homes near Dallas International School (Plano, Irving: house, transfer, neighborhood)

[klj66]

We might be moving to the DFW area in the near future. Our daughter will be going to Dallas International School in North Dallas( I believe the School is on Churchill Way). Could anyone recommend some areas near the school that have homes under $400,000 and a commute of less than a half hour to the school. My husband will be retired and I will be traveling all over the DFW area so a location near my daughters school is the most important factor. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[momof2dfw]

Try the Lake Highlands area. Very close to the school and easy to get just about anywhere in the Dallas area from there. It is on the inside loop of 635/LBJ.

[FarNorthDallas]

That school is just inside the LBJ loop and it's expensive to live in that North Dallas area, but you could probably find an older home in that price range. There are good areas all around there (and some very expensive areas). You also might look just on the other side of LBJ going north on Hillcrest. The Northwood Hills area is nice.

[robmab]

My daughter is attending Dallas International School, too.

There are some relatively affordable homes in the far north Dallas area (north of 635, but south of 190/Bush Turnpike), between Preston and Coit. Lake Highlands is a good suggestion as well.

[dallasmere]

My children also attend the Dallas International School. Northwood Hills, Bent Tree, and Prestonwood in far north Dallas are an easy drive to the school. Lake Highlands is another popular area with DIS families. Valley Ranch or Las Colinas in Irving is around 20 minutes from the school, but also very close to DFW airport (might be good if you will be flying a lot).

[un_sidiq]

Even Plano are close to Richardson border wont' be a long commute, closer to preston road.
Though i would try out the school first before buying the house closer to it, they seem to have real problems with discipline of young kids specially in after school. I saw after school care people only concentrating on kids not fighting and not paying attention to their behaviour and what words they are using.
I am not sure how the education level is in the upper grades though it seems to me that it's more about taking pride in the fact that all the kids speak french !

[pmeilicke]

Are parents happy with Dallas International School? Is it diverse (socio economic, ethnic, religious, etc?)

[nsumner]

The schools is very diverse and I was very happy with it when my kids attended it. Everyone else that I know that has kids there is happy. They try to include the parents in all the major decision and are very open to criticism.

I know that they have experienced a lot of growth and that they are contemplating opening another school in the Plano/Frisco area.

There are no religious activities. They can easily give you a tour, just call and make an appointment. Their tuition is in line with other private schools in Dallas.

[Victoire2002]

Originally Posted by un_sidiq

Even Plano are close to Richardson border wont' be a long commute, closer to preston road.
Though i would try out the school first before buying the house closer to it, they seem to have real problems with discipline of young kids specially in after school. I saw after school care people only concentrating on kids not fighting and not paying attention to their behaviour and what words they are using.
I am not sure how the education level is in the upper grades though it seems to me that it's more about taking pride in the fact that all the kids speak french !

ITA, Un_Sidiq. We removed our son from this school after witnessing many problems with the teachers in the preschool. I liked a lot of things about the school, especially the focus on proper nutrition (no sweet snacks, etc) and a lot of the French teaching methodologies. However, on the preschool level, we were not happy with the discipline techniques utilized by the French teachers (a lot of yelling), and we felt they focused too much on attempting to squelch boys' natural behavioral inclinations. All the boys in our class were singled out as "problems", except the quietest of them, thus leading me to believe that they are expecting too much of 4 year olds.

I came into the after school room one day to find the teacher on the telephone, while the boys were putting a plastic bag over another child's head. Needless to say, my child did not participate in after-school care after that episode. We found the administration on the preschool level difficult to deal with as a whole, and have heard that they drive a lot of good teachers/caregivers away with their policies.

Other than that, it's a great school if your child can fit the "mold" they want in a student. We have found a good solution elsewhere, but I do miss the French curriculum.

All of this to say, please reflect on choosing your neighborhood for the school. You never know if you will end up there long-term, as many students seem to transfer out at a certain point. I hope this helps, and keep in mind this is our experience only... there are others with good experiences there!
Victoire

[Northpark]

I have three children that attend Dallas International school and I am very happy with everything that the school stands for.

My children are doing very well and they have made many good friends from various parts of the world (which I am very proud of).

All of the teachers that my children have had have been wonderful and they learned a lot from them. I really appreciate teachers that have offered constructive criticism towards my children because in turn, my children have been able to improve in areas that they needed improvement in.

All three of my children remain in after school care until 6:00pm and I have never had any problems with any of the staff that takes care of the children. These people take care of my children from 7:30am until 6:00pm every week day and I appreciate value and appreciate them to say the least. They show nothing but respect and love towards my kids and I am so very thankful for that.

I do believe that there are "difficult" children in classes that are very rude and disrespectful. I have seen it with my own eyes when I have gone in after school to pick up my children. However, in multiple cases, I find that this behavior is not condemned by parents and if that is really the case, will the children really respect those within the school environment?

Case in point:

I came to pick up my child from after school one day while the children were playing outside. The staff member looking after the children after school was instructing all of the children to line up to go back to the designated after school classroom. One of the children refused and continued to play on the playground. When she asked him to please come inside her threw a ball at her and continued about his business. Walking behind me was his mother (who actually had the nerve to laugh about the situation). The staff member explained to the mother what had happened and the mother got mad at the staff member as opposed to getting mad at her own child.

Seeing this with my own eyes really upset me. I come from a background where all elders, (regardless of who they are) should be respected. I went upstairs to administration and complained about this young boy and his mother as well because she was extremely rude to the staff member and made it seem like it was her fault that the child was not listening to her.

I believe that true discipline comes from within the home environment. If your children are taught that certain behaviors are not tolerated at home or at school, then it will be less likely that your children will get into trouble.