Meyerland Area

Will be looking for a different school very soon. It's more than evident people are here to protect their job and reputation, not the children.

They are working through their issues and ultimately you just need to decide if you want your family along for the ride. We had heard mixed reviews about Herod, but when they launched the Pre -K program this year we figured we would give it a shot. Pros:1. VERY involved PTO that cares about the school and wants the best for the students. They are very welcoming and involved. 2. The students do learn things in class. Our child came home the first week telling us their favorite shape was a rhombus! We definitely didn't teach them that. Cons:1. Teachers seem to be treading water. My understanding is that the language immersion teacher was fired the day before school started and they had an aid teaching this class. This meant one less aid helping with the other classes and put the teachers in a real bind. Despite touting their app that made communicating with teachers easy, our teaching did not even have a profile set up in the app until the second week of school and never answered messages on it. 2. This school seems focused on equity at the expense of the educational experience. Our child came home with bruises on their neck and when we inquired about what happened (several messages unanswered and only after we made it clear we would be reaching out to the principal did we get a response) we were told that the class has three students with severe behavioral issues and they essentially couldn't pay attention to what the other children were doing so they had no idea what happened. This was enough for us to pull our child. Upon coming in to complete the withdrawal form not a single admin asked about our experience. Just seemed like business as usual (which I am willing to bet it is). If you have the resources to go somewhere else I would encourage you to do so.

We have been at this school 9 years between 2 kids and even Owls Nest. If you have a girl and she is a box kid, this is the school for you. If you have an out of the box kid who is a boy...stay far away. The administration is laughable. Their COVID in person is more like virtual as the older grades have 3 teachers but only one in person, the other 2 are viewed via smart board and teaching to over 100 kids at one time. Math via smartboard is pretty tough. You see no assignments until after your student takes exams and you have no idea what they are working on as there are no assignments that come home until after the fact. Discipline protocols are inconsistent and multi-part. Yet, the school failed my son on multiple occasions. In hindsight, I wish we had left for a different school while we had the chance.

There is so much to appreciate about this school. The physical space alone is uplifting, bright and cheery. The teachers are caring, the classes small, and the curriculum stimulating. My graduate had ample opportunity to speak in front of the school, and she became a confident student through the years. They have issues, like all schools. The judaics could be a bit more lively, one teacher in second grade is terrible. (they give her a smaller class, to their credit)....but the good so outweighs the bad, I hate to even mention those things. The PE 5 days a week is excellent, tons of physical activity.

Disorganized, unprofessional, behind the times and not a friendly environment.

St. Thomas’ Episcopal School provided me a superior education, with mandatory classes, exposing me to education the vast majority of people will never experience. STE demanded we respect our elders and we all simply knew to obey; it never occurred to us to not obey. I was never aware of any intentional hurtful actions taken against another student. We were taught to “do unto others…”, do your best work every time, and, “you mustn’t take offense where none is meant”. We were held accountable for our actions. The first Shakespeare play I saw was spring of 2nd grade (just turned 8). Though I had terrible stage fright and my fear of performing in 8th grade increased every year, these plays created a love for Shakespeare’s work and at age 21, I was fortunate to spend a month in his hometown, attending different plays several times a week by The Royal Shakespeare Company. By age 14, in addition to the traditional classes of English, Math, and some Science, I had taken six years of Bible History, a year of Penmanship, six years of ballet/Scottish Dancing, half a year each of quilting and etiquette, a year of Greek, six years of French, three years of Latin, and six years of music. The current Principal, another classmate, and I were partners for the Parents Day Scottish dance. The older grades danced in the Sam Houston Coliseum every year. It’s the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts today. The band performed in parades and competitions and was the first band outside of Scotland to win a particular competition. We moved so I did not graduate from STE, but I still live by the values and standards I learned there. I am not aware of even one of my classmates who did not go on to achieve great things. All are fluent in at least French and Latin. Considering my experience, I cannot recommend STE highly enough. I “married military” and we moved every few years or our children would have been at STE. We did keep our children in private, Christian schools until high school, because I had learned the importance of a high quality, Christian education from STE. One is Corporate Counsel for Dave Ramsey, one is on the Cardiac Transplant Team at the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville. The Mayo Clinic has just sent him to Vanderbilt for another degree, and one has post graduate degrees in Sports Medicine. At their graduations they all whispered “Mom, you’re the reason I am here today”, but I attribute their success to my years at STE and, the grace of God.

I have never felt stronger about anything in my life. This school needs to be investigated. They are not and should not be able to educate our children. I was so very disappointed in our experience with this school and the horrible people involved. This place is a joke.

I’m a former teacher at STM, and while STM teachers are amazing human beings who are devoted and dedicated to their craft of teachers and nurturing every student, the current principal is at war with teachers, some of whom have been at the school for over 10 years. Teacher pay is pitiful and well below average teacher salary. Additionally, teacher morale is depressingly low because they are treated with contempt and know-nothings. If you are looking for a truly GREAT Catholic school, try St. Vincent de Paul.