Saturn Street Elementary School

I am embarrassed for this school's Administrators. I initiated contact about enrolling my daughter and quickly changed my mind once I met the Office manager who does not seem to care about her horrible mannerisms even when people are around! I wasn't surprised to learn this is the same person who lacked telephone etiquette and person skills during a prior call to the school about the office hours. Unfortunate because the Principal seems like a wonderful person. My sisters and I are spending the summer researching alternative programs!

My experience is as a visitor, but I am also a parent & a teacher in the community. My main concern is with one specific 5th grade teacher. I witnessed her on numerous occasions create an abusive learning environment for her students. When she spoke to her students, she screamed at & berated them much like a drill sergeant. She scolded them as if even a simple request was an offense to her. This teacher appeared constantly angry, & disrespectful to the students. I also witnessed her yelling at an adult. This kind of communication does not belong in our classrooms. If my child had to be subjected to her rants everyday, I would remove my child from that class. NO ONE deserves to be spoken to in such a way, especially where education & creativity are supposed to thrive. Although many of the other teachers seemed very patient & kind with their students, this teacher s behavior does reflect on the overall reputation of the school. It is the administration s responsibility to create a positive educational experience. If it s unable to protect its students & help this teacher learn to communicate respectfully & effectively, then perhaps the school board needs to get involved.

My child has attended this school for 3 yrs now and in the beginning I wasn't very happy with the schools structure however; I can say that in the past year or so this school has improved in various areas and also parent participation has improved. Some office staff can be warm and welcoming however Saturn's Administrative Secretary needs to improve in people skills and telephone etiquette.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two kids at this school and both kids had an outstanding year! We faced a few challenges this year that needed the principal s attention and I am VERY pleased at how she handled those challenges. She took care of business before things got out of hand (bullying situation) and she also worked with me to address the needs of my other child in a manner that was completely satisfying. Thank you Principal Bryant and Staff I look forward to another rewarding year in 2010-2011.
—Submitted by a parent

School has the wrong priorities. The administration spend LOTS of time monitoring review sites (such as this one), soliciting responses to negative comments and organizing protest about cuts. Instead of complaining about how bad things are, our children would be much BETTER served if the same amount of effort was spent on dealing with what we have.
—Submitted by a parent

I have been teaching at Saturn for 10 years and have seen this school go through vast improvements. The students have access to visual arts, intrumental music, vocal music, dance, interventions for struggling students, and a free after school program for all grade levels. In no way has the staff ever put our jobs in front of a student's education. I feel sad that any parents feel that teachers put themselves first. Unfortunately, we have had major budgetary cuts, but we have never sent out letters to save the budget. We are trying to get the community involved by participating in family dinner nights and standard fundraisers that many schools use to raise money. It is unfortunate that there are parents out there who feel that we are constantly asking for donations and ignoring students.
—Submitted by a teacher

Saturn is a great school which has served my children for almost 5 years now. Unfortunately, like ALL schools, Saturn is suffering from the school district's budget issues. But I think it is very disappointingto see all these poor reviews from parents saying that the teachers only care about fundraising and saving their jobs, and all of the negative opinions of the principal. As parents, we should be supporting the people who are educating our children, not attacking them at every turn. WE need to get it together and be a part of the TEAM.
—Submitted by a parent

As the Principal of Saturn, a great school, I welcome all to visit our school and learn about all the wonderful opportunities for students. We have an amazing group of students, families, and staff. Our local community support is second to none! Make time to visit soon.

Our school improved out API score by 57 points this year!!! We are at 780! Way to go Saturn. We have a great team of teachers who are very dedicated to the students.
—Submitted by a teacher

A great community of people each doing their best to help our children.
—Submitted by a teacher

A dedicated community, with active, involved families! Plus, they are working hard to transform their paved playground to a park-like setting which will be available to the neighborhood when school is not in session.

i love saturn because the staff really do care, now we just need everyone else to care just as much.

Saturn Elementary represents the oppertunity for all walks of life to achieve the american dream of a higher education.
—Submitted by a parent

They have the best teachers. All the teachers care very much about their students.
—Submitted by a parent

I work at Saturn and am delighted that our API score went up 57 points. All the teachers and students worked really hard to produce that significant movement up. Next year, 880.
—Submitted by a parent

The Librarian, Mrs. Midel at the school is very good with the children and helps them a great deal. She is a valuable asset to the school. She is a positive influence on the children. I feel the students have benefited from volunteering in the library.
—Submitted by a parent

I have a son who is now into his second year at this school. I have had nothing but positive experiences from day one. HOWEVER, I don't have a child that has any special needs and I've never had to make any special request. I haven't had to deal with the school office/administration on any level. I was able to resolve any classroom issues with the teachers directly. I have no complaints.
—Submitted by a parent

Administration at this school are very inadequately trained. When asked for assistance, they cannot provide it, and the principle seems to not have the time to speak to parents regarding their children. Written rules for many school activities cannot be furnished, and are made up on th spot to serve the staff needs, which can change daily. My experience with this school has not been good so far. I am very dissapointed in how parents are pacified to get them out of the office, instead of the problems being handled. I would not recommend this school to any parent.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has completed to years at this school and I have never had any problems as far as education and curriculum goes. The teachers are wonderful, the staff is great and very involved.
—Submitted by a parent

A great school.The teachers are hardworking and they have a good literacy programme.
—Submitted by a parent