Parent Testimonials
Greta Neely writes to the teachers: "I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude towards all of you for teaching my daughter Olivia this year. "From the bottom of my heart I am touched with how each of you has helped me to facilitate her attendance at your school. Although it had been rough going at first, I have seen my daughter blossom under your tutelage. She not only brings home an appreciation of the German language but most importantly she has embraced a piece of each and every of you.
"Your love, dedication, patience and encouragement have created a patchwork that has been woven into a beautiful quilt within her heart and soul. Teachers who are able to impart this genuine love towards children are in my eyes strengthening the humanity of our global civilization, one that transcends culture and family diversity.
"Thank-you for all the selfless, patient continuity that you have given to my daughter Olivia and to all the children in your program. These qualities are not easily cultivated in most adults; you are all to be commended for your commitment to our children. I have explored many schools in America, and the excellence and dedication I have witnessed at your school are unparalleled."
We first chose the German American School due to the German language immersion. My husband's family is
Pennsylvania-German and also lived in Austria during his childhood. He was interested in having our daughters
learn the language and culture. I appreciated the developmental approach of the preschool--not a common
approach in this age of "Early Academics".
We are now in our 7th year at the school. We have a 4th grader, a 2nd grader, and a preschooler. All of our
children speak German as a "native" language. The older two are equally at home in either language in speaking,
reading, and writing. We are highly impressed with the academics, specifically math. We appreciate the
integration of the arts in that the children take art, music, woodworking, and textile crafts. The small classes,
family-like atmosphere, and caring faculty have also been key factors in our decision to keep our children at the
German American School.
Angela Brenneman
I'm the mom of the Chinese twin boys in the preschool. My ex-neighbor, the Bonk family, recommended GAIS to me when the twins were about 2 and half years old. The Bonk's three children are evidence that the approach used at GAIS is exceptional since they were the happiest children in the neighborhood, could play with other children without fighting and accepted other cultures and races without any resistance. GAIS is the only one school where I registered my children without having first toured it.
Learning another language was not among my criteria in selecting a pre-school. I want the twins to be happy, confident and be open-minded toward different people and cultures. After eight months in Kiga (pre-school), I'm pretty sure that I made the correct decision for the twins. Although I was disappointed that the twins did not get into the Bing Nursery at Stanford University at the beginning, I am now convinced that GAIS is a better choice.
Thank you,
I-Ling Hsiue
