Dogwood Elementary School

The previous poster must have had a bad day. The school actually has a good mix of young and "seasoned" teachers, most of them highly motivated. Of course there is the occasional bad apple and yes it sucks to have a kid in one of these classrooms. But mostly, the school has very friendly, supportive, motivated, knowledgeable and caring teachers. It is by no means perfect, but some of the things that annoy me are problems of the system, not the school. Parental involvement is very high, even though there seems to be an elite club of parents making the decisions that makes it hard for newcomers to get into the circle. But they have the schools best interest at heart, and if they want to shoulder it all by themselves, more power to them. If you are really dedicated to get involved they will let you. Overall most people here seem to be proud of their school and it shows in students readiness to learn and parents offering their help wherever it is asked for. I agree, the official 100% PTA participation is basically forced, but the real participation is probably close to 90%. And that is great. So far, overall, we love the school.
--Submitted by a parent

This school's teachers have taught over 25 years, have been tenured after two years, and simply are hanging on just to retire. They are not open to new ideas, teaching methods, or continuing education. The leadership at the school is non-existent, the bullying at the school is not addressed, and the only reason there is 100% parent participation is because you have to join to get a class booklet! There is no nurse at the school, just a volunteer parent, and parents are required to pay for everything, as well as volunteer for everything, and therefore high grades are given to SCS district and the superintendent applauds the fact that they spend the least amount of $ on each student for the district in the state! It is ridiculous.
--Submitted by a parent

Dogwood is an awesome school! We moved here two years ago and the reason we bought into this neighborhood was because of the reputation of Dogwood School. It has not disappointed us. The teachers are caring and dedicated, and the parent involvement is phenomenal!
--Submitted by a parent

I love Dogwood School, because of all of the dedicated teachers and parents.
--Submitted by a parent

The Kids enjoy the school and learn. They have enough extra events to keep them motivated
--Submitted by a parent

Dogwood is a great school. It starts with two great and caring administrators and includes, teachers, parents, students and the community in everything that makes it top notch. The principals and teachers know all the students and call them by name. I could not be happier! My child rides a bike to school along with several hundred others. The healthy child initiative is strong at Dogwood.
--Submitted by a parent

Dogwood is a great school. There are hundreds of kids walking, riding bikes to school and they are respectful and orderly. The education is top notch and there are good extracurricular activities. My child loves it and we are thrilled for our child to be able to attend a caring great school in walking distance fromour school.
--Submitted by a parent

This school is great it gets kids ready for middle school.
--Submitted by a parent

Way to go Mrs. Simpson for implementing the carpool line! The school administration has known my child's name from the beginning and that is impressive to me! We've had a tough year due to a special needs child but we are working through it. Unfortunately, this is something that all public schools must work through. I'm writing in response to a couple of other reviews left in 2007. The reason Dogwood doesn't go on many fieldtrips is because this is such an affluent area. Most of the children in this school get to go on many educational and cultural trips. It is an indulgent school that can't justify the risk of a fieldtrip. Instead, the parents are able to pay a few dollars and bring the events inside the school - so way to go! I'm not sure I want my kids on a bus anyway.
--Submitted by a parent

I have been a Dogwood parent for many years now and have seen some changes both positive and negative. But throughout these changes one things is for certain, the children are happy and are receiving the best education that a public school can provide (the test scores prove that). With the added support of a strong PTA group, the school has been able to do things that some other schools can not. Dogwood has a large range of activites for all grade levels and adminstrators along with the help of parents continue to come up with ideas to continue to keep the children engaged. You could not ask for a better school for your child to get their early education in. Our teachers and administrators truly put our childrens needs first.
--Submitted by a parent