Mountain View Elementary School

love love love our school. Teachers are excellent, the staff really does care for the kiddos! Parent involvement is encouraged.
--Submitted by a parent

We have been a part of the Mountain View Family for 7 years. My oldest son went Kindergarten - 5th grade here and my youngest, 1st-3rd. It has been a positive experience all the way. This is a very community-oriented school. The teachers are committed, open, and genuinely care for their students. The office staff is helpful and friendly, the administration is visible and engaged, the PTA is positive and involved. My kids LOVED Chess Club and after-school Orchestra. We have been very happy with our experience here. After reading the previous comments, to clarify ... the 'desert' is simply another word for 'timeout' at recess. I have experienced every grade level at this school and (for my kids) 5th grade was the only grade to use that term. It just means the kids lost some recess time. My 5th grader spent some time in 'the desert' ... and was not scarred by the event. He just realized that he needed to modify his behavior to enjoy all of recess each day.
--Submitted by a parent

I am surprised to see so much traffic about the desert practice. My oldest, now in 6th grade across the street, was in the desert about 3-4 times in 2 years. My younger two, both in 2nd, stated that 1 had NEVER been there and the other, only ONCE. Are we really going to get excited over our children being safely disciplined by the school? It's not corporal punishment, its a LOSS of privilege. Its a temporary behavior modification. I cannot imagine spending so much energy worrying about a simple discipline issue. If you don't want your child to lose privileges (play time), then you had better come up with a solution that meets your wishes. I am not saying my kids are perfect, but I am saying that unless I want to do recess duty EVERY day, when my child isn't playing fairly, or acts up, then YES they should lose out on the rest of recess. To me this is a MINOR issue. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. We still have EXCELLENT staff, teachers and the BEST PTA hands down!!
--Submitted by a parent

Amen! And thank you for posting. I completely agree! And to the person who posted in August, i think the best person to direct your concerns to would be the principal of the school. I am certain she would be able to answer your questions or address your concerns as needed. I truly believe that the fifth grade teachers are excellent and have only the best instrests of their students and the school at heart.
--Submitted by a parent

So this is seriously practiced? I was hoping this was a hoax. How do I find out more about this and STOP IT now! This is insane and I will pull my children out of this school ASAP if this really happens.
--Submitted by a parent

I call it as I see it. I do not know of any teacher that forces children to remain on their feet when they are relegated to the dreaded desert. I am curious, though... Have any parents that are upset with this form of discipline approached Mrs. Varljen about it?
--Submitted by a teacher

OK lets be honest about the "desert". Unless the ground is muddy they stand in the dirt between the cars and the play area, without an option to be in the shade and they all STAND not sit facing the parking lot. If they are not in the "desert" they can go to the covered pavilion for shade. I have seen up to 40 kids standing in the desert for whatever punishment, now tell me that this is effective? How is this different than the corporal punishment that Texas has banned now? As we all know the Texas sun and heat can be very damaging. Maybe they should try other tactics for punishment since clearly this does not work as there are ALWAYS kids in the desert.
--Submitted by a parent

Can somebody please clarify this "DESERT" business?? I will not stand for that and need to make a decision on where my children will attend school. That is absolutely unacceptable. We come from DODEA schools where the Army Post has power to control issues like this... help please.

Academically I think the school goes above and beyond to reach the needs of my children. However, recently I walked passed a class and overheard a teacher yelling at her class that they were going to stand in a desert. I learn that they make kids stand in the sun facing the parking lot in the heat as a punishment. How is this any different than a dunce cap in a corner? For this I am grateful that we won't be here long enough for my kids to have to go through that. That's embarrassing and degrading.
--Submitted by a parent

Military family, 3 years with this school. My son entered into 5th grade coming from an out of state school on an ILP. It didn't transfer here and I was nervous. His teacher was a miracle worker who gave him a love of reading and an attitude towards testing that launched him out of the box he had been placed in. My daughter, who is advanced, was placed in a cluster class and loves it. What impresses me most is the over all character they recognize and develop in the kids. They have community programs that encourage the kids to think of others and teach them that they can help and are important. I LOVE this school.
--Submitted by a parent