temple rodef shalom preschool - reviews please!
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Anonymous
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14:05, good for you for taking the high road.
I find it interesting that one poster (I suspect it is just one poster, but could be more) keeps flying off the handle. If she (or he) isn't crying slander she's claiming we are like lunatics screaming in a movie theatre. (For the record, if even one person stood up in a movie theatre and shouted something like "fire" I would be alarmed and if I saw even a little smoke I personally would grab my family and run out of there. Call me crazy.) To the movie metaphor person...are you forgetting the saying "where there's smoke there's fire?" This poster (or posters) seems to label all who are concerned "spoiled brats" ruining movies and preschools for all. I sincerely hope this person or these people do not work at Rodef. If you have that much disdain for parents of preschoolers who care about their school, temple, community and teachers,I think we have even more to be concerned about. I cannot imagine a fellow preschool parent having this level of disdain for another parent who worries about what is going on at a preschool, even if you do not share the same views. We parents of peschoolers,are intelligent, educated, caring and concerned ADULTS in our 20s, 30s and 40s. It is alarming to me that someone is so quick to label educated grown-ups in such a patronizing, paternalistic and condescending way. |
Anonymous
| Similar complaints are made about the preschool over a number of years. It is clear it is not one or two parents doing the complaining. Dealing with the school and the director can be a nightmare as previous posters have stated. |
Anonymous
| Coming into this late, but as a parent of three kids who attended TRSNS I will say that my experiences were varied. My oldest child went through the school under the former director who is now retired. He had a tremendously positive experience and excellent teachers. Only one of the teachers he had is still at the school. My middle child's first year of TRSNS was also under the old director, her second and third years were under the current leadership. Again, the experience was a good one. My youngest child's three years were under the current leadership and his last year fell during the first year of the economic recession. My husband lost his job mid-year. We found the administration completely impersonal and unrelenting with respect to making financial arrangements (such as a monthly payment plan, reduced tuition, etc...). It was suggested to us that we take our child elsewhere mid-year. It was a horrible series of "discussions." We were eventually able to make things work, but I found it so off-putting to find such a lack of caring or understanding of a situation beyond our control. I hope things in that area have gotten better. I will say that our TRSNS experience was unique to the nursery school. We are long-time Temple members and found a completely different mindset with respect to the Religious School, etc... |
Anonymous
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13:32...I am so sorry to hear you went through this. How horrible given all the stress your family already faced. You derserved compassion and understanding and it pains me to read your post. I am glad you had many positive experiences with Rodef too and I have heard under previous Nursery school leaders it was a kinder and gentler environment.
I have posted before on this thread, but wanted to respond to your post. I hope you have expressed your concerns in writing and in person to the temple president and Rabbi. Many of us have and while I do not feel concerns have been addressed adequately, the more people who come forward the better. My advice to anyone dealing with the current preschool director is to insist on having a board member and/or the rabbi with you for all meetings with her so you have a witness and someone to facilitate communication. I would also insist that a board member and/or the Rabbi be CCed for all email communications again so there are no misunderstandings. Luckily, I have only had positive experiences since we left Rodef. |
Anonymous
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I am finding that the school is not as good as it once was. For one, we pay a huge tuition compared to other other Jewish preschools in the area. The JCC, for example, charges about half the price in tuition and the day is an hour longer. NVHC charges less than half the price, (their day is one hour less). We are also paying for extras (now we have to send in a "healthy" snack for the class).
Several of the the most experienced and beloved teachers have left. Perhaps they were the glue holding it all together, because you can sense the unhappiness and tension of many of the staff. A very active parent there just said to me, "I can't wait to get my girls through and get out." My question is - why wait? I am looking for something else for the next two years so I don't end up with that attitude. |
Anonymous
| You cannot compare Rodef to the JCC or NVHC, in terms of facility or staff- student ratios. The atmosphere there is a breath of fresh air now that there has been some staff turnover. They have a new art studio and STEAM lab too. It is a very exciting school and we love it. |
Anonymous
| 17:34 I think perhaps the tension you are sensing has a lot to do with this being a challenging time of year. The kids are in the midst of the late-winter doldrums and the even the most easy-going kids are testing the rules, about to make their next "leap" in cognitive achievement. And the "healthy" snack was a request by the Parent Committee, not the teachers. |
Anonymous
| How is this a challenging time of year? It is the same time of year at all schools. Not just at Rodef where it appears that the problems are surfacing. The school can only hide the problems for so long it seems. |
Anonymous
Exactly. It's amazing to read the complaints still exist after so many parents over the years have expressed concern. Up until the current leader took over (around 2007 I think) it really was a great place. |
Anonymous
| We are having a wonderful year at this school and are pleased with our teachers, activities and curriculum. Our daughter comes home happy every day and is always eager to show us what she has learned. We have felt welcomed, and love that the school is always looking for ways to improve. We don't seek out drama, and funny enough, it hasn't found us. We feel like our daughter has received a top-notch education from this program and would readily recommend it to others. |
Anonymous
| Our daughter is having an absolutely wonderful experience at rodef shalom. I have found her teachers to be very welcoming. She was a bit shy when she first started but is now thriving in her class. I have enjoyed participating in the parent committee and have met some wonderful moms. These earlier posts definitely gave me pause prior to school starting but I am glad to say our experience has been a great one. |
Anonymous
| Another very positive experience here. We have been there for 2 years and similar to the other poster - we haven't experienced any of the drama - just a good preschool family and a happy kid who loves school. |
Anonymous
| We just started at Rodef this year and I know nothing about the stuff that apparently happened in the past (this thread is the first I'm hearing about it.). My kid has had an amazing year at Rodef and we have been extremely happy. It is not cheap, but I think that is reflected in the facility, grounds, staff, supplies, and programs. We love that the school does so much to encourage the development of a community. There are so many events that have enabled us to get to know the other families and everyone is so nice and welcoming. Most importantly, my kid LOVES going to school. |
Anonymous
| I think the parents of daughters tend to have a better experience that the parents who send sons. This isn't always the case, but more often. |
Anonymous
| We have a son and are very happy. |