Fontenelle Elementary School

My child goes to school everyday, EXCITED! She comes home and tells me all that she's learned, and the activities they do to learn. This school offers a before and after school program that can assist your child in areas that they may need more support in - which has also been extremely helpful! The Principle and his staff communicate timely and effectively about drills, unexpected evacuations, upcoming events and important dates. I can tell the staff cares about the kids education, as well as making the environment a fun place to learn!

Excellent leadership, teachers build rapport with students, one another, and families. Many small group learning opportunities. Many veteran teachers and staff members, as a result we can walk through the doors and be greeted by many familiar faces. CP has a family feel.

Our son has been going to Rose Hill for 5-years. We absolutely love this school. The teachers and staff are some of the warmest, kindest people I have ever met. There is great diversity at this school both in terms of ethnicity, and in terms of socioeconomic background. Academically, our son has thrived at Rose Hill, but more importantly, he has learned how to interact with kindness and compassion to people of any background. My only complaint about Rose Hill is that we have to leave it.

St. Bernard’s Catholic School has been an extremely positive experience.We came from OPS. We had supportive teachers and administrators but felt there was something missing from our kid’s attachment to the education. Schools and neighborhoods no longer have the community cohesiveness with commuting and city-wide enrollment. We decided to find a grade school that could bring that to our kids’ lives. We found that after touring St. Bernard's and being enrolled a few months. Our kids have participated in musical programs, sports teams, holiday events, drop in after care and fundraisers. While our kids are still navigating friendships and mentors, there has been no better opportunity to grow than through the involvement we have found. At the elementary level the participation and opportunities has quadrupled!OPS is heavily dependent on tech. instruction. While not a bad in theory, it creates an environment that compromises problem solving and creative thinking. St. Bernard's reduces the reliance on technology (i.e., tablets) and puts the computing back to the students. I saw many times my kids doing multiple choice or dragging an answer a box on tablets that would give a score. Lots of flashing lights and music playing. It creates a disconnect for both the student and parent's ability to participate. We now are working more frequently with worksheets and packets. Our kids show their work. Parents are more able to review before kids submit for grading. In smaller classes their teachers have time to be great communicators and feel invested in our kid’s education. We will always appreciate the efforts of the OPS teachers that have larger classes but there is no denying the impact of a direct and uninterrupted relationship in the class.I would encourage parents that feels like the current school their kids are in isn’t what they were expecting to tour one of the Catholic schools and see if you feel comfortable, especially St. Bernard’s! Some parents don't want to pay for school with an available public system. Some parents want separated education and religion. Some parents might think a Catholic school is a gated community and only Catholics are accepted. I get all of that! Behind all those reasons to NOT go to a Catholic school like St. Bernard’s, there exists a warm, welcoming, encouraging, spiritual and active school.