Daves Avenue Elementary School

Most of these reviews are more than two years old. Since then, the Principal has changed and the District Superintendant has left.

Daves Avenue Elementary is a great school. Everyone has a personal experience and ours was great so far. The second grade teacher we had last school year was very strong academically, and the kids in the class were one solid and happy team. The principle has a lot on his shoulders but with his everlasting energy, he listens and always pays attention to every single parent in the school.

In regards to the community, I couldn t not agree more with the other parents talking about the annoying and disturbing aggressive fund raising ways. This is seriously worse than the hardselling callers we all find annoying. There has not been ONE single time we had to go for a concert, a presentation, holiday event that we have not been asked to give money. Worse than that is that after the initial couple of (school year) months, the H&SC starts targeting parents who haven t made the voluntary donation..amount per child, and it peaks around Christmas where they use the Name and Shame technique through the weekly newsletter that is emailed to everyone as well as published on the web. If you do pay, you do get (among other privileges) a book with other kids contact details to arrange playdates. If not, you don t, so no playdates for the kids who s parents cannot spare the donation . Disgusting as well as discriminating and racist! And of course its the amount you give! You get to be on the top of the list so we all know who gave more and the winner gets a parking space too! With his name in big red writing! Its Showtime! And then its the Yukons :)

Daves Ave is a lovely community school with high parental involvement. It's a nurturing environment and the kids seem to be happy there. There is a strong emphasis on funding but there needs to be as the money isn't coming from elsewhere. Without local money, we wouldn't have the extra academic support or access to classroom technology. My biggest issue with the school is on the academic side. I don't feel it's challenging enough or that there's support or processes in place for the stronger students. Kids of all levels should be challenged so they are constantly learning and developing which would also reduce boredom in class and improve behavior. Some of the teachers are also lacking in either motivation or attitude or incentive or plain 'ole ability and can really let their students down where's others really go the extra mile. Unfortunately it's pure luck whether you'll get a good or bad teacher so you've got to keep your fingers crossed each year. A bad teacher wastes a year of learning and can set kids back significantly.