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3

June14

PRE-SCHOOLS

Avondale Grammar School

Joanne and Mark Vanderfield, British and Australian

Freddie (4) and Henry (3)

Both of our boys are very happy at Avondale. Freddie

started in the Reception class last year and is now in the

Transition class. Henry joined the Reception class this year.

We enrolled Freddie while I was heavily pregnant with

Henry. I remember taking a tour of the school, and one of the

students holding the door open for me without being asked.

He looked at my pregnant belly and politely said: ‘Ooohh,

congratulations!’ That made a very good first impression.

Our boys both have fantastic teachers who are always

cheerful and positive and give excellent and insightful

feedback at the parent-teacher meetings. In fact, all the

teaching staff at Avondale have made us feel welcome. Many

of them knew Henry before he even started at the school. I

think this is indicative of the community feel at the school.

The Parents’ Association is very involved in the school and

there are many opportunities for parents to play an active role.

Though both of our boys are learning a lot at Avondale,

they don’t feel under overdue pressure, because the learning

happens in such a fun and engaging way. For example,

even at home, my

boys often sing songs

in Mandarin or their

Jolly Phonics songs.

More importantly,

though, Mark and

I liked the fact that

Avondale was a small

school with small

classes. In addition,

we wanted the boys

to be in a school that

taught the Australian

curriculum, because

we feel this will make

the transition back to

Australia a little easier

for them.

318 Tanglin Road, Phoenix Park

6258 8544 | avondale.edu.sg

7 Ming Teck Park

6733 9768 | betweentwotrees.sg

Between Two Trees Preschool

Pitikarn and Peter Swim, Thai and American

Charlotte (6), Olivia (5) and Alex (1)

Charlotte and Olivia

have been attending

Between Two Trees

Preschool for seven

mo n t h s . We we re

looking for a school that

could provide a solid

learning environment

and prepare the kids

for either local or

international schools,

and we have not been

let down.

T h e c u r r i c u l um

provides a structured

setting while also

allowing the children

the space to explore

their curiosity through

group projects and

interaction. Balance is

a key theme, and they

always begin their day

with creative outdoor

play. In general, the

school provides an

environment where the

girls have been able

to grow artistically,

intellectually and socially, while having an immense amount of

fun at the same time!

We learned of Between Two Trees via word of mouth and chose

it based on our interview with the administrators and after viewing

the school while it was in session. The staff seemed to have an

enthusiastic and caring attitude towards each and every child

and provided a clear level of detail regarding their approach,

methods and expectations.

Our children love their school, teachers and new friends. They

have particularly loved the ‘school shoe project’ and have learned

in-depth the end-to-end process of making shoes and managing

a ‘store’. Their favourite place to play is the block area, where they

can spend up to an hour with friends discussing how to build

perfect structures. They also spend a lot of time in the playground,

burning off some extra energy before coming home at night.