Harry Dewey Fundamental Elementary School

Posted October 25, 2009

I seriously am in love with this school! It is an amazing alternative to the crappy schools in Citrus Heights (which is where we live.) We have truly met the most amazing families at Dewey. Also, we have had amazing teachers thus far! The office staff is great too. We started the first week of Kindergarten at Cambridge Heights last year and it was horrible. I was elated when I got the call from Dewey that they had found some room for my daughter! I do agree, there is a little room for improvement. Yes, it is an old school, but I really don't think that's what's important. The important thing is that my daughter is getting an incredible education, and loving every minute of it. The only complaint I have is that there are no extra activities such as any art/fine art type stuff.
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Posted September 30, 2009

So far as a new parent my I am very pleased with the quality of instruction and consistency of my kindergartener's learning environment. The school is very organized and the staff are enthusiastic. My whole family had a fantastic time at the annual Fall Harvest Festival, it was very apparant that a lot of time and effort were put into making it a very successful and professional event. The effecient staff and helpful parent volunteers are what makes this school such a success! Go Tigers! Sincerely, Tara Johnson
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Posted September 15, 2009

Dewey is certainly a good school, but there is definitely room for improvement. The good points are: Lots of nice families and kids, strong academics (esp. reading, writing, and math), and a handful of terrific teachers. However, there are also weak points, including: Almost no extracurricular activities (no performing arts of any kind, very little fine arts, etc.); a handful of below-average teachers; aging, unattractive campus compared to others in the district; and RIDICULOUS homework expectations. I had to highlight this, because I really feel my children were overloaded with unneccessary amounts of homework. Other schools in our district perform as well or better with far less homework. Finally, I was surprised by the lack of parental participation, since that is an advertised part of the program. Beyond Kindergarten, there are actually few opportunities for parents to volunteer beyond correcting the giant piles of homework and making photocopies.
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Posted April 27, 2009

I have two children at Dewey, five years apart. We have loved having our children there and they have loved learning there. Always room for improvements in disciplinary areas, but I guess since incidents are so unusual the principal may just be out of practice correctly implementing her authority. I do have to agree that she is unresponsive to electronic requests and even written messages regarding concerns I have had over the years. I find it most effective to wait in her office till after the second bell rings in the am when she returns from greeting kids and parents. (this is awesome!) Never had a problem with office staff. Warm, friendly, know my children by name and personality. Teachers are AMAZING!! I love this school and if you have opportunity to enroll your children it is well worth any sacrifice of time and distance from home!!
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