Stephens Elementary School

smells sour like funky and so is the food. I hate school

The school leadership and teachers have given my two kids a great experience so far (Eldest is in 1st grade and youngest in K). There are many outreach programs to keep the parents involved and interacting with teachers and the community. My daughter shows me in the Class Dojo APP the fun teacher/ kid racing and other events that keep learning engaging. I know this specific school serves a high number of low income and children without much English prior to starting school. My kids are in the dual language immersion and love it. I am very grateful for the full experience my kids are getting at Anana Elementary (formerly known as Falk).

This has been a great school for both of our kids who are very different learners.Homework is appropriate for elementary - available but not required.Teachers have been effective in teaching our diverse learners and making them feel included and supported in the school community.

In regard to the bussing: unfortunately our city's neighborhoods are very segregated, and more unfortunately, we use our schools to try to help rectify that issue. We were more interested in making sure that our children learn in a rich, diverse environment, and with the excellent teachers and leadership at Midvale, our children (one is a top honor student, one is a National Merit Scholar) received a great education that met their needs. My children often thank us for making sure they were educated in a diverse environment - they see their college peers struggle in a real-world setting. I sat on a bus for an hour as a kindergartener through winding country roads and highways, so a 15 minute ride seems insignificant in comparison to the social rewards. Lincoln school - the partner school - is in a fine neighborhood, it's just different. I encourage any prospective parent in either neighborhood to see for themselves, both schools welcome parents of prospective students, and teachers and parents are more than willing to answer questions. Once a Mustang, always a Mustang!

The education is great!, but the teachers and principal is not! The lack of communication and respect for parents is unbelievable! The lack of English when you’re trying to communicate with the teachers about students and getting weird responses back or no response at all is so unprofessional! Also, they need to have more teachers who don’t just speak Spanish. They need diversity! This saddened me because I know this is a great school the teachers are making it bad, the lack or respect and different backgrounds! The lack of communication and responses is terrible! I hope it improves or I will remove my children. This school doesn’t make every parent feel welcomed!

As a dedicated volunteer and parent at MWS, I was heavily invested in the school's success. Unfortunately, my partner and I had to disenroll our child due to the school's handling of serious concerns about child safety and the refusal of staff and board members to address these issues appropriately.One major issue was the school's strict nap policy. Children at MWS are forced to lie still in a dark room for up to 90 minutes daily, with no alternatives for those who couldn't sleep. This policy was not properly disclosed to parents. Concerned, we sought advice from a licensed child psychologist and other Waldorf schools. The psychologist flagged the policy as developmentally inappropriate and potentially harmful for 5- and 6-year-olds, as the majority of which will have have outgrown naps by then. Other Waldorf schools were surprised and concerned about this practice. Despite presenting this information to MWS in a collaborative way, our concerns were met with defensiveness and dismissal.We also raised alarms about the impact of this nap policy on the emotional health and safety of children. Our concerns, and those of other parents who shared their own concerns, were met with further dismissal. After the school board reluctantly agreed to an external review, they chose an “anthroposophical psychologist” over a licensed child psychologist. This reviewer, a former Waldorf teacher with no psychology training, stated that while practitioners of “mainstream psychology” might be concerned with the appropriateness and safety of the current MWS naptime policy, Waldorf educators “know what’s best” for their children -- and that that should be sufficient to put any concerns to rest.The situation worsened with increasingly aggressive communications from the school community. One individual, vying for the school’s open admissions director role, urged the board and administration to expel us and another family for questioning the practices of a Waldorf teacher. Their memo also pressed for what was then an ongoing investigation into child safety concerns be quashed immediately. That individual was subsequently hired.We ultimately withdrew our child from MWS for their safety. Connecting with other families later on revealed a disturbing pattern of dismissal, denial, and bullying, far beyond just naptime issues. I urge current and prospective families to be vigilant and to critically assess what type of environment they want for their child and family.