Hello. Is there any chance I can get my daughter into ANY school in Florence -- international, Italian-state, Catholic -- for January 08? She turns 6 on Jan 3 and is very out-going...I think homeschooling would kill both of us. This is a very last minute move...I have not applied anywhere yet...do I stand a chance?

I have a recommendation for a school that I'm sure would take your daughter mid-year. It is a private Catholic school (run by a convent, but with lay teachers and I'm not Catholic or religious)called Conservatorio Santa Maria degli Angeli http://www.scuola-s-m-angeli.it/. It;s located in the center of Florence near Piazza San Marco and costs 250 euro a month. I could be my sending my six year old son to first grade at the neighborhood public school which is half a block from my house, but the private school seems a much better fit for my son who is very reserved and apt to get lost in the shuffle in the chaos of the public school near my house. I know that most Italians and people with kids here don't see the point in sending kids to private schools. I have always heard since I got here that public schools are for those children who can't make it in the regular school system. This may have been true in the past, but the differences I see between the two schools I chose between are:

1. The public school has no gym or garden just a small cement courtyard and the children are bussed to a gym twice a week, no auditorium or computer lab, and little in the way of a library. The private school has a large garden, big courtyard, soccer pitch/tennis court, gymnasium, auditorium, and library.

2. The public school has a greater turn over in teachers who often get placed in a city far from their home and just bide their time until they can get assigned to their hometown. This school in particular has a reputation for a large teacher turn over.

3. I toured both schools and the atmosphere at the public school was chaotic with a lot of teachers yelling to get control. At the private school there was general noise and activity, but nothing seemed out of control. The children were well behaved, but not out of fear, and there was no yelling. This is particularly important for my son.

4. The private school is a conservatory so there is music and theatre in the curriculum, and there are on site after school programs for dance, soccer, tennis, karate and piano. This means you don't have to waste time travelling to another location if you want your child to participate in extra curricular activities. A big plus in my book. The public school offers nothing extra.

I am not Catholic nor do I practice any religion. In public school you can opt out of religion classes, but my son will have to have religion going to a parochial school. I actually think it's important that he get this education. I went to parochial school for ten years in the states and though I am not religious, I have a connection to that culture through my schooling. My son will benefit from being educated in Catholicism as it is a major part of the Italian culture of which he is a part. He is free to choose his own religious beliefs.

Check out the website and see. And, other than the school near my house which really has the common problems inherent in an inner-city public school, I know that the majoity of public elementary schools in Florence are quite good and I doubt you'll have a problem getting in (I can't say for sure) mid-year as long as the class is not full.

Good luck!

Amy

One thing you should be aware of, as your child will not turn 6 until January (yeah Capricorns!) you have the choice to send her to scuola materna (kindergarten) or 1st grade. I HIGHLY recommend materno over elementary school at that age also due to the fact that by January they will already have learned many initial things that are the base for studies throughout school.

Amy's advice is great BTW.

quote:

Originally posted by justplainfowkes:
My son will benefit from being educated in Catholicism as it is a major part of the Italian culture of which he is a part.

Allow me to disagree. About 20% of us Italians have absoltely no connection to the catholic Church, due to being part of other religions or, actually for the most part, for being agnostics or atheists. Of the other 80% at elast half have only scant contacts with the church structures, limited to marraiges and funerals, but actually never go to church for any other occasion. Even in the 40% that go to church regularly (at least a few Sundays a year), most do not follow the Church's rules.
Personally, as an atheist with an agnostic family, I have never been signled out or made feel unwelcome or ill at ease for not having been baptized or not believing in any deity of sorts.

Having said this, it must be said that education in Italy is mandatory and, although the recent primary school reform promoted by former education minister Ms Letizia Brichetto Arnaboldi in Moratti allows homeschooling, up to a couple of years ago school frequence was mandatory as the only allowed education form and therefore all schools are used to welcome students in any moment of the year. Actuaqlly, public schools are not allowed to turn down students, while this is allowed to private schools, although I never heard of a single case of a student being tunred down by any school, public or private.
Overall, the choice of private vs public (and free!) school depends on your personal opinions or on your seeing how do the closest schools work and picking the one that seems to grant you the best education.

Thanks for the rec, Amy. I had a look at the site of Santa Maria...looks good. Good idea to put her in Materna, Christina. Do I have to show RESIDENCY for the school? Does the head speak any ENGLISH (just curious - I'll ask my Italian-speaking brother to help me if I can't). I will come out first in Sept-Oct to check out the school personally and rent a flat (and deal with the whole visa thing...another posting...)

I don't think the head speaks English, but if you want to contact me when you arrive, Id be happy to help you out. Send me a private message and we can fix an appointment when you're here.

Amy

Hello ,
My name is Laura. I will be moving from Reggio Emilia to Florence in a couple of weeks. I also have a six year old but she will be entering the second grade. I think the private school you recommend looks nice. I am actually going (with fingers crossed) this week to find a place for my daughter. Do you know how many children there are per class?

Does anyone know of a good pediatrician?

I don't know what the limit in class size is, but I believe there were 18 enrolled in the first grade class. I think in general 25 is the limit....My friends little boy is continuing into the second grade this fall and I know he loves both the school and his teacher.
I like my pediatrician, but I chose her for the proximity to my apartment. If you'd like her name I would be happy to give it to you. She's very popular, and I was on a waiting list before I could sign up with her.

Amy

Hi Amy, My husband and I are also going to move to Florence in December. We are trying to get our two boys (6 and 8) into Kindergarden and third grade at the International School. Unfortunately, at this time they only have room for the 6 year old. You seem to know a lot...do you think our two boys would like this Catholic school if they don't know Italian and do you think it is better to live in Florence or get a home near Fiesole , Bagno a Ripoli etc. We can't deside. this is a rush for us to get the pieces together for our December departure. (We also have a two year old ) who I'd like to get into preschool) Thanks for your help...Tracy

Hi Tracy,

My advice depends on whether you are moving for a short time and plan to return the children to school in the States. If you are making a permanent move, I'd say put them all into the Italian school system (public or private) as it will be the fastest way to integrate them into their new world and their integration helps you as well. If you are only here temporarily then it is probably a good idea to make use of the international school. It is not important for the youngest two to do schooling in English as they are little sponges and will organically pick up the language. And it's amazing how little language children need between them to play and communicate. Where you live depends on way too many factors. If your kids all end up at different schools then where you choose to live will depend on logistics of transportation and time. I think Florence is a good choice if you aren't fluent in Italian as it gives you much more freedom of movement and access to both Italian and English (though you must be disciplined not to succumb to speaking English all the time as one can live here easily and never speak Italian). I like not having to rely on bus or car to get around.
If your two year old will be two and a half in December, you may be able to get him/her into the scuola materna where my son went. He also began at two and a half. It is a catholic school and only a nursery school/kindergarten. Come to think of it they might also take your six year old. It's called Corpus Domini and is on Via Rucellai, 5, right next to the American Church and just blocks from the central train station. They cost about 100 euro a month and what amounts to about 60 euro a month for lunch which is paid to the city. They take kids year round and even for as little as a few months as long as they have room. There are only two classes: 2 and a half to 3 year olds and 4-5 year olds. My friend whose boy went there has a December birthday and she held him back so he started his last year at 5 and turned 6 in December even though he was of an age to start 1st grade. Oh and I do believe the International School has a school bus service which might help you when it comes time to decide where to live. Hope this is of some help and good luck with your move.
Amy

quote:

Originally posted by justplainfowkes:
I don't know what the limit in class size is

There is no maximum size, there is a minimum size (I think 18-20 children). Most schools aim at an average of 25 children per class. Again, though, since school is a basic right, no child will ever be turned down by a school: it would be illegal.

Thanks for that. Our problem is that we are only in Florence until June (seven months) and I reallly don't want to seperate them. I am going to call the International school in September to see if a spot opens up for the 8 year old. If not , I have to find another school. My youngest will turn two in December so she'll be too young for that school. Do you have any recommendations for Estate Agents to help us find an apartment? We also want to lease a car. Again, thanks for your thought-It's very helpful.

Hello , I was in Florence this week and visited Santa Maria degli angeli. I liked it. I choose, however, a different school. I chose instituto sacro cuore. It is outside of the center but very easy to reach from my house (in the center). It was a 15 minute drive in rush hour traffic. The prices are about the same as S.M. degli angeli. There is also no school on saturday. All of the nuns speak english. There are additional costs for the school uniforms and gym clothes.
I would like the name of the pedriatrician. You never know, maybe he or she is also near me. Thanks!

Hi Marilaura,
Does the school have a website? I like the fact that the nuns speak some English. Also, do you have an agency you like that helped you find an apartment/house. thanks!!! Tracy

Hi!
I have an email address for Sacro Cuore: info@sacrocuore.com. There is an internet site at instituto sacro cuore firenze.

We found our apartment through my husband's job. I read on this site that there is an agency called "accademia" (I think) in Piazza Santo Spirito. I understand one of the owners is american.

Good Luck!

Hi, Thanks for the information. I found their website; it looks interesting. I have also emailed them so hopefully they will respond. Do you like Florence so far? We are excited to move there. Tracy

Hello,

We haven't moved there yet. We are still in Reggio Emilia. We'll transfer there at the end of Aug. or Sept. Our apartment isn't ready yet. So in the meantime, I'm gathering as much information as I can. Have you found a Pediatrician?

I have no children, but I know the Corpus Domini kindergarten too well, as I am the organist in a nearby church and I got to know almost all the nuns. They are very serious - somebody would think even too serious! - the place is spotless and children well cared for. In spite of being a Catholic school, there was a time they had also the son of the Anglican pastor...

I looked at Corpus Domini but picked Gesu Buono Pastore in Isolotto. I found the atmosphere a little strained at Corpus Domini and keep hearing too many different reports about the place. The nuns at Gesu don't speak English but the headmistress wants to!

The school at St. Marc's is pricey for Florence - most are around €120 ish a month, but it sounds like they have a lot of activities.

The International school is lovely for little kids but again I thought it was way overpriced but would have sent my daughter there as a last resort. The site is quite a way to get to in rush hour too. They do have school buses even for little ones but that costs another €250 per month! Kindergarten has a brilliant reputation but is really hard to get in to.

I used Accademia Realty for my place. You have to push them but I did see a lot of places and am happy with what I got. They are a little pricey but most are new renovations, a lot don't come furnished either.

Just remember that Florence has a lot of private schools to look at but the good ones fill up really quickly - the reason I ended up going to Isolotto is that it is a little further out and more residential, working class so most people send their children to the public schools rather than pay, therefore there were places available. Also you don't need residency for the private schools but you do need up to date vaccination records.

quote:

In spite of being a Catholic school,

Pretty harsh statement! What does it mean? Around here Catholic schools and most other Parochial schools don't discriminate.

For those of you debating type of school in Florence, you may want to send a private message to "efe" (Ellen). They are now starting their 3rd year in Florence and have had their girls in public school there the whole time. They have been very pleased with the education and quality of instruction.

We just returned from a year in Tuscany where our 3rd grader went to public school. He is now fluent in Italian to the point where our friends are astounding by his mastery so quickly. He had a very good year, learning in all subjects. Plus he had the advantage of making friends with the children there. We had considered the International school--in fact spent 3 hours there one morning with the head master. We are so thankful that we took the plunge and put him in public school. He loved it and wants to return.

So, give some thought to the advantage of immersion.

quote:

Originally posted by Gil:
Pretty harsh statement! What does it mean? Around here Catholic schools and most other Parochial schools don't discriminate.

In Italy, often, catholic schools (some of them, maybe the majority but certainly not all of them) offer a lower quality of tuition than public schools, hire teachers that are less prepared, and are the refuge for kids that failed too many times in public schools. Also, it's not uncommon for catholic schools to accept only catholic children, most of those that do not request for non catholics a certificate of some kind from their minister, which still discriminates against agnostics, atheists and other people who belong to religions that don't have a minister of any kind. This, again, do not cover all catholic schools, but it still covers a good number of them.

quote:

Originally posted by Gil:

quote:

In spite of being a Catholic school,

Pretty harsh statement! What does it mean? Around here Catholic schools and most other Parochial schools don't discriminate.

A little late I know, but I think this was meant as humour! It would be seen as really unusual in the UK for an Anglican Pastor to send his son to a Catholic School. Especially as both the Church of England and the Catholic Church have schools in the UK. It would be the "done thing" to send him to a secular school instead. It was the fact, I think that the child was the son of a preacher from a different faith.