Cotonou, Benin Report of what it's like to live there - 08/11/15
Personal Experiences from Cotonou, Benin
School Name:
School Name: Quality Schools Inernational
Background Information:
1. Are you the parent of a child(ren) attending this school? A teacher at the school? Or both?
Both
2. What grade or grades do/did your children attend at the school? During what year(s) did they attend the school?
PreK
3. During what years were you affiliated with this school?
2014 to present
4. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
State Department
5. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
We fell in love with the school and the preK program from the moment we stepped foot on campus.
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?
A
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
A
Administration & School Procedures:
1. Describe the general climate of the grade level that you teach or your child attends:
Ms. Lilya and her assistant, Edna provide an incredibly warm, loving, positive free-to take-risks-learning environment. The children are challenged and guided at an individual level. Not an easy task with 12 or more PreK 3 and 4 year olds. We cannot say enough positive things about the Prek program.
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
3. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
A- The school is very open and supportive of parent-teacher communication. They have just started to use Moodle to send out monthly newsletters-- this is a great improvement. We would like to see more work sent home on a more frequent basis.
4. Aside from school fees, are there required expenses such as uniforms, laptops/tablets, musical instruments, or field trips that parents are expected to cover? What are the approximate costs?
Lunches-- yes-- but very affordable. No uniforms, laptops or others. I was shocked when I was not asked to pay for bus fees on a field trip.
5. Services for gifted students who need academic challenge and students with learning difficulties:
Due to the very low ratio of students/teachers-- although there is no gifted/talented program-- meeting the needs of individual students is not a problem.
6. Availability and variety of after-school activities for various ages:
B--Great considering the lack of opportunites in Benin.
7. Maintenance of appropriately high standards for all students:
A
8. Homework assigned (quality, quantity):
9. Administration-parent communication:
A++ Excellent. Don Maier is a huge part of the reason the school is such a success. He's at the door EVERY day greeting parents and students. His warm and welcoming spirit carries over throughout the school.
10. Teacher-student communication:
A
11. 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?
No
12. Does your child receive any special-needs assistance or instruction at this school? If yes, what types? Who provides services and where:
No
13. Does the gifted and talented program meet the needs of students? Please explain:
n/a
14. Does the school offer a wide variety of elective or non-core classes such as art, music, and drama?
yes-Art, French, Music, PE
15. Please describe any classes or programs that you believe are missing:
French in the Pre K would be wonderful. We'd like to see the preK3 and 4 split but know that numbers play a part of this equation.
16. Are there academic requirements such as trips or other activities that cost money in addition to school fees?
No--which is very nice.
17. What activities do you feel are missing?
I'm sure there are things the school could offer-- but I can't think of anything--they're very open to suggestions.
18. Have your children participated in the activities offered? If no, please indicate why:
No, not old enough, but our kids participated in After School care which was a huge help and they loved it.
19. Does the school provide appropriate assistance to new students?
They did a great job with our children.
20. Please describe any problem areas or challenges in social interaction at the school:
The usual--being the new kid, nothing unusual.
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?
2. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
C-- QSI is a newer school but needs more in terms of school and classroom libraries. I'm sure this will come as the school grows.
3. How are information technology resources at the school. Are they up-to-date? Is there a computer lab?
Resources are available-- internet connection in country is not always good.
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
5. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
I believe 12 students (with a part-time aide) was the biggest class during the 2014-15 school year.
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?
The school currently tops out at age 14.
7. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
Yes--there is none :)
8. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
A
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?
Some yes, some no. Totally depends. If your child can speak French s/he is much more likely to interact with the local population/French expats.
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.
Sure-- as anywhere. QSI has the advantage of being a small school that can tackle those issues quickly.
Overall Impressions:
1. What is the greatest strength of this school?
QSI is a true family community school--people are invested in the school and love it. Community building is a huge strength for QSI.
Since QSI is on the smaller side (45ish students preK-age 14) it is very special to see kids of all ages playing together on the playground at recess.
2. Greatest challenge?
?? With the director and classroom teacher presently at QSI--- any challenge is just a simple conversation and quick solution away.
3. Would you choose this school again? Why?
Because I know my children are being loved and challenged appropriately. Because QSI is not just a school-- it is a community of caring parents, teachers, students and staff.
