school info for my 5 year old when relocating to St Thomas

Read some of the threads on this board about public schools on the island. There were several today alone. If you can afford to send your kids to private school then you absolutely should. The public schools in the islands are unfortunately horrible.

Antilles is the top private school.

Continentals who choose public tend to desire Sibilly School. I think you might have to live in that area - Northside. It is a school that is known for attendance by statesiders living on island - who choose public school. Last I checked, standards remain high. From what I know, US government people and corporate execs who have been relocated to the island get their kids into Sibilly.

If you check their website and look at the pics of the classes, you can see that the classes are mixed race. .

Please, read Teresa's post above - so much information for you

Pia

thank you for the information. The idea was that initially with my youngest in public school, we could look for housing and then, before my oldest and wife (by then first grader) would come we would be able to make a more educated decision on public or private schooling. I just figured, Kindergarten for the first 6 months or so even in public school can not be all that bad...
What I am more concerned about is not being able to get my child in Kindergarten until I have more permanent housing because of rules and regulations. That really is my question. Having searched through the many helpful posts here, I haven't found the answer to that issue yet...
Thank you for all your input! This makes the transition process a whole low easier!

Hello Aerothermochemistry,

My husband moved down to the island three months ahead of my kids and myself which was really great. It helped a lot to have him be able to have some idea of what challenges we faced and to have a home set up for us. In my experience, elementary school is better than the middle or high schools as far as public, but they are still a challenge.

To answer some of your questions: Yes you can enroll your child in public school no matter the housing situation. They do try to put kids in school by the area they live in, but not always. Some schools are more popular than others and there is literally a wait list to get into them. In the meantime they will send your child to whatever school has room. We drove from Frenchman's Bay area to Mandahl for schooling and then moved to Mandahl. Then we moved back to Frenchman's Bay and transferred the kids to an elementary school near the hospital which was closer to where we lived. The school system strives to make sure every child is enrolled. From that point on, they still have improvements to make. All kids on STT are enrolled at the same place. The Curriculum Center in the country (near Tillett Gardens on the road going to Smith Bay). Call the Curriculum Center and ask what you need to bring for enrollment and when. You will need to have the kids immunizations up to date and you have to obtain a slip of paper from the health dept. (on island) that basically says your child is up to date. Can't enroll without it. My kids had all their immunizations up to date, however they also test for tuberculosis (skin test and I think that is correct), which usually isn't done in the states - so you might have to get that test for your child before you enroll. You will need proof of address (receipt for rent from your landlord or lease agreement, etc with physical address on it), I know you need a birth certificate, SSN card, among a few other things I have forgotten. They were very specific on what you need. If you drive by the Curriculum Center, you can stop in and the first thing you will see is the requirements for enrolling or transferring. As a mainlander they will want your child tested for skill level and grade level before placing them in a grade (Kindergarten may be different, but they tested my daughter for K). They also ask if they had Pre-Kindergarten classes or Pre-school. All public schools have uniforms, however it is a different plaid and slight differences in uniforms for each school. For girls, there is only one place on STT that sells the plaid uniforms. It is in Tutu. Some kids have handmade uniforms, but I never found who made them.

Okay, I might have answered your question in there somewhere I hope. I can give you more specific info if you need. I do want to let you know that I thought elementary school no matter how bad could not hurt my kids that much. However, my daughter is now failing 2nd grade after being in Kindergarten and 1st grade on island. It may only be my experience, but it did set her back and she is having to re-learn the basics. The public schools on STT still teach the 'old' ways of rote memorization to learn to read. It works for some, but for many the 'modern' methods used in the states are the only way for some kids to learn. My daughter included. My son had Kindergarten in the states before moving to island. He was in a really great school and on island he went down hill a bit. He is smart and has been able to bring his grades up here in the states in 3rd grade, but I attribute it to his basics being well taught and learned in Kindergarten. You will have to keep a close eye on your child's progress and make sure that he/she is not falling behind. Catching up is very hard for kids, but if you stay heavily involved thru the process than you have a better chance.

I was going to enroll my kids in Sibilly, but we were able to land a job back in the states before school started. I was only going to do that based on reputation, but Sibilly used to be a private school and than became a public school and it's reputation is that many mainlanders enroll their kids there and are happy with the school. I do not know from personal experience, but it may be something you want to check into. I am so type happy lately. Feel free to ask more questions!

Teresa

Thank you Theresa! Your post helped a lot. I will certainly contact the Curriculum Center ahead. Both my children are tri-lingual and have been advancing beyond the normal pace here in Florida. Sibily at first and a private school in maybe a year might be the best option from what I gather.

Bluwater mentioned you need to live in the area to even try getting into Sibily. Besides Fairview, are there any other (for us short-time interim) lodging alternatives in the immediate vicinity anybody could recommend?
In the beginning, it would be only for my 5 year old and myself.

By the way, this board has been more than welcoming and more than helpful. Thank you all!!!!

Hello Ronnie,

Have you had anyone enroll their child in public school while staying at Villa Fairview? Or did they have to get a more permanent type rental?

Aerothermochemistry,

I reread your initial post more carefully. I still think that you can have your child enrolled in school as long as you live on island no matter where, but hopefully Ronnie can answer my question on this. It usually doesn't take too long to find a rental in an area you want to live in (when you are on island and looking thru the Island Trader), provided you are not too picky on size and other things. Some rentals are month to month which may work for you.

What languages do your children speak? Spanish, French, and of course English are common on STT.

When you call the curriculum center you should get the info you need, but if you don't talk with someone directly - don't expect a call back. It might take a couple of tries as is common on island. 🙂

Also the phone book is online at www.viphonebook.com

Teresa

I am not sure about the residency requirement for Sibilly (living in the area). I am going off of old information. I went to Sibilly as a child (I was a statesider whose parents made the move)- and when I considered moving down as an adult, with my young child, my mother was enthusiastic, but told me to make sure I moved to the Sibilly area so that I could use that as a public school. I went there almost 30 years ago, so mom's info is probably outdated and may have changed. I've not checked into the details lately, since I never really got that close to the idea of moving down.

Like I said, it was a long time ago...but I transferred to Sibilly from a really exclusive private school in the states (the kind of school that has horseback riding as an extracurricular - we had our own stables - and a rigorous academic program)....and then, after Sibilly, I transferred back to another stateside private with a testing requirement for entry. No problem - and my grades were good when I returned to states. Sibilly was not private when I attended, it was public. I recall being competitive for good grades and feeling bummed when I got a one B on my report card, but my best fried (another stateside) got all As.

As Teresa pointed out in her other post, speech (accent, patios, whatever) was an issue. I recall crying at school because I didn't understand the teachers and they were telling me things to do -I was new, I'll go out on a limb and say this: island women speak with a tone that is not very comforting to children from the states. It is not soft - it sounds loud and harsh. As a child, I can be very specific about things that happened at school and made me cry. I cried for many months before I settled in and starting talking like that myself. I was barely 7 when we moved down.

My kids speak Dutch (I am Dutch), Spanish (my wife is Cuban), and of course, English.

I will look for month by month in the Island trader. I think I saw a web link somewhere...
At any rate I have spend a lot of time on Aruba windsurfing during my more carefree days. I kinda understand the island pace..or sometimes the lack of it 🙂

Island Trader online (I hope)

http://83.138.169.18/Openpagesuite.aspx?pubid=115

Teresa

But, do they speak Cruzan? LOL

I am sure they will learn faster than dad LOL

You might want to look at the Montessori School: http://vimontessori.com/about/intro.html. I know several parents who are happy with the education there. Also, for your wife, the Schneider Regional website: http://www.srmedicalcenter.org/.

Thank you for the suggestions.
I have looked at your links. Very helpful indeed.
With so many nice people here, I have learned in one day more than I could have in months on my own!!!

I tried looking everywhere for the number of the Curriculum Center. Cannot find it.
Does anyone have contact info??
THX!

This may be a rude question and of coarse it is nosey, but why would you want to send your child to public school when you can afford private? I just have a hard time trying to imagine a surgeon that cant afford private school. At five and six those seem like very important years to learn the basics. I dont think sending your kids to private is being rich or snobbish or elitish its just wanting the best education for your child you can possible get. And down here there is usually a big gap between private and public.

The Director of Curriculum, Assessment and Technology (CAT) on STX is , Ms. Janine Schuster. She can be reached directly at 340.773.1095 or at jschuster@stx.k12.vi.

I've tried emailing her but have yet to hear back. Hope you have better luck by calling her.

Yvonne

Though Sibilly seems to be a great school, getting in is another matter. We tried to get our kids in and we live in the correct area. They told us there wasn't any room and our boys would have to go to a school that we didn't find at all what we felt would be a good educational experience for them. They would move the boys to Sibilly as space opened up and not necessarily at the same time. So we could potentially have our boys in different schools on separate ends of the islands. IMHO the only public school I would send my kids to is Sibilly, so if you can't get in there I would go private.

Thank you for the contact info Thierry.
Thx for the heads up islander!

314-775-2250 Curriculum Center on STT

main number for all things education: 340-774-0100

Teresa

P.S. About getting into the right schools and other issues related to "connections".....

The right Church is a big factor, IMO. I do not live on the island....but know many who do. When I am there, I attend church. There are always a few people of importance in the church and my friends usually introduce me to them after mass. I can't imagine that this is anything less than a stellar connection. Chruches have a way of bringing people to the same level....and giving one the "stamp of approval" in the eyes of a resident.

There's a church next to Sibilly - Our Lady of Perpetual Help. It is Catholic, as am I. If you are Catholic, best get yourself there every Sunday and spend time after Mass - in fellowship. I think you'll be glad you did....on so many levels.

Not to mention the spiritual factor, of course.