Tel Aviv, Israel Report of what it's like to live there - 09/13/12
Personal Experiences from Tel Aviv, Israel
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 and middle school
3. During what years were you affiliated with this school?
2009-2012
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
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?
DBig Problem with TRANSPARENCY at this school
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
CWBAIS is closed in the summer.Good luck getting all the paperwork sorted out. THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL, IF YOUR CHILDREN PASS their "mandatory entrance tests", you will be welcomed into the community with open arms.If not, that's not their problem, now is it?(testing cannot be done prior to arrival)IS IT WORTH THE RISK??? The alternatives are really only boarding school or home school or drive an hour+ each way to the J-AIS in JerusalemThe PTA is active and hospitable.They provide a wealth of information and many opportunities to become a part of the WBAIS community.
Administration & School Procedures:
1. Describe the general climate of the grade level that you teach or your child attends:
The climate is positive--nerds are cool, bullying is highly discouraged, and the emphasis is definitely on excelling and becoming responsible
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:
CIt's fair unless your child isn't going to improve their MAP test results.They are HAPPY to admit most ES and MS kids who have special needs or learning disabilities--they've pressure parents to get kids tested even--gotta keep those SPECIALISTS busy, however, that all stops at HS level.
3. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
BImproving every year...it's not easy transitioning to a virtual school environment where everything is online.
4. Services for gifted students who need academic challenge and students with learning difficulties:
CThis school really doesn't want to accommodate high schoolers with special needs of any kind. They can provide the academic challenge, HOWEVER, they are all about preserving their bragging rights (test score stats), even when they lose $25,000 per kid that they deny...enrollment is down and they are still in denial.
5. Availability and variety of after-school activities for various ages:
A EXCELLENT VARIETY from horse back riding to basketball to surfing to unicycling to music...it's all there.
6. Maintenance of appropriately high standards for all students:
B Educational Standards they shoot for the moon.But Moral Standards is a different story.It is a private school and you'd think they would try to enforce a higher level of accountability for using foul language on campus, but it's really not a priority--and on the bus--it's dismal
7. Homework assigned (quality, quantity):
BDepends on grade/teacher/etc
8. Administration-parent communication:
CCommunication is mostly one-way, not two-way.Weekly school newsletter updates the community. Acknowledging parent concerns seems to be difficult for them. There was a bus survey last year that the administration never once responded to. There is no computer program installed on MS laptops to block "inappropriate" sites while the kids have them at home...and the parents can't install programs on the kids' computers to do that...but the tech dept won't accommodate.
9. Teacher-student communication:
BSeemingly good, many ups and downs
10. 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?
Yes--ES doesn't push kids to memorize math/spelling/writing basics
11. Does your child receive any special-needs assistance or instruction at this school? If yes, what types? Who provides services and where:
yes, most do...some get it in-house, some out...but only in ES & MS, shadows permitted, resource teachers abound at the school, tutors also available
12. Do you believe the special-needs assistance is appropriate and fills your needs? Explain:
Not for me, but like above, depends on what level the child is at.
13. Does the gifted and talented program meet the needs of students? Please explain:
NO "program" to speak of
14. Does the school offer a wide variety of elective or non-core classes such as art, music, and drama?
yes
15. Please describe any classes or programs that you believe are missing:
16. Are there academic requirements such as trips or other activities that cost money in addition to school fees?
Yes in MS and HS--trips, not required, but not to be missed.
17. What activities do you feel are missing?
18. Have your children participated in the activities offered? If no, please indicate why:
yes
19. Does the school provide appropriate assistance to new students?
yes If they speak another language, of course. Otherwise, it's a small school, they figure it out
20. 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?
honesty don't know
2. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
A++Excellent library
3. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
A+++Extremely tech friendly--maybe the most high tech of all international schools... ipads for elementary students, laptops for middle schoolers, high schoolers provide own computers.white boards, moodle-virtual learning center, etc.
4. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
Achallenging--the school has a pool, tennis courts, track and gym of course. it's like a jr. college campus. If the new PE teacher would stop cursing, the program would be much improved.
5. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
A something 10 to 1 in elementary (lots of teachers aids)20 to 1 in MS/HS
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?
AP
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 AWESOME art/music/drama department at all levels
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.
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?
see above
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, THAT is transparent
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.
bus monitors don't speak much English--so anything goes on the bus (45 minutes each way), but it's not tolerated on campus really
Overall Impressions:
1. What is the greatest strength of this school?
Teachers & fantastic campus
2. Greatest challenge?
Budget(teachers contract negotiations soured 2 years here--and now plunging enrollment figures)
3. Would you choose this school again? Why?
Yes, but only because I was lucky and my kids passed the tests.
