Kenbrook Elementary School

If the anxiety of COVID wasn't enough, factor in trying to find a school for your new preschooler in fall of 2020. We knew that we wanted a Montessori school, but we were really anxious about the process, the COVID protocol, and having our daughter with someone else other than family for an extended period of time. Up until it was time for preschool, our daughter was in the care of my parents while my husband and I worked. This put our daughter at a disadvantage socially because she hadn't really interacted with very many kids. This school was the 2nd school we visited. The Admin of the first school (a few blocks east) wasn't friendly, she didn't believe that children could catch COVID and overall her energy wasn't positive, giving us more anxiety about the process. When we met with Ms. Suman at MAFH, immediately, our daughter took to her, she was allowed to interact with the classroom tools while we were on tour, each building required handprints and a key code to enter, and she was very well versed in all aspects of the program. She pointed out assignments on the walls and described each child and their progress. VERY HANDS ON! VERY ENGAGED! She answered every question we had, very thoroughly. Her COVID plan was already implemented, and most importantly our daughter was engaged with Ms. Suman. On the first day of school our daughter bounced into the school and bounced out of the school. And it's been like that everyday since. And it's the same for every kid that comes in and out. All of the parents we interact with agree. The enrichment is comprehensive and individualized for each student and completely gaged for the student to be successful. We're absolutely going to miss the entire school and the entire staff. If we had to do it again, we absolutely, undoubtedly enroll her here!

I don’t think they are actually practicing the Montessori method of teaching here. We were told that our child cannot receive a “mastery level” in some subjects because of their age.The teacher expects you to learn according to their teaching style rather than adapting their teaching to how you learn.Worst decision we ever made.

We feel the faith life of St. Fabian has been fabulous for our kids. The teachers are friendly, and teach well. We appreciate all the extra activities that are available also like plays, sports, Rosary club, and National Junior Honor Society.

We chose this school for my two youngest because it was the most authentically AMI-aligned Montessori school in our region (the director and leadership are AMI-trained) and goes through 6th grade. While not all staff have AMI cert, all lead teachers have Montessori training and are expected to teach to AMI standards. They teach cursive before print and by 1st grade most of the kids have very good cursive handwriting. That is one thing I liked seeing during my first tour there, as well as a 4-year-old quietly pin-punching the countries of Africa from paper to assemble into a map. I had never seen my older child's school doing those things with the kids.We stayed for several years leaving only due to a move. Overall, my kids received an education superior to the local public schools (speaking as someone who works as an education professional). My favorite thing about Montessori/MMC is the math curriculum. Beginning in pre-primary, the kids develop mathematical concepts through sensorial materials such as the Pink Tower, Red Rods, and Knobbed Cylinders, which introduce dimension, measurement, sequencing, spatial relationships, and early geometric and numerical concepts (e.g., the volume of each cube of the pink tower is exactly ten times larger than the cube above it), all before formal reading and writing. Studnets usually love working with these pre-math materials, many of which are over 100 years old -- and are still used today because they WORK (compare this to curriculae where methods and materials change every few years). By kindergarten, my kids developed a strong, intuitive understanding of mathematical concepts. They then begn "real" math by learning to read/write the numerals, odd/even numbers using counters, place value using bead materials, skip counting, addition, and multiplication concepts through hands-on materials. By the end of kindergarten, my kids were doing four-digit addition and basic multiplication. My other child in a public didn't begin multiplication until 3rd grade, just to give you a comparison. I also liked how they taught music with recorders in 1st grade with Ms Swoboda. Because my son learned how to read and play music in 1st grade, he was able to pick up piano easily. That early exposure helped. After MMC, he tried public school for a year but was too far ahead for it and ultimately got pulled into a gifted program. Same story with many others who come from here. Thanks MMC.

I spent my early schooling years here, and I cannot discourage it enough. Growing up as a child with an attention deficit disorder, I felt that my needs as a student were completely ignored. At Hillel Day, there are absolutely no guidelines put in place to facilitate the education of students with learning disabilities. Lessons were catered to students who didn't suffer from such difficulties, and students like me were forced to fall by the wayside. My mother recalls a time when she requested I be given an IEP (Individualized Education Program) so that I can receive more help during class time. However, she was denied, as Hillel Day apparently "doesn't do that" (which from a legal perspective is fairly concerning, I might add). At the age of 13, I did not know my multiplication tables, as math was a difficult subject for me -- and the math teachers here simply chose to ignore me and focus on the students who had a better grasp on the topics.I also felt that, coming from a poorer economic standing, I was treated differently than my peers -- many of which came from rich, affluent Jewish families. Many of my friends at the time, due to the school's more casual classroom environment, would be considered "class clowns" -- yet none of them would be punished / penalized in the same way I was -- no doubt due to their status, as well as how much their families probably donated to the school. I felt that I was the frequent target of punishment / harassment from a select few teachers due to my learning challenges, as well as my family's economic standing. Over the years, I've simply come to the conclusion that they didn't care -- and if you have a child who suffers from learning challenges, stay far away from Hillel Day.