Palms Elementary School

when my daughter in preschool, the teachers said she is smart. we are prepared to kindergarten, the teacher said we have to find a school that have challenge for our kid and school in the magnet school in Brentwood. we are find information on the Brentwood School, they said to kindergarten there only for the area because it has no transport, the next class can. they recommend according to school district, when they know the Palms Elementary School our district, they said we are very lucky because the principal Palms was a former vice principal of Brentwood magnet school. wow...we are very happy ... thank God. Our daughter now attend school at the Palms Elementary School.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been attending Palms Elementary since kinder garden she is on her last year of elementary this year, overall the experience has been good. I have to recognized Mr. Spencer and Mr. Orellana for their outstanding and excellent job they do to make sure students have the best education. The pricipal makes a huge effort to get involved with the different activities the school offers to the students.
--Submitted by a parent

I feel so lucky that, in these unfortunately economic times, we have a local school that has a garden, drill team, dance and drama classes, camping trips, and music instruction. Two of my kids have been here for 2 years and each of their teachers has been caring, talented and committed. The principal knows every kid by name, dances with the drill team (on special occassions!), and puts on his sweats every Friday to coach basketball. Our school has a lot of English learners and kids who come from economically disadvantaged families, but it still manages to shine.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter is a current student and I have mixed feelings about this place. The office staff is sometimes helpful and other times quite cold on the phone. A particular kinder teacher is a bit too rough personality me. Academically I respect her but as an individual for little kinders..not a fan. Had I known earlier what it would be like I would have wanted my daughter in mr. spencer's class instead. the school need a better variety of social programs. my child's options should not be limited to only mexican folk dance or instruments years from now..give us better choices.
--Submitted by a parent

I wrote the review on October 8, 2010 and have to say I take most of my words back. He has had a pretty bad year, and I obviously wrote the review too early to tell. I wanted to feel positive. I agree more with the parent who wrote the Feb 3rd 2011 review. The school is powerless when it comes to the chilren's behavior. Those children are being brought up to ridicule people who are different looking then they are, and come from different backgrounds.
--Submitted by a parent

Not a good school at all. Our child attended that school for 2 months and we had to change the school. The teachers were ok but a couple times our son were bitten up by other children in the courtyard (our son was new in the school) and the principal couldn't stop it. Likely, we found another public school were our son is excited to go and easily made new friends.
--Submitted by a parent

My son went there for Kinder, and then we moved for a year and his grades dropped, his reading proficiency dropped as well. When we came back Summer 2010 and he came back to Palms Elementary to start 2nd grade, he started getting better reading scores. His math was improved and his social skills improved once again. The staff and the Principal along with the many parents that volunteer make this school a great place to have your children learn. I have never seen so much support from the local businesses as well. The corner ProVideo and the Palms Market are just a few of the many businesses that help and support the school unconditionally. The after school program " Para Los ninos" is by far one of the best after school programs I have ever been part of. The school also offers extra curricular activities such as an award winning drill team, a Folklorico dance group, and an orchestra. No other public elementary around the area that I know offers anything like this free. I cannot be more pleased with the school. Thank you Palms Elementary for you hard dedication, commitment and unconditional support to the children and their parents.
--Submitted by a parent

This is our first year at Palms, entering in the 3rd Grade. My son is demographically the minority here. I was concerned, but not any longer. He is having an enriching year so far, has an amazing teacher, and socially he is doing better than ever. I am listened to, and am very involved with his teacher. His teacher is motivating and making all of the difference. She has a super class this year. It doesn't matter where a child goes to school, because with the right teacher and supplies, a child can learn anywhere. This school has everything necessary to teach students. The campus is clean and bright, the classrooms are the same. There's room for everything. I am impressed with the library. The staff appears supportive. Perhaps in the past the school went through transitions, but that appears to be remedied in a positive way.
--Submitted by a parent

Palms Elementary has been identified as one of the many schools with a low Academic Performance Index (API) Report for the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 school year.
--Submitted by a parent

I wanted to address the low API scores at this school- they in no way reflect the quality of the education that our kids receive at Palms. Many of the students are learning English for the first time (UCLA graduate housing feeds into Palms and there are many students whose parents are here for a few years- it's made this school an incredible incubator of culture and economic diversity). Our children are in the GATE track and SAS program, participate in electives (ranging from computers to baking and newspaper) and after-school, teacher-run programs like Ballet Folklorico and Chess. As a parent, teachers here have always encouraged and followed through, providing our kids with an advanced curriculum when we asked. Our fifth grader is on par in terms of the quality of the work assigned as his friends at St. James and another private school.
--Submitted by a parent