North Elementary School

I would give 10 stars if I could. I love this school so much. My daughter has thrived these past two years. We are moving and we will miss North and all the staff members very much.

I generally have always loved this school until we Lost the best principal I've ever seen, Mrs.Branch-Harris was suddenly sent to another school and I have Not felt like the school has been the same since. Very sad and disappointing to our family, we miss her dearly. She was always there for me and my daughter.

I hate that my kids have to go to this school. Thankfully, we're moving soon but I feel so sorry for the kids because the staff is so impatient and short-fused with them. The cafeteria staff is extremely rude, I understand that they have to feed a lot of kids but they should be aware of the fact that these are children, not adults and are usually a little unsure of what the options/pricing is. Especially the Kindergardeners, for many of them, this is their first experience being away from their moms and having to choose their own meals, etc. and the cafeteria ladies have absolutely zero tolerance for them! Some of the teachers are great but unfortunately, many of the best have moved to other schools (Mrs. Sirles was wonderful) and the only thing that I hear when I visit is "SSHHHH!" and "Be Quiet" from the staff. They literally spend the entire time, even at the library for movie time, trying to find ways to punish and scold the kids. There's a new principal this year (the 3rd in 3 years) and nothing has changed so far in terms of how the kids are treated. It seems like their approach to education, behavior, and learning are very antiquated and it's more about getting children to be silent rather than lighting a fire in the kids to develop a passion for learning. Just last year, in front of the entire school and parents, one of the fifth grade teachers told everyone how much she "loves silence", hello? you're an elementary school teacher, go to a convent if you want silence! It appears that the staff honestly doesn't even realize how rude and wrong they are.

My child is in third grade and has been attending since Kindergarten. The Principal, Asst. Principal and the teachers strive for the students to achieve academic excellence. They genuinely care in helping each student reach their full potential. They are involved in Math & Science Night, Reading Night, Out Read the teachers, Summer Enrichment and many other programs as well as community events. This year, I have two children attending and I know that they are getting the best education for them. My husband and I are so thankful that they are going to North Elementary.

The school as a whole is good. However, I was in shock to hear a teacher speak at the 5th grade awards day with such a negative attitude about her students. Children react to the environment they are in. My daughter mentioned that she yelled in class, wasn't nurturing or caring and didn't interact with them. She even told her class that they were stressing her out and she was taking it out on her own children. She would stand outside the door and talk about the children where they could hear her. No parent/teachers meetings. This was echoed by other parents as well. Totally unacceptable behavior. We all want our children to love school and if someone doesn't enjoy seeing them everyday then perhaps they are in the wrong field. Prince George has such a good school system. Get rid of the ones that don't want to teach. There are plenty others to take their place. Love the other teachers! Some of the very best!