Westport Heights Elementary School

i am very very very disappointed in the administrative staff at this school. there seems to be a definite lack of concern regarding the well being of students. our family as repeatedly reported incidents of our child being bullied by other children to the point of being physically harmed by other students. the response and effort by the Principle Ms. LONG to correct the situation has been unprofessional and she has showed a lack of concern for her student. Parent meeting have been requested and not taken place. our child loves school but is terrified to attend. To the point that it has affected their health. the response was to report the students attendance instead of resolving the issue. So, if you want your child use as a punching bag and have no one response by all means send them here.

Our son started his kindergarten year at Westport Heights and I am totally impressed with what he has learned so far! He is currently one of the top readers in his class and since he first started I can see a major transformation. I am impressed with the projects and work that the students learn and I love how Mrs Bishay teaches the children manners, encourages the children to learn, and good behavior habits. I live in the district area of this school and I love the diversity and organization of the school as a parent.
—Submitted by a parent

My family has had two kids at this school, one of whom went through all the grades, and another who is still there. We are happy with the quality of the teachers, and Ms. Long is an excellent principal.
—Submitted by a parent

I LOVE Westport Heights but more importantly my children LOVE Westport Heights!! We have a full-time caregiver but my oldest (2nd grader) wants to stay longer at school so he is in after-school care! The teachers are accessible and responsive. My children are reading at advanced levels and have tailored assignments. Field trips, garden, compostings, music, art, and diversity...what more could I ask for? We typically walk or ride bikes. We have tons of fun! Of course, you get what you give and my husband and I are very active. Thanks WHES!
—Submitted by a parent

I agree with the criticisms posted about the school. Many of the families and kids there were delightful and deserved better in my opinion. I see negative reviews were removed, but they seemed accurate to me. I was a parent there. Academically the school expects too little. Some teachers are unprofessional, gossiping, inappropriate (sarcastic toward kids, can t spell) in class. The spelling issues on my kids homework alone were disturbing. I personally experienced troubles with teachers in class and how they treat students. My kids were not problem kids but experienced a lot of unnecessary stress because of this issue. Minor rules are enforced with hypocritical zeal. Students are penalized for tardiness while some teachers regularly collect students 5 to 10 minutes AFTER last bell. 50 mn per week of lost learning time. If teachers are on time, THEN they can kvetch about tardy students. One example of many problems. Leadership doesn t walk its talk and other priorities prevail over education (eg career/political moves, cya). It may work, and you may get the good teachers there. But go in with your eyes open. It is not the oasis that some people say it is.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a teacher at Westport Heights. I am priviledged to work with a highly qualified, well educated, and dedicated staff. I read a recent negative review. Most of the parents know the staff and work with us to help make our school the positive educational environment it is. Our teachers put in long hours, many before school, some after. If we work together, and not against each other, jour school will be absolutely amazing. We are all here for the children; and at Westport Heights, we have the very best!
—Submitted by a teacher

I would like to respond to the negative posts. The key to the sucess of one's child in any situation is the parent. Wesport Heights is a school with so much potential but with parents who complain rather than "do" to make changes how can things improve??? Was it beneath you to wipe the table or offer to help clean? It's not beneath me or my children. We pick up other people's trash at school, clean the restrooms as much as we can etc....get my gist? I and many other WHES parents I know jump in and do what ever needs to be done for our school and our children. I have chosen to send my children there. I can afford private school, but being part of the local community is something I want to instill in my children. The Teachers and Parent volunteers work so hard towards this community feeling. If there is a negative to this school it is the lack of total parent involvement. It is the same wonderful group of Mom's and Dad's ALWAYS doing everything for the school. If more parents volunteered to help we could take WHES to AMAZING school status. I'm sorry your experience was so unpleasant, I am going to continue to work hard in my non job working hours to volunteer for a better WHES.
—Submitted by a parent

Direct access to teachers & the ability to be involved with the educational program with both of my children who attend, is a wonderful bonus. The teachers take the time to work with parents/students who are serious about their education! Walking & riding bikes & talking with my children as we go to and from our neighborhood school is a wonderful bonus. What we put in, we get out of Westport Heights & even with budget cuts & program losses, we are having a positive experience. The local schools that our tax dollars pay to keep open, can't improve unless we support the programs. It takes a major commitment, but the end result is fantastic! Parent volunteer program at WHES is outstanding & I'm proud to be part of that support team!
—Submitted by a parent

I am well-known advocate for education here in Westchester. My children have many options of where to attend school - we chose Westport Heights Elementary School and have loved every minute of it. My son went here from K-5th and will always treasure the friends he made, including many of the teachers who he still is in touch with. The administration always puts children first and the teachers are caring and gifted educators. My daughter has attended the school from Pre-K (excellent program) to the present (she is now in 5th Grade). We have NEVER had any incidents but only truly wonderful educational experiences. In fact, both of my children have gotten PERFECT math scores on their standardized Calif tests for three years running. This would not have happened without the excellent education that they have received from this school.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has attended Westport Heights since Kindergarten and although there were one or two bumps in the road, overall our experience has been very positive. The teachers and staff are dedicated and hard working. The parents are also dedicated and hard working and we all work together to make our children's experience a positive one. Sometimes as parents it is easy to simply criticize and focus on what could be better rather than also look at what is good and how we can pitch in to make things better.
—Submitted by a parent

This is in response to the parent who had the horrible experience in Kinder. As the parent of 2 students at Westport, I understand your concerns. I'd also like to explain to you the process that probably caused these classroom switches. Sadly, LAUSD requires a certain number of children in each classroom, and they give each school approx 4 weeks to reach that goal. Each year, the school is staffed based on the number of children who are suppose to attend. When children end up not attending, or leave to attend a magnet after school starts, the classroom sizes become too small to fill the LAUSD requirements. In these cases the school must make hard decisions, which are usually 2-fold. 1. Let a teacher go; 2. Merge children into other Classrooms. This is hard on all parties. Sure the students are unhappy to move, but the kids are very sad to loose a teacher that has been part of their school family. But I promise you, once they settle-in the learning soars. Good luck at your new school and I hope that your children will love it as much as mine love Westport. To all those families whose home-school is Westport, please take a tour, and give this wonderful neighborhood school a chance.
—Submitted by a parent

Westport Heights has a hardworking team of teachers who truly care about their student's success! We have great leadership and community support!
—Submitted by a teacher

This is a great school. The students are always glad to arrive and never seem to want to leave. There is tremendous parent involvement.
—Submitted by a parent

Good people, willing to work with you. We've had a number of fabulous teachers here.
—Submitted by a parent

a lot of parent involment, great teachers,
—Submitted by a parent

In the 5 years my two children have been in Westport Heights they have had classes with 10 of our 22 teachers - and we have loved every one of them! Westport Heights has everything - dedicated experienced teachers, administration willing to both lead and listen, and a hard-working large group of parents. The curriculum is sound and we are all constantly employing more and more innovative techniques to further improve our students' achievements. There is always something going on to make the school better: beautification, fundraising, afterschool enrichment, and so on. If you don't like this school - then you just haven't shown up!
—Submitted by a parent

Good teachers and great atmosphere
—Submitted by a parent

My son is in Kindergarten and has a great teacher. I am very pleased with the parent involovement, teachers (at least his teacher) involvement and the Principal. I totally agree with the one review dated May 3, 2010! Bottom Line: This is our school and if want to make it better then the kids in the area and parents need to support it. It is up to us to make it a great one to be proud of!
—Submitted by a parent

I love this school. It is just what I want for my neighborhood public school. I have had children in almost every grade and each year I am impressed with the cirriculum and the teachers and especially the principal. I wish all the schools were this good and caring about the student and their well being. If you don't llike something get involved and change it, don't just complain about it.
—Submitted by a parent

This School has a few Great Teachers, some good ones, and several far less than desirable, if you are unfortunate enough to get one of the less than desirable Teachers, trying to get your child moved into a different classroom is next to impossible, the Principal chooses to defend the Teacher, and claim that the child is the problem, and that moving them is disruptive to everyone! So the child is forced to make the best of the bad situation, even at the cost of grades slipping, loosing self esteem, and hating the Teacher, Principal and School. This could be a great School, if the less than desirable teachers were weeded out. Most of the parents at the School are very dedicated to their child's education, and the School does have some great programs! We love the Star After School Program!
—Submitted by a parent