| Date | Who | Comments |
| 11/1/2012 | parent | My daughter is in TK and her teacher is the best. The school environment is clean, friendly yet professional. Amazing school |
| 10/24/2012 | parent | This school is great... However we are not satisfied with the principal. How come she always ignores the students? I always see them opening the door for her; yet she does not say anything or even make eye contact with them! Meanwhile, she is so busy telling the whole school about how everyone should have manners and say thank you... But at least, on the other side, the education and people are wonderful. I love the parents' teamwork, the determined children, and the extra programs! Even through this economy, the parents are always willing to help out! |
| 9/23/2012 | parent | My daughter just started kindergarten. Her teacher is WONDERFUL; however, the staff, the principal, and the associated CDC are below standard. I was trying to support public schools, specially since the budget crisis, but when there was a concern the staff treated my poorly and made unacceptable remarks in-front of my 5 year old daughter. Aside from not having water available in 90+ degrees, the CDC only reacted to my concerns after I contacted the corporate office. As a teacher (10+ years) I encourage current parents to contact the IUSD and do not allow the school to mistreat your children. |
| 8/15/2012 | parent | As parents to a daughter who recently completed 7 yrs at Spingbrook, we came away with a high score for the campus, every teacher she was fortunate to have had, the music and arts and safety on campus. If they would just put the principal out in the cornfield where she can hear herself talk all day, it would be a better, happier school. |
| 8/14/2012 | parent | The school is great, the families are nice, and the Principal is a Ph.D. She is smart, approachable, and puts education in perspective. It is a school afterall. The campus is clean and safe and encourages good behavior and learning. It is comforting as a parent to have intelligent tenured teachers led by a well-educated and approachable Principal. Kids love her! |
| 7/9/2012 | parent | After being part of Springbrook community for 4 years, I have to say I love this school. I love the teachers, staff, other parents, and the kids. Even with the budget crisis, the teachers and parents are working really hard to ensure a quality education for our children. This will be the 3rd year for our 'new' principal. Since previous principal was very approachable, a lot of the parents are having a little hard time adjusting to the new principal's different style. It seems true she wants to be addressed 'Dr.' However, it doesn't necessarily mean she is arrogant. I heard somewhere that the best measure of how good of a job a principal is doing reflects on the staff, the teachers, and the students. The staff seem as great as ever. This upcoming year, we are getting two new teachers and the grade assignments are changing for several teachers. Teaching just one grade for many years can make the teachers complacent. My child got to have a lunch with principal and he enjoyed it. It seems she is doing a good job with the staff, the teachers, and the kids to me and maybe us parents need to be more open minded about the new principal. |
| 7/9/2012 | parent | Springbrook is a great school, if not including the principal. The principal is so selfish and arrogant. It seems so obvious she went through a whole year just to be called "DOCTOR." She is just the opposite of the teachers here. The teachers are so generous, especially the 4th grade teachers. They're so kind and encouraging; just like our last principal! He was so nice, fun, smart, and caring! Our present principal always teaches everyone around her to be polite, yet she is so rude! She is such a hypocrite! But still, Springbrook is an awesome school, parents and student try their best on everything. |
| 3/20/2012 | parent | This is a great shool and the Montessori program is just purely fantastic! The principal is stuck-up, narrow-minded, fake and highly prejudiced. But she is not teaching the kids. The teachers of the Montessori program are dedicated, incredibly intelligent and seek to make kids independent thinkers and learners. Love the school - wish Mr. Curley came back. |
| 10/10/2011 | parent | My children love this school. The teachers are incredible. ALL of them. Parents are very involved and the school is open to alot of volunteers. The only issue at this school, is the principal. She is on her second year. Her main obective her first year was to ensure everyone from staff to students to parents called her Dr. Her objective this year, it seems, is to alienate parents. The lack of clear communication is a concern for many. I rate the school a 4, because a bad seed can't ruin the whole bunch. |
| 7/17/2011 | parent | We have attended Springbrook for seven years. Yes, it was difficult to adjust to our new principal at first, but after investing a year in getting to know her, she really does care about our children, teachers, parents and school. I encourage everyone to spend some time with her in the many ways she makes herself available to meet with others! Life can either be accepted or changed. If it is not accepted, it must be changed. If it cannot be changed, then it must be accepted. Change does not change tradition. It strengthens it. Change is a challenge and an opportunity; not a threat. - Prince Phillip of England Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. John F. Kennedy |
| 4/19/2011 | parent | This school was very nice until this school year with a new principal. She is very concerned how we call her more than students, parents or even teachers at the school. She is not helping at all for charity and/or event but of course! she is the proud representative for our school where people are watching you. We miss the last principal ! It is so sad to see the school to change in wrong way... |
| 4/18/2011 | parent | We tried to see the school because we were moving into the area. We were traveling over an hour to take a brief tour. Unfortunately we were told that we would have only 15 minutes with the Principal which compared to other schools was a very short period. They were not welcoming at all and were more concerned to correct s on calling the Principal DR rather than making us feel welcomed. Their window of time to see the school was so small we ended up canceling. A very poor reflection of the school compared to the many we have seen in Irvine. |
| 5/28/2010 | parent | Great teachers and parent volunteers! Our 1st grader and kindergartener love their teachers & class! CDC staff is A+ |
| 10/13/2009 | parent | The teachers and staff are awesome, and the students do their best in everything they are a part of |
| 10/13/2009 | parent | The Staff cares for the kids. |
| 10/13/2009 | parent | Sringbrook Elementary is such a great school. My son went to Sringbrook all 6 years and now is in High School , and he still visits the teachers at Springbrook and they all remember him (Fondly) My daughter is at Springbrook now . She is in Mrs. Anthonys 2nd grade class and she loves it! Irvine schools are the best!! |
| 10/12/2009 | parent | I think our staff is great, our parents are great, and our kids are super stars!!! I love the small community of learners and support/educators/families we have! It feels like we all truly know each other! |
| 9/16/2009 | parent | My daughters like the art and music programs offered at Springbrook. They also say that the teachers are 'nice'. |
| 5/31/2009 | teacher | There are great parents at Springbrook but it is unfortunately the small group of PTA parents who overshadow them! There are some PTA members who are not willing to welcome new parents into the fold. I am sure the new parents would love to come to the Title 1 meetings etc but it is up to the PTA to welcome them and I can be sure as it is the current PTA will not see the value of their participation. |
| 5/27/2009 | parent | I agree, there is no GATE program to speak of. When my son transfer to Springbrook neither the teachers nor the principle knew who was GATE identified! The district requires them to have a GATE program. I don't know how they get away w/o it! |
| 2/15/2009 | parent | My 2 boys have greatly enjoyed going to Springbrook. Their teachers have been excellent and highly involved with parents. All of the teachers I have come in contact have been well-informed and easy to work with. The principal is also very approachable. The school is small, which makes it easy for all staff, students, and parents to really know their community. Parent involvement has evolved over the years, but there is a strong core of very involved parents who diligently help in classrooms and keep the PTA going. |
| 2/16/2008 | parent | Beware of the 3rd grade 'cash cow' teachers. They say that they only ask for money once a year, but it's a total lie. Second grade, fourth, and fifth grade teachers are all good. I don't have anything good to say about *any* of the first grade teachers. The PTA is, well, a joke. It's like high school cheerleaders all over, a popularity contest. Also, the first grade teachers are over-zealous to diagnose, even if they are not supposed to, your child with learning disabilities, autism, or ADHD. The principal is nice enough, but sort of ineffective. |
| 12/8/2007 | parent | My daughter was identified as Gifted & Talented in a prevously school district with an excellent program. While Springbrook has a wonderful principal, teachers, and PTA, there is no GATE program to speak of. My daughter is getting discouraged with the discipline issues that from her perspective seem to go unaddressed, which prevents more excelerated teaching. Our frustration with getting a more academically challenging situation for our daughter was a significant factor in accepting out of state employment. |
| 6/14/2007 | administrator | Through PTA fund raising effort, Springbrook is one of the very few elementary schools in IUSD that offers music program for K thru 3rd grade students. The school has a very good tone in working together between the principal, staff, and PTA. Springbrook houses the Montessori Program from IUSD for K thru 6th grade. It is an excellent program. |
| 6/4/2007 | parent | I am hoping that my input will be heard by someone in a situation similar to mine. After doing extremely well academically, [my child] was labeled negatively in all areas by her teacher and the consequences were unsettling...a lack of confidence in academic abilities, internal questioning of her abilities etc. I moved her to Ladera Elementary in Tustin Ranch. I'm amazed. She still struggles socially, but they actually noticed that this social deficit was directly related to her GATE potential. Tests and recommendations later, she is in GATE. Her confidence has improved, she is proud of herself again. I am thankful we left Springbrook, so very thankful. Proof positive that cookie cutter approaches to achievement don't work. And, intelligent people are often found outside the norm. |
| 8/28/2006 | parent | My child attended this school for 3 separate grades. I am disappointed with the fact that all the teachers are not credentialed, and believe that this affected the academic progress for one of the years my child attended. Aslo, the principal, teachers and PTA are too enmeshed such that the PTA holds much control and power over what goes on in the school due to the money they bring in. This negatively affects the academic experience for many students, as I and other parents have noticed. The amount of money that parents are willing to spend toward PTA fundraising projects determines their child's ability to participate in reward programs or receive special benefits, such as attendance at an ice cream party, gifts, and 'no homework' passes. Also, parents have too much access to the classroom and the records of children who are not their own. This seems unethical. |
| 6/7/2006 | parent | The prinicipal seems to be very well attentive to the students. However, the teachers seem to be overwelmed and sometimes the children get overlooked.I am not highly empressed by this school. Funding seems to be limited as well. |
| 3/6/2006 | parent | This is overall the best school my kids have attended. This school has made all the difference for my older son and given him a better outlook on school in general. The biggest problem I have is that after school programs here just don t appeal to my kids. There is the CDC, which can never give you the right information on their fees, so I gave up. Then the Boys&Girls club which seems to keep changing its program. There is a great need for better services than this. Otherwise, this school is #1! |
| 8/20/2005 | parent | My son course 4Th and 5th grade in this school. Each child is encouraged to do their personal best without being labeled as the smart or dumb kids. The teachers are nice and they care about the kids, and the principal is kind and knows each child by name. Springbrook gave my son the encouragement and confidence they need to go out into the world! This was the first school my son assist in America and he loved it, just for this school he forgot his depress about his country. |
| 6/23/2005 | parent | Quality of academic programs seems to be impressive. Extracurricular activities are good and provide variety and scope of learning new things. Parent involvement is good. |
| 6/3/2005 | parent | A great school. Teachers have a lot of respect for children. The only problem - overcrowded in higher classes. |
| 5/18/2005 | parent | The teachers are mostly very nice, some even exceptionally good, but unfavorable teacher/student ratio in Springbrook leads to lower academic achievement. Kids just don't get enough attention. During this year I sent only 3 or 4 e-mails with essential questions to our child's teacher, but never received a response or any acknowledgement at all. |
| 2/19/2005 | parent | This school is big on academics and fundraising but not very big on play (socialization) skills or fun for primary grades. The faculty is very competent in their teaching techniques. We wish there were more activities that didn't require parents to hand over cash or write a check each time. The primary physical education is a joke. These kids will be chubby and cranky by the time they hit 4th grade - but they'll be smarter than the more athletic ones in other schools. Our result has been very good, but I know some parents are struggling trying to keep up with Irvine's academic goals. |
| 12/26/2004 | parent | Springbrook school has been a welcome challenge to my son. He is excited to go to school every day due to the many innovating academic programs available. He is encourage every day in his performance. The academic programs are well rounded, including, art, music & sports. |
| 8/17/2004 | parent | Outstanding teachers and a very dedicated principal. Strong family support of the school. |
