Robert M. Paterson Elementary School

Paterson used to be a great school years ago with a different principal. The vice principal is mean and ahteful woman who shows true disdain for the students. the principal was so so, until he got bored after a few yrs. He plays favorites, and is rude and cruel..look him up online and see news stories..you will be schocked. he got rid of all positive amle role models so he could be King!!He must play golf with the superintendant because when we and several others went for help from him, we were not believed once Grieneger spoke with him. Our children were straight a kids, we were very active and volunteered tons of hours. ONly a few teachers really care, and are not allowed to deviate from the constant pressure to teach to the FCAT test. Many friends moved away from the school or homeschooled.Sad considering we moved here and pay high taxes and had to leave the school once any problem was brought up, we were not welcomed anymore! Our friends even found a teacher changing the survey about herself, and mrs.White, the VP..did nothing. sad to see a promising school get destroyed by a few in the front office. I was forced to find other schools for my 4 children.Many friends did too.
—Submitted by a parent

Paterson elementary is an excellent school. The teachers truly care about the students development and not just academically, but all-around development. The Principal is actively involved with a great example of leadership through hands on and empowering others to do so as well. In my personal opinion, as a parent, you cannot go wrong with your student at this school.
—Submitted by a parent

I think this is the best elementary school my daughter has gone to and she has gone to 3 total. The teachers are willing to help any student and work hard to make every student achieve. The even offer tutoring in subjects to help student with their problem areas. Overall, AWESOME school.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has a learning disability and this is her last year at Paterson Elementary. They have always been very sensitive to her needs and have done everything possible to help her succeed academically.
—Submitted by a parent

My child has been at Paterson since kindergarten and is now in the sixth grade. I think the school has nice facilities and for the most part the staff is dedicated and genuinely enjoys teaching. The quality of the teaching is greatly hampered by the need to stick to the FCAT curriculum so students are overdrilled in some things and totally miss others. The current principal is a good disciplinarian but this does not carry over to the classrooms. Also, he does not encourage creativity among the staff.
—Submitted by a parent

Paterson is an A school and has been since conception. The staff is A+ and my child has been very happy there. I am sad to see her leave as this is her last year there. It is a very safe campus and the emphasis on learning is good without being too stressful at least for the students!
—Submitted by a parent

We have been at RM Paterson for 5 years and love the closeness that we feel from everyone on staff and all of the other families at Paterson.
—Submitted by a parent

Paterson is an excellent school. The staff really seems to love what they do...and the administration is awesome. It is very safe and I always feel welcome to visit! My oldest loves it and I can't wait to have my youngest there next year!
—Submitted by a parent

i love this school.i have all my friends at the school.the teachers teach me alot of things.Ms.Christhoper was the best.So was Mrs.Datuel.
—Submitted by a student

My children have been at Paterson for 4 years, and overall, we love the school. The teachers work very hard,and my children have grown and learned so much from their hard work and dedication.
—Submitted by a parent

As a grandparent and full time volunteer at PES, I've had the opportunity of working with the teachers and administration. With a new principal this year, I have been witness to a new enviroment for not only the staff but the children also...The teachers are enjoying a nicer working relationship with the administrator and also the children are experiencing a new kind of principal, one that is not afraid to go into the classroom and talk one on one with the kids..explore their feelings, needs and wants; a principal that is not afraid of showing true caring naure to the children...the academic program is of the highest caliber, with extracurriculas activities increasing with a new Spanish Club for the whole school. There are still concerns with some parents, but that will always be true with any school..Overall great improvement over the last few years...Open door policy has really been enacted.
—Submitted by Linda, a parent

This school is great. Mrs. Sado is a loving and great teacher. They all are!
—Submitted by a parent

Paterson is an A school 5 years running. The teachers and staff are dedicated to meeting the academic needs of the students. Our family is very satisfied at this school.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has been in PES since Kindergarten and he loves his school. I found the teachers he has had caring, truly concerned, and well-rounded. He has been in the school's gifted program since kindergarten and I find it adequate --- I would have liked it to be more challenging. The music program is very well-run and the yearly musicals they present are excellent. There are good art, computer, and PE programs at this school. The level of parent involvement is high --- lots of volunteers for the various school activities. The principal is new so I cannot really comment on his performance. When we moved to JAX from Orlando >10 years ago we looked for the best school district in the area and we know we made the right choice!
—Submitted by a parent

We moved to Florida from Germany and my son could not speak any English. Paterson took very good care of my son to give him extra help with his English and within 6 weeks my son was on Gradelevel. Parents are very involved in this school. I m very thankful i found a school like Paterson. I rate it A+++
—Submitted by a parent

The academics of this school are great. The staff are friendly and very helpful. There is also a very high level of parent involvement which is wonderful. I have had some issues with a few teachers' which I do not feel were properly addressed by administration. I believe the students best interest is the main factor that must be considered (not the parents' needs) and I believe there is somewhat of a fear of confrontation with teachers and some of the involved parents who volunteer their time from administration when an incident arises. This is not to say the parents who volunteers are not appreciated, I am one of them. I just feel as if we should all be equally held accountable for our actions. Administration should never have to tip toe around the issues when it comes to our children.I will say most of the teachers are tops!
—Submitted by a parent

Paterson Elementary is a top notch school with teachers that are exceptional. I don't think you could find a better school anywhere else.
—Submitted by a parent

The overall school morale has declined since the retirement of its former principal, Fred Fedorowich. Teachers and students alike are treated as guilty until proven innocent rather than the reverse. The stress that has been put on the teachers is negatively affecting their students. I believe my child's teacher to be qualified and proficient in her field, I wish the administration did the same.
—Submitted by a parent

This was our first year at Patterson and I must admit that overall the school is good but I feel there is much room for improvement. I feel that the security issue is not addressed at all. At any given time I was allowed to walk around on campus without any id tag and never questioned. The system for even getting an ID tag was useless. Anyone could grab one off the counter at the office (which many times was unmanned) and stick one on without any ID at all. Those tags should be issued when ID is shown and the secretary should issue and log time in and out. Also the 'team' teaching (2 teachers sharing one class) should be eliminated. My experience was that this benefited the teachers and not the students. Kids need consistency in their learning not a part time commitment. Also parent pick up is chaos.
—Submitted by a parent

Patterson has been a great experience for our children. We highly recommend it.
—Submitted by a parent