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Old 05-01-2012, 07:43 AM
 
4 posts, read 21,198 times
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Looking to hear from parents of WES students. Do you love your elementary school? If so, why? How is it in terms of school culture? Are the teachers nurturing? How is the curriculum (arts based, science based, etc). Bullying issues- how are they handled? Diversity? Parent involvement? Would really love to hear what you love and what you don't love. Trying to decide between buying a house in WES or Media Elementary area. Have heard great things about Media Elementary, would love to hear about WES as well?
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Old 05-04-2012, 08:13 PM
 
434 posts, read 1,310,125 times
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I just responded to a similar question on a different thread, but to make sure you don't miss it I'll duplicate the response here:
__________

I live in the portion of the Wallingford-Swarthmore school district that goes to Wallingford Elementary School (WES). I love WES. It is, arguably, the best in the district (some might say SRS, but NPE is usually third of the three). Much of WES' success is attributed to the Principal, Dr. Milgrim. She is a wonderful Principal who communicates frequently with parents, gets along well with the staff, administration & kids, and helps foster a real sense of community.

I absolutely love the school culture, community, and teachers at WES. Parents can be significantly involved (if they want to be) in volunteer activities and I always feel welcome at the school.

The district also has a lot of sports and after-school activities to keep kids engaged and occupied with their friends. I've found the other parents on the playground to be friendly and easy to talk to. Certainly not a snob atmosphere.

I also think WES (maybe W-S as a whole) does a good job of mixing different types of kids & ability levels, without making some kids feel like they're too special or others like they're falling behind. For example, it's not common knowledge which kids have IEPs and which have GIEPs, everyone participates equally while still having opportunity for individualized curriculum. (I have also heard that some kids at the high school level who are particularly accelerated can take classes at Swarthmore College, which is pretty cool.)

I've always thought the W-S School Board does a pretty good job too... Their meetings are usually well attended and always televised, and I've felt they genuinely listen to parents when making decisions.

One thing I'll say in comparison to RTM is that W-S covers less geography, with Strath Haven High School and Middle School practically in the center (and WES close by). RTM is huge. If you live by Media Elementary there's a good chance it would be easier for you to get to Strath Haven than Penncrest!

WES is also undergoing significant construction right now, including build of a completely new classroom building and renovation of the administrative wing. It's going to be practically a brand new school for the 2012-2013 school year. Here's a link to info on the project, in case you weren't aware: WES Building Project / Overview

__________
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Old 05-05-2012, 05:28 PM
 
81 posts, read 216,597 times
Reputation: 72
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhillyViaBoston View Post
I just responded to a similar question on a different thread, but to make sure you don't miss it I'll duplicate the response here:
__________

I live in the portion of the Wallingford-Swarthmore school district that goes to Wallingford Elementary School (WES). I love WES. It is, arguably, the best in the district (some might say SRS, but NPE is usually third of the three). Much of WES' success is attributed to the Principal, Dr. Milgrim. She is a wonderful Principal who communicates frequently with parents, gets along well with the staff, administration & kids, and helps foster a real sense of community.

I absolutely love the school culture, community, and teachers at WES. Parents can be significantly involved (if they want to be) in volunteer activities and I always feel welcome at the school.

The district also has a lot of sports and after-school activities to keep kids engaged and occupied with their friends. I've found the other parents on the playground to be friendly and easy to talk to. Certainly not a snob atmosphere.

I also think WES (maybe W-S as a whole) does a good job of mixing different types of kids & ability levels, without making some kids feel like they're too special or others like they're falling behind. For example, it's not common knowledge which kids have IEPs and which have GIEPs, everyone participates equally while still having opportunity for individualized curriculum. (I have also heard that some kids at the high school level who are particularly accelerated can take classes at Swarthmore College, which is pretty cool.)

I've always thought the W-S School Board does a pretty good job too... Their meetings are usually well attended and always televised, and I've felt they genuinely listen to parents when making decisions.

One thing I'll say in comparison to RTM is that W-S covers less geography, with Strath Haven High School and Middle School practically in the center (and WES close by). RTM is huge. If you live by Media Elementary there's a good chance it would be easier for you to get to Strath Haven than Penncrest!

WES is also undergoing significant construction right now, including build of a completely new classroom building and renovation of the administrative wing. It's going to be practically a brand new school for the 2012-2013 school year. Here's a link to info on the project, in case you weren't aware: WES Building Project / Overview

__________
Why is this school thought of as 3rd? We were also looking at homes districted for NPE.
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Old 05-05-2012, 07:16 PM
 
434 posts, read 1,310,125 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JavaChip3 View Post
Why is this school thought of as 3rd? We were also looking at homes districted for NPE.
It's not that Nether Providence Elementary (NPE) is bad. It's just not usually as highly regarded as Wallingford Elementary (WES) or Swarthmore Rutledge School (SRS).

WES is going through a huge renovation and will be almost brand new for the next school year. (It always got very high marks because of the Principal, and it has also recently won a Blue Ribbon). SRS has been recently renovated (as was Strath Haven Middle School). NPE is next on the list, with project planning already underway. NPE Building Project / Overview Perhaps the forthcoming NPE renovation will make the unofficial W-S district elementary school rankings a bit more of a toss up.
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Old 05-06-2012, 09:25 AM
 
81 posts, read 216,597 times
Reputation: 72
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhillyViaBoston View Post
It's not that Nether Providence Elementary (NPE) is bad. It's just not usually as highly regarded as Wallingford Elementary (WES) or Swarthmore Rutledge School (SRS).

WES is going through a huge renovation and will be almost brand new for the next school year. (It always got very high marks because of the Principal, and it has also recently won a Blue Ribbon). SRS has been recently renovated (as was Strath Haven Middle School). NPE is next on the list, with project planning already underway. NPE Building Project / Overview Perhaps the forthcoming NPE renovation will make the unofficial W-S district elementary school rankings a bit more of a toss up.
Thank you! Do you think this neighborhood/school district is welcoming/accepting to families outside of the majority (we are an interracial family)?

(Sorry to hijack your thread OP, we're interested in the same neighborhood.)
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Old 05-06-2012, 07:05 PM
 
434 posts, read 1,310,125 times
Reputation: 283
Quote:
Originally Posted by JavaChip3 View Post
Thank you! Do you think this neighborhood/school district is welcoming/accepting to families outside of the majority (we are an interracial family)?
Yes, I think the area & school district is welcoming & accepting of diversity. In full disclosure, my family is one in the racial majority, so I guess it's impossible for me to say for sure how accepting non-traditional families may feel. I don't know anyone around who cares one way or another who you marry or what color your skin is. (Or if I do I guess they're smart enough not to say anything stupid in front of me. )

I know of a few interracial families & a few same-sex parent families in the district. I expect (and hope) they're as comfortable and happy as the the more "typical" families. (Fun fact: Wanda Sykes & her partner raise their family in Media boro, and I figure they could choose to live just about anywhere...!)

On the whole, the area is pretty liberal, with Swarthmore maybe being one of the "crunchier" Philadelphia suburbs. FWIW.
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Old 04-22-2013, 02:02 PM
 
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Hello! I'm a student who went to WES and now I'm currently a freshman in SHHS. I just wanted to say that, the teachers are really down to earth and wonderful here, and everybody is very welcoming and nice. I have ADD too so it was hard for me to get my work done in elementary school, but the teachers there really helped me through a lot. I'm doing just fine now thanks to them.

And about the bullying, diversity and arts, etc. When I was there a couple years ago, there was really no bullying going on, everyone was really nice and open. As for the diversity and arts, we have many assemblies, events and fundraisers as for a day of diversity or the fine arts such as: Jump Rope for Heart, Talent Show, Alex's Lemonade Stand, May Day(A day everyone waits for, it's like a carnival made by parents), and the Extravaganza(a play made from the fifth graders revolving around one theme), and many more I've forgotten. Overall, it's a very nice school, although my descriptions may be biased since I went to it, but I can tell you that I really love WES, from since I was a little kid up until now. I would seriously love to experience those wonderful five years again if I could. I cherish them very much now.
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