Sunset Terrace Elementary School

Do not take your children here if you care for their mental health or safety.My son was attacked multiple times at school on the playground, and on the bus, and there were never any incident reports filed. I had reported his injuries and his crying as soon as he got home, I filed multiple complaints and just kept being told that I was the problem. I had no way to protect my son. They have no idea what is going on with the kids they're responsible for, which is concerning as these are small children and they should clearly be supervised. They admitted every time that no one was watching and that they were unsure what happened. Even though my son had cuts and a bruise on his face. I wanted to report it to the police and force them to do something about it, but instead, I unenrolled him and put him into a different school for his safety. They do not file reports as they should. There is an investigation against RPS superintendent Pekel for this reason, and I can see why. My son came home one day and told me that they had a lockdown due to a 5th-grade child running around punching other smaller children in the face and hurting teachers. Staff members had to lock the child in the gymnasium and put all the other children in the school on lockdown. NO messages about this incident were sent to parents and nothing was reported. My son informed me of all of this as he was very shaken up and traumatized as soon as he got home. He said he saw the boy punch a little girl in the face right in front of him.The teachers do not ensure the children's safety and they have no record of what they do all day, or when the kids get hurt. I am sure if I was a rich Mayo doctor though, things would have been different. The principal Wendy Moritz was extremely cold and callous and showed no concern for my son's injuries that he sustained at her institution.They also have a poor curriculum. I had homeschooled my son his first year (kindergarten) due to COVID, and I had taught him how to read, write, addition, subtraction, and even some multiplication. Once I pulled him from school and started homeschooling again, I could see how behind he was. They hadn't even started teaching them how to type or do division, and he was halfway through 3rd grade at that point. He They put the kids on ipads, and don't even have them practice handwriting. It's a sorry excuse for a school. Pay attention to your kid's emotions and educational milestones, as this school's staff definitely won't.

I am a former student from folwell. I had to transfer schools after second grade since I had a very traumatic experience at my other school. Folwell was very welcoming and accepting of me when I transferred, which is relieving since I had dealt with constant bullying from the students from my other school. I absolutely loved the environment this school had. I felt safe here which should be expected but given my past experiences it was a surprise to me. The students are very well mannered and they were all nice to me even though I was different.

Choosing RCLS is one of the best choices we have made. Setting a solid foundation for the learning path and developing love for learning is critical for children. It's only our first school year with RCLS, but we truly believe our kids will build excellent curriculum and character. In my opinion, it is a school that prides itself, along with excellent teachers, staff, and leadership. I have already seen excellence on many levels, especially during this pandemic year (2020). There are several things to love about RCLS, but the one thing is faith based learning, which helps to build character. Next year, we are hoping to get my 2nd kid enrolled in pre-K. As a parent, I know that my kids will not only receive one of the best educations but also learn how to be  good students, stewards and children of faith.

Having had kids in the public schools in Rochester, and switching to St. John's, we were delighted with the level of discipline and learning that happened at St. Johns. It was exactly what we wanted for our child's education. Quite honestly, the difference was stunning. As the other middle schools in Rochester seemed to be in chaos, with little or no learning, and lots of fights and theft happening, all of that noise disappeared at St. Johns. The administration is excellent, demanding, and fair. Highly recommend St. Johns for anyone who wants their children to excel, be challenged, and grow as a person.