This parent circumvented the office and tried to walk past security. You can't have anyone just walking through schools.
- Thread starter Chris
- Start date
Private Schools
True, but she's not just anybody, she's a parent with children at the
school. How do you know she tried to circumvent the office, are you are staff at the school.
best choice of school near Winston Churchill Ave.
Hi guys, I have been reading the forum for a few weeks now and I think this is a very informative forum. This is my first post...
I?m looking at a job opportunity to move from Mexico to Santo Domingo. I?m a Telecom professional who will work for an international telecom company located near the Churchill Ave. and I?m looking for a school for my kids who will be in 5th and 8th grade by the summer when they join me in SD. I?m planning to find a place to live (house or apartment) in BellaVista, Evaristo Morales, Piantini or Naco areas.
They have always attended private bilingual schools and it is my goal that they go to High School and/or College in Canada where they were born, so a good english education is very important.
Based on their geographic location and costs, I?m looking at these four (ranked from cheaper to more expensive, considering the costs for the grades I mentioned, yearly in thousand USD, total for both):
1. ABC School (about $9.5 KUSD)
2. St. Joseph School (about $11 KUSD)
3. New Horizons (about $13 KUSD)
4. St. Michaels (haven?t got their info yet)
From these 4, I have seen only mentioned the New Horizons and St. Michaels as some of the best. My questions are:
a) Am I right in this perception?
b) How about St. Joseph or ABC school, does anybody have any experience with them?
c) Is the St. Michael the only SACS accredited?
Many thanks in advance for your comments.
/Arturo
Hi guys, I have been reading the forum for a few weeks now and I think this is a very informative forum. This is my first post...
I?m looking at a job opportunity to move from Mexico to Santo Domingo. I?m a Telecom professional who will work for an international telecom company located near the Churchill Ave. and I?m looking for a school for my kids who will be in 5th and 8th grade by the summer when they join me in SD. I?m planning to find a place to live (house or apartment) in BellaVista, Evaristo Morales, Piantini or Naco areas.
They have always attended private bilingual schools and it is my goal that they go to High School and/or College in Canada where they were born, so a good english education is very important.
Based on their geographic location and costs, I?m looking at these four (ranked from cheaper to more expensive, considering the costs for the grades I mentioned, yearly in thousand USD, total for both):
1. ABC School (about $9.5 KUSD)
2. St. Joseph School (about $11 KUSD)
3. New Horizons (about $13 KUSD)
4. St. Michaels (haven?t got their info yet)
From these 4, I have seen only mentioned the New Horizons and St. Michaels as some of the best. My questions are:
a) Am I right in this perception?
b) How about St. Joseph or ABC school, does anybody have any experience with them?
c) Is the St. Michael the only SACS accredited?
Many thanks in advance for your comments.
/Arturo
You can't go very wrong with any of these: I know people with kids in all those schools. St Michaels and NH are the more prestigious, although some I've heard suggestions that the NH isn't as good as it used to be.
Check out their websites for details of accreditation.
Check out their websites for details of accreditation.
He's right!
Custody issues are huge. No one gets through our doors without signing in at the office. Bob, I see your point as well, and I know you and your wife are in education, but I think he is right.
We now have computer systems that tell us who has primary custody. Pretty scary when you log in to check your attendance and there is a small red flag next to a student's name that says "DO NOT RELEASE TO FATHER" or something like that. Makes you wonder the hell the kid has already gone through. Remember we are here to protect children as well as educate them, sadly sometimes we have to protect them from the parent.
In the past two years I have had two run-ins with "step" parents that have made me want to quit my job. While the anger was not because of something I did in my classroom, for some reason the parent thought they could take out their rage and aggression on me by yelling and screaming at me. One person even threatened violence (not at me but at another teacher).
Needless to say, it scared me. Also, both parties were charged with criminal trespass.
Be a good parent, sign in at the office! And if you are really angry about something at school, don't take it out on innocent teachers who are trying their best with your offspring.
Custody issues are huge. No one gets through our doors without signing in at the office. Bob, I see your point as well, and I know you and your wife are in education, but I think he is right.
We now have computer systems that tell us who has primary custody. Pretty scary when you log in to check your attendance and there is a small red flag next to a student's name that says "DO NOT RELEASE TO FATHER" or something like that. Makes you wonder the hell the kid has already gone through. Remember we are here to protect children as well as educate them, sadly sometimes we have to protect them from the parent.
In the past two years I have had two run-ins with "step" parents that have made me want to quit my job. While the anger was not because of something I did in my classroom, for some reason the parent thought they could take out their rage and aggression on me by yelling and screaming at me. One person even threatened violence (not at me but at another teacher).
Needless to say, it scared me. Also, both parties were charged with criminal trespass.
Be a good parent, sign in at the office! And if you are really angry about something at school, don't take it out on innocent teachers who are trying their best with your offspring.
Clarification
In all fairness, I need to amend my previous entry. Concerning the religious issue, I never believed or meant to imply that the school was owned or operated by JWs, a point the school director made to me today. I believe he told me the truth, and I apologize for any possible misunderstanding. Where this issue originated, was my recently becoming aware of a possible large presence of JWs in the faculty and student body. And it is this issue that led me to believe that the source of some of my problems came from this, particularly the secrecy and some bias problems. Concerning the administration, and why I did not go to them, my first encounter made it clear to me that they did not give a damn about it. I left them with 2 words going round my head: bias and dictatorship. I will grant you that I have had to speculate some on the source of our problems. Maybe I misread the situation, but it still does not negate the fact that we had problems no matter the origin. I planned from my first encounter to remove my son at the end of the year. It would have helped if the school had been a little more open and attentive. Secrets are kept for a reason. Perhaps if they had been more open and attentive, these issues may never have developed. Also, I did go to another teacher and asked for her assistance about the cold room. She told me that it was not possible to adjust the cooling in my son?s classroom. But, every day he would come home and tell me his teacher was complaining about other teachers changing settings and that she would change it again and turn on fans. I only have one question. Was my son?s teacher a JW? Well, so was the teacher I asked for help. Who am I to believe; my son or a teacher who is likely covering for another to keep her out of trouble? Is there a conspiracy problem with JWs in this school? Maybe the director should look into it.
I am no stranger to schools. I was married before and had 2 boys. Now, I am married again, and have taken my wife?s child as my own. I have always been active in the schools of my children. When my children were in kindergarten, once a week I came in to assist the teacher in her class. When the school held fund raisers, my function was always the biggest money maker. (Don?t believe me? Call the school in West Jefferson, Ohio. Ask about the ?Count?. They probably still remember.) I held special activities in schools all over the state of Ohio to raise money, as well as the Columbus Zoo and the city of Shreve. I used the children from my local school to assist, and the commission I gathered for some of my events was used to take these children to places like the Ohio Village, Cedar Point, and the Columbus zoo. I never kept a penny and in fact used a lot my own money to support this work. My wife and I arrived here last June, from Ukraine. Our son was in a private school there. He was a top student and never had behavior issues. His teacher still writes often to ask about him. I?d bet he doesn?t have problems at Alic New World School (starting Tuesday) either. All of my children were highly respected and I never had any serious problems with any other school.
I am sure you will find parents who love O&M. Everyone has an opinion. Maybe you, the reader would like it too. If you send your child there, I hope you do too. You asked for an opinion and I gave it.
In all fairness, I need to amend my previous entry. Concerning the religious issue, I never believed or meant to imply that the school was owned or operated by JWs, a point the school director made to me today. I believe he told me the truth, and I apologize for any possible misunderstanding. Where this issue originated, was my recently becoming aware of a possible large presence of JWs in the faculty and student body. And it is this issue that led me to believe that the source of some of my problems came from this, particularly the secrecy and some bias problems. Concerning the administration, and why I did not go to them, my first encounter made it clear to me that they did not give a damn about it. I left them with 2 words going round my head: bias and dictatorship. I will grant you that I have had to speculate some on the source of our problems. Maybe I misread the situation, but it still does not negate the fact that we had problems no matter the origin. I planned from my first encounter to remove my son at the end of the year. It would have helped if the school had been a little more open and attentive. Secrets are kept for a reason. Perhaps if they had been more open and attentive, these issues may never have developed. Also, I did go to another teacher and asked for her assistance about the cold room. She told me that it was not possible to adjust the cooling in my son?s classroom. But, every day he would come home and tell me his teacher was complaining about other teachers changing settings and that she would change it again and turn on fans. I only have one question. Was my son?s teacher a JW? Well, so was the teacher I asked for help. Who am I to believe; my son or a teacher who is likely covering for another to keep her out of trouble? Is there a conspiracy problem with JWs in this school? Maybe the director should look into it.
I am no stranger to schools. I was married before and had 2 boys. Now, I am married again, and have taken my wife?s child as my own. I have always been active in the schools of my children. When my children were in kindergarten, once a week I came in to assist the teacher in her class. When the school held fund raisers, my function was always the biggest money maker. (Don?t believe me? Call the school in West Jefferson, Ohio. Ask about the ?Count?. They probably still remember.) I held special activities in schools all over the state of Ohio to raise money, as well as the Columbus Zoo and the city of Shreve. I used the children from my local school to assist, and the commission I gathered for some of my events was used to take these children to places like the Ohio Village, Cedar Point, and the Columbus zoo. I never kept a penny and in fact used a lot my own money to support this work. My wife and I arrived here last June, from Ukraine. Our son was in a private school there. He was a top student and never had behavior issues. His teacher still writes often to ask about him. I?d bet he doesn?t have problems at Alic New World School (starting Tuesday) either. All of my children were highly respected and I never had any serious problems with any other school.
I am sure you will find parents who love O&M. Everyone has an opinion. Maybe you, the reader would like it too. If you send your child there, I hope you do too. You asked for an opinion and I gave it.
Part of my last post was missing due to a computer crash:
My son also informed me that his teacher was a JW and that she made a point of identifying all of the JW children in the class. 10 of 16 as I understand it. If this is supposed to be a totally secular school, then why point out all the JWs?
My son was no sooner enrolled, and he was in trouble. ACCORDING TO THE SCHOOL a girl in the class came to my son’s desk and demanded that he return her property. It so happened that he and she had identical articles and she mistakeningly thought it was hers. She slapped him and he slapped her. Apparently no one was hurt; it was probably more like pushing. Well it turns out, according to the school, that the girl was mistaken, and my son was an aggressor. Now I do not know about you, but defending one’s property has usually been a personal right. I did not agree with my son’s actions and told him so, but he was not the guilty party. I wondered why the school would be so biased. I assumed at the time it was because my child was new. Was this child a JW as I understand is the teacher and the 2nd director? Would you not think that I have some very valid concerns?
In the meantime, my son was labeled a bully and cruel tricks were played on him by other children. Someone would do something, and then they would tell the teacher my son did it.
If any thinks I am just being biased to my son, write me and I arrange for you to meet him. You will have no doubt that he is a quiet child.
My son also informed me that his teacher was a JW and that she made a point of identifying all of the JW children in the class. 10 of 16 as I understand it. If this is supposed to be a totally secular school, then why point out all the JWs?
My son was no sooner enrolled, and he was in trouble. ACCORDING TO THE SCHOOL a girl in the class came to my son’s desk and demanded that he return her property. It so happened that he and she had identical articles and she mistakeningly thought it was hers. She slapped him and he slapped her. Apparently no one was hurt; it was probably more like pushing. Well it turns out, according to the school, that the girl was mistaken, and my son was an aggressor. Now I do not know about you, but defending one’s property has usually been a personal right. I did not agree with my son’s actions and told him so, but he was not the guilty party. I wondered why the school would be so biased. I assumed at the time it was because my child was new. Was this child a JW as I understand is the teacher and the 2nd director? Would you not think that I have some very valid concerns?
In the meantime, my son was labeled a bully and cruel tricks were played on him by other children. Someone would do something, and then they would tell the teacher my son did it.
If any thinks I am just being biased to my son, write me and I arrange for you to meet him. You will have no doubt that he is a quiet child.
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My children are at ABC this year. We are from the US, where they had been in a bilingual elementary school. I really like the families and teachers at ABC, but to be honest I find the curriculum very traditional and textbook-based. I would like a little more innovation and creativity. However, the quality of English spoken by their English teachers is excellent. We originally were going to send the children to St. Joseph's. They are building an awesome new school that we can see from our apartment in El Vergel (near the Teatro Nacional). It was supposed to be completed for Fall 2010 and we were excited to have a school so close to us. Again, the staff there was very nice and spoke great English. I'm not sure what they are saying now about completing the new building, but I can see the construction site and it does not look like they are making much progress. Maybe for Fall 2011, but I wouldn't count on it. In the end we decided to go with ABC because it is closer to us than the current St. Joseph's campus, and we felt a little annoyed that they promised us the new school would be ready for 2010. Anyway, if you have any particular questions about ABC, please send me a message. I would really encourage you to visit the schools while class is in session to get a sense of the school. You may also want to look into the Community for Learning in Arroyo Hondo -- the price is in your range and they seem to offer more innovation if you are interested in that. Good luck. It is very challenging to find the right school for your children.
As this was post was to be a list of the private schools in the country, I thought it would be okay to add our school without it being considered advertising. If it is a problem, feel free to delete.
The Esperanza Project, Cabrera
Located 10 min walk from town centre
Pre-K to 8th grade (ages 4 to 16)
English speaking, with some Spanish classes.
Highly qualified, native English teachers, dual licensed in regular and special education.
Cost for non-Dominicans: 3000rd/mnth for half day or 6000 to 6500rd/mnth for full day (full day includes lunch daily) (both include all materials) No uniforms required.
Cost for Dominicans: FREE to 3000rd/mnth depending on situation. Scholarships / sponsorship available.
Non religious.
Esperanza Project
info@esperanzaproject.ca
829 425 8102
The Esperanza Project, Cabrera
Located 10 min walk from town centre
Pre-K to 8th grade (ages 4 to 16)
English speaking, with some Spanish classes.
Highly qualified, native English teachers, dual licensed in regular and special education.
Cost for non-Dominicans: 3000rd/mnth for half day or 6000 to 6500rd/mnth for full day (full day includes lunch daily) (both include all materials) No uniforms required.
Cost for Dominicans: FREE to 3000rd/mnth depending on situation. Scholarships / sponsorship available.
Non religious.
Esperanza Project
info@esperanzaproject.ca
829 425 8102
Very happy with Hostos school in Santiago
Just to share my experience after having my kid (7 years old) their for 7 months.
Excellent administration, clean facilities, rules, discipline, plenty of computers, small classes (12-15),1-2 teachers with my kid. Regularly evaluations and the
teachers always takes time for you. Several months ago they called me because he was wearing his new white/black sneakers. I had to pick him up and change. IMHO the kids needs more rules at school because everything else here is kind of chaotic
The kids 10 and up are completely fluent in English and English is mostly spoken on the school yard. And they are very well behaved.
Just to share my experience after having my kid (7 years old) their for 7 months.
Excellent administration, clean facilities, rules, discipline, plenty of computers, small classes (12-15),1-2 teachers with my kid. Regularly evaluations and the
teachers always takes time for you. Several months ago they called me because he was wearing his new white/black sneakers. I had to pick him up and change. IMHO the kids needs more rules at school because everything else here is kind of chaotic
The kids 10 and up are completely fluent in English and English is mostly spoken on the school yard. And they are very well behaved.
Sorry but I just do not see the logic. FREE to 3000 for Dominicans? "tu sabe no hay quarto en la calle, 10 pesos porfa" I assume they are last in line then when you have these "highly qualified teachers" (that I assume you pay well). School got to cover their costs or?
DRMpe, I'm going to come to Fiona's defense.
I have been to their facility, worked with them in their summer camp and have seen what they are doing. They have grown this year, which is a testament to their quality education despite a somewhat higher cost (dominican standards)
And, the Dominicans want their kids to study there and do what they can to get them there.
I have been to their facility, worked with them in their summer camp and have seen what they are doing. They have grown this year, which is a testament to their quality education despite a somewhat higher cost (dominican standards)
And, the Dominicans want their kids to study there and do what they can to get them there.
Many private schools, including my wife's, offer free or partial tuition to a limited number of students, based on parents ability to pay, plus their attitude towards volunteering and commitment to their childrens education. In this schools' case if the child is sponsored by someone the school is not loosing money on that particular child. The school can then afford to pay the staff and still make profit, do improvements....etc. Looks like an excellent little program they've got going there. Every little bit helps.
Thank you very much for your support, Bob and Melanie!!
As they said, because our 'free' students are sponsored, our school does not lose money by offering these scholarships (partial or full). Through our free summer camp we met a lot of wonderful and intelligent children who just could not afford a high quality education. Our scholarships are offered to children we know and who we feel are deserving and truly interested and grateful for the opportunity we are giving them.
Our system works wonderfully for us in allowing a mixture of wealthier foreign students and local Dominicans from poorer families to all attend the same institution and receive the same level of education which they all deserve.
As far as our highly qualified teachers, my husband is a dual-licensed and experienced regular and special ed teacher and we have actually been lucky enough to recruit a qualified and experienced teacher from England to work with us for the year. We are a small school of just 19 students (a mixture of half and full day students, so a maximum of 15 at one time), so we just have the two qualified teachers and one volunteer teacher's assistant, plus myself when I am able to take some time to get in the classroom.
DR_Mpe, you're more than welcome to swing by Cabrera to see how it all works in person if you'd like!
As they said, because our 'free' students are sponsored, our school does not lose money by offering these scholarships (partial or full). Through our free summer camp we met a lot of wonderful and intelligent children who just could not afford a high quality education. Our scholarships are offered to children we know and who we feel are deserving and truly interested and grateful for the opportunity we are giving them.
Our system works wonderfully for us in allowing a mixture of wealthier foreign students and local Dominicans from poorer families to all attend the same institution and receive the same level of education which they all deserve.
As far as our highly qualified teachers, my husband is a dual-licensed and experienced regular and special ed teacher and we have actually been lucky enough to recruit a qualified and experienced teacher from England to work with us for the year. We are a small school of just 19 students (a mixture of half and full day students, so a maximum of 15 at one time), so we just have the two qualified teachers and one volunteer teacher's assistant, plus myself when I am able to take some time to get in the classroom.
DR_Mpe, you're more than welcome to swing by Cabrera to see how it all works in person if you'd like!