Tierrasanta Elementary School

Well I must say that I have given it over two years and it has led to a festering wound. I may have a bit of backlash for what I am about to say; but, seriously, this school is a mess. A certain kindergarten teacher, at our first parent teacher conference threatened to FAIL our daughter because she was not reading yet. I believe this teacher has failed as a teacher. Yes, we all know of budget cuts and the number of students one teacher is assigned to. This should have stood out as a red flag for this teacher as she was responsible for a special needs student, and one that I have discovered is still in a standard classroom environment where the child, unfortunately, disrupts teaching. It cannot be the student's obligation, nor the administration's obligation, to turn this situation around. If said teacher reads this review, remember that the "squeaky wheel always gets the grease". Take me for example: I tried reaching out to you and you blew me off. The next effect: Sending my daughter to a private school where she thrives in leaning. What a sad ending to a beautiful beginning that ended stone cold as the fallout for literacy. Shame on Tierrasanta Elementary.
—Submitted by a parent

My sister, brother and I went to Tierrasanta Elementary School in the 90s. Since then, my sister has obtained her law degree from USD, my brother graduated with honors from UC Berkeley's school of architecture and design, and I'm graduating this fall from UC Irvine with a degree in speech language pathology. None of us have forgotten how this school engrained the love of knowledge in our minds and hearts. Thanks, Tierrasanta!

My daughter and myself love this school. I have nothing bad to say about the school at all.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has special needs, this school has done great things for him. The principle, teachers and support staff have gone above and beyond for our son. In the past 2 1/2 years that we have been there they have helped him improve in every subject and helped him adjust and cope with issues that were not academic. Bullying is not an issue at this school which is a relief for any parent! We are moving out of state and can only hope we find a school as good.
—Submitted by a parent

After not getting into any of the public or charter schools we wanted, we decided on Tierrasanta Elementary. I couldn't be happier. The kids are generally very well behaved, friendly, and helpful. Minimal time is spent interrupting the class with disciplinary problems. The kids exude interest and excitement on the playground and in the classroom. I love that the kindergartners have 5th-grade buddies. The 5th-graders get to feel like rock stars, and the kindergartners have a blast sharing special projects with the older kids. The principal is usually outside with the 5th-grade crossing guards every morning and afternoon. She's brave enough to handle crossing-guard duty alone when it rains. I just like that. There is a nice variety of after-school activities for a fee. These kids are learning and loving it.
—Submitted by a parent

Tierrasanta Elementary not only promotes excellent academic education but also has a character building program. The entire school participates in learning and practicing a particular character trait such as honesty, for six weeks, and then a school assembly is held.

My family of 3 kids have been at TES for 5 years. I have seen enrollment go up while other schools are going down. Afterschool extracurriculars are the best around. We have a broad range of teaching styles from male and female teachers. All students get Fine Art, Character Education and Drama. Field trips are educational and fun. TES has a great GATE Seminar program with highly educated teachers. I've spent the past 5 years directly involved with the program. PTA seems to be the 20% who do 80% of the work, but that seems typical for SDUSD. Teacher radios are 1:20 in K-3 and 1:32 in 4th and 5th which is also typical but really should be lower in the perfect world. The new principal is very friendly and fair.. dosn't play faveorites. I recoment TES and it's worth being on year-round to have my kids there.
—Submitted by a parent

We have a child with Special needs and we have had problem after problem with the teachers and Administration. First my childs teacher did not want to deal with her and decided not to teach her like the other kids. There are three health assistants that seem to not communicate properly which affects my child and puts her in danger. The only thing the pricipal does is tell us what we want to hear but never follows through with anything. The one good thing about the school is my childs new teacher.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has been with Vista Grande from 2-4th and we just moved back for the end of 5th grade. The PTA is fantastic, they have tons of fieldtrips and the teachers are over qualified with attention to the kids and their needs. They have a terrific Fine Arts program and great volunteers that really give each kid a sense of belonging. I can't wait until my 4 year old is going there.
—Submitted by a parent

The Principal's focus is on building up the Special Ed and Seminar departments. Great news if you have children who could benefit from these specialized departments but the reality is the majority of the school does not fall into Special Ed or Seminar. Great local volunteer base for PTA, Foundation & Art.
—Submitted by a parent

I appreciate TES. My child's teachers have been conscientious and still seem to enjoy teaching after 10+ years each. Special Ed has been first rate; my daughter has benefitted from speech and occupational therapy, as well as organizing guidance for some ADD. Parent involvement is very good. The non profit Foundation arranges many extracurricular opportunities, including chess and Jr. Theatre. Add to this the community feel and we're very happy to be in this area. The only two negatives are the responsibility of the District, not the school. The grounds are unattractive! The front features messy pine trees and weedy concrete. The second issue is that were without an OT for months. Again, the District's responsibility, but TES experienced the results. Lastly, Principal Janie Wardlow has been accessible and proactive with us. Nothing but good things to say about her. I really am a parent! Just very pleased.
—Submitted by a parent

This school puts a lot of effort into the kids that go there. The teachers are hardworking and well qualified. The parent involvement is very good and offers the students a lot of enrichment opportunities. As a parent of a special needs child I do not agree with the parent comments related to special needs students. The District as a whole is clearly over its head related to helping these kids and I believe that Tierrasanta does a great job considering the framework for which they work in.
—Submitted by a parent

As the school principal, I would agree that our school has strong parent involvement, this provides extras, such as Art Corps, drama classes, instrumental music, dance, arts-related assemblies, a great science fair and a 'family friendly' Open House. I would disagree with the statement about the 'mediocrity' of our teaching staff. Most of our teachers hold Masters Degrees and have many years of teaching experience. They care about our students and work many hours beyond their contract in preparation for their instruction and students. I agree that we have not met the social, emotional and educational needs of some of our children. We are building our GATE Seminar Program from one class to two full classes. In 07-08, we will begin a school-wide program for our English Learners. This endeavor is supported by our SSC and SGT. I will make our Special Education Program a priority at Tierrasanta Elementary in 07-08.
—Submitted by Janie Wardlow, a administrator

Children with special needs get lost in this school.
—Submitted by a parent

The school has some strengths; parents are involved, and the school has some nice extras. But the things its mandated to do, teaching the 3Rs, its performance is ordinary. The staff and administration are fortunate the school is located in an affluent neighborhood. But the actual performance of teachers lead to nothing but mediocrity - good students do well, poor students do not. There is no special effort to make poor students better and good students outstanding. The school is particularly weak when children have special needs, either academically or emotional/socially. Even when they see problems they don't act proactively unless it threatens to become a public relations problem. When the staff recognizes individual needs, then it may become a good school.
—Submitted by a parent

What a special place! A school where parents, administration and faculty work together for the good of the students. The staff is dedicated to its students often working extra hours to prepare for class or helping a student in need. School diversity is nice too. This school has two parent volunteer organizations: a PTA and a Foundation. These two groups work together to provide service and raise funds to add enrichment, support curriculum and provide equipment at TES. This school celebrates childhood without sacrificing academics. TES supports fine arts as well as performing arts, a science lab and a science club, a character ed program, band and more! Celebrations include Red Ribbon week and Multicultural week. Parents work together to organize a science fair and talent show. Assemblies brought to the school included San Diego Opera and Classic for Kids. They even have a Safety Patrol. A welcoming community.
—Submitted by a parent

I think there are a lot of extracurricular programs for the children. They need some updating as far as adding more computer instruction into the curriculum.
—Submitted by a parent

Both of my children have attended this school and both their experiences have been positive. When there have been problems, I have always found everyone involved willing to work together towards a solution.
—Submitted by a parent

Love, love, love this school and am sad my kids have finished elementary. The seminar program is great, the teacher is top notch. We'll miss Tierrasanta Elementary!
—Submitted by a parent

The Special Education Department is lacking in knowledge of disabilities. The teachers in this area are not willing to learn new ways of thinking. The teachers are caring. Just believe [they] are stuck in a rut and the principal is not able to fix it herself. I would not recommend this school for children with LD/ED issues. Music and art programs are good.
—Submitted by a parent