Ortega Elementary School

We have truly enjoyed our time with Ortega. It has been a pleasure having my children grow and bloom within the family atmosphere of this "A" rated school.

4 put of 10 which is not impressive at all.

The school is safe (controlled access), clean, has a quality feel to it when you walk through the hallways. Located in affluent area; the turn-out of parents at school events is surprising even during a work day! Although my son's teachers are nice, I worry about them being able to comply with the new Common Core Standards and ADEQUATELY teach my child. Perhaps it's a learning curve, but I hope it's not at the expense of my child's acheivement. PARENTS: as hard as it is, know what your child is being taught and ask them PROBING QUESTIONS to ensure they're learning. The other thing that I and a few other parents have noticed is the chilly reception that one gets from the principals and teachers. Perhaps it's generational, but I am accustomed to being greeted and acknowledged no matter if it is FAKE. My advice to them is to at least pretend to be friendly and not aggravated. I like that the children at this school always seem to be orderly and supervised. As far as school improvement, I can't say, but in my son's class, I would like to see a little more PURPOSEFULLY DRIVEN home work given, we busy parents could use advice and perhaps an abbreviated schedule of what is being taught.

My daughter attends Ortega as 4th grader and I must say that her teacher was chosen by the district as one of the top 15 teachers in the county. He is always willing to help my daughter out whenever she needs extra help with a particular skill she is struggling with. The front office sec. is always pleasant and greets all parents with a smile. Since the museum magnet theme my daughter has gone several great "learning expeditions" that she has come home and rave about. I also love the fact that they now have a full time security guard, a after school chorus, and a fabulous PE teacher that started a track team with all grade levels. The teachers at Ortega are VERY involved with their students and support not only their school life but I have witnessed several of the teachers attending their students extra curriculum activities on the weekend such as football games, basketball games, and soccer games. The administration makes sure that there is consistency through out the school. If a teacher is absent you can almost guarantee that the sub that is the classroom is one that has been at Ortega and knows the students by name and has a relationship with the students too.