has been perfect for him.
--Submitted by a parent

With school choice growing every year, I have researched options for all three of my children as they approached their elementary school years. Every time, I determined that Simis was the best school. The faculty is outstanding, a great mix of seasoned teachers with years of experience under their belts and new teachers who are tech savvy and bring great new ideas and high energy. I have seen the teachers successfully and nimbly adapt to the changing demands on education and their students in the six years that my children have been at the school. This is a school that is not afraid to try something new, teacher collaborate well and expectations are high. I truly believe the constructivist approach Simis uses will best prepare my children for the global job market they will face. And the school-wide gardening program ROCKS!
--Submitted by a parent

Our son was going to Simis and will not be attending next year. There is a lack of communicate from the Teacher and the Administration. Our son received an extreme amount of homework and didn t seem to be learning in the classroom. Our son was excelling in math and reading but by the end of the school year he was barely meeting his targets. We requested information about paying for a private tutor or resources to get our son back on track and got no help from the school. Unfortunately, it seems Simis is no longer cares about educating children.
--Submitted by a parent

My child went here for K-4. I have two major areas of concern. My child has some learning issues and after several requests for an eval, one was finally done in fourth grade. They identified areas of weakness but a determination was made that there were no learning disabilities. Outside testing by 2 speech and lang therapists and an occupational therapist proved otherwise. The teachers were very open to the evals of the out of school testing and used this information to help her learn. However the school provided no remediation other that what the teachers did. If your child fits into the box, your child will succeed well at Simis. If not you need to be a diligent advocate for your child and volunteer through the parent organization so you know what is really going on at SImis. My other issue with Simis is the principal. She has very little leadership qualities. She has her favorite teachers and her favorite activities. She picks petty little fights with those who spend hours of time volunteering through the parent organization. Thank goodness that my child has had exceptional teachers in spite of the principal.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is excellent! I enrolled my oldest son at Simis two years ago and is currently in 2nd grade. My 2nd son is currently in Kindergarten and my 3rd son will be in Kindergarten this fall 2011. I love how the teachers interact with my children and they are giving my kids best education they need. I am impressed with this school's excellency! Good job, Simis!
--Submitted by a parent