Our Lady of Fatima School

OLF is an excellent school with a loving and caring environment. I thoroughly enjoy teaching at OLF.
—Submitted by a teacher

This school is a gem. The children are treated with respect and Chrisitan kindness; they are allowed to be children. The principal is warm and friendly and fosters a pleasant atmosphere. In comparison to our previous school where the principal ruled by fear, threat and intimidation, and enjoyed making students cry, OLF is heaven. The education is excellent; the teachers are approachable. Our children love their school.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two daughters who attend Our Lady of Fatima, one since Pre-K and the other since K. The education they are receiving at Fatima is exceptional. True, The school is small and you will feel the family closeness and warmth of the entire school as soon as you enter the front doors. Fatima is referred to as 'The Little Miracle on the Hill'. My family has s saying that all roads lead to Fatima and when mading your choice for a Catholic elementary school for your children, do your reserach and your expereince will always lead you back to Fatima. Top notch in all areas and second to none.
—Submitted by a parent

our teachers are very caring and hard working
—Submitted by a parent

I love this school i highly recomend it to oter parent . I feel this school is safe and is a very good lerning center .
—Submitted by a parent

My son has been a student of Our Lady of Fatima for 2 years now. Although the faculty of the school is excellent, the principle lacks compassion and understanding. With all of the fund raisers done for help the needy, the fail to assist the needy of the school in these difficult times. If you're late with tuition, your child is not allowed to attend class. In essence, they hold the education of your child over your head as you struggle to put a roof over yours. Not a very 'Christian' thing to do in my opinion. Very unfortunate. My son will not be attending next year regardless of whether or not our current financial circumstances improve.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been in OLF for the last three years. All the teachers are awesome. I feel as though it is an extended family. I know that if I have any concerns they will be there no matter what. The school is small, but the education that the children get is amazing. I am proud to be a Fatima parent. I have also met new friends due to Fatima. All feel welcomed. Roz Errico
—Submitted by a parent

I will never forget the first day I entered OLF, it was to register my child for Pre-K and I knew that this is where she will be attending. The warm feeling is unbeliveable. Now three years later, I cannot believe how much my child has learned, accomplished and progressed. I am proud to say that my child attends OLF. The staff is great and very caring to the children.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is the best school around. My children are so happy here. The education is one of the best that I have seen. This is a warm and comfortable environment for the children. We are so pleased to be a part of this school family.
—Submitted by a parent

I love Our Lady of Fatima the teachers are nice and they help me a lot with my work too!Im glad I go to this school and the student are really kind.
—Submitted by a student

I have four children enrolled in this school and have always thought that our retiring Principal was wonderful - I will miss Mrs. ARcaro very much - my children work very hard at school but are very prepared for the next level of learning. It is a wonderful family like environment.
—Submitted by a parent

My children attended OLF from K-8th grade. They were so well prepared for the high competive high school they attended, that they made honors throughout. They were happy and felt secure and close to their teachers and friends. The atmosphere was friendly and supportive. The parents are encouraged to get involved and are vital to many of the fun activities. The families form strong bonds with the school and eachother.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent of two student grads of OLF and one soon to be, I've been extremely pleased with their experiences at Fatima. They received the tools to suceed in High School and College. They've made long time friends and go back to visit. We'll miss Fatima after our final graduate moves on.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent of 2 children in OLF I have to say that I have had a very enjoyable experience at the school. My daughter, 14 has been in the school since Kindergarten and has had a very positive experience there. She has made honor roll almost every semester since 5th grade and made every high school of her choice. Many of my friends have older children that have gone on to different high schools and they have had a very easy transition compared to their friends from other schools. Many have gone into honors classes in their high schools. All of our past graduates rave how well prepared they were for 9th grade. The parents are friendly are caring are we don't have many of the 'clicks' you will get at other area schools. Come and see OLF and you will be impressed. Hope to see you there!
—Submitted by a parent

I have only praise for OLF. My daughter is still in the lower grades, but in the years she has been attending OLF, I have seen much progress. OLF is definitely challenging, but how else do we know what our children are capable of. The students who graduate from OLF can handle the challenges of high school. The schools academics is second to none and the school may be small, but so are the class sizes which is so important and unseen in other catholic schools in the area. The teachers can help those struggling students. OLF is a wonderful school when it come to teaching, nurturing and understanding. I feel that there is nothing wrong with hard work and little extra homework which is what too many schools lack. OLF gets 4 stars from me.
—Submitted by a parent

As a graduate of OLF, I am honored to say that I have attended the school. Academics of highest concern, and the teachers work exceptionally hard to prepare a challenging, yet enlightening and enjoyable classes. Though the workload could seem rather intense, it definitely helped to prepare me for the path ahead. I learned how time management and efficiency was necessary for success, and it was shown through my results. The atmosphere is a nurturing and uplifting one, necessary for children preparing their way for high school. There is a healthy competitiveness instilled within the students, compelling them to strive for excellence, no less. There is s high level of parental involvement, through the wondrous class mothers. Teachers are deeply involved with the students, tending to the abilities of each student. Overall, I find myself with deep respect for OLF, and disagree strongly with anyone who begs to differ.
—Submitted by Anissa Latif OLF '05, a former student

Presently I have 2 children in OLF and I LOVE that the children are challenged. Kids to need to be challenged everyday of their life. It may seem difficult to the kids but when they leave OLF they are so much more ready for High School than any other school in our area, that is a fact. The small and private set up of the school is a great asset. To contradict other reviews, I found the teachers to be so very attentive and willing to help the struggling children ( I have One) their were so kind and always willing to do whatever they could to help the child succeed.Their are so many nice parents involved in the PSA and so many opportunities that are so enjoyable to get involved in.
—Submitted by a parent

My experience is that when the 8th grade teacher realiized that 7 of us were not challenged by the math curriculum, they enlisted help from a college professor who proceeded to hold an algebra class. The academic level at this school is second to none. However, the parent and child must commit themselves to attaining excellence. Parent involvement is up to the parent. The amount of required work was never unbearable and it prepared me for the challenges of high school. As a matter of fact, the level of education I received at OLF was so high that after a semester at Stepinac (honors class) my family moved upstate and I attended a public school that did not challange me for the next 3 years.
—Submitted by Dariusz Szafran, a former student

As a fomer student of OLF, my experiances are not pleasent, with excess amounts of homework, and long projects without much help or guidance from the teachers or staff. They seemed more concerned about discipline and consiquences, rather than guiding the student. They can't seem to grip the fact that students do not work at the same level, and that there are different levels of intelligence. I was borderline failing, and in danger of being retained; however I transfered out and ironically in my new school I was being priased for my effort, and earned much better grades on my report card(straight A's to be exact). As far as extra curricular activites are concerned, OLF does not offer many. Personally treating children(ages 7-13) with such harsh critism, and discipline I dont think they are emotionally ready to handle it. I hope this review is useful for whoever may read it.
—Submitted by a former student

I am a recent graduate of OLF. My years there were overall decent. However I have many gripes with them. One is that the teachers provided no extra help for struggling students. If there was one subject that you were not doing well in you would have to seek guidance outside of school. Another problem I have with OLF is the quality of teachers. I had some great teachers but some seemed as if they wanted to go home more than the students, who would be bombarded with homework without any knowlegde of the subject. Another problem is how OLF is a female dominated school. Girls get away with much more than boys do. I do not want to bash OLF completley, however. Overall I was well prepared academically and I am doing well in high school. OLF can be a great experience or a terrible one, you make the decision.
—Submitted by a former student