Wassenaar, The Netherlands Report of what it's like to live there - 10/12/12
Personal Experiences from Wassenaar, The Netherlands
School Name:
American School 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?
6 and 9
3. During what years were you affiliated with this school?
2011- present
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
Government
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-Too liberal.If there is space you are in.
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
A+-Amazing! Students are paired with other of similar interests.Parents seem open, friendly and accomodating.An amazing community
Administration & School Procedures:
1. Describe the general climate of the grade level that you teach or your child attends:
The school is welcoming and children are kind. Teachers are average.
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- Children integrate well and treat each other with respect.The families are amazing and supportive.It is the entitlement of some of the staff that could improve
3. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
A- Excellent
4. Services for gifted students who need academic challenge and students with learning difficulties:
B+-Grading is exceptional hard in the upper grades, but they are fully staffed to accomodate learning difficulties and do try to challenge gifted kids.
5. Availability and variety of after-school activities for various ages:
A- wonderful
6. Maintenance of appropriately high standards for all students:
B+-Very nice
7. Homework assigned (quality, quantity):
B+- Reasonable
8. Administration-parent communication:
c- Fine. Not as friendly or as accessible as the other 3 international schools we have been part of.
9. Teacher-student communication:
B+-Fine
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-In the middle school each grade seems to have a very weak teacher.Rather then addressing the problem, they seem to ignore it.
11. Does your child receive any special-needs assistance or instruction at this school? If yes, what types? Who provides services and where:
NO
12. Do you believe the special-needs assistance is appropriate and fills your needs? Explain:
13. Does the gifted and talented program meet the needs of students? Please explain:
14. Does the school offer a wide variety of elective or non-core classes such as art, music, and drama?
YES- Fabulous option of choices
15. Please describe any classes or programs that you believe are missing:
They have some really, really bad teachers they can not purge from the system. The result is serious holes/gaps in the learning.If the leadership could muster the courage to take these weak links on, it would be an amazing school.
16. Are there academic requirements such as trips or other activities that cost money in addition to school fees?
No only at the option of the parent
17. What activities do you feel are missing?
No, they do a great job
18. Have your children participated in the activities offered? If no, please indicate why:
Yes and loved them
19. Does the school provide appropriate assistance to new students?
Amazing support
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?
A Very dedicated counselors
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- Very well managed
3. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
A- Advance.All 6th and up have their own tablets.
4. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
A-Great range of sports though weaker then in the U.S.
5. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
C- Not impressive.Seem to be maxed and upping the ratio all the time. 20:1.
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--Both option
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- exspansive; something for everyone
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
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, very integrated.
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.
Not that I know of.
Overall Impressions:
1. What is the greatest strength of this school?
The kids seem to really understand that all students deserve respect.You need not like everyone, but you treat them the way you would like to be treated.A truely, amazingly tolerant, kind student body.
2. Greatest challenge?
Dutch labor laws. Some teacher have dug in and they can not be fired.They are poisoning the experience and cheating the children.
3. Would you choose this school again? Why?
They do teachers that are enguaged are so talented, committed and amazing. The kids are amazing.
