German School of the East Bay

Archived Q&A and Reviews

April 2013

RE: German lessons for 17 y/o daughter

Hi - Two differenet suggestions...

Bay Area Kinder Stube + or Baks + has weekly german lessons by level --- They meet in Berkeley http://www.kinderstube.org/plus/plushome.html

German School of the East Bay has a Saturday School program They meet at the Altenheim in Oakland http://www.gseb-school.org/ There's also a German Language full day school that they were establishing...not sure of the details but the contacts at Baks+ could help you out. It's affiliated with the German School in Menlo Park.

Both are excellent programs, normally have students who come from at least one parent speaking german at home. Good luck. My Kids Speak German TOO

Dec 2010

RE: German Language Classes for Kids

I do not know of BAKS+ However, my daughter has been attending an Oakland public school and on Saturdays she attends the German School of the East Bay. She has attended for the past six years and started when she was in kindergarten. Why?

1. It's affordable. About $600 per school year for 30 weeks of instruction 2.5 hours per week.

2. It's flexible. Morning and afternoon classes. Native German speakers follow a course of classes, non-native German speakers follow a different course of classes and they meet up in middle school.

3. It's a community. You have access to over 100 families who value German culture (focusing on Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Lichtenstein).

4. Students are nice and kind. When my daughter had a problem with ''mean girls'' in her elementary school, she came to German School on Saturday and was surrounded by students she had spent years with. They were kind, playful and genuinely nice to be around.

5. The teachers are top notch. The school hires exceptional teachers. While some teachers have one style or another, the teachers know both German and English and how to teach the German language using age-appropriate textbooks, workbooks, materials, songs, plays, and manipulatives.

6. There are cultural events like those in Germany. Okay, I am told they are not exactly the same, but the St. Martin's Parade through Piedmont, Adventsfeir with a Christmas Market, Karnival, Herbst Fest, etc.

7. You are welcome. Always, we welcome new families to our community.

8. We are in the Glenview Neighborhood in Oakland. Easily accessible by freeway 580 tucked into a relatively quiet neighborhood. Our website is www.gseb-school.org

Please come and check out the school. I think you will like what you see. Happy German School Family

I would like to second the recommendation for German School of the East Bay. The former poster said everything I would have said but better.

This is my kids' second year at the school in the non- native track. It has been really wonderful for them. It gives them a really sweet, caring community of friends. There are lots of additional activities like the St. Martin's Parade, German book sales, a library at the school, a 3-week summer camp. My oldest attended the camp last year and really liked it. The teachers and assistants are great. Anon

There is a school that teaches German on Saturdays in Berkeley called German School of the East Bay. Their number is (510) 525-4305. It offers beginning through intermediate classes for children of all ages as well as adults. I took a couple of classes there myself. It seems like a very fun atmosphere for kids. A lot of the parents are from Germany so the cultural opportunities are also quite good. The teachers are not professionally trained typically (as you would find at an accredited organization like the Goethe Institut in SF) so quality does vary a bit but for a beginning student, I think it's really fine. Alles gute und Frohes neues Jahr!

Correction: The School is located in Oakland not Berkeley. Their website address (For German School of the EastBay) is http://www.gseb-school.org/ East Bay German Student