Would you send your kid to Seabrook Elementary? How do you decide?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have not input on that specific school but I will chime in on my experience worrying about diversity.
My white daughter goes to a school that is 97% non white and we have had zero problems so far. She is 1 of 2 white kids in her grade and although she talks about race she has never said that she gets teased or feels like she sticks out. I am guessing that may change when she gets older but for K-2 it hasn't been an issue at all.
Good Luck!

+1 My child is entering high school, and is one of a handful of white kids. Honestly, it's been good for him, and the discussions about race have been continuous throughout his schooling. There is value to growing up in an environment where not everyone looks like you, especially if you're a white kid, IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our neighborhood school is Seabrook Elementary. It has a 7 on greatschools and good reviews, but I am ambivalent about sending my kids there. The building is very, very old and I find it depressing. It is also not a terribly diverse school. I don't know if I should give it a chance or not. What would you do? Have you heard anything about this school?

Its not diverse? 52 percent black and 35 percent Hispanic isn't diverse? You mean not a lot of white kids? Nothing wrong with that btw, I just find it interesting that the de facto vision of diversity starts with majority white and a smattering of everything else. The parental reviews expressed similar concerns and they all seem more then happy. Also think of it like this they are a 7 with good scores without a PTA, imagine if your child went there and you as a mom started one? The school could easily be a 9, aren't you guys always claiming that the issue in P.G. isn't the school but the parents? Well put your money where your mouth is and get involved. Its always those "other parents" need to be more active...no its 'you'

Simmer down cowgirl! I would be more than happy to start a PTA but I'm not sure it would matter much if other parents did not participate. We are of an ethnic group that is technically white, but we are darker skinned and get mistaken for Hispanic a lot. I worry a little bit about my kids sticking out or not being included. Why shouldn't I? It's not like I'm sort of expert parent and know all the answers. People don't want to experiment with their children, and neither do I! And the building looks really, really sad.

+1. OP, I'm with you. "52 percent black and 35 percent Hispanic" is neither diverse nor mainstream. That'd be a concern for our multi-racial family. Having said that, what matters is how it compares with your other options.

[Anonymous]

OP here. You know, it's not just that the school has very few white students. There's also the fact that there is no PTA (there was a PTA when we moved here!), the school is 80% FARMS (up from around 50% when we moved here!!), and the building is beat up looking. I feel like despite the good reviews online (which are old), and the good test scores (and I have been looking carefully at test scores from schools around the county and what counts as "good" seems awfully depressing), there are quite a few red flags here, which has me worried and which is why I posted.

On the one hand, I feel pretty strongly that early elementary is about the basics, but on the other, the introduction to school is critical. I think it is kind of important that a school be bright, inviting, diverse (both racially and economically).

The nearest private school is St. Matthias, which does not have the best reviews but has recently begun a Spanish Immersion program.

UGH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. You know, it's not just that the school has very few white students. There's also the fact that there is no PTA (there was a PTA when we moved here!), the school is 80% FARMS (up from around 50% when we moved here!!), and the building is beat up looking. I feel like despite the good reviews online (which are old), and the good test scores (and I have been looking carefully at test scores from schools around the county and what counts as "good" seems awfully depressing), there are quite a few red flags here, which has me worried and which is why I posted.

On the one hand, I feel pretty strongly that early elementary is about the basics, but on the other, the introduction to school is critical. I think it is kind of important that a school be bright, inviting, diverse (both racially and economically).

The nearest private school is St. Matthias, which does not have the best reviews but has recently begun a Spanish Immersion program.

UGH.

OP, high schooler mom again. I completely get your gut feeling about the lack of a PTA or PTO. That would concern me as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was a couple of years ago so I might have the name wrong, but I recall there being a specialty school in the same building and I wasn't certain if the scores were separated out. However, my main issue was lack of parent involvement.

I ended up using the babysitter transfer to a different school that I really like, but it has the hassle of transporting and no neighborhood kids in the school.

The former Robert Goddard Montessori programs are in their own building behind Duval High School and have not been in Seabrook Elementary for years. And even when they were co-occupying space, they maintained their own test scores since they had non-overlapping enrollment. But they are now in their own facility.

[Anonymous]

Actually, now Glenarden Woods shares Robert Montessori's space.

[Anonymous]

I too would worry about the PTA and the Principal's reluctance to let you visit the classrooms. I looked at the page and they do seem to be organized as far as fundraising even without the PTA which I think is impressive. The Newsletter was really well organized compared to other schools.

One thought is to look and see if they are having some sort of event at the school and just show up. Like a band concert or something. You could also reach out to the school and ask if you could volunteer in the library for a few hours or something. You shouldn't need a background check to do that but even if you do they are available online and less than $10.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Well, instead of sitting around wondering for another year, I decided to call and ask for a tour. So I called and the school counselor called me back within half an hour and readily agreed to give me a tour. So I do not know what that other pp was talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Well, instead of sitting around wondering for another year, I decided to call and ask for a tour. So I called and the school counselor called me back within half an hour and readily agreed to give me a tour. So I do not know what that other pp was talking about.

Did you ever go on the tour, if so, what did you think of the school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Well, instead of sitting around wondering for another year, I decided to call and ask for a tour. So I called and the school counselor called me back within half an hour and readily agreed to give me a tour. So I do not know what that other pp was talking about.

Did you ever go on the tour, if so, what did you think of the school?

I did! I liked it. I felt like all of my concerns were addressed. The building is old, but is in decent shape. They are a full Title I school this year, so they have a lot of new resources that they are figuring out how to work with, this year they got a bunch of new computers. Their is no PTA, and the reason is that they have not been able to find a parent who wants to be in charge of it. Which is understandable, I guess? There is no foreign language instruction, which I did not like. They have musical instruments in the later grades. I really want the kids to be in a language immersion program, but if I can't get that, I will not feel bad about sending them to this school. It seemed orderly, and I sensed the kids were happy. I just got a good vibe from the school. I recommend that any parent who has questions go ahead and visit the school, I personally feel better now.

[Anonymous]

*THERE is no PTA...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Well, instead of sitting around wondering for another year, I decided to call and ask for a tour. So I called and the school counselor called me back within half an hour and readily agreed to give me a tour. So I do not know what that other pp was talking about.

Did you ever go on the tour, if so, what did you think of the school?

I did! I liked it. I felt like all of my concerns were addressed. The building is old, but is in decent shape. They are a full Title I school this year, so they have a lot of new resources that they are figuring out how to work with, this year they got a bunch of new computers. Their is no PTA, and the reason is that they have not been able to find a parent who wants to be in charge of it. Which is understandable, I guess? There is no foreign language instruction, which I did not like. They have musical instruments in the later grades. I really want the kids to be in a language immersion program, but if I can't get that, I will not feel bad about sending them to this school. It seemed orderly, and I sensed the kids were happy. I just got a good vibe from the school. I recommend that any parent who has questions go ahead and visit the school, I personally feel better now.

Great! thanks for the info!

[Anonymous]

I know people who send their kids to Seabrook and they love the principal. These kids are first generation Latinos and they are doing really well. If I lived there and my kids were little, I would seriously consider sending them there, as long as that principal stays.

[Anonymous]

OP here and an update: I enrolled my daughter here despite my reservations and I think it is a wonderful school. She has advanced so much and I am so impressed with everything about the school. The teachers and principal are wonderful and there is just this ethos that they would do anything in their power to help these kids succeed. There is no formal PTA but there is a parent-teacher group and I am thinking of starting a real PTA myself.

[Anonymous]

That's wonderful! I think I remember hearing a couple of years ago that the principal of Seabrook is one of the best in the county.