'We chose to send our two daughters Matilda Herold (9 years) and Sophia Herold (6 years) to DSM because Marco is German and we were keen that the kids grew up bilingual and could communicate with their family in Germany. We actually speak very little German at home because I am English and I can’t speak German well unfortunately. Therefore we felt it was really important that the girls were immersed in the language at school. We have been so impressed by the way the teachers at DSM have taught our children. I was fairly nervous at first that their education would suffer because the school has a strict German immersion policy and my girls could not speak German when they first started at the school. However, it was actually amazing the way the teachers manage this...' Read more
Like many others we found out about the German School at one of their Christmas Markets. With one parent coming from Germany, it was and easy choice for us to send our kids to DSM. The chance for them to be immersed in German everyday was such a good opportunity. When our eldest was around three we went to one of their “Open Days” and instantly had a good feeling about the school. We liked the “homey feeling” and the obvious advantage of learning English and German. Now both of our children are attending DSM (Prep and Year 2) and we are very happy with the school. The school has the right size for us and our kids don’t have the impression they are getting lost. Everyone knows each other, the kids and the teachers. Read more
Why did you choose DSM?
Having one parent with a German background, the choice for DSM was an obvious one, as it is of great interest to us that our children learn the German language, get exposed to the culture and preserve their heritage. Being fluent in German both verbally and in writing is also going to provide the children with an opportunity to study and live in Germany should they so choose to, offering options for their later life. Read more.
'After the decision was made to start a new chapter in our life living in Melbourne for the next 3 years our first priority was to find the right school for our kids. At that time Martha was 5 years old, just finished her time in Kindergarten while Milla was 9 years old and at the end of Grade 3 in primary school in Munich. As we have planned to get back to Germany our focus was to look for a German related school to guarantee smooth transitions. After some research we have finally found the DSM in Melbourne. Reiner had the chance to visit the school during a business trip some months before and his immediate feedback was: “The girls will love the school!”...' Read more
'When we came from Germany to Australia at the end of 2020 Antonia had hardly any English knowledge. To guarantee her a smooth transition into the new environment and to make it easy for her to find friends quickly we decided to send her to DSM. From day one Antonia felt at home. The way she was treated by her school mates as well as teachers was absolutely positive – open minded, friendly and courteous. The classes are small, work is done with a high level of team spirit and solidarity. That also applies to the community of the parents. Right from the beginning we felt welcome. So many offers to get help in our new life – it was just overwhelming. Antonia had no issues at all to enter the bilingual program. She found friends quickly and the English support lessons helped her to get access to the new language quickly. After only 4 months she is now able to follow the English lessons and to participate in English conversations. The community of DSM is something we will all miss – DSM is not just a school, if you let it happen it becomes a part of your life.'
'A few months before moving to Melbourne from Cairo – Egypt, we were super excited to have found the school we ever wanted our kids to attend! Neither my wife nor I had any German language background, however, our older daughter, Haya, was already attending a German school in Cairo. Haya did not speak English at that time, so we were lucky to find the DSM which minimised the negative impact of this migration process on the whole family. We believe the DSM has played a critical role in facilitating the much-needed cultural diffusion. The most amazing thing about the DSM community is how welcoming both the faculty and students are to any new students. The level of support we received from the school and its community was fabulous and unmatched. By the second week of school, Haya felt completely at home at the DSM. The curriculum at the DSM encourages independent and team learning experiences, allowing the children to develop skills that will prepare them for further education and crystallise their personalities to suit the new world work environment...' Read more
'We chose DSM for both of our children's education because their bi-lingual program is a reflection of our home life. My husband speaks his native tongue, German to the children and I speak my native tongue, English to the children. However my husband and I both understand, speak and write the other language as well. The same concept as the school has with their one person, one language concept but all staff are bilingual."
"The impact DSM has on our family, is that it helps us foster the children's heritage and culture. It broadens our horizon of the global world where languages and learning different cultures can build bridges with people in the community. This gives us more opportunity to gain and expand knowledge in different fields. It gives us the confidence to bond with people who normally wouldn't be in our circle of friends. The children learn how to expand there mind by analysing, comparing similarities and differences that can be transferred to other areas of life. This also influenced the decision to send both children at the age of 7 and 9 years old, unaccompanied to Germany...' Read more
'When my daughter was in kindergarten, I read a feature article about Deutsche Schule Melbourne in The Age. We live in North Fitzroy, so I included it in the mix of local offerings we were considering. I had the feeling she’d really take to the language immersion challenge. But we don't speak German or have any German heritage. So I also had a few concerns. Like, how would I help her with her homework? Would she be excluded by other students if she couldn't join in games or conversations? Would we be excluded from the community as a family?
My husband and I attended an Open Day and were particularly struck by the teaching staff. They were obviously qualified and experienced but it was also palpable just how much they loved working at the School and believed in what it had to offer. So we decided to take the plunge, confident at least that she'd be supported by a young, energetic and caring team. Here's what we found...' Read more
'With Chinese, English, and German at home, we were already interested in how to best teach Lisa all before she was even born, talking to multilingual friends which have been through this. When it came to school, we discovered the concept of bilingual schools rather by accident. We attended the open days and found it to be a good concept to further enhance Lisa’s language skills, because it’s hard to do this consistently at home if the other partner doesn’t understand a word. Of course, the prospect of maybe studying in Germany was in the back of Dad’s mind a bit. With the enrolment process being straight forward, Lisa started the Foundation year in January 2021. The entire school community is very close and friendly. Lisa made a lot of new friends - and kids and parents meet socially outside of school quite often. One of the most noticeable improvements, after only 2 terms, is that Lisa started to reply more in German to the grandparents. Looking forward to crafting one more Zuckertüte in 2025 for brother Liam.'
'Coming from a multinational background, we always knew that our children would grow up multilingual, simultaneously learning to speak German, Polish and English. It was with real sense of anticipation that we enrolled Matilda in the Foundation Year in 2013, followed by her sister in 2016. Our primary goal was to reinforce our children’s spoken German, learnt at home, by assisting them in becoming fluent in reading and writing German. Giving the girls the tools to later live and study in Germany was also an important consideration when choosing the school. DSM enables our girls to live multicultural and multilingual lives, effortlessly moving between languages and cultures, learning to understand and appreciate their special connection to both Germany and Australia...' Read more
'As our daughter Marley attends her fourth year at DSM we couldn’t be happier with how well she has adjusted to life at a bilingual school. It is always a tough decision when deciding on which school to send your children to. However, in Melbourne that decision seems even more difficult due to the many quality schools available. During our search for the right fit for our children, we spoke to many parents about own experiences and that led us to Deutsche Schule Melbourne. We felt that bilingualism would give our children a great gift for life: the opportunity to communicate with family and friends in Europe as well as benefits to their emotional development. We truly believe the generations of tomorrow will have to face entirely new challenges and complexities in both work and life...' Read more
'We discovered Deutsche Schule Melbourne whilst enjoying an Oktoberfest fundraiser back in 2009, before even contemplating children. With a strong German background in our family, we were excited to see there was a school that we could consider for our children that would provide them the gift of the German language as well as exposure to the cultural aspects a bilingual school can bring. We attended an Open Day, saw the benefits of a bilingual education and enrolled our son. He joined the school in 2018 as a Foundation Year student. Our daughter will soon be attending as well. The diversity that the school brings in terms of Australians with German heritage, native Germans working in Australia along with Australians with no connection to Germany was an attractive proposition for our family and one that attracted us to the school. Zac has connected strongly with the school and enjoys the bilingual education he is receiving, in particular being able to converse with his ‘Opa’...' Read more
In the interview below we ask Kat G. about her experience with Deutsche Schule Melbourne - as a family without any prior German knowledge or background:
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