American School of The Hague – Expat Since Birth – A Life spent "abroad" https://expatsincebirth.com a blog by a multilingual lifelong expat/international, linguist, researcher, speaker, mother of three, living in the Netherlands and writing about raising children with multiple languages, multiculturalism, parenting abroad, international life... Mon, 30 Dec 2013 19:08:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://expatsincebirth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/expatsincebirthlogo2018.png American School of The Hague – Expat Since Birth – A Life spent "abroad" https://expatsincebirth.com 32 32 Sea Change Mentoring: Symposium on Supporting Global Youth https://expatsincebirth.com/2013/10/12/sea-change-mentoring-symposium-on-supporting-global-youth/ https://expatsincebirth.com/2013/10/12/sea-change-mentoring-symposium-on-supporting-global-youth/#comments Sat, 12 Oct 2013 19:44:03 +0000 http://expatsincebirth.com/?p=2423 Bildschirmfoto 2013-10-12 um 21.10.01

Ellen Mahoney, Sea Change Mentoring (©expatsincebirth)

Today I attended a very interesting Sea Change Mentoring Symposium on Supporting Global Youth “Addressing Assets and Challenges”, organised by Ellen Mahoney, CEO and Founder of Sea Change Mentoring and Board of Directors of Families in Global Transition (FIGT).

Sea Change Mentoring is an online mentoring program that helps Expat youth prepare for going back to their home countries, minimize reverse culture shock and maximize the benefits of having lived abroad.

Kate Berger, MSc Child Psychologist, Child Development Specialist and Expat-Kid Cultural Consultant, talked about “Identity, In Context: The influence of changing environments”. – A sense of self helps young people “to ground and is the platform from which they to step off to impact the world. How is a young person’s identity influenced by factors in his or her environment? Why does changing environments sometimes lead to difficulties in answering the question “Who am I?” and why is it important to support young people in this process of self-discovery?” In her speech she pointed out how belongingness is even more important for expat kids who have to readapt and learn constantly new norms. The more secure a child is, the less it is stressed and is able to develop awareness. Mindfulness and empathy play a major role in helping the children in changing environments.

Kilian Kröll, President of Third Culture Coach and Vice President on the board of Families in Global Transitions (FIGT). hold a speech about “Breaking the Mold: Identifying and supporting expat youth from non-traditional backgrounds”. Even if expat families are “traditionally identified (…) in the context of institutions, such as International Schools, military bases, embassy affiliation or missions organizations”, “many expat children and Third Culture Kids “hide” in non-traditional circumstances that prevent them from receiving vital resources.” Based on his own experience as expat child from divorced parents, attending local schools and identifying as gay, Kilian illustrated the needs of youth who don’t fit the expat mold and demonstrated brilliantly how powerful impact the expat communities have when they break the mold themselves. He also pointed out a very important aspect of expat families: the transitions of parents and children are very different.

Ellen Mahoney, Ceo of Sea Change Mentoring, did talk about “The Power of Mentoring for Third Culture Kids”. In fact, formal youth mentoring programs exist in the US since over 100 years and a lot of research has been done on “the effectiveness on mentoring teens in transition”. Globally mobile community has a lot to learn from this research and it can be vital for Third Culture Kids. Sea Change Mentoring does take these lessons and applies them “to help youth maximize the benefits and minimize the challenges of an international childhood”. She openly talked about her own experience as a TCK and her reverse culture shock. Her program is perfectly tailored for youth in transition and is a great intervention tool because a mentor can not grade a child (because he is not a teacher) or ground a child (because he is not the parent).

Sara McMickle, Counselor at The American School of The Hague did present “A Safe Harbour: Supportive programming in an international school setting”. In order to help “children, parents and staff cope with the challenges, and maximize the opportunities, inherent in the experience of international relocation and cross-cultural mobility”, A Safe Harbour is a “preeminent model in international schools worldwide for how to address the challenges of mobility at international schools. This programm supports Third Culture Kids and lessons learned along the way.

Katherine Fortier, Child and Educational Psychologist, talked about her experience with 363 children from 24 schools in “International Education: Great fish in little ponds”. Some globally moving parents choose an international school when posting outside their home country. Kathrine Fortier showed brilliantly the risks and challenges inherent of this kind of decision that are not immediately apparent. Especially the high expectations seem to be a major issue. Kathrine did introduce some of the key protective factors that help many students thrive as well as risk factors that lead some students to flounder. For example, she pointed out that less movings are beneficial for the accademic success of Third Culture Kids and expat children and she emphasized the need to build bridges with the parents’ help in order to support the children to perform better.

Josh Stephens, Director of International Development at ArborBridge speech “Where to Next? College Applications and the Expat Kid” was about the application process to American universities. It is the most complex application process in the world. Choosing among 4,000 different colleges doesn’t make it any easier and for many TCKs this process can be even “more challenging, as students prepare to settle in the US and choose, perhaps for the first time, where they want to live”. In his talk for professionals who work with TCK’s and expats who are not familiar with the current state of university applications, he provided a very important overview of the US application process with special attention to the unique challenges that students face when they apply from overseas.

Upcoming events of Sea Change Mentoring in The Hague area:

Monday 14th October 2013, 18:00-20:00 at The American School The Hague

Lecture: “Global Success: Preparing Expat Youth for Adulthood“

“Having an international childhood has many advantages, and a few challenges here and there. In order to be successful, young people must find ways to make the most of the experiences and skill-sets picked up in this global life while learning to recognize and prepare for some of the challenges they may face as they transition to adulthood.”

Participants will:

  • Learn how to make the most of the experiences and skill sets picked up in an international childhood. Including:
    • The positive attributes of the expat youth/third culture kid profile
    • How to connect these attributes to what universities and employers are looking for
    • How to choose the right university and thrive once there
  • Learn how expat youth can manage and/or minimize the difficult aspects related to the transition into adulthood. Including:
    • The challenges of the expat youth/third culture kid profile: reverse culture shock and other issues like restlessness and difficulties in relationships
    • Key strategies that parents and teens can use to manage those challenges
  • Learn how mentors can help expat youth through this transition and how Sea Change Mentoring works
  • Network with other participants to help strengthen a supportive community around these matters
  • Connect with a number of related resources

(cfr. © from The American School of The Hague)

Thursday, 17th October 2013, 19:30 to 21:30 at Van Hogenhoucklaan 89

Workshop: Resilience for Global Teens

Ellen Mahoney will join Passionate Parenting for an evening workshop for parents and teenagers looking at the skills teens need to succeed in work and life and how to help them develop these skills.

***

Please note that excerpts were taken from the handout of the Symposium and are © Sea Change Mentoring.

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]]> https://expatsincebirth.com/2013/10/12/sea-change-mentoring-symposium-on-supporting-global-youth/feed/ 4 About International Schools in The Hague area https://expatsincebirth.com/2013/09/27/about-international-schools-in-the-hague-area/ https://expatsincebirth.com/2013/09/27/about-international-schools-in-the-hague-area/#comments Fri, 27 Sep 2013 08:57:32 +0000 http://expatsincebirth.com/?p=1645 Globally moving expatriates with school children often opt for international schools as they are designed to ease the educational transition from one country to another. Still, it is important to know the local education system as some international schools are linked to it.

I did participate (successfully) in a writing contest on expatsblog.com earlier this year and did write the following post about the International Schools in The Hague area, including also a general questionnaire about what to ask when you visit a new school for your children. I amplified this questionnaire in a separate post on my blog and won’t include this part into this post. This post is an updated version from the one submitted for the contest.

International Schools in The Hague © Utexpat/expatsincebirth

International Schools in The Hague © Utexpat/expatsincebirth

General information about the Dutch education system

In the Netherlands primary education is not compulsory until the age of 5, but usually children start to attend the basisschool at the age of 4 (until the age of 11 or 12). The Dutch international primary schools and the private regular international schools use either the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) or the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IBPYP).

Dutch international secondary schools and private international schools prepare their students for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) or the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP) . Those students who complete successfully the IBMYP are admitted to the two-year International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB-DP). The IB diploma provides a well-balanced pre-university education and is an accepted entrance qualification for top universities around the world.

Private schools can have different curricula for both junior and senior secondary school, but the American School of The Hague, the International School in The Hague and the British School in the Netherlands provide students the opportunity to follow either the national curriculum or the IB-DP in the final two years of high school.

The Hague has the biggest variety of International Schools in the Netherlands.

Here is an actualized list of them in alphabetical order (partly taken from informative official internetsites):

American School of The Hague (ASH)

The American School of The Hague welcomes international students aged from 3 to 18 years who are actually coming from 65 countries (some 40% of the students has U.S. citizenship). The curriculum is based on a U.S. educational philosophy and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are available at all levels. The school offers U.S. style international high school curriculum, International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, Advanced Placement (AP) courses (which may provide credits at US universities) or mix of IB and AP courses, ASH High School Diploma.

Rijksstraatweg 200
2241 BX Wassenaar
Telephone: (070) 512 10 60
Email: admissions@ash.nl
Website: www.ash.nl

British School in the Netherlands (BSN)

The British School in the Netherlands (BSN) is a British international school with multiple sites based in and around The Hague. It provides a high quality British style education in an international context for children from over 80 different nationalities. Specialist teachers provide support for English as an Additional Language (EAL) and for students with Special Educational Needs (SEN).

There are three Junior School sites (for ages 3 – 11 years):

BSN Junior School Diamanthorst
Diamanthorst 16
2592 GH The Hague

BSN Junior School Vlaskamp
Vlaskamp 19
2592 AA The Hague

BSN Junior School Leidschenveen
Vrouw Avenweg 640
2493 WZ The Hague

BSN enquiries and admissions
Telephone: (070) 315 40 40
Email: admissions@britishschool.nl
Internet: www.britishschool.nl

BSN Senior School
The BSN Senior School is situated in the residential area of Voorschoten, a suburb of The Hague. The school provides a state-of-the-art learning environment for about 1,100 students aged 11-18, from all over the world. The school has excellent facilities including its own sports fields and offers both A Levels and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme.

Jan van Hooflaan 3
2252 BG Voorschoten
Telephone: (071) 560 22 22
Email: senior@britishschool.nl
Website: www.britishschool.nl
Age range: 11-18 years

Deutsche Internationale Schule (German International School)

The German International School of The Hague is located in the Statenkwartier of The Hague and educates students from Kindergarten to secondary school level/university entrance level. It is the leading German international school and the oldest international school in the Netherlands. The school is recognised and subsidised by the German government and provides internationally accepted quality education. Its German high school diploma (Reifeprüfung, Abitur and Realschulabschluss) provides the students the possibility of studying a wide range of subjects in Germany, the Netherlands or other countries. The school is recognised by the German government (Kultusministerkonferenz). It offers English, French and Dutch as foreign languages.

Van Bleiswijkstraat 125
2582 LB The Hague
Telephone: (070) 354 94 54
Email: info@disdh.nl
Website: www.disdh.nl
Age range: 3-10 years

European School of The Hague

The European School of The Hague Rijnlands Lyceum started in 2012 with the first two years of nursery education (age 4 and 5) and the first two primary school grades (age 6 and 7) and completed the primary school grades in 2013. The first secundary school grades will be added starting from the schoolyear 2013/14. The school’s secondary school programme starts in 2014. European schools were founded in 1953 for the children of members and officials of European institutions, bodies and agencies. The European School of The Hague actually provides three language sections: Dutch, English and Spanish (others will be added in the next years). Daily mother tongue lessons are available in many european languages.

Houtrustweg 2
2566 HA The Hague
Telephone: (070) 700 16 00
Email: administration@eshthehague.nl
Website: www.europeanschoolthehague.nl

Haagsche Schoolvereniging (HSV), International Department

The International Department operates from three locations in The Hague. In the Nassaulaan school, the International Department works alongside the Dutch Primary Department. The international department educates 400 pupils from more than 50 different countries across the three locations. The curriculum follows the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) and the UK National Numeracy and Literacy Strategies.

Admissions:
Nassaulaan 26
2514 JT The Hague
Telephone: (070) 318 49 65
Email: id-admissions@hsvdenhaag.nl
Website: www.hsvdenhaag.nl

Nassaulaan (NSL)
Nassaulaan 26
2514 JT Den Haag
The Netherlands
+31 (0) 70 318 49 50 (general)
+31 (0) 70 318 49 69
(NSL absences only)
Email: id-admissions@hsvdenhaag.nl
Website: http://www.hsvdenhaag.nl/nassauint/cgi-oic/pagedb.exe/show?no=1

Koningin Sophiestraat (KSS)
Koningin Sophiestraat 24a
2595 TG Den Haag
The Netherlands
+31 (0)70 324 34 53
Email: info@hsvdenhaag.nl
Website: http://www.hsvdenhaag.nl/kss/cgi-oic/pagedb.exe/show?no=1

Van Nijenrodestraat (VNS)
Van Nijenrodestraat 16
2597 RM Den Haag
The Netherlands
+31 (0)70 328 14 41
Email: info@hsvdenhaag.nl
Website: http://www.hsvdenhaag.nl/nijenrode/cgi-oic/pagedb.exe/show?no=1

 

International School of The Hague (ISH)

The International School of The Hague is an international primary and secondary school with more than 1,000 students aged 4-18. The school is subsidised by the Dutch Ministry of Education. The school offers the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) and the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme of the International Baccalaureate Organisation. The International School of The Hague is member of the European Council of International Schools (ECIS) and has gained the status of a Council of International Schools (CIS) Accredited School. The ISH Secondary is member of the ten Dutch International Secondary Schools (DISS) in The Netherlands, linked with the Dutch national schools and is thus government subsidised. The curriculum is internationa. Years 7-11 offer the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) and Years 12-13 offer the IB Diploma Programme (IB DP).

Wijndaelerduin 1
2554 BX The Hague
Telephone: (070) 338 45 67
Email: primary@ishthehague.nl
Website: www.ishthehague.nl
Age range: 4-19 years

Lighthouse Special Education

The Lighthouse Special Education has been established in 1998 to serve members of the international community in the Netherlands whose children have special educational needs. Lighthouse Special Education is the International Department of the Instituut Voor Individueel Onderwijs (Institute for Individual Education), a Dutch school for Primary Special Education, member of the Haagsche Schoolvereniging. Lighthouse Special Education uses a special educational programme conducted in English and offers a new chance for children with complex behavioural and/or developmental problems to be part of the community.

Amalia van Solmstraat 155
2595 TA The Hague
Telephone: (070) 335 56 98
Email: infolse@hsvdenhaag.nl
Website: www.lighthousese.nl
Age range: 4-12 years

Le Lycée Français Vincent van Gogh

Founded in 1947 by parents of French, Belgian and Swiss origin, the Lycée Vincent van Gogh de La Haye-Amsterdam is a primary and secondary school with students aged from 3 to 18 years. The school has an official status within the French educational system and is part of the French educational network which consists of at least 470 schools all around the world (AEFE : Agence pour l’Enseignement Français à l’Etranger). The curriculum follows the French educational system from “maternelle” to “lycée” (baccalauréat ES, L, S).

Scheveningseweg 237
2584 AA The Hague
Telephone: (070) 306 69 20
Email: secretaireduproviseur@lyceevangogh.nl
Website: www.lyceevangogh.nl

Sekolah Kedutaan Republik Indonesia di Wassenaar / Indonesian School in the Netherlands (SIN)

The Indonesian School in the Netherlands (SIN) is a private institution funded by the Representative of the Repulic of Indonesia in the Netherlands and offers an Indonesian and International curriculum. From the 1 year of Junior Highschool the children will be taught also Dutch, English, French, German, Indonesian and Arabic. The Highschool follows an English study programme. It is also possible for the children to obtain the NT2 diploma.

Rijksstraatweg 679
2245 CB Wassenaar
Telephone: (070) 517 88 75
Email: info@sekolahindonesia.nl
Website: www.sekolahindonesia.nl

Age range: 6-19 years

Every school has its own “personality” and it is always recommended to visit the school in order to get a first personal impression about the atmosphere and ask questions and get documentation about the school. Several lists can are available on the internet; here are a few questions that can be asked at these first visits, just to get started.

For expat families who are planning a short stay in the Netherlands it is advisable to enroll their children in lessons taught in the language of their home country. The embassies can give informations about these lessons.

The Polish School in The Hague (Skola Polska) , for example, is a bijschool and offers lessons for Polish children twice a week (Wednesdays and Saturdays), and helps to keep up with the Polish curriculum and facilitates the re-adaptation to the Polish school system. The programme is supported by the government department.

Hofstad Lyceum
Colijnplain 9
2555 HA The Hague
Telephone: (040) 213 52 89
Email: kierownik@spk-haga.nl
Website: www.spk-haga.nl
Age range: 6-19 years

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