Jamestown Elementary School

Posted: June 2, 2023

My three kids started at Jamestown in 2010 and my youngest just graduated in 2022 and we have been overwhelming thrilled. Yes, there were changes during that 12 year period but the school was always evolving for the better. The staff ALL work so hard and do such a good job of meeting the students where they are, supporting them, and helping them grow. Certainly there were a few teachers that maybe weren't our favorite but those never lasted long as the principal is so invested in the community. She supports her staff while being responsive to parents and fostering the amazing work going on there. We feel so well served by Jamestown.

Posted: June 2, 2023

Posted: June 2, 2023

Posted: June 2, 2023

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Posted: June 2, 2023

Posted: June 2, 2023

Posted: June 2, 2023

Posted: February 20, 2023

Posted: February 20, 2023

After the last review, I felt compelled to share our experience at Jamestown. We moved across the country roughly two years ago and knowing nothing about the area, we picked our house solely because of the schools. I was concerned because we are not rich, and our kids are not white. We have been blown away by how amazing this school is. Two years in a row our children have had amazing teachers. There is an emphasis on inclusion, and our children have felt welcomed since day one. The education is bar none, and we’ve been thrilled to see our kids excelling far beyond what we could have imagined. Ultimately, my recommendation would be to not base your decision on one review. I’m glad I didn’t.

Posted: May 24, 2018

Teachers don’t care about their students, they are just numbers

Posted: May 24, 2018

Teachers don’t care about their students, they are just numbers

Posted: May 24, 2018

My child was bullied every day, by his own teacher and other students, for not being American or white

Posted: May 24, 2018

Extremely awful administration, hopefully now things got a little better with the new principal

Posted: May 24, 2018

They don’t support then at all! My child was bullied in a daily basis

Posted: May 24, 2018

They give the bullies the tools to make them stronger! Just sad

Posted: May 24, 2018

I would never recommend this school to anyone, unless you are American, white and rich

Posted: April 13, 2018

The principal is a true leader. Highly experienced, practical, kind, and trustworthy.

Posted: April 13, 2018

The Responsive Classroom method is all about identifying and teaching to the varying learning abilities of the students, without creating divisions, undue competition, or cliques.

Posted: April 13, 2018

Every episode of bullying with which I am acquainted was dealt with immediately and effectively. The kids are, with very rare exception, well behaved and kind.

Posted: April 13, 2018

Flexible approach with a clear message that families should not allow homework to consume more than 30 minutes at home and should not be treated as so important that it becomes a point of anxiety or friction.

Posted: April 13, 2018

The school attracts and retains excellent teachers. The teachers collaborate in grade-level teams.

Posted: April 13, 2018

The school’s Responsive Classroom teaching philosophy is centered on respect and integrity.

Posted: April 13, 2018

Optimal. We have been here from K-5 and consider ourselves extremely fortunate. We could not have asked for a better school for our child.

Posted: January 2, 2018

Posted: January 2, 2018

Posted: January 2, 2018

Posted: January 2, 2018

Posted: January 2, 2018

Posted: January 2, 2018

Posted: January 2, 2018

We have loved our 3 years so far at Jamestown. The school focuses on teaching a Growth Mindset to the students and the teachers make every effort to go above and beyond the required curriculum. The leadership is excellent and very effective. I highly recommend Jamestown not only for it's staff but also for the close knit community of families.

Posted: August 12, 2017

Posted: August 12, 2017

Posted: August 12, 2017

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Posted: August 12, 2017

Posted: August 12, 2017

Both of our kids have thrived at Jamestown. Fantastic teachers on the whole, with especially great "specials" teachers. Very active PTA that draws volunteers from a wide swath of the parent community. Kids with learning disabilities may do best in one of the "co-taught" classes. Several of our Special Ed teachers have been phenomenal!

Posted: January 11, 2017

Posted: January 11, 2017

Posted: January 11, 2017

Posted: January 11, 2017

Posted: January 11, 2017

Jamestown is an amazing school and our kids have had great experiences there.

Posted: August 18, 2015

Posted: August 18, 2015

Posted: August 18, 2015

Posted: August 18, 2015

My son attended K here and will start 1st grade soon. Overall I think this school is very good. His teachers have been great and caring. Living in the area has its benefits as they've taken several trips into DC to visit monuments and museums. He's told me on several occasions that "I love going to school!" and I don't doubt it.

The things that I'm not overly enthused about is all the smart board and tech time they have, only because he's already so exposed to that at home as many kids are now a days. They do use it for education and learning and really not that much different than the old transparencies that I grew up with.

We did have an incident with a child earlier in the year who was a little too aggressive and also some who were not the best influence on him but that I also assume is something everyone needs to learn to deal with through the course of their educational lives.

It's been a positive experience and we're hopeful that 1st grade will match our expectations.

Posted: June 12, 2015

The classes are way too big with special need kids who need more attention so the teachers are seriously class managers.

Posted: June 12, 2015

When my daughter was in first grade, she got a lot of homework. At that age, the kids should be learning socially. Instead the teachers just prepare them for accessments.

Posted: June 12, 2015

The principal is awful - she fell asleep at one of my friends iep meeting. We pulled out daughter out due to bullying. One classmate bite my daughter - clearly this boy needs to be in mipa. We pulled our daughter out and she's so much happier, however the private school was concerned about her academic standing. The teachers to focus on the SOLs.

Posted: June 12, 2015

Bullying happens a lot here. The staff says that they are on top of things but when your kid comes home crying every day, telling the teacher and going to the counselor and nothing is done - that's outrageous! I talked to the principal and nothing was done. The class sizes are way too big so the teachers do they best they can but there are too many kids.

Posted: May 24, 2015

To Feb 11, the TV was in the kindergarten class and it was put on a lot while I was in the room - once being on halloween when the kids had to change into the customs. The parade is nothing to brag about. In regards to iPads, kids get too much screen time as it is so why is the school adding to the kids screen time? For budget cuts they should be cutting iPads, where most kids have access to them at home, then other areas. As for the FLES program, its great to expose the kids to a 2nd language, but where the system fails is when your kid goes to middle school can can't continue the language. My neighbor was too advanced when she went to Williamsburg and taking spanish there was a waste of time.

Posted: May 24, 2015

This school is AWFUL!. The classes are so overpopulated that the teachers just try to prevent chaos. The students that need extra support, or need to be in MIPA, aren't and as a result there were 4 kids in my sons class that were disruptions. One would constantly sharpen a pencil with an electric pencil sharpener, another was always quarantined, and the other two were running around wild. One of the kids asked to go the bathroom and was denied. He spent the rest of the day in soiled pants and the school told the mom that they did not know. Move to another county or go private.

Posted: April 23, 2015

My child attended Jamestown from K-5. I can't say enough great things about the school. We had remarkable teachers, some were truly life-changing. We would have paid private school tuition for the experience we received at Jamestown.

Posted: February 10, 2015

To Jan. 16 I have had children at Jamestown for 5 years and have never seen a television in the lunchroom. I think you may be putting too much stock in what your 5-year-old is telling you. Jamestown offers: -- FLES. Spanish language education from K. -- Annual school play. A lot of work is put into this, and the production has become a community event. Kids from all grades are involved, from art/performance/marketing/backstage perspectives. -- Award-winning music program. The chorus wins top ratings every ear, and the band for fourth- and fifth-graders is excellent, too. The Orff Ensemble is magnificent to listen to. -- Tech focus. Kids integrate technology seamlessly. My second-grader wrote a book on a school-issued iPad. -- Reliably consistent performance -- Governor's Award of Excellence, awards from Apple computers. -- Kids still play TAG on the playground. There is a Halloween parade every year with COSTUMES. None of the Draconian restrictions that seem to have afflicted other schools. -- Caring and effective teachers. I often see them at evening events, supporting students in choir performances, the play, etc.

Posted: January 15, 2015

This school is extremely overrated. My son is in kindergarten - they watch movies at school during lunch! Isn't that a time to socialize? I volunteer a lot and some kids are not supported in the way they need to be - it causes a disturbance to everyone in the class.

Posted: June 9, 2014

The teachers at Jamestown are amazing. They go above and beyond and the quality is beyond my expectations. We carefully selected Jamestown when we were buying our home and are so glad we did. There could be more focus on science since the kids are really hungry for more science, though the curriculum is otherwise impressive.

Posted: May 17, 2014

I went to Jamestown for 6 years and it was overall a good experience. The teachers were nice, though prone to changing every few years, so I doubt very many of the teachers I had are still there. I remember Responsive Classroom in a negative light, mostly because I felt patronized by many of the activities we had to do, mostly the morning meeting, and the "we are one in the center" reappropriated Christian hymn we had to sing about love and friendship. I don't know if they still do that. I hope they don't, because I feel like I get dumber just thinking about it. The other problem was the insane clique culture. Bullying happened all the time, and the counselor was awful about addressing it. No matter how many times we talked about what Kelso the frog would say if he was being bullied, it happened, and there were maybe three kids in my grade who weren't seriously bullied at one point by promotion. Despite these things, though, Jamestown did an excellent job preparing me for middle and later high school. My Jamestown friendships are still my strongest, and I've noticed that kids I went to Jamestown with seem to do better in school than Taylor or Tuckahoe kids.

Posted: January 19, 2014

I have a 1st grader at Jamestown and have been very impressed by faculty, leadership and PTA at Jamestown. The school itself has a great feel to it. The halls are always decorated with the kids art work, projects and up and coming events. The education includes, Art, Spanish, P.E. and music; all taught by teachers trained in these areas, so separate from their normal teacher. Jamestown is a technology focused school and has two impressive computer labs, in-class I-pads, and smart boards. Their is also an outdoor learning classroom that teachers use to plant gardens with the kids and teach lessons outside when weather is accommodating. I am very impressed by the teachers that my child had/has and I know my child LOVES going to school. The only two negatives about the school I have are not controlled by the actual school which is lack of diversity and there is only one recess.

Posted: May 16, 2013

Jamestown is a very very good school. Of course there can always be improvements such as more focus on math and science; however, the teachers, administration and parents are excellent. Of course there are some kids who misbehave, but the vast majority are nice and work hard in school. The teachers are all very nice and work hard. The communication with parents is good. The administration is very easy to contact. I think generally there could be even more opportunities for extra academic enrichment and more focus on math and science. Overall great school.

Posted: January 15, 2013

I love this school! I was a teacher at Jamestown for 4 years. I left Jamestown to be a stay at home mom. I would happily return to this school. I felt compelled to write because so often only naysayers post to sites like these. First, Responsive Classroom is a fantastic model for building the community. I was at this school prior to implementing Responsive Classroom and have seen it work wonders in the classroom and in the school community. The idea for Responsive Classroom came from a teacher and was supported by the staff. Second, the current principal is top notch. She was always reasonable with me. The principal helped me improve my craft by challenging my thoughts and ideas and for that I am grateful. With regards to the parents at the school, they are smart, active in the community, and want what is best for their children. As a teacher, this is a dream come true. The teachers at this school care about the work they do. They collaborate with one another to enhance instruction. They work before and after school. Finally, teachers show up at extracurricular activities to show support for their students. This is what community is all about.This is why I love Jamestown.

Posted: January 8, 2013

My son has attended several schools, because we are a military family. This is the worst school experience he (and we, his parents) have ever had. We moved him to a private Catholic school after a very bad year of bullying in Mrs. Hansen's class. My son was repeatedly hit and kicked and verbally abused by two boys in his class. They made sure the teachers did not see them. Mrs. Hansen's response was, "did you ask them to stop?" And that's as far as she ever went. We spoke with the parents of the boys, his teacher, the school counselor, and although the adults said they were concerned, and spoke to the boys responsible for the bullying, speaking to them did not change anything, and we decided to get our son out of that toxic environment. The school has a slogan that states: "Jamestown CARES"--Our experience was that the teachers and administrators do not really care to get involved in protecting kids against bullying.

Posted: December 12, 2012

I have three children at Jamestown, and the experience is...variable. When the homeroom teacher is good, then it is generally a fine, if not spectacular, environment. There is definitely more talk of "excellence" that actually behaving in a way that indicates an openness to continual improvement (which would possibly lead to actual "excellence" rather than smug institutional self-satisfaction.) The vibe is alarmingly bureaucratic for a neighborhood school for young children. Jamestown has a reputation for being a far better school than it has been, in our experience. I wish it would change.

Posted: September 9, 2012

The current principal is absolutely horrible; she is the reason I taught for one year and then decided to move to another school. Her conduct is extremely unprofessional. She values parental satisfaction above all else, even if it is immoral. She forced me to change a student's grade from a D to an A in order to placate the child's parent. She yelled at me when the scores on a standardized math test did not please her. She will side with an 8-year-old child and not consider the expertise of one of her own highly certified teachers. The responsive classroom model is meaningless and encourages no actual consequences for inappropriate behavior. It's all politics at this school, and education is just an afterthought.

Posted: July 17, 2012

We have had kids at Jamestown for the last 6 years. It's been a great learning experience for my children. The teachers are very qualified, the environment is safe and supportive, and most importantly my kids are learning!! Some will say the parents are too involved and difficult. There are some, but that does not represent the general parent population. The current principal is a great communicator and always has an open door. Something I appreciate.

Posted: March 21, 2012

We were so disappointed with Jamestown. My child attended kindergarten and first grade at this school and picked up awful language. My child did not like going to school at all. There was little control in the classroom. I volunteered in the classroom and heard a girl say "shut your pie hole" three times loudly and the teacher never even blinked an eye. When we went to the administration with a learning delay, asking for recommendations for tutors, they had no recommendations. I needed to do all the research myself. Now that my child is at another school, it's made a world of difference. There is now a love of learning...something we never experienced at Jamestown.

Posted: September 9, 2011

I have 2 children at Jamestown and I have found the administration to be very responsive to parent requests/concerns. The PTA is a great group of parents, all of whom are committed to providing the best possible opportunities and educational resources for our students. It seems like there are a number of new teachers in certain grades, but other grades remain relatively stable from year to year.

Posted: April 25, 2011

Jamestown is a wonderful school with a very high parental involvement. Most of the teachers are great and very involved. Our children are happy and love their school. If we ever had any issues the administration responded to our concerns. Yes, there have been changes with turnover but it happens everywhere! Overall, it is still a great school that has many good things to offer.

Posted: April 4, 2011

My children have just entered Jamestown and I have found the atmosphere to be one of excellence. The teachers are great, and my children are making friends easily. The parent involvement is high and supportive. The curriculum, enrichment programs, and use of technology is outstanding. Overall, we are finding Jamestown to be an excellent school.

Posted: February 5, 2011

We have two children at Jamestown and have found the parents and the administration very supportive. Both of our kids have had some academic challenges, but in both instances we felt that we got the support from the school and the Assistant Principal needed to address and overcome them. Because I do not know the facts of the individual situation(s) that led to the 5 negative reviews below submitted May 9 & 10, 2010 (although I suspect that they all have a common origin) I cannot speak to their accuracy. However, most of the parents with whom I have spoken have a good deal of respect for the Principal. I urge anyone considering these evaluations to look at the results of the results of the parent, teacher and student surveys conducted district-wide in 2010 (available at http://www.apsva.us/154010829233400/blank/browse.asp?a=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=65976) and compare the results at Jamestown to those of the other well-regarded North Arlington schools.