# International schools in Athens



## sjamt (May 10, 2013)

Would anyone like to share their experiences of the international schools in Athens. In particular we are looking at Campion and St Catherine's. We have 3 children aged 8, 5 and 3 and are looking for a solid curriculum with pastoral care. We need the children to feel immediately accepted and part of the community. Looking forward to hearing about your experiences. Thanks


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## sonnenkerstin (Sep 8, 2012)

Hi,

I wrote quite a long message but unfortunately it's gone 
To make the long story short-We were in a similar situation about half year ago.(You might have found my post here?)
We ended up sending our kids to St.Catherine's and never regreted it. They both are very happy there and enjoy going to school(as much as ones can-my son would say now ).
They started after the half year break in January and immediately made friends.Straight from the beginning on they received invitations to playdates and parties.
The majority of the kids at St.Catherine's seem to be very friendly,open-minded and eager to help new arrivals to feel welcome and comfortable in their new school.
The same applies to the teachers of course.
Our son had some issues with starting in a new school at the beginning but it didn't take long for him to settle and relax.There was always someone to listen and advise.One of the head teachers wrote me an email after a few weeks to ask how our son goes and offered help in case we need it.That impressed me.
But the school doens't only care for the children.They look after you as a parents as well.They offer year group meetings every two months to get the other parents to know,greek lessons for beginners once per week for parents and educational sessions a few times per year.
I can't say much about the curriculum because of the short time we live here but our children don't seem to struggle coming from the australian gouvernment school system.

Don't hesitate to ask more questions.I'm more than happy to answer.
Kerstin


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## sjamt (May 10, 2013)

Hi Kirsten

Thanks for your reply. That sounds just like the right school for my kids. Just some more questions: What areas would you recommend, that are close to the school, to live in? 
My 5 year old daughter is having issues with the move, would you be able to tell me what sort of things you do on the weekend? We have look at the historical sites and she wasn't impressed at all! I need to show her some really kid friendly stuff. I showed her the Allou fun park and she was a little excited by that and the beach. Anything else you can recommend? 
Thanks so much for your help
Sarah


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## sonnenkerstin (Sep 8, 2012)

Hi Sarah,

Regarding the areas to live close to school it depends if you want to have the school in walking distance or if it's ok to drive the kids by car or let them catch the school bus.
For walking it would mean you have to live in Lykovrysi or in a few areas of Kifisia.
Otherwise Kifisia in general,Nea Erythraia,Politia,Ekali to give you a few names, would be areas from where you can easily reach the school and which are nice in different ways depending from what kind of lifestyle you prefer.
The activities for the weekends-well,our kids are older and are often busy with meeting friends or having playdates.They are not very interested in the historical sites either so I understand your daughter.Just heaps of boring old rocks ;-)
There are lots of nice playgrounds spread all around the areas I've mentioned.There is a museum especially for children where they will happily spend a few hours without getting bored.The zoo(nothing special,but ok someone told me),the islands are very close so you can spend weekends there to escape the hustle and bustle of Athens. Horseriding in the forests of Parnitha mountain,indoor rock climbing at the Olympic stadion.I think there are cities in the world which offer more activities for children but the big advantage here is the weather.Most times of the year you can do things outside and if this interests her-in winter you can go skiing in the near mountains but it'll be still comparativly mild in Athens. 

Hope that helped a bit.Keep asking ;-)
Kerstin


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## sjamt (May 10, 2013)

Hi Kerstin, 

We have finally arrived in Athens a couple of weeks ago. We have been busy settling the kids sorted for school next academic and finding some place to live. Now that is all done! 
I just have a couple of questions if you would be so kind to answer for me. 
Do they sell bleach here? My kids have decided that rolling in red dirt is cool and now their white clothes have a lovely brownish tint to them!!!! If so where can I buy it?
What Island would you recommend to take little people? They do enjoy swimming and playing in sand.
Is there a nice sandy clean beach in Athens that isn't too far away from Kifissia to go to on the weekend? We went to Sxoinias beach a couple of weekends ago. It was a lovely drive but the beach was a little dirty. Or is that the best on offer???

Thanks for your help in advance

Sarah


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