Parent's Review of Ecole Internationale de Marne-la-Vallee in Montry
What is the name of your child's school? (Please report on one school per survey.)
Ecole Internationale de Marne-la-Vallee
In what town or city is this school located?
Montry
How would you describe this school? (i.e. American, British, International, Local, etc.)
International
What grade levels are represented at this school?
CP1 to CM2
How do most children get to school everyday? (bus, train, walk, etc.)
Car - the school is in a rural village, so parents drive/carpool the kids to school every day.
How would you describe the facilities at this school? What extra-curricular activities are available?
Small, but very, very good. The school is currently in small buildings, but the construction of a new building is well underway and is anticipated to be ready for the start of school in September 2009 There is a choir after school, as well as art workshops, etc.
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?
Most of the families in the school have relocated from somewhere else, so the faculty are very well accustomed to kids who are feeling out of place. (And because most of the kids are from another country, there is a common bond amongst them.)
One-on-one tutoring is a regular feature, and the school has been really terrific at helping our child adapt to another culture and another language.
How would you describe the social activities available for parents through this school? Are there parent-teacher organizations?
The parents actually make up the board of governance for the school, as well as the parent-teacher association, so parental involvement is key to the operation of the school.
What advice would you give to someone considering enrolling their child in this school?
If you are an Anglophone household (even if only one parent is Anglophone), and will be on the eastern side of Paris, this school is a fantastic choice to help your kids make the transition.
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Comments about this Report
guestHi and thanks for this review :o) Just one small correction: the grade levels represented are CP to CM2. FYI, here's the school's website: http://www.eimlv.org Come visit us! Tristelle Kervel (EIMLV webmaster)
guestThis article is not up-to-date reagrding the school facilities. The school is hosted in a 15 year old run-down pre-fab. There are no concrete plans to build a new school (but lots of talk with 'plans' changing frequently). Parental involvment is more than key to operation of the school - it is a big problem! The school board is made up of parents with whatever skills they happen to have and only while their children are in the school. Parents are only around as long as their children attend, so there is a continuity problem. And there is a serious school management problem (even if many parents do everything they can with the best will in the world). There is also a very low number of Anglophone children in the school with most classes having at most 2.
guestWe also had a bad experience in this school. Not internationally minded at all. Level of English teaching a waste of time for Anglophone children. Non-French speaking children have experienced bullying and are generally poorly integrated into the French system this school is really about.
guestHi guys, This school did a great job for our children coming back in France from an British curriculum. Parent's involvment in the school is big as well as the school's teachers. For expats, it is a great school to join as the parent's community is strong and really supporting to go ahead to manage the school. It will definitly give your children a great experience while they are in France. Class size is really small (22 max) and gives each child a great chance to perform either in French or English. The school is located in a very nice parc surrounded with big trees and benefits of the sport facilities of the Epide center nearby, all that in a car-free environment. I would recommend XXXX times. Cheers, Eimlv.
guestGreat idea to ask to talk to other parents to hear their views on the experience of re-integrating children from a country with a British curriculum. Not sure there are any .... but you never know! If you are trying to decide from overseas and your child speaks no French or has limited French, ask if you can speak to recently repatriated parents (by skype?). Ask them what the school will do for your child, in concrete terms. Ask if the French teachers can and will speak English with your child to help them integrate. Ask them how they plan to integrate your non-French speaking child into the class when working in French. Ask for some photos of the classrooms.
