The Hague, The Netherlands Report of what it's like to live there - 08/17/15
Personal Experiences from The Hague, The Netherlands
School Name:
American School of The Hague
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?
8, 6, 3
3. During what years were you affiliated with this school?
2013-2016
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?
American curriculum
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?
B - ASH relies too heavily on placement tests instead of past performance and teacher recommendations, particularly in math. This can result in a child who is jet lagged and does not perform well being misplaced, with significant repercussions for the child's future.
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:
My children love the school and have made many friends.
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
3. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
B - Teachers are great. But they are often only available during the school day, which is problematic if both parents (or a single parent family) work full-time.
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?
Lunch isn't provided - you buy or you bring your own. No uniforms. Laptops are provided free of charge (unless you break/lose it). You do have to get a graphing calculator in advanced math classes. And school supplies are provided in Elementary, but not all in MS and HS.
5. Services for gifted students who need academic challenge and students with learning difficulties:
C - ASH has not been as open to accepting students with some learning challenges in the past. The school is changing, but it's still sometimes an issue.
6. Availability and variety of after-school activities for various ages:
B - There are a lot of options, but not always consistent across grade levels.
7. Maintenance of appropriately high standards for all students:
A
8. Homework assigned (quality, quantity):
A
9. Administration-parent communication:
C - The school relies on a website for all communication. The website is not hard to use, but finding information on it can be tricky. The school also doesn't always solicit parental input when making big changes, such as deciding that Middle School children now must choose between choir and instrument and can no longer do both. They just announced it with no discussion, and this really upset a lot of people.
10. Teacher-student communication:
B
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
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:
N/A
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:
Happy with the selection, just would like to actually be able to choose electives in Middle School instead of having to take all of them.
17. Are there academic requirements such as trips or other activities that cost money in addition to school fees?
There are trips, but they don't generally cost extra.
18. What activities do you feel are missing?
Recreational sports. Students must try out for all sports teams, and if one don't make the team there are relatively few options to get better to make it the following year.
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.
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?
C
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
3. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
A
4. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
B
5. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
A
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
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.
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?
Yes - but not as many for the younger children.
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.
No.
Overall Impressions:
1. What is the greatest strength of this school?
It's a great school. Every school has issues, but we've been very pleased overall.
2. Greatest challenge?
Working full-time and supporting the school. All parent interaction occurs during the work day. The school assumes there is always a parent home full-time.
3. Would you choose this school again? Why?
Definitely. Our kids are so happy here!
