Overland Trail Elementary School

Great school and help to our kids. There was a comment on here about needing to improve the communication. I would agree with that, they have just changed their method to email this year and I would say it has improved by 100%. We have two kids in the school and they both love it and get the help/support they need. There are some teacher changes that need to happen but I think that is slowly changing. I would say Mrs. Moore has done a great job of putting the right teachers in the right places.
--Submitted by a parent

School needs to implement better communication with parents when certain event happen to your child. The principal needs to have better leadership over her staff. PTA involvement is excellent.

I am extremely happy with the school and my daughter, who is in K, loves it. The principal does not run the school with an iron hand but she does have high expectations for the staff as well as the children. And as a result my daughter has matured alot in the last 6 months. If there are any problems, I am always notified but more than likely the situation was handled at school. Nothing major. It's not up the the school to discipline students. It's the parents responsibility.
--Submitted by a parent

The principal and lots of staff run this school with an iron hand! Not a warm, loving environment. Look around before you put your child here and compare! There are much better schools in Blue Valley.
--Submitted by a parent

We have been very pleased with our experience at OTE. Mrs. Moore is always available and easy to work with. She made our transition from private to public school a breeze!
--Submitted by a parent

OTE is awesome! The staff cares about their students. The principal has high expectations and had made significant changes in the past three years to better the school's effectiveness. I am in the school daily and have seen with my own eyes the hard work that goes on there. Students are learning and happy! They practice what they say...Children First! I'm glad we found OTE!
--Submitted by a parent

I can only speak from my family's own experience, but I do not believe this is a good school. Classrooms are overcrowded and discipline is lacking. My child was harrassed by another child in the classroom and very little was done by either the teacher or the principal to rectify the situation. We finally fixed it ourselves...by leaving OTE. There are definitely better schools in Johnson County.
--Submitted by a parent

OTE is a great school. There are a few wrinkles to be ironed out but a lot of that is due to the fact that it has had 3 principals in 3 years and is a bit overcrowded. I think the real problem at OTE is the parents and the rumor mill. The principal is doing a great job and has had to make several unpopular decisions that the teaching staff requested. This is an excellent school. The teachers and staff are top notch and care about the children and their education. I think that is what is important. .
--Submitted by a parent

I have been quite disappointed in OTE. Many of the classes are overcrowded (23 kids in kindergarten). OTE also lacks many features of other BV Elementary schools. There is no full day kindergarten option (with the overcrowding I don't see this happening soon if at all). OTE also lacks on-site speech and physical therapy for pre-k. The morale is very low right now.
--Submitted by a parent

Our new principal, Doris Moore is awesome! Even though she is the 4th principal of OTE in 4 years, she has worked very hard to create a safe, friendly, and welcoming learning environment for students, staff, and parents. In her first year, she has implemented 'Cougar Coffee Chat', where she meets with parents monthly to listen to our concerns and questions; 'Principal's Lunch Club', where she haves lunch with every student in the school regularly to spend time and get to know them; she sends parents a weekly voice mail, and I could go on and on. Bill Cosby said, 'I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.' He was right, because you can't please some people. Mrs. Moore consistently says, we will do what is best for children! I applaud her effectiveness as strong, positive, and personable instructional leader.
--Submitted by a parent