Hebron - Harman Elementary School

My son started kindergarten there last year and so far the school is excellent to me. He loves his teacher. The principal and the vice principal are very supportive but firm. Children are challenged and engaged, they even have a group for the young one to teach them manners, sharing, cooperation, good social skils early. I agree the classes could be smaller, my child has 22 in his class. The PTA is very active, we are invited to come read to the class, chaperone field trips etc. If the teacher or I have any issues, I can email and get a response within 24 hours. Not sure what the other people are talking about. It is also one of the newest schools in the county and is said to be the most technologically advanced.
—Submitted by a parent

There are way too many kids per teacher to get any individualized attention, especially with the number of troublesome kids. The website says there are 14 kids per teacher; however, for the last 3 years, my kids have had 25 plus kids - this year one has 24 and the other has 28 - with only one teacher. The kids don't feel challenged at all.
—Submitted by a parent

We could not wait to pull our child out of this school and school system. The level of parent involvement is limited to only volunteering, not coming to visit your child, not attending field trips, nor end of the year activities. The doors to the school are not automatic, which makes it difficult for wheelchairs, the cafeteria is very small for which they hold all of thier gatherings, there is no recognition for perfect attendance, honor roll or character trait, etc for grades below 3rd. The front office staff knowlegde of what is going on in the school is limited to registering your child and signing them in and out, so if you have a question about what is going on in the school you have to e-mail your child's teacher and wait for a response. If school lets out due to snow, please pick up your child, because if you don't you will have to wait for over an hour at the bus stop for your childs arrival with no real eta (we found this out after waiting for 30 minutes and calling the school, because they did not contact us). Due to the over whelming number of misbehaved students in our childs class, the teacher focused more on them than the students abiding by the rules & needing help.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter started Kindergarden this year and her teacher is one of the best I know!!! The entire school staff is friendly and looks out for the needs of the children. I am especially please with the principal.. My daughter had a problem with transisitioning at home and school and she took time out of her busy schedule to make my daughter feel very special and my daughter is only 6 but I know she will always remember her principal! Great School!!!!
—Submitted by a parent

This is my daughters first year of school and so far its been an excellent experience! She loves her kindergarten teacher and she loves the school. She comes home so excited about learning and the curriculum is awesome! The office staff is very helpful and friendly. I would recommend this school to anyone in the area!
—Submitted by a parent

This is my child's second year at Hebron-Harmans Elementary school and I have nothing but positive comments. My daughter was teased last year, about her size because she is big for her age, I bought it to the attention of both her teacher and the office and it was resolved with in a day or two if not sooner, with an apology being offered by the other student and she never had any other issues. Her teacher was fabulous and I loved the interaction and communications with the parents.
—Submitted by a parent

Hebron-Harman Elementary School is a great school with a lot of great teachers and staff! The level of communication between parents and staff members is far beyond what is expected. Whenever there is a question or an issue, I always get a positive answer which assures me that this is the best school for my children. My child always comes home excited about what he learned at school everyday. The ways in which teachers work together; whether it be cultural arts, special ed, or assistants, demonstrate to children like mine that they are a group of caring, warm, dedicated individuals. In addition to the unique ways in which teachers teach in small groups, the school is overflowing with technology that parent like me were never exposed to! If you are looking for an awesome school, Hebron-Harman is it!
—Submitted by a parent

This school exceeds my expectations! The communication to the parents is wonderful. They have an open-door policy where parents are welcome to be involved in their children's education. My child is recieving an outstanding education in a diverse atmosphere. They have the best use of techonology throughout all grade levels Pre-K to 5th. They offer extracurricular activities such as MESA, Math & Reading extension, Enviornmental Club and Human Relations. The teachers are warm, friendly, hard-working and go beyond the call of duty. They meet the needs of all students whether they are struggling or excelling. My children feel very safe at Hebron-Harman Elementary.
—Submitted by a parent

We placed our daughter at HHE school from the private sector and our experience was devastating. My daughter was the target of of severe bullying which caused great distress to our family. The schools non attempt to address the incidents was unbelievable. The teacher wanted to brush everything under the rug and didn't want the principal involved? We went to the principal with no avail, then to the AA school board. The parents of the bullies were not notified? How is that possible. This really sends a positive message to parents. Our choices were an out of area transfer or back to a private school. Fortunately, we're blessed enough to place our daughter back in the private sector. To all parents concerned about the overall health of your children, this is not the school for you. HHE failed our family.
—Submitted by a parent

The teachers & faculty at this school create a positive learning environment for students. This school still needs PTA support.
—Submitted by a parent

Excellent teachers & learning environment. Exceeded my expectations!
—Submitted by a parent

I have three chidren who attended this school for the first time 2007/2008 school year. I was very pleased with the faculty & teachers. This school could be even better with increased parent involvement.
—Submitted by a parent

After reading the older reviews and listening to other opinions I chose to place my child in a private school. Fortunately, the private school did not meet our expectations. After lengthy discussions with the Principal at Hebron-Harman and tours of the school (while in progress) I chose Hebron-Harman. I have yet to be disappointed. It's a great school, the teachers are wonderful and my son is receiving an excellent education!
—Submitted by a parent

Since last reviews this school has undergone complete renovations. All three of my children have attend Harman (now Hebron-Harman) with the youngest in Kindergarten and oldest in 8th grade. The technology this school has is top rate. It is amazing how the teachers consistently use technology to increase and motivate learning. I would encourage any parent to come and see the school in action--when the teachers are teaching and students are engaged in learning. I believe the quality of teaching has improved along with test scores. Don't get me wrong, there are still some challenging pockets of children attending this school, but I believe it is a terrific place for children to learn!
—Submitted by a parent

Very old school with old school standards. The quality of the academic programs are below standards. Library resources are lacking. The extracurricular activites are virtually non-existent. Parental involvement is just like the teacher involvement low. My son olny attended because we unforatunately bought a new house in this rural area. We had to homeschool until we sold our house. The principal looked frustrated when I asked to either transfer or disenroll my son to homeschool. I was alarmed but realized she just cares a lot and the school is in a mess. The boundaries need to be re-considered too many kids with serious needs. Lots of unruly behavior. Please do not send your little one here until there is deliverance on the changes promised the PTA. My son is now safely in the gifted program at his new school, and still frowns at mentioning the name of his old
—Submitted by a parent

The statistics tell it all. I do not know how anyone who is not on the school board or on the payroll could actually commend this school's performance. The environment is not academic. This old school needs help before it closes. Children fighting and yelling at the teachers. The quality of academic programs? Extracurricular activities? The fiscal budget was revealed to the few parents who bothered to attend and it was truly sad. Pulled my kid out of their kindergarten quick. The available schools which qualify for the academic transfer are not much better in stats. If you live in this growing Hanover area, pay for private montessori until the district cleans up.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is very educational thier teachers can teach them alot here at harman we have the most talented students! Your Children can learn a lot withen a month so send your children to Harmen Elementry school here is the adress:7660 Ridge Chapel Rd, Hanover, MD 21076 I think that you should send your child thier today.
—Submitted by Samantha Novreske, a student