Saturn Street Elementary School

As a parent who's been on the PTA at Saturn and who's child has successfully moved from Saturn to high achieving magnet schools I would like to credit the woman who gave her that first push. My daughter entered Ms. Elliot's second grade class not knowing how to speak english but Ms. Elliot took as much interest in her education as she does with any other student. Ms. Elliot treats all of her students with great warmth and respect. While in her class I NEVER witnessed Ms. Elliot yell at any of her students or any parent. On the contrary, she is always extremely helpful and friendly. Ms. Elliot would do everything from pop-up books to special guest speakers to encourage creativity and exploration in the children. She brings more than enough creative stimulation to her classroom. I am not a visitor. I am a parent who has been actively involved in the structure at Saturn Street Elementary and I can assure you that every staff member genuinely cares about their students. Ms. Elliot goes above and beyond when it comes to child education. If the behavior of staff reflects the overall reputation of the school then I can think of no better teacher to represent Saturn than Ms. Elliot
--Submitted by a parent

My experience is as a visitor, but I am also a parent & a teacher in the community. My main concern is with 5th grade teacher, Ms. Elliot. 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 Ms. Elliot s 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, Ms. Elliot 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 is unable to protect students & help this teacher learn to communicate effectively & respectfully, then perhaps the school board needs to get involved.
--Submitted by a parent

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