Lima, Peru Report of what it's like to live there - 07/13/19
Personal Experiences from Lima, Peru
School Name:
San Silvestre
Background Information:
1. Are you the parent of a child(ren) attending this school? A teacher at the school? Or both?
Parent of 2 children at San Silvestre
2. What grade or grades do/did your children attend at the school? During what year(s) did they attend the school?
Kindergarten, 2nd-4th
3. What was your reason for living in the city where the school is located (e.g., government, military, corporate, NGO, retired)?
Government
4. Are other schools available to expatriates in this city? Why did you choose this particular school?
There are several school options in Lima. We chose San Silvestre because of its proximity to our house and the excellent reputation that it has. It is a bilingual curriculum.
Admissions & Welcome:
1. Are the admissions and placement procedures clearly stated to prospective families, either on the school website or through other means of communication?
I have heard of several families having trouble communicating with the school before they arrived. We arrived in October and knocked on the door of the school without any difficulties.
2. How would you rate the school's support and welcome/integration of new students and their families, and why?
A solid 10! Once you are admitted then it’s like you are family. My daughter was welcomed by the school and by the families of the students.
Administration & School Procedures:
1. How is the overall communication between teachers and parents, and the administration and parents? How is communication facilitated?
Excellent. There is an app for communication. A weekly newsletter is posted there. You can also write to the administrators and teachers through the app.
2. Aside from school fees, are there required expenses such as uniforms, laptops/tablets, musical instruments, or field trips that parents are expected to cover? What are the approximate costs?
There are 3 uniforms - summer, formal and PE. The clothes are reasonably priced and there are frequent used uniform sales. No laptop needed for elementary. I don’t think so for secondary either. A recorder available at the grocery store is required.
Academics & Resources:
1. Is there before and/or after-school daycare available? What are the costs?
Not that I’m aware of, but there are sports activities until 5pm everyday.
2. Does the school have a library? How large is it? How updated are the books? Can students borrow books to read at home?
There are 3 libraries, early years, primary and secondary. You can take books home. The primary library lacked old classics, but had lots of recently puslished British books and graphic novels.
3. What are the technology requirements for students? Do they need their own laptops/ipads? How is technology integrated into the classroom and homework?
There is a weekly computer class with an excellent digital citizenship component.
4. Describe the physical education resources at the school. Is there a gym? A swimming pool? Are there playing fields or tennis courts available?
There is a pool and a gym. There is construction currently underway, so the usual field space is halved. Some classes are bused out for their PE classes to a nearby sports field. On our 3 years my daughter was bused only once a week for 6 weeks.
5. What is the approximate teacher-to-student ratio in the grades that your child attended?
1:24
6. Are Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses available in upper grades? If this is an IB school, is the full diploma required of all students?
IB, full IB is not required.
7. Is the amount and type of homework generally appropriate for the age and grade of the students?
There are time suggestions for homework - 15 minutes per night for math, 20 minutes for english. Also every class had homework every night. It seemed like too much.
8. What fine arts electives are available (music, drama, visual arts)?
There are after school music lessons and a primary school orchestra. There is also a choir and drama department. The school play is for secondary(6-12th grades)
9. Are the teachers at the school required to speak English as a first language--or at least fluently?
The math, science and english teacher have excellent English with most having English as a first language. The other classes, PE, drama, computer, might have teachers that speak only Spanish.
10. What services are available for students with learning disabilities at this school? Please describe your experience with these services, if applicable.
There is a counselor who will work with students with some learning challenges. All schools in Lima are improving in this area due to regulations requiring accommodations.
11. What extra-curricular activities (including sports) are available at this school? Have your children participated in these activities? What activities do you feel are missing at the school?
Volleyball- we did one semester
Swim team
Softball
Basketball
Athletes
Orchestra - my daughter’s favorite thing
Music lessons - we did 1.5 years of flute
Environmental service club
Student council - one semester
Social & Emotional Well-Being:
1. What is the climate for LGBT+ kids at this school? Are there resources they can draw upon? Does there appear to be any exclusionary behavior?
We heard that a same-sex couple got mixed messages about their 3-year old attending the school.
2. Do expatriate students socialize with local students at the school? Are both groups successfully integrated into the school culture?
The school is very proactive about inclusion. There is "no us vs. them" mentality.
3. Are there are any problems with exclusionary behavior, cliques, or bullying at this school? Please describe any problems your children may have experienced in this area.
We did not experience any issues in the early years and primary schools.
Overall Impressions:
1. What letter grade (ranging from A, excellent, to F, fail) would you assign to this school based on your overall experience? Would you choose it again?
A+
We chose to extend in Lima in large part because of San Silvestre.
2. Please describe some of your child's/children's highlights and challenges during their time at this school.
Highlight-coming in 3rd in the talent show by unicycling.
3. Please tell us anything else you think prospective parents and students should know about this school. Thanks for your contribution!
Everything they do, they do well. We are sad to be leaving.
