Parent's Review of Graded in Sao Paulo, Brazil

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

Graded

In what town or city is this school located?

Sao Paulo

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

American

What grade levels are represented at this school?

Pre-K-12

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

Bus or Car

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

The facilities are slightly dated with the exception of the Arts Center which is amazing. There are many extra-curricular activities available

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?

The school does a good job with the initial transition of making children feel welcome and integrating them into the school community. There are not any programs to prepare children for repatriation.

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

The PTA is very active with many activities planned throughout the year and any parent can be as involved as they choose to be.

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

The school does a great job with the younger grades up to about grade 8, however if you have older children who are coming from a strong school you may be disappointed with Graded. I have been very disappointed with the IB program and really regret having my son participate in the program. They have high teacher turnover and the grading system is too subjective--which is a huge problem when your student's grades are just projections of how they will do on an exam after two years in each subject. So for instance, let's say your child's teacher makes a judgement call about the child and decides to give him a B in the class, but then your child aces the IB exam--hense the teacher misjudged the student's capability. You won't know until May of Senior year that the teacher was wrong, but it is too late because all the college application process is over and done, Furthermore, because Graded is a small school there are very few choices within the curriculum. The college counseling department is lacking as well. They have many colleges coming on campus to visit, which is great, but the support the school offers through the application process is terrible. I have had to hire an outside tudor to teach all of my children and to help my son with college applications which seems a little ridiculous when you are paying $45K per child per year. Then there are the social and cultural differences in Brazil--drinking and drugs are excepted as normal even by the school. I would seriously consider your options before signing up teenagers at Graded.

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Oliveira Lawyers is the foremost Brazilian law firm dedicated to representing the interests of foreign citizens in Brazil. From immigration to real estate and other life events, our bilingual attorneys got you covered! Main services include immigration, real estate, notary services, tax services, collections, family law, and litigation.

Oliveira Lawyers

Oliveira Lawyers is the foremost Brazilian law firm dedicated to representing the interests of foreign citizens in Brazil. From immigration to real estate and other life events, our bilingual attorneys got you covered! Main services include immigration, real estate, notary services, tax services, collections, family law, and litigation.
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