LA Nelson Elementary School?

L.

I have a K and 5th grader at Nelson this year, my oldest was given the option to stay at Ryan with all her friends since most all Oakmont2 kids continued at Ryan for their last year, but she wanted to be there for her little sister.

My husband and I had our issues, and addressed them and have become known as "those" parents ( The school nurse told my husband) We are okay with that. The school lacks "the personal" touch from the administration. Something I hope they will continue to work on. In their minds trivial things, however as a parent huge things. (example- my daughter was injured at school and they did everything right fix her injuries, console her, find out what happened..But, no one called me to tell me my daughter was coming home with a black eye, the personal touch they lack.

We always take into consideration, that it is a new school and things are already changing for the better, the PTA is getting more established.

The school counselor is WONDERFUL. I had a morning a month ago, the newborn was sick, I was exhausted, my husband was out of town and we were running late and after the girls left I just hated the feeling they must have starting the day with, I called her and explained what had happened and to tell my girls I loved them, and she did, right after I got off the phone with her and took 5 to 10 minutes with each of them just talking with them about how they were feeling.

Also, we couldn't have asked for a better K teacher. Zetta Smith was such a blessing. I was nerveous about sending Alexie to school, she is such a young 5 year old and she is a mommas girl, but Ms. Smith has been amazing with her, she's been teaching for 20 years, she has the patience of a saint. She is the Kindergartner teacher every mother dreams of for their child.

Bullies, they are in every school, even Ryan. It was a big problem when my daughter was at Ryan for 4TH grade, and Yes Ryan was an amazing school, it does have that personal touch, But it's also had a rough year with the rezoning and now with the principal retiring this year more changes are in store.

The best advice I can give is be "that" parent, if you don't like something or have that feeling, take care of it.

I hope that helps.

You have the option to check out the Charter School which is beside Walmart in Corinth. I have heard good things about that school. I believe there may be a waiting list though.

You can go to the DISD central services office on Elm st. in Denton and request a school transfer form. You fill it out and submit it back to them. They will decide to grant or deny. For an existing student they look at things like attendance records, behavior issues, etc. If Ryan is not too full, and you provide transportation, they may agree. I would recommend you come up with a better reason on your form than reputation. They might frown upon that.

a year ago la nelson was already built and everyone already knew who was zoned for that school, so i'm unsure why you thought you were going to be at ryan? anyhow, my son will be starting k at nelson in the fall, i've heard nothing bad from my neighbors. my advice would be to put her at nelson, don't let your negative attitude affect her experience or she's gonna be scared to death to go, and don't stress until you have something to stress about - at that point you bring it up with school and/or district officials. good luck!

Well, I was at the school board meeting last night, and go my idea shut down too, so I understand your frustration!! We live in Pecan Creek area, in a small section of homes on the Oakmont border, and were originally going to head to Stephens, but after Oakmont "pitched a fit"( I was not at that meeting, it is just what I heard) they rezoned to keep Oakmont(and us) at PC. I should be happy that my daughter is staying at a great school, but I am very concerned about the students that are now also being sent to PC, and already knew everyone that would be attending the new school(they were all PC students only.) I too am very frustrated and am considering asking for a transfer for my children to go to the new school...where all of our church and school friends will be going. I know your property tax sounds high, but do remember that you are not paying state income tax, so they have to get it from somewhere:) I wish I had a better answer for you, but just know that you are not alone in your frustrations. But I do know the best thing to do is to be at the school, and be involved. I have gotten to know all of my daughters teachers, and that has helped a lot I think. Best of luck to us all...change is hard, and I guess we just have to always teach our kids to make every situation work..and never complain about it in front of the kids. They will for sure pick up on your cues. Good luck ~A.~

Hi, L.. My daughters' best friend goes to Nelson-- she previously went to Ryan. Her parents aren't any less satisfied with Nelson as they were with Ryan (she had a substitute teacher for most of her Kindergarten year at Ryan). They don't rave about Nelson, but I will say, there are always going to be issues when a school is brand new. They haven't had the time to build a strong PTA and get in a groove, so to speak. Also, the zoning is changing, so as of now, the "neighborhoods" that feed to Nelson aren't necessarily "good"-- I hear there are a few trailer parks, low income housing, etc. right now. However, they are trying to fix that with the rezoning. Once more students from Oakmont, Robinson Oaks, etc. begin going there, the school will likely improve on many levels. This may sound a bit stereotypical, but it is true that academic performance and behavior are linked to socioeconomic status. Another aspect is the principal-- she doesn't seem to be the most likable person from what I hear. Our principal is very likeable, but she still has policies that I don't like, such as not being able to give any input on student-teacher placement. On the upside, Nelson is a beautiful school with a really cool playground. I hear that they even let the kids eat outside on pretty days (that is a no-no at our school). I agree that we should have more options-- and we do pay a steep property tax-- and this all drives me nuts as well. I also think we should have way more say in our child's education since we pay for it. Finally, i'll add that getting a transfer is difficult in Denton b/c all of the schools here in S. Denton are at or above capacity-- thus the need for rezoning and building new schools. I know many who were denied transfers, and school reputation will likely not be considered a viable reason b/c there is no factual data (like performance or an incident) to back that up. I'd say give it a chance. Join the PTA. Be as active and involved as you can to make it a good experience for your child. No school is perfect. And Kindergarten, well, is Kindergarten, so i'm sure it will be fine. A good teacher can make up for the rest-- sometimes you get a good one, and sometimes you don't. Unfortunately, no school is stocked with 100% all great teachers, but each has its gems. Sam Houston has a great reputation too, and for the most part, it is great, but we have issues even there. I wish you the best. Email me if you want to chat more!