Luxembourg City, Luxembourg Report of what it's like to live there - 03/22/16
Personal Experiences from Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
School Name:
Ecole Marie Montessori
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?
Maternelle: Pre K.
3. During what years were you affiliated with this school?
2015-2016.
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
I'm posted here for work.
5. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
Montessori, French/German bilingual. Beautiful facility, very well equipped, great reputation.
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?
Seems ok, although we had to accept within 24 hours and sign the contract quite quickly after getting accepted (and pay a huge deposit).
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
Seems very good.
Administration & School Procedures:
1. Describe the general climate of the grade level that you teach or your child attends:
Wonderful.
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:
B. Seems fair. Although some complain that they have to make a selection as kids advance from maternelle to primaire, there isn't room for all of them in primaire.
3. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
Great, although we speak French. Not all of the teachers speak english.
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?
No.
5. Services for gifted students who need academic challenge and students with learning difficulties:
Not sure. Probably not.
6. Availability and variety of after-school activities for various ages:
Great Maison relais program: kids can arrive at 7:30 am and stay till 6:30 PM, lots of activities for them.
7. Maintenance of appropriately high standards for all students:
It is Montessori. Not sure this applies.
8. Homework assigned (quality, quantity):
None.
9. Administration-parent communication:
Great. Director speaks English and is very helpful.
10. Teacher-student communication:
Seems good.
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?
12. Does your child receive any special-needs assistance or instruction at this school? If yes, what types? Who provides services and where:
No.
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:
15. Does the school offer a wide variety of elective or non-core classes such as art, music, and drama?
Yes. They do art and singing almost every day.
16. Please describe any classes or programs that you believe are missing:
None.
17. Are there academic requirements such as trips or other activities that cost money in addition to school fees?
Not yet. But they do go on lots of trips (to museums, to the chocolate maker, to the woods for a hike, etc.).
18. What activities do you feel are missing?
None.
19. Have your children participated in the activities offered? If no, please indicate why:
Yes.
20. Does the school provide appropriate assistance to new students?
Yes.
21. Please describe any problem areas or challenges in social interaction at the school:
There is an adjustment period as kids learn the new languages.
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?
2. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
They have books in the classrooms.
3. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
No. On purpose. It is Montessori.
4. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
They have a sports room and a sports teacher. My kids love it when they go to do sport.
5. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
2 teachers per class room, classes seem to range from 20-30.
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?
No.
7. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
Yes. No homework for maternelle.
8. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
None.
9. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
No.
10. What services are available for gifted/advanced students at the school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
No.
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?
Just in the maison relais after care program.
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.
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.
Yes, our kids had a problem with a bigger boy on the playground. We spoke to the teachers, the director and the other parent, and all seems ok now.
Overall Impressions:
1. What is the greatest strength of this school?
Great facility, great language program, amazing art projects, amazing food they cook there and serve the kids. Amazing montessori supplies to work with.
2. Greatest challenge?
I think they have too many kids for the space. They need to expand into a bigger space.
3. Would you choose this school again? Why?
Yes, definitely. We love it and are very happy with it. Another great option would have been the Waldorf school, but we found out that we got in after we paid the deposit for EMM.
