Middle River Manor

When I first started looking at reviews for this school, both my wife and I were skeptical. We had some bad experiences with other schools in the past, but we decided to give North Side a chance. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions we have ever made for our son.Everyone at this school has been nothing but supportive, caring, and informative. They brought back the feeling of what schools used to be like—where teachers truly cared about their students and their success.North Side has earned my heart, my trust, and my respect beyond what I can express. One thing that stands out the most is how the teachers keep me informed without me even having to ask. As a parent who works hard to provide for my family, that level of communication means everything.The teachers genuinely take the time to understand my son’s strengths and weaknesses so they can help him grow and improve. Their dedication to helping each child succeed is something you don’t find everywhere.Ms. Allette and Ms. Owens were my son’s main teachers, and I couldn’t be more grateful that he had them. They treated my son as if he were their own, showing him kindness, patience, and encouragement every step of the way.Since the school got its new principal and the staff, I have seen nothing but positive changes. They even recommended enrolling my son in the 5000 Role Models program, and that turned out to be another excellent decision for our family.The field trips are also incredible. It seemed like there was always something educational and exciting happening, sometimes every other week. Those experiences kept the students engaged, motivated, and excited about coming to school.If you’re looking for a school where your child will be genuinely cared for, supported, and encouraged to succeed, I wholeheartedly recommend North Side. My family has had an amazing experience, and I truly believe you won’t regret giving this school a chance.

My child attends Floranada Elementary and absolutely loves it. The school is extremely clean, organized, and truly puts the children first. The teachers are professional, caring, and communicate extremely well with parents, which gives us great confidence in our child’s education and well-being. The school community is wonderful, and there are so many activities both in and outside of school that keep the students engaged and involved. We couldn't be happier with Floranada. We absolutely love this school and would highly recommend it to other families!

As a 32 year resident of Fort Lauderdale I am very aware of the lauded Virginia Shuman Young Montessori Elementary school, so naturally this was a goal attained when my son was accepted for PreK3. My wife and I went to two orientation meetings, with the first one being non-exceptional, nothing out of the ordinary occurred and the presentation went smoothly, kids were not present. The second orientation, the Friday before School starts on the following Monday, was a bit more chaotic as the children were present. Somewhat to be expected, but there were some areas of improvement on the PowerPoint presentation which could have cut down time before the kids all got antsy and disruptive. The PowerPoint should have been emailed out to parents a few days prior and a condensed version presented with a Q&A session to clear up any ambiguity.The first day of school for my son was a disaster, he was contained to the principal’s office before noon (children arrive around at 0900 hours) which shocked me, what could he have done so bad so quickly? Well, it turns out that he wasn’t listening and getting into toys and playing like he’s accustomed to. It was his first day of a new environment, I am sure he was looking for some familiarity in the toys to ease my anxiety he was feeling. Arrangements were made to pick him up early from school and chalk up the day as a learning experience. That afternoon my wife met with the teachers as well as the principal. A proposal was made to adjust his schedule to half days starting the next day (second day of school).The second and third days of school were no better. On day two (2) he was in the principal’s office before a family member arrived to pick him up at 1045 hours. Apparently he was playing with toys, not listening, and distracting other kids. The third day the school participated in an active shooter drill whereby the kids all piled into the bathroom in the class. My son, who is recently potty trained, is conditioned when you go into the bathroom you go and use the facilities, so he pulled down his pants, you can predict what happened next, yep principles office.After three (3) days of this we made the decision that the famed VSY was not the place that would be best for our son and are now exploring private options.The school staff seemed all too eager to throw in the towel rather then utilize the skills that a professional should have in dealing with a challenging child and correcting deficiencies. I’m disappointed.