Hickory Tree School

I was a student at this amazing school for about 2 years, 4th and 5th. First of all, the school has the best lunches and teachers that can ever be given. Not only that the teachers and food are amazing like Ms. Julie that gave me the best experience at the school, the the environment of all the classrooms full of decorative objects from all the activities that are done. I just want to say I miss this school and whenever I think of this place, it gives me a nostagic memories.

This school does NOT protect children. The school staff will protect teachers at all cost even if the teachers they hire abuse students. We have enrolled our children at this school since 2009. My 4 year old was enrolled in this school and he was hit by a new teacher with an object and reprimanded for not doing his school work correctly. When we confronted the teacher and principal to sort out the facts, the principal said that children tend to "stretch the truth" and dismissed my son's recount of events. They handled this situation very poorly and did not once try to see both sides. There was NO corrective action taken against the teacher and she still works there. We filed a police report to make sure it gets on her record. Be very careful if you are a parent with children enrolled in this school. Your child is not safe with that teacher still there. I used to be a walking advertisement for this school because they have a very strong academic program but after this incident I withdrew my child from the school. No need to sponsor a school that condones child abuse and protects the abuser!

For starters we went ahead and did several tours of the school and wanted our son to go there. We handed over a check and all of the paperwork in a timely fashion and asked for a start date. The next day we received a call back from the office assistant stating that we had to complete a meeting with the school director. I gave my availability to the school and told them I could not take PTO to complete an interview with them outside of those times. I received a call back from the assistant who then told me that they could not do it any other time than when the director was available and that it was a school policy that they couldn't waive or provide someone else with the opportunity to have the meeting given my restrictions to work. I left it at that and got another call back from an assistant named Andrea that reiterated that they had to have the meeting. Considering that they weren't able to make time arrangement that would suit my needs as a working parent I asked if there was anything about the meeting that we should be aware of or if there were repeated instances of problems with parents. Most schools are not as adamant about a pre-meeting, so I felt it was appropriate to ask why there couldn't be anyone else to perform it given the circumstances.They explained that the school director was the only one that could perform the meeting and that they would have her call when she came back. A few days later we got a call from the director and expressed our meeting time, as well as several reviews we read online about the school be inflexible. The director (Jennifer) stated that the good parents never comment online and that the only ones that had were the ones who had had issues with them. I asked about several other things we read and she dismissed them and reiterated their policies and that the school is run like a business. We were able to come to an agreement for a meeting time to discuss any issues further and got off the phone. Several hours later she called back and said they were denying my child the ability to attend the school because she and Andrea, and one other person in the office decided it would be a bad fit given our poor experience thus far. We haven't even started yet mind you. She ended up changing her mind by the end of the call, and said that our son could still come. I called a little after to get the official start fees for my son and to find out any late fees that would be applied for the monthly payments. She called back to say that she didnt understand why I call back and ask those questions and that she didn't want our son there (they never met him). Additionally she said if I was asking about any fees that it wouldn't be a good fit. Call me crazy but I think its fair for a parent to ask about any fees they will be subject to, and to get a clear understanding, especially in the first month that they will be attending. All in all, this could have been handled differently and shouldn't have resulted in denying a 3 year old into the school. I've never heard of a director telling a parent that the people in the office took a vote and all decided to deny a parent entrance into any program. That's a poor way to do business and a terrible way to tell a parent that the three people in the office took a vote without meeting your child and rejected them. I'm sure there are parents that have probably had a good experience with them. But that has not been my experience. People may forget what you said, they may forget what you did. But they never forget how you make them feel. This one really takes the cake.

Well-rounded school. Academics were always higher by a grade compared to other schools. My daughter loved the various field trips and indoor seasonal activities which kept her motivated. Approchable management and teachers.