Atlas Elementary School

Well, my granddaughter's very first week of school was very disappointing. She was the smallest little girl at the school this year and was bullied. She was punched in the face, in kindergarten, 3 separate times by boys in her class. Twice by the same boy who apparently has a reputation for being a bully. She was assigned the line leader and he didn't want that so he punched her in the face. There was nothing done by the school to help her integrate with the kids in her class. Her mom is a preschool teacher and she is fine in other settings like gymnastics. It became too overwhelming that my daughter pulled her out of school. No apologies from the teacher or the principal, nothing was done, no one reached out. Except me. I reached out to the principal and told her that it's unexceptionable that the smallest girl in her school is being bullied and physically attacked in the first week of school and no one working there took any action to rectify the situation. So my granddaughter felt safe and not so traumatized. It's now February and she's finally willing to give it another try at a different elementary by my house. Just failure on too many levels. And disappointment is an understatement. The price of the homes in that area is high. The parenting and leadership should be abound. I mean who is ok with there young girl kindergartener being punched in the face on 3 separate occasions in the first 2 weeks of school and no word from the school. This grandma is not ok with it. I wish the parents of these kids could meet up and we all talk about it. Unfortunately, that was never discussed. Hopefully the staff learns better.

My family and I feel blessed to be able to send our child to Classical Christian Academy after searching through private schools over concerns of violence and criminal activity we know are occurring in our public schools. The first impression I had of CCA while touring it is that the children appear to be happy there, and being a small school that does combined activities, the students and faculty know and are support one another. Even the younger students are respectful and carry adult conversations, which I find is rare from public life. Academics tend to be a year ahead of public schools from Pre-K to the seniors writing thesis papers and presenting them to the entire school with eloquence most college students don't possess. I also appreciate that they include biblical wisdom in their courses so that students have a dynamic and critical thinking in their learning. The final reason that I recommend this private Christian school is that although it may seem daunting to pay and volunteer for your child's education (hours are no longer a requirement), I learned that it attracts parents who are more vested and involved in their children's lives, which pours into the students being more secure and functioning at a higher level, and it shows in the academic exams. My husband and I sacrifice time and finances to invest into our child's education, we may not be able to go on extravagant vacations or buy expensive toys, but our child's life, character, and future is worth it, because it cannot be reaped before it is sown.

This school has enrolled too many children that have been expelled from public school. They have also enrolled too many families that are not even Catholic. The core upbringing of Christian Catholic values has been lost.

LAM has been a blessing for our daughter, who is now in her last year at the school. The emphasis LAM places on academics, public speaking and spiritual growth is truly outstanding. We have watched her grow in character and confidence over her time at LAM and we know we can attribute that growth to the loving environment.