Nicholson

The families at St. Jude are wonderful, and many of the teachers are, as well. However, I feel the administration is making decisions that are not in the best interest of my child and is creating an atmosphere of quitting a difficult task rather than striving for excellence. The communication from teachers and administration is nil. For example, if a child must maintain a certain grade to stay in an honors program, that should be communicated at the very beginning of the year. Likewise, if the use of a tutor is going to be a penalty, this too should be clearly communicated from the outset. Instead, the administration waited until the last week of school and simply let us know that our child is being removed from the program the next year, even though that child has maintained a good grade all year. The school is effectively removing any possibility this child take Algebra in the 8th grade and therefore eliminating any possibility of this child taking college level classes while in high school. To remove a child from a program with such strong ramifications because the child might possibly-- but has not yet-- failed to succeed is beyond infuriating as a parent. Perhaps this is the trend at all schools, but I only have experience with this school. Parents, ask questions, look around and do not assume any school is the right fit for your child just because everyone says it is great, it is in a certain part of town or the tuition is a certain amount. Use your own gut and make your own call. If I had listened to mine, we probably would have left some time ago.