Our daughter has been in this school in the French immersion track since nursery (she just started 4th grade). Her current teacher was suprised that we don't speak a word of French of at home--she is that fluent. In addition, she speaks Hindi (and reads and writes at the India 3rd grade level). The attitude
... Read more towards multi-culturalism and multi-lingualism has been totally fostered by the school. I saw other second-gen Indian and Chinese children in public schools around who are embarrassed to speak their parent's languages! I totally disagree with the parent below about the lack of rigor. Most of the children at ISTP including my daughter consistently test in the top 10 percentile in ERB testing. I have two nephews in the same grade as my daughter in Encinal (a blue ribbon public school) in Menlo Park. She is clearly a year ahead in most areas. Read less
Posted by a parent on 09/18/09
This school not only has excellent academics, but a wonderful and nurturing community. In order to reap the full benefits of the rigorous bilingual education, you should stay through middle school. Children are educated to be responsible, global citizens; they respect other cultures and are intellectually
... Read more curious. We are thrilled with our children's experience at this chool. Read less
Posted by a parent on 09/01/09
I was not happy with the education my children received at ISTP. My kids were at both campus and the administration at both campus was very uninviting. There was no differentiation at the kindergarten level. Kids who were reading at the first and second grade level, were taught basic phonics. At
... Read more the first grade level, the differentiation in reading was which box you could select your reading book. The program is not rigerous. Although class sizes are small the Kindergarten class had a 1:15 ratio and the First 1:12 ratio, they weren't able to build any differentiation into the curriculm. Read less
Posted by a parent on 06/15/09
If your child/family fall into their expectations, your child and you will find great satisfaction at ISTP. However, if your child falls outside of the 'norm' (high/low achieving), the school is not equipped with the teachers/specialists to tailor to your child's exceptional needs. Being the hot educational
... Read more issue, differentiation is talked a lot at school but is not often practiced in the classroom (the extent of differentiation means different work sheets or different reading bins). As a parent familiar with progressive educational pedagogies, I find the school's teaching pedagogy to be very traditional. I am also a bit disappointed at the lack of rigor across the subjects - Chinese, English, and Math. The expectation levels set for the children seem to be even lower than that of the local public schools. The diversity of the student body and the cohesiveness of the families are wonderful, very positive aspects of ISTP. Read less
Posted by a parent on 02/18/09
This school is brilliant! Our children are both now bilingual, despite coming from a monolingual home. During the summer in France I was asked why my children spoke such good English! The man was astonished to learn they were not French. But what's more, they are happy, well-rounded, superbly educated
... Read more citizens of the world who do not expect special treatment because they have learned to stand confidently on their own two feet. I am somewhat surprised, and saddened, by the negative reviews. It may come down to expectations: not every child - or indeed every family - is cut out for friendly rigor of ISTP, where education is left strictly to the professionals (a practice I wholeheartedly endorse), but where there are myriad opportunities to enjoy the vibrant, multicultural, multinational parent community outside of the classroom. What better preparation for tomorrow's world could your children have? Read less
Posted by a parent on 02/05/09
I am a parent of 3 children in the French Program (PreK, 2nd grade, 4th grade) at ISTP and we have been a part of the school community for 6 years. My husband and I are very pleased with our childrens' education thus far. First of all, and most importantly, the older two are fluent in French, which is
... Read more wonderful because we do not speak it at home. Also, we really value the multicultural community of families, teachers and support staff and the richness it brings to the education and social life at school. As an example, I love the fact that my youngest daughter has 3 nurturing teachers who are from 3 different french-speaking countries. They bring such wonderful diversity to the classroom. There are many, many opportunities to get involved at ISTP as a parent, if you wish. We feel lucky that ISTP is a part of our lives! Read less
Posted by a parent on 01/14/09
I'm a parent of a child in the Chinese program and thoroughly love the program and school. I've found my daughter's teachers to be engaging and they know the students and their personalities and learning styles. It saddens me to see the other reviews about the teachers. Perhaps they had a bad teacher,
... Read more but all the teachers I've had have been great. I value the international perspective my daughter is gaining and I strongly believe she couldn't get such an education any where else. Compared to other Chinese schools in the area, I believe ISTP has the most balanced approach to a bilingual immersion education, one that takes into account both an education in Chinese and English. Not too mention she is being exposed to so many other cultures, not just Chinese. There is no other school like ISTP and for that I'm grateful that my daughter is a student there. Read less
Posted by a parent on 01/09/09
This is our 4th year at ISTP, in the Chinese program and I am seriously considering other options next year for my child. One parent put it succintly 'I want my child to be the deal-maker, not the translator.' Just having knowledge of a second-language doesn't make you a global leader... Giving children
... Read more the ability to engage deeply in problem solving and opportunities to think outside the box is what gives children the global perspective. Unfortunately, this has not been our experiences at the school. With a hands-off attitude towards differentiation (non-existent despite what they tell you) discipline/social development (aside from a few one-day seminars, non-existent), the school is very traditional in its pedagogy. The curriculum supports the child that fits in their box. Curiousity and exploration are not encouraged. Though we will miss the 4 hours of Chinese instruction, a deep and well-rounded education is far more important. Read less
Posted by a parent on 12/02/08
This is our first year at French program, and my daughter doesn't like it... I don't like it neither: it is extremely expensive and you just feel that teachers and stuff don't work hard enough for $25K+ a year (tuition + after-school child care + classes + camps during three breaks! and this is Pre-K!!!...)
... Read more Teachers are definitely on a colder side... I asked to be present during a circle time to be able to learn all the songs and rhymes and then help my daughter with learning at home, but I was discouraged to do so and was told that the idea of an immersion program is for kids to step up and figure out by themselves... And even though my kid is quite sharp for 4-year old, the learning with this approach is painful.. Summary: too expensive, not inviting, not nurturing, even not educational, at least in Pre-K... Read less
Posted by a parent on 11/17/08
We sent our children to the french program at ISTP and found the overall classroom atmosphere to be cold and uninviting. This is not a nurturing environment, the social emotional program is a joke. There is no differentiated learning whatsoever, it is a cookie-cutter approach to every child. This
... Read more is a very old-fashioned approach to education. The parents are actively discouraged from remaining involved in their children's early education experience here. Communication from the teachers to the parents is almost non-existent (other than the 3 formal 15-minute P/T conferences each year). We found the education to be lacking in many areas, the only real plus here is the language itself. You have to be prepared to sacrifice a lot as well, like more advanced math and reading skills, and any social emotional learning. However, the school's big strong point is fund-raising, be prepared to be asked constantly to give more money. Read less
School Profile for International School Of Peninsula
Test scores
Enrollment
Programs
Resources
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Arts
Art
Music
Choral, Orchestra
English
Humanities
Special Education
Physical Therapists
Vocational Education
Phys Ed
*The resources listed are programs that the institution is staffed to support. Staffing for a program does not guarantee that it will be offered. This content is provided by the institution and may be incomplete. The institution may offer programs not listed here. Please contact the school directly for additional details.
Advanced Placement
AP classes are college-level classes offered at the high school level. Once a student completes an AP class and passes a final comprehensive examination conducted by the College Board, the student earns college credit for the course. AP classes are specific and not to be confused with other higher-level classes such as honors classes.
Before/After School
"Extended day" programs where the school day is extended before and after school to accommodate working parents. These programs should not be confused with common after school clubs or athletic activities.
Gifted and Talented
A school system may identify 10% to 15% or more of its student population as gifted and talented. A brief description of each area of giftedness or talent as defined by the Office of Gifted and Talented:
general intellectual ability or talent - high intelligence test score (usually two standard deviations above the mean), and high levels of vocabulary, memory, abstract work knowledge and abstract reasoning;
specific academic aptitude or talent in one area such as mathematics or language arts;
creative and productive thinking, the ability to produce new ideas;
leadership ability, the ability to direct individuals or groups to a common decision or action;
visual and performing arts, special talents in visual art, music, dance, drama, or other related studies;
psychomotor ability, such as practical, spatial, mechanical, and physical skills.
Vocation/Technical Curriculum
Vocational and/or technical courses offered within a comprehensive school, usually a senior high school.
Special Education Classes
A school or program within a school that provides services and training to students with moderate to severe mental and/or physical disabilities.
Adult Education Classes
Programs offering GED or equivalent courses for adults within regular schools, whether classes are held during evening or daytime schedules.
English as Second Language
English language classes for students whose first language is not English.
Homes for sale near International School Of Peninsula
Palo Alto schools — International School Of Peninsula is located at 151 Laura Ln, Palo Alto CA 94303. 151 Laura Ln is in the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood and 94303 ZIP code in Palo Alto, CA International School Of Peninsula is a Private school that serves grade levels PK - 8.
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