P4TTY06

Wills Does have a pre school....Well unless the Secretary is lying....?

Hello,

Our entry age is 3+, however, at present that class is full for this academic year. If you would like to come by the school and chat after Monday, October 26, I would be happy to show you around.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Alice George
Secretary Treasurer

Sunniebgi

Well that is interesting.. no wonder St. Gabriel's want's a pre-school so badly. Catch up with the rest. The Convent School used to be the only one that took them at 3years (going on 4). There are a number of very good Montessori and other pre-school programs on the island, but then you have to apply to a primary as well..

tfinteriors

Providence's Phone Number is 247-429-4120, the principal's name is Tom Sheedy. You can tell him I sent you. They were hit with lightning a couple of weeks ago and had no internet for 10 days so they may be a bit behind on emails.

St. Nicholas' number is 437-4811 (although they have a horrible time with their phone when it rains and as a parent if you needed to contact urgently we called the head teacher's cell phone). The head teacher is Auntie Aretha (it's a respectful way of addressing people instead of Mr. or Mrs or Ms, Bajans love referring to auntie or uncle), you can also tell her that I sent you. The owner is Auntie Bonnie.

Knowing that you will be living on the west coast though you will be thanking me later if you knock St. Gabriel's, St. Winifred's and the Convent off your list. Traffic is a nightmare and trust me I did it for years if you don't leave before 7 am then you will be sitting in it for an hour. If you have a chance to google a map, Providence is very close to Gun Hill so it's more central for the west coasters and against the traffic for the south coasters. If you plan to work though it may be a bit of a pain if you need to be close to town.

Also if it were me, as much as we loved St. Nicholas I may even decide against them as you will feel like you get nothing done dropping in the morning and back at 12:00 to pick up. Distance becomes very important for some reason when living here (and trust me, living in Canada I used to drive an hour each way to work, but a normal day can consist of 3 hours in the car a day)

Hope this helps and you get to have a good chat with the teachers. I do believe that their is a montessori preschool on the West coast, but as we didn't chose there I can't say anything good or bad about the place. I can always ask around if being closer to where you'll be staying is important to you.

P4TTY06

Thanks again for all that info tfinteriors - Ill be sure to give them a call today....(do they know you as tfinteriors? :-). With regards to the driving situation, though it will be great to not have to sit in traffic all day to get to and from a school, depending on the availabilities of the (easy access) schools and whether or not they fit our needs, i might have to do what i have to do.. but will try my hardest to get a good school with easy and pain free commute.

Patty

tfinteriors

I don't think you can do much better for your drive to school and the school is really top notch. Codrington is also within your driving area, however the school fees are higher and they work off the IB program. Something to consider.
You can refer to me as T. Foster (my daughter is in reception at Providence). It's a small school as I said (250 students and just rec'd approval for their high school which starts next September) so you get known quickly, not to mention if you volunteer for anything no one forgets your name. lol.
Good luck.

shines

There is a monessori pre school on the West Coast - Casa dei Bambini near to Speightstown. I can pass you on the owners details if you like.

As for traffic, I live at North Point and drive my child to St Winifreds, it takes just under an hour in the morning to get there and half an hour in the evening.

I would say that with regards to schools everyone has their own, usually very strong, opinions. Visit them all and see what works best for you, if you are only coming for a 6 month stay then I would go with a pre school near to where you live so you can enjoy the most of the time you have on the Island without the bore of school runs...

tfinteriors

Sorry my error on telling you Codrington is in your driving area. Gosh you'd ring my neck if you went as far as there coming from the west coast. I mixed you up with another thread for someone who just bought a place in St. Philip.

Shines is spot on when it comes to opinions of schools. The best thing is that you have the names of all of the private schools (separate preschools excepted) now and can make your own choice. Unfortunately when deciding it is hard to determine from the first meeting or looking at the websites. If you are traveling here anytime before settling down I highly recommend going in person.
Good luck and sorry for the mix up.

P4TTY06

No bother at all... you have been a great help.

Unfortunately i will not be coming down before hand, which i know makes things a little more difficult as i may decide on a school from here then not take to it at all for what ever reason when we come over.

The only thing i can do.. as suggested is get in contact with as many schools/ preschools / monessori apply and hopefully have a few options. This could mean paying out on several application form submission fees, but its either that or taking a chance that there will be availability when we come down...

tfinteriors

Feel free to let me know what your most important criteria is for your education and I will do my best to narrow it down to 2 or 3 for you to apply to. That way it may save you some money as well. I have the experience and needs of a permanent expat, have family that are Bajan and although I absolutely love my daughter's school I would not restrict my decision based on that. We've been through the system (both private and gov't, elementary and secondary) to have figured out what works for some children rather than others. Every child is different and their needs may not be as important as it is to ohers. Unfortunately there is no perfect school, but you should at least feel comfortable that the choice you made is something that is not only enjoyable, but educational as well.
Keep me posted.

P4TTY06

T. Foster, this is very kind of you..

I guess whats the upmost important thing for my child being put into a new school in a new country is that the teachers are understanding and supportive of her situation.

So for this reason, im very much leaning towards schools that have a regular influx of children in the same situation and therefore the teachers are familiar with their needs with regards to this.

I dont doubt the educational levels of the majority of schools in barbados as i understand that this of very high standards generally... so im trusting that this wont really be an issue..? please correct me if im wrong.

Also very high on my criteria list would be for the school to have a good mix of children - so not just expat kids.

Distance: Very Close to or with easy commute from west coast where we will be staying would be a big plus plus.. but ill sit in traffic if needs be.

Thanks again,

look forward to hearing from u soon.

Patty

p.s. I have been unable to reach anyone at the schools this week so will try again next week when they return from half term.

tfinteriors

Ok, I promise to get back to you on this by Monday. We are currently away for our mid-term break and sorry should have told you this in advance as to why you would have trouble getting in touch with any schools right now. Some schools had Friday - Tuesday off from last week, others had Thurs - Friday this week and then the government schools had the entire week off. Some people don't like it, but I love it. My children's brains do much better with a little rest and the term is less stressful when they have a goal to work towards. Not to mention this gives me an excuse to get away to do my Christmas shopping and not have to worry about my kids missing school
Can you please remind me as I am chatting with another forum, your daughter will be going into preschool? and how old is she?
Thanks

ps- I emailed the principal at Providence and he is looking forward to your call.

P4TTY06

Hi there.

Sorry for slow response... She will be 4 when we get there. Will let you know how i get on with providence... Thanks for that.

Blossoms was another one i wanted to try but dont have a telephone number for them. Do you or anyone else know?

Thanks

P4TTY06

Just called Providence - There is Nothing available for this academic year..:-((

tfinteriors

Hi,

Sorry for the delay, we are having our big fundraiser on Saturday and I have been swamped with building my set for the Halloween party after returning from my trip.

I know that my daughter's year is full (she is 4 turning 5)but thought that there was space still for pre-school. Which month with your daughter be 5 and are you sure that she would need to go into preschool? This is a real bummer. Did you ask to be put on a waiting list?

They are the newest school in Barbados, but have only recently proved to be quite popular. Old traditions die hard and Bajans are very loyal to the school that the generations before went to. Providence is very strict on their small class sizes, but as you will find out you may need to be put on every waiting list out there. I do know that the board needs to make approval for any extra student added to a class (they may allow one extra to the full class number), but if you aren't on a list, then the next person begging behind you will bump you right out of line. Sadly I've seen it get nasty for schools.
I did do a poll with the toddlers group to get recommendations for preschools on the west coast and the following were mentioned;
Casa Dei Bambini (which is a Montessori) and Blossoms (as you know, which was highly recommended by 5 people not on this thread). Blossom's contact info is : 4246980, Harriette or Norma.

Casa Dei Bambini Contact: Angelique Bjerkhamn
Phone: 246 422 0607

I know that you said if you needed to sit in traffic you would, but I know what it's like spending 2 - 3 hours a day in my car and it will definitely affect both yours and your child's enjoyment of living here. If these schools don't work, then let me know and don't be shy in asking to be put on the waiting list. If they don't have one, ask if one can be started. Many parents apply to every school just so that they can ensure a spot.
It will all work out, hang in there.

P4TTY06

T. Foster, I sent you a PM