Alice L Smith Elementary School

I believe Alice Smith is an excellent school. . . the positives considerably outweigh any concerns. Of course it has challenges but overall our family has been very pleased the past 3+ years. We have 3 students attending the school and we consider ourselves very involved. We participate in most all of the school functions and we communicate regularly with our children's teachers. On a couple of occasions, I've emailed the principal and was pleased to receive prompt responses. When you attend school events, you see lots of happy and engaged students as well as dedicated teachers. As with the prior post, I too have never observed unsupervised students. In my experience, school personnel are always present at the student drop off/parent pick up area in the mornings and each afternoon, in addition to many parents and grandparents - it's a busy place at those key times! The school requires students wear uniforms, which originally I wasn't in favor of but it's okay and ultimately, it's easier on the budget.
—Submitted by a parent

I think this school does a good job with all the challenges public schools face in today's world. There are things that could certainly be improved upon and I would encourage parents to stay or get involved in your kid's education. My oldest has been enrolled in this school for four years and is going on five. He has had really good teachers that I feel care. He has also had an average teacher who needs improvement but that unfortunately is at every school. I have never seen nor heard of anything like the incident reported here. I always see staff greeting kids as they come into school and a number of staff members are always out and about at the end of school. I've never witnessed in our four years students that were unsupervised, as reported, so that to me is an isolated incident that is very unfortunate. The principal when we have had issues has always been helpful in trying to resolve things. My only complaint is the school calendar, I'm not a fan of the year round schedule. I don't think anyone should be nervous about enrolling their kids here. It is a public school and faces challenges other schools might not but the staff has a genuine concern for their students.
—Submitted by a parent

After my husband lost his job, we had to pull our kids out of private school and enroll them here. This was the worst mistake I've ever made. My daughter, whom was in first grade, was left outside with the rest of the six-year-olds, 15 minutes early with no supervision. I pulled up to my daughter in hysterics after being beaten up by two boys. I confronted the principal and office staff whose main concern was punishing the boys. What about the fact my child could have been kidnapped by being left on the corner with no supervision? The principal defended the teacher for leaving her students unsupervised. We un-enrolled our children the next day....my first grader came in and showed the staff her black eye.
—Submitted by a parent

A great school in fast deterioration. The current principal is doing a great job destroying a great school.
—Submitted by a parent

They value curiosity, collaboration and critical thinking skills in their staff and students.
—Submitted by a parent

Both my kids have gone to this school since they started school. The teachers that they have had in the 4-5 years here have been great. The Principal is wonderful and very accessible. The new Principal has stopped 'Parent Patrol' which upsets me. It was a wonderful program of volunteers that helped keep the children safe. I really dont understand why the school would not want to keep it. At any rate, I feel that Alice Smith is a wonderful school and would highly recommend it to anyone in the Golden Valley area.
—Submitted by a parent

This is my daughter's 3rd year at this school. The faculty and administration are exceptional. They are always willing to listen and help in any way they can.
—Submitted by a parent