Cairo, Egypt Report of what it's like to live there - 06/26/10
Personal Experiences from Cairo, Egypt
School Name:
Cairo American College
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?
Elementary SchoolHigh School
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?
Their priorities are published in terms of groups that have priority (US citizens top priority, etc.), but not in terms of academic requirements.
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
A
Administration & School Procedures:
1. Describe the general climate of the grade level that you teach or your child attends:
US State Dept. dependent
2. Describe the general climate of the grade level that you teach or your child attends:
US State Dept. dependent
3. 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:
B
4. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
Teachers are very good at sending e-mails if there is trouble or something big coming up, and at responding if you send them something (both in HS and elementary). At elementary level, any playground disagreements or issues as well as tantrums or other difficulties are reported daily, if they need to be addressed right away.
5. Services for gifted students who need academic challenge and students with learning difficulties:
At the high school level gifted children are able to take advanced classes, IB classes, and AP classes. In Kindergarten, kids are not separated by ability, however, they do allow them to work ahead -- read more books, etc. if they are able to.
6. Availability and variety of after-school activities for various ages:
Excellent for high school. For elementary, they start at Grade 1, and seem to have variety..
7. Maintenance of appropriately high standards for all students:
High school -- high standards with parent involvement/notification and assistance from teachers if needed. Computerized grades are accessible by parents. Some teachers use it more than others. KG -- the standards are not very rigid for KG, however, all students meet first grade minimum before they are passed on.
8. Homework assigned (quality, quantity):
WOrk assigned for KG is minimal and only given toward the end of the year to prepare for first grade. FOr high school, it seemed that all of the work assigned had a purpose and there wasn't so much that my child was overburdened.
9. Administration-parent communication:
Administration-parent communication is ok. At the high school level, it is a bit better than at the elementary level in terms of schedules, newsletters, etc. The elementary school holds meetings, including parent=teacher conferences when working parents cannot come. The high school holds more meetings in the evening.
10. Teacher-student communication:
Excellent at the high school level. A lot of e-mailing goes on with prompt response from teachers, even if the kid should have had the information already! At the KG level, it doesn't really apply.
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.
12. Does your child receive any special-needs assistance or instruction at this school? If yes, what types? Who provides services and where:
No (None are offered, and the school is very up-front about suggesting that kids with special needs try to be placed elsewhere.)
13. Do you believe the special-needs assistance is appropriate and fills your needs? Explain:
N/a
14. Does the gifted and talented program meet the needs of students? Please explain:
yes.
15. Does the school offer a wide variety of elective or non-core classes such as art, music, and drama?
yes
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?
At the high school level there is a "week without walls" requirement. For one week, kids must engage in a program outside of the classroom. There are many options, some of which involve community service, and some not. The local options which are inexpensive or free are limited, and the international options can run up to $3900. It makes it hard for kids whose families are not wealthy or whose companies don't cover the cost (especially if they have more than one kid.) It takes place all four years of high school.
18. What activities do you feel are missing?
19. Have your children participated in the activities offered? If no, please indicate why:
Yes. Thespians, Peace Club, Academic Games, National Honor Society in high school. T-ball in KG
20. Does the school provide appropriate assistance to new students?
Yes. There is orientation at all levels. They check with the family to make sure all is well.
21. Please describe any problem areas or challenges in social interaction at the school:
None that I know of.
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?
Counselors are available at all levels. In elementary, the counselors are involved in the classrooms once a month, and also when necessary -- in our KG class' case, the death of a class pet. At the high school level, the college applications process was really good, with the counselor showing our child how to identify the right kind of school, how to narrow things down, and what kinds of questions to ask. They hold parent meetings so that parents know what kinds of deadlines their child should be meeting, and when they should begin the process, including collecting financial information.
2. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
Elementary has it's own library with adequate reference, fiction and great non-fiction selections, plus videos and computer access. High school also has great selections. Non-fiction is good, but kids do rely a bit more on internet sources than elementary kids do. Parents are also allowed access and cards to check out books, which is great.
3. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
Younger grades in elementary have computer classes to get them familiar with using technology. In high school kids are expected to know the basic word-processing and spreadsheet programs, but don't have to take technology classes. If they choose to take them, the school has robotics and other more complicated programming classes.
4. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
Good for elementary with lots of variety. For High school, I don't know.
5. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
Kindergarten: 15-18 per class this year. HS: 10-20 depending on the subject (for 11th and 12th grade in our experience).
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?
Both are available. Schedules are done in spring, so if you arrive in Fall with an 11th grader scheduling is difficult for IB classes.
7. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
Yes
8. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
A
9. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
Yes.
10. What services are available for gifted/advanced students at the school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
IB and AP classes for High school
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
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. For older kids, there is some degree of expats hanging out with expats because they tend to live close to school and they can walk to each other's houses, where many local students live farther away. But they all seem to get along well and do sometimes hang out all together. At elementary level, its kind of the same thing, but it's the parents who don't want to drive far out of the way.
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.
No.
Overall Impressions:
1. What is the greatest strength of this school?
The high school is great because of the counseling and college prep classes. The physical plant is fantastic (running track, swimming pool, theater, meeting rooms, equipped labs, kitchens for elementary, good art and music areas, and good sports fields/equipment.
2. Greatest challenge?
The biggest challenge we had was being able to get involved, especially with the elementary activities. Few events/performances happen outside of school hours, and most meetings happen in the middle of the day. This makes it very hard for working people to be involved.
3. Would you choose this school again? Why?
Absolutely. Especially for high school, but the elementary school is also good.
