MINI-GUIDE: 29 PRESCHOOLS AND KINDERGARTENS

17 30

17 June15
PRESCHOOLS
Raintrees International
Kindergarten
Melissa and Stuart Foskett, Australian
Isabelle (7), Cooper (6), Joel (4) and
Camilla (3)
Both Joel and Camilla have been attending Raintrees since
August last year. I’ve always stayed in and around the Kheam
Hock area during my nine years in Singapore, so I knew of
the school. We were looking for a place with a warm and
nurturing environment, small classes and a good support
system. As Raintrees offers an international-school-style
teaching programme and doesn’t have an overwhelming
number of students, we knew that it was the perfect fit for
our two younger children.
The first thing I noticed was how Raintrees saw each
child as an individual: the teachers are aware of your child’s
personality. They provide a myriad learning experiences: our
children play with structured toys, sand and construction sets;
they also get to paint, draw, bake and cook.
If you’re looking for the old-fashioned ‘three Rs’, the
teachers at Raintrees read daily with the children, and
the school follows the Jolly Phonic curriculum in teaching
reading. This has been fabulous for Joel – his reading
skills are more advanced than those of his older siblings
at the same stage; Raintrees and Ms Gail have given him a
wonderful introduction to books.
By emphasising the importance of learning through play
and inquiry, the school has been a wonderful learning place
for our children. Every morning, they race each other to see
what’s on the activity tables. To be honest, even I am excited
to see what they’ll be doing for the day!
60 Kheam Hock Road
6474 6181 |
Pegasus International
Preschool
Rebecca and Brian Hallett, Australian
Twins Jack and Annalisa (5)
We moved to Singapore in June 2011. Jack and Annalisa are
in the same class at Pegasus, where they’ve been enrolled
since September last year.
We heard of the school from Expat Living and from some
of our friends who are parents too. I did quite a bit of research
online and came across EL’s Preschools and Kindergartens
2014 Guide, and Pegasus was one of the featured preschools.
After touring the school, I found it to be friendly and secure,
with a multi-cultural learning environment. I love the school’s
creative way of teaching, which focuses on inquiry-based
learning. I feel that Jack and Annalisa have also benefitted
from the well- structured daily timetable, which features a great
range of activities both within and outside the classroom.
The communication between the teachers and parents is as
fantastic as the variety of learning and creative activities offered.
There is a great online portal where learning stories and photo
galleries are uploaded by the school so the parents get to see
what their kids have been doing during the day. I especially
like the pictures, as they show us how much fun the kids have
during their outdoor activities at the school and on excursions.
The twins love going to school each day and have made
many friends of various nationalities. Pegasus also offers
Mandarin lessons, which is important to me; I want to immerse
the family in the culture of Singapore, where over 70 percent
of the population is Chinese.
26 Evans Road
6735 2494 |