Reply to Oyster parents -- What do you love/hate about the school?

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Reply to "Oyster parents -- What do you love/hate about the school?"

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[quote=Anonymous]Answers to OP's questions from an Oyster parent:

How did your child take to the dual-language instruction?  
We are a non-English, non-Spanish speaking household.  Our child started Oyster at K. He was bilingual then; was speaking  English (picked up at playgrounds, playmates and daycare) and our native language at the time.  He had no objections to a third language and being in Spanish immersion.  
Do not expect miracles right away.   Progress has been slow but steady.  His  Spanish skills picked up significantly in the second year at Oyster.

Does your child use Spanish outside of the school?  
 School time, bilingual summer camp at Oyster, and a few after school activities (e.g. drama) are the only time he is exposed to and has to use Spanish.   We cannot speak Spanish at home (I wish we did). We are also not too good about creating "Spanish only" opportunities for him.   He has picked up the language despite our non-existing efforts and only because of the environment at Oyster.  In the second year, he could speak to Spanish-speaking strangers on the streets, talk to the teachers fluently, and read Spanish books. His accent sounds perfect to my ears :) He translates his Spanish reading books to us. He/we  look up the dictionary for new words.   Does he use language outside of school? NO. Can he if given the opportunity? YES.

If you do not speak Spanish at home, how do you reinforce what your child is learning about the language at school? (Does Oyster offer any strategies?) 
As I mentioned above, we have not done much at home. But I have to admit that our child is still at lower grades. 
You can learn about strategies from your child's teachers or from the parent-teacher association and the parents who have been at Oyster. There are many resources online (e.g. web sites, bilingual flashcards, apps) that can help you and your child.

Do the Spanish-speaking kids and the English-speaking kids enjoy interacting/learning/playing together? 
The playground language is English. (This was mentioned before.)  Language is not a barrier for the kids. They enjoy interacting/learning/playing together at that age. They learn songs in both languages. They learn poems in both languages. They do all sorts of age-appropriate things, in both languages.  It is the teachers' job to enable a positive environment in the classroom  for the kids that have varying degrees of language skills.

Is there good communication between teachers and parents? (I have read very mixed reviews of the principal.) 
Our experience has been quite positive. Our child's teachers have all been  accessible. They provide good feedback on our child's progress (or lack thereof). They listen to us. Unlike another poster, we did not have teachers that miss meetings, are disorganized etc.   I am sure you have "good" and "not as good" workers at any organization.

We are very lucky to be in boundary for Oyster.  It has exceeded our expectations. We love the multi-cultural environment. We love the diversity. We love the dedicated teachers. We love walking to school every morning and seeing other Oyster families.  The "dual" after care programs is a reality, which, unfortunately, may not change in the near future. The 25+ kids in each class is also a reality.

You will find parents that are not happy about their child's teachers or school, not only at Oyster. I know families that have changed two schools in four years to find a good match for their kid (all mono-lingual programs). If you have not visited Oyster, go and  see it for yourself.  It may not be a good match for everyone. It may be big change for you, as a parent, if you have not been a part of an international, multi-cultural group. But it has been great for us.

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