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July 2022 by Alice C.
Comparing to the previous comment from Bright L, I have both of my children at the FASSV and the French preschool of Saratoga SFC. Both schools work perfectly in terms of French Education, warmth, caring and a very professional way, always on the top of everything. The Fassv is a great continuation of the little preschool of Saratoga, specially if you need your child to acquire the French language at different level. I have been to the Fassv for a while now and Martine the Director have been working hard to keep a healthy school during the pandemic. I usually like to give positive comments because I don't think it's right to destroy schools and their teachers specially during these difficult times. Again teachers thank you for all you do for our children so they can feel happy and safe.
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February 2022 by Bright L.
My daughter currently attends a preschool class and we are truly pleased with our experience at this school. After having a tormenting experience at at a small daycare in Saratoga, FASSV and its teachers have been God sent. Before the age of 3 my daughter attended a Montessori center and she was truly thriving (Their program was from 18 months to Age 3). At age 3, we put our daughter in a small french daycare in Saratoga (which was absolutely a horrible experience for our family) ~4 months at that daycare and my daughter went from being a social, bubbly, capable girl, to a shy scared girl, who got distressed very easily (Which was so unlike her). Upon witnessing many red flags and some awful personal firsthand experiences at that center, enough was enough (we even chose to forgo our deposit). After some research, we contacted the FASSV to see if we can transfer our daughter to their preschool class. Obviously I was nervous about soooooo many things. Turns out, I had nothing to worry about. The teachers have been EXCELLENT. They are highly skilled and I'm slowly getting my old confident social daughter back. Gaining a trust and love of a child who had felt ignored and badly treated is not an easy task, but FASSV teachers made it very seamless. Everyday my daughter goes to school very happy, eager to learn, and on most days upon pickup she complains why I have come to pick her up so early (which is not early at all!!!) My daughter ADORES her teachers very much. Throughout the days, school updates via HiMama App have been great and it gives us an idea on what our daughter has worked on each day at school. FASSV also has plenty of after school programs which my daughter enjoys very much. Their soccer and basketball coaches have truly implanted the love of physical activity in my daughter. Prior to these classes getting my daughter to walk for 30min was a challenge . Now she easily walks with us for 2+ hours on hiking trails. No one speaks French at our household, but I've seen how my daughter talks to herself and is able to think in both French & English. COVID wise, all the teachers and staff have all been fully vaccinated, which has been a huge relief for us. The school also does regular testing on Campus with Kyla.
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June 2021 by Noori D.
Was waiting for a good time to write this review, now is that time. The leadership at this school got us through a very rough year. While most schools were still at home our head of school worked so hard and with such detail to get our kids on campus safety and he did! He never skipped a beat. Him as his team were quick to respond to any and all requests and comments. I like how the leaders at the school were present on site, in and out of classrooms, checking on kids and staff. Very hands on which is rare I find. I appreciate everything the school has done for my child. We look forward to the next school year. Will miss Mr. Ludovic but know he has placed our school on an excellent track and we will move forward smoothly.
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August 2020 by Caroline L.
Pros: French program: useful for French expats who want to keep their kids in the French system. Small school: less intimidating for pre-K to K transition. Cons: Quality of education is average or below, due to lack of resources that comes with a small school, and management not being pro-active. It lacks infrastructure like a gym, labs, technology, etc and those make a difference for grades 2+. French immersion is limited: students will be exposed to French only in the French classes, everything else is in English. Limited selection of after-school activities, because the school has few students and seems to have a high percentage of families with stay at home parents. The list of after school activities shown to prospective parents is very misleading because it includes all the activities they've had over many years, not what is typically offered in one semester. Field trip safety: they do not have their own busses so they rent yellow busses from another school district, who sometimes send old busses without the shoulder seat belts, even for trips on the highway. In the event of a crash, the kids wouldn't stand a chance without a 3-point seat belt. And the school does not disclose the possible lack of seatbelts to parents unless a parent specifically asks. The school director: My observations are that he is political and has a fragile ego. He strives for praises and holds grudges against those who do not praise him and the school. He kept claiming that the school offered superior education, but doesn't have any idea of how his school is doing compared to other schools in the area, nor can he pin point to something specific that is better than the public schools (other than teaching French language). He also doesn't like to answer questions via email, especially if there are multiple parents on the distribution. He keeps requesting individual meetings, maybe because anything can be said during those meetings, there is no witness, nor anything in writing. Individual meetings are often used to try to marginalize parents who express dissatisfaction (ex. "other parents are very satisfied", even when false). The management doesn't have the drive, nor does the school have the staff and resources to keep evolving their curriculum and teaching methods to stay at the forefront of the latest educational developments. Preschool/Pre-K at this school is not year round. There is a 4-week break in the summer, there are 3 weeks of day camps during the school year and from mid-June to mid/end of July (different caregivers for camps). Families with no stay-at-home parent have to find alternate care during the 4 summer weeks, and many young kids need some time to adjust to a new environment and caregivers, that's not the best choice for 3-4 year old children, especially those with separation anxiety. In our case, we are located in a very good school district, I thought we'd try this school for K and 1 (French is my native language) as a transition between preK and a larger elementary school. In our case, it just didn't make sense to sacrifice a strong math, English and science foundation, and more comprehensive afterschool activities, just to have French classes at the school. There are other organizations that offer French classes even for native French speakers. Because of the way the school closure (COVID-19) was mis-managed, we got out after K. We'll probably be stuck at home for a good part of 2020-21, and this school doesn't have the resources nor the drive to develop decent remote education material. Many other K parents pulled out their kids as well.
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June 2020 by Annie B.
First, let's correct a misconception: there isn't much French immersion going on at this school. Less than half the classes are in French. The kids from families where parents don't speak French will struggle in the French classes, teachers will switch to English to accommodate. If the kids stay for the afterschool and don't sign up for activities, they go to the study class for 45 minutes where there is a French teacher who will help. That's the extent of the French immersion. The lunch time and afterschool monitors are all English speaking (other than the 45-min afterschool study period), the afterschool optional (extra $) activities, the camps offered during the school breaks and summer are in English, kids speak English together except for a few from French speaking families who are close friends. Kids from English speaking families tend to congregate together and the kids from French families talk to them in English. Just drop by at recess, stand outside the fence and listen in: all English, you're lucky if you hear a bit of French. If none of the adults in your household speak French, it is very unlikely that your kids will speak French even after attending 6-7 years there. They will speak a basic broken French, and that is assuming they stay there until 5th grade. Once your kids get accepted, it doesn't in any way guarantee a spot for the following year. The director favors kids from French families so if new French families apply for the following year and the classes are full, the director will tell some families in May that things aren't working out, and the families will have to find a new school for their kids for August. If you are not in a decent school district, you'll have to homeschool because May is too late to enroll at another private school. (There is another low rated Yelp review to that effect.) If you are not from a French family, you and your kids will be treated like second class citizens there. I think that they accept kids from non French families just to fill up the classes (revenue) until French families show up, assuming some do. The teaching methodology is very old school, it is a small school with limited resources so not much program development going on. They were behind the curve during the shelter in place, they would not have done anything except sending a few assignments if some parents hadn't complained. The main reason why this school will be average at best is because the director is very passive and insecure, has a hard time taking criticism, and will terminate families who express dissatisfaction unless it is heavily sugar coated and done individually (not on the parent forum nor parent meetings with the director), no matter how relevant and justified the critique is. In fact, French families tend to be shy when it comes to criticism because they know they will have to drive a lot further to put their kids in another French school. Sadly, the kids will get average or below education at this school. One French parent told me that this school would not be very well rated in France but many French families feel like they have no other viable option.
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January 2020 by Amel LB
Best school of the Silicon Valley ! Completely bilingual, small and great teachers and staff ! Highly recommend! My son joined the school in K and he is now in 3 rd grade and my daughter in Pre-K she is now in K . I can see big improvement every day on the academic program but also in their personal development ! Love that school!
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September 2019 by Brice Challamel
FASSV is the only completely bilingual French American school of the bay area, with 50% allocated teaching time in each language. The teachers have a deep commitment to the children's education and well-being, and contribute to after-school programs such as "fun with circuits", martial arts or soccer. Both our children have attended this school for two years now, and we couldn't be happier with their progress, in both languages, with every part of the elementary curriculum. More importantly, they love their school and can't wait to get there in the morning! Highly recommended.
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September 2019 by Harmony Dance Center
As we are on the same campus as FASSV, Harmony Dance Center has the pleasure to teach dance to all their PreK students for a 10 week session. We have been interacting with the staff, the teachers and the students for the past 15 years. We are always impressed by how teachers from the French American School of Silicon Valley interact with their students. They are very attentive and very patient with them. We also enjoy how the students are eager to learn about dance, rhythm and music. Also the admin staff is always welcoming, responsive and a pleasure to work with.
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September 2019 by Veronica M
An extraordinary place, with a great international community, family oriented, fantastic teachers, and a great and supportive admin.
