Adventure Time - Thornhill Elementary School

Archived Q&A and Reviews

Adventure Time afterschool at Thornhill

June 2011

We tried the afterschool Adventure Time program for a few years at Thornhill Elementary. We ended up pulling my son out because one of the staff members working there, I found to be inappropriate. When she was angry with my son or other children, she would grab his arm very hard and pull him across the room and pinch him hard. Personally, I call that physical abuse. She once left my son in a corner for an hour with nothing to do. No book to read or art work to work on or homework. Once I came in and my son and one of his best friends had gotten into a little tift, as kids do, and rather then doing what she could to create a place of friendship for them to forgive each other within, she was pitting them against each other. She even went as far to call my son a liar, in the way that a child would yell at another child...right in front of me. Several times I have heard her yell at children and make them cry.

We finally just pulled him out to keep him away from this abusive woman. Then a few months later, i walked by the ''special needs'' class at Thornhill Elementary, I could hear inside a woman yelling at a child ''....I dont want to see your NASTY ASS.....''. And to be honest it was not only the words but the angry demeaning voice that was the scariest to be hearing someone yell at a child that I supposed was ''special needs''... As I continued to walk by the classroom i peered in the door and this same woman was still yelling and to my surprise it was this same woman, from Adventure Time after care program. She looked at me and maybe saw the look of shock on my face. I kept walking and saw another parent in the hall. I approached her and whispered ''did you hear that?'' At the same time, she came out of the special needs class and proceed to yell down the hall: ''Dont Listen to that woman she is a liar''. (This action, in itself was inappropriate, but also only served to make her look guilty given the fact that i could possibly have not even heard her yell....and maybe was not even talking about her.... and thus she only incriminated herself by yelling at me like that in front of the other parents.)

I complained to the principle who is supposedly taking some action, tho as far as I can tell she has not been removed from the school. And i have tried twice now to call Adventure Time, however, they have yet to pick up the phone and call me back about my concerns. If this woman is still working at Adventure Time at Thornhill Elementary, i do not reccommed you leave your kids in their care, if you think its important that teachers do NOT talk DEMEANING to children, NOT grab their arms and pull them abusively and pinch them hard, and NOT yell at children and make them cry. J.

I was so sorry to read that last post by a mom whose child did not have a good experience at Adventure Time at Thornhill Elementary. I can say that our experience has been quite the opposite. My son, who is generally incredibly shy by nature, loves it and always wants to stay a little longer when we pick him up. Moreover, my child has a few health concerns and the staff have really been responsive to our needs. Also, when my child has been bullied, the teachers have been quick to respond and to notify me. And if an incident slips by them but I find out about it and I feel a teacher needs to get involved, they are, again, responsive, apologetic, and ALWAYS report back to me about what they did to address the situation and what the outcome was. The program doesn't work for everyone but I do feel like the teachers try hard and do right by my child. And I feel like I have a good relationship with them, built on mutual trust and respect. I'm not at all negating what the previous parent said and I am so sorry that this was her experience. I'm just saying that is not necessarily the experience we've all had. Happy Thornhill Mom

After Care at Thornhill

Feb 2009

Hi there, I'm interested in finding out more about Aftercare at both the Thornhill and Montclair Elementary Schools. Any information you can give is very appreciated. Thanks, Jen :)

Thornhill Elementary has several after school options. FIrst, they have a pretty extensive after school enrichment program (art, music, fitness, martial arts, Sarah's Science, chess, lego) -- you could, if you wanted, sign up for one of these every afternoon. They generally run 3:00 - 4:00, and each has its own price. You can find out more about them at www.thornhillschool.org. Second, there's an on site program called Adventure Time. It's mostly just play, although the care providers can supervise kids doing homework, also. They provide snacks, supervised outdoor play on the playground, and toys, games, and art materials indoors. Kids can stay until 6:00, and you pay by the hour for what you schedule. I believe the JCC, and maybe the Montclair Community Center, also have pickup programs, though I have never had my son in these. Karen

Hi - The same progam is run at both schools - it's called Adventure Time. Can't speak to the one at Montclair, but the Thornhill one is great - for starters, staffing is really very stable, which seems pretty unusual for aftershool care. The teachers are really great with the kids, offering activities indoor and out, structured or not. It's not academic by any stretch - just supervised play, really. My son goes a few times a week for an hour or so. Cost is reasonable, too. thornhill mom