Gray Charter School

I attended Gray Charter during the 05-07 years for kindergarten and first grade. In kindergarten, I developed a strong love for reading- in kindergarten you learn the basics like the seasons, the alphabet, and numbers up to 40 or so. By the time I got to 1st grade, I learned how to subtract by borrowing, how to add three-digit numbers, and more. The lower school classrooms were large and the kindergarteners had a playroom that we often visited. We didn t have a playground- we had a parking lot across the street. That was one bummer about the school. Like many schools in a city like Newark, there is no outdoor space. However, there was an upstairs gym we often used. If you are on honor roll at Gray Charter and in at least 1st grade, you qualify for violin lessons. At age six I learned to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Even when I was younger, Gray Charter was an excellent school. I don t know about now but I absolutely loved it then.

I heard about the bed bug problem after the fact. I think parents should have been notified immediately, only if your child's classroom was affected. If the problem was in a common area of the school all parents should have been notified. There had been some bullying going on (my opinion); which I think was not being taken seriously enough by the staff. Children do not talk about being bullied, nor do they confess about being a bully. Academically, I have no complaints. They lay it on pretty hard sometimes, especially in the early years; just getting them prepared for what is to come. I think the method plan works.

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT *** BED BUGS**** Gray Charter School has NOT notified parents that they have found bed bugs at school. They are constantly promoting "health" with these seminars. But when its time to really promote health and safety of our families no notification is given. This needs to be addressed
--Submitted by a parent

This is probably a great school, but my Granddaughter is only 4 and has over 2 hrs. homework everynite and on weekends. A child's first experience should be exciting, not laborsome. Children will learn eagerly when they feel good about themselves, but all this homework makes her feel she is not measuring up. She is a smart and active little girl, but she has lost some of her joy since attending Kindergarten here. Ms. Gray needs to rethink all this over the top homework.

I am a believer that children's education at early stage has more to do with parents than with schools. I also believe that school should be a little painful for the kids so they are prepared for real challenges in life. With extremely demanding Wall Street jobs, my wife and I picked Gray Charter School as a lazy choice over private schools and moving to suburbs, since more commuting time means less time with the kids and private grade schools are not really that acountable. Gray exeeded my expectation by a great deal in every aspect. My kids actually learned a lot from the schools. Kids do book reports and projects, with presentation time, from kindergarten on. Some of my daughter's 1st grade reading-comprehension homework was not even obvious to me. She is able to write complete stories beautifully made up by herself. So I sent my son to Gray Charter School too.
--Submitted by a parent

Gray Charter is good academically but not really strong in the extracurricular side. School should be enjoyable for students. Yes academics is a big part of their life but students needs activities too! Also I see that some students have behavior issues and the principal doesn't do anything about it. Students shouldn't feel left out or be picked by other students. When entering a claasromm, students should feel safe and have a good feeling.
--Submitted by a parent

I also read the 'March 12, 2008' comment regarding 2nd graders reading non-fiction books and agree Non-fiction can be fun, too. But more than that, we must stop limiting our childre's ability to learn regardless of the subject matter or how difficult we percieve the work. We must encourage them to strive for the highest standard in all things if we want them to be successful. Children in other countries like China are kicking America's but academically because we're codling our children by setting limits on them. I love Gray Charter School and have sent both my children. My last is in the 3rd grade now and I take pride knowing that the standards are so high. My only wish for the school is more extra-curricular activities.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a student attending Gray Charter School. I have been attending this academic phenomonon since the fifth grade. I am now in my final year here at shool. Honestly, Gray Charter School has provided me with the academic basics needed for life. Since I have attended Gray Charterr, I feel more confident and I have also become more sociable.
--Submitted by a student

My son has attended gray charter school since kindergarten and I have always had high expectations of him . Gray helps him meet those goals . I dont always agree with the principle however I feel that she does a fine job at educating my son.
--Submitted by a parent

Overall Gray Charter School does have high expectations for it's students. However, I am concerned that sometimes they may not always give the students grade appropriate work. For instance, I was informed that the book reports for the 2nd grade will be only non-fiction chapter books. It's ok to expect high standards for the kids but don't take the fun out of learning.
--Submitted by a parent