Vineville Academy

I give Vineville Academy 4 stars, although it lacks a real oudoor play area,it provides excellent academics in reading and math. My granddaughter has greatly improved in both and enjoys attending school! Students need to burn off excess energy they display in the classroom, trying to keep kids quiet 24/7 is an exhausting task! They need to release and talk(not yell) to other students, especially at lunch times, it's they chance to relax. Teachers spend too much time trying to keep kids quiet, it's not a convent! But, the flip side is maintaining order in the classroom I understand. Some teachers give afternoon snacks, some don't. If a child eats at 11-11:30am and doesn't get a snack at all until they are picked up after 3:30pm, that's a long time without food. Trying to teach a child who has food on the brain or just hungry, will cause distractions in the child I think. A snack is needed to re-energize their brain. Vineville has a great staff and I feel my granddaughter is safe there as well. I wish more funding was available to the school. But overall, I fund the school great, they focus on the teaching! My granddaughters scores are high in all levels!

My family is having a very positive experience at Vineville Academy. We ended up there as a second choice after not getting a spot in the district's Math/Science magnet school (Alex II). However, it has probably worked out better for our child. The teachers are good and caring and keep an open line of communication with parents. In addition to the core stuff, our child has been exposed to art, music and dance with the option of *free* strings education. The dress code is a bit too strict for my tastes, particularly compared to what is allowed at other Bibb schools. I also wish a greater effort was made to let *all* classes have experiences in the science lab. I would definitely recommend this school to anyone in Bibb and especially to those with children who have an interest in the arts.
—Submitted by a parent

My son attended this school and I can honestly say it brought out the worst in him. The minute I questioned the lack of substance his teacher was teaching, the administrators were intimidated. He did not learn a thing at this school and I was truly disappointed. I was so happy that I opened my eyes and looked beyond the beauty of the school and placed him at his home school where he has done nothing but EXCELLED since day one. This school may be perfect for some kids but it was HORRIBLE for mine. I have never looked back once.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is in his third year at Vineville Academy and we have been very happy with the school. All of his teachers so far have been great and we have never felt that any kind of misbehavior or disruption is tolerated. My son is in the strings program, which is a wonderful enrichment activity for young children -- free violin lessons for five and six-year-olds are not easy to come by elsewhere! I do wish that there was a better/bigger playground, but with funding being cut for education, I am not surprised tthat play is not being prioritized.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has attended Vineville since Kindergarten. I love the school, the teachers, and all that she has learned. I would love to recommend Vineville to any parent in search of a great quality school.
—Submitted by a parent

I was shocked with the last posting! Vineville is an absolutely AWESOME school. Both of my children are products of Vineville Academy. My daughter still attends there and LOVES to go to school. My son is now a highschool honor student and is still in contact with his Vineville teachers. The arts integration helped my children become academically successful, creative and expressive. The teachers are highly qualified and truly care about the children. It is the most comforting,warm and peaceful learning environment. Their CRCT scores this year were in the upper 90th percentiles.! IT IS JUST AN AMAZING SCHOOL!
—Submitted by a parent

My Son attended this school and I would agree with the parent who said that the idea of the school was great but it didn't meet expectation. Some of the teachers were lovely but some were awful. I felt like my concerns were not met. My son is now in middle school and in honors classes. He has never been in trouble since leaving that hostile environment. He was bullied and would receive punishment for responding.
—Submitted by a parent

I have never been more pleased with a school as I am with Vineville. The teacher and faculty are wonderful on a personal as well as educational basis!
—Submitted by a parent

Both of my daughters have attended Vineville Academy and as my youngest gets ready to graduate from 5th grade and start middle school I know that I will miss it. The school was still undergoing renovation when my oldest started; while I wasn't wild about the temporary location, I knew the things that would attract my daughter's interest could be found in the environment Vineville attempts to encourage. We have taken advantage of all of the opportunities offered in chorus, strings, art, dance and drama and the girls have had a great time. Now, there has been some disgruntlement about not having a playground at the school. Frankly, while unfortunate, I have never viewed it as the end of the world. Different priorities I suppose. You quickly get to know the staff if you invest the time. It s been a great way to start my daughter s educational journey.
—Submitted by a parent

I have worked at Vineville Academy for the past 4 years and I can honestly say that I look forward to coming to work each and everyday. The school has a warm and caring climate which visitors say you experience from the moment you walk through the doors. Classrooms rich in dialogue and active engagement create happy students. The exposure to the fine arts provides students with opportunities to explore, develop and refine existing talents, as well as giving them a creative outlet for expression. The principal is supportive and inviting...always available to teachers, parents and students.I have seen her on countless occassions go out of her way to make sure the needs of all children are met.It is obvious looking at the positive staff retention rate that Vineville Academy is a wonderful place to teach.
—Submitted by a teacher

I agree the kids need to have some play time during the day. There has been no physical education or activity for the kids unless they are in the after school program. I really think a better principal and a better school system could really make this school excel. My daughter is in 3rd grade and will go to a private school next year. My only wish is to find a private school with music, arts and physical education. I wish the teachers well. They all have been great. In the three years there, i wish there was a new principal who looked like she cares. Ms. Winters may care, but you never see it and that is demoralizing to the kids and parents. Wish the school had a play ground. The school system dropped the ball on that.
—Submitted by a parent

The concept of the school was excellent. Unfortunately, it was disappointing to be one of the parents who for years fought to get a reasonable playground for ALL students, which was not a priority to the principal. I even submitted research regarding the importance of free play and physical activity on learning. My daughter was consistently bullied, and the incidents were not written up or reported according to policy. There was an inconsistent policy for requesting certain teachers or having your child removed from a class. At the time it happened, you would be told about policies, but find out later, the policies were overlooked for others. In my opinion, the administration was too focused on appearances rather than coherent and consistent policies and procedures. She may have been an artist, but she did not have, in my opinion, qualities of a good 'manager.'
—Submitted by a parent

The Vineville kids are well mannered. They are exposed to numerous aspects of the Arts and Drama on a daily basis. My girls are very happy there and look forward to each day at school.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has been at Vineville Academy for two years and he loves it! He is doing great academically and socially, and the way the teachers incorporate the arts into readin', writin' & 'rithmetic is a wonderful approach to education. The REACH program is a bonus as well, providing further stimulation for inquisitive minds. There are a good many extra projects that the kids do, so parent involvement is required for the child's success, especially in earlier grades. However, the guidelines are clear and easy to follow, and the expectations are both age-appropriate and challenging. My two suggestions for improvement would be to have recess for all grades, and add a Pre-K program.
—Submitted by a parent

The academcis here are outstanding, and the teachers educate us in such a way that we're always begging for more. They have all the fine arts; music, dance, art and creative writing. Dance is a much better substitute for P.E. since it is much more interactive, and we honestly get a much better workout here and just love to dance to our favorite music! Our parents couldn't be any more involved, thanks to interesting groups like the new Dessert Club, where they have official meetings... over dessert! As a part-time volunteer (afterhours and for P.T.O meetings and helping set up for stuff;my mom is the P.T.O. president here) who is there every Monday-Friday, I wouldn't be any happier anywhere else!
—Submitted by a student

I think this is a wonderful school to attend. The teachers and staff are very friendly and encourages the parent to get involved. The academic programs are very challenging and rewarding. My child knows every teacher and principal and they know her. The principal is very strict about the way the kids are dress. The teachers are willing to work with the child and parent if anything comes up. The kids are also very thoughtful and helpful in any kind of situation. They would pull together if another child and their family have lost everything in a fire, etc. I still would like to see more sports equipment at the school.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a wonderful school. Not only is it beautiful to look at, but the teachers and staff have a warmness within them that they display to the students. The announcements are one of the things that really awed me. They have a 'television studio' in the office where the morning and afternoon 'news' is reported. They focus on fine arts and have programs for students to learn strings, visual arts; painting and clay, and computer graphics. The school features photos and paintings of influential times and people. The library and library staff have created a relaxing and gorgeous scene for reading and study. This school is awesome. Its focus is art but they teach math and science because art cannot even exist without that part. My daughter loves her school. And so do I.
—Submitted by a parent