Ventura Elementary School

All my children have come to this school and my little one is the last one here. All my children have done well and the staff goes above and beyond to help with the childrens needs. great staff. parents need to be more involved with helping there children aswell as the school. teaching begins in the home. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK VENTURA!
--Submitted by a parent

My twin daughters have just started their first year of Kindergarden at Ventura.The Title 1 parent center is great.Vicki and Kelly who work in the parent center are very resourceful and always have an anwser to an question. Today I actually attended a Parent workshop which too was very resourceful pertaining to Getting Involved In Your Child's Education.Mrs.Zieglar my childrens teacher does an outstanding job with the children she teaches,and she is always in the parenting center seeking resources as well!
--Submitted by a parent

Ventura is a great school. I appreciate Mrs. Franceschi's professionalism. Dr. Karlskin is also very helpful and professional. On a side note I'd like to say that the Parent Center is very valuable. Mrs. Woelk is very knowledgable about the items available for checkout and tries to help us find material based on my child's needs. The center has helped all three of my children excel in Math and Reading. Their grades improved after using material from the center. They have educational toys and hands on material that you can't find in stores.
--Submitted by a parent

I truly believe this is an excellent school with wonderful teachers. My son just got promoted to a second grade with Honors and he love the school. Ms Lemle (Kindergarden) & Mrs Tosi (First Grade) made an amazing job on these kids and I know is not an easy job. But they did it. My Best for them! I am looking forward for 2008-09. Happy Summer!
--Submitted by a parent

Ventura is a nice school. I would recommend this school to other parents. My children have excelled since entering Ventura. One specific thing I would like to mention is the Parent Resource Center. What an excellent idea! There is a classroom FULL of educational, fun materials for FREE check-out! All of the latest games and technology you'll find in most stores. This has made such a difference for my children. We now have family night once a week where we use something we've checked out from the Parent Center. I am also happy with the Administrative team at Ventura. We are lucky to have such a caring, supportive group of individuals at Ventura. Thank you.
--Submitted by a parent

Overall Ventura is a decent school. However, I do believe they are too concerned with the FCAT and not other areas that need to be learned. I believe that if they had better communication with parents and suitable times for their programs they would have more parent involvement. Also the teachers could do better at communicating with us parents about concerns and achievements of our children throughout the year and not just at report card time. As far as academic programs their availability of classes needs to be known. There is nothing stating the availability of classes or who is eligible for what. As it is easy for a child to miss out and get lost in the shuffle.
--Submitted by KR, a parent

My third grade son had a very positive experience at Ventura during his first year here in Florida. When he started school in Aug. 2006 he struggled with reading. With extra help, centers, small group in class and me helping at home, my son was able to pass the FCAT on grade level. I believe parents should be involved in their children's education. I was able to go to the PTA meetings, only to see 2 or 3 parents in the meetings, this is very sad. The administration, teachers and staff are very dedicated to the students. The students are involved in dance, Stomp group, Art, etc. I am very happy to be part of the Ventura family!
--Submitted by Laura L, a parent

I have had 3 children enrolled in this school for 2 yrs now. I do not recommend this school to anyone who cares about quality education or their child's safety. The principle is very dismissive and bullying is a real big issue at this school. Also, the focus is on cat scoring while critical thinking skills as well as basic math and reading concepts are left to the wayside. My children had transferred from a public school system from a neighboring state; and they were on honor role. Here, they have been threatened by repeating a grade. Never have i been so disgusted! I volunteered and was involved yet the front staff never recognized me...How's that for 'personal touch'? I give the school f-.
--Submitted by a parent

I think this is an excellent school with wonderful teachers, principal and asst. principal. I believe your child will get what they and the parent give out of the school. I am on both the PTO and SAC committee and stay very involved with my children's teachers. They are always willing to go above and beyond to help. I think the school has greatly improved since Mrs. Francheschi took over! And I really appreciate Dr. Karlskin and Mr. Bundy! They have truly made my children's educational experience enjoyable.
--Submitted by Lisa Rodriguez, a parent

I have 2 kids currently attending VES. I am highly upset that all they care about is the FCAT. I'm not interested in extracurricular activities because of how much disgusting behavior happens in class, and nothing is done about it, or it is overlooked.
--Submitted by a parent