Cairo, Egypt Report of what it's like to live there - 02/09/17
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?
Kindergarten through 7th.
3. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
Government
4. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
Yes, there are other schools. A few families choose the British school, and a couple are at the French school. We would have also considered Maadi Community School which is affiliated with Maadi Community Church had we known about it before arrival.
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?
Pretty well. We had a hard time sending/scanning all of the documents from the States, but maybe the problem was on our side.
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
B. Overall, it was pretty good, but there was this attitude of "if your son is accepted into our school." He had been in kindergarten in the US, and we transferred in November after the revolution.
Administration & School Procedures:
1. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
Communication is pretty good, although it takes some effort. We need to look at daily e-mails, daily blogs on the net, weekly newsletters, and student agendas.
2. 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?
Children wear P.E. uniforms twice a week. This would have been nice to know before arrival since it involves needing fewer clothes during the year. P.E. uniforms are about $25. Middle schoolers are given a laptop for the year to take back and forth to school. They turn it in at the end of each school year. Musical instruments such as the recorder (4th grade) can be purchased. Violins, etc. can be rented for the year. I believe the recorder was $10. The violin to rent was maybe $100. Field trips are included in the tuition except in middle and high school. These are astronomical in cost- around $1000 a pop. That being said, I have been happy to give my daughter the opportunity to go to Turkey, France, etc. She opted out of the last one and just wanted to do the Cairo-based trip which is always an option. She had a great time.
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?
The lower school guidance counselor is great and personable. She has worked well with my children. One of them frequents her office more often than my others. :-) I don't know about a college counselor. I'm guessing yes.
2. Is there before and/or after-school daycare available? What are the costs?
No, not actually at the school, but there are daycares nearby.
3. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
Yes. The library is great! It is quite large with new books added frequently. It is encouraged to check out books weekly, and the library is even open for weekend hours.
4. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
Very good. I was impressed that the students give morning announcements on the t.v. Children simply sign up to give the announcements, and they are paired up like little news anchors. They call it "CACN." So much fun. Yes, there are computer labs. Beware of pop-up windows that come up and show inappropriate things, I have been told recently. I think this needs to be addressed better.
5. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
There are several gyms and a swimming pool. There is no tennis court, but there are playing fields and a track. It is a spacious school with great facilities.
6. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
1:15
7. 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?
Yes, there are plenty of AP classes, but I'm not very familiar with the high school.
8. Are students generally challenged appropriately by the curriculum? Please describe any particular strengths or weaknesses in this area. Do you have any thoughts how the curriculum is applied and implemented at this school?
I think that the curriculum is challenging and fair. The Arabic program, however, is an embarrassment to the school. After four years, the children are learning how to order food from a menu. I thought they would have learned this the first month of school nearly four years ago. No American I know is impressed with the Arabic program. It's a disgrace. They should hire American-trained language teachers and not hire locals. They don't know how to teach, quite frankly. If you want your child to learn Arabic, hire a tutor right away because they will still be learning the alphabet after four years.
9. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
Yes.
10. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
The electives are great. My children are involved in the strings program (strict teacher who often caters to the Korean population, but otherwise a good teacher), drama (Great productions. The ES school play often gives a chance to 5th graders to take leading roles), and art class is OK, though they just got rid of a fantastic teacher a couple of years ago perhaps because of budget cuts. I don't know, but everyone misses her, and the type of art my children bring home in ES has declined. MS art seems strong with a focus on different mediums.
11. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
Yes.
12. What services are available for gifted/advanced students at the school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
I don't think that there are any, though in middle school, children have the freedom to move up in math if they are ready. There are three levels (blue, green, black) that the children can choose from with every homework assignment and test. Also in Language Arts, the children are pushed to read on or slightly above their reading level which is good.
13. What services are available for students with learning disabilities at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
We have a child who has received speech services. Although he was exited from the program, I think he still needs help. The speech teacher who was there when we first arrived was fantastic and kept us up to date with specific things he needed to work on. The one there now - not so much. Maybe my son needed to be exited, but I doubt the former speech teacher would have exited him so soon. He also has some learning issues (diagnosed ADHD) that we have mostly addressed with the classroom teacher. I think the school could have done a better job in meeting with us and the teachers and the guidance counselor altogether with our son's psychological educational evaluation, but we haven't had a meeting yet. We are leaving post in just a few months, and I think I will remind them that we need an official meeting to address concerns. The classroom teacher has done great, though, and I don't believe that my son has huge learning issues even with the diagnosis. Still, a group meeting to create an IEP has not happened. If you need an IEP for your child, just keep on it. I feel that they would accommodate.
14. What services are available for students with physical disabilities at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
I don't know. There is an elevator, at least.
15. What services are provided for speakers of English as a second language at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
There are ESOL teachers.
16. 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?
Great after school activities year-round. They change every trimester. There is basketball, soccer, chess, swimming, the school play, lego club, pottery, strings, chorus, etc. etc. We have enjoyed all of the after school activities. The swim team used to be great until they let go the beloved coach of over 20 years. Now more than ever the swim team is overrun by locals. It is annoying to see all of the American parents volunteer to time at the swim meet while the locals sit in the sun and watch their children swim and win all of the medals.
Social & Emotional Well-Being:
1. Do expatriate students socialize with local students at the school? Are both groups successfully integrated into the school culture?
There is a big divide, for sure. Some of my children's friends are locals, but very, very few. It's usually the local boys who will whisper in Arabic and laugh at my children.
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 international kids mix and mingle very well. My daughter just had a sleepover with friends from the U.S., Korea, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Sudan, England, and one Egyptian-American. The locals mostly stick with their own group though it is not as bad as in some other international schools. My daughter in middle school seems to get along with the locals a little more than my children in elementary school.
Overall Impressions:
1. What letter grade (ranging from A, excellent, to F, fail) would you assign to this school based on your overall experience? Would you choose it again?
B+. Yes, I would choose it again. I would rewind and not be so excited about my children being on the swim team or learning Arabic: two things I wanted for my kids.
2. Please tell us anything else you think prospective parents and students should know about this school. Thanks for your contribution!
CAC is a great school with great teachers. The after school activities are good, too. I feel that it has been a good four years for my children despite a few issues which I have addressed above.
