Prospects/Shields

It's not an easy time for students, teachers and staff. We feel a lot of compassion for how challenging it must be. Due to Covid we haven't been allowed IN the building so we can't make an assessment of the facilities, beyond the playground, which is well-kept, the friendly crossing guard, and helpful pick-up/drop-off staff. Academically the school seems decent, and certainly after closures, virtual school, etc. there must be a lot of catch-up to do. The subjects and material don't seem very interesting or engaging. Nor is there much of anything that creates community or binds the student body, or families together with the school. There are no fun events. No field trips. No outdoor activities. No special guests. What we really take issue with is all of the drama, bullying and lack of proactiveness we have experienced in our child's classroom. It's awful. The school just doesn't haven't have enough resources to keep up, (they don't even have a dedicated art teacher, and many of the staff and teachers are doing double duty in areas, and the turnover of para-teachers and similar seems high). Our child comes home not just in tears, but no longer wants to attend in general, and they used to love school. There also seems to be a lot of punitive action by our child's teacher, so that when certain children are out of line the entire class must pay for in, recesses are taken away as well as activities when homework isn't up to snuff. We have even received a few general emails from the teacher expressing disappointment in the class, their work, etc. But upon follow-up not specifically our child, so it seems these should be sent on a case-by-case basis, not to everyone. These general "blasts" of negativity, from a teacher who hasn't been present much throughout the year are upsetting. Again, it's got to be a tough time to be a teacher, but we're generally considering moving schools.