Westside Elementary School

Since this school opened, I have had the opportunity to be both a parent of three students who attended Westside Elementary and a student teacher. Most recently I have been a student teacher at this school. Through both experiences, I have found Westside to have excellent teachers who care about their students. They have a strong principal who cares and is actively involved while striving for excellence. To me, this school is the best of the best.

As I said in my first review last year of Westside. The faculty & staff truely go the extra mile to make yourself & more importantly your childs experience & education a personable one. They are very student/parent involved! They strive to do "Whatever It Takes" when it comes to the education of their students! I am proud to say my daughter is a third year student at Westside Elementary! Miss Penney in the front office RoCkS!! We love her as well as the rest of the staff @ WES!
—Submitted by a parent

I love westside b/c my child loves westside. As long as he is doing good and is happy to go to school, thats all that matters :)
—Submitted by a parent

I am a parent of a 2nd grader that attends Westside Elementary School. I love the teachers and the staff. Everyone there is really inviting and nice. The administration is a bit too rigid for elementary school kids, but the rest compensates for that. We moved to the area from out of state and have been very please with our daughters teacher (Mrs. Watson). She made our daughter feel welcome from the get go. We bought a house across town, but our daughter wouldn't let us move schools until over the summer because she didn't want to leave Mrs. Watson and her class. Overall Westside has been a great welcoming school for us.
—Submitted by a parent

I must say as a new mother and single mother I was really scared for my daughter to go to school.But WES really made me feel comfortable and the security is great...these days it is scary to not know what is going on with your child, and with Westside i feel safe secure and I know my daughter is getting a great education.The way they let me know what is going on day to day is great.She loves her teacher (Mrs. Morris) .My first first PTC was so informative. Its nice to know our kids are truly cared for and being well educated.I was not taught hardly any of the things my daughter is being taught in kindergarten. Thank you WES!!!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter and I love this schoole attention she gets. And the care of the students.I feel so safe and proud to have my child going to WES. My daughter loves her teachers, and loves learning.
—Submitted by a parent

A modern, clean, beautiful facility, however, the administration run this school a bit boot camp style. Regular classes are pretty well organized, but the special ed. program is weak.
—Submitted by a parent

My nephews,nieces and my daughter have all went to this school. I love the school because they do let the parents get involved. The only concern I have is that the AR reading is so important that the math and others are put to the wayside. Our public schools are so worried about passing the FCAT that some of the important stuff is missed. Most of the teachers really love these children. The office staff is extremely wonderful. I cannot blame the Westside for my child, but I can blame the public schools for the lack of discipline and teaching of all subjects.
—Submitted by a parent

My son went to Epiphany for Kindergarten. We paid tuition for him to sit in the principal's office. For first grade he started going to Westside. He has been on the A/B honor roll ever since. He has also tested well above his grade level for the fcats. The teachers are great and make the kids want to learn by making it fun for them. From our experience they allow the kids to learn at their own rate. You don't see the kids being bored because they are waiting for the rest of the class to catch up, and you don't see a lot of kids struggling to keep up so they loose hope. The teachers are there for the kids and they are all so friendly. I love this school and would not have my son go any where else.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a divorced father, my daughter now lives in Lake City after moving from Jacksonville, to live with her mother. I have been to Westside. I was very impressed with security and teachers and my daughter is an 'A' student. I rate it very highly. Keep up the good work Westside. (Concerned father)
—Submitted by a parent

I am a Grandmother of 2 children at this school. The oldest is in 3rd grade and the youngest is in 1st grade. I have visited this school on many occasions, but not often enough as I live in Ft Myers. However, the times I have been able to do so, which is every 1st day of school and teacher orientations, plus some of the school functions & have found that this school is absolutely the best school I have ever seen. The quality of the teachers is outstanding. Safety is above and beyond the normal procedures in any other school. I believe the discipline is fair and just and the school appears to me to have the children under control instead of the other way around. Overall, I am so impressed with every aspect of this school and I am so grateful that my grandchildren have the oportunity to be a part of it. Westside Elementary has faired extremely well in their FCAT scores compared to many other public schools. I cannot say enough about this highly rated school and I wish all the teachers and staff the very best school year 2003. Thank you for the oportunity to express my comments.