Daniel Webster No. 2 Elementary School

2700 Palisade Avenue

Weehawken, NJ 07086

11 Reviews

School District

Weehawken Board Of Education
Grade

PK, K-2
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:13
Type

public

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Reviews

Submitted by parent on April 26, 2023

I love this school! My son is autistic and honestly his teachers are amazing. They have so much patience with the kids. They try to teach them and learn new things everyday. I had seen a change in my son, he has learned new things and I'm amazed at the things he can do since he is non verbal and he never done those things before. I also love the fact that this school and any school in Weehawken teaches kids how to treat kids with disability with the same respect as kids with no disability. Bullying is horrible and calling other kids names is not okay. Ms. Thum and Ms. Douglass are the best!
Submitted by parent on October 27, 2021

It's a great community! Our kids love it.
Submitted by parent on July 01, 2021

It has gotten much better since we first enrolled our kid. Our kid loves the place.
Submitted by parent on July 01, 2021

Above Average School and recommended to all parents.
Submitted by parent on February 28, 2017

We recently moved to the area and transferred our daughter (1st grade) into the school back in October. We couldn't be happier with the quality of the teachers, educational rigor, number of available activities, and level of support. It has been a great partnership so far and we have no doubt it'll continue.
Submitted by parent on October 03, 2016

Recess is only 15-20 mins. They cannot run during recess. If they run, they get punished, by not being allowed to play. The policies are such that the teachers are pretty strict and dry with the kids. This is an elementary school. Not a high school. There is no need for the mindset of punitiveness with the kids. Kids NEED to run outside and play for at least 1 hr every day. That helps them learn and think better and to behave better. That’s proven scientific fact. By not giving them enough opportunity get away from the rigid structure and to just have free play, the school is in fact creating behavioral problems. School is not supposed to be a prison. They send kids to the principal’s office for any little thing. My child called another child a dork, or something like that, and was sent to the principal’s office for that. When my child told me that, I couldn’t believe he was sent to the principal’s office for THAT. I’m sorry but that’s a ridiculous reason to send a 5 yr old child to the principal. That should’ve been handled in the classroom. Criminalizing kids for being kids, and especially boys for being boys, is exactly what will create behavioral problems. People with a punitive mentality will find things to punish even if there aren’t any legitimate reasons to go there at all. My child used to be a happy child and was excited to start school, now he is sad every day. The school has a new principal, Mrs Rudowsky, who has been great so far, and I really hope that she will change these backwards, inhumane policies.
Submitted by parent on May 20, 2016

I strongly dislike the atmosphere in this school. The administration might be responsible for the toxic atmosphere.This is a closed school, which means parents are not allowed in the school at all. If parents even linger a bit too long standing by the door, watching their kid go to his/her class, the lady at the door yells at them to hurry up and clear out.The administration feels like a clique, and are more interested in maintaining power over, rather than serving and providing the best service possible to the community. The school secretary has yelled at me several times and has insulted several other parents with the things she said to them, or treated them in a hostile manner. I told the principle that this has happened. And that it creates a negative environment for the kids and the parents. He ignored my email. The curriculum feels dumbed down. They are doing the same exact assignments in my child’s Kindergarten class, as he has already mastered in pre K. Some of the stuff they are given, many kids learn when they are 3. My child’s teacher refused to give him more challenging assignments, even though the principle said that by law the school has to give each student assignments that are at their level.With that said, some teachers are very nice, and seem to be doing as good a job as they can. The community is excellent in this neighborhood; the parents care. That positively influences my child’s experience in the school and raises the level of the school in my eyes.But I would not want my child continuing on to middle school here. Would rather move.
Submitted by parent on August 06, 2013

Webster school is an amazing starting point to a great education. Excellent full day pre-k program!!
Submitted by parent on May 28, 2013

If you want your child to be a FABULOUS reader and writer, this is the place for you! The first grade reading curriculum is developmentally appropriate and assesses students weekly. So as a parent, I knew exactly what my child was learning each week. Teachers went above and beyond to make sure my child learned his basic skills which is crucial to building a solid foundation in reading. My son has become a fluent reader and a confident writer, thanks to Daniel Webster School. The strong traditional teaching, that takes place in the majority of public school settings, has taught my son excellent work habits and time management skills. Literacy centers effectively promoted wonderful group learning for my son every week during his first grade classroom experience. If you want to be certain your child is socially, emotionally, and academically prepared to face the challenges in his/her future educational career, I would highly recommend Daniel Webster School.
Submitted by parent on May 28, 2013

Both of my children went to Daniel Webster and yes indeed they are fabulous test-takers, critical thinkers and have great social skills. While I would like to take all of the credit :) I honestly have to give a lot of credit to the school and the administration. Both the principal and superintendent provided valuable guidance to my husband and I when our children were just starting in the pre-k program (which is all day.) As long as you understand that as parent you are a crucial component to your child's success then you will be satisfied at Webster.
Submitted by parent on January 30, 2013

If you want your child to be a FABULOUS test taker, this is the place for you! The first grade curriculum is the pre-packaged Storytown series. Every teacher in the building is using the same script and the teachers give the SAME test each Friday. The battery of Friday tests are Spelling, Reading, and Grammar. The tests are often poorly designed and poorly photocopied. Children complete a LOT of seat work. They sit in traditional rows where they participate in teacher led instruction rather than the more current discovery learning or group collaborative learning. Students are given traditional letter grades, whereas many districts in the state grade first graders with movement toward proficiency of the state standards. Despite research which indicates leaving a child back does more harm than good, and in fact leads to the child falling further behind. (University of Georgia).They automatically leave back any child who fails ONE subject for 2 marking periods. I have a child in Pre-K, and she is doing well and happy. So, it is fine for the younger grades. Also, if your kids like taking tests, I would highly recommend Daniel Webster School.