Utica Schools (Detroit, Troy, Shelby: relocating, work, invest)

[diamondgirl45]

We are trying to find a good, safe school for our children. I have looked at some sites and it suggests that Beck and Ebling elementary schools are good...and safe..but HUGE at nearly 700 students. That is 4 times bigger than their old school.
We were considering Magahay elementary, but then saw there were 37 physical assaults in a year there...ouch.
Has anyone had any experience with any of the schools in this area??

[mom2bal]

Wow, I have not heard one bad thing about Utica schools - I'm so surprised! Utica is one of the best school districts around this area of Michigan. My son attends Plumbrook and we have been very happy with the school.

The newest elementary is Beacon Tree(In Shelby) - not sure if that is too far out for you though.

[MIEng]

My kids attend elementary school within the Utica Community Schools and we are very pleased. I have never heard of any serious problems regarding physical attacks or violence in elementary schools in the area. The Utica schools system is well regarded in the SE MI area. You may want to investigate what those reports are about or what they mean. I would be very curious too.

[*Danielle*]

We also live in Shelby Twp. My kids are too young to attend school yet,,,but we have heard nothing but excellent things about the Utica school district.

[elisabetm]

Originally Posted by *Danielle*

We also live in Shelby Twp. My kids are too young to attend school yet,,,but we have heard nothing but excellent things about the Utica school district.

Does anyone know if they use the Everyday Math program?? We are relocating (somewhere in the Detroit area) and want to avoid this program. Our kids have it now and it is absolutely awful. I can't believe that it passes for math. I wrote the district but haven't gotten a reply yet.

[mofromcheboygankalamazoo]

Originally Posted by elisabetm

Does anyone know if they use the Everyday Math program?? We are relocating (somewhere in the Detroit area) and want to avoid this program. Our kids have it now and it is absolutely awful. I can't believe that it passes for math. I wrote the district but haven't gotten a reply yet.

hey, I am an elementary school teacher. certified in MI, MD, and now PA...I taught in MD for two years and we did not use this program-Now i am subbing in and around Philly and tutoring a fifth grader. they use this stinkin' program. I agree that it is awful!!! i had never heard of it before moving here last fall and i am sorry it is all around the philly area! The girl i tutor struggles with it and her mother wanted me to go old school with my methods (meaning traditional math) and it seams to be working for her better!

So, if you go to the district website search for math curriculum, most, if not all school districts post the curriculum they use online.

[mofromcheboygankalamazoo]

Fifth Grade Learning Standards

it isn't clear what program they use, but it looks different from the goals districts use around here....good luck

[Ivorytickler]

Originally Posted by diamondgirl45

We are trying to find a good, safe school for our children. I have looked at some sites and it suggests that Beck and Ebling elementary schools are good...and safe..but HUGE at nearly 700 students. That is 4 times bigger than their old school.
We were considering Magahay elementary, but then saw there were 37 physical assaults in a year there...ouch.
Has anyone had any experience with any of the schools in this area??

I don't live in Utica but I've heard great things about their schools. So my opinion doesn't mean much but coworkers who do live there have raved about the schools (things like second languages in elementary school and the way they handle struggling readers)

One word of caution, what do they define as assault? and what do they report? Sometimes high statistics just mean someone is reporting more than someone else. I'd look into that. Your definition of assault may be different than theirs.

I'll give you a silly example. When my daughter was 4, a little boy in her class kissed her. Because of zero tolerance for unwanted touching, the school brought in both sets of parents and I'm sure this incident turned up in some report as inappropriate touching. He was a pre schooler smitten with another pre schooler. Granted my daughter was upset. She was upset beause it was a real kiss (the kind that makes the smacking sound, lol). It was just cute kid stuff but zero tolerance rules resulted in blowing it way out of proportion.

[kimba01]

My kids go to UCS and I am very happy with it. We actually moved here from another district with UCS in mind. I work in the schools in the kitchen and I have worked alot at Ebling. I thought the kids were great, but I only see them at lunch. I have not heard of any "bad" things. I have a daughter in 8th and a son who just graduated from Eisenhower. I have heard nothing out of the norm and they appear to be very informative. Whenever there is an issue, they send notes.

Good luck!

[diamondgirl45]

Originally Posted by kimba01

My kids go to UCS and I am very happy with it. We actually moved here from another district with UCS in mind. I work in the schools in the kitchen and I have worked alot at Ebling. I thought the kids were great, but I only see them at lunch. I have not heard of any "bad" things. I have a daughter in 8th and a son who just graduated from Eisenhower. I have heard nothing out of the norm and they appear to be very informative. Whenever there is an issue, they send notes.

Good luck!

Thank you for the info. Ebling was one of our top choices. Now my husband thinks he would like to live nearer to work in Troy (cheaper on the gas tank) so I am unsure of where we will end up.