The Alice King Community School

I have at children at Alice King for 5 years. I wanted to write to counter some of the more negative reviews that have been posted here voicing concerns about the school since the change in administration. I have been very pleased with the new principal and found very approachable and easy to communicate with. I think some of the negative comments stem from parents who are upset that the plans for the middle school have been abandoned. In my opinion, these plans, made by the former principal were ill conceived and not thought through. Though controversial (and painful for parents of current or soon-to-be middle schoolers) the current principal made the right decision for the school as a whole and the children in K-5. My kids have benefited from wonderful teachers and Alice King has nurtured their love of learning. They are seen and heard and are full participants in their learning.
--Submitted by a parent

The concept for this school as a dual grade and project base learning is wonderful. The implementation for this has become weak in the last two years with the changes in administration. An example of this would be the 2/3 grades. In the 3rd grade the SBA testing begins so the focus is on the 3rd graders and the 2nd graders can go up to 4 weeks without homework. Our family has been at the school for 4 years and I have found that the K-2 grades do well at this school. After that parents need to be very involved in the child s education to ensure that they are not overlooked. There is a reason why some teachers are leaving and as a charter school they are not required to inform the parents as to why. The communication between the administration and the parents is very inconsistent. As to being financially sound, every school has budget problems. The Foundation is responsible for the additional capital income for the school, but they are not giving the training or opportunity to fundraise beyond the parents. I too use to exclaim the virtues of this school, but I can not any more.The Singapore math is great but not enough reason to stay. Choose this school with your eyes open.
--Submitted by a parent

I have been at this school for the last three years and have loved it for the most part until this last school year. Unfortunately with the changes in administration, this has done more damage than good for the school. When you go to voice concerns to the principal, she turns everything around and becomes the victim. I have never been treated so unprofessionally before. My child has gone through three different teachers due to issues with administration. I have also come against the special education area and found discrepancies within their system. My child has lost their love of learning and comes home many days upset. The teachers overall are phenomenal but the administration is picking and choosing who will be there the next year. Unfortunately special ed dept. is not. I was also on the PTA before and found it highly difficult to get parents involved. It is so sad to see where this school once was to where it is now. I will be leaving the school this year and not returning. If you are a parent who likes to be very involved this school may not be for you, if you can turn your head the other way, then it will be fine.
--Submitted by a parent

This message is not a review since my child is on waiting list for the 2012-2013 school year , for 4th grade.The reason I am writing today is because after reading the last 2 reviews , I am very skeptical about it.Could someone please let me know if this is a very bad idea to put a child in this school or are there still some good points that can still play in its favor ? With many thanks in advance.
--Submitted by a parent

I wrote the review on 8/29/11... However, I have to agree with the parent who submitted their review on 5/9/12 regarding their statement "I can no longer in good consciousness recommend this school. It has lost it's way." The teachers that my kids have had at this school are amazing, but the administration is lacking. I've been very disappointed in how things have been going the last few months. I hope things change, but it is really disappointing as I think the teachers are outstanding, just think that the administration has lost their way.
--Submitted by a parent

My child has gone to this school for a few years. The change over in leadership this year has been disappointing. Commitment last year to extend into a middle school is not occurring. They seem to be flying by the seat of their pants. Two teachers recently left and numerous parents are having issues with the special ed department and their children not receiving proper services. The project based curriculum is monthly instead of quarterly which greatly dilutes the learning process. Multi-sensory and multi-intelligence learning that was previously in their mission statement is fading fast. I used to boast at how wonderful the school was and how much my child enjoyed it. I can no longer in good consciousness recommend this school. It has lost it's way. The Foundation, which is charged with fundraising for a permanent location, has not been able to raise enough funds to extend into a middle school - I suspect they won't be able to raise enough funds for a permanent site any time soon. There has even been a request for families to donate $200 each on top of the supplies already given in order to help with equipment repair. They don't seem to be financially sound anymore.
--Submitted by a parent

Alice King is such a sweet, nurturing, academically stellar learning environment. I was concerned that the current principal is retiring (Fall '11), but her replacement, Connie Chene, is also wonderful. Connie has been effectively serving as the Vice-Principal, so it's very fitting that she'll now take on the role of Principal and I'm sure that this school will continue to blossom and thrive. This school is fantastic!
--Submitted by a parent

On the positive side, this school has very good teachers who are dedicated to their students. We chose this school because of the small size, multiple grade levels, and project based curriculum. My children have learned a great deal during their time at the school. On the negative side, the curriculum and delivery mode are constantly changing due to the principal's indecisiveness and every changing ideas. The principal is a nightmare. She has no integrity, empathy, or cares about the students. I would give this school 5 stars if it were under different leadership. We are leaving this school because of the administration. Turnover at this school is over 75% for staff. This is not a good sign of strong leadership.
--Submitted by a parent

While the school had a great start, the past few years were a disapointment. Unhappy parents pulled their children when other openings could be found. The teaching staff was unhappy enough to have left as soon as they found other employment and often the students were left without proper instruction/supervision resulting in the students paying the price of the lack of studies. Expectations and promises were not met by the administration. I stopped recommending the school the second year.

This school is fortunate to have Mary Kay as a K-1st teacher. She is fantastic and gives a well balanced, challenging and loving start to elementary education. She is absolutely a phenomenal asset to Alice King Community school ( formerly NACC.) We would pay private school prices for the above and beyond education she enthusiastically provides.
--Submitted by a parent