Woodland Elementary

We had a lovely kindergarten experience which is not unusual, but in first grade my child had a terrible experience with being bullied by another classmate. Because of the child that was bullying other students was "in the system" the teacher shielded the child from behavioral corrections. So when my child was being picked on and stolen from the teacher was telling my child to learn to deal with bullies. Not really very productive, helpful or professional. The Principal seems to try very hard to make things better but this is a VERY large feeder school for Riverside and many of the children are "bused" in from Spartanburg/Greer area. DSS and CPS are always seen visiting here as well. Nice area but bad zoning. There were 26 kids in our first grade class. Second Grade 28 and the numbers keep growing, very easy to get lost in the system here.

I am a former student of woodland and I believe it is a phenomenal school. The teaching staff is amazing and do everything possible to ensure that every child passes. After leaving woodland I was enrolled in honors classes thanks to the excellent staff.I lived all the way in blue ridge and still went to woodland due to its superior ranking. Don't mind the comment above, as person above has no idea what they are talking about. I believe she is overreacting because the nurses there would never even consider keeping a child in class if they had so much as a fever, unless a certain PARENT can't pick their child up. And the child is bored because he's in school. Woodland is a great school.

Sure, the school gets great annual report cards, and most of the teachers are alright too, but...
My straight A, gifted and talented child is bored in class everyday and only goes to Challenge once a week. There is no accelerated material available to her even though the next grade level is only a hallway away.
The Principal has a problem with everything. It's like sending your kid to a concentration camp every day. So many stupid rules and policies that don't help anything, they just hinder any kind of fun the kids may have. Oh, yeah, and DO NOT defend your child under any circumstances. Since we have been at this school (not even a year) the principal has had TWO parents that I've SEEN yanked out of the school handcuffed. They weren't causing any scenes or threatening.
My biggest issue is that my kids have remained sick all year because the attendance clerk counts the kids absent if they leave before twelve thirty. My vomitting child was sent back to class because they didn't deem her vomit amount as substantial enough to send her home. Don't worry that your kid will sit next to a kid who was puking, prepare yourself instead. Or maybe they just won't send MY kids home because they've missed their 10 days (gee, swine flu and asthma attacks brought on by colds that they picked up at school might do that). But anyway, I was told that if I brought in a note from the doctor stating that they have asthma and it can be treated at home, they would excuse the days anyway. Perfectly reasonable, but I already had at least 10 of them on file with this school, they needed another. So, another $400 in dr bills later to get the notes, I STILL have to have an Attendance Meeting. My kids haven't missed THAT much school. In any case, the nurses there WONT help the kids, and I'm NOT sending my kids to school so they can die from an asthma attack while the nurses say they can't hear them wheezing.
My kids will NOT be back at this terrible school next year.