Bogota, Colombia Report of what it's like to live there - 01/21/15
Personal Experiences from Bogota, Colombia
School Name:
Colegio Gran Bretana
Background Information:
1. Are you the parent of a child(ren) attending this school? A teacher at the school? Or both?
Parent.
2. What grade or grades do/did your children attend at the school? During what year(s) did they attend the school?
U.S. 2nd grade through 4th grade.
3. During what years were you affiliated with this school?
2010-2013.
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
Government.
5. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
We liked the size of the school and the "feel" of the school. We spoke with people who were either in and had been in Bogota and regardless of where their children went to school, they all said they'd either had a great experience at CGB or they had heard of great experiences from other people. All reports were positive.
Admissions & Welcome:
1. Are the admissions and placement procedures clearly stated to prospective families, either on the school website or through other means of communication?
A - The admissions process was very thorough for the entire family - there was even a very serious thought-provoking interview of the parents! We were told the procedures up front and everything went as we were told it would, in terms of testing, notification and placement.
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
A - CGB is very welcoming to new students and families. We received information in a timely fashion and were introduced to other families at various school functions. The school is small enough to be able to promote a very supportive environment. It's hard to slip through the cracks.
Administration & School Procedures:
1. Describe the general climate of the grade level that you teach or your child attends:
We felt like the teachers were all very caring, but required structure from the students.
2. For the following attributes, down to the next blank box, grade your experience at the school on a scale of A (excellent) to F (unacceptable/terrible) and provide comments:<br><br>Overall fair and equitable treatment of all students and families:
A - CGB did an excellent job of treating us all the same. I never felt like our nationality or that of the teachers or faculty ever affected our treatment or that of other students.
3. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
A - I never hesitated to email the teacher if a situation arose, and I always got a timely and appropriate response. The electronic system of mass communication was efficient for those of us who checked the site.
4. Aside from school fees, are there required expenses such as uniforms, laptops/tablets, musical instruments, or field trips that parents are expected to cover? What are the approximate costs?
Yes - lunch must be purchased (and was very expensive for what my child ate) and uniforms are required. Additionally, there are costs for some co-curriculars depending on what your child chooses to do.
5. Services for gifted students who need academic challenge and students with learning difficulties:
B - Our child participated in services for gifted students. There was some transition in the program while we were there and there was room for improvement.
6. Availability and variety of after-school activities for various ages:
A - The offerings of after-school activities for our child's age were excellent. The best part is that CGB builds in the so-called co-curricular activities into the school day so there's no shuttling around after school to take children to various activities.
7. Maintenance of appropriately high standards for all students:
A - We believed at the time our child was there that the standards were appropriately high and now having been back in the Arlington Public School system for the last 1.5 years, we can attest that our child was very well prepared for one of the most rigorous public school systems in the country.
8. Homework assigned (quality, quantity):
A - The quality of the homework assigned was excellent. CGB really nailed it on the concept of creating critical thinkers just on the homework assignments alone. Sometimes I felt like the quantity was excessive, but as I said earlier, our child was very well-prepared for school in the U.S.
9. Administration-parent communication:
A - On the very rare occasion when I needed to contact the head of primary, I had no problem doing so and always got a timely response.
10. Teacher-student communication:
A - Communication was always effective between the teachers and our student.
11. Academics, answer the following questions "yes" or "no" with an explanation if appropriate:<br><br>Are there any classes or subjects where students are not appropriately challenged?
No - our child was appropriately challenged in all classes. I found that each teacher to whom we were exposed had a natural ability to push each child appropriately even in a large class setting.
12. Does your child receive any special-needs assistance or instruction at this school? If yes, what types? Who provides services and where:
13. Do you believe the special-needs assistance is appropriate and fills your needs? Explain:
14. Does the gifted and talented program meet the needs of students? Please explain:
Our child was challenged sufficiently without the gifted and talented program!
15. Does the school offer a wide variety of elective or non-core classes such as art, music, and drama?
Yes - electives in art and music are required in at least the elementary school. Our child took violin one year and did Stomp two years. He had a wonderful art teacher and produced excellent pieces of art (really as a non-artsy child). When we were there, the elementary school produced a musical two of our three years. The quality of the production was superior. I believe that has changed now, which is a loss to the children who thrive in drama.
16. Please describe any classes or programs that you believe are missing:
17. Are there academic requirements such as trips or other activities that cost money in addition to school fees?
Yes. Starting the second grade, the students have the opportunity to go away for overnight trips, which start with one night away and go up from there. Those trips cost money (and some of the fees, particularly for the longer trips in high school, are very costly). Additionally, some of the co-curriculars cost money if supplies or outside staff are required to teach the course. All extra costs are always presented well in advance so you have time to consider options, get the money together, etc.
18. What activities do you feel are missing?
Our child would have loved to play baseball.
19. Have your children participated in the activities offered? If no, please indicate why:
Yes - our son did taekwondo and tennis.
20. Does the school provide appropriate assistance to new students?
Yes - The school is very Harry Potter-ish with a house structure. New students are assigned to a house immediately and therefore start bonding with other students across grades who are in the same house. It's a wonderful way for new students to meet children across the whole school. That, to me, is the best assistance you can give a new student.
21. Please describe any problem areas or challenges in social interaction at the school:
Academics & Resources:
1. What personal or academic counseling resources are available at this school? Is there a dedicated college counselor at the school? Is he/she familiar with universities worldwide?
A - During our first year at CGB, our son suffered from what I considered a bullying incident with another American child. As soon as I learned about it, I contacted the teacher who scheduled a conference for 7:30 the very next morning. By the time we arrived for the conference, the teacher had corroborated our child's assertion and provided a thoughtful and effective solution. To see his interaction with our son was amazing and the problem was resolved. He arranged for class seminars with the school psychologist on "how to be a friend", etc. If I hadn't already been hooked on CGB, I would have been a convert at that point.
2. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
B - The library was sufficient for our child's age at the time we were there.
3. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
A - Since we've left Bogota, I understand the IT program has been greatly enhanced with more computers, laptops, iPads, and significantly better connectivity.
4. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
A - Our child loved PE at CGB. While he didn't get to play the sports that he really loves (American football and baseball), he had exposure to different sports and always enjoyed the class. The annual field day was a particular highlight and our son even trained for it each year. He still talks about how much fun this activity was.
5. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
A - Over the course of 3 years, our child was in class with anywhere from about 15 other children up to maybe 25.
6. Are Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses available in upper grades? If this is an IB school, is the full diploma required of all students?
A - IB is available.
7. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
Yes - Although the type and amount of homework was not what we were used to, I believe that CGB pushed students beyond an ordinary math worksheet into more functions that required higher critical thinking.
8. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
A - Our child isn't particularly interested in the musical arts, so he suffered through one year of violin but found his niche in Stomp for the next two years. There is truly something for everyone, whether it's a string instrument, Stomp, dance, drama, percussion, etc. And he had wonderful art instruction for the entire 3 years.
9. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
Yes - all the core subject teachers spoke English fluently although there are some elective and assistant teachers who did not.
10. What services are available for gifted/advanced students at the school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
Yes - our child attended a gifted and talented class. I never saw much evidence of what happened in the class so I can't attest to what type of instruction he received.
11. What extra-curricular activities (including sports) are available at this school? Have your children participated in these activities? What activities do you feel are missing at the school?
Yes. The school offers a very diverse "co-curricular" program that's actually built into the school day and is therefore required.
Social & Emotional Well-Being:
1. Do expatriate students socialize with local students at the school? Are both groups successfully integrated into the school culture?
Yes - our child had multinational playdates, birthday parties, sleepovers, etc. He still considers a CGB friend to be his "best" friend.
2. Are there are any problems with exclusionary behavior, cliques, or bullying at this school? Please describe any problems your children may have experienced in this area.
The school has zero tolerance for bullying and we saw that firsthand when our child had a bullying experience (with another American child), and the school nipped it right in the bud. I can't say strongly enough how inclusive the school is. They foster an environment of acceptance and that really showed across the students, the parents, the faculty, administration and staff.
Overall Impressions:
1. What is the greatest strength of this school?
The size of the school allowed us as a family to be known and appreciated and welcomed. We didn't get lost in the shuffle of a thousand other kids. Because everybody knows everybody, it's a very wholesome environment of inclusion. It felt like family there.
2. Greatest challenge?
The greatest challenge was the school's location. It's a beautiful, idyllic setting but the bus ride is long for the children, and depending on traffic conditions, it could be very frustrating to get to the school in the middle of a workday for music concerts, conferences, etc. A small price to pay for a great education.
3. Would you choose this school again? Why?
OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN! The education was top-notch, our child was loved and cared for, the learning environment and curriculum were exceptional, and we felt like we belonged to a family from the day we went for admissions testing.
