Paloma Elementary School

The strength of this school are the principal, Tracy Garcia, and the vice principal, Peggy Zapatta. These ladies are the first to arrive at school in the morning, and the last to leave at night. They care about Paloma, and it shows. To see the dedication these 2 women have to this school, you need to go no further than the end of the day when kids are being picked up to go home. They know everyone of the kids at their school, they say good night to almost every child that passes by, and do it by name. They deal with parents that cannot follow the parking lot rules with a smile, and participate in after school activities. Mrs Orozko, a third grade teacher, is also a hit in my book. I have not seen many teachers as organized and dedicated to her class as she is. She is always ready to speak about your child, quick to have the info she needs to have a discussion, and manages to put out a progress report every week. Everyone at this school, right down to Marvin the custodian, is dedicated to making Paloma a positive place for kids to learn and grow.
--Submitted by a parent

Paloma is a wonderful encouraging environment. I have enjoyed my time as parent and are always surprised at how supportive the teachers and administration towards students. Their ability to provide extra services, from peer tutoring to afterschool help is amazing. They truly want your child to succeed.
--Submitted by a parent

Paloma is a great school and my child has been challenged and motivated. He's loved all of his teachers and from what I understand, the private school curriculum is not much different. I look forward to this school year and what the school has to offer.
--Submitted by a parent

So far we love Paloma Elementary. Mrs. Reyes was an amazing 1st grade teacher for our child. She puts in 110%. We can only hope to have as good as teachers for our two children attending this year!
--Submitted by a parent

Paloma is a great school with many great teachers (Ogden, Navarre, Salisbury, Craker, Lewis, Feinberg) and many more. Paloma has a new principal who is AWESOME! She is dedicated to each child and listens to all of your concerns and responds immediately. Tracy Garcia is making a big difference in these childrens lives. Paloma is a caring and nurturing school and academically has a great reputation. The PTO works very hard to make sure these students have many great programs that the district doesn't fund. The parent involvement is not the best, but the parents who do help out with all the fundraisers work very hard. Great School!
--Submitted by a parent

We have been @ Paloma for 9 years; with our youngest entering 5th grade -which will be our last year. Paloma has been a nurtiring, fun, and academically challenging environment for our children. The staff seem to strike the perfect balance between work and play. Both of our children have been in the 'GATE' program, and have been individually challenged to meet their own academic needs. Consistency is the key @ Paloma. The children receive positive reinforcement and the goals for the individual child and the school are clearly defined. The Principal has always modeled the importance of character and acheivement, and has always been present; even in directing traffic after school. It provides the best that any public school can. The rest is up to the parents to follow through with @ home. Colleen Goldstein
--Submitted by a parent

We have been at Paloma for the last 2 1/2 years and it is a great school. My oldest child is challenged by the GATE program and has always had top-notch teachers. My younger child has been there since kindergarten and is doing extremely well academically and socially. The parents who say that it doesn't meet their needs either socially or academically, I would pose the question, when does anything meet ALL your expectations? My children came from a private school prior to Paloma and the academics are much better at Paloma than the private school. Socially, I fit in better at the private school than I do at Paloma. But my children are doing well academically AND socially at Paloma. I couldn't ask for more.
--Submitted by a parent

We love Paloma, everyone there is focused on the child's education, and you get a real sense of community. Great School
--Submitted by a parent

The Kindergarten classes have 33 children per class. The teachers are permitted to jobshare for 3 and 2 days a week, so bonding with a teacher is inhibited. I don't feel the children will ever be encouraged to excel, only to pass the standard curriculum. My son's academic and behavioral education is regressing rather than progressing since starting Kindergarten. The Principal and Teachers are responsive and sympathetic, but overall I would highly recommend charter/private school.
--Submitted by a parent

Our family was very disappointed with Paloma. The PTO only deals with fundraising, there is no forum for the parents and teachers to try to make the school better. We were so unhappy with the school that we pulled our child out halfway through the year.
--Submitted by Felicity, a parent