Thessaloniki - Post Report Question and Answers

My son attends Pinewood the American School and I am a board member. Pinewood has been around for over 50 years and is the only entirely English speaking school in the city. The Pinewood Schools Association, Inc., is a private, nonprofit corporation providing pre-kindergarten (ages 3 and 4) through grade 12 education for English-speaking, mostly non-Greek children. The school year consists of two semesters running from early September to early January and from mid-January to mid-June with a two-week Easter/Spring Break. Curricula, teaching plans, and materials conform to U.S. standards, and the school has been accredited in the U.S. An elected 11-member board, including the U.S. Consul General as an ex officio member, governs the school. Pinewood has 19 full-time and 16 part-time teachers, about half of whom are American. Total enrollment averages 207 children. Roughly a quarter of the students are American and the rest are a diverse group from 32 different countries. With a student-to-teacher ratio of around 10:1, classes are normally small with frequent individual attention.

Pinewood has decently equipped and maintained facilities, including a chemistry/biology laboratory, small gym/auditorium, library/audio-visual center, music and art rooms, and computer room. The school offers instruction in music and Greek and provides a limited after-school activities program. There is an on-campus snack bar, and school bus service is available to most areas. Pinewood can be contacted at: Director Pinewood Schools Association, P.O. Box 21001, 555 10 Pilea, Thessaloniki, Greece. Tel.:30–2310–301–221 Fax: 30–2310–323–196 E-mail: [email protected].

I have been very satisfied with the classroom size. In the second grade, my son Alexander had only 6 boys in his entire class: 3 Greek-Americans, one from Finland, one from Bulgaria and one Canadian-Albanian. It is indeed a very international school. The American College of Thessaloniki provides a U.S.-accredited, liberal arts undergraduate education in English. Additional information is available at the: American College of Thessaloniki, c/o Anatolia College, P.O. Box 21021, 555 10 Pilea, Thessaloniki, Greece. Tel.: 30–2310–316–740 Fax: 30–2310–301–076 The Aristotle University in Thessaloniki offers (in Greek) a foreign-students program, including an excellent intensive Greek course that does not require applicants to take an entrance examination. City University offers part-time (day and evening) undergraduate and graduate classes in English through the University of Sheffield (England). Other than the American Community Schools in Athens, the nearest suitable boarding schools are in Austria, Italy, Switzerland, or France. - Jul 2006