Dianne Feinstein Elementary School

I am surprised at some of the reviews here. My son entered K in Fall 2011, and the PTA is anything but "hapless." There have been too many fun events for me to even attend all of them (dance party, walkathon, science night, grade level dinner and more). The PTA has met it's general fund goal, and the auction is next week--$60K in donations so far and counting, according the weekly newsletter. If you are a DFES parent who wants to be involved, there is plenty to do and your help would be welcomed, as that was my experience! My son is doing really well--already reading, making friends. The focus on kindness and Caring School Community guidelines have worked well for us and we use it to address any social issues that come up. Among the academic highlights: UCSF scientists came in to his class, and brought a real preserved human brain, (my son came home talking about it and I thought he was making it up, until I read the teacher's weekly update and saw it was true!) They taught a lesson on the brain, and came back later to do another lesson on snails. His teacher seems dedicated, is great about communicating with us--I really can't find anything to complain about.
--Submitted by a parent

There is a big bullying problem at this school and the principal does not handle it very well. Also a couple of disaster teachers that parents can't seem to rid of. The campus is great, but an unusual amount of families leave the school due to its poor leadership and problems.
--Submitted by a parent

The School is A joke because the principle should be no more than a janitor at best!!!. No skills what so ever. I wonder why the school system is so broken? Because people like her are hired as Principles! No Leader ship skills. I don't know where to begin.
--Submitted by a parent

my sons teacher is excellent as i await an iep for special services my child has no support from the principle or other special ed teachers he has not received an education he spends his days in the office coloring
--Submitted by a parent

A day doesn't go by when I am not grateful that my two children are at DFES. We were welcomed into the school community as an incoming K family and the feeling has not changed three years later. The teachers & staff are dedicated & amazing (2010-11 API score just grew to 889, up 28 points!) and the Principal has been supportive whenever I've worked with her. It's amazing what the PTA & SSC has accomplished. We have a lot of dedicated parents who give their time to supporting & improving our school. Of course we could use more volunteers, but what school doesn't? We are so lucky to have such an amazing campus, too. Overall, we could not be happier -- more importantly, our children are engaged and thriving.
--Submitted by a parent

We have three children at Dianne Feinstein starting with the first year that it opened. It was an unknown and we took a chance. We became involved in the school immediately. We saw how the principal, the teachers, and the staff were dedicated to the education and well being of the children. We became involved in the PTA and watched it grow from a fledgling unit to a unit with a budget of $175K plus. The membership has grown to over 300 by the second month of this school year. The SSC is well attended and works with the PTA and the principal for the greater good of the children of the school. There is continuity in both the PTA and the SSC. We have three different children with three different needs and the school has stepped up to the plate for all of them. The teachers are dedicated both in and out of the classroom as some of them can be found in advocacy, community, and school groups outside of the classroom, working directly with the parents. Yes there are some politics. There are occasional teacher-parent-staff issues. But, for the most part, we love the school and our children cry when they can t go to school for any reason. We are sorry that this is not a K-8 school.
--Submitted by a parent

DFES is a peculiar school. My child has been in the school since its first year and will graduate this year. My other kids went to a different elementary school. We switched to DFES because it was closer to our house and we thought a new start up at a Science and Technology based school would be fun. The first few years at the school were a mess. School organizations like the PTA, SSC, and afterschool program all faltered due to disorganization and infighting. Parent volunteers were scant and the community was fragmented. The Principal was clearly more reactive, than proactive. We figured that this was just part of the start up. Unfortunately, after 6 years at the school, nothing has changed. The Principal lacks big picture skills. The good to great teachers confine themselves to the classroom. The PTA is hapless. Parent volunteers are frustrated and by meager volunterism and a process-heavy PTA. This has resulted in a dearth of fun school events like plays, carnivals, science fairs. Incredibly, there is no Science and Technology emphasis as purported by SFUSD. However, as was the case on day one, the school is clean, new, and has loads of potential.
--Submitted by a parent

With 2 students in this school, I have seen and approve of what's been happening there. My kids will have conversations with me on what they've been taught and in reviewing their homework, I see that things are fine. I have had conversations by e-mail with Ms. Chang, the Principal and I pay detailed attention to her electronic newsletters. Also, the campus environment is nice and appears SAFE. While I'm near the school, I see the staff paying attention and working with the students. There's no shame when I tell people my kids are students at Dianne Feinstein Elementary.
--Submitted by a parent

DFES was so great for us!! We are foreigners(from Japan) and couldn't speak English very well. But Teachers,Staff,Parents and Students were very friendly and accommodating! Thanks everyone!!
--Submitted by a parent

It is a beautiful faclity with wonderful teachers and staff, and very engaged fAmilies. A strong community.
--Submitted by a parent