Stp01

We recently moved into the Friendly neighborhood and left a local private school to try out Adams Elementary. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this school! From the principal, Ms. Oliver, to the classroom teachers, everyone has demonstrated a real commitment to getting to know my child and building him up holistically from every angle. Everyone with whom I have interacted is joyful, professional, and a pleasure to speak to. It's not surprising my son loves going to school. The principal reached out to have my son join the Kidsports Basketball team unprompted; a great community building activity. My 3rd grader has lingering trouble with his "r"s and he was immediately assessed for speech and set up with speech services at school from a kind, engaged speech language pathologist. When the kids get in the now-and-again playground quarrels, the school counselor reaches out and is proactive about discussing social skills and accountability. The people here truly care deeply about your children. This school reminds me of my beloved local elementary school back in the 1980s when teachers taught, guided, and were motivated to be positive life-time role models for their kids. The adage is true; it takes a village to raise a child. This school is a first-class example of how local schools can do it right. I highly recommend this school with no reservations!

We have a 6th grade student and have been really impressed with Spencer Butte. The level of teaching is amazing. The teachers are passionate about their work, and make learning exciting. The school recently added time before and after school where students can get extra help with work. Truly caring and impressive academically for us so far.

While initially excited about South's IHS program due to my own personal interest in challenging learning and work, this program has proved to be nothing more than a waste of time. They stack piles of meaningless drivel purely to keep students busy. The only point of the program is to create "overachievers", which while that can be a good mindset in some situations, they push it too far. The amount of students who drop out of IHS every year is astounding to say the least. And that is just the IHS program. I have been here three years, and yet I have learned absolutely nothing. The classes are a waste of time. The school acts like it is meant to inspire growth and creativity, yet will have you reading the same kind of books every year, or teaching the same concepts about fractions and decimals. They preach about supporting students' mental health, yet if you are gone for even one day, whether it be for sickness or a family emergency, your grades will drop significantly. Questions are seemingly encouraged, yet when you ask, either the student body judges you, or the teachers ridicule you and tell you to pay better attention. I may not have an IEP or 504, but many of my friends have them. While there are a few teachers who happily respect them, many do not, and will oft harass you for even having them, saying they are pointless. This school is somehow number two in Oregon, yet when in 2023, my second year, there was not one, but three bomb threats, and one shooting threat. While that is not the school's fault, how they handled it is. Their bright idea to make the students feel safe was to not only keep them uniformed for most of it, but to send the students en masse outside which easily could've put them in greater danger. Even worse, they forced students to stay for hours in the heat without water, food, or bathroom access. They were not allowed to leave the premises until many hours later, and could not grab their things they had to leave in the building, which included things like live saving medication and phones. The food is also a safety concern. Not only has mold been found on it numerous times, but many people have gotten food poisoning. On top of that, vegetarian students are at a major disadvantage. The lines are so long, that unless you leave class early to get in line, you will likely not get lunch that day, and not everyone has the financial stability to pack a lunch. The "education" here is pointless, and it is not a healthy space for students.