Research Mendoza Elementary School public Schools in Phoenix, Arizona

“My granddaughter is a third grader and she loves to go to school. I am impressed with the level of curriculum presented to her in her grade level. Mendoza embraces all children and their needs, whether they are physical, learning or emotional disabilities. More parent's participation in PTO activities is needed and critical to a well-rounded educational experience for their child(ren).”

“So the submition on January 17,2008 is false in all ways. The teachers are hardworking and slave their 'behinds' off all day to focus and pay attention to each and every kid, as a former student, who is almost 17 i can say that my best years were spent at mendoza. The school taught me a variety of learning methods that i use to this day. Songs teachers taught to teach about prep. phrases, and american history are still stuck in my head. I dont know what that lady is talking about but obviously she has gone off the deep end. if im ever a single mother I will be sure to send my kids to this school because the teachers and faculty are dependable, safe, honest and hardworking. This lady is obviously just trying to get her name big so she doesnt have to live the low life she does.”

“Parents need to get involved! School relies on parents and teachers working together to make the school a better place. You'd be burned out also if you had to take care of everything day in and day out. Mendoza is a great school. It would be even better if parents were more involved.”

“Love this school they are always there to help my child when she needs it.”

“As a single working mother I cannot reccomend this school. The teachers are tired and spend most of the class time with the trouble kids. Only the few PTO kids get attention, with nearly 60 elementary schools in the district, one working parents' voice will not be heard. There arent many after school activities offered and you seem to have to know someone to get registered before the classes fill. We moved to another district entirely and are very happy so far, my son's new school has a better gifted program and doesn't get pulled out all day, so he doesn't miss out on what homeroom might be doing. I can say that my son liked the lunches in mesa though.”

“Great school, great teachers. Wonderful principal. Mrs. Buffmire is the most amazing principal. Mrs. Moreno & my son's aides are spectacular. I couldn't ask for a better school - the staff cares. You don't find that a lot in schools. I couldn't have chosen a better school. My son wants to stay there forever. Anyone who doesn't think this school is amazing should simply walk around during the playground hour in the morning. You can see the entire staff with smiling faces and offering a smile and a kind word. It's just amazing.”

“Mrs Nelson and Mrs Tripoli are 2 of the very best teachers. My kids loved every day of school.”

“My son has attended Mendoza for 6 years and when he first attended, I thought the school was wonderful. His teachers were innovative, cheerful, enthusiastic and intelligent. But, within the last couple of years, the school has steadily gone downhill. Many of the teachers appear to be burned out and the morale of the school as a whole is horrible. It has been sad to see how things have evolved. Generally speaking, a school can't run well without a respectful, supportive, innovative and open minded leader.”

“Community Ed at Mendoza is great! All day K is a joke! they are doing pre pre k work and teachers do not communicate daily activities. I have a grandchild in Gilbert Ashland and they do mor in a 1/2 day K then Mendoza has scheduled for 4 months! very dissappointed!”

“I have been involved with Mendoza, through my children, for ten years now. It is a great school. Mendoza has great teachers. Some teacher's make learning more interesting with their unique ways of teaching. It's hard to get parents involved, maybe they're too busy. Your child's education is much better with your involvement. I speak from experience. Mrs. Buffmire is a great principal, strict but personable. She is always seen around campus. Mendoza offers a variety of teaching styles so kids remain interested. I am proud to be a Mendoza 'parent'.”

“Enrolled my gifted [child] in the Montessori program. It's OK, but he spends too much time with younger children and isn't academically challenged. I will be moving him to a private or charter school next year.”

“My grandson attends Mendoza and he is having reading difficulties. They do not offer the proper training to bring him up to speed. I am currently looking for ways to help and see if the NCLB Act can help.”

“This school has a variety of extracurricular activities: chorus, volleyball, chess club, and a garden club(4H). It also has a PreK and afterschool program. The Parent Teacher Organization is small but growing and is active. It sponsers several fund raisers throughout the year. The PTO is very generous in providing back to school supplies, classroom materials, assistance in teacher training and library books”

“Some very good teachers, but I do not recommend Mendoza.”

“Ms. Buffmire is a principal that gives almost all of her attention to the worst students in the school. She has brought in special kind of classes for students who have behavior problems. Their are many great teachers on campus.”

“Mendoza is a very nice school. My son went to it for two years, teacher Ruth Umlauf is a great teacher.”

“My soon to be fifth grader has attended no other school. For four of the six years in attendance I've found the quality of teachers to be excellent. They offered him their personal attention and worked very hard to tap into what was his learning style. They involved, encouraged, and utilized parents offering their time and were just great in all areas- not afraid to work at what they did.The music department is great but understaffed to accomodate the number of children who wish to participate. The principal is a delightful, well educated, aware, and informed person who does well fulfilling the requirements of her position.”

“Mendoza has a very interesting campus, with bird aviaries, tortoise habitats, and even a goat, last year.”

“I must say that this year at Mendoza has been very disappointing. After expressing our concerns in a meeting with the principal, we left feeling that there was a good plan with action items that would help in the areas of concern. Unfortunately, the ball was completely dropped. No follow up by Ms. Buffmire or from the teacher. In our opinion this year has been little more than a maintenance year. Regrettably, we will be looking at other options for our child s education.”

“This school is horrid. The education could be so much better if they would not have to 'baby sit' and the kids who don't care about their education. It brings it down for the rest of the students.”

“My son has been at Mendoza for 2 years now. I am so impressed with the teachers he has had and their time they take to help him learn. I am also very impressed with the numerous PTO activities and the opportunities provided for the parents to get involved. I am also impressed that the PTO raises enough money each year to pay for the school supplies for each student, therefore, cutting costs for me as a disabled full-time student myself. I am also very impressed with the love and concern the principal provides for each student. Keep up the great work and together we will make a difference in each child's life.”

“Mendoza Elementary benefits from the extremely strong leadership of its principal who has a diverse background. The school community benefits extensively from her open door policy. Seasoned teachers go above and beyond with students and families.”

“Both of my kids have been here at Mendoza and the whole family thinks it is the best school. Thanks for helping my kids.”

“As a parent of two children that attend this school it seems to me that there is more of an emphasis on literature than any other topic. Math and science seem to go by the wayside. However, there are efforts being made by the principal to make sure that these subjects become more important to our teachers. The parents at this school are more apt to 'write a check' than get involved with any school community activities. We have a large turnout at some activities but no one to run those said activities. This includes the teachers. Overall, the teachers do not seem interested in anything but doing their '9 to 5' job and going home. Their are the occassional exceptions to the rule but for the most part the teachers are not active participants in extracurricular activities. Our principal is very involved. She is aware of the issues that parents have with education and attends all school functions. I enjoy having her at our school. Overall, the school does what it can given the circumstances that our state is in with education. I would just like to see less apathetic parents/teachers because we could see larger improvements year over year if there was more people doing what needs to be done.”