Limerick Ave Elementary School

Stay away from this school!
Kids are not protected by teachers, my kid came home with bruises and scratches and they didn’t care. Not even noticed it at first when it happened.

I really REALLY wanted this school to work out more than anything. The westside was becoming more and more expensive so we packed up and moved to the valley like the majority of middle class families are being forced to do. My older son was enrolled in a Catholic private school and my little one was going to a special needs pre-​school so transitioning to the LAUSD was a bit scary for me.
Unfortunately, you see the toll of LAUSD budget cuts and the over crowding of classrooms here. I have to admit, my younger son was enrolled in a transitional kindergarten which I’m glad to know they offer. This T-​K is designed for younger children (turning 5 in the later part of the year) who are entering school from pre-​school. So it’s supposed to be more hands on and less lectural. That’s all great. The problem is, there’s 1 teacher for about 24 kids. I’ve gone to the school to help out and seriously, this woman needs help-​again, LAUSD budget cuts at its best. She really tries to spend time with the kids and give them individual attention but as I was told, there isn’t enough funding and hardly any parent involvement. This isn’t only for her class, but apparently all the kindergarten classes. Even so, I was glad to know my younger son is flourishing and having more «good days than bad». Also, if your kid happens to have an IEP, they really go out of their way to get you the services you need (tutoring, etc). They already enrolled him in summer school.
Now onto my big boy. Coming from a Catholic private school, at the beginning, he did really well. But as the months went by, I noticed a definate slid in school work and notes being sent home. I spoke with the teacher and although I was glad to know it wasn’t only my kid, teachers are always quick so blurt out «ADHD». This was a hard pill for me to swallow since 1) I had never had any sort of behavioral issue with him previously and 2) He was able to belt out that packet of homework in one night and somehow score 3’s and 4’s. Now, I know my kid isn’t the model kid, but maybe it there weren’t wall to wall kids and a little more structure, perhaps things would be different.
Now this school is isn’t THAT bad. The principal is very willing to speak to you about the issues your child may be having. I spoke to Ms. Garvin about my older son and she offered to speak to the teacher and pop in on him and sit in. If she noticed a definate problem, she would get back to me. They also call you if your child is late/​absent. They send home a reading log to reinforce the importance of reading to your child and they send home various flyers trying to get parents involved. It’s really just a matter of funding which is, too bad. At this point, I’m looking into a private school. Like many of the «working poor» parents in the area, we have to do what’s best for our kids before they get «lost» in one of the worst school systems in America. Unfortunately, most are unable to and are stuck with Limerick Elementary.