Nicolas Valley Elementary School

Great school. New principal is amazing. Staff and teachers are great. Glad to hear lots of families are coming back.

My child loves this school. Great community.

I would strongly caution parents, especially parents of color, before sending their children to Alamos Elementary School based on my family’s recent experience.My 10-year-old son was the target of a verified racist incident where two students programmed a school-issued iPad to say “Amir is a N-word” out loud during class in front of students and staff. According to administration, the incident was confirmed and the students admitted to it.What has been most disappointing is not only the incident itself, but also the handling and communication afterward.When I initially contacted the school trying to get information regarding this serious situation, I was told by the front office that the Assistant Principal was out sick and that the Principal was not aware of or tracking the incident because it is “a big school.” During my later conversation with Principal Jenniffer Aynesworth, I was informed that information was inaccurate.I also felt dismissed during my attempts to get answers as a concerned parent advocating for my child. Instead of immediately treating this situation with the seriousness it deserved, the communication was inconsistent and at times felt unprofessional.Principal Jenniffer Aynesworth further informed me that the school would not remove or relocate the students responsible “because of one student.” I was also told that if my son felt uncomfortable remaining around the students involved, my son would instead be moved from the classroom.As a parent, that is unacceptable to me. A child who experiences racial harassment should not feel like they are the one being displaced while the students responsible remain comfortable in the same environment.This situation has emotionally affected my son deeply. He spent the night crying because he was hurt and struggling to understand why this happened to him.Parents deserve to know how situations involving racism, student safety, and parent concerns are handled before deciding where to send their children.

The principal is engaging and the students seem to really connect with him, which is great to see. I’ve been a little (a lot) disappointed with engagement for new students/families though. We moved so this was a new school for us. Both teachers seemed very annoyed right off the had that we didn’t know certain things about the school. My oldest child got zero help with his student number, Chromebook, getting lunch, etc. He played by himself at recess for several weeks because no one even knew he was a new student. Other schools have always had a buddy program for new kids to show them around but my kids were left to fend for themselves. The scheduling is INSANE. Early out days are fine, but SOME early out days are completely different than others and you’re just supposed to magically know the difference. Sometimes I get the aeries messages/announcements, someone’s I don’t so the system is unreliable to say the least. Why doesn’t “early out” always mean the same thing? Who decided that was a good system? Overall the communications at the school is severely lacking and some teachers are clearly ready to retire and have completely checked out. I don’t blame them, teachers get treated terribly, but kids don’t know that and it doesn’t help their experience. Also PTA is impossible to get in to. You can pay your dues and sign up for the emails and never receive a single one. No response from anyone to get involved unless you’re always a part of their inner clique.