Hamilton Avenue School

HAS is an amazing school, the teachers at this school should be rewarded day after day for all their dedication and passion. I have nothing but great things to say about this school.
--Submitted by a parent

Ham Ave is a wonderful school with a strong academic program, an amazing music and art program, great diversity, good teachers and strong parental involvement. It is a great school.
--Submitted by a parent

Our son is the pre-K progam as a special needs kid (he's on the autism spectrum). Everyone at the school has fallen over themselves to avail him to all of the services the district has to offer. His teacher, and the assistants, are amazing and caring educators. This is a great school.
--Submitted by a parent

this school offers a safe caring environment for children who come from an area rich in cultural diversity with a view of the real world.

HAS is a great school, which unfortunately has been cast in a negative light because of all the controversy with the mold, the new school,etc,etc. The administration, office staff, and principal are fantastic in my opinion. My children love HAS.
--Submitted by a parent

The school is a disgrace, the mold problem is a blessing that the students will be in a real school building, change is not welcomed and unsettling, but once the studnets assimilate in their new surroundings, with new kids and real rooms for teaching and for gym and a real caferteria and playground, they will adjust and enjoy the new environment, HA doesn't exist anymore with the split up, ownership of these kids by the leaders will not be there anymore, how can the leaders be present between 6 different schools on a daily basis...it's a true blessing, the administrators/prinicpals should be fired.
--Submitted by a parent

Hamilton Ave School is in my opinion the best school in Greenwich. The teachers are the only ones in town who take accountablity for their students.The work very hard at teaching each and every student. Dr. Rau has goals, which may be hard on the teachers, but are shown in the students work. She has brought back being afraid to go to the Principals office and I applaud her for that. I am very greatful my child goes there. I only wish the teachers could get paid more than the other teachers in town. Our children learn in school and in afters. Not at home with a tutor.
--Submitted by a parent

The quality of academic programs is overseen by administration's seflish need to look good, keep their image and repuation to the outside at the expenseof overworking, stressing the teachers and creating a tensed work place. There are too many meeting, not enough time to have normal commom planningtime and grade level meetings to discuss teaching concerns let along curriculum issues. This is a negative trickle effect to the students and my kid is stressed. she has heard the principal Dr. Rau yell many times at staff.
--Submitted by a parent

There are afterschool programs there but do they meet the needs of the kids or is it just babysitting. Was a survye ever done to see how much my children learned from day 1 to last? The environment is disruptful due to student's negative aggressive behaviors in the hallway /classrooms. It intereferes with my children's learning % is consistent in 3 classes where we know the kids in those rooms. Students runout, knock things over, run in hallways and to the outside, hit other kids I don't see the studetn discipline by the current principal who is so focused on having her school 'look good' by the state, the BOE, outside agencies to approve them for certificates and awards that she is forgetting what is happening in her own classrooms. I can't wait to have my children transferred soon.
--Submitted by a teacher

I think that they should have an afterschool program in the school which will help those younger students adjust more, as far as Kindergarten and First grade. There are still some children who have not adjusted to the to school and the teachers have problems with intervention. A lot of parents could not afford day care or pre-school for their children, so Hamilton Avenue should provide that. Maybe they should consider that in one of the PTA meetings. Overall it is a GREAT school!
--Submitted by a teacher