Guys help pleaseeee!

turksman

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Mar 14, 2005
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Hi Everyone. Ok so here's where I am at. Like I said before I am planning on moving to the DR full time and have now set a definitive date in December. I am going to be going there in November to find a house but MOST IMPORTANTLY find a School for my daughters to go to. NONE of any of the school's websites I have seen post their tuition. Before I even visit there I need to know numbers :) because I am going to be living there on a budget I have set. I sent numerous emails to multiple schools and got 1 reply :-( so I started calling the schools instead and they said they would email me the tuition and only one school did which was way too much money. I have budgeted to pay around $300.00 a month for each child and English is their native language and they only speak about 20-30% spanish on a good day and CANNOT read or write it so I wanted to put them in a bilingual school. Most of the tuition fees I found for schools on this site are from dialouge 4 and 5 years ago and I would really appreciate you guys help with this PLEASE :)

I am looking at schools in Santo Domingo and Santiago as I will be looking at living in either place.

Can someone PLEASSSEEE give me names of Bilingual schools in either city that cost around my budget of $300.00 a month. Oh yeah their ages are 8 and 13 and will be in 3rd and 8th grade. Thanks so much
 

Criss Colon

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At those ages, I think that a "GOOD" Dominican language school would be "OK".
That way, they will learn a new language in a few short months!
THEY can handle it, if YOU can!
My girls, 8 & 10 go to "Colegio Arroyo Hondo". It's located on "Camino Chiquito", in Arroyo Hondo Santo Domingo.
Tuition is only 5,000 pesos a month,each.
Books, uniforms, field trips, and supplies,lunches, are all on top of that.
We only live about 5 to 10 minutes from the school.
My wife takes them,and picks them up.
Also goes "Back & Forth" a few more times for "Extra Curricular" activities.
The "Total Immersion" of a "Spanish Language" school will be an unbelievably POSITIVE, "Once-In-A-Lifetime" opportunity for your daughters.
Take IT!
If you are coming, REMEMBER, It will probably be costing you between 50, and 100% more than you think it will.
This is a great place to live, IF, you have the money necessary to live well.
What are you going to be doing to support your family?
How much is your monthly "Budget"?
Where in SD, or Santiago do you plan to live.
That makes a huge difference.
Both in your costs, AND the quality of your lives.
Those of us who have lived here for several years, and work, and are raising families here can advise you on our "Costs-Of-Living"!
What you THINK it will be needed to live here, MAY not be valid!
"Good Luck"!
Ther are a "TON" of after school activities right at the school,some are "Free" some cost about 1,000 pesos a month.
They take, guitar lessons, chorus,Track,(Running) & Thai Kwon Do. The 10 year old also takes Ballet two days a week in a "Dance Studio" near our house, 1,100 pesos a month for that.
Cris Colon
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
ps, That last paragraph belongs with the "School" info, not at the end.
 

bob saunders

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Jan 1, 2002
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List of schools in the Dominican Republic
Why don't you phone the schools and ask? At Saint Georges in Santo Domingo they speak English as well as Spanish. When my wife's cousins went to school there it was about 6000 per month and that was several years ago. They are functional in English , almost fluent after about 3 years. Another relative works in IT at New Horizons school and says it is an impressive school with smart boards....etc.
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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There are two that come to mind:
1) If you follow CCCCCC's advice and put them in total immersion Spanish language schools (not the worst thing, really!) I would suggest any of Santiago's better "colegios": La Salle, Sagrado Corazon, DaVinci or Juan XXIII. All somewhere in the area of 5000-6000 a month, plus, just as described by CCCCCCC...
2) If you insist on English language, just one comes to mind: St. David School, run by a Welshwoman with great credentials. And it is within your budget (with the same "plus" as the other schools, of course)


HB
 
Last edited:

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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US$300 per child per month puts the decent bilingual schools out of range, certainly those mentioned in Bob's post, so I'd choose one of the good Spanish schools. Our son spent one year at the Centro Pedagogico Infantil Montessori in Los Restauradores (Santo Domingo) and he (and we) were reasonably happy with the experience.
 

lisagauss

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Feb 16, 2011
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There are two that come to mind:
1) If you follow CCCCCC's advice and put them in total immersion Spanish language schools (not the worst thing, really!) I would suggest any of Santiago's better "colegios": La Salle, Sagrado Corazon, DaVince or Juan XXIII. All somewhere in the area of 5000-6000 a month, plus, just as described by CCCCCCC...
2) If you insist on English language, just one comes to mind: St. David School, run by a Welshwoman with great credentials. And it is within your budget (with the same "plus" as the other schools, of course)


HB

HB, St Dadid is in Santiago right? Do you know the tuition for this school?
 

turksman

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Mar 14, 2005
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At those ages, I think that a "GOOD" Dominican language school would be "OK".
That way, they will learn a new language in a few short months!
THEY can handle it, if YOU can!
My girls, 8 & 10 go to "Colegio Arroyo Hondo". It's located on "Camino Chiquito", in Arroyo Hondo Santo Domingo.
Tuition is only 5,000 pesos a month,each.
Books, uniforms, field trips, and supplies,lunches, are all on top of that.
We only live about 5 to 10 minutes from the school.
My wife takes them,and picks them up.
Also goes "Back & Forth" a few more times for "Extra Curricular" activities.
The "Total Immersion" of a "Spanish Language" school will be an unbelievably POSITIVE, "Once-In-A-Lifetime" opportunity for your daughters.
Take IT!
If you are coming, REMEMBER, It will probably be costing you between 50, and 100% more than you think it will.
This is a great place to live, IF, you have the money necessary to live well.
What are you going to be doing to support your family?
How much is your monthly "Budget"?
Where in SD, or Santiago do you plan to live.
That makes a huge difference.
Both in your costs, AND the quality of your lives.
Those of us who have lived here for several years, and work, and are raising families here can advise you on our "Costs-Of-Living"!
What you THINK it will be needed to live here, MAY not be valid!
"Good Luck"!
Ther are a "TON" of after school activities right at the school,some are "Free" some cost about 1,000 pesos a month.
They take, guitar lessons, chorus,Track,(Running) & Thai Kwon Do. The 10 year old also takes Ballet two days a week in a "Dance Studio" near our house, 1,100 pesos a month for that.
Cris Colon
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
ps, That last paragraph belongs with the "School" info, not at the end.

CCCCCCCCCCC. I just PMed you can you let me know what you think. Thanks
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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St. David is about RD$10000 a month. Totally English with a mix of Native and non-Native speakers. They work the kids hard.

Yes, in Santiago, out by Don Pedro

HB
 

Mauricio

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Nov 18, 2002
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US$300 per child per month puts the decent bilingual schools out of range, certainly those mentioned in Bob's post, so I'd choose one of the good Spanish schools. Our son spent one year at the Centro Pedagogico Infantil Montessori in Los Restauradores (Santo Domingo) and he (and we) were reasonably happy with the experience.
I think RD$12,000 gives access to many decent bilingual schools, just not the top 3 or top 5 of the ccountry (anyway, I wouldn't want my children to be educated in an elitist environment).
 

lisagauss

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Feb 16, 2011
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St. David is about RD$10000 a month. Totally English with a mix of Native and non-Native speakers. They work the kids hard.

Yes, in Santiago, out by Don Pedro

HB

Thanks HB. $10K seems pretty high; probably it includes books, uniform, etc.

For the OP: I know the Colegio Dominicano (In Santiago) is $6K per month and Ive heard good things about this school from University professors. They are Bilingual.
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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I think RD$12,000 gives access to many decent bilingual schools, just not the top 3 or top 5 of the ccountry (anyway, I wouldn't want my children to be educated in an elitist environment).
OK, maybe I'm mistaken - which ones do you mean? We pay more than that and the school is half the price of the top three or five.
 

pdmlynek

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Sep 27, 2012
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Writing a reply that does not answer your question but challenges the assumption is usually bad manners, so please forgive me, but here goes:

I strongly recommend putting your kids into a Spanish speaking school only. The most important academic skill that a child can learn is to communicate effectively. It is more important than learning math, science, history, or other subjects. And the best way of learning a language is just like learning the first language: by full immersion. A child (or an adult) will learn a language because it has to, and there is not crutch of the first language available. And yes, I speak from experience.
 

turksman

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Mar 14, 2005
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Writing a reply that does not answer your question but challenges the assumption is usually bad manners, so please forgive me, but here goes:

I strongly recommend putting your kids into a Spanish speaking school only. The most important academic skill that a child can learn is to communicate effectively. It is more important than learning math, science, history, or other subjects. And the best way of learning a language is just like learning the first language: by full immersion. A child (or an adult) will learn a language because it has to, and there is not crutch of the first language available. And yes, I speak from experience.


I really want to do that and I agree about them being immersed and fully mastering the language BUT I am so terrified of my girls feeling overwhelmed, scared, out of place and embarrassed about not being able to keep up and feeling like the "dumb" or "slow" ones in the class. Moving to a new school and having to make new friends is hard enough and I was just thinking that throwing a new language into the mix would make it a little more difficult as well.
 

KJS73

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Feb 25, 2011
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Dominico-Americano is a little over $2500 USD per year and is in Santo Domingo. Most of the classes are in English. Your kids would also be put in Spanish as a 2nd language.
 

pdmlynek

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Sep 27, 2012
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I really want to do that and I agree about them being immersed and fully mastering the language BUT I am so terrified of my girls feeling overwhelmed, scared, out of place and embarrassed about not being able to keep up and feeling like the "dumb" or "slow" ones in the class. Moving to a new school and having to make new friends is hard enough and I was just thinking that throwing a new language into the mix would make it a little more difficult as well.

There is no doubt that being dropped off in an environment where nobody speaks a child’s language is pretty overwhelming for the child, regardless of the age of the child. But within a relatively short amount of time, the child learns how to cope with it, finds friends surprisingly easily (someone is always interested in helping “the kid from another country”, and the kid from another country often is the center of attention), and picks up the language quickly. How quickly the child picks up a language to be functional in it really depends on the age of the child; the younger the better. When I was in fully immersed in a Russian preschool, it was supposedly a couple of weeks. In Austria (6th grade) and then in the US (7th grade) it was about 4 to 6 months before I was sufficiently comfortable to concentrate on school work rather than language learning, and about another year until I was on the same level as native speakers. How old are your kids, turksman?

As far feeling “dumb” goes, the best way for students with limited vocabulary to show their academic prowess (to self, other kids, or teachers), is to excel in math. A student can do an addition exercises/long division/geometric proof/calculus/etc. on a blackboard in front of a class with extremely limited language skills. There are a couple of other subjects, such as art, physical education, geography, where a child can do well without being fully fluent. The hardest are probably science, because of so much reading and specialized vocabulary, and social studies/history, not only because of so much reading and but also because of a very different cultural context.

But I believe that it is essential that the student with limited language skills not be allowed to seek academic refuge in math, art, or like subject and to eschew linguistically challenging classes and subjects. It is much more important to learn to communicate well as soon as possible than learning any of the other subjects. In 3 years nobody will care what she got on a math quiz, but they will care if she still has problems with declining some irregular verb.

When I taught at UC Berkeley or at UW Madison, each year I had a few students who have been in the US already for several years, yet they still rewrote their class notes into their native language so that they could understand the subject discussed. It broke my heart seeing them struggle simultaneously with the subject taught and with the English language.

Good luck, on whatever you decide!
 

Dominicaus

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Oct 4, 2006
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Moving to a new school and having to make new friends is hard enough and I was just thinking that throwing a new language into the mix would make it a little more difficult as well.
And so is moving to a new school MID-WAY through the school year!
Unless I am missing something (my apologies if I did), you plan to move to the DR in December...not sure if bilingual schools work this way, but the Dominican educational system is (was last I checked) yearly-based... and December would be middle of the school year, roughly.

It would seem much more sensible for parents with school-age kids, to time their move so that it falls in the summer months, between academic years...the kids may then employ a few months or weeks for cultural/language adaptation...Another option may be to leave the kids behind (with their mom or a trusted relative?) for them to finish the school year back home, and join you later...this may or may not make sense depending on the specific situation...I would advocate moving between school years, instead (if at all possible)... Of course if the school calendars in both countries don't coincide that may be an additional consideration.
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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I ACTUALLY have 4 kids in school,RIGHT NOW, in Santo Dominigo, Dominican Republic!
My "Info",therefore, is not "speculation', "heresay", or "Agenda Driven"!
My stepson,who is now 21, has gone through 18 years of schooling HERE!
He is now doing well at "APEC" univ. in Santo Dominigo,3rd. year.
My 15 year old son is now a junior in highschool. He is more like me, average student, BRILLIANT MIND!
My 10 year old daughter IS Both ,"Brilliant", and a "A" student.
My 8 year old daughter is a "combination" of all 3.
They go to spanish language schools. All have "English", and "French" classes mandatory, if not very good.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
"KIDS" are VERY adaptive,reseliant,happy,curious, creatures, by NATURE!
Parents like to put our preconcieved feelings about "Change is hard!", or "Wait until the new school year starts.","They won't be prepared for college if they go there">
NOT SO!
We moved a few times when I was young,once from rural Illinois to Venezuela, when I was 12! And just look how I turned out!!!!!
Wait a minute, lets use my oldest sister, a MUCH better example.
She gradualted high school as Valadictorian, College in 3 years, post graduate studies in Montreal, and Paris, 2 masters degtrees,etc.etc., and she can SPELL!
The invaluable experience of schooling in a foreign language is beyond priceless!
Fluency in two or more languages a HUGE advantage in life.
Colleges seek out students with interesting/unusual life experiences.
So do employers!
Don't pass up this opportunity.
Your daughters will thank you for this wonderful move they entire life!
There are others here on DR1 who had similar experiences in their lives.
Many are Dominicans who moved to English speaking countries. They are TOTALLY bilengual,and they spell correctly in at least 2 languages
"dv8" speaks at LEAST 3 languages fluently.
She is not only a beautuful woman, she is one of the smartest posting on DR1.
She is Polish by birth, the one is a "Dominicana", the "others" shall remain "unspecified",but you know who you are!
I have met kids who went to "Dominicano/Americano" school. I thought they had lived in the USA.Their "Americano" was that good.
After all is "Said & Done" the most important part of our children's education, takes place not in school, but in the home.
If that is not the case in anyone's home, STEP IT UP!
"Travel" is the best learning experiance in the world, and you don't need to worry about your kids.
If they are loved without reservations at home, they will not only be "Fine" here in the DR, they will be "GREAT"!
And so will you!
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
I also firmly believe in a "Religeous Upbringing".
If they so choose, they can quit "believing" when they are older.
ENOUGH!
 

pelaut

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Aug 5, 2007
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I raised three children in several different countries with different languages.
The 13 year old in total immersion is not a good idea. Precarious age, and after puberty the absorption of a new "mother's language" doesn't happen naturally (lots of scientific evidence for that nowadays).
The 8 year old can do immersion easily and benefit greatly, but with the culture shock, etc., you probably know it would be better to have them in the same school to support each other.
So it sounds like bilingual for both.