20 Normandy Ln
Lawnside, NJ 08045

This school is a disaster. I am a former teacher. Teachers are expected to give up their prep periods to be substitute teachers EVERY DAY. There are so many newbie administrators that no one knows what they are doing. They are either not doing enough because they don't know how, or they are piling way to much on top of all that teachers have to do already. They literally will not give teachers a minute to themselves. This is not an exaggeration. Even at the end of the day when studebts leave, administrators are still taking up the last 20 minutes of teacher time for inconsequential meetings so they can feel important. Don't even get me started on the behavior issues in the school. I have had to write everything I want to say on the board because students are wild and simply refuse to listen or do anything at all other than be disruptive. They love to fight and scream. They love to throw things at teachers. I was out sick once for a few days and students stole all of my personal belongings. There are a few great students there, but they are grossly overshadowed by teens who don't know how to behave in society (perhaps to no fault of theirs, but maybe parents). Fights break out all of the time. Thank God for the policemen there. If they weren't there many teachers and students would probably end up in the hospital. It's a bad scene. Very bad. Security tries their best to be both pleasant and helpful while trying their best to keep the peace. Teachers and police/security are not paid enough. I have had a tooth chipped from an object thrown at my face in my own classroom by a student at the school. Horrid. The school does not provide anything for teachers, I spent hundreds of dollars on decorations, books, etc. that I ended up just leaving there for my own safety and sanity. That being said, they don't have enough money for post-its, paper, pencils, but they can give out 10,000.00 for a basketball hoop shoot contest for the NEW GYM. There is more....I'll just let you imagine it, it's probably true.

Love Hawthorne and Garfield East the teachers are amazing

Suspended my son because he was protecting his self from a kid who was touching his leg and pushing him. So now he can go to the 8th grade graduation. Which to me is very important part of a kid's life. A big mile stone before entering high school.

We’ve had a really great experience with our daughter’s Pre-K class, especially with Ms. Pocino. She creates such a warm and welcoming environment, and you can tell she genuinely cares about the kids.Our daughter looks forward to going every day, which says a lot. We’ve seen her grow in confidence, become more social, and pick up new skills along the way. It feels like a good balance of learning and play, without being too rigid.Ms. Pocino is patient, kind, and very attentive. We always feel comfortable knowing our daughter is in good hands. Overall, we’re really happy with the experience and appreciate the care and effort that goes into the classroom.