Carl Sandburg Elementary School

Looks like some new reviews are needed for Sandburg. My son attended Sandburg from Kindergarten through 5th grade which he finished last year. My other son is now in 1st grade, having attended kindergarten last year as well at Sandburg. Having been with the school for 5 years I can truly say that I do believe it is a great school. My oldest son has ADHD, and although initially in 3rd grade I did not get much help with the diagnosis, I did get a diagnosis from outside private testing. After the fact the school initiated his 504 and worked very closely in 4th grade with me to ensure he was getting the best accommodations to help him grow academically. My son finished 5th grade with strong grades and a positive self image (he also LOVED his 5th grade teacher). My experience at Sandburg is that you have to be the advocate for your child. As long as you are willing to be involved in your childs progress and communicate on your end your concerns to the school or teachers, you will have a great relationship with them and a great experience at Sandburg, too. The programs are wonderful, the technology excellent, the principal respectable. I've had a 5 star experience.
—Submitted by a parent

My son attends is just about finished with his first year here. He's a kindergartener. So writting a review may be a tad premature, since we've only been there one year. But There hasnt been a review written of the school since 2006. I am really happy with Sandburg. My sons teacher is great, she's really amazing with the kids. We maintain strong lines of communication. I volunteer in the class all the time and she is truly a saint when it comes to dealing with conflicts between students. The front office staff are very nice and professional. The principle also seems to be an asset to the school as well. He can be found just about every morning outside talking to parents and kids upon the morning arrival. He feels very strongly about bullying, and has had the entire school started in an anti-bullying program. And has been known to fight for to get funding for the schools betterment. Why didnt I give it 5 stars? Simply because theres always room for improvement. But as of now, we are extremely happy with the school and havent had any propblems or negative issues with any teachers or staff.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is great. The teacher that my son had last year for 4th grade was exceptional, Mrs. Ryder. She was a wonderful teacher. My son had trouble adjusting as we had moved from out of state and he has ADHD, but is exceptionally smart. She was constantly on top of things and called me whenever there was a problem, and sometimes just to let me know how he was doing. She made me feel like my son was her only student. She worked very hard with him in areas that he needed work in and really made a difference. This teacher is by far one of the best I have ever seen or that my son has ever had. The only thing I do not agree with is the charge for public school. But that is all IL schools from what I understand. Never heard of that in my life.
—Submitted by a parent

Great school. They have the best teachers and students around. Anyone would be blessed to send their child to Sandburg Elementary!
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter attended Kindergarden here are we loved it. Mrs. Filisko was a great teacher that always made us feel welcome. She gave weekly letters that always kept us updated on what our daughter was doing. She was also great about seeking us and other parents out if there was a problem. We had a wonderful experience in this school.
—Submitted by Leah, a parent

This school is a disappointment. It has a great reputation, until your children beging attending. The lack of communication between teachers and parents is poorly lacking. The only time you know what is going on is if your child did not do what was asked. We relocated from a different school district around Thanksgiving and this has been a dreadful shock from what we're used to. The kindergarden curriculum is just pointless. My 5 year old is so far ahead that she's bored in class. My second grader needed some help and time to readjust and got no help from her teacher except to be told that she's not as fast as the rest of the students. If anyone would have bothered to ask her, they would have known that her old school had a different curriculum that she was used to and this was all new to her. Very disappointing!
—Submitted by a parent

Mixed review....the school has a great rep, but falls short in one category. Communication is a MAJOR problem for this school. We have had 3 different teachers so far and none of them would even get a C average for communication. They just don't seem to care if you know what is going on or what is coming up. If you have a 'perfect' child then this may be ok, but if you have a child with 'issues', this causes serious problems. Maybe I care too much, but it would be nice to know what the heck is going on.
—Submitted by Doug Zamastil, a parent