Skyview Academy

I am very happy with SkyView Academy. I feel that the rules and expectations are well articulated and are not very different from other charter schools. I am impressed by the academic rigor at the school. Homework is expected daily, but this is stated in the parent's handbook. Compared to her neighborhood that placed 30 kindergardeners in a class room and had low performance expectations, SkyView is a challenge but worth the effort. As for the culture, I feel more welcome in the school than in my neighborhood school. The staff makes an effort to recognize and acknowledge parents. The level of information (class room website, e-mails, responses from teachers) makes staying informed of my child's performance easy.
--Submitted by a parent

11/6 review is spot on. "I found the Dean to set a negative, highly controlled atmosphere. She had no interest in feedback from families who attend the school. Her main priority appeared to be maintaining control of all situations and delivering discipline." A mid year policy change stresses & punishes 4th & 5th graders giving them 30 min of After school detention instead of recess detention for late homework. There are no high performing schools in CO that have this type of detention at this age. This policy is a result of a failure of the administration . Properly administered, lunch time detention is an appropriate and effective consequence for behavior issues. Only parents and children are held to the handbook. The administration can disregard it at will. Sadly, a great curriculum & great teachers are eclipsed by poor administration.
--Submitted by a parent

It is amazing to me that, as of today, half of the posts are discussing the school's tardy policy. This isn't what a great school is about. My son has attended SkyView for two years. We've had a great experience with his 2nd and 3rd grade teachers. The Administration makes an effort to inform and involve parents. We moved from Cougar Run E.S., which was a good school as well. However, SkyView's ability groupings and the Administration's wilingness to listen to parents influenced us to change schools. I really appreciate SkyView's Founders, Administration, and Teachers. I wouldn't want my son at any other school.
--Submitted by a parent

I think the administration is not attentive to parents. There is definitely an attitude of "We are doing you a favor by letting your student attend our school." I think this is part of a marketing ploy to make SkyView seem like an "elite" school. However, I think it is the wrong approach to take with parents. And, I hope the board and administration will rethink this approach and approach parents as partners in education.
--Submitted by a parent

We have LOVED Skyview since it opened! The teachers are amazing and what a great group of involved parents. My daughter has been challenged as well as given extra help where needed.. So nice to have each student's needs met. Skyview us off to a great start and can only get better with time!
--Submitted by a parent

Skyview Academy is an AMAZING school! My son is only in Pre-K, but he is already above and beyond his peers who attend public school. Uniforms, Spanish everyday, and structured classrooms with tons of parental involvement, are just a few things that make this school great. The pros FAR outweigh the cons of this school, and if you let a little thing like a few minutes in the morning sour this school for you (see previous review), then you may not be happy with any school. The school is constantly improving and growing (it's only in its second year). I say, if you're lucky enough to get accepted, don't pass up this chance of a lifetime for your children!!!
--Submitted by a parent

I found 12/15/11 parent's comments were offensive. I think you are the one who don't understand the system nor reading the communication. If you would bother to read the first parent's remark, you would see that the parent said the child arrived at the school's lobby at 8:13 a.m. If they could read the time on the lobby's clock, that obviously meant that the door was not locked, but the child was still marked tardy. Getting inside the school before 8:15 am does not guarantee you won't be marked tardy. Attending the assembly does not guarantee you won't be marked tardy. These are NOT the measures for tardiness. The measure is that your child must be in his or her seat ready to learn before 8:15 a.m. This shows that many parents, including you 12/15/11 parent, not understanding the system and school policy. If you go to read the student handbook, you will see that it is not very clear cut. There is some confusion - b/c like you I thought as long as my child went to the assembly she was safe. Boy, was I wrong. I went to both the teacher and school administrator TRYING to tell them the policy not being clear. Both of them ignored me. Neither acknowledged the problem.
--Submitted by a parent

It is unfortunate that parents who don't understand the system, or reading the communication, spend time on this site complaining about it. To clarify a few of the comments and mis-perceptions. Tardiness is not reported from the classroom. A student who is tardy is actually stopped at the front desk and held there until assembly is over. These are the students who are marked tardy. This is because if the student who is tardy goes back to their classroom, there will not be anyone there, as the class has gone to the assembly which starts at 8:15. If your student is chronically tardy, that is not the schools fault. If your student is rarely tardy, then why worry about it. As far as the school being closed without it being on the calendar, the ONLY time that happens is on a snow day. Parents have to take some responsibility here. The testing that occurred was to establish baseline skills and then monitor growth, to make sure the school is providing the correct instruction and curriculum for students to grow and learn. This is not about how can we get high test scores, but about how can we know that students are really learning. I am a parent, not a staff member writing this.
--Submitted by a parent

We attended Skyview last year and have since left. I was attracted to the Core Knowlege curriculum, "Character Education," and promise of top notch, seasoned teachers. As it turned out, our teacher had been out of school for less than a year, and the Character Ed came off as a disingenuous afterthought. My impression was that the school's main priority was was to drive the students to demonstrate very high test scores. I agree that kids should be challenged, but my daughter was continually nervous about performing well to maintain her placement in the high ability group. This very distressed behavior was not normal for her. She also had at least 45 min of homework/night (1st gr), which is 4-5 times the amount that had been discussed prior to the start of school. I found the Dean to set a negative, highly controlled atmosphere. She had no interest in feedback from families who attend the school. Her main priority appeared to be maintaining control of all situations and delivering discipline. I was very disappointed in our experience. Any interest in partnering with parents was limited to a parent's required volunteer time. Admin never asked us why we left the school.
--Submitted by a parent

So far my child has had excellent teachers here. It is amazing what she learned her first year and I can't wait to see what she will learn this year. The ability grouping is fantastic and I feel makes the most of learning. The school seems to respond to parent concerns. I have never had an instance nor heard of one where the school is closed and it's not on the calendar. My child has never been marked late and she's gotten there exactly at 8:15 several times. And if you attend parent education sessions that they have you will have a clear idea as to the direction of the school.
--Submitted by a parent