Francis C Hammond Middle School 1

ok here it is... this school is totally horrible! i was a student there for two years and i am now homeschooled. the students are rude and disrespectful. I was in the office once and this boy was sitting there cursing at the guidence counslor. i was in 7th grade then and that was soo shocking to me. the level of disrespect for teachers and staff is REALLY bad! all though some of the staff was no better. some people will have a different opinion on this school but i am telling you that my experience was terrible!!! the only plus was the teachers. they were cool but some had a hard time with the studennts also...

This school is the best public school you can send your child to. No matter what kind of person your child is they are to find 3 or more friends and I am sure your child will enjoy it but the first 1 to 2 weeks are gonna be hard and then your child will make a friend.Also their grades will improve cause of the teachers and programs.
--Submitted by a parent

FCHMS is making great progress. This year they are implementing blackboard (an internet based home work assignment/tracking program). My best recommendation is get involved with FCHMS before your child starts attending, so that you can push for programs early oh and get involved. There are a number of additional opportunities here for minorities and those with educational challenges. The school principal (not the grade principal) has been slow to respond. But when he does respond it is professional and courteous. If you are conservative minded, I would watch what movies and books are assigned or played in class. Monitor how the health class teaches your children about sex. Again stay involved. The funding is here to do great things.
--Submitted by a parent

i go to francis c hammond middle school the teachers here are wonderful!! but there are many cliques at lunch & in hallways i admit im one of the kids that everybody knows about & the teachers care about all the students & dont exclude anybody this is the right school for any kid
--Submitted by a student

Schools are what the parents make of them. Overall this was a good learning environment for both our kids. Teacher quality varied, but mostly good to better and occasionally 'best.' Administration, sometimes with some needed 'encouragement,' was open to and supported parent involvement. Parent involvement often was related to job/time availability. Music program was first rate. A good learning experience given the student economic and cultural diversity.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a graduated student from Francis C hammond Middle School, and I feel that the teachers here are EXCELLENT! They help you see from a different perspective. They make you want more and best of all...they're there for you when you need them! These teachers take timeout of they're day because they care about our education. I am personally mad because the school year is over! I wish it would have never ended! I love this school for so many reasons...and you would love it to!
--Submitted by a student

I am impressed overall with the quality of Alexandria City schools. It does not take much of an effort to keep informed about my children's academic status. However, I have found at Hammond, as well as at other schools around the country, that sometimes parents have to be a bit aggressive about getting good answers to questions. I often think that school administrations communicate with parents as they do with children -- on a need-to-know basis. This sometimes lackluster communication reflects the failure of most school systems to recognize that there are two different constituencies with whom they have to communicate -- parents and children. While I am all for teaching kids to pass information along to parents, there is some information that should be communicated directly to the parent without the child as middleman.
--Submitted by a parent

Staff and Administration hold different standards for themselves than there students. Even if they can give the superindent of the schools a second chance after getting a DUI, stating people make mistakes, students get very little second chances under 0 tolerance policy. Children are suspended for wearing flip flops, told what to wear at dances, (8th grade dance held was sent letter stating the children could not wear formal dresses to dress like they are in church!) Very poor communication, when my son failed gym class I was not notified until he already failed! When I tried to speak with the principal, I was made to wait an hour!
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter attended FCHMS since grade 6; she is now in grade 8. I'm disillusioned with this school. The staff has meager communications between each other, several teachers and administrators whom were the finest the school had to offer have quit! Administration suspended my child for 5 days for running in the hall! My daughter has been suspended for over 50 days this school year as a result of tardiness! Not violence, drugs, etc. The results are devastating to her grades and success which they refuse to acknowledge. When I tried to talk to the principal, she never called me back or returned any emails. My daughter has specific learning disabilities; they go through the paper work but have not successfully helped my daughter in anyway. SpecialEd teacher stated this may not be politically correct however what we are doing is not working.
--Submitted by a parent