Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Schools, schools, schools?

What school, where to live, and how to get around? Those are the questions we have been asking ourselves.

We visited the Singapore American School Monday. The students are currently on summer break, so there was a lot of work being done. The school was impressive! Lots of students and amazing opportunities for learning. E would be in their K1 class this fall. They don't have any openings yet, but she would probably be able to get in next year sometime. Americans get priority, so that's good. The kindergardeners will have iPads to work on next year; how cool is that? I think E would love it here and would fit right in. Only drawback is that it is in the north end of town. About a 45 minute commute if you live in the central city area. We are interested in the East area, which would make the commute even longer. They have a bus service here (yellow bus) that comes and picks up the kids, but a 45 minute bus ride for a 5 year old seems long.

We also visited a boutique preschool called The Thinking Box. Neat place. We liked their way of teaching and the people there. They teach both Mandarin and Japanese as well as art etc. This preschool is located in a shopping area. Strange as the kids have to walk down the hall to do some of their activities and the biggest drawback is they have no outside space and not a single window in the place. Not sure what to think about that.

We visited the British school Tuesday. Tanglin Trust school. Their wait list is even longer. They can't get E in till August 2013. The school was nice, but a bit stuffy and stiff. Must be the British influence. Our tour guide didn't like my American questions and seemed a bit put off. She almost seemed to push us toward looking else where. Not a good vibe if you ask me. You would think they would be interested in informing us of how great their school is. Not to mention their student to teacher ratio is the the highest we have seen.

That takes us to Wednesday. The hubby wasn't feeling well,so I did the touring. I visited the Eton House International and the Holy Family Catholic Preschool. Both are in the East side of town, the area we think we will like. The moment the taxi drove to that part of town it felt good! Eton House was great! It is an international school but is much smaller than SAS and TTS. E would be in their K1 class this fall. The school year starts in August and follows the US calendar pretty similarly. They are an IB school and follow the British curriculum. The vibe there was great and everyone seemed so nice. The kids seemed happy (it was their last day of school) and they had a good bit of outdoor space. The school goes to year 6 which is US 5th grade. This gives us a little more time and would allow E to be in an International school for a few years before going to SAS. (if we are here that long) they teach 3 languages: mandarin, japanese, and Hindi. Just felt good there. Although, their uniforms are red and green plaid. Can't say that would be my favorite, but then again, you can't have it all.

Holy Family was cute and seemed like a good school. Much cheaper than the rest. They also teach Mandarin and pretty much the same subjects as the other other schools. Much smaller and of course there is the Catholic component, although the preschool isn't as integrated with the church as I would have thought. One major drawback is that they follow the local Singapore school calendar. This means the school year starts in January and E would end up being a grade ahead. Doesn't seem to fit well if we decide to send her to SAS in the future.

Lots to think about!

What's great is that E will have amazing opportunities, will learn a new language, and will have international friends - all in Preschool!

“Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.”
John F. Kennedy, Former President of United States

Now, we just need to make the choice and then find a place to live. And on to the next posting ....

No comments: