Global Village Academy - Colorado Springs

Posted: January 15, 2019

Posted: January 15, 2019

Posted: January 15, 2019

Posted: January 15, 2019

Posted: January 15, 2019

Posted: January 15, 2019

Posted: January 15, 2019

Very Great school. I love that my kids are learning a different language. Which may be why the over all test scores are lower than the state average because they are learning two languages at once. I also love how they include the parents in EVERYTHING. I have direct contact with his teachers so I always know how he’s doing or can have my questions answered immediately!!! The only criticism I have is a slight lack in organization. My kid ended up on the bus even though at the time he didn’t take the bus. The teachers and staff felt horrible and it was an honest mistake. I think what may have contributed is the fact that there was only one teacher to 25 kids. She has since gotten a teachers aid. It may not be ran like a tight ship but my son is learning so much and doing so well and I couldn’t be happier knowing that my kids will grow up knowing two languages instead of just one. Overall a very great school! I highly recommend it!

Posted: November 24, 2018

Students get away with disrespect towards teachers with minimal consequences.

Posted: November 24, 2018

Complete turnover of middle school staff 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 (by November 2018)

Posted: November 24, 2018

The school takes students with needs that cannot be met by a classroom teacher causing classroom disruptions on a routine basis.

Posted: November 24, 2018

Posted: November 24, 2018

Middle School issues with disrespect and a culture that is unhealthy.

Posted: November 24, 2018

Posted: November 24, 2018

Principal more concerned to fill seats and takes students with serious issues negatively impacting the school's culture.

Posted: March 6, 2018

Posted: March 6, 2018

Posted: March 6, 2018

Posted: March 6, 2018

Posted: March 6, 2018

Posted: March 6, 2018

Posted: March 6, 2018

As a parent I really appreciate the small class sizes, which allows teachers to spend extra time focusing on challenging my children in ways to help them grow. Since it's a true immersion language school children are learning in two (and sometimes three) languages. My second grader is completely fluent now and at her last conference her teacher said she could would be successful in a second grade class in a Spanish-speaking foreign country!

Posted: July 21, 2017

Posted: July 21, 2017

Posted: July 21, 2017

Posted: July 21, 2017

Posted: July 21, 2017

Posted: July 21, 2017

Posted: July 21, 2017

It is with a heavy heart that I rate this school so poorly. We found that communication problems between the staff and home, poor leadership, and non-rigorous academics all added up to a negative experience for our child.

That said, some of the teachers are truly dedicated and bond with the kids. Unfortunately, the teachers must not be getting the support and training that they need. Discipline problems abound. And while our child did learn some of the language, the curriculum seemed random and not targeted well. Lots of movies, coloring sheets, dance practices, and computer time, but very little learning.

We also were disappointed with the school leadership, who seemed adversarial to parents from day one.

Posted: September 28, 2016

This is my son's first year at GVA - Colorado Springs and I'm so incredibly impressed with this school. I love the fact that this is a FREE international charter academy, because he's getting a great education. My 5 year old loves going to school every day and learning a new language. It is helping to build his confidence and he's learning a lot about cultural differences and diversity. I wish this school existed when I was going to school. I love it...

Heather Melendez

Posted: September 28, 2016

Posted: September 28, 2016

Posted: September 28, 2016

Posted: September 28, 2016

Posted: September 28, 2016

Posted: September 28, 2016

Posted: September 28, 2016

Posted: September 28, 2016

Posted: September 28, 2016

Posted: September 28, 2016

Diversity is the #1 thing that drew me towards this school. The students get a chance to go beyond the superficial introduction to different cultures that you often see in other schools.

Posted: September 28, 2016

Posted: September 28, 2016

Posted: September 28, 2016

My children love GVA. Both just started last month, one in 1st grade, one in 6th grade. It's been a while since I've never seen them so motivated and excited about school. I used to ask them how their day was, and that was like pulling teeth at times. Now they are thrilled to tell me what new letters and words they learned and often count in their foreign language. The principal seems very dedicated and tries very hard to have open communication with the parents, maybe a little too hard. I get more emails and text messages from the school than from any of my contacts. More is not always better. A lot of that repetitive information could be combined into a weekly newsletter.

Posted: September 28, 2016

My daughter is in her third year at GVA and we have been very pleased. Now in the second grade Spanish program they spend half the day completely emerged in Spanish (everything is taught in Spanish...no English) and the other half of the day with a different teacher in English. My daughter didn't know any Spanish when she started GVA in kindergarten, but can already speak, write, and read a lot of the language. At first I was a little concerned that there would be too much focus on the language and not enough on academics. However, that hasn't been the case. In fact, she receives excellent MAPS and DIBELS test scores showing that she excels academically. But, most importantly the exposure she has received over the last few years of different places and their cultures has been amazing! I love the diversity of this school and the lessons she's learning about acceptance, kindness, and celebrating differences on a daily basis. GVA is a newer school and has gone through some growing pains, but lessons are learned and improvements made. We are very happy with this school and next year I have another child that will start Kinder here. We look forward to a long relationship with this school while the kids are attending school.

Posted: September 27, 2016

They give so much individual attention to each student. The teachers work so hard! My 1st graders has loved every teacher she has had!

Posted: September 21, 2016

The amount and level of homework is grade appropriate and challenging without being burdensome and cutting into family time. The teacher posts what the kids are learning online through a website called Quizlet so I'm able to track what he is learning while learning myself as well.

Posted: September 21, 2016

My son went to the GVA preschool and absolutely loved it so we decided to put him in the GVA kindergarten which turned out to be a great decision. Our experience has been great and my son enjoys learning another language.

The staff is very friendly and helpful, and the communication between parents and staff is very efficient. I stay up to date on everything, especially with the text alerts. The staff I have met so far are passionate about what they do and care about student/family success.

The school/staff is very diverse and truly captures the essence of a global school.

Posted: September 21, 2016

Posted: September 21, 2016

Posted: September 21, 2016

Posted: September 21, 2016

The school emphasizes character and appropiate behavior. The global atmosphere encourages compassion and respect for others and cultures that are different than your own.

Posted: September 21, 2016

Posted: September 21, 2016

GVA is a great language immersion school that offers three languages Chinese, German & Spanish. Our oldest daughter is in her second year of Spanish and our youngest started in Kindergarten Spanish this year. The teachers are native speakers and the student body is very diverse. The school administration and teachers are very communicative and show they really care about the students and parent involvement. We are so glad to be apart of this community.

Posted: September 21, 2016

Posted: September 21, 2016

Posted: September 21, 2016

Posted: September 21, 2016

The teachers and administrators emphasis on a daily basis the student are expected to be: Bold, Engaged, Respectful and Safe (B.E.A.R.'S. motto) Sure, not all students behave this way and there are certainly those that struggle with behavior issues, but I challenge anyone to find a school where this is not the case. Teachers and Administrators make a strong effort to work with students and parents to insure that students are adhering to the BEAR's motto. We have been here two years and can say that you get out what you put in.

Posted: September 21, 2016

Posted: September 21, 2016

The teachers do a great job communicating to parents not only what is happening in the classroom but also what is expected of students in regards to homework.

Posted: September 20, 2016

Overall our experience has been excellent at GVA, the opportunities provided are truly one of a kind! Not only do the students learn a new language, there are many opportunities throughout the year for learning about and exploring different cultures around the world. I love how diverse the population is within the students and staff, I believe it has given my a child a very valuable life skill of appreciating and celebrating people's differences. The school also provides multiple family activities throughout the year that really creates a feeling of a school family. All of the teachers have been extremely responsive anytime I have reached out with a question. One evening I emailed my child's teachers expecting to not hear back until the next school day, however they both emailed back that same evening! There are many options for after school activities offered right at the school, between the programs offered through the school as well as the Children's Choral and Youth Symphony being in the building there is something for everyone. This school provides a well rounded education for all students.
The only thing I would like to see this school add would be having a School Counselor on staff to offer students more social/emotional education and coping skills.

Posted: September 20, 2016

Posted: September 20, 2016

Posted: September 20, 2016

Posted: September 20, 2016

I think this school is totally amazing. I love the fact that the kids get to learn different languages and it brings a smile to my face when they speak to people outside of school in that language. I also love the fact that Alicia knows every kid in the school by name and when I visit they call me by name. Many great things to say about this school and the staff.

I have had my fair share of issues with the lack of information my daughter took from her teachers as well as bullying and communication has always been the key. If I ever have any questions or concerns I can email the school and have them addressed within 24 hours. I can also call the school.

Posted: September 20, 2016

I think work should not be given outside the classroom. I believe once a kid leaves school family time should be the priority not school work. I believe the more time spent with kids the happier they are and more attentive that way.

Posted: September 20, 2016

Posted: September 20, 2016

We love GVA and the wonderful opportunities it presents for our daughter. I truly feel like my children will have an edge over their peers because they attend this school and are able to learn multiple languages and cultures. My daughter has always done very well here!

Posted: September 20, 2016

I don't think elementary school students should have any homework after 7 hours in school. But from what I hear about other schools, here there is less homework than elsewhere.

Posted: September 20, 2016

Posted: September 20, 2016

The staff is very caring and friendly. The teachers are great, they come from all over the world and each teacher is a native speaker of the language they teach. My daughter is learning Chinese and she loves it! My stepdaughter and stepson are learning German and Spanish and they also enjoy learning a new language. The student population is very diverse as well, which to me is a huge plus. I think that being bilingual and in a school with unparalleled diversity where they learn about a new country and culture every month is going put these kids well ahead of their peers in life. Test scores are not everything in life. Social and cultural competence is a trait missing from kids (and adults) these days and I great full to have my children in a school that opens their eyes to the world.

Posted: August 11, 2016

Terrible school! I would not recommend this school. While my child did learn more Spanish than I expected, the rest of the education and experiences dealing with the staff was not worth it. The focus on bilingual supersedes the education of other subjects (English, Math, etc.), and the staff are incompetent and incapable of communicating effectively with one another and with parents. It took many attempts to work with the staff and try to resolve the communication issues we were continually experiencing, and resulted in finally needing a full meeting with everyone involved and the Principle before we finally received what we needed. I showed up to parent teacher conferences and other pre-scheduled meetings throughout the year and the staff often did not show up. I took off time from work for these meetings only to not have them show up. These issues made supporting the growth and development of my child extremely difficult, and we opted to forfeit the bilingual opportunity and send our child to another school. We are already impressed with the improvement of the staff communication and competence at the new school and are very happy with our decision.

Posted: August 11, 2016

While they are effectively able to speak their language, they are not necessarily great educators and the children suffer as a result.

Posted: August 11, 2016

The workload was manageable, but they did not provide resources or support for any bilingual homework and most parents do not speak the language that their kid was enrolled in. VERY frustrating as a parent trying to support their child.

Posted: August 11, 2016

Posted: March 16, 2016

Posted: March 16, 2016

Posted: March 16, 2016

Posted: March 16, 2016

Horrible School!! The Principal pretends she care but does not. The class sizes are too large and so the children don't get the individual attention needed. There is also a lot of bullying going on and the teachers do nothing about out.

Posted: March 13, 2016

Posted: March 13, 2016

Posted: March 13, 2016

Posted: March 13, 2016

I started my daughter here in Kindergarten because I just wasn't too thrilled about our neighborhood school. She is now in 1st grade and doing great. It is amazing how much spanish she knows at this point. Many question whether or not your child will fall behind in English when being in an immersion school. For my child, that is definitely not the case. They have ample amount of time in their English class. My first grader is reading chapter books, because what is recommended for her age is just too easy at this point. Charter schools are run a bit differently and there is more parent involvement. I see this as a huge benefit.
At the end of the day I strongly feel that it all starts at home. We can never gripe about teachers when we aren't putting in the time as a parent to foster a love for learning in our children.

Posted: May 14, 2015

My children have been to two schools in district 11 and Global Village is only average. I feel the students do not get enough one to one attention. As far as my kids learning Spanish, they have learned a lot, but when it comes to other studies they are lacking the attention they need to advance. I have spoken to different teachers and with same result they wait months to discuss any issues they have. I do not have access to a printer everyday and since the homework only comes by email it is not always done. I have addressed this with the teacher a few times and no change. I don't feel my children are getting all of the education available at this school. At Carver, also district 11 and a smaller school they had all the tools and attention to succeed at a higher level. Global Village needs to hire competent teachers to fulfill the education program that should be provided at a Charter School.

Posted: May 5, 2015

Global village Academy has been a wonderful school for my 3 Children. Coming from Texas my standards of education were very high. At Global village, I found that and More !!!. Parents are very much involved in all school activities. Our favorite one is international date. My kids love it and have learned so much from other countries, around the world: their culture, their language, their music and their tasty foods . All of my kids are advise in math and the good thing is that they work with each child either if they are advice or behind. The teachers are exceptional; There are a true blessing in my kids life. I am moving to Denver. I want to give thanks to all the teachers at global village, Especially, the ones that teach kinder garden Spanish , first grade Mandarin and 4th grade Mandarin. Ernesto, Kiriat and Mrs Welch, The Principal.

Posted: July 10, 2014

Giving this school one star is even too good for it. After taking our child out because they down sized the teachers and put 2 grades together (1st & 2nd, 3rd & 4th). When putting him back in a regular school we found he had fallen behind and had to work very hard to catch him up. Talking to other parents we found our child wasn't the only one that had this problem. I feel sorry for the children still there and their future.

Posted: May 12, 2014

I took my oldest child out of what is the best public elementary in our district in order to place her and her younger sister into this school. With only a handful of teachers, dedicated parents, and about 150 children to begin the school year with, we turned an old building into something great. It's almost like having a second family! We've seen the children put on plays about other countries; had parent-led activities where they studied different cultures through song and dance; participated in the Scripps Spelling Bee program; we even ran a track team through community volunteers! Whatever language you choose for study, your child will have teachers and staff around them that not only know all of their names, but care about their development and well being. Learning a language is hard and it is a commitment on the part of the parents to continue to find new avenues for their child to study the language even outside of the school through play dates with native speakers or checking out books from the local library system. If this school sounds interesting to you, I implore you to come by and check it out first and see if it is a good fit for you and your family.