Pauoa Elementary School

A bit of an outdated review as I was a student there in the late 2000s and early 2010s, I was on SPED classes there but I felt that it was lacking in some areas looking back at it. The place did give me the best years of my life so I'd like say thanks to all the nice staff there. I'm unsure about social emotional support, I remember receiving most from fellow peers rather than teachers, maybe that changed so I don't know. Safety is a bit mixed as there was little to protect children at that time, things like security gates could easily be bypassed and never once saw crosswalk guards on my particular route home after school hours. Again maybe that changed? The teachers there are semi decent but the curriculum was lacking. It was a very pretty environment however.

We moved to this school from Webling Elm. The staff here is top notch, every single one of them. My kids love going to school going here. And when I need to interact with the staff, I never have an issue. The ladies at the front office are all over it. I have interacted with the VP and she is really invested in the children. I have seen her advocate for the kids with her own staff of teachers in a private meeting. I had an issue the special service coordinator and principle helped me out the same day. The teachers have high expectations, but they want the kids to succeed. I heard was a good school, but I have been beyond amazed at how special every person is. Nurse Karen who is super caring, but also knows a nervous stomach over a sick child. And one of the school counselor’s, Ms. Fujimoto, who is outside helping the parents who sometimes have difficulties with morning drop off. I really can’t say enough good things!!!

My son has attended kindergarten and 1st grade a Lincoln Elementary, where he is a special education student. It's unfortunate that he needs extra supports, but I think he's been lucky to attending such a good school for him. The staff as Lincoln have done an exemplary job at being there for him, starting each day with a genuine smile to greet him. In particular, my son started reading before he even started Kindergarten, and his teachers have used that strength to his advantage. His teachers make learning fun, and they've adjusted his materials so that he isn't tied to the pace of his sped or general ed classmates. He was even advanced on first-grade math. I also noticed that the speech therapist was knowledgeable about my son's specific manner of using language and was up to date on the literature of how to approach it.

MCS has become a second family to us and our two children. It is truly a special place where kids learn independence, confidence, skills and knowledge, all while having fun and feeling a part of the community. Reading some of the other reviews, it is disappointing to hear that a couple people had negative experiences. I believe these to be very specific, isolated cases, as all the other parents we talk to absolutely love the school and administration. As parents we feel very supported by the teachers and administration. All of the teachers and staff know us and our kids. We have touchpoints with them every drop-off and pick-up and they always make themselves available if we have concerns. There is a full time counselor that is a valuable resource. If we have a concern -- even if it's a behavioral issue at home, the counselor will help support us and even do observations of the child in the classroom if it is something we want. Montessori method has also proven to be an amazing, timeless way to engage and teach children in an intuitive way. We would highly recommend this school!