Seven Oaks Elementary School

The teachers at this school are knowledgable and go above and beyond for students. The principal, however, is another story all together. It's obvious that she detests young children. Not the kind of person I want as the principal of my child's school.
—Submitted by a parent

We moved to the area 3 years ago so that my child could attend this school. Its our 3rd year here and this last year has been the worst. SOME of the teachers are NOT patient. They do not seem to do much if your child is bullied. It seems they have done more to protect the bully in our case. I don t believe they realize the true situation nor do they seem to care. We are putting our child in a Private Christian School next year due to these issues we have experienced.
—Submitted by a parent

Kids do come first there. The principal does care about the students, teachers and parents. Parents have plenty of opportunities to come into the class. Its a no win situation with some parents. Apparently some of those parents have posted on here.

In answer to Feb 8 posters question: Parents are afraid of going up against her. The very great majority don't have any courage at all and think that it will never affect them and don't have any clue about the "Then they came for me" concept.
—Submitted by a parent

SOES is a very good school. Ms. Smith, the principal, runs a tight ship. She makes sure her teachers do their jobs and she's hired some great teachers. Yes, she has an obsessive compulsive personality d/o but somehow it keeps the school running like a professional business. For personal matters that need sensitivity/warmth, Ms. Smith has hired an approachable vice-principal and caring guidance counselors. My child has some LD and received a can-do spirit and great encouragement. The school reward kids for what they do well and this builds confidence. My child learned to love school this year and had a teacher that made learning fun. My child's classroom also had cutting edge technology that the kids had fun learning to use. I had been afraid of "public school" before this year...yet, in Florida, one should be more wary of the private schools that do not have learning theories put into practice. "A" rated schools in Florida blow all the private schools & charters away--the infrastructure is more conscious & intelligently designed for learning key skills and the teachers are more competent & educated.
—Submitted by a parent

Love this school. My son is attending SOES PK for hearing impaired toddlers. He has a 45 minute bus ride everyday to school, but it is well worth it. His teachers (Mrs. Sizemore and Mrs. Zurita) treat him as if he were their own. They're so great about keeping me up-to-date about what's going on in the classroom and suggesting what I can do at home to expand his learning. When he first started this school, he was behind on his expressive language skills, in 6 months time, he's almost filled the gap. I love how much my son has learned but what I love most is knowing how well cared for he is. He was running in PE one day last week, and ran right into a pole. He came home and told me about how he cried, and Mrs. Zurita held him with an ice pack on his head. My son is also receiving OT and PT assitance. His PT has gone above and beyond to make sure that he has what he needs to succeed and even called me during the winter break to share good news with me. It's great knowing that not only is my son getting a good education, he's well cared for too. I highly recommend SOES.
—Submitted by a parent

Teachers are pretty good. Principal is very very difficult. Academic standards are good. Small favored pack of Moms are there all the time; volunteer opportunities are kept mysterious to those not in the In Crowd of blond-haired Moms. Parents are very clique--ish and parental interest and involvement are very low.
—Submitted by a parent

Seven Oaks is a good school, overall. I have two kids there and they are enjoying the experience. They are excellent students and always get A's in their report cards. However.... I think the school should improve their communication with parents, very often I find there was a party in the classroom, a fundraising or even a test I was not aware of. Also, I have tried many times to come to the classroom as a volunteer buy it seems teachers don't like us being around.
—Submitted by a parent

My grandkids are students there and they are excellent students and the teachers are wonderful.

I agree. I know that whenever I talk to other parents they have complete access to all the teachers. If a child needs further challenges all the teachers will assist in this task.
—Submitted by a parent

Love SOES. Everything from the classroom teaching to the wondeful guys who teach P.E. My kids have gone to several schools but this is the first one with a truly feeling of family. I've never seen any school for example where the P.E. staff greets me at my car and talks to me about how my daughters are doing in school. The staff here is both friendly and caring. Check out their web to see everything they do.
—Submitted by a parent

I have to say that I am not pleased with SOES. My son is in the gifted program and they do not have anything to offer him. They claim that they are giving him extra work to do that is more challenging, but I have yet to see anything done. They only cater to those who are at an average level. I had an understanding that they had PODS to teach at different levels, but that is obviously not the case. I am going to have to change schools as a result. Very sad!
—Submitted by a parent

My child is in the 4th grade at Seven Oaks and her dad and I are very pleased at the school's vision and progress. Way to GO Seven Oaks faculty and staff!
—Submitted by a parent

I am a parent at SOES and have 2 children attending the school. We are new to the school as well as Florida. We are going thru some adjustment period for the school is very different than where we came from. I do not feel the teachers are good at communicating with parents. My children are in two different pods. I am thankful to have children that are doing fine academically in school. I am use to a more family friendly feeling school. This school is very large so it has a much different feel. I will say at this point we are happy with the education that they are recieving at school. Overall it is a decent school just very different than what we came from. I do wish the staff all around would be more friendly and communicate more.
—Submitted by a parent

I have 2 children at Seven Oaks, and I am very pleased their overall experience at this school. The teachers, principal, and vice principals have been very communicative and responded immediately to the all my concerns that I called or emailed about. Even an incident on the school bus was resolved immediately thanks to the principal's rapid response! The kids are doing well academically and they love their pod and all the teachers in it. The get what seems to be a lot of homework (12 pages a week in kindergarten) but they finish it before the due date, so I feel they're are being challenged at an appropriate level! I'm also very pleased with the art, music, and PE programs at Seven Oaks Elementary!
—Submitted by a parent

I have 2 children who attend this school. I love the staff and the overall atmosphere. Both my children learn differently, and they are both successful.
—Submitted by a parent

I love the staff at SOES!!! The teachers are great and they work very hard with all students. The school is beginning its third year and even though there have been may changes they are still putting students first. They are an 'A' school once again and that shows the dedication and hard work that goes on between teachers, parents and students. Keep up the good work Seven Oaks!!!!!
—Submitted by a parent

The staff is rarely friendly. The teachers seem uncommunicative and it takes several requests to meet with them before they respond. Even requests for a phone conferences are ignored. A rating? That should be looked at once again. Light homework is given, maybe that's a place to start to improve upon. SOE is going into it's third year, it's time to get it together.
—Submitted by -, a parent

This is my daughter's second year at SOES. I am pleased with everything about the school. I wasn't a bit surprised to hear the school received 'A' and '5-Star' ratings at the end of it's first year. The staff is friendly, courteous, and professional. They go out of their way to address concerns and accomodate even the smallest needs of students and parents. The teachers always strive to build self-esteem and confidence, and to promote a healthy and optimal learning environment. The principal and vice-principal are personable, work well as a team, and are passionately committed to the well-being and academic performance of each child. Communication between administration and parents is efficient and timely, and the school is very focused on campus safety and security. The before/after school program (PLACE) is a fun safe-haven for the kids, and a blessing for working parents. I'm proud to say my child attends SOES!
—Submitted by Jennifer Neel-Chase, a parent

It's been a fun first year at SOES. A lot of hard work has gone into the school with both the administration and the parents to help it along. I wish more parents would step up to help out and weed out the few with personal school issues that get the attention of the school board. Everyone has done a great job this year!
—Submitted by a parent