Frequently Asked Questions

9/30/2021: Registration for the school year 2021-2022 is now closed.

1. For any technical errors during registration, please call : 609-598-4038.

2. Online Only schools are intended for those who do not have access to local (physical schools). HindiUSA offers Hindi classes in the Saint Louis metro region hence Saint Louis area-based parents cannot register for the ONLINE schools.

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1. Basic FAQ
2. Class Allocation Criteria, Class Size, and Grading
3. Student Attendance, Homework, and Attendance
4. Student’s Default Allocation and Adjustments, Parent Responsibilities
5. Books, Cancellation, and Refund Policy

Basic FAQ – Registrations, Age criteria, Fee and Location and teachers

1. How can I register my child  and who teaches at HindiUSA? 

• Student registration is a self-service process that typically occurs around April 1st week until July 31st of each year.
• Parents can visit www.HindiUSA.Org to learn more about how they can register.
• Starting 2021-2022, all registrations are done via www.HindiUSASchool.Org/registration. Select “Saint Louis, MO” school to register in our school.

2.  What’s the minimum age to register a student ? When & where are the classes held?

• Minimum Age: Children must be 5+ ( Kindergartner & above)
• When & Where*: The classes are held every Friday from 6 PM to 7:30 PM at the Hindu Community Center at 715 Weidman Rd, Ballwin.

( * Note: Due to COVID-19, 2021-2022 classes will be held online until further notice)

3.  What happens if the Schools remain Closed due to Covid 19?

We follow the Parkway school district calendar. We will be conducting online classes until the COVID situation is in control. 

4. What resources do you use to teach? 

 Hindi USA of St. Louis is an official school of HindiUSA, NJ http://www.HindiUSA.org. We have a well established course that parallels a school year. We have 9 levels of Hindi classes and each level has 3-4 books that includes main book, homework book, Hindi Maths book and activity books. We also use  physical and digital flashcards for teaching Hindi. Our new school portal allows students to learn basic vocabulary via online flashcards!

5. What are the school fees? Do you provide books?

The fee for the upcoming year is $260 ($210 if registered before July 15) which includes textbooks. Sibling fee is $235 ($185 before July 15, 2020).

Class Allocation Criteria, Class Size and Grading

6. What if my child is a 5th grader and he does not know Hindi? What level would he start at? 

Kindergarten-S1 level, 1st & 2nd Grade-S2 and 3rd Grade or 8+ will be assigned* to B1 level. However, during initial two weeks of the classes, parents are expected to notify teachers and initiate student assessment process for the best placement. Based on the kid’s age and Hindi knowledge, class teachers will assess and discuss with parents and school coordinator. Keeping the student’s best interest in mind, we may reassign them to a different level (as needed). HindiUSA reserves the right to recommend and allocate a student at a certain level that is in the student’s best interest.

7. How many students are in a class? How many teachers are assigned to a class?

We try to keep 15 students in a class. But depending on the registration and any changes in class assignments, there may be up to 18 kids in a class. We generally have 2 teachers (main & assistant) for a class. However, depending on the student count, we also have 3 teachers in a class. 

8. Do all the students come from Hindi speaking families?

No. We have students from all different backgrounds including non-Hindi speakers. 

9. What is the grading system?

There will be a mid-term exam as well as a final exam. In order to pass an exam, students need to score at least 70% in both written and oral exams. In addition, there will be marks allocated for Homework, Class attendance, and participation in Kavya Paath/ Social events etc.

10. Can students opt out of taking tests?

No. Taking tests encourages students to practice and learn the language . 

11. Will it be stressful? 

No. We use a variety of educational games using Hindi Flash cards, toys, activities, Hindi Poems, Hindi scrabbles to make the class fun and interactive.

12. What happens if you miss a class? 

If a student misses a class then the student is expected to finish all prior homework before attending next class. 

Student Attendance, Homework and Cultural Activities 

13. What is the required attendance policy?

Student’s attendance, homework and on-time presence will be tracked throughout the school year. We expect 90% attendance so that students have best learning experience. A minimum of 70% is required. 

14. How can my students practice outside of the classroom? 

If students complete their homework regularly we have seen a significant improvement in their Hindi. We also recommend watching Hindi videos and practice Hindi speaking at home. Students can practice learning Hindi vocab via our new online self-learning portal. Each student will be given online access for self learning/flashcards ( depending on the levels and availability of the flashcards/syllabus etc.).  

15. Is the emphasis on speaking or writing Hindi?

We focus on speaking, reading, writing and understanding the language.  Our 5 year old S1 class focuses on speaking Hindi. We gradually introduce writing in the upper level classes.

16. How much homework is assigned each week?

It depends on the class teacher. However, most teachers generally assign at 15-30 mins of Homework each week depending upon their class level. We expect kids to complete the homework in 2-3 days per week to learn effectively. 

17. Do students fail and how often? 

It is rare for students to fail. However if they have not been attending regularly they might have to repeat the class so that they do not struggle in the next class.

18. Does HindiUSA do any cultural activities or events?

We  organize  2 major events and multiple minor/ class level celebrations. Major events include Kavya Paath (Hindi Poetry/ Recital) and a theme based Cultural Festival (Dance /Skit etc.) where food is also served with a nominal fee per family. Minor events include making art & craft related to major festivals to educate kids on Indian culture and festivals. 

19.Will learning Hindi be considered for my school’s foreign language credit?

No. But we provide certificates with % scored in oral and written exams. 

20. Where can I find school syllabus and more information about the books used ?

Visit our global website at http://www.HindiUSA.Org and go to Syllabus and Books section.

Student’s default allocation & adjustments, and parent responsibility  

21. Is there any default student allocation process at HindiUSA? Can there be any change to the default allocation?

As mentioned above, HindiUSA has a defined age based default class allocation policy for all new students. After 1st year, students progress incrementally to next level.  We can make an adjustment to the default allocation, only during the 1st year of Hindi classes, if the child can pass our assessment test. Parents can refer to our syllabus and books and perform a self assessment before requesting HindiUSA.

22. When should I notify HindiUSA about my child’s Hindi knowledge? How does the student assessment and promotion process work?

As soon as a child is enrolled into HindiUSA classes, parents are expected to refer to our syllabus & books and assess their child’s knowledge level.  One of the criteria, parents may use for assessment should be basic Hindi vocabulary  and assess if a child already knows how to read, write, say all the Hindi vowels and consonants ( i.e. स्वर & व्यंजन). After self assessment,  parents can reach the school coordinator via email to [email protected]. HindiUSA will then, contact parents and perform an assessment test to move the child to appropriate level.

23. What if I can’t assess  or missed to notify school coordinator about my child’s assessment and promotion request? Till when can I notify?

No worries.  You will have up to 2 weeks of starting the classes, where in you can work with the assigned class teacher and make a request to teachers to assess the child. Teachers will also, be monitoring the students and based on the parent requests, assigned homework or class performance within initial 2 weeks, teacher’s may make a recommendation to school coordinator.

Books,  Class cancellation and Refund policy

24. When will the books be given to the child?

Books will be given to all students after a class assessment is complete and we don’t anticipate any more changes in all the student’s allocation.  This process, usually takes about 2 weeks of starting the school.

25. How do you notify parents about school cancellations e.g. snow day?

Parents would be notified via email and/or via what’s app group (if any) in advance. During snow days, we will try to conduct our classes online. 

26. What is the refund policy?

0HindiUSA classes are non profit and non refundable. Within 2 weeks of starting the class and only in case of unavoidable circumstances cases such as moving out of country due VISA issues etc., HindiUSA may consider partial refund. However, after 2 weeks of starting the class, there wont be any refund regardless of the situation.