Skipcha Elementary School

I whole heartedly agree with the review on Feb 2, 2012. This school has an elaborate Science Lab, but it is hardly ever put to use, what a waste.
--Submitted by a parent

Not as good as it should be! This school has all the resources to be great--but isn't. I have two children that attended this school, for four years. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to get good teachers-which is the only reason I didn't pull them out immediately. The problem lies with the administration. This school is a machine that churns out students who meet the minimum expectations. Nothing special will be done for your child, whether gifted or remedial. The school principal doesn't support parent involvement--to the point of turning away volunteers (what you don't see, you can't complain about). They hide behind district policies, and will not cooperate with you at all. Some of the front office people are great at what they do, but are not given any authority whatsoever, similarly good teachers are hindered by being forced to follow a rigid curriculum set across the entire grade level. I agree with the review that states one of the VPs is incompetent. This school is a product of its leadership, and that doesn't bode well for the students who attend. Unfortunately, this is one of the better schools in the district so....private school/homeschool is a good option.
--Submitted by a parent

My son attends Kindergarten at Skipcha Elementary. I am a former Kindergarten teacher, so my standards are pretty high. He is currently in Ms. Maughan's class, and I could not be happier. It is only the beginning of the semester and he has mastered at least 30 sight words and is reading well beyond grade level. The school is fantastic about parent communication, the office staff is friendly, and whenever I contact his teacher I receive almost immediate feedback. He loves the Friday enrichment programs, and comes home daily talking about what he has learned.
--Submitted by a parent

I have two children at this school and it is only the end of october and I am ready to pull them both out for private school. I agree with the majority of the negative things here that have been posted as far back as 2010 and nothing has obviously been fixed since then. I've never seen some of the school policies that this school has. Communication between the parents and the school is inadequate. Take for example this past week of red ribbon week. My child did not come home with anything for her grade so I looked on the website and it just linked to the national ribbon week. Communication with the front desk is painful. The whole front desk needs an attiitude adjustment and some smiles and thank yous. Doors are closed on children that are late, children sit in hallways unsupervised until shcool starts, if your child misses a day for a funeral from school they are un-invited to the dance party that is held during school hours. I'm so very disappointed in the shcool that we are zoned for (a nice area of HH), will be looking into other options for sure. Just wanted to warn other Army familes that may be coming that this may not be for you.
--Submitted by a parent

At this time, I am VERY disappointed in this school. The staff, especially the assistant principle, has atrocious grammar. Today - the Vice Principle calls to schedule an appointment to review home-school to public school testing. It made a horrible impression of the school when she pronounces my daughter s name incorrectly by improperly using Phonetics. N's are not M's O's are not U's. Then pronounces ask, "axe". She also said "the counselor knows what the results is". The conversation was riddled with incorrect grammar. The front staff is impolite to say the least. Only the school nurse and one member of the front staff smiles or say thank you, hello, etc. The drop-off and pick-up is the most unsafe system! The school is set up for correct flow of traffic - but the school doesn't use it. Instead, they have cars pulling in, out, people and children walking between the cars, no safe walk and designated procedures. Someone is going to get hit, it is inevitable. If the front staff and Vice Principle are any reflection of what the teachers are - then we will quickly be moving to homeschooling or paying for private school. Safety, education, and "presence" are unsatisfactory.
--Submitted by a parent

We have been very happy with our son's academic progress this year. He has flourished in all the expected areas (reading, writing & math), but also in all sorts of extra areas like music, piano, yoga, American history, and just general being-a-good-person/character education. He has picked up all sorts of tidbits of information that I never would have thought to cover at home. There are a few quirky things about his individual teacher (she is sometimes inconsistant with enforcing rules) and the school (I'm not a fan of having the kids sit in the hallway until the final morning bell) that took getting used to, but no dealbreakers. I will say that the PTO extra activities like festivals for the entire family after school, "entertainment" like having the zoo bring animals into the building & the Army provide trucks for the kids to touch... are outstanding. Skipcha feels like a family with a few wacky relatives here and there.
--Submitted by a parent

Wow, a lot of conflicting reviews here. I have 2 children at this school and have been more than happy. Between them, I have worked with 7 of these teachers and have not once felt like my child has been neglected or not being nurtured. I have also never seen teachers yelling at kids or children running wild in the halls. The school allows the children to walk to the library or office with a buddy. This in turn gives them a sense of responsibility and maturity. I would certainly hate to see how our children would be in middle school or high school if the teachers held their hands everywhere they went. Admittedly, teachers can sometimes make mistakes or maybe be distracted by other students. I just can't imagine them purposely neglecting a child. In public schools, the teachers have to teach classes with an average of about 20 kids. I'm not a very opinionated person, normally, nor am I "friends" with anyone at this school, I'm just personally open-minded enough to understand that it's not all about MY kids. There are close to 1000 other children to consider. Teachers have the most selfless and unappreciated jobs. I challenge anyone to do better. I certainly couldn't.
--Submitted by a parent

Mrs. Parker is an excellent Principal as she stands in the halls and greet every parent and student that crosses her path. I am very unhappy with my child's teacher. She is very unorganized, not eager to be teaching although she has been doing it for quite some time. When she assigns homework it is often unclear as to how to complete an assignment & when an assignment is due. She does not respond to emails that are sent even after they have been sent numerous times with different questions. The phrase"you must learn to crawl before you walk" is so true but she does not adhere to it. I love that my child is learning...she has all A's and B's until the last week of "9 weeks" when the teacher tries to post all of the grades that she failed to enter early enough to be addressed. Many parents have addressed her and sent emails but she just dismisses what ever it is that is said. Many of the parents in her class talk and wonder how some students are sent home with half of their study material and how others are not. Speaking with parents from other 2nd grade classes, I have found that they feel the same way. I was warned about the 2nd grade staff, but did not listen. I wish I would have
--Submitted by a parent

We have had three children at this school and in every grade level. They love their school and their teachers. I like the positive atmosphere and feel there is a good balance of high expectations and creativity. I'm not so keen on all of the Texas education mandates, but this school has done well to meet the letter of the law and still make learning fun.
--Submitted by a parent

Just feel like I should warn people coming here, we are not happy with this school. Spent an hour or so in the school recently,heard lots of orders being given, commands given, not one please or thank-you (from adults) the whole time I was there, small thing to some people, but indicitave of the overall atmosphere and attitudes. Not a nurturing place.
--Submitted by a parent