Westwood

Unprofessional teachers and staff. Would not recommend.

This school has significant student and teacher turnover. They cannot maintain the same teachers because of the poor administration. They also expect a thousand responsibilities they put on their teachers shoulders for such a low amount of pay. Students are asked to leave St. Pius School for a variety of reasons by administration. When my child attended there I saw three students asked to leave mid year. Teachers were asked to leave for insane reasons I heard. However, the female school counselor at St. Pius School became pregnant with the male Middle School Science teacher. They both had a shotgun wedding, while she was pregnant to try and cover everything up. I am surprised the Charlotte Catholic Diocese was not involved in disciplinary measures for the counselor and the Science teacher. I have seen them dismiss teachers for matters even less. The turnover between teachers and students here is very high. Beware! You have been warned.

I attended this school K-12. It was a FANTASTIC experience. I was more prepared than most of my peers my freshman year of college. I have read a lot of reviews complaining about bullying and lack of diversity et al and it’s all just sour grapes. Not only am I a GDS graduate, I’m also a public high school teacher. I’ve taught in many schools and NOWHERE prepares you better than GDS. Every school has its problems. GDS has problems too; it’s not a utopia. It’s a learning institution filled with hormonal adolescents trying to find their place in the world. Those that are complaining about “diversity”…what do you expect??? It’s a private school that costs $30k/year! It’s not like they keep out diverse populations on purpose. It’s just a matter of economics. If you want your kid to go to a school with every race/gender/religion/sexual orientation/background/etc represented equally, then this isn’t your place. But there’s a lot more to life than that. This is an institution of higher learning and your students WILL be prepared for the next level. The rest is left up to you, as parents, to expose your children to the things you feel are the most important and instill the values YOU feel are the most crucial. I’ve taught at many schools in Greensboro and the other schools aren’t even in the same stratosphere as GDS.

B’nai Shalom is an absolute blessing for my family. My wife and I moved here from Athens, GA and bounced around a couple of different day cares, and were left feeling that a piece was missing from each place. When we found out Greensboro had a Jewish Day School from ages 3 months – 8th grade, and knowing we had our second child on the way, we wanted to inquire about enrolling our children together. We were met by Eva, now Head of School – then Director of Admissions, who gave us a tour and gave a very warm welcome and introduction to the school. Knowing our son has proprioceptive input differences, we were so pleased to see the movement room and staffing that is able to help those like my son. Since then, we have built an amazing community with staff, parents, and students, and have grown our Jewish identity both in the home and in the classroom. Knowing my children are not in a simple day care but an actual school environment really stands out remarkably from other places we have previously been enrolled. My 4 year old and 2 year old are constantly singing songs in Hebrew and telling tales about their friends/teachers and adventures had during the day, and I could not imagine a better place for my kids to be. The teachers are so warm and welcoming and post pictures throughout the day that helps remind me that they are in good hands. Family Shabbat is a huge highlight, and each month we all gather together to welcome Shabbat, sing, and eat Challah! B’nai is a welcoming place for all, and we are so grateful to be part of the school.