Any parents have any info on Valrico Academy at Celebration Church in Valrico and how your children are doing there? (how much, salaries)

[littleprincessk]

i dont agree with the negatives. btw our principal is not primadonna. this is coming from a student and im saying i love it here. our teachers are highly educated. i agree with mr.b, in my old school the staff only knew my name when they looked on my lunch account and i was constantly pushed to the side by teachers who couldnt help me. the private school atmosphere here makes it easy for kids to fit in because you dont need to worry about them being picked on about where they got their clothes or how much money their parents make and we are treated by the teachers as individuals with different characteristics and needs and not one ginormous class that the teacher only has so much control over. i went to brandon academy when i was in kindergarten and first grade and the first year was awsome but in first grade if i had trouble on my spelling tests my teacher would tell me how to spell it, which really aggravates me because they shouldnt have us spelling hanukka and kwanzaa in first grade in the first place, if they need to tell the kids the answers in order for them to pass why teach it to them at all. one of my first grade teachers at brandon academy used to slap me on the hand if i was talking or humming in class which is unacceptable teacher behaviour for a first grade teacher and thats beside the fact that they allow the children to speak innaproprietly, and plus they charge 700 dollars a month. if ihad to choose between going back to brandon academy or staying at valrico academy i would choose to stay at valrico academy and if they have an 8th grade next year thats exactly where i will go.

[johnboy11]

It is true that all schools have problems however you must choose what is best for your child. From the information I have, the teachers who
"left" Brandon Academy to go to Valrico Academy were not teachers at Brandon Academy, they were classroom aides. They only became "teachers" at Valrico Academy. Maybe that is why they left. I know I would not want my kid being taught full time by a person who is an aide as opposed to a qualified teacher. Just my opinion though.

[Concerned Mom of 2]

I would just like to comment on the quality of education that I have experienced at Valrico Academy. I myself have worked in the Public system for over 10 years. That is why I have chosen to put my children in Private schools up till this point. I have done my research and Valrico Academy is an Accredited Charter school. All of their teachers are DOE FL State Certified. I feel that most of them are excellent teachers, they re concerned about the education that these children receive. From what I have experienced they are awesome teachers. Having worked in the Public system - you see all types of teachers. Trust me we have the best of the best at VAC. No matter what school you go into in the Nation you will find that it is all about scores, testing, money & grades. That is the way the DOE distributes tax money is by testing & scores. If you have a problem with the FCAT and the way money is distributed in the State of Florida please by all means contact your State Senate & Governor. And if you have a problem with schools pushing the FCAT you need to look into your local public school & question their testing stratigies. You would be surprised at what you learn & welcome Charter Schools with open arms. The State of Florida has given the "right to choose & educate the children" back to the parents in the form of Charter Schools & school choice. Please exercise your rights, vote for politicians that support "choice of education", and be active in your FL State Senate.

[BrandonMom]

well Today was the open house at Valrico academy an I loved their curriculum the only thing that I did like was the way the handle the open house first of all after we apply they didn't know when exactly was the open house we had to call them almost on daily basis to find out, second point is that it was very disorganized and about the library the teacher said that by September of 2012 the library will be open which means it will take over a year to open a library!. I spoke with a mom at my son's current VPK school and she told me that she pulled her son from kindergartner last December because it was very disorganized and she got tired of excuses. we still researching in order to find a good school for our kids.

[GenZma]

We are currently considering pulling our child out of Valrico Academy. Everything that has been said about nepotism, disorganization and lack of communication has rung true for us. My child's teacher was hired because she was a 'friend' of other teachers there..the one's from Brandon Academy. This is our second year. The first year we were very pleased with the teacher, she was professional and knowledgeable, but ever since they moved into the new school it has taken a turn for the worse. My child is now coming home with bruises from harm inflicted by other students and nothing is being done. It takes a week to get a phone call returned. There is no guidance counselor or any other specialty support position so the administration is busy with lunch duty, car line, and other tasks so it is no wonder they have no time to help in a situation. I think the school got too big too quick, the "A" grade has gone to their heads, and they have forgotten that they are public servants there to provide an education as well as a safe and nurturing environment for the students. Not paying tuition doesn't deserve being treated unfairly. I would only recommend this school for a middle school student who is interested in the math/science academy. This is a program within the school that the student must apply for separately. There are advantages, just make sure that you have a responsible and experienced teacher who is willing to stay communicated with parents in a positive way. Otherwise, I would steer clear of this school. Also, they use to offer Spanish classes but then the PE coach QUIT and now the Spanish teacher is the PE teacher, so no more Spanish.

[happyascanbe]

As I was a parent at Valrico Academy, I agree that the teachers, and staff are just about as nice as can be. The principal got lucky with the staff that she has, although most are either gone or on their way out now, and was hired only after coming in for an interview as a teacher, not a principal. Guess they thought she would make a great puppet for them so they hired her. She is queen of the old duck and cover, visible during carpool, yes, but only because they parents can't get out of their cars during carpool and address her. Otherwise, if you need to speak with her, she will have her "secretary" tell you she is unavailable while she hides in her office below her desk.

The nepotism doesn't really have anything to do with the quality, there is favoritism, but there is anywhere.

As for the anti-antisemitism, as said by the above that it was handled, it was only handled properly if you are indeed a racist, bigot or antisemitic. Having a child tell a Jewish child that we need to get Hitler back out here to kill all the Jews, is disgusting, and there was nothing really done about it because the boy's family had a family member sick- oh boo hoo for him. I myself am an African American woman and once when I was little, someone said something to me about my color and it has changed me forever and I will never forget it, much like this little girl will never forget that comment made by the boy. And obviously it isn't "nuff said" since people in the school and area are still enraged with how the principal handled the situation.

My advice, maybe find another school, unless you like crap like this......

[vanille]

I am very disappointed in this school. We are a prospective family. After spending an entire evening attending the open house, we just found out today (after many repeated emails) that there is indeed no space or lottery for sixth grade? There is now just a "lottery for the waitlist?" How can this be possible? Is this actually true?

BTW, they received a B last year, not an A from the FLDOE school grades. Not sure where you are getting the info that it is an A school? It is not.

We are very disappointed in the lack of organization, lack of transparency about the enrollment process and I will be filing a formal complaint once this is all done. Are they just "cherry picking" off the waitlist? Why no open lottery like other charter schools? How many openings for sixth grade are there? Do I need to make a donation to get my child accepted at this school?

[Look Closer...]

As a parent that donates alot of time to the school, I spend alot of time in the office making copies. This puts you where the action is, and I have begun to notice how things run, and needless to say...outta' here! Watch as classroom sizes swell from now until the end of the year, that's because they're handpicking applications and enrolling students now, the students they want, hence making the lottery bogus. When you hear a secretary get off a phone call and make the statement that, there is no way that crazy parent's kid gets in here, to the principal, and they both laugh and bury the application. Yea, that's a fair lottery, wonder what they say about me when I call with a question? Still don't believe, check the african american ratio enrolled in the school compared to the white ratio, they eliminated spanish in favor of PE, and all our sports team have shirts, equiptment, and I'm sure the coaching staff isn't doing it for free, yet we have no library. This is all in addition to being given certain assurances, that never seem to have either panned out, or are simply being pushed back and forgotten. It's sad to see a once promising school that I surely would've endorsed two years ago...go to complete rubbish!

[vanille]

Look Closer, we chose another school- thank you for your input.

[sheezalady43]

School isn't bad, needs to get up to 21st century instructional skills as well as pushing kids in same direction. FCAT practice and prep starts from beginning of the year. Mass lack of communication across the board. Everyone is in the dark. Business policies and procedures are not divulged even to new employees. Finding out info after the fact about said policies and procedures is devastating. Primarily in the business of a business/company which is something to consider. Unfortunately these practices are hidden and not available to public, not even employees.