Elm Creek Elementary School

Rice Lake Elementary used to be a very good school that I felt good about sending my children to. The two rounds of previous principals and the interim principal saw the school through a number of changes and there were the normal growing pains, but it was still a good school. Hiring the new/current principal after covid was a huge detriment to this school and I would no longer send my children there. I would even send my child to another district before sending my child to this school now under the current leadership (or lack thereof). It speaks volumes that almost all of the experienced and long-standing teachers that helped to make Rice Lake the strong school it was, left within a year of the new/current principal. While I have nothing against the principal personally, after many conversations with staff and other parents, she seems severely lacking in leadership and management skills. The principal has a very passive-aggressive style with staff and parents alike and it is very hard to get her to confront and address most problems. She seems to run the school like a click and if you get on her 'good side' and 'butter her up', you are in the in-crowd, but if you have an issue or concern that needs addressing, you are likely to be ignored. She seems to hide from problems - unwilling to meet with people, including staff, to address things. She gives the appearance of involvement, but she hides from problems. It is truly shocking just how avoidant this principal is and how much she brushes things aside and hides under a rug. My greatest complaint with what her lack of good leadership has done to the school is the safety concerns that have developed. Because of unwillingness to confront people and deal with problems, major student safety issues have developed and bullies and poorly behaved students now dominate the school. There are too many parent reports of assault to their students by 'bullies' that will not be addressed, let alone prevented. Under this principal, students no longer feel physically safe, which makes for a difficult learning environment. There is little to no accountability for disrespectful, let alone, unsafe behavior. Since the new/current principal has also caused most of the experienced teachers to leave, much of the staff is very 'green' and don't have experienced mentors for guidance. It is truly a sad situation what this school has become.

Teachers don’t do anything about your problems; they just contact your parents with a whole different story about your problem.

Fernbrook has been a great fit for us. We've sent all three of our kids there and have had a wonderful experience. The teachers are fantastic and they do care about each and every kid. The parents are also very involved in this school, there is a lot of parent participation for events and volunteering.

This has been one of our best decisions to send our kids to this school. Throughout the Covid era, the school planned four different levels based on cases, that they would implement to stay open & in person. While kids across the street had 2hrs/day in front of a tablet, SVDP had the kids in person for the full day. The following year, the difference in learning was massive. The school does a great job communicating with parents. There are weekly emails from the teachers on the past week and what's coming up. Additionally, the school has further communication on events or all school learning, so you have a notice as a parent. You as a parent are in the know with what your kids are being taught. The principal knows most parents by name and is always open to having a conversation.They have done a good job with not tolerating bullying and making sure that the kids learn to get along with different people. The strong enforcement of "no phones/tech" (other than school items) has been huge in keeping this to a minimum.