Mantua Elementary

[Anonymous]

Hello. I know there have been some threads on Mantua but I am looking for some additional, recent feedback on the school.
We are now looking at houses in the area and just found one that we really like. Mainly, I am wondering about leadership of the principal,
quality/effectiveness of the teachers, classroom behavior and general feel of the school (since school is out, I cannot unfortunately tour and get my own feel).
Given the large size of the school, is that overwhelming for a young child or is it managed well? Are the academics and enrichment programs
well-rounded and challenging? And, lastly do the PTA and school administration work well together?

I would appreciate any feedback.

[Anonymous]

Mantua is a great school. While it is large younger children are dived into smaller "families" were several K-2 teachers work together. This allows for math and language arts classes that are taylored to the level of particular students. A K student that is ahead of the game may be with a 1st grade teacher for these classes. All of the teachers we have experienced have been excellent. Was dissappointed that my younger did not get a particular teacher for K and it turned out the one she got was just as good and a perfect fit for her. The school does a good job dealing with disruptive students and in my experience knows what teachers to place them with to both minimize disruptive behavior for the class and help the disruptive student meet their potential. The PTA and school administration work very close together.

[Anonymous]

We moved to Mantua elementary two years ago. So far the two teachers we have had are experienced ones. Compare to our previous school, Mantua focus more on writing. Most kids seem advanced in both reading and math (at least to me). The size of the school is not a problem for my kid at all.

[Anonymous]

My children attend Mantua. When we were moving into the area a few years ago, it was one of three schools we had on our short list though not necessarily our first choice. We ended up finding a house we loved (and nothing we liked in the other neighborhoods--it was a really tight market) so that's where we ended up.
We've been very pleased with the school overall. Our kids range the gamut in academic skills from AAP to some SN, and we feel that the administration tries very very hard to accommodate their different needs. Overall, the teachers have been great, with the exception of some in 4th grade, which seems to be a bit of the weak link at the school. The environment is very inclusive and welcoming and the neighborhood is very family oriented with a moms' group, community pool, etc.
As a PP posted, the PTA has a very good relationship with the administration. When we moved in, we initially thought the extra-curriculars weren't all that well rounded but in the past two years a lot of new programs have been implemented (for some reason, the PTA website is a bit outdated and only lists a fraction of what's available). They vary a bit from year to year but for instance this year, in addition to what's on the website, we also had off the top of my head:
Odyssey of the Mind
Destination Imagination
Chess
Lego Robotics
various arts and crafts classes
Science Olympiad
and probably others which I forget.

HTH