Seattle Hill Elementary School

The success of any school must be measured in terms of student experience and the growth and development of students while they are at school. We have been very satisfied with our child s teachers as the energy of SHE is focused where it should be, on students. However, as citizens of the Snohomish school district, we believe schools ought to remain independent of politics. Like-minded individuals may not like the current atmosphere at SHE because parents (not staff) continue to push political agendas regarding state mandated testing and budget issues; views shared via mass media and informal dialogue. The principal is very level-headed and fair. With effective leadership, she will unify the school community back to the primary focus of school: student learning and achievement. Of course we respect individual rights and freedoms to express, but feel our school community ought to focus on COMMON goals and interests of children while remaining politically NEUTRAL. We are an involved and supportive family and care greatly for SHE staff and students. We do not feel parental politicizing is appropriate in a school setting.
—Submitted by a parent

Seattle Hill is a great school, there is a sense of community among the families. There are a few parents that try to push their own agenda and do not take the students into consideration. This school, the teachers and the principal are only out for one thing, the education and well being of our children. Teachers go out of the way to look out for students. My childrenare better off at Seattle Hill than any other elementary school in the district. I would recommend Seattle Hill to anyone that asks. If people are so unhappy, they can always change schools, you are not required to stay if you are so unhappy. Mrs. Nelson should be proud of the job she and her staff are doing!!
—Submitted by a parent

Maybe the parent who posted the playground equipment comment should attend pto meetings and become educated on where pto funds are being spent. Yes. they are working on purchasing some new playground equipment. These pieces of equipment cost ten of thousand of dollars and they are working towards that. They also forgot to mention that all of the fundraising money has been used to purchase new computers for EVERY CLASSROOM, pays for transportation so that children can go on field trips, buys new books for your library, purchase new curriculum for the school, provides student planners for every student, emergency kits for every student and even replace benches that our rotting!!! and much much more. The facts our that our school are not being funded properly by our state as they are required to do and fundraising money is being used just to keep the school running. We are lucky to have parents support the fundraising efforts that allow the school to do the above and much much more.
—Submitted by a parent

I agree with the last comment. So many uninformed parents. Wish they would come out to a meeting or volunteer some time. I have zero complaints about my child's education with the exception of class room sizes. That is not the schools fault. I believe many other schools in the are are worse off. And opting out of standardized testing is a great idea. This test serves no purpose to the child and takes millions dollars away from teachers, classrooms, and special programs. If more parents followed suit we could get this money back into our schools where they belong. Do not hesitate to send your child to this school. If your child is willing to do the work they will learn at this school. The teachers are great!
—Submitted by a parent

In response to the most recent comments:Snohomish School District parents as a whole (not just SHE parents) chose to opt their children out of MSP testing.This was a community grass roots effort to make our concerns loud and clear to our state representatives.IT WORKED!We now have legislation being worked on to fully fund our children's education as our state constitution requires.These efforts were made by parents who are educated, smart, and care deeply about current and future quality of education for their children.The SHE staff is OUTSTANDING.We have not had a poor experience with any staff at SHE.Parents at SHE are dedicated to supporting their school in many ways.Some dontate time by being in the classroom or helping out at events during the year.Others make monetary donations.Each family at SHE supports this school in the ways they can make the most positive impact! Playground equipment is a longterm project and will be funded over time just like technology in the classrooms was.Spending 100K takes time.The money must be raised before it can be spent. I suggest if you don't like something, GET INVOLVED and make a positive change at school instead of complaining anonymously.
—Submitted by a parent

The playground needs upgrades and improvements. PTO said fundraising was to pay for recess play structures. We havent' seen any changes.
—Submitted by a parent

If you are moving to the Snohomish area, use extreme caution if your children will attend Seattle Hill Elementary. Check your boundaries! There are some good teachers, but unfortunately it doesn't make up for the dysfunctional way in which the school is run. Look to move into the region covered by Little Cedars or Totem Falls. Test scores have dropped significantly at Seattle Hill, and parent financial support is sliding negatively. Without a strong academic vision with focused student goals in mind, it is difficult to provide financial support to school which is in free fall decline. We are tired of the continuous fundraising campaigns which unfortunately are hot helping build student success. Needs top down improvement.
—Submitted by a parent

SHE ranks 975/1003 elementary schools in the state of WA.Ranking change of 599 points from 2011-2012. Why?Because a portion of the parent group refused to have their children take the MSP to protest state budget cuts.By doing so, the entire school FAILED TO MAKE PROGRESS.Testing is required by state and fed law.This protest lacked common sense, integrity, and responsible behavior.Parents flock to academically PROGRESIVE schools, strengthening community bonds and enhancing school culture. SHE must be an anomoly.It has great kids, effective teachers and decent specialized programs.What it lacks is a UNIFIED parent support base.Teachers are doing their best to TEACH, students are LEARNING, but MSP Opt-Out parent actions affected the entire school NEGATIVELY.This is NOT support, this is APATHY.Over time SHE has demonstrated PROGRESSION via mandated assessments despite budget cuts. Suggestion:Define and focus educational goals, further develop parent support activities to assist students/teachers perhaps w/afterschool activities/tutoring, and EDUCATE parents about the purpose and value of instruction and assessment . No one is arguing fully funded education, it is the LAW.
—Submitted by a parent

Our child had a teacher for 3rd grade this past year, who, although he seemed to try and have a solid curriculum for the children, was overwhelmed with the number of students, and relied heavily upon the children using an answer sheet posted on the white board, and the children correcting each other's math papers -- not a good idea for 3rd graders. Many "corrections" were incorrect. Also, he used this same process for writing papers, which was a joke. The kids would "rewrite" sections of each other's work, and it would be worse than what the child originally wrote. Also had a problem with snotty language toward the children. -- We had high hopes in the beginning for this new teacher; dashed by December. Teache 's ego writing checks that his abilities couldn't cash. Very sad. Very troubling. Very dissappointing. What's going on here?
—Submitted by a parent

Athough teachers say they use 6-Trait program, our kids did not receive workshop model with skill focus. Non-fictional writing (reports) is the main emphasis- report after report. Spelling lessons are dropped in upper grades. Students are expected to spell vocabulary words soundly, but gone are prefix, suffix, root words and spelling rules. Unfortunately writing is not a comrehensive model in upper grades. Grading: With semester grade parents are left in the dark with student progress for months. Although parent conferences are helpful, reported student progress is very inconsistent Homework is very inconsistent too. Random no homework tonight , 30 minutes on occassion, 60+ minutes? Ridiculous swings. Parents are active and influential.
—Submitted by a parent

I've had four kids at Seattle Hill and have yet to have a negative experience with a teacher. All of them love school, have grown in their peer relationships and have continued to excel after moving on to Middle School. The principal has consistently exhibited leadership at the school. Her teachers love her, the parents that I have talked to respect her and she has a great connection with the students as well. Our experience at Seattle Hill could not have been better. While we have never been involved with any of the parent groups, I would agree with other posts about the amount of fund raising that is sent home...however, I think that simply represents a group of parents that are working hard to bring about improvements and other opportunities for the staff and students.
—Submitted by a parent

poor leadership, rude and exclusionary parent group, gossiping female cliques at the local coffee shop, ok teachers but academics are minimally challenging, notices home are routinely late, this school looks and feels disorganized and sloppy,

Is Mrs Sketcher (sp) still there? She was my 2nd grade teacher. To put it simply, she was verbally abusive to me. Even though it has been 20+ years, I still remember her screaming at me, the name calling, etc. I was also pushed from behind and had my front teeth knocked out. The nurse was irritated that I was crying and told me to be quiet. Those three years of school at Seattle Hill damaged me in school for the next 9. It took till college for me to like and do well in school again. Thought you all might want a childs perspective.

Curriculum could be better, parents are a snobby bunch, teachers do the minimum, though that may not be their fault as they can only do so much with a limited budget.
—Submitted by a parent

This is my child's second year at this school and I am still very unimpressed. While the office staff is very friendly, I find many of the teachers very rude, including my child's teacher. The teacher never smiles, gives very short answers when asked about my child's day, coming across as very rude overall. My other complaint of the teacher is that they have told the classroom that a specific series of book is not allowed to be read in the class even though the series is very popular and geared towards the age and reading level. My child has complained of being bullied, students on the playground consistently using profanity and a very rude bus driver on top of it. The teaching is sub-par with more focus on testing instead of the actual teaching and I understand that the teachers have a busy schedule with the class as a whole, but there does not seem to be any attempt to help a student or two who are struggling a lot with a topic.
—Submitted by a parent

We have 3 kids at SHE and we are very happy there. Like any school, you get out what you put in. Parent involvement is very important and highly encouraged. We just started another year with 3 great teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

Average school. Some teachers are outstanding; organized and dedicated to student learning. You can feel enthusiasm when you walk into their classrooms. Some teachers need to be managed; rapport with students and parents is ineffective and teaching skills at minimum. Reading and math rotation have moved into the upper grades with mixed feelings among parents. Lost in transition happens to some kids. Homeroom teacher connection is not as strong. Kids are frequently tested for reading skills and math facts, but parents only receive student progress at conference and report card time, not at the end of reading and math rotations, leaving parents lost in rotation. Strong emphasis is placed on reading skills for struggling students and basic math facts. Would like to see challenge activities for kids who are strong academically. Nice library, great PE program, no music chorus? Sad! Strong parent volunteer group. Lots of new technology for classrooms. Would like to see teacher websites for homework assignments and classroom news and activity. Active principal, good communication to families.
—Submitted by a parent

Wow - I am shocked to read some of these reviews! My family has been involved with Seattle Hill for 10 years, and my kids have had at least 10 teachers, not including specialty. NEVER have we experienced a teacher bullying our children! Our teachers at SHE have consistently shown that they care for the well-bring of our children, their education, and their personal growth. At the head of this amazing staff is our Principal, who has made the school a safe & welcoming environment for both kids and families. We experienced one bullying problem, & once brought to the attention of the Principal, the bully was dealt with immediately, with no further problems. Regarding the May 2 poster - we had ONE teacher leave this year (other than maternity)...I feel that the school is better off without her negative demeanor. I feel that the team-teaching approach has been very successful - my kids enjoy changing rooms, & seeing different teaching styles, which can only benefit them once they get to higher education! Obviously, it works for us, as my son has been a straight A student at SHE, Valley View MS and Glacier Peak High . I would highly recommend Seattle Hill!
—Submitted by a parent

We took our daughter out of Seattle Hill Elementary after 4 years of completely inadequate education, care, and consistent bullying. We had her first grade teacher tell us ' your daughter does the minimum to get by, no more'. Well, now that she has been in a private school for two years, in an environment that is nurturing, caring, and full of dedicated and loving teachers, she has received straight A's two years in a row...going well above and beyond 'just enough'. Switching her out of SHE was the BEST decision we've ever made, and as I read some of the posts on continued poor quality surrounding the school, I feel truly blessed that we can afford a 'real' school for our child.

There have been a few staff members who have left Seattle Hill this year. The sigh of relief that rippled through our building when they left was amazing. No longer does time have to be waisted on side stepping the negative bullies who put their personal agendas before the needs of our students. Our lives are dedicated to meeting the needs of our students. We strive each day to equip our students with the tools needed to face their futures with confidence. Having a principal who understands this and supports changes that will better meet the needs of all students makes coming to work a pleasure. Thank you to all of my coworkers who go above and beyond!
—Submitted by a teacher