Urban Mamas

Hi There. Can anyone talk about how the older kids at Irvington K-8 are doing? Are there strong programs for the 6-8 graders and facilities that you'd find in a traditional middle school like a music room and a gym (with sport teams and a place for them to practice) and an auditorium, etc? I've heard great things about the younger grades but there's less out there about the older kids. I'd love some feedback - we are thinking about moving to this school district. Thanks!

Hope all works out well. My daughter joined the soccer club and that really helped her meet a group of very nice girls.I find the community to be very warm and she has had a good academic year. Her teacher was wonderful. Maybe I will see you on the play ground:) Good Luck

Irvington Mom....Fine to email me shanahonore@comcast.net

Irvington mom, you can e-mail me at trente33trois at gmail dot com and I'd be happy to share our family's experience and journey to Irvington with you.

would either of you be willing to comment on the change back to the neighborhood school and from which schools (if you are comfortable). I'm a neighborhood mom who is not sending my child to Irvington so I'm interested in what didn't go well at your prior choices and what edge Irvington has on those schools. thanks for your time!

Thanks for this comment, Shana. My daughter is transferring to Irvington (our neighborhood school) for 3rd grade next year. It's nice to hear from other families who didn't start out at Irvington.

Hey there ..Just moved to Irvington from Hawthorne.Love the school.My daughter came in as a 3rd grader from a private school.We have had a great fun year. Love walking to school. I told my daughter it is my favorite part of the day. Good Luck

My husband and I both believe in public education. The immersion school we are deliberating about is Richmond (japanese). I believe they are similiar in approach and curriculm to Irvington, minus the language component. They are both PPS, but I do realize different teachers have different approaches in teaching material.
We visited both schools and liked them both. That is where the dilemma comes in. Walk less than 5 minutes to school or drive 20 minutes (or drive her to the bus stop)........ ugh...decisions.....

It depends very much on the quality of the immersion program - they are not all created equal. I would look into a particular program rather than the idea of immersion.

I read some great advice about looking at how the school operates aside from the language immersion - Do they have a strong reading and math program? Do they handle social learning well? Is there creativity and a developmentally appropriate approach to educating young children? I would look at the whole school and not just get lured into the immersion aspect.

Good luck. It's such a hard decision to make.

We have a kindergarten aged child, and Irvington is our neighborhood school. We would like to attend Irvington, just having a hard time deciding if we should go the "language immersion" route. I love the idea of walking to school, but should that trump learning a second language? Each school comes with Pro's and Con's...... Anyone have a positive or negative experience they would like to share?
I appreciate your input.

I have a little girl at Irvington elementary who will be entering 2nd grade. We moved to Portland recently and I had the option of renting in the neighborhood of Irvington elementary or another school in the area with an excellent reputation based on test scores. I visited both schools and something just felt right about Irvington. It felt like a school that was the center of the community, not just the center for the kids.

After sending my child there, I'm glad to say my instincts were right. She has had a terrific time and has adjusted well to her school and her friends. The parents are involved and the teachers care. In addition, there is an amazing range of after school activity (Family gym nights, movie nights, Jungle Gym, PE Showcase, etc, etc), and the Irvington Extended Daycare program (IED) is excellent for after school care.

Yes, there are some things that I would like to see improved in the school. However, my daughter is getting an amazing education in the midst of racial and economic diversity and I wouldn't change that for the world. If you would like to meet other parents who send their children there, you can run into them on the playground at the school most any day.