Ivrit B'Ivrit and Other Language Barriers

This week I attended a session sponsored by Nefesh b'Nefesh and the Modiin Ministry of Absorption on an introduction to the Israeli school system. Although I've been here for going on 9 years now, I still feel like the ever-newby when it comes to Eden's schooling. I'm just plain never in the loop and often I don't get it. So I figured - someone is offering information for free? I'll take two!
It was not totally what I expected. I was surprised to find myself one of the only people there (that I recognized) who'd been in Israel for longer than 3 years. Also one of the only, if not the only person who actually didn't have a kid already in the school system (Eden's a little young). I'd say the average person there had made aliyah sometime in the past 2 years, with 2-4 kids in school. Some made aliyah 3 weeks ago, have 3 kids in school, none of whom speak Hebrew. Or English. They start school next week and have less of a clue that I do. Clearly their questions took precedence over mine.
The major topic of discussion turned out to be bilingualism. How do you live in a Hebrew speaking country and still keep your kids English at a decent level - enough to speak to their grandparents, if not eventually academic enough to study anywhere they'd like? On the other hand, how do you give your kid a strong basis in the language of your country (the country that you chose) when it is not your own? Their proficiency in that language will affect how well they get along with other kids, how well they do in school, how critically they can write in Hebrew, all contributing to their adult sense of self.
Of course put two Jews in a room and you have three opinions, and we were all Jews here. Put two Jewish education professionals in a room and you have...more questions leaving than you had going in. Can we leave it up to the schools to give our kids Hebrew?
To put it a different way - is there any part of my kids education that I want completely left to the school system? Much less something so important as their language comprehension and composition skills?
I could go on and on and on about everything I heard and the new questions I have. What made the biggest impression on me is the realization that, although I speak in English every day, at work, at home, with friends, Hebrew is the language that I chose. Whether I like it or not, Hebrew will be more important for my kids than English. If at some point, I need to compromise, it will have to be the Hebrew that takes precedence. Maybe, my kids will all be the literary and linguistic geniuses I dream of, and will be able to handle both languages with ease. But if not, I will have to push the English gently, while realizing that Hebrew is the language of their world.

The other shocker is about how kids get to school in this country. They take a public bus! I'll be expected to put my 5 year old on a public bus all by herself! Ok, hopefully with other kids her age going to the same school as her. (That's a shout-out to our friend around the corner...) Thinking about it, I no longer think that limited cell phone plans for little kids is such a bad idea after all. Keep it on a string around your neck together with your key, my little latch-key darling.