Parent's Review of College du Leman in Geneva, Switzerland

What is the name of your child's school? (Please report on one school per survey.)

College du Leman

In what town or city is this school located?

Geneva

How would you describe this school? (i.e. American, British, International, Local, etc.)

CDL is an international school

What grade levels are represented at this school?

pre-K through grade 13

How do most children get to school everyday? (bus, train, walk, etc.)

The school offers busing to students living in a large region in and around Geneva, including neighboring France. In addition, many students take the train or bus and of course, students who live close by the school walk from their neighborhood.

How would you describe the facilities at this school? What extra-curricular activities are available?

The school is in the midst of a building project. A new high school building was completed a year ago, and new middle school classrooms are currently being added to the middle school building. Computers with internet connections are very available for student and teacher use. The school offers a wide range of extra-curriculars including many sports offerings, yearbook, a fashion show, Model United Nations, service projects, etc. The sports programs, while numerous, are not at the same level of organization or competitiveness that we were accustomed to in the states.

What has this school done to help your child transition from the curriculum in your home country into the curriculum in your new country? Are there programs to prepare your child for repatriation?

It was the students themselves who helped my daughters integrate so smoothly into the school last year. Entering mid-way through their 7th and 9th grade years seemed intimidating, but they were greeted by such a nice group of international kids - most of whom had moved schools several times themselves, so were very attuned to the feelings of "the new kid". Socially, the transition was very easy. The most challenging things about the transition have been the requirements for the students to take two languages, and there are definitely areas of "misalignment" with the curriculum which posed a few issues, but that is to be expected any time you move!

How would you describe the social activities available for parents through this school? Are there parent-teacher organizations?

My sense is that at the elementary level there is a very active parent community - whether formally sponsored by the school or just organized by the parents, I'm not sure. I would say at the secondary level, this is the biggest weakness of the school -there seems to be little attempt to reach out to parents and much less communication with parents that we were used to.

What advice would you give to someone considering enrolling their child in this school?

Encourage your child to get involved in some of the activities - that's where they'll get to know students with common interests. Students attending this school must be very open to getting to know children from many many different nationalities, cultures, etc. There are over 100 nationalities represented here - which makes for an amazing experience as long as you are open to it!

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