Smiley Elementary School

1530 Georgia 57

Ludowici, GA 31316

10 Reviews

School District

Long County
Grade

PK, K-2
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:16
Type

public

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on March 12, 2020

The experience was a rough road. One teacher bullied my child in Kindergarten and parents witnessed her yelling at her entire class nothing was done about this situation. My child came home with a bruise from being grabbed by teacher again nothing done yes was reported. The teacher picked on special needs students. My child was not the first as turns out has happened in previous years. My child got a RED for touching the wall while walking down hall. As I know this behavior is unacceptable but does NOT merit a RED especially in kindergarten. My child was ultimately changed classrooms where did much better no bad colors rest of the year. First grade had a good teacher my child responded well to her and she understood his needs. The school curriculum could use an overhaul to enable teachers to give bright students a chance to do harder work in a normal class so are not bored. The school nurse also let my child sit in his poop on a plastic trash bag whe had an accident in front of everyone. Upon arrival popoped was down popped legs due to being sick. You are a nurse put on some gloves at least wipes child legs so the child isnt so embarrassed and place in an area where people are not walking by constantly break a child spirit. Also parent pick up is ridiculous it is crowding in a gym of parents who are pushing to get thier child. A better system would be more appropriate. There are 2 doors. One side pre k to 1st other 2nd to 4th. There is a lot that could be done to tweak the school to be a more acceptable. Overall education is decent if you get a good teacher who is well rounded. The awards children recieve by teachers and principals were also bias to favoritism of a student not for actual academics. Hope my review can help someone just monitor your child and talk to them daily about thier experiences my child personally went from loving school to scared to attend and having accidents daily from teacher bullying. We have since pulled our child out of smiley and placed in a new school were is making strides is in gifted and top of the class academically.
Submitted by parent on September 26, 2018

Excellent. Good teachers, nice atmosphere, and great involvement.
Submitted by parent on June 30, 2016

Overall I think Smiley is a great school with some really amazing teachers. I've never had any issues with my children's teachers, they have been so easy to communicate with and gladly listen to my concerns. Mrs. Whites taught my kindergartener during the '15-'16 school year. She has such a sweet, kind, patient, caring demeanor, you know she truly adores children. My daughter was so sad to leave her class, especially so knowing we are moving out of state over the summer and she won't be able to see Mrs. Whites at all. I sincerely hope we encounter more teachers like Mrs. Whites through the years. One of the things that I consider a negative about Smiley is the lack of a music class. I feel that musical arts can benefit children and their development tremendously. However, they do have an art class taught by Miss Walden, my kids really enjoyed being in her classroom! Every school has pros and cons, but at Smiley the pros definitely outweigh the cons.
Submitted by parent on April 28, 2014

My grand daughter has been living with me since she has started school, this has been a real experience for us and the teachers and the principal has worked with my grand daughter and ourselves for the past couple years. I think the education and the caring for all the students are outstanding and my grand daughter has excelled in her all her classes.
Submitted by parent on January 31, 2014

Best School Ever! Best Staff Ever! I have 4 daughters and ALL have attended Smiley an All have loved their learning experience. I moved from a different county because of the schools system. They pay more attention to the students an they care beyond their duties as teachers. I will be proud to see my last "graduate" Smiley but I will be a sad parent to leave the school an staff.
Submitted by parent on August 14, 2013

My son attended kindergarten at Smiley. I am horrified by this County's education department. Education, especially kindergarten is such an important time to instill a life-long love of learning. Sadly, this school treats the children as if it is a concentration camp. My son was told, everyday, prior to leaving the classroom to put his "hands behind your back and mouths shut." Other children were bullied, and the teachers stood by chatting in complete disregard. There are very few teachers that I met that actually belong in the field, and the inadequate teacher my son had explained that the principal would flip if the children made any noises in the hallway. Corporal punishment is still in effect at this school. They also have a militarized program (run by former drill instructors) for the "delinquents". I would absolutely seek an alternate schooling option if you care about your child's elementary education!
Submitted by other on August 01, 2013

I would like to thank the staff and teachers at Smiley Elementary School for providing a safe, clean, and great learning experience for my 5 year old grandson, i could not ask for bettter learning experience from Mrs Dent and Miss Walker. I have been associated with larger public schools and private schools and Smiley has exceeded my expectations.
Submitted by parent on May 07, 2013

My child attended kindergarten at Smiley during 2012-2013. I will admit that I was extremely hesitant in sending him to the school due to the location and word-of-mouth horror stories from other parents in surrounding districts. I absolutely misjudged the school and the teachers. My son is now at the top of his class and has excelled greatly. I honestly believe he has the best teacher. She is warm, caring, and hands-on with her class and students. I couldn't ask for a better teacher and teacher assistant. The staff is extremely friendly and always helpful. I have only had ONE complaint the ENTIRE school year and that was concerning the teacher my son was initially assigned to. She wasn't exactly friendly or caring. We discussed our concerns with the principal and our child was immediately moved to a different class, no questions asked. I am saddened by the fact that we are moving and our son will not be attending school here in the future. I would stay in a heartbeat knowing that my son is getting a top-notch education.
Submitted by teacher on February 24, 2011

Even though Smiley Elementary has grown in population size tremendously in the past 2 years (we are now over 1,000 students with our PreK) our school still has that small town feel of concern for students and making an effort to reach out to parents to include them in all sorts of ways. The teachers at Smiley are on top of their game with keeping the curriculum in-line with state standards. We don't always agree that pushing advanced content at a younger age is appropriate, but we try to make the best of it by teaching using lots of different methods to help our students succeed and by letting parents know exactly how tough the new GA curriculum is and what to expect. We have technology and use it with our students and have one fo the best librarians around who works so hard to make reading fun. If you are a parent who values quality education, Smiley Elem is the school for your child.
Submitted by parent on March 10, 2010

Very impressed with their gifted program!