Factory Shoals Elementary School

My son has been a student at FSES since kindergarten. His teachers were very involved and the one who wasn't involved, I just made my presence known. Since then he has done very well. The PTA functions, the parental involvement, Donuts with Dad, Muffins with Mom, the annual PE Dance and a host of other activities displays the importance between parents, teachers and students. Our experience with FSES has been a very good one. We are moving and they will be missed greatly! Thank you for assisting me with giving my little person a great start!
--Submitted by a parent

The teachers and administration are great. The problems I have really are lack of structurally sound rooms. In all these years we keep bringing MORE kids and have kids still in trailers learning? In my opinion that is embarassing and a disgrace. I do not quite understand the budget process, but can we not build on to this school? I agree the fundraising requests are out of hand, as well as all the mountains of paperwork sent home with our kids. It seems impossible to teach them to be environmentally concious when we can fill up bags and bags of papers every month.
--Submitted by a parent

I have 2 kids that have been here since k ...And now are in3rd grade. Dr.B...We miss ya!..However we welcome mr.S...We miss certain things that the children looked forward to and hope that the teachers arent lackn,,like 'student of the month' this gave all the children something to look foward to ,even those ones you'd raise an eyebrow to. Instead of pushing fundraisers..' Lets get the ar points enocuraged with incenitives going' ,this strenghens reading ..Everytime i turn around its 'mom we need $ for this' .. I love the school & -so do my kids..They love learning ..But - give me a break! and their teachers hands down are awesome!!! where would we be if you didn't have a teacher you or child weren't connecting with ...Fundamentally and supportivly? My children havent a teacher yet that they didnt enjoy n love!!! and we love love love mrs thompson!!
--Submitted by a parent

i love this school both of my kids go there and they love it the office staff is awsome. and the teachers do a great job.
--Submitted by a parent

I have had 3 children attend this school and they have all 3 loved it. Most of the staff is very helpful and nice. Some seem to not care, but the good ones surpass the bad ones. The new Principal for 2008 is awesome. We love having him at our school. He has had to overcome so many things to help get our school back on track from the last principal there. Thank goodness our last principal left, he messed our school up. I'm sorry the new one has to correct the old one's mistakes, but he's doing a fantastic job. I'm sure for him it was overwhelming to come into a school so disfunction and having to fix what the old one did to it. I'm so pleased to have our new principal here and hope he stays.
--Submitted by a parent

I agree totally with the other parents. The last principal was a very caring,loving person towards the kids and the parents. The new principal has a detachable relationship with the kids and the teachers. I also have noticed that its rubbing off the assistant principal as well. I feel that the morale has declined tremendously. My child was there since 1st grade and I had major problems when the new principal started. It got so bad that I had to do an emergency transfer to another school. My child is so much happier at her new school. I love the staff and the teachers, they made us feel like we have been there for a long time.
--Submitted by a parent

Factory Shoals Elementary is a great school. My child is in the PC program and am very pleased. The staff is great also. I am a parent that works hard in the school for my child. If you ask me this school is the best school in Douglas County and will be much better if we can just keep a principal for some years and stop changing every 2 to 3 years.
--Submitted by a parent

It does not get good for this school when it comes to the 'upper' grades! We were so satisfied with KG to 3rd grades, 4th was OK.
--Submitted by a parent

Our child attends kindergarten at Factory Shoals Elementary. At the beginning we had a few unpleasant experiences. We were not sure what to expect, but after a rough start we have been pleasingly surprised. The teachers are excellent, the academic program is great. As parents, our goal is for our child to grow to become an independent and well-adjusted member of society. With this in mind, we looked at a number of options before deciding on public school. After several weeks of school now, we trust that we made the right decision and that our child will receive the best education possible as well as form long-lasting relationships with teachers and classmates at Factory Shoals Elementary School. We are sure there is a lot to learn about this school yet, but for now we are happy.
--Submitted by a parent

I believe that Factory Shoals is one of the best schools in Douglas County. I have had children in other schools in the county where they were not as concerned or caring about the kids. The curriculum is on point for the grade levels. I do disagree with the new grading system for the lower grades. It is too complicated. The music in the lunch room makes plenty of sense to me. It allows the children time to eat. They also have time to socialize during lunch as well. I don't know much about the new principal, but the assistant principal is awesome. She seems dedicated and caring. I haven't seen any problems this year with the bus so far. Overall, I am extremely pleased with the school.
--Submitted by a parent