P.S. 133 William A Butler

Reviews (7)

• Experiences with PS 133?

  August 2023

  Hi, my kid is at PS133 in the dual language Spanish PreK. We've been happy with the program and she will be staying for kindergarten. I'll preface it with: she's a pretty typical kid, and very social. I think in general school goes well for her. I've already talked to a few parents privately, but I'll summarize what we've discussed. The school has been warm and welcoming. The parent coordinator is great, and there's a strong PTA. They are really working hard to reestablish the community feeling that was hard to maintain in pandemic isolation. Since it's not a zoned school, kids live in many different neighborhoods. It has a lot of diversity racially and economically. There are three Pre-K classrooms. One is DLP Spanish. They do not have a separate entrance, but you are able to walk your child all the way in to their classroom. PreK is on the ground floor. There are windows in the classroom. There's a privacy screen on the outside, so people on the sidewalk can't see in, but the kids can definitely see out. Pre-K feels very play based. There's tons of toys and different stations for them to use. There's a play kitchen, blocks, costumes, dramatic play, and lots of other fun things. They have a screen in the classroom and I've seen them play dance videos that the kids dance along to. They get very excited about that. Pre-K still has rest time, so the kids have mats they lay on for 30-40 minutes. I don't know if any of them actually sleep, but at least there is downtime. The only time I heard my kid actually slept was when she was developing an ear infection and wasn't feeling well. I ended up picking her up right after rest that day! As far as academics, they do practice writing their names every day, when they "sign in" each morning. My kid's name still looks pretty hard to read, but some of the kids can write their first and last names. My daughter has a Dec 31 birthday, so she's the very youngest in Pre-K. In some respects, you can tell with her ability to write, etc. The teachers don't seem to care though, and just meet her where she is. They have a monthly "homework" assignment too. To be honest, this is really homework for the parent, because the kid wanders off and doesn't complete it. Or they "help." It's usually something like sending home a picture of a turkey, and you get to decorate it. Or the February one was making something for the 100th day of school. I've heard the school gets more academic in the later grades with more homework, but I don't have a sense of that in Pre-K. People have told me the dual language gets more intense in 1st grade, with more instruction happening in the second language. In Pre-K it's just exposure to the second language and not a dedicated amount of time spent in Spanish. The playgrounds are nice, and they go outside very day unless weather is really bad. There's also a lot of dance and movement things in their classroom. They also have separate music, dance, and drama teachers. They leave the classroom to do those activities on different days. My kid goes to the after school program (Kids Orbit) and they usually spend some of that time on the playground too. She comes home tired, in a good way. Communication with her teacher has been great. There's an app you can use, or you can email her. She's also available to chat for a few minutes at drop-off. They've encouraged parents back in the building this year so we've been able to come in and do art projects with the class, read books to the class, and go to their holiday show (which was super adorable). There are community events for the parents as well. There was a parent talent show in December, and jazz night in the auditorium, a garden clean up day, etc. I'm sure it's not the perfect school for every kid, but for my kid it's working out well.

• Dual Language Programs at PS 133 and PS 124

  September 2022

  Hi - my daughter has done pre-k and kindergarten at PS 133 in the dual language Spanish-English program. (We speak only English at home.) She has been thriving in it! Her teachers both years were fantastic and she is heading into dual language Grade 1. It is a different approach to second language learning than I had growing up (English-speaking family, I went to French immersion school in Canada) but so far we are happy with her experience and what she has been absorbing.

• ISO Advice on PS 133

  August 2022

  Both of my kids have been in the French dual-language program since kindergarten, so I can speak to the school but not pre-K. I've been really happy with the school overall. Arts-wise the curriculum is really rich between drama, dance, and music teachers who are supplemented by a range of regularly residencies (studio in a school, creative stages, etc.). In terms of testing, my third grader just went through her first round of state tests and it didn't seem that too much pressure was put on her. I've also been very happy with the after school offerings and the school community (which is saying something given that the school is drawing from such a wide geographic area).

• PS 133

  January 2021

  We have been very happy at P.S. 133. My son is in Grade 2 there now (he started there in pre-k) - and my daughter is now there in pre-K (dual-language Spanish). It is not a zoned school so it draws from a wider geographic area than other schools around, which I think is a plus. It's a beautiful building with good facilities (theater, art studio, etc) -- good to have for non-pandemic times. I find the staff pleasant, communicative with parents, and responsive and we have had good experiences with both of our kids' teachers all the way along. There's a pretty active PTA. I think 133 has done as good a job as any school in these very weird circumstances we're all dealing with. We feel particularly fortunate that my daughter has had few enough in-person kids in her class that she attends in person every day, and my son has been doing the "hybrid" (half in person, half remote) setup. I fully agree with K. that it is more of a traditional school, but also warm, cheerful and congenial. Good luck in your decision process!

• PS 133

  January 2021

  Hi! We love PS 133! My daughter just started Kindergarten there this year, in the DLP Spanish program, so we only have a few months, (and very strange ones) to reflect on. That said, we have had a really positive experience to date. The school feels very organized, and communicates very well with parents. The teachers all seem incredibly dedicated. My daughter's Kindergarten teacher is happy to come to work and seems as disappointed as the kids when shut-downs have occurred (which have been minimal- a testament to how hard the school is working to ensure safety and follow guidelines.) There is generally a congenial cheerful warm feel in the school which I love. I have been very impressed with how online learning has been handled- the teachers and staff really seem so passionate about making sure the kids learn what they should, and they go above and beyond in terms of their time commitments to make sure that this happens. The one thing I will say is that I think it is more of a traditional school environment than some of the more progressive public elementary schools, although this might seem more the case at present due to COVID restrictions. What I mean by this is that there is a lot of use of worksheets, workbooks, independent study, etc., even in Kindergarten. I don't know if this is as true in other public K programs; it may be! In general our daughter LOVES school and has learned a tremendous amount. And for the first time in her life she now answers her Spanish-speaking relatives in Spanish, which is an added plus to the DLP! : )

• [PSPMLFamilies] Dual Language Pre-K Programs

  November 2017

  Just saying that we had a really bad experience at PS 133 so I would not recommend that ...

• (no subject)

  November 2010

  While I cannot speak for the older grades, my son is attending 133 for prek this year and we are extremely pleased with the school and his teachers. I agree with Joyce about the principle. She is great and so is the parent coordinator. I think 133 is poised to become a great school for our neighborhood!