Richard Bard Elementary School

Posted: February 18, 2021

Better then expected. I lived Mrs. Perez and was sad to she ger go bug happy for her promotion. Anxious about the new principal.

Posted: February 18, 2021

Posted: February 18, 2021

Posted: February 18, 2021

Posted: February 18, 2021

Posted: February 18, 2021

Posted: February 18, 2021

Posted: February 18, 2021

Posted: August 21, 2018

After several meetings with leadership/childish ideas of recording/capturing teacher in-class behavior, we elected to focus on what is really important and pull our student out in order to get him into an environment that could better meet his educational needs and goals and allow him grow unhindered.

Posted: August 21, 2018

There is no consistency amongst classes on the approach to homework. Some classes get a lot, others get none within the same grade.

Posted: August 21, 2018

Some teachers were very dedicated and effective, others were carried their personal triggers and projected them onto students. This inconsistency from year to year. Ms Folly/Fitzgerald was an amazing teacher and could adeptly handle the different learning styles of her students.

Posted: August 21, 2018

Although the school does have a program called character counts, the application is sporadic and ineffective. Minor actions are treated the same as larger ones, all go into a raffle which is more like a lottery than a recognition of which traits should be reinforced and which traits should be expected.

Posted: August 21, 2018

The principal was very caring and engaged with all students! I felt after several meetings with him, that his hands were tied with respect to dealing with teacher performance and conduct in the classroom.

Posted: August 21, 2018

This school tends to cater to slower learners. Kids who are excelling are held back and do not get the appropriate opportunities to continue learning. Rather than identifying and grouping higher learning student so that they can benefit from each other, higher learning students are dispersed in order to “help the other students”. There is a Gifted And Talented program however, this is only done one hour per week after all of the other students are released; in effect for being advanced, a student gets the pleasure of remaining after school ( what used to be termed detention).

Posted: August 21, 2018

Such is nature, kids are grouped by adults as “good kids and bad kids.” When the “good kids bully” it is largely overlooked. The “bad kids” are not afforded the same respect of of being unbiasedly listened to. Guilt is already presumed.

Posted: April 7, 2015

Wonderful school. They have a brand new principal and many new staff members who have really changed the atmosphere of the school. New iPads in the classrooms and a great focus on PE and the arts. Their GATE program is outstanding and they brought back band for 5th graders.

Posted: May 30, 2014

Awhile ago when my kids went Bard had an exceptional Principal who left the district to lead districts in the county. Dr. Puglisi had a hand in much-developed a sports program for PE, developed the after school program subsequent leaders dismantled, ran music flag salutes, built and supported the library, supported and drove curriculum, had a big part in the coordination with the base, in short a guy that knew the job and did it 24/7. He personally did it. And people supported him incredibly. A TEAM. When the District leadership changed unfortunately a lot of what was great became strangled and lost. Now Bard remains better than other schools in the district now it touts "CHAMPS" as innovative-which is a behavioral program that turns all human interaction into a Skinnerian model. 1956. At some point the really great teachers that were there will all be retired and younger ones will be following culture of this school they never actually saw for themselves. And that's sad because the terrific is lessened under current district leadership . For my kids Bard did a great job-excellent actually. It was a place with a caring heart, arts, theater, enrichment, love of literature.

Posted: September 25, 2013

Fabulous school with talented, caring and cutting edge teachers and programs. My son flourished in the Dual-Immersion program. The teachers encouraged parent participation on and off campus, and invited me to share in my child's education. My son was challenged academically, while teaching him constructive processes to succeed socially and emotionally. Bravo Zulu!

Posted: October 16, 2012

If I could give them a ZERO, I would. They let children physically fight each other with no consequences (have seen this first hand), they have no accountability for teachers or students, and the parent communication is HORRIBLE. I got confronted by an upset parent throwing out accusations at me, and the school didn't seem concerned. The parent accused my child of bullying (he was not, could not be farther from the truth, there was another child he mistaked my kid for), the principal had gotten a call from the parent, but did not feel it was important to let the parent of the child know, so they decided to yell at me for it. There are a few rare gems at this school, a HANDFUL of caring teachers and staff, but for the most part, you have over-worked teachers that don't care about their students or parents. Had multiple parent/teacher/principal conferences before pulling my child out to a better school. Could not pay me to bring my child back here, STAY AWAY!