We love celebrating German traditions...

My daughter is 10 and my son is 7.  We lived in Vienna for two years where my daughter went to a bilingual German English school and my son was in pre-school.  When we returned to the US we wanted them to continue and not lose their skills.  We also love celebrating German traditions like Fasching and St. Nicholas.

Mifa J., Mother of a 10 and 7 year-old, Morganville

Friendly & Welcoming

My children have taken German classes here since we've moved to the area (we transferred here from another German school). We're homeschoolers, so having help teaching a language has been a huge help. Having class on Thursday afternoons works very well in our life, as we are also big into soccer. The classes, teachers, staff, and other parents here are friendly & welcoming.

Diane B, Mother of 11 and 9 -year-old boys, East Brunswick

Great way to introduce my child to the German language

My mother is from Switzerland, however I myself never became fluent in Swiss-German or German. Since I still have a lot of family in Switzerland, it has always been on my bucket list to learn German better. I was so excited to find out about the NJ German School and start the Musikgarten class with my then 9-month-old son because I knew it would be a great way to introduce my child to the German language while working on my goals, too. It has been such a positive experience for us. My oldest has since moved on to the preschool class and now hosts pretend German class at home daily. I credit his teachers and the cultural celebrations he has been exposed to at the school for sparking such enthusiasm in this young, non-native speaker. 

Gabrielle U., Mother of 2

Multi-Lingual Experience & Building Community

When I heard about the opening of a German School in Princeton, I was skeptical. Are there so many Germans here? Will my first grader find access to this community? Is it worth to spend Saturday morning learning German instead of playing hockey? 

My family is international. My husband is German, I am Russian, we are living in the US. My little son speaks three languages, Russian with me, German is our home language and English everywhere. We have family in Germany and Russia and visit them 1-2 times a year. So, we practically need to know how to speak, to write and to read these languages.

For this reason, we came to the German Language School in Princeton. What did we find here? Many people like us with German or Swiss background that value education and traditions from their home countries. We received a warm welcome, and my son found immediately access to the kids in the class. The classes are small (max. 10 people) and it makes many things just easier. The teachers are very friendly and enthusiastic. Everybody feels like home. Despite of being accredited by the German government, they have flexible rules (scholarship for disadvantaged students or free trials and many other exceptions that help find access to this community for everybody). My son wasn't challenged enough in his class, and the principal put him into another class in the middle of the semester even though the kids in the new class were older. And it worked perfectly.

The school has the same program and books like in Germany. They speak only German in class. All games and exercises are in German. My son’s class is 2,5 hours long with a little break. To make it not too static, teachers create meaningful dynamics (kids go to the board, make lines or circles and play games related to the class topic). They do projects indoors and outdoors. At elementary level, I saw elements from the Montessori education. Later I learned that teachers in this school are involved in further education programs at the Goethe Institut in NYC. The safety is another plus at this school. Kids are always under supervision. There is always an adult person in the floor for emergency or bathroom situations.

A couple of words about traditions. They celebrate all the important German holidays like Carnival, Steuben Parade, St. Nikolaus and many other traditions. Closeness to the Princeton University allows to have scavenger or egg hunts directly on the campus or at the Princeton Art Museum. 

For this short period of time (1,5 years of Saturday classes) my son’s German has improved enormously, particularly in reading and writing. His interest in German books and movies has increased. But in addition, I found some new friends that I meet outside the school setting. It is a hands-on school, where parents are involved and it does bring people together. With about 60 students, the school is fairly small. However, its growing rapidly and this makes us feel very comfortable - we are not alone!

Liliane J., mother of 2

Helped them better understand English grammar

Going to the German School has not only introduced a language but also the culture of three countries – Germany, Switzerland and Austria – when we celebrate Fasching and St. Nicholas. 

In fact, it’s helped them better understand English grammar, as well as introduced them to the world beyond the Jersey Shore and broadened the opportunity to study abroad in the future.  And, they’ve been able to speak with their Swiss cousins when we visited them in the summer.

Judy M., Parent of 2