Converse Elementary School

In the past three years my son has had great teachers as well as received any extra help he needed. When issues arose the Principal was quick to deal with issues. The front office workers can have bad attitudes which is the only drawback. Overall I will be sad to move from here.
—Submitted by a parent

Converse Elementary is a great school. I have never been to an elementary campus that offers so much to their students. The motivational factors are strong. My children are successful because of these programs. Coach O'Bryant has been my kids p.e. teacher for several years. She is a wonderful teacher and coach and the students are drawn to her. They love her and so do the parents. At my home my kids always are telling me Coach O'Bryant did this or said this. Not a day goes by that her name is not mentioned. Why? She gives of her time and offers speed stacking, pedometer walking, jump roping, basketball, volleyball, track , marathon, Helping Hands (program for cancer patients), Yellow Ribbon Gang (program for our soldiers). Her motto is "Family comes First". She ocassionally offers family nights in the gym too. Converse is unique because of these programs. I love Converse!
—Submitted by a parent

Last year we had a good teacher I hope this year would be the same,the office needed mores up grades,the secretary out not good mores friendlys people please
—Submitted by a parent

Poor teacher involvement. Poor leadership. I pulled my child out of this school because she was not getting what she needed to succeed. She is an A honor roll student now and was prior to her enrollment at Converse Elementary. She loves school and her grades fell the short time she was there. The teacher would not return calls or emails. I got fed up after I couldn't even get the principle to return my calls. She immediately startedmaking straight A's at her new school and the work was more difficult then at Converse.
—Submitted by a parent

I have 3 of my children go through Converse Elementary school. I love the school! I am sad to see Mr. Haynes, princ., go but I know he will be at the school that 2 of my children will be attending. There have been many teachers that have gone the extra mile in my children's lives but one that stands oput the most. Her name is Caoch Terri O'bryant. She has used extracurricular activities and p.e. to steer my kids in the right direction of studying and being well behaved. She has devoted endless hours to make that happen and the impact on my kids is tremondous. I have one that is on the A honor roll and is on volleyball, basketball and track, and I have another going into high school that did the same. The one now leaving Converse, is following pursuit. Thanks Coach. U R the greatest!
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent, I have mixed feelings about Converse. My child has been there for a while and I feel that all of is teachers are very concerned about his education. He has had wonderful teachers and I don't see any teacher that I wouldn't want him to have. On the flip side, the administration is not god at all. Mr. Haynes is always out of the office and nobody seems to know where he is or when he'll return. Even when I've left messages and emails, he doesn't respond. And forget Mrs. Jose. She's too busy gosiping about students with the secretary Yolie to speak to parents. Even when I have been given the slightest time with her, I have had to ask the secretary to leave.
—Submitted by a parent

We are new in TX and now we realize how good TX education is after we put our child in this school Converse Elementary, from the Principal, Teachers, administrator, employees and especially the eduaction system, responsible and discipline and how to think ahead that they put on the students is very good. As parents, we are very satified and feel secure to put our kids here. Thank you to all Converse Elementary...
—Submitted by a parent

This week is the inauguration of Barak Obama. I find it very interesting that Mr. Haynes is going to shut the school down and have all the kids watch it. That s all well and good, but did he do that for the Clinton or Bush inaugurations? Hmmm I have also noticed over the past few years that Mr. Haynes never mentions the Presidents of the United States on President s Day. Yet for Black History Month our kids are preached to and given black history lessons every day for a month. This is not just what I think, believe me, I have asked kids and teachers and they all confirmed it. Mr. Haynes, are you going to mention Presidents Day each year now that Barak is in? An observer.
—Submitted by a parent

I have 2 children that attend Converse Elementary, and I have to tell you, this is the worst school that any child can go to. The faculty and Staff are really rude, and they reall don't care about the students. They only care about the TAKS test, and since this is Title1 school, they care about the money they earn when the kids are there. Mr Haynes and his assistant are really rude and they never seem to be available for a conference, no matter what time of day you call to schedule one. My daughter use to have all 'A's until she came to Converse.. Now she is barely passing and then her teacher says that she needs to be tested for ADHD. How dare a teacher tell me what my child needs. Someone really needs to reevaluate the credibility of the teachers and staff at this school.
—Submitted by a parent

The extracurricluar activities are great incentives for the students at Converse Elementary. Coach O'Bryant volunteers her time and has started a volleyball program, basketball program, jump rope program, cup stacking program, a track and field program, and amily fitness night She is an asset to the school. I have never seen an elementary school offer this many programs. I like her way of thinking. If your behavior or grades are not up to par, you do not get to participate. However, if you get them back up, you can participate. What an incentive for the kids to keep on track. Most of the teachers at Converse are excellent. The administration is very hard to deal with. They are inconsistent with some of their administrative decisions. The Vice Principal, Ginger Jose, is very unprofessional. She literally 'gossips' with her secretary, Yolie, about students, teachers and parents in the main office area. Unprofessional.
—Submitted by a parent

My child has attended CE for 2 years and we are absolutely confident in the school administration and staff! The teachers go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure students grasp studies and take the 'No Child Left Behind' beyond the Taks!! Thank you CE for your lifelasting contribution to society!!!
—Submitted by a parent

I am a mother of 2 students at Converse Elementary. I am extremely dissatisfied with the adminstration and faculty at this school. They are always in defense mode and treat parents like they are inferior. It is a joke to even try and deal with Mr. Haynes or Mrs. Green. They come across as being on some kind of power trip. Their discipline methods are very inconsistent and unfair. They do not effectively address the problem students and issues, but then they turn around and make a huge deal over something that is normal little kid behavior. If Ms. Jose could be principal we might could see some vast improvements but until then...Good Luck with this school and tell your kids that they cannot be kids!
—Submitted by a parent

I am a parent of both a current student and a former student at Converse and I have been extremely disappointed with this school. I am treated as a nuisance by the teachers and office staff. Both of my children truly dislike this school and often tell me how negative the teachers and staff treat them. I am looking to move specifically to get my youngest child a chance at a better school experience.
—Submitted by a parent

I have had nothing but positive experiences with my child at Converse. The teachers are friendly and highly qualified, especially the Kindergarten team. We have daily and weekly communication through folder, notes, etc., and the teachers are always available and ready to help with any concerns. Great school!
—Submitted by a parent

I have had the hardest time with this school. My son is in kindergarten and this should be a very rewarding and exciting time for him but the staff at this school have made it a miserable time for myself and my son. I am a stay at home mom and want to be involved in my kids' education but this school makes it next to impossible to even know what is going on. It was very difficult to ever get in to have a conference with either of the principals. In fact, I never hear back from them when I call to schedule a meeting with them. I never hear anything from the school, including notes in my child's folder, phone calls or report cards unless it is something negative. There needs to be more communication in general with parents and definitely more positive communication.
—Submitted by a parent

We just moved to Converse Elementary from North Carolina a month ago. I researched schools online and found this one to had some of the highest scores (state ratings) in the San Antonio area so we thought it would be perfect for our kids since they are both above the learning curve. We were disappointed the minute we enrolled them. The staff was very cold and unfriendly. Ms. Jeske was nice and welcoming of my son but my daughters teacher treated her more like an inconvenience. Both of my kids loved school before we moved here but now I have to fight to get them out the door in the morning because they don't want to go. It is a very strict environment and there isn't much hands on or inventive learning activities. The principal is very rude and won't listen to the parents at all.
—Submitted by a parent

When did wanting to help your child and being concerned about school issues become a bad thing? I was informed by my child's teacher that 4 - 5 conferences was too many. While there are many poor choices the school makes; no recess for 3rd and 5th grades, heavy TAKS push, and teachers talking down to students to name a few..... there are positives about the school too. Every grade level has a music program, PE provides many opportunities for the kids, TAG classes give the gifted children a chance to work creatively among their academic peers, and Ms. Graves is 110% devoted to her students. Every school will have good and bad teachers and policy unfortunately, no matter where you look or go.
—Submitted by a parent

Not happy with the school at all. This was my son's first year of school and Converse Elementary made it very hard for him, the staff and the principal very rude, don't care about parents concerns. Lunch time is a joke, kids are not allowed to talk, and the principal stated in a parent conference that he only cares about test scores. The year started off bad and ended the same way.
—Submitted by Veronica Mitchell, a parent

Well my son has been at this school since pre-k and is now a 5th grader. I have to agree with some of the other parents in the fact that the most important thing is TAKS test. I constantly hear from my son, they get in trouble and yelled out when they are barely talking or accused of something when they were not doing it. I hear of the complaints of no recess and the kids are very unhappy. they need breaks as well. school is a job and all jobs MUST ALLOW breaks throughout the day so why should school be any different? Since this is my sons last ur at converse he will continue to go but from the things i have heard about Middle school and soforth I am not sure I will stay with JISD for his school career. Teachers are very good at teaching thou.
—Submitted by a parent

The leadership of the school is great, however, the 4th and 5th grade teachers are disconnected with the students. They demand respect but speak to students in a disrespectful manner. They also place too much emphasis on the TAK test ( The entire area) and give out way too much homework. The teachers are not organize, they do not find positive ways to work and challenge students. The teachers are not military-friendly nor do they understand the military child obstacles, ie: new area, new friends, deployment issues, etc
—Submitted by a parent