My children and I love Henderson Mill Elementary. I'll try to detail specifically why:
1. Academics, of course.
A. As the first STEM-certified elementary school in Georgia, HMES has a strong focus in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This is implemented in a variety of ways, including a weekly science class, LEGO engineering projects, a student-produced morning news program, a trout-hatchery program with field trips to release the small fry into the Chattahoochee, and coding in the classroom, among many other opportunities.
B. Literacy is also a strong focus, using the Fountas & Pinnell system (the gold standard) and with small group tutoring every morning before school starts. Students read both fiction and non-fiction, integrating other acedemic fields into their literacy learning. My children are consistently challenged, but have also received support when they have needed it.
C. Homework is a little more intensive than neighboring schools, but is age-appropriate and better prepares students for their experience in middle school.
2. Daily P.E. I can't overstate the importance of this. Every child from Kindergarten to 5th Grade has quality exercise every day. They run laps and do squat thrusts (aka burpees.) The exercise does amazing things for their focus during class and their happiness in general. They also have 15-20 minutes of recess daily.
3. The arts. The full-time music and art teachers are phenomenal in their fields, seeing each student once a week. They also work with the science teacher to implement STEAM Wednesdays, in which the children work on projects incorporating the arts into the STEM fields through innovative projects.
4. Title I. Henderson Mill is a Title I school, which means that it receives federal funds due to the proportion of its children who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. These funds are primarily used to pay the salaries of additional excellent teachers, which helps keep class sizes small and provides that additional academic support. Serving children from a wide array of backgrounds, the school does a fantastic job of supporting and engaging all of its students.
5. The students. Henderson Mill has an amazingly diverse population of students from all over the world. A wide variety of cultures and backgrounds are represented, providing children with the opportunity to learn from one another. I've heard from high school students that this early interaction leads to a better, more integrated experience in the later grades than students from less diverse schools encounter.
6. The culture. Henderson Mill Elementary is an amazing place for children to grow up. It's the kind of place where, following a weeknight event, after the students and most parents have gone home, employees linger happily because they love it there. Children pick up on that and think of the school as a happy place. The teachers, the staff, the administration -- the more you get to know them, the better and better they get. The smiles are contagious.
I kinda can't believe I spent this long writing a Yelp review for a public school, but that should illustrate how much I love the place. read more