Parent's Review of Manarat School in Salmiya, Kuwait

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

Manarat School

In what town or city is this school located?

Salmiya

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

American school for Learning Disabilities, Dyslexia, Slow Learners, ADHD, Physically Handicapped, Visually Impaired, Health Impaired

What grade levels are represented at this school?

Pre-K thru 12th

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

There are seven school buses, but most come by family car.

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

The facilities include swimming pools (one regular, one for the little ones, and a hydrotherapy pool for physically handicapped), two gyms, very nice physical therapy room and sensory integration/Occupational Therapy rooms, covered outdoor rubber-matted play yard, uncovered soccer field, & Canteen. The school provides "Evening and Weekenders Club" that offers classes in Arabic, Quran, Karate, Art, and some other things including field trips. The sports program is growing and is supposed to have inter-school contests someday. During the spring, the school provides after school tutoring for academics and test preparation classes(for final exams). During the summer, there is "Manarat Summer Camp" which provides lots of fun activites and trips.

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 curriculum of the school is the same as in the United States and is U.S. Governement Department of Education approved curriculum standards and materials. So are the end of year exams - they are the same ones my kids took in the US. The textbooks are also from the US. The kids may find themselves in a different unit of instruction when they get home, but they won't have missed anything as far as content. Even the teachers are largely from the United States, though some are from other countries who were educated and/or taught in the United States and Canada. I don't think repatriation programs are required.

Expat kids are not required to take Arabic or Quran classes. They can have extra Computer Lab classes instead. Since there are wonderful reading, writing, math, and science programs on computer that go along with the curriculum and exams, this makes school for the expat kids even better than for the Kuwaiti kids because they get more academic instruction that will help them in the long haul.

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

There are none. There are occasional parent meetings at school where parents can speak with each other and get to know one another, there are very few Kuwaiti parents there who are up for that type of social exchange. The American families do talk, however.

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

It is an excellent school. The kids make such fast progress there and are VERY happy. Because the administration is American, too, it is very easy for parents to communicate with the school and understand what's going on when you go there to enroll, etc. [Students must be evaluated by the school psychologist (Dr. Bibi) prior to enrollment to be sure they meet the school's criterion. That costs 30KD, but at the very least you find out exactly where your son or daughter is performing in reading, spelling, and mathematics and what their needs are.]

I would highly recommend this school to any parent with a child with any learning difficulties or who needs a smaller class environment. (There are only 6 to 9 students in each class - even in the high school.)

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