W R Hatfield Elementary School

As a staff member of Hatfield Elementary, I am greatly saddened to read the report below. The culture at Hatfield has always been one of "family". We welcome any parents to our campus, classrooms, cafeteria, or office....to visit, to help or just to observe. We greatly appreciate the many volunteers at school, those moms who help out in the classroom, the fathers who serve as Watch DOGS, and the grandparents who mentor. We would like to think that we have encouraged parents to come to us with any concerns or issues; this is what helps us bring positive and necessary changes to our school. We try to make every effort to keep parents informed of their child s academic progress and successes, and about what goes on in our school. We have websites that are updated at least weekly, we send home newsletters, some teachers send daily emails, and, of course, there are progress reports and report cards. If a parent or community member feels differently or has concerns, please feel free to come to us! We want Hatfield to be a safe, secure and positive place for all of our students and parents, a place where all can feel welcomed and successful!
--Submitted by a teacher

Hatfield Elementary is NOT a good school anymore. When our child started there a few years ago, she had a great kindergarten teacher and loved school. She was learning and doing well and the school staff seemed interested in her education and well being. The next two years progressively got worse though. The teachers have been awful and the staff had not been helpful. She started school ahead of her academic level and is now behind where she should be. Her confidence has gone way down due to teachers and fellow students negative comments. She has been bullied by students now that she has fallen behind in learning and the teachers have been nearly as bad. She was tested and shown to be below average in ELA but we were never told. We found out after repeatedly meeting with school staff. If you go to the school during recess, you will see the teachers sitting together visiting while the kids are not well supervised. Kids have been known to kiss each other under the slides and whatever else they get away with. Parents are not very involved at the school anymore either and are not really encouraged to be or appreciated when they are. Something needs to change at this school
--Submitted by a parent

The teachers here are great! My child's teacher even made a healthy breakfast for the entire class. She made sure they were no meat or nuts in the ingredients for students with allergies. My child was able to participate in many extracurricular activities such as UIL, Math Club, Choir, and Leadership club. If my child is having trouble the teacher always helps and makes sure they understand. Now that the new school, Clara Love Elementary has been built, my child gets more one on one time. It is just so much nicer to have 200 students than 800!
--Submitted by a parent

I think W.R. Hatfield is the best Elementary School on the NW ISD... The teachers are the best.
--Submitted by a parent

We have had the most positive kindergarten experience at Hatfield. The teachers are wonderful!
--Submitted by a parent

We moved here in 2004 not knowing what to expect. What we got was an outstanding school. The teachers took the time to help my kids with their fears of coming to a new school. The academics here are awesome. We came from a small school and never had the opportunity to be involved in the science fair. That was a treat for my whole family this year. This school also encouraged parent involvement with activities like 'Dogs with Dad' and 'Movies with Mom'. We loved math and reading nights. Sadly we are now moving and as a parent, researching other schools, I can honestly say that I am having a very difficult time finding a school that even comes close to this one.Thank you NWISD for such a memorable 2 years. Keep up the good work! -Barbara VonKamp
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter has been attending Hatfield since the 2004-2005 school year. I was very reluctant to put her in a public school but I have been very pleased so far. The teacher she had last year for 1st grade was absolutely wonderful and her 2nd grade teacher for this year seems to be as well. There is a very positive atmosphere at Hatfield and there also seems to be a great amount of parent involvement.
--Submitted by a parent

I absolutely love Hatfield, from the teachers to the principal, the staff is wonderful. I never imagined that it would be such an enjoyable process for my daughter to learn and grow with people who geniuenly care about the students.
--Submitted by Dana Briscoe, a parent

I loved this school. We moved to a new district this year and the school my child attends now is a huge disappointment when compared to Hatfield. The principal is wonderful and very involved as are all of the teachers. Hatfield has a lot of parent interaction, fun activities, and it is also a wonderful campus.
--Submitted by a parent

This is an excellent school with very caring and capable teachers. I have been very impressed with all of my kids' teachers through the years. This school keeps growing due to the area around it expanding, yet they always add on teachers as they need to in order to keep the classes the right size. I have had a very positive experience with everyone at Hatfield!
--Submitted by a parent