eNews

Newsletter Issue 1 - July 2010

Welcome to theNewsletter!
Message from Mrs Ng Gim Choo, Group MD

MContents
Message from the MD1

y mother passed away recently at
the age of 88. One of the best gifts
she gave me was to convince myfather to send me to university. Though she
was illiterate, she knew the best thing she
could give her children was a goodeducation. My father thought sending girls touniversity was a waste of time as they would
eventually marry out of the family, but mymother believed in equal opportunities for
women.

My mother even sent my brother (with his wife) tothe UK for his tertiary education. People told her
she could have bought herself a luxury house withthe money she spent on her children’s education,
but she never regretted it. She was always proudof our academic achievements and encouraged
us to aim high.

Like my mother, many EtonHouse parents believethat education is the best investment we canmake for our children. We would like to thank you
Singapore Roundup
for allowing us to share this dream with you.
Investing in early childhood education is
l
Vanda
4
especially important as it sets a strong foundation
for a child’s future journey of learning. In fact, thelOrchard5
younger the children the more difficult it is to teachl
Newton6them well. We rely on parents to support children
in our Inquire-Think-Learn approach to education.
l
Outram7
What makes a good school:
article by John Cooley2

My mother’s passing has also reminded me tol764 Mountbatten
8
treasure time spent with our loved ones. All too
China Roundup
soon, our children will grow up and prefer tospend their time away from home, socialising withlSuzhou9
their friends. As parents, we have to allow themtime to explore, space to think and become
l
Xi’an
10
independent learners, while laying thelEEC11foundations to stay their best friends for life.
India Roundup

12

Indonesia Roundup

14

Japan Roundup

17

My family and I would like to take this opportunity
to thank everyone in the EtonHouse community
for your steadfast support during my mother’s
wake.
Warm regards,
Ng Gim Choo

1

What Makes a Good School?
By John Cooley, Executive Principal, EtonHouse Singapore

T

A School with a Heart. While no school will get it right every timeand on every occasion, Broadrick constantly strives to be asetting in which children feel respected, cared for, listened to,and valued for who they are and what they offer, no matter how
mainstream or different that individual contribution may be.

he article that follows is reprinted from a Broadrick
Newsletter editorial that was written earlier this semester. It isa reflection on the nature of modern schooling in an everchanging and demanding world - and was prompted by theexperience of two days of Open House that had been held on the
Broadrick campus.
Open House Days offer a pre-school/primary school theopportunity to review its core values and how a prospective parent
may be answered if s/he asks: 'Why should I send my child to
Broadrick (or any EtonHouse Pre-School/PrimarySchool)?’

A School that is a Family/Community. Malcolm Gladwell's
analyses in one of his bestsellers Blink identify how important it isthat we trust our instincts when we enter any new setting. Our
instincts tell us whether we belong or are an outsider. Broadrick
offers a sense of belonging and connectedness to a 'family'
beyond that of our immediate kin. It is a school community inwhich children, teachers, staff and parents know each other, carefor each other and feel a genuine sense of belonging and trust.
Hopefully, it will also be a community in which the great majorityof our children will remember and cherish the influence that theirteachers have had upon their lives.

What is it that makes a pre- school /primary school so special that itshould be the campus of choice and financial commitment by afamily living on the east side of Singapore. While all pre/primaryschools will have their strengths and deficiencies, critics andadvocates, it seems to me that the core values of Broadrick (andgood schools) can be summarised as follows:

A School with a Curriculum for the Future. In an ever changing
world, in which the future for our children will be almost
unimaginable in even 20 year’s time, the contemporary
curriculum must be based on skills, concepts and attitudes thatcan be transferable, adaptable, sustainable, character-driven
and built upon the wisdom of the past. The Broadrick InquireThink-Learn and International Baccalaureate Inquiry Programme
represent the pinnacle of research-based curriculum, designed
to equip students with the qualities they need to be successful,compassionate, principled citizens and leaders of the future.

2What Makes a Good School?
By John Cooley, Executive Principal, EtonHouse Singapore

A School with an Excellent Language Programme. Broadrick
and EtonHouse offer what is acknowledged to be amongst thebest 2nd language programmes in Singapore. Talented, fluent
bilingual and multilingual graduates in the future will have career
opportunities far greater than those of monolingual speakers.
Broadrick's Mandarin, Mandarin Pre-SAP, Japanese, Hindi,
Japanese and Korean Supplementary classes, English as a
Second Language (and some Malay) presents as one of therichest, most diverse language programs offered by any school in
Singapore. Bilingual and multilingual students will develop
perspectives and cultural insights that will enrich them with aninternational-mindedness throughout their lives.

While subjective and certainly open to much further discussion,these five perspectives offer a persuasive opening discourse on
the reasons for the prospective and continuing enrolment ofchildren on the Broadrick (or any other EtonHouse PreSchool/School) campus.
John Cooley

A School that Values the Balanced Student. Future work models
will place great reliance upon flexible teamwork and individuals withthe capacity to find solutions using the widest possible range ofskills and sensibilities. Solution-finding will necessitate divergent
thinking built upon an appreciation of all human potential. This is
the reason for students to be engaged in a school program that is
as diverse and challenging as can be designed. Academic
success, sporting participation, cultural engagement, creative
endeavour, computing acumen, social responsibility, confident
language skills and a sense of caring for one's friends andclassmates all rate as qualities to be valued with equal respect. It is
this desire to foster the growth and development of truly balanced
school citizens, with self-knowledge and sensitivity to the full
diversity of their curriculum subjects, that lies at the heart of theschool's integrated curriculum.

3

Singapore Roundup- Vanda
Reflecting on our practices, we, as the educators at Vanda,
realized that intentionality in our questioning technique shouldbe the next step to understand our image of child stronger.
Hence, we learn to listen to our self-reflective views as we study
our teaching. Learning through professional development,
encouraging each other to give feedback on the process and byinviting parents to express their voices over the progress theirchildren are making, are some of learning experiences we highly
value to develop our listening skills. Our questions should be
respectful tools of understanding individuality and diversity. The
questions should be able to stand alone in articulating ourrespects to the individuality of our diverse child and family.

Intentionality through Questioning
This conversation was overheard between M and E, the teacher,during one shared drawing activity.
M (child): (His right finger pointing to his drawing) "Here is abutterfly … (his finger tracing an imaginary line to trace thedistance) it's flying to the flower."
E (adult): "Oh look! I see some ants are crawling up (drawing tiny
ant-shaped objects around the stem all the way up to the petal).
Where do you think they are going?”
M: "I think to the flower petal. But … what are they doing up there?
(Trying to look at the drawing closely with his eyes widened)
E: "I wonder what they are interested in doing up there! How do you
think we can find out?"
M: "How about looking at the books at the library upstairs?”

Clark, Kjorholt, and Moss (2005) define listening as an ethic ofopenness to and respect for the other. Listening becomes a valueof respect, a visible means of being present for others. Positive
relationships among learners are built up in a climate of mutual
respect as these relationships are usually focused on the work
itself and develop as both parties put their energies and thoughts
into the task at hand (Ebbeck, 2010, p15). In the words of Rinaldi,“the value of listening is a metaphor for having the openness andsensitivity to listen and be listened to – listening not just with yourears, but with all our senses (sight, touch, smell, taste,orientation)” (Rinaldi, 2001, p20).

Children's graphic representation of their understanding of theconcept of 'theatricality' after visiting the venue to make aconnection with a proposed question of "Who lives in theenvironment?”

We are learning to listen more closely to the many different
languages that children express to communicate their ideas,
thinking, and feelings. Being such a universal language ofbuilding understanding for the learners, it is very significant for
educators, who come with diverse backgrounds, to be sensitive
to the complexity of differences. We should be attempting tocreate opportunities whereby we can actively listen to individuals
and small groups of children. Baron and Norbert (2003) support
the crucial consideration of the size of the group - in smallergroups a higher proportion of people are likely to participate byhaving more time for each individual to voice out his or her
opinion. The children's role in the relationships is more akin toapprentices than targets of instruction (Katz, 1998).

The scaffolding process where looking at details becomes a natural
practice between the above two learners, executed with a highdegree of partnership. The focus of learning is about listening toeach other through intentional questioning. The questions act as
strategy tools to synchronise any differences in perspective. The
school takes the form of a democratic institution that is built with aconstruction of valuing learners' opinions with the underlying
principles of respect, purpose, and relationship building.

Emelia Prayogo

Through professional dialogue we took a step back to look deeply
into our mindsets to redefine our roles as educators. At the beginning 4of the year, we demonstrated our commitment to the process of
thinking about practice into a collective statement - our Declaration ofIntent. The declaration stands as our 'mirror' through which we see
our work.

4

Used by permission.
Children's graphic representations of their understanding of the concept of 'theatricality' after
visiting the venue to make a connection with a proposed question of “Who lives in theenvironment?”

Singapore Roundup- Orchard
because it's my favourite class and I am learning every day. The
Unicorns have got the same lamp in their class but I want to stay in
our class because I am Zebras and that's it." Nicholas

The Importance of Reflection in the
IB Primary Years Programme"I am happy on the first day because I listen to the Agreements andAlex is my friend. We make the Zebra sign and put on the wall. We
did a big, big painting. Everybody did it and we put it in the wall. I
know Christmas and we put the toys in the box for the people haveno toys, they happy. I like shadows and "What's the Time, Mr.
Wolf?" in the garden so we can make so much line. I laugh when
we throw the eggs down because it's funny. The children are all
my friends and I happy because I like Zebras." Phoebe

John Dewey once said: "We learn by doing, but only if we reflect onwhat we are doing."
This powerful statement emphasises the importance of reflection.
At EtonHouse Orchard in Singapore, educators and children reflect
on their learning all year long. At the end of the school year, allshareholders of the community are invited to share their ideas
about the teaching and learning at the school. These reflections are
published in the last newsletter of each class.

Some Parents' Reflections On The Year In Zebras Class"Lucius has thoroughly enjoyed his year of investigation andlearning. We've seen him grow over the past months from a
toddler to a young boy. His interest in the world around him has
been heightened by the marvelous challenges and provocations
set by the Zebras' teaching team. Many, many thanks to the
Zebras community for making it such a great year for our little
man!" Melanie and Tom"I think that I am not only proud of Jiya but Zebra's class as awhole. They have not only grown in terms of their thinking andmatured over this year but have blossomed as individuals. I haveseen them participating in selfless causes learning about theworld around them, charity, caring and giving. They have usedtheir creative and imaginative thinking to prove to us parents what
they can do. To be honest I as a parent have learnt a lot from them,the simple pleasures of life that we forget. The reflection of Zebras
cannot be complete without the support and dedication of their
loving teachers and I would like to thank Ben, Rajani and Lao Shi
for giving them the direction, love and education that will help
them become strong and better individuals!!!" Shweta

Over the last couple of weeks, we have given the children many
opportunities to reflect on their year together. We asked them tothink about all the experiences they have shared, the things theymight have learnt and the friends they have made. As you all know,
they are a talkative bunch, so, take a deep breath, here we go…

Teachers' Reflection
As teachers, we have tried to provide your children with a safe
and stimulating environment, where they feel valued and trusted
and where their natural curiosity can run wild. We have strived to
provoke and challenge them in different and interesting ways, toencourage them to think outside the box and take risks whenfacing these new experiences. We hope we have supported andpromoted inquiry and taught them to always question things, totake the initiative and seek out answers themselves. At the sametime, we have tried to give them an idea of their place in the wider
world and their roles and responsibilities within it. We hope wehave made them feel special.

"Before I was sad and sad and crying and crying and crying. I carry my
bag in the garden because I shy in the Zebras. When they come I
didn't talk. Now, I am happy and I talking and I am everybody's friends
and nobody hiding from me. I love the ballerina song, the Magic
Movement Day, 'One Banana Two Banana Three Banana Four,'Student-Led Conference and when Phoebe's Aunty bring the pizzas. I
like the Zebras class, I love my friends." Hamda"I was nervous and I didn't know anyone in that class. I keep getting
nervous but, when it was 2010, I was super happy because I knowed
everyone now. I remember that we played hopscotch from Lucius. I
remember we played the bear swimming on to each island and thismakes us learn our letters. We read lots of books. I super love
Student-Led Conference because it was so nice and I know thethings and I show my mum I know how to do everything now. I
remember we forgot the Agreements one time and Ben is feelingsad but we remember them now and Ben feel happy. I learn so muchin Zebras. We did a dragon dance because it was Chinese New Yearand I learn to listen. I find out reflections is bouncing off something
and learned not to leave the caps off the pens. I love the Zebras

These powerful reflections provide another opportunity for us toreflect, this time on the reflections of children, parents andcolleagues. By providing 'layers and layers of' meaning making
over time we hope to reach depth in our understanding of ourwork alongside children. It supports us in our goal to be a schoolthat respects the potential and rights of children.
Anne van Dam

5Singapore Roundup-Newton
Pennies for Peace
In late March Ms Lim, Ms Katrina and I were very fortunate to be able
to be part of the International Baccalaureate Regional Conference
here in Singapore. The title of the conference was Unlocking theTreasures Within. We had the opportunity to listen to a number ofworld class, motivational speakers with topics ranging fromunderstanding cultural diversity to understanding education in third
world countries. One of the outstanding speakers to address theassembly of educators was an explorer, author and founder of anorganisation called Pennies for Peace, Mr. Greg Mortenson. You
may know the name as the author of books such as Three Cups ofTea and Schools from Stones, both available from Borders. Mr.
Mortenson shared his journey of being a young man setting out toclimb the 2nd tallest peak in the world K2 in Pakistan. He was
unsuccessful in this quest to reach the summit but as he came
down the mountain he found an even bigger mountain to climb.
That is: bringing education to the children of Afghanistan andPakistan.

to donate. Some comments received by parents about the drive
were most encouraging:"Pennies for Peace is a great idea! Will be sure to hunt them downwith the kids and send them to school. Cheers.""First of all, I am really jealous and excited to hear that you got tomeet Greg Mortenson. Three Cups of Tea is my most favourite
book to read and to give as a gift. Secondly, it's equally exciting
to know that EtonHouse has also joined in the effort. It sets agreat example for the kids and is an equally great thing to learn. I
will definitely reinforce this at home and encourage my son tojoin in. Great effort! Thanks."

At the conference he shared the story of how he returned toAmerica determined to keep a promise to build a school in a small
village in Pakistan only to find obstacles in trying to raise funds inthe corporate world. His mother was a principal of a school andsuggested to him that the children could help. They started a fundraiser of saving pennies and in a very short period of time had raised
enough pennies for Greg to return to Pakistan to build that school.
So inspired was Greg Mortenson with the enthusiasm of thechildren who helped him raise money, one penny at a time that hestarted an organization called Pennies for Peace.

"I applaud you on joining the Pennies for Peace movement. Whata great way to raise awareness in our community, encourage ourcommunity to help the less fortunate, and remind us of what
privileged lives we lead here in Singapore.
As an aside, in addition to this the teachers began using thenotion of money in class as sorting and maths activities and to docomparisons between what we have and what people in otherparts of the world have.

Schools all around the world are now invited to be part of the effort
to raise money that will go towards building schools, in particular forgirls, in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The philosophy that has inspired
Pennies for Peace is a quote from Johnette Cole who said "Whenyou educate a man and you educate an individual, when you
educate a woman you educate the whole family".

The N2 for example were looking at schools and had planned afield trip to our sister school in Orchard so children could notesimilarities. Now with Pennies for Peace the teachers decided totake it one step further and look at the schools in Pakistan tocompare both the similarities and the differences between all of
the schools.

So enthused were Ms Lim, Ms Katrina and I that children could playsuch a valuable part in this process that we decided to bring theinformation back to Newton and share it with the teachers here. Likeus they immediately began to think about how they could take thisvaluable knowledge into their classrooms to share with the children
and how the children could play a vital role in assisting in raisingmoney one penny at a time. As a school community we enrolled in
the Pennies for Peace Fund Raising drive. We asked parents to bepart of this with their children by collecting those annoying coins in
the bottom of their bag or weighing down their fob pockets. It was
our hope to involve the children, the parents as well as companies
who may be associated with the school. Much to our absolutedelight the school community embraced the initiative and just as
Greg had found in his mother's school we found the mostenthusiastic participants in our children. We received stories wheredads were asked to empty their pocket each morning, asked to takemoney boxes into the office to collect from colleagues and even
grandparents visiting Singapore were encouraged by the children

We are most hopeful that this caring attitude engenderedthrough this initiative will become an integral part of the children's
learning.
A huge 'thank you' must go to those who supported the Pennies
for Peace initiative. We have to date raised SGD $1043.00 Welldone everyone!
For further information visit thewebsitewww.penniesforpeace.org

6Singapore Roundup- Outram
A place for children to discover,express and represent Our new art
studio at EtonHouse Outram.
The teaching team at Outram are very proud and excited to
introduce our new art studio at Outram. This beautiful space has
been transformed from an outdoor dining area to a space wherechildren can create as young artists!
The experience of transforming the area has united teachers as ateam; we strived to contribute and collaborate to make this space
special for the children at our centre

Our innovative teachers have created a beautiful display area
using recycled wooden crates. These crates have been sanded
down, made safe and mounted to the wall. We can see how
effective they have been in creating this aesthetic environment.
All 'mark making tools' have been displayed here, in transparent
containers for the children to observe and evaluate what theyneed.

After many meetings, brainstorming sessions and friendly
debates….. We then began implementing ideas and engaging in
the collection of resources to make our art studio come to life!
Our dedicated teachers have participated in shopping ventures,sorting, classifying, and presenting this space. The object and aim
was that it would be accessible, organized and child friendly. This isa space where every thing has a home, where every child can findand use things with ease.
Before the transformation – Our outdoor area catered for dining
needs…however the children now eat in their classrooms. Theyfind this cooler, calmer environment more relaxing. Teachers,
parents and children have commented that it is now a morepeaceful time where all members of the class can exchange
dialogues and model good 'eating behaviours' through thispersonal classroom dining.

Introducing our new transformed space…….

Our construction material area, where all items are displayed intransparent containers. This vibrant display entices young artists
to explore and engage with rich materials such as ribbon, varied
paper, straws, strings, plastic items and more! We are aiming toembed reducing, recycling and reusing as a key value in this area.
Hence, many of our materials are supporting this goal. We now
have a 'mini recycling' area at our reception, this invites parents tocontribute and support the continuous replenishing of materials.

Welcome to our vibrant space for the '100 languages of children' to
be explored.
Loris Malaguzzi (Loris Malaguzzi (1920-1994) who became theinspiration behind the educational experiences in Reggio Emilia)
believed that children have over 100 languages to express anddemonstrate their thoughts, feelings and ideas. By providing
children with more opportunities and access to these languages
such as clay, wire, drawing, painting, collage etc. We then give thechildren many ways to share their competencies as young learners
and inquirers!
We are delighted to share:

The view of our new art studio from the door way. We havecreated small group working spaces for children and teachers toenjoy quality interactions and creative sessions.

7

Singapore Roundup - 764 Mountbatten
EtonHouse 764 Celebrates
Earth Day!
Celebrating Earth Day has become a tradition at our school since2007. Every year, the organising committee and staff organiselearning experiences that parents and families get involved in andour students learn more about the environment and theconservation of energy.

Mrs. Fatima Mustafa, mother of Nina Palany of N2 Petunias
serving Mr. John Cooley, Executive Principal (Singapore)
string-hoppers (putu mayam) at the Indian Food Stallduring Veggie Food Fair.

Earth Day Parade the N1 Sunflowers with their Green messages,"Don't waste!" and "Throw rubbish in bin"This year, the school decided to involve parents and families
through their participation in a Veggie Food Fair where parent
volunteers prepare and serve small servings of vegetarian/healthy
food from their home countries. Apart from environmental
awareness and care, this event was planned to help bridge the gap
between cultures, in view of the diverse cultural backgrounds of the764 community. The Veggie Food Fair idea was also inspired by theschool's aspiration to promote the eating of more vegetables in ourstudents and families, in line with our commitment to educate ourstudents in healthy eating and an early start to thinking about the(environmental) effects of our actions and inactions in the longterm.

Tree planting by K2 Orchids during Earth Week.

8

China Roundup - EtonHouse Suzhou
Y6 Exhibition at Suzhou EtonHouseThe Y6 Exhibition is the culmination of the Primary Years
Programme in an International Baccalaureate school.

The whole exhibition process had started several weeks earlier
with members of staff throughout the school providing anddelivering tuning in activities and visits on the theme of Sharing
the Planet. The children decide to inquire into ideas on the
distribution of wealth and poverty, and the patterns of disease
throughout the world.
They explored their ideas and questions in many ways using
books, the internet and local visits. For example, they visited a
local village that was being displaced to make way for economic
development. The students interviewed the villagers in Chinese
on their views of their new homes and the loss of their village, andhow easy it was for them to access medical care

At Suzhou this exhibition took place at the end of May, and beganwith the premiere of a song written especially for the occasion
Sharing the Planet. The students' performance, in T shirts they
designed themselves to reflect the central ideas in their units ofinquiry, was greeted enthusiastically by the parents.

This was real learning grounded in the students understandingof the world and their place in it. It exemplified so many of thefactors of good learning that are being developed here at
EtonHouse. It was a focus not just for the Y6 students and theirteacher but for the whole school community. The standards thechildren demonstrated were an impressive culmination of theirInternational Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme primaryand delivered in a language that is not the mother tongue of anyof them.

The event continued with displays detailing the whole process of
the inquiry from the tuning in activities undertaken several weeks
earlier, to the students' exploration of the inquiry and the questions
they wished to raise. This led to the final presentation of their ideas
displayed in the school's auditorium. Parents then became keen
participants in the interactive items the students had prepared.
This involved activities such as studying bacterial growth fromsamples collected around the school, playing a game to show how
wealth distribution is not fair, to a quiz encouraging the parents, andlater on the rest of the children in the school, to find out facts andfigures from around the displays.

Students from Y6 presenting their work to the parents and visitorsof the Exhibition

9

China Roundup- EtonHouse Xi'an
Xian Hi- Tech International School (XHIS) has had an exciting yearof redevelopment in both curriculum and the physical environment.

Next school year will have two major focuses:l
We are now an International Baccalaureate Diploma

Programme (IBDP) Candidate school. We will be preparing
ourselves for pre-authorisation visit early September. The visit
will give us important feedback on where to next. The goal is togain full authorisation by the end of June 2011.

From August to December 2009 we completely refurbished theschool. The school was given a much needed face lift - fresh paintthroughout the building, the addition of dividing walls to create
additional language rooms, and boys and girls locker rooms. An art
room was created this has provided not only specialist art lessons
to students but also helped to create a warm school environment.

lWestern Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). We will

begin our schools self-study. This will involve the entire staff
and members of the community critically viewing the school.
As a school we will write our report with the four focus areas
being:

lorganisation for student learninglcurriculum, instruction and learninglsupport for student personal and academic growthlresource management and development

A solid school foundation has been laid this year; next year we
can further develop IB programmes and create rigor in our
curriculum and assessment.
Alasdair MacleanThis was the school's first year using the International
Baccalaureate (IB). XHIS has started to implement the framework
for the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the Middle Years
Programme (MYP). This has been largely very successful andprovided the parent community with clear direction in curriculum
and assessment. A number of parent information sessions havebeen held to keep the community informed of the changes. This has
been on the whole well received and has been a year of educationand change for staff. 2010/11 should see further development in the
PYP with the literacy and numeracy resources arriving. This should
tighten the programme and provide depth in curriculum andassessment. The MYP will continue to look at assessment andcurriculum development. A concern from parents is external
validation. Next year the school will look into the viability of the
ACERS. This will provide validation to our MYP/DP programmes.

10

China - EtonHouse Education Centre (EEC)
EtonHouse Education Centre (EEC)in China:
In 2008, five young early childhood graduates from the earlychildhood course at Shandong University in China, commenced
their studies in Singapore as students enrolled in the Diploma of
Preschool Education (Teaching) at EtonHouse Education Centre.
The students were also 'attached' to several of the Singapore
preschools for on-the-job training to ensure sound connections
between their (theoretical) studies and their classroom practice.
Their learning journey was complicated by language (studying in
English) and distance from home and family, however all students
successfully completed their studies.

Ms Ellen Yang (second from left) at the EH combined
Professional Development session at Wuxi 30th May 2010

The EEC has just interviewed a second group of earlychildhood graduates from Universities in Jinan andChengdu. It is hoped that 10-12 students will commence
their studies with the EEC in September this year, ready totake up positions in EH China early years settings inAugust 2011.
Having such diverse experience in both Chinese andSingaporean teaching contexts, ensures our teachers arewell equipped to work across International settings.
Heather Conroy,
Academic Head EtonHouse Education Centre

Ms Carol in her classroom in EH Yiwu
Two of the students, Lucy Qu and Susan Zhang returned to China
upon completion of their Diploma to commence their teachingcareers at EtonHouse Jinan in 2009. At the beginning of 2010, Ellen
Yang and Carol Yang joined the staff at EtonHouse Yiwu and Alex
Liu joined her colleagues in EH Jinan. All graduates currently holdpositions of classroom teacher in the Chinese divisions of the EH
International schools and work to support local colleagues inunderstanding more about documentation and inquiry as a meansof learning and teaching.

(L-R) Ms Belynda Seale (Wuxi); Ms Lucy Qu; Ms Heather
Conroy(Singapore); Ms Alex Liu; Ms Marion McMahon(Principal EH Jinan) (Absent Susan Zhang)

11

India Roundup
Edvance Pre-schools with the help and support of EtonHouse, isgeared up to start global quality early childhood education centres
in India. Our vision is to create responsible global citizens andbrilliant leaders of tomorrow by laying a superior foundation
through quality early childhood education. Our model preschools at Pune and Mumbai have been immensely successful
and have become a preferred choice of the discerning parents
desiring a holistic learning experience in the early years of theirchild's life.

can relate to our school's local context; to reflect on our own values
and beliefs in relation to teaching and learning process.

Over the next few years, we aim to provide quality pre-school
learning across the length and breadth of the nation through astrong franchisee network. We look forward to working withfranchise partners who share the commitment, and are motivatedto create a social impact through a rewarding financial venture.
"We aim at providing a broad and balanced international
curriculum, which supports individual needs and allows students toachieve their full potential and to enable students to acquire thenecessary life skills. At Vivero, we foster the future leaders of India
into global citizens of tomorrow in a multi-cultural environment"says group CEO Anshul Arora.

The interaction with Anne has been extremely enlightening and all
three centres have started their new academic year with richthoughts and provocations.

VIVERO INTERNATIONAL PRE-SCHOOL,
Pune - jump starts year 2

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Teachers like children and everyone else- feel the need to grow intheir competencies; they want to transform experiences intothoughts, thoughts into reflections, and reflections into actions.

The flagship centre commenced session in June 2009 in a
10,000 sq. ft. specially renovated bungalow in Kalyani Nagar, an
up-market area in the heart of Pune city. The centre has met withphenomenal success and has ninety-eight children across 15
nationalities. This year the centre has initiated the "Friends ofVivero" support group to facilitate partnership with parents and tostrengthen the bond between parents, children and the school.

Loris Malaguzzi

An Inquiry into Exploring their world at VIVERO, Pune.
The Children in Kindergarten I are currently exploring andinvestigating senses. To support this inquiry, Paul Marty's motherMarie wanted to share a cooking lesson to give the children an
opportunity to explore their senses during an engagement ofbaking "Pat Sables" - a French Sweet Cookie. Children
participated in the process of making the cookies at school.
Marie (a member of "Friends of Vivero" group) involved thechildren in the process of experiencing and sharing theirthoughts and ideas about what they thought of foods fromdifferent parts of the world. Marie shared with the childreninteresting facts about food from France. This multi-culturalenvironment provided children an opportunity to learn, torespect, and to be aware of the similarities and differences within
our socio-cultural context.

Anne Van Dam, the Pre-school director of EtonHouse Orchard
spearheaded a professional training program for the team of
Edvance Pre-schools, teachers of VIVERO and SERRA on the 1st
and 2nd of June 2010. Over the two days Anne shared with us topics
that drive Learning and Teaching Process - The Educational Projectof Reggio Emilia Approach, The 7 big ideas of EtonHouse,
Understanding Inquiry-based Learning, Teachers as researchers,
the Image of the Child and what encompasses a well-designed Preschool Education Program.
To share the context of each topic of the PD, Anne shared several
powerful videos which supported us in understanding the principlesof the topics. Involvement in small group discussions helped
facilitate sharing of experiences. These thoughts collectively
encouraged powerful threads for reflective thinking. This workshop
helped the educators think deeply as to how the principles shared,12

India Roundup
Balancing Academic with Play at SERRA INTERNATIONAL
PRE-SCHOOL, Pune

Quality Pre-school now in Mumbai - VIVERO Powai

The key challenge we face at SERRA is balancing the traditional
needs of academics with a play based curriculum. We value theimportance of academics but have been working at integrating theelements of play in the teaching-learning programme. The school
offers quality learning flexible to accommodate child
responsiveness to the curriculum and is teacher framed.

Housed in an exclusively built imposing building, Vivero, Powaistarted the academic year on 15th June 2010 with seventy
children from eleven nationalities. The state-of-the-art facilities
with child friendly interiors and exteriors at Vivero are unique andhave left parents spell bound and the new pre-school has
created a buzz amongst the pre-school fraternity and educatedparents in the vicinity.
Pre-Nursery 1 & 2 (Buzzing Bees & Fireflies):
The line of inquiry that both Pre-nursery classes are following is"Who we are". At the tender age, the toddlers showed curiosity to
explore the parts of the body. The concept unfolded as teachers
provided hands-on experiences with real life objects. The
children have begun to communicate and express themselves.

SERRA kick started the second year with over fifty-six children. The
Pre-nursery is exploring "Who we are" while Nursery explores thesense of belonging with families. This year, the batch of
Kindergarten-1 explores the concept of Friends and School.

Learning through play
Nursery 1 & 2 (Busy Beavers & Buddy bears):
The Nursery children have settled in well to inquire into 'All about
ME'. Elements of music and art have helped to reinforce theconcept of the body parts and has encouraged the children to
explore themselves.

At SERRA International we work towards high quality teaching staff
who have a deep respect, compassion and understanding ofyoung children. Regular Professional Development workshops areheld to provide teachers with gudileines and updates in the field ofEarly Childhood Education.

Snack time is bonding time
“What has been very encouraging is that our children are reluctant
to go home and want to continue being in class" says Principal
Barkha Gulani who has been in the field of quality education forthe past 19 years.

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Indonesia Roundup
After several minutes of photo taking and each child exploring
the fish, we were taken for another walk to the fruit gardens. Herethe children could see small plants of limes, oranges, passion
fruit, guava, and many other fruit plants that they could water. Mr
Ade spoke about how plants grow, what they needed to growand how we should take care of them. At the site was also a glass
container of different types of bugs which engrossed thekindergarten children too.

Field Trip to Pasir Mukti, Cibinong
When all the children were ready with their ‘setting off’ preparationsof toileting, putting on insect repellant, getting their gear and hats,
we got on the big blue bus and off we headed for Pasir Mukti at
Cibinong, Bogor. It was a lovely morning and traffic was smoothrunning. We left school at 8.15am and arrived at the venue by
10.30am. On arrival everyone was guided to a large airy covered
space where we sat down to rest a bit while waiting for our guide Mr
Ade’s instructions and awaiting our eventual tour.

We then harvested the ‘kangkong’ plants. The N1 children pulled
out the plant and discovered that it had long roots; the N2 could
better relate their understanding of this because they had grownbeans in class in a clear plastic container and watched day by
day as the roots grew longer and longer. We harvested quite abit; the school cook prepared for lunch the next day. The children
also fed the fish in the pond and learnt that different animals eat
different things because they were given fish food pellets for thefish and ‘padi’ for the feeding of the fowl (ducks and geese).

Mr Ade spoke in Bahasa and it needed some translation from one of
our teachers. The group was taken for a walk first to the fish pond,
where they could see a live big gurame fish. Mr Ade told them about
how fish swim, how they breathe and labeled the different fins andtheir functions.

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Indonesia Roundup
Rambutan Harvesting on Monday, 22 February 2010

An Art Exhibition for a good cause

What is everyone looking at? Oh...it’s the gardener, Pak Pomoand his men harvesting the rambutans in our garden. The
Kindergarten children got into the act too and wanted to climb
the ladder to pick some of the fruits. The rambutans were juicy
and sweet. The kindergarten children related this to their current
topic of study on ‘plants we eat’.

The children, their parents and teachers worked hard to put
together an Art Exhibition using the theme of: Reduce, Reuse andRecycle. All material used for the art products were made fromrecycled items collected or donated to the school during ‘Earth Day
celebrations’ and the Art products made were sold to parents andvisitors at the exhibition on 4th and 5th June 2009. ‘EtonHouse
cares’ and has always played a great role to help the lesser peoplein our community through donation drives like this one. The
proceeds from the sales went to our beneficiary, the Yayasan
Oikumene Merpati Orphanage. We are very thankful to have with us‘involved parents’ supporting us in these charity drives. To them I
say, “a big thank you”.

At EtonHouse JKT we are fortunate to have growing in ourgarden many types of edible plants that children can relate totheir learning. Some of these fruit trees are pumpkin, grapes,
rambutans, mango, bananas, and papaya. The children areprovided opportunities to watch things grow, take care of themand harvest the fruits of their labour.
To provide more of nature’s wealth and to teach about taking
care of plants, we will be planting more trees and growing foodsuch as vegetables as part of our sharing for the coming EarthDay.

These and many more items were sold at the exhibition whichcollected in total: Rps 4,260.000
All parents and teachers share in their pride of the children’s ideas
and creativity and empathetic disposition to helping in the donation
drive.

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Indonesia Roundup
K2 Sunshine Graduates 2010

The K1 and K2 Sunshine class have had an amazing journey this year which has been full of discovery and exploration. All of the children
have embraced all our units of enquiry with great enthusiasm and curiosity. The sunshine class are very active and creative thinkers making
our learning environment rich with new ideas and exciting experiences! Each member of our class has made a valuable contribution to ourteam ensuring that our year has been fulfilling and rewarding for everyone. The K2 children are now secure to take their next step to Primary
and the K1 are ready for all that is ahead of them in the next year to come. It has been satisfying to see the children develop in confidencewith their problem solving skills, social skills and thinking skills. Sunshine class, I am extremely proud of each and every one of you and it
has been a huge pleasure to teach the class. You have achieved so much this year and it has been a joy watching you all grow as individuals
and I wish you all the best for the future.
Firstly, a big thank you to my two wonderful teaching assistants, Miss Inggrid and Miss Debby. Your continuous energy and support has
been fantastic for all of us. A huge thank you to all the parents for your support, understanding and involvement in your child’s learningjourney.
Congratulations Sunshine Team! I will miss you!
Lucy Penn

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Japan Roundup
EtonHouse Tokyo Opens House:
Staff and management at the new EtonHouse Tokyo preschool
were pleased to share their new building with prospective families
at the recent Open House held 9th -10th July.
Over 40 families attended across the two days. It was wonderful tosee children interacting with newly employed EH Tokyo staff.
Children also had the opportunity to interact with the learningspaces that had been created for them as parents met with Mr. Peter
Ackerman, Principal, EtonHouse Tokyo and Ms. Heather Conroy,
Senior Director of Pedagogy, who flew to Tokyo to support the newteam.
Congratulations go to managing directors, Mr. Anli Tan and Ms.
Asami Seo for their commitment to quality in establishing thenewest EH setting. Planning started 2 and a half years ago, when
Asami asked where can our children go to a quality bilingual(English/Mandarin) school in Tokyo? and the rest was history. It
was also a coincidence or rather fate that brought Anli, Asami and
EtonHouse together through a mutual colleague in Singapore.
What the partners envisioned in Tokyo and what EtonHouse has tooffer was a perfect 'fit'. The development process was at times
difficult; however with amazing support from EtonHouse
Singapore the final product was flawless. This will be the new
beginning in the “land of the rising sun”.

The learning environment has been designed with the values andprinciples of Reggio Emilia in mind i.e. a focus on light andtransparency; the creation of spaces which support small groupcollaboration; the inclusion of natural materials as resources forChildren's play; and the provision of spacious art areas in theclassrooms so that children have access to a wide variety ofmaterials with which to express their ideas, thoughts and feelings.

EtonHouse Tokyo is located in a newly renovated 5 storey building
next to a prime shopping and residential area, Tokyo Midtown. The
preschool has employed a highly qualified and committed
teaching staff representing 5 different cultural backgrounds whoeach bring with them a wealth of rich experience.
Heather Conroy,
Senior Director of Pedagogy, EtonHouse Preschools17