317 Sycamore Way Dr SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546

My two older children attended NT and my youngest is currently in 6th grade there. One of my children is in the Cognitively Impaired program and, as has been our experience with CI classrooms and staff at Meadow Brook Elementary and Northern Hills MS as well, the environment has be wonderful. Excellent teacher and parapros as well as an inclusive and welcoming attitude among all staff and students. Frequent and proactive communication with parents from teacher and IEP team. Excellent IEP planning and evaluation with fair and open discussion among parents and staff.My youngest has a 504 plan to address ADHD and anxiety which is useful, but she gets a lot of unsolicited support from staff and is empowered to self-advocate in the classroom. My daughter has lots of medical and mental health appointments, and is often sick due to a condition that weakens her immune system. This lead to an issue with the ISD over attendance. All of this together was very stressful and the school was active and helpful through all of her complex issues. Teachers and administrative staff communicate in a timely manner, before small problems become big barriers to learning. On the flip-side, my oldest and youngest are both gifted and were provided opportunities to participate in programs that challenged and engaged them. All three of my children were excited to go to school here. The culture of the school is enhanced by the fact that it is a small school and their homework policy: no new work is assigned to be done at home, only work not completed in class comes home. Small student population allows each child to be recognized and supported. In my opinion, this has created a less stressful environment for learning and given teachers the opportunity to focus on getting to know their students as individuals and in-class curriculum.

Teachers and staff are some of the best my kids have had during their elementary school education. We have moved to different states over the years and have been happy with the kids progress and services offered at Collins.

Very bad experience here. New to the school district. Very disorganized process with initial enrollment. My child went to classes and her name was not on the attendance for the designated classes. Found out my child was flunking majority of her classes, but did not realize this until too late due to poor communication. Felt guidance counselor and teachers talked down to me due to my student having difficulty in the majority of classes. It was extremely difficult in a pandemic and doing the majority of learning remotely for my child to be on the computer all day and doing homework all night. My child has medical issues and I informed the nurse. I did not know it was my responsibility to enroll her in a special accommodation plan. We are leaving the school and so happy to be leaving— worst experience ever. Students were not welcoming of a new student.

I have had two boys in this school and we have been very happy with their teachers and communication. The principal is excellent and pushes for outdoor time with a lunch "recess" and frequent physical team building activities during their CREW class. There is a wide variety of electives including coding, robotics, outdoor exploration and a good selection of languages. The sports options are plentiful and very inclusive allowing kids to explore and try new things.