Polo Ridge Elementary School

Well it seems like Ms Riska has left the building, which is a great relief. I hope now that the teachers and parents will breath a little better now that she is on "assignment". Having two children attending this school has been one big dissappointment since the school opened. I can only hope the playing field is now on a more equal playing field and these kids have a chance to be kids. Moreover, I hope the teachers continue their great work by focusing on the kids rather than ponying up to an administrater who is so absorbed in her own agenda. I would like to know what really was behind her dismissal 5-6 weeks before the glorified EOG's!!
--Submitted by a parent

This school would be much better off with a new administration, beginning with the Principal. Anyone who has come in contact with her, would understand! CMS and the Southwest Zone really need to open their eyes and make changes.
--Submitted by a parent

I have seen many poor decisions made by Polo Ridge administrators (remember last years fiasco to combine 50 first graders into one class!), but the real proof was a recent meeting we had with several teachers at the school about our child's struggles with a particular subject. After trying to work with our childs teacher over the course of the year, investment in tutoring and private sessions with her teacher, we finally demanded a meeting with the school. What shocked us was how ill prepared and confused all 5 of the teachers and administrators seemed to be. There was little to no planning on their behalf to address the problems and worse yet, they sounded utterly confused and lost on how to address and work through the problem. We are now working to remove our child from this school, as we have lost all confidence they know how to educate any student beyond the ones that could learn just as much on their own. A school that lacks leadership will never recruit quality teachers (Riska can now only hire teachers with 2 years experience on average)
--Submitted by a parent

This is the BEST SCHOOL any parent can ask for.Entire staff is so talented and caring.Principal has great leadership qualities.Safety of kids is always the top priority. Kids grows not just academically and get be to part of lot of clubs to help them personally.Teachers put their heart and soul to teach kids and always available for the parents to answer their concerns.Hope every school follow this school's model.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a teacher and have my own kids at Polo Ridge. i'm blown away by some of the mean-spirited whining and complaining by some of the commenters. Militaristic....dictatorial........please! I've taught at many schools throughout CMS and in other states, and this is hands down the best school I've ever taught at. Is it perfect.......no. No place is. But some of the complainers eyes would be opened if they went to some of the other schools which aren't in the Ballantyne area. You should be so grateful for the amazing staff, and the education your kids are getting at our school. And as for our principal, she's pretty easy to deal with when people approach her with respect and requests and not demands. If you want to be part of the solution don't be a trouble-maker, be a problem solver.
--Submitted by a parent

This is one of the most talented groups of educators any of my children have had. I have been at Polo Ridge since the beginning and have nothing but positive things to say about all my interactions within the school. Many other parents do not agree with the placement of Talent Development students. However, I have a children in both settings. Each teacher at this school pushes the students to the their maximum academic potential and encourages them to strive for excellence. Teachers have high expectations for all students. I feel so fortunate to be a part of such an incredible school.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is fantastic!!! The staff is engaging, well-mannered, respectful, and extremely hard-working. The administration has very high expectations for the school. This can come off as harsh at first, but they have the student's best interest at heart in the long run. They are raising money for SMARTboards because of the importance of technology in the classroom. It is much harder to get grants for technology when you are in a school with such a fantastic PTA and a higher economic status that some schools in CMS. Your children will succeed at this school and will be pushed to become responsible, interactive learners to prepare them for the real world!

Comments about an uncaring office staff and bullying principle are all very true..a mix of good and bad teachers but that happens everywhere. Communcation is not very good unless it is about donations. And, you do need to stay on top of your kids as they move along very quickly with lessons to get everything covered for the year end test. Endless begging for smart boards money. I'd rather have the money spent on teacher and staff training. It would be nice to have a parent friendly, user friendly neighborhood school, less divisiveness. It often feels like, just give us your money, and do not come in the building and why are you asking questions?!
--Submitted by a parent

If it wasn't for the teachers, I would rate this school as low as possible. My child has been at the school since the beginning and what started out as a lively, inspired group of teachers I now see as an overburdened, unsupported group of burn outs. It is sad. The teachers are great but they have to put up with so much junk from the administration, and from what I heard just plain awful management, that it would seem it's only a matter of time before we see a mass exodus of qualified, professional and much needed educators from Polo Ridge. These kids do great every year and it's because of the teachers, so maybe a bit more emphasis from the administration on a healthy work environment and less on comparing our EOG scores with Providence Springs will help all of us give these kids the support they need to succeed.
--Submitted by a parent

I have two children at Polo Ridge. Both are doing well academically and love to go to school everyday. There are a lot of rules, but my kids need those boundaries. Their prior school was more lax, and disruptive kids often brought down everyone's learning experience. The curriculum is also more advanced than their prior school. The teachers and administrators have been great. If you want your child to be well prepared for the competitive world in which we live, this school will give them a great start.
--Submitted by a parent