St. Gerald School

St. Gerald is a wonderful school! We moved our children there from the public school system and have not regretted it once. My children love that every staff member including the principal knows their names and will greet them anywhere they meet them. The standards and expectations are high, but that is exactly what my husband and I wanted for our kids.
—Submitted by a parent

St. Gerald's is a very family oriented school. The school has tremendous family support and I feel my children are receiving a great education.
—Submitted by a parent

My three children have attended and one still attends St .Gerald s Catholic school. 2 have graduated and are doing very well in high school. My oldest has been accepted to the colleges of his choice. All of my children have been valued and respected as students by the faculty and staff. I live in Ralston and could send my children to the public school system but have opted to send them to St .Gerald s Catholic because the education is very strong and the values (respect for others, personal responsibility, and honesty) that my husband and I want our children to learn are taught and strengthened in a loving way at St .Gerald s Catholic School.
—Submitted by a parent

St. Gerald School is a very welcoming place. The teachers, staff, and students are great! Our children have excelled beyond what we were hoping for. We have not seen or experienced anything negative there with the exception of a few school mothers who were just unhappy people. Those mothers are seemingly not around anymore, and the school is better off for it. We have recommended our school to many new families, and they are happy here as well. Thank you St. Gerald's!
—Submitted by a parent

St. Gerald School has been one of the top Catholic schools in the Omaha area for many years. We researched all of the Catholic schools in Omaha before we moved a few years ago. We are so pleased that we had made the right decision. Our children love it. One of our children is a straight A student and the other one is an average student. They both love the teachers and the principal. They were accepted by the other students right away and now have many friends. We have not experienced any kinds of problems, and we see a completely different school than those parents who had some kind of negative issues. Thank you St. Gerald's!
—Submitted by a parent

Our experience at St. Gerald School was nothing but great! Our children had the best learning opportunities that we could have hoped for. They are now high honors students in high school, and we attribute that to the outstanding Catholic education that they received there. The principal and the teachers are wonderful. They truly care about having each one of their students succeed. Our children never once encountered any kind of bullying situations. The students are friendly and well disciplined. They understand that they are to treat each other with kindness and respect. Our children were fortunate to have attended St. Gerald School! They will always remember their caring teachers and the friends that they made there. I can't help but feel sorry for the 'sour grapes', overprotective mothers in the previous postings who didn't feel that their children fit in there. In those cases, whose problem was it really?
—Submitted by a parent

I consider myself to be a tolerant and 'glass half-full' person, but even I had a hard time justifying keeping my child in this school. Our child was a victim of bullying - we worked with the staff and principal and saw no changes or improvements. I would agree with many of the previous of posters, the staff seems 'checked out', I personally believe this is due to poor leadership by the principal and school board. We have since switched schools and it is amazing how happy and excited our child is about school. I wouldn't say St. Gerald's is a bad school, but it certainly isn't a great school.
—Submitted by a parent

Don't believe what the three previous reviews have so hatefully stated. St. Gerald School is a great school! But every school has some flaws including whiny, self-centered parents. These are parents who are control oriented people who would only be satisfied if they could run the school. The experience that we have had for our children at St. Gerald School has been nothing but positive. Our children are flourishing there both in the Middle School and in the lower grades. The curriculum is challenging, and the teachers and principal are loving and caring professionals. We have been very pleased with the Catholic Christian attitude that prevails throughout the school. We sent our children to St. Gerald's to receive a high quality religious education, and we have not been disappointed! We are glass half full people. We feel sorry for those three previous bitter families (mothers) who are not.
—Submitted by a parent

After 6 years, we have pulled our child from this school and would not recommend it to anyone!! This school has really gone downhill since they added the middle school. I don't believe the staff or principal were ready for the addition. Discpline for students is non-existent, the same problems from the same kids year after year with no resolution from the staff, much less the parents. Academic standards have lowered, students do not have the study skills they need to move forward. As a whole, I would not recommend this school or the parish to anyone....a very unfriendly, unwelcoming place.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has major issues with staff, curriculum and student behavior. The staff is just seem to be 'punching the clock', no sense of loving their job or wanting to inspire students. The teachers are also woefully unwilling to break up cliques and stop bullying. The principal is a great guy, but seems overwhelmed with the influx of students for the newly built middle school and needs an Asst principal. The curriculum is average and they certainly have no advanced courses available other than one-on-one attention for gifted students. We have been here one year and that was more than enough - our child will not be back. I have never felt more unwelcomed by staff or parents at a school, I regret sending my child here.
—Submitted by a parent

St. Gerald's is a good school, but certainly not a warm and welcoming one. If you are not an alumni, or not Catholic don't expect the other parents to welcome you or even speak to you. If you volunteer, it is not unsual for the old 'St. Gerald' families to decide that your help is not needed. Academically, they are good, new text books and new equipment. Overall the staff is good. My main concern at this school is the tacit approval of bullying and bad behavior of students. The staff really doesn't effectively intervene. As a result, we will not be sending our second child to this school!
—Submitted by a parent

We love St. Gerald school! If you want a place for your child that is like a warm, welcoming family, St. Gerald is perfect for you. Academically, new textbooks are constantly being purchased, computers and new software being installed, and money being spent wisely to keep the program up-to-date. My kids are always ahead of the neighboring public school kids. Be ready for a bit of homework--not a ton, but definitely nothing to sneeze at either. The new middle school addition opens Fall 2006, so now it is K-8, good news for those not wanting to search for a Middle School. Parent involvement is high--many opportunities to help out...baking & plant sales, room parties, home and school, and many others. Involvement is VOLUNTARY, not mandatory, so you help with what you care about most--something the kind principal, Dave Garland, feels strongly about. Affordable tuition. Great school your kids will love!
—Submitted by a parent