Our daughter has been in Montessori the past three years and speaks only English. It's really important to us that our children learn Swiss German/High German, integrate into the local culture, walk to school and all that.
Thanks in advance!
We are preparing to move back to Switzerland this summer and we'd like to move back to Seefeld. Our daughter will be in the second year of kindergarten and I'm curious if anyone has any experience to share (good or bad) with sending a child to kindergarten in Seefeld 8008.
As written here many times: You can't choose your kindergarten anyway. Your kid will be assigned to one of them.
Seefeld is very well known for bad principals and difficult/ weird parents.
A friend who's still in the neighborhood (and sends her son to international school) cautioned us that she hasn't heard good things about the schools. I can't think of anyone I know who has their child in the local school in Seefeld. Everyone goes private! So, I was just hoping to hear from some parents who do have their child/ren in the local kindergarten in our old neighborhood. Doesn't matter which kindgergarten. Just wondering how Kreis 8 is doing overall with regard to kindergarten attendance, parent satisfaction, language learning (is it all native English speakers or other expats with little to no chance of learning German?), integration, friends in the neighborhood to play with after school, etc.
Thank you for the tidbit about the principals and parents. That's rather interesting. Do you know anything more?
I've heard the same, to the extent where I know of one family that moved to the Römerhof area instead, to get away from the primary school. This was a couple of years ago, though, so perhaps things have changed since then.
We used to live in Seefeld, right near the school on Mühlebachstrasse, just when it was introducing the mixed levels in primary school and I think that was probably the start of some of the problems, at least. We actually moved just when my daughter would have started in Kindergarten so don't have any personal experience of it, though, and I don't know if they still have the mixed grades or have reverted back. My daughter's now just finishing in the sixth class so this was a while ago!
I don't think the mixed grades are necessarily the problem, but probably more how the whole thing was managed, and also the mix of teachers.
I once substituted here - I live im Seefeld, too - and it was one of the weirdest experiences. Kids are often cared for by nannies, parents do their own thing and you ask yourself why they even have offspring.
Many of them are neglected badly and school is maybe the only place they can act out their sufferings of not getting enough parenting. One of my friends is a teacher here and it is heartbreaking what she tells me. She stays because she thinks that those children really need good teachers who can stand up to those parents or who at least need a teacher who likes them for what they are.
My many neighbors with kids - normal,open minded middle class people - often complain about the quality of schooling and how weird the principals are. I met one of the principals during my half year of substitute teaching and I was speechless. A tiger lily with no brains but full of self importance.
My neighbors kid was ready for Kindergarten and needed after school care, too. My Neighbor called the principal about possibilities of "Hort" and thy went berserk and told her they would have to ship the little one out with a schoolbus and anyway, there was no more space in the classes and other weird things. She finally paid for day -school. I told her to be more upstanding, but anyway.
It turns out that those principals and the city had not really done their math and homework and that they had to open another kindergarten at the beginning of the school year, mixing the classes again after about a month of school... those parents whose kids hat to change their Kindergarten were not amused...
So my neighbour's kid would not have had any problem to go to state school had she been tougher.
My other neighbour - a dyed in the wool Seefeld woman with no qualms to speak her mind - tells me very funny stories of the "Parent's Council", I can't go into details, but it is awesome even to a teacher like me, who has taught in the toughest and poorest school districts of Zürich.
If you are up to some weird things ad circumstances or if you have an angel's patience: Come to Seefeld!
I thought maybe that was the issue. Most parents in Seefeld seem really career focused. Hmmm, I would prefer not to work and be home for my children during lunch, afternoons, etc. I think with the cost of rent in Seefeld combined with the school reality, maybe we'd just be better off in another area for now. That's sad for me because I love it so much. But I want my kids to have neighborhood friends who are around and if everyone else is in Hort, that's not going to be much fun for them. Sigh.
I do love the Seefeld neighborhood too and understand you all too well. We live around Fröhlichstrasse where a lot of grounded people live and the kids play outside.
I just lately had a profound discussion with one of my neighbours kids in our backyard: We discussed the likelihood of a dead ant to be happy with Jesus now :-)
This girl and her numerous siblings don't go to Hort. If you find something in this area, you might ignore my advice and move there anyway!
We were right near you! In Kieselgasse. I do miss it every day and I would love for the kids to have so many parks, trails, badi, lakeside etc outside their door. In our street, the neighbors' older kids used to pull a ping pong table into the street to play in nice weather. It was so sweet! But it would also mean a really long commute for my husband and we're all about simplicity in the day to day. It improves our quality of life so much. Maybe after a year, once we're settled back in Switzerland, we'll move back to Seefeld after all? All the best to you and thanks so much for the info. xx
Move up the hill to Zollikon instead. Very good school gemeinde. First Gemeinde in Zurich to introduce Tagesschule e.g.
I love Zollikon dorf. So pretty and peaceful and nicely situated above the lake. Great idea! Thank you.
The area around Riet sportsfields has fairly affordable appartments. It is within walking distance to Seefeld (at least downhill :-) and is connected with the Zurich ÖV via 77 bus and tram 11.
From Seefeld you could also consider Bungertwies . Had some heat in the press recently, but as a parent of a child who has been there for 5 years, I have to say that I'm still very satisfied with the quality of schooling and care given to kids.
The catchment area is quite large, so your kids will end up with friends who may be anywhere in Kreis 1, 7 and 8 (including Witikon)