Orion Oaks Elementary School

We love Orion Oaks and its multiage philosophy. It helps kids learn were they are weather they are behind, at, and most importantly above grade level.

The principle, Ken Nuss, is such a disappointment. I have heard many describe him as a used car salesman and that is a fitting description. He talks a big game about OO and their mission but yet he lacks the leadership for that to actually come to fruition. Luckily he is balanced out by some of the most amazing teachers you will ever encounter. They do their best to counter his poor leadership skills but at the end of the day they can't do everything. Such a shame. Such potential.

Orion Oaks is a school with a great mission which it unfortunately falls short of. They strive to offer families a multi-age approach to learning in which children can grow at their own level and get more help or move ahead to more challenging work when needed. It s a good theory but, with 50 children in a room, it's not possible. The multi-age model doesn't work with this number of students and sadly, we believed the principal when he said it would. Most of the teachers we've encountered to a great job at working within the confines of a large classroom size and limited space but they are not able to provide what the school's mission states it can accomplish. Death by worksheets comes to mind. The positives about the school are a great secretarial staff and a very active Parent Group. The big negative for our family is that the principal "sold" us on a school that doesn't deliver its intended mission. This is a good community public school but it is nothing more. Do not be fooled by the principal who will promise unattainable standards and offerings...he wears a salesman's cap like many other public school administrators who want to fill their buildings for funding.

We were fortune enough to have our daughter attend Orion Oaks instead of our assigned neighborhood school. After attending her Kindergarten year, I knew the neighborhood school just wasn't right for our family. Orion Oaks has an AMAZING mission to educate caring, confident and independent children... they truly educate the "whole" child. The front office staff is a breath of fresh air and the principal is warm, welcoming and receptive to parents. The teachers are understanding of individual needs and learning styles, and incorporate this understanding into a curriculum that provides every child with the necessary tools to be successful. But above all of this, the positive change that I have seen in my daughter speaks volumes to this school. I am so thankful that our family is a part of this school!