Resources for finding elementary school in Geneva?

Family, Education, Health and Pets
59

Wow - this conversation has blown up and gone in several interesting directions. If I can pull it back a little to being all about me :slight_smile: ā€¦we got back the results of a neuropsych assessment today that confirmed what we suspected. He is an academically/cognitively gifted child with moderate hyperactivity disorder. The provider included a list of specific accommodations that she recommendedā€¦nothing surprising (allow movement whenever possible, maintain high level of challenge to keep him engaged, allow him to take timeouts in a corner, etc.).

Given that, and what people have shared about variability in the public schools, we are going to look toward private schools. I have been drawing up a list of possibilities (Thanks for the resources @Bowlie !). Given the challenges inherent in applying from overseas, I donā€™t want waste time dancing around his needs, but I also donā€™t want to come across too heavy in making introductions. Is this off-putting?

Dear [School Name/Admissions Team],

My family is planning to relocate to Geneva next summer for a two-year posting with [WELL-KNOWN COMPANY], and I am currently seeking the right school environment for our son, [MY SONā€™S NAME]. He is currently in kindergarten in the United States and will turn six just before the new school year begins.

[Name removed] is intellectually gifted, and also experiences challenges associated with moderate hyperactivity disorder. We are looking for a school that can nurture his strengths while providing the appropriate support to address his specific learning needs. Our primary focus is on finding an environment that provides enough differentiation to keep him meaningfully engaged, nurtures his creativity, and can support his social and emotional growth

I would love to learn more about your educational program to see if it might be a good fit for [HIS NAME AGAIN]. If you have any additional materials ā€” beyond what is available on your website ā€” that provide insight into your teaching philosophy, curriculum, and student support services, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,
[ME]

60

Personally, Iā€™d skip the 2nd para and leave that for a 2nd stage discussion, but I guess you could put that up-front too.

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61

I totally agree.
OP, leave that paragraph out, it would make it look more challenging for the school than it really is.

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62

I agree with Phil, I would leave the specifics out if it to be discussed later if you decide to take things further.

I would be more general in my questions and just ask about their facilities and what they have to offer for all needs, not mentioning your sonā€™s specific needs.

Private schools are essentially all about the bottom line and tend to shy away from things that are likely to cost them money, they donā€™t necessarily offer better support or facilities for children who are different.
Having said that if it s only going to be a short term assignment and you will be returning to the US or other English speaking environment afterwards an international school is probably a good option as local schools will be in French. On the other hand if he is academically gifted throwing him in to learning a new language may actually be good for him and provide him with a challenge.

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63

If you are coming to join a UN organisation make sure to involve their HR teams. They have extensive experience with settling families and have contacts with both Geneva/Vaud/FR public and international schools.

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64

Thanks for the 2nd (3rd, 4th and 5th) set of eyes everyone. I think you are all correct that I was oversharing, especially in a very-first outreach. I am simplifying back quite a bit.

@Bowlie - we are in fact coming to join a UN agency - thanks for the suggestion.

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