My son Dante is in 1st grade in the local elementary school. He goes six days a week, and Monday it's a very long day (the rest of the time he's home at 1 pm). They seem to do mostly reading and writing (in three forms, all caps, lower case and cursive), with an occasional time for drawing a picture. The teacher yells a lot. It's very different from his school in America. Last night I felt brave and asked him which school he liked better. "Here... because I'm learning a new language, and that's interesting." That's my boy!

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Bravo Dante! I bet that's not what you expected to hear, right?
My son is (I think) a year younger than yours, and he too is very interested in learning other languages, in his case mostly English, which he wouldn't learn in school until he turns 10, but he already knows a little.
I say, as long as they want to learn, let'em!

Diane, it's been inspiring to follow your family's big move and Dante's adjustment. I know that you were concerned initially about his shyness. What a great thing....FORZA DANTE!!! (and Brava to you!)

What time of the day does your son start school?
What are his hours on Monday? When I told my husband that I read on here that the children go to school 6 days a week he was very surprised. He doesn't remember going 6 days a week.

Mondays are 8:25am - 4:30pm. Tuesday through Saturday are 8:25 am - 1 pm. Not all towns have the same schedule. One not too far from here goes only 5 days...but with two or three longer days. I think they have to fit in a certain number of hours per week (not counting the 1/2 hour snack every day and 1/2 hour lunch on Mondays) but how they divvy it up is up to local decision. Aside from the long day on Monday (which is really too long for my 6-year-old), he loves coming home for his pasta lunch, having long afternoons to draw and play, and going on Saturday doesn't bother him in the least (in fact I think he kind of likes it!). If I could change anything it would be to have the long day on Tuesday. Coming right after the day off it's "shocking" and also...it gives us, his parents, no real chance to go out for a nice lunch or shopping alone as most places around here close on Mondays. Not a big complaint!

My children started school in September. In the town we live in the schools times vary according to the school. My daughters school is a private church run school and compulsory hours are 8-1.30 and they can stay till 4pm. They go 6 days a week, same times, but on Staurdays they can't stay in the afternoon.

My children love their new school but my daughter who is in the secondo, occassionally misses her friends in England. She is doing very well considering before coming here spoke no Italian. She has mastered the Italian reading and writing and her comprehesion is coming on leaps and bounds. Funnily enough she is better with maths and English. It particularly helped her the class being small, having people she knew before starting and we dropped her down a year. Her birthday was on the cusp anyway so instead of being the youngest she's the oldest.

My son on the other hand loves school but smiles instead of speaking, and because he is blond (white) and blue eyes gets anyway with it. He only sings Italian, which is very cute. I think that this will last only a little while and by the time he reaches his 4th birthday they will push a little harder for him to speak.

When deciding to move this was our greatest concern and has proved to be the least problem.

This week I have a parents meeting which will be interesting given my dreadful Italian.

The schooling is my concern also. When my husband said he was considering moving back "home", that was the first thing that I thought of. (He has lived in the US since he was 15 and now 46.) Our daughters are 15 and 6. The little one will be fine but our older daughter may have problems. She is in 10th grade and also attends a vocational-technical school for visual arts. We are starting to learn Italian and we will be going to Sicily this summer to see if we all like it.

Hi all!

Our boy, now sette e tre-quarti! has been in school here since he was 3. Now, he hates vegetables, we have a huge orto, his father's passion, hates pizza, we just built a huge fornello, hates to read, my passion, and hates school, and would much rather live in the states. Whose kid is this anyway? Nonetheless he's doing wonderfully in this exceptionally rich, diverse, genial environment and despite noisy claims to the contrary, seems to be very happy here. And yes, he goes to school six days and we hate it, are trying to change it, neighboring communities have gone to a five day week, so there is hope, (get up a petition, they're big here) but for the opportunity to live here, expand our horizons and language skills, we make sacrifices for now...For those of you who enjoy reading about experiences with kids here, you might enjoy reading these: http://theothertuscany.com/about2.html1.html
and the Language & Pastimes button.
Tanti Saluti!

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Is there a mandatory enrollment age? In our school district a child must be 5 by August 1 of the school year. They start school the last Tuesday of August. Things have changed academically since the 15 year old was in Kindergarten. My little one left Kindergarten last June able to read. Our oldest could read at the same level after grade one. The little one goes from 8:55 until 3:35 five days. The big one goes from 7:55 until 2:55.

In our rather short experience here - 2 weeks - my kids 8 & 10 are adjusting really well. Here in our part of Verona the kids only go to school 5 days a week, 8-4. This was a huge relief to all of us because we really wanted to travel on the weekends. The biggest surprise has been how little emphasis they've put on learning Italian. They said they would gradually introduce it to the kids when they feel comfortable. I really laughed when the kids came home from their 1st day and all they could talk about was their lunch. Apparently it was much better than any school lunch they'd experienced in America.

Anne, Did your children know any Italian prior to their entering school and if not, how are they understanding assignments and class discussions now? How do they plan to introduce the language to the children, is there a teacher assigned to assist them? My children are 8 & 10 and know no Italian yet and we are still debating which kind of school to put them in. Are your children in a public school? Sorry for so many questions but experience is the best bearer of knowledge. Thanks, Carol S.

Carol, My kids knew very little Italian and I was especially worried about my son, who was never a great reader. They've understood what's going on since day one. Other kids in their class speak English and help them. They have started introducing Italian to the kids this week. The 10 year old's teacher bought a special book for him. My 8 year old is bringing home work she's done in English and we translate it at home and she takes it back. The English teacher has been doing a lot of work with the kids too, teaching them Italian during English class.
The decision to put the kids in public school was made at the last minute and I'm so glad we did it. The International School here was very expensive and I would have had to drive them to school everyday. I was scared to death on their 1st day of school and cried after I dropped them off. I worried all day and waited for a phone call from the school telling me that things were going horribly, but I never got one. I went to pick them up that afternoon and they were so happy. And I haven't heard any complaints, which is miraculous because thats all they did in America. If you have any more questions, please feel free to email me directly.
Anne

Anne, your children seem to have had great support from the school. My children's school haven't done anything your mentioned but continued with my eldest (nearly 8) as if she was one of the other children. Only this week did the support teacher arrive and the school told my daughter. I have still yet t be told!!!!

On a positive. From what I hear from the children and see for myself they are doing brilliantly. Best decision was the Italian school, for my children.

This thread is so interesting to me. I have been wanting to go to Italy for a year (at least) with my kids. THis past summer, after another [almost] all summer stay I decided that I couldn't do it. I observed my kids at the park and in the piazzas, at home and at the beach. They refused to talk to any other kids. They would sort of play, if chase was going on, but wouldn't really engage the kids (except cousins). Also, my husband would not be able to join us. He would only be able to visit. It was a difficult summer for me to have to leave with a heavy heart, deciding not to go.

You guys are inspiring with your stories of English speaking kids having a great FIRST day! Amazing. Kids are great. You all are lucky to be able to give your kids these experiences. Good luck!

I, too, am enjoying and benefiting from all of this as --- most everyone now knows ------ we are putting our boy, Casey (KC) in public school next fall. He will be 8 and in grade 3. It is good to hear that children already there are enjoying what is happening with them. Casey will go from 8:10 - 4:10 Monday through Friday. We only considered areas with no Saturday school.

Question of those already there: We need Casey's medical records for enrollment. What did this mean for you? This is in addition to the immunization records which we have. I wonder if a copy of his school enrollment physical from last year will work. I will be enrolling him in January via mail and then go in March to finish up those details. Of course we won't have our residency stuff ad then but I've been told that won't be a problem.

Thanks for sharing.

Kristin, I think part of the reason the school has handled our situation so well is that they have been dealing with an influx of immigrants for some time now. They didn't seem phased by our situation at all. Also, the fact that my kids are English speaking has endeared them to the English teacher, who is now borrowing music and books from us, and we love her too.
Jane, we weren't ask for any medical records, just immunizations. When we went to register at the commune, they took the immunization records. When we went to pick up their national health cards we were given stamped copies of the immunization records and that's what the school wanted. The school was very patient and helpful during the process and let the kids start with out having all their paperwork completed.

Anne, What is the name of the school your children attend? It sounds like they are very accommodating. How far a drive is it from Milan to Verona? Your school experience is comforting to hear!

As some of you may know, we also put our kids in Italian Public schools this year in Florence. I highly recommend it!... This is basically how it has been going for us:

Our 8 year old loves every minute of school. In the past (in the US), she's had issues about not wanting to go to school - but this year she can't wait to get to school every morning and when she gets out each day at 4:20 I think she would rather stay at school with her friends. She's made great friends, has very creative and supportive teachers, and is learning tons of italian. When we have playdates with her italian-only-speaking friends I'm amazed at how well she communicates after only 3 months here! We just had a parent-teacher conference, and the teachers seem thrilled with her progress and excited to have her in the classroom. I asked if it would help her to have a private tutor and they looked at me like I was crazy and said it wasn't at all necessary... She's lucky to have some english speakers in her class to get her started...but I honestly think she already understands the spoken Italian in the class now. She hasn't missed a beat with math (although they seem to teach math at a slower pace than in the US?). She has yet to really figure out the written language, but she's definitely progressing with it. When she reads Italian aloud you would think she's italian (although she doesn't really understand what she's reading yet)...

We've had a different experience with our 5 year old in Kindergarten (Scuola Materna). When we arrive in Florence all the schools for her were full so she didn't start school until mid October. About a week after she started she got sick and was out of school for a week and a half. When she returned to school one of her teachers left and the other one got sick - so every day there was a different substitute (some were quite horrible, too!). So what I'm trying to say is we've had some really bad circumstances! Alice is therefore having a really hard time adjusting and a hard time integrating with the italian kids - without a consistant teacher, she's had no one to help her join in with the class. She's very intimidated ...and when asked if she played with, say, Chiara (one of her italian classmates) she just says "No, she only speaks Italian". I think things will settle down with the teachers this month...and, despite herself, Alice is learning a lot of italian. Once the language comes easier for her, I know she'll integrate with the other kids. She's naturally quite social, so we were really surprised when it was her (not her sister) who has had trouble adjusting... Despite all her troubles, I'm still glad she's in an Italian school. I think it's a great (if sometimes difficult) experience - one she wouldn't have gotten at an international school.

Well, that was a mouthfull of a post! But I know how helpful it is to hear other peoples experiences, so I put it out there....good luck to all

Ellen what a interesting post though. Actually its good to hear all these posts.

I didn't need any documentation for my children other than my residency. The school my children attend is catholic and we didn't have to baptise the children so they could go to school!!!!!

Hi all - this is my first post here, and I sure wish this board had existed when I first came to Florence and had to deal with schooling issues.

The public schools in Florence are a bit overcrowded and loud, and seem to vary widely from school to school. Because my little boy was so small when we got here, and more than a little sensitive, I ended up choosing a catholic scuola materna (to the horror of many of my Italian friends) - I must say that I could not be happier! It is a quiet, friendly, calm place with happy children and very kind nuns.

Unfortunately, my son has to go to "real" school now, forcing me to have to find a new school over again!

Italy is facing many of the same problems now that urban schools have faced in the US - overcrowding, a huge immigrant population, funding cuts, lack of equipment, training and resources. Furthermore, no matter how much Italians seem to brag on the public schools, I see an adult population who doesn't really like to read - the result, I think, of an overly didactic teaching method that relies on standardization and teaching to the test.

That said: I found an elementary school for my child for his first year that I am absoulutely thrilled with. It is a small catholic school in center, with non-nun teachers, a big gymnasium, large well equipped playground, a large computer lab, arts and theatre classes, and an after school program that includes music, theatre, art, soccer, tennis, karate, dance.....

It seems to have all the resources and advantages of some of the best private schools in the US, at a seriously small price.

For those of you facing this problem in Florence, check out Santa Maria Degli Angeli in centro. I am excited about this school for next year (particularly after touring both public and private schools in Cento that seemed to come straight out of the workhouse scene in "Oliver Twist")

quote:

you might enjoy reading these: http://theothertuscany.com/about2.html1.html
and the Language & Pastimes button.
Tanti Saluti!

I started to read it and am intrigued, but the black on red, especially with relatively small type, is very hard on the eyes. May I suggest a stronger contrast between your background color and your text?

quote:

Originally posted by shaun2:
I ended up choosing a catholic scuola materna (to the horror of many of my Italian friends) - I must say that I could not be happier! It is a quiet, friendly, calm place with happy children and very kind nuns.

I went to catholic schools in Roma, at the Asilo and partially at the elementary school.
Gosh I hated those nuns, I remember the school to be very oppressive and strict! Maybe that's why I am not much of a catholic!

It depends on places of course. But in my son little public schools - with 7 non or partially Italians, mind you- reading is taken so much in consideration that the teacher lends a book to the kids that they are due to read in 2 weeks. Continuously.
New teachers are always more and more aware of these things, and the new programs are somehow turning to this.

But again, our is a very small school.

quote:

I started to read it and am intrigued, but the black on red, especially with relatively small type, is very hard on the eyes. May I suggest a stronger contrast between your background color and your text?

Thank you very much for the advice, Deirdré, I'll work on it.

Fixed the quote. -Annika

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Annika,