Samuels Elementary School

Samuels has become a Title 1 school since last year's CSAP. I am very dissapointed with this school in regards to ensuring the children receive the best assistance possible for education and socialization. Although a very diversified student population, there are no urban teachers to help these children acclemate to the change in language and culture. They are not concerned with the sanity and progression of my child, which will not attend Samuels next year. My child has been 6 month behind since 1st grade, but according to them he can graduate to the next grade no problem. My son failed the CSAP last year, but he was still moved forward to 4th grade. These are the kinds of situations that are going on at Samuels Elementary.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a very involved parent at Samuels, and I couldn't ask for more caring and committed teachers and staff. My daughter's Kindergarten teacher had a Master's degree in literacy; her first grade teacher was one of the kindest, calmest women I've ever met; and her second grade teacher has been teaching for more than 20 years. My daughter is currently reading at a fifth grade level and she's seven. The school reflects the diversity of our community, and I love having my child go to school where she is exposed to people from all over the world. The kids I encounter weekly in her clasroom are some of the sweetest kids I've met. What the school could use is more involved parents.
—Submitted by a parent

Samuels Elementary is an Excellent school. All of my four children went to Samuels. The staff is very caring. I would recommend Samuels to anyone. There is absolutely no gang activity at Samuels.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is excellent! All 3 of my kids went there and they loved it. The teachers and staff are great. The school is very diverse and that is a plus for me, I loved having my kids in an environment that reflects the different cultures in our world. My kids then went to Hamilton Middle School and then on to TJ. 2 are still at TJ and 1 is attending UCD. Samuels prepared them well for the future.
—Submitted by a parent

Awful school. My daughter started kindergarten there and absolutely hated it. She went from a happy outgoing child to withdrawn and sad. One day, she was having a rough day and started crying, the teacher yelled at her and put her in the corner and wrote me a note saying "I can't deal with your child crying when I have 25 other kids in the classroom to deal with". I immediately took her out, moved back to Virginia, started her in school there and day one at that school, she was back to her old self, loved school, was so happy, Samuels is a horrible horrible school. Do not send your kids there.
—Submitted by a parent

This was the worst school that I have ever seen! Gang activity in an elementary school! Faculty that does nothing about it. It is a disgrace! I had to take my son out during the 1st semester due to violence. Horrible school! Should be shut down!
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers are warm and attentive. The school is diverse which is an incredible atmosphere for children who today, are growing up in a global society! The new playground is amazing. The entire school has a wonderful sense of community.
—Submitted by a parent

My son attened this school for 1 year. Staff was always nice and made me feel welcome; however, there was a lot of bully type kids. The 1st graders could be heard cussing in the lunch room. Parent involvement was very little at this school.
—Submitted by a parent

I am new to Denver area and new to Samuals, he school in AZ really pushed her to learn and learn she did. Now being a few months into the school year my child has had little or no homework and seems to be re-learning everything she learned in the AZ school. I have taken it apon myself to teach her after school what I feel the school is lacking. It also appears they focus on bulling (which is good) but I feel that is all they are teaching my kid. I do not see any day to day interaction that I would consider to be teaching my child. Maybe it is just the teacher I hope her ways is not how my daughters future at the school is represented
—Submitted by a parent

A wonderful neighborhood school
—Submitted by a parent

Two of my kids went to Samuels but now only 1 attends. That because she's in last year. I can't say that many great things about Samuels. They have a good share of problem children. There isn't that much parent involvement from what I can see, but I believe most of that comes from 2 working parents. One of my kids is extremely bright and we tried pointing that out to the teachers. While they said they had experience working with gifted children, it didn't seem like my child was ever challenged. The homework and the books he brought home were way below his level. We finally enrolled him in a gifted program at another school.
—Submitted by a parent

I had a child was very advanced and a child who was a bit behind. Samuels did their very best to help with both and kept in touch with me on what was going on. They have a great music program, gym, art, and 2 afterschool programs. Parents are encouraged to be involved with the learning process. The teachers are always willing to discuss any issues and help resolve them. All of the teachers and staff at Samuels are great.
—Submitted by April 2Lots, a parent

As a new parent to the school, Samuels appears to be lacking in the availability of extracurricular activities and sports. Music/Art/Gym are offered at various times thoughout the week/month, and my child enjoys the programs. However, she is very active and outgoing, wanting to experience as much variety as she can! We feel that Samuels doesn't live up to that expection. It has been hard to 'FIND' activities - when a program IS found, usually there are fees, difficult hours, and not on campus. It is also hard to get parent involvement. Our current PTA board is doing well this year, but plans for the future are ??. I believe these issues are due mainly to language barriers. Bi-Lingual students make-up a good part of the school culture, however their parents are typically only Spanish speaking. Their added insight w/their culture would greatly enhance everyone's learning experiences!
—Submitted by a parent