eNews
Contents:
INTRODUCTION
1.

Collaboration as a Value
EtonHouse 764 Mounbatten
awarded the CIB Platinum Award
EtonHouse Vanda receives
CHERISH Junior Award

3.

The EtonHouse Alumni
EtonHouse on Facebook

ETONHOUSE INTERNATIONALEDUCATION CENTRE
4.

Collaboration

5.

Reggio Emilia comes to SIngapore

SINGAPORE
6.

A Walkthrough Our N2 Memories - A
Collaborative Project with the Children
Fostering Connections between
Home and School

7.

Building a Community
Collaboration through Inquiry

8.

Family Day - Connecting
to Children’s Worlds
Building Collaborative Cultures

9.

Communities, Families and UsCommunities, Families and UsETONHOUSE INTERNATIONALEDUCATION GROUP - NEWS & EVENTS
2.

Newsletter • 2 - 2012

Collaboration at EtonHouse
Newton: EPIC (EtonHouse
Parents in Collaboration)

CHINA
10. Be Friends with Books, Be
Happy with Books
EtonHouse 17th Anniversary Celebration
CHINA/INDIA
11. Graduation of the First Batchof Senior Year Students
Fostering a Collaborative Ecosystem
JAPAN/KOREA
12. Collaborations

MALAYSIA/INDONESIA
13. Collaborations through Art

Every time I attend events in any of the EtonHouse
campuses, be it in Singapore or overseas I am
reminded of the significance of a school in the life of
the families, the community and the country it is a partof. Schools and pre-schools, especially the ones that
attract an international community, are the epicentreof relationships, relationships that sometimes
last a lifetime. Friendship and collaborations
between teaching staff, bonding between children
and the teachers, partnership between parents
and the school, connections between the school
and the community - these form a tapestry ofinterconnections,adynamic reciprocal webof
relationships
that
shape our lives and thecommunity in which welive.
I am therefore humbled
by the profound impacta school has on thecommunity. The collectionof articles in this newsletter
isareinforcement
and testament to this.
Throughcommunity
drives, family events,
staff forums and many
more such initiatives, we
reinforce the significance of this collaboration andwhile we develop friendship and contribute to thecommunity, we have a profound effect on the livesof our children. EtonHouse is fortunate indeed tohave such a supportive community of parents,
teachers and children who bring with them theirexpertise and creativity, thus enriching, and making
more meaningful, the learning experiences in our
campuses.
As the children grow older and graduate from
EtonHouse, we often lose touch with them and theirfamilies. This has always saddened me. There areso many precious memories I have of the EtonHouse
graduates, some of whom are in university now
making their families proud. It was always my dream
to reconnect with them and keep in touch with thecurrent families and children even after they leave
EtonHouse. This year, my dream has started to

A Field Trip Learning Opportunity “Knowledge Speaks but Wisdom Listens”-1-turn into a reality. We were able to touch base with alarge community of former EtonHouse staff, parents
and students to form the EtonHouse alumni. We
haven’t been able to connect with everyone though,especially those who graduated many years ago. It
is my hope however to bring the entire EtonHouse
family together where we can reconnect, share andcontinue to develop relationships with EtonHouse andthe other members of the alumni. Imagine the delightof a child who reconnects with his or her favourite
kindergarten teacher or that of a parent or a teacher
who finds a friend they shared precious memories
with in EtonHouse! We are
currently happy to say that wehave more than 250 membersin the alumni, but we still havea long way to go. I sincerely
hope that you will support ourengagement initiatives andkeep in touch with us throughthe
EtonHousealumniwherever you may be.
As we start the second halfof 2012, I am very happy tomention the many accolades
our schools have receivedthe CHERISH Award by the
HealthPromotion
Board
for EtonHouse Vanda, theplatinum ‘Community in Bloom’ award by National
Parks for EtonHouse 764, the only pre-school to win
this award, the IB PYP and MYP authorisation for
EtonHouse Wuxi and Suzhou, the reauthorisation of
EtonHouse Broadrick and the very successful Reggio
Emilia conference hosted by EtonHouse Education
Centre. These achievements are not a result of
isolated and individual initiatives but a testament tothe culture of positive and genuine collaborations thatexist between families, communities and EtonHouse.
I hope you enjoy the 2nd edition of the 2012 corporate
newsletter.
Ng Gim Choo
Group Managing Director
EtonHouse International Education GroupE t on Hous e I n ter n a tional Ed u c at ion Grou p - News & Event s

Collaboration as a Value
Heather Conroy, Executive Director of Pedagogy, EtonHouse Pre-schools
Reggio Children Networks
are invited to share of thework being undertaken in theirown contexts, to demonstrate
how they make reference tothe values and principles of
the Reggio Approach. (There
are approximately 30 Reggio
Children Networks, including
countries in Europe, SouthAmerica, Africa, and the Asia
Pacific, United Kingdom andthe USA).
The Conference offers opportunities to reflect on
our own practices – so that children can achieve
the best they can…
Marie-Louise Samuels: National Early Childhood
Education Director: South Africa in her welcome
address to participants at the AREA (African
Reggio Emilia Alliance) Conference held in
Johannesburg, 26-28th June 2012.
As a means of honouring the commitment tocollaboration so highly valued and evident within
the system of preschools and infant and toddler
centres in Reggio Emilia, representatives of various

In South Africa, Harold Gothson, representing
Sweden, (the first country to form an alliancewith Reggio Emilia andmember of the Board ofReggio Children); Rita Melia,
representing The Republicof Ireland and myself,
sharing some of our work in
Singapore participated aspart of the collaborative thatis Reggio Children acrossthe globe. Through sharing
we come to understand not

EtonHouse 764 Mountbatten
awarded the CIB Platinum Award

only what others are doing to honour the rights ofchildren, but also come to better understand how
we can strengthen our own work and vision.
Reggio Emilia has a long standing collaboration
with South Africa which dates back to the 1970’s
when Reggio Emilia was actively involved in the
promotion of the anti-apartheid
movement.
One of the strongest values of theReggio Approach is the defence ofthe rights of children. This and thedesire to strengthen relationships
and collegiality across the world
gave structure to the AREA
conference.

EtonHouse Vanda receives
CHERISH Junior Award

We are proud to announcethatthepre-school
gardens at EtonHouse 764
Mountbatten have been
awarded the Platinum bandof the biennial Community
in Bloom (CIB) Awards 2012! The CIB Awards serves to recognize
and reward gardening efforts by community groups in housing estates,
schools and organizations. It aims to promote involvement in creating andmaintaining community gardens. The school received the award on 14
July at the Singapore Garden Festival 2012 at Suntec City Singapore.

EtonHouse Pre-school at Vanda has recently been awarded the
CHERISH (Championing Efforts Resulting in Improved School Health)Junior Award 2012, in recognition of good health promotion by the school.
The CHERISH award is a joint programme launched by the Ministry of
Education and the Health Promotion Board in the efforts to improve healthpromotion in schools. This initiative aims to establish a strong foundationof health and well-being for all children through their childhood years. The
health of a child during the developmental years, impact the educational,
socio-economic and health outcomes later on in life.

Congratulations to EtonHouse 764 Mountbatten on being the only preschool to have received this prestigious award and for having created agreat outdoor learning environment for the children.

We would like to congratulate EtonHouse Vanda on receiving thisaward and for having demonstrated exemplary efforts in achieving highstandards in health and well being.

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E t on Hous e I n ter n a tional Ed u c at ion Grou p - News & Event s

The EtonHouse Alumni
The EtonHouse Alumni, founded in May 2012, brings together former
EtonHouse students, parents and staff. The Alumni is an exclusive community
created for those who have been a part of EtonHouse.

journey not just for our educators, but for the children and parents as well. In
addition, the members of the Alumni have access to a platform where we share
relevant articles, photographs and messages thus encouraging engaging andmeaningful dialogues and discussions. We are also in the midst of planningan event to bring together all the members of the EtonHouse Alumni later thisyear.

Through the Alumni, we aim to create opportunities for the EtonHouse
family to reconnect, bond, network and engage in meaningful community
initiatives. The EtonHouse Alumni is also a community for members to makeprofessional connections amongst themselves.

We encourage everyone to be a part of this bustling, dynamic group of
EtonHouse staff, students, parents and friends.

One of the interesting features that the platform allows is for members tofollow ongoing careers of former EtonHouse students, which is an exciting

Email friends@etonhouse.edu.sg to join the EtonHouse Alumni.

EtonHouse on Facebook

The EtonHouse International Education Group facebook fan page is now live! The EtonHouse fan page iswhere you will find the latest updates of all the EtonHouse centres. Through the fan page, you can keep
up with the latest information on education, growth and learning.
On the EtonHouse fan page, you will find photos of everything related to EtonHouse. Updates ofchildren’s adventures and learning journeys in school, special events hosted by EtonHouse and many
more meaningful bits of information. Everyone is welcome to share photos, stories or updates about the
EtonHouse family on the fan page. Like the page if EtonHouse has touched your life in any way.
http://www.facebook.com/EtonHouseInternational

To connect with the EtonHouse Alumni, e-mail friends@etonhouse.edu.sg or find us on Facebook under EtonHouse Alumni.

-3-

E ton Hous e I n ter nat ional Ed u c at ion Cent re

Collaboration
Heather Conroy, Executive Director of Pedagogy, EtonHouse Pre-Schools
and to respond to these ideas
as part of a co-constructedcurriculum.
The pedagogy
oflistening
acknowledges
children’s ways of knowing andlearning about the world.

Collaboration means many things. At EtonHouse
it refers to a desire; an ‘attitude’ of wanting to workin partnership with others. Acknowledging thatmany hands make large tasks seem smaller; thatthe thoughts and ideas of others are a resource;that negotiation is a more valuable attribute thancompetition….teachers at EtonHouse aim tocollaborate with children, colleagues and parents
as part of their day to day practice.
What
does
collaborative
curriculum
look like?

This does not mean that teachers
do not have specific goals foreach child and for the group asa whole. It does however meanaccessing children’s motivations(their interests) as a meansof introducing the many concepts (science,
mathematics and literacy) that we accept
responsibility for as early childhood educators. As
teachers carefully observe children’s interactions
with peers, materials and ideas, they are able toproject learning experiences which show evidenceof a careful aligning of children’s theories andideas with teacher goals. As such, the curriculum
becomes child responsive, or co-constructed - anegotiation between children
and adults.

We discussed with them the ‘job’ of an Advisoryteam; they informed us that advice was when
you don’t know and you ask a friend for help…itmeans thinking about hard things together. Theydeveloped written plans for their ideas – some inwords, which they were supported in sounding
out; some ideas were carefully sketched. They
worked with mathematical concepts when they
drew on a paper so large that it required all 9
children to collaborate in transporting the design
to the canteen to measure the wall space.

An example of a co-constructed
experience is the formation of
an Advisory Team of 5 year oldchildren to offer opinion on thedesign of the cafeteria space at
718 Mountbatten Road.
Working over several days,
the children discussed, drew
andconstructed
designsfrom nature with the aim ofenhancing the space to be more
beautiful…like a restaurant.

The EtonHouse
preschools
workinginreference to theReggio Emilia
Approach,practise the ‘pedagogy of listening’. This refers to
the adult’s capacity to listen with sensitivity andrespect to children’s comments and conversations;to attend to children’s ideas, thoughts and feelings

These small group projects
support teachers in better
understanding each child’s
skills, and understandings.
They
invitecollaboration
between children and adults
and as a result teach us all agreat deal about teaching andlearning.

With sincere thanks to Lucy Ahearn, class teacher and the children of EtonHouse 718’s K1 class Amelie, Ivan; Jesper, Miggy; Kaoriko; Megan; Alice; Keito and Chanyoung for theircollaboration in this project.

-4-

E ton Hous e I n ter nat ional Ed u c at ion Cent re

Reggio Emilia comes to Singapore:by Heather Conroy, Executive Director of Pedagogy, EtonHouse Pre-Schools

Acting Minister, MCYS GOH at the opening ceremony receiving an artwork painted bychildren of EtonHouse from Mrs. Ng Gim Choo and Mr. Jimmy Oh.

EtonHouse Education Centre (EEC), theprofessional development arm of EtonHouseInternational recently convened its second
conference with speakers directly from Reggio
Emilia in Northern Italy. This event titled
Provocations for Practice was held at theConcorde Hotel in Singapore 26th – 28th
April.
The conference delegation numbered
350 from 14 different countries acrossthe Asia Pacific region and provided forparticipants an important opportunity tothink (deeply) about their practice. Paola
Cagliari and Ivana Soncini, both leadersin the pedagogical co-ordinating team in
Reggio Emilia, supported understanding

Speakers and organisers of the conference

aboutpedagogicaldocumentation;
deepened
thinking
about
intentional
teaching in a negotiatedcurriculum
andprovideddelegateswith opportunities toreflect on their workwithspecialrightschildren.
Participants
were privileged, throughvideo
sessions,to‘see inside’ the infant
and toddler centres
andpreschoolsinReggio Emilia and tolearn more about thepedagogical principles
that underpin this world
acknowledged
bestpractice.

Saturday’s sessions explored the work of teachers
in the Asia Pacific Region and aimed to support
participant understanding as to how the principles
of Reggio Emilia could be interpreted in anothercontext. Lorraine Manuela, from the New Zealand
Reggio Children International Network (REANZ)

L to R Ivana Soncini, Jane McCall and Paola Cagliari from the Preschools and Infant-toddler Centres Istituzione of the Municipalityof Reggio Emiliapresented the key note on Saturday
morning. Titled Listening with our eyes,
Lorraine highlighted the significance ofthoughtfully considered photographic
documentation as a means for supportingchildren’s (and their teacher’s) reflection
on their learning. Critical reflection on
practice, stressed Lorraine, is an essential
aspect of quality teaching, offeringteachers a means to better understandthe events and interactions which occur-5-

within their learning environments.
The panel which followed again reinforced how
the values of the Reggio Emilia Approach could beinterpreted within an Asian context. Ms Vashima

L to R Ng Shu Ping, Heather Conroy, Vashima Goyal and
Junko Cancemi, panellists at the conference

Goyal, Director of Pedagogy - Child at Street 11;
Dr Junko Cancemi, Director of the Early Learning
Centre, Yokohama International School; Ms Ng
Shu Ping, Assistant Principal, EH Vanda andHeather Conroy, Executive Director of Pedagogy
EH Preschools all shared their experienceand whilst their teaching contexts differed, theconsistent principle of Image of Child as a strong
and competent thinker and communicator wasapparent across all their work.
Conference delegates were deeply inspired
and motivated by the speakers. The obvious
enthusiasm to take action around enhancing thequality of the learning environment, and teachingpractice is a true reflection of the quality teaching
we have come to expect from our colleagues inReggio Emilia.

More than 350 delegates from 14 different nationalities

Eton Hou se in Singap ore

A Walkthrough Our N2 Memories A Collaborative Project with the Children
EtonHouse @ Mountbatten 718
by Lisa Hughes, Assistant Pre-School Director

At EtonHouse 718, we strongly
believe in working with children
as we plan for opportunities toshare our learning journey withparents and the community.
Recently, we worked with thechildren to plan for our N2
reflective session of the year
gone by. The N2 teachers
believe that reflective thinking isa higher order cognitive skill thathas been supported throughout
the year through intentional
teaching moments. The N2
memories exhibit aimed tocapture the children’s strength
in reflective thinking as theyshared about their most special
memory from the year just concluded. This wasa collaborative process between teachers andchildren as they discussed,thought deeply together and chosea method to communicate theirthoughts and ideas through thelanguages of paint, drawing or
collage.

nurtures the feelings of culture and solidarity,
responsibility and inclusion.” (2010, p.10).
Reference: Reggio Children. (2010). Indications,preschools and infant - toddler centres of themunicipality of Reggio Emilia. Reggio Children:
Italy.

The children prepared the invitation
for the session and other children
in the pre-school invested time increating beautiful mobiles to makethe ‘walk through’ a magical one!
The evening was rich in dialogue
and exchange, as children took
the lead, sharing their work andthinking with their family. We
are inspired by the way that preschools and infant toddler centres
in Reggio Emilia strongly value participation,
believing that “participation generates andWorking with Parents in the Classroom
EtonHouse @ Mountbatten 764
by Joy Tan, Asst. Pre-School Director and Class Teacher
In the present
c o n t e x t ,experienceswithparental
involvement haveextended beyond
providing parents
with information
about the child’s
successinschool.
Rather,it has become
the building block of a home-school relationshipthat empowers families to participate in the
educational processes of the young learners(Gestwicki, 2004).
The cultural shift in parental involvement has
influenced schools worldwide to take the initiative

to establish a positive rapport andpartnership with parents. Teachers
are no longer viewed as the only
experts in children’s learning giventhat parents are now recognized ascapable partners who can offer theirown unique talents and expertise to
everyday learningin the classroom.
At
EtonHouse
764, parents andteachers
workin collaboration to enrich thechildren’s learning experiences invarious ways. For example as partof a fund-raising event for Earth
Day 2012, a parent volunteer
was invited into the K2 classes-6-

to share her expertise in building terrariums as
part of the class’ inquiry project into the water
cycle. Following that, the K2 children took on afund-raising task of selling the terrariums during
the Earth Day Celebration for their upcoming
EtonCamp 2012 and to the Singapore Children
Society, our favourite charity.
R e f e r e n c e
Gestwicki, C. (2004).
Home, school, andcommunity relations:
A guide to working
with families (5the.d.). United Statesof America: Delmar
Learning

Eton Hou se in Singap ore

Building a Community
EtonHouse @ Claymore
by Karen Nicholls, Project Director

When it comes to thinking
about how children bestlearn, research has shownthat teachers working froma child’s place of knowing- and building ‘homeschool’ connections that
foster relationships withparents provide a holistic
approach worthy of note.
While teachers understand how children learn
best, parents understand their child best. The
combination of this knowledge allows for learning
to take place that is in the best interest of thechild. It permits the shared knowledge to be
used to accomplish goals that neither groupindividually can achieve.
Children explore
their surrounds and share their wonderings.
Teachers use their knowing to set up the learning
environments in response to these wonderings ina way that provokes and engages children further.
The shared knowledge from parents allows
environments to be individualised to meet eachchild’s particular needs.

Although Claymore is a
new centre it began byinviting support from parents
and children even before
its doors were opened.
Teachers met with families
in a sharing session thatsought involvement fromthe family that assisted inbuilding trust necessary indeveloping
collaborative
partnerships. Now that the school isopen, parents are welcomed eachmorning as they bring their children
into school and as they leave at
pickup time. Teachers take time toconverse with parents about theirchild’s day in school.
To further strengthen the ideaofcollaborative
partnerships,
Claymore is extending the idea
to develop the community with a whole school
approach. It hosted its first family event on June
15th. Family and extended family were invitedfor a picnic at the school. The event provided
opportunities for parents, children and teachers
to make connections with each other to further
strengthen ties and a sense of common purpose.
As the school population grows over the coming
months the school will continue to engage new
families in order to build a strong and supportive
network. As happened in the beginning for
current families, the new families will be invited
into school before children commence to meetwith the teaching staff
and share knowledge tosupport the child. Further
to this, an orientation day
has been set so that all
children and adults canfind their class and meetwith the teachers in orderto provide comfort for thatfirst day of school. As
the new year progresses,
the school will continue to host events that bringeveryone together for the common purpose ofbuilding a collaborative community for Claymore.

Collaboration through Inquiry
EtonHouse @ Orchard
by Leanne Sunarya, Pre-School Director, in collaboration with K1A

Our K1A class began to consider
the central idea that “People
Explore and Discover in Ways
that constantly change how wethink”. The learning invitation
the teachers proposed was anartefact that had been found in
the Philippines which provokedthinking around the idea of what
it might possibly be.
Children began to pose theories
andthroughcollaborative
dialogue these theories were
tested, challenged, re-thought
and adjusted creating forums of exchange
amongst the children. It quickly became apparent
that the group was beginning to think around theidea of fossils as the children began to collect data
as evidence to support their theories.

Books were consulted to researchthese ideas, representations using
clay were explored and the artefacts
physical properties were recorded
using mathematical thinking; but
the children were still no closer todetermining the answer to theirquestion; “What is it?”
The idea of an expert was introduced
and the nature of the work on anarchaeologist
considered. Oneof the children
suggested theirfather was an archaeologist,
extending collaboration for the
first time beyond the classroom.
Emails were sent, and dialogue
entered into – still no solution.

-7-

The class then decided to consult the wider schoolcommunity. Messages were exchanged whichchallenged the children’s thinking and required
further collection of data. Reaching out beyond
the immediate community was also attempted –their dialogue continues. Has the answer beenfound? – No! Have deep connections in thechildren’s thinking been achieved through themulti faceted collaborative process? – Absolutely!
Collaboration is a process of tensions as we revisit
prior
knowledge,reconsider
ourunderstandings andthinking and build newlearning. The process
is exciting and thejourney will continue
here at Orchard.

Eton Hou se in Singap ore

Family Day - Connecting to Children’s Worlds
EtonHouse @ Outram
by Yvonne Yu, Pre-School Director & Theresia Froitzheim, Class Teacher
N2 Voyagers’ class had two families who welcomed
new members to their family. To enhance theunderstanding of their own family and the roles
the children and others play within their family, we
invited parents to come to the classroom and talkabout their favourite part of the weekends or theirholiday as a family. The parents also prepared
their favourite family snacks toshare with the children in class.

Educators’ practices and the relationships they
form with children and families have a significant
effect on children’s involvement and successin learning. Children thrive when families andeducators work together in partnership to support
young children’s learning. (Early Years Learning
Framework p.9)

participation in the story.
These experiences encourage self expression
and conversations between children and adults.
These engagements allow the children to actively
construct their own understandings and contributeto others’ learning in a social-cultural context.

Matthias’ mummy brought with
her their newest member of thefamily, Baby Lucy to be part ofthis special event in school.
The children in class gatheredaround
Baby
Lucy
while
Matthias watched over his little
sister with care. Matthias’ mumshared Matthias’ favourite book,‘The Zoo Animals’ along withthe different zoo animals’ masks
for the children, to engage their

Building Collaborative Cultures
EtonHouse @ Vanda
by Emelia Prayogo, Pre-School Director

Valuing the role of parents as our partners insupporting children’s learning and development
has contributed a significant perspective in theway we view collaboration. Collaboration isseen as a multitude of approaches in providing
context to home-preschool relationship. Building
a collaborative home-preschool culture means
being committed to reflection, openness, andtrust. In addition to that, the commitment further
leads us to acknowledgement and respect ofothers’ perspectives. The pre-school fosters
practices that support the following:• Interdependence is valued
We understand that collaboration is a complex anddemanding commitment. It requires developing
trusting, collegial relationships; dealing with• Mistakes and uncertainty are openly shared,
discussed, and examined

conflict; and maintaining clear focus. Spence(2006) recognizes that structured methods ofcollaboration encourage self-examination of one’s
conscious thoughts and feelings. For examples,
ex-parents of our K2 class, together witheducators, collaboratively advocated theimportance of a holistic approach to thetransition to primary years; a parent’s
initiative fostered a collaborative effort
among the wider community in raising
donated items to the less fortunate children
in Cambodia; parents’ feedback is valued asa point of reference for further improvement.
Spence,MuneeraU.
“Graphic
Design:Collaborative Processes = Understanding Self
and Others.” (lecture) Art 325: Collaborative
Processes. Fairbanks Hall, Oregon State
University, Corvallis, Oregon. 13 Apr. 2006.

• Disagreement is accepted to foster new
dialogue-8-

Eton Hou se in Singap ore

Collaboration at EtonHouse Newton:
EPIC (EtonHouse Parents in Collaboration)
EtonHouse @ Newton
by Rohini Ramadas, Core Teacher & Tracey Boyle, Pre-School Director

At EtonHouse Newton, parents
participate actively in the planning of
their child’s education. This is doneat the beginning of each school year
through the parent, teacher and child
Goal Setting Conferences. Parents
make dynamic and knowledgeable
contributions to the pool of informationcollected by teachers. This provides
a platform for a collaborative working
relationship based on mutual respectand shared understandings.
As the school year and children’sdevelopment progress, parents andstaff get the opportunity to expand
this collaboration. These variedand dynamic school collaborations

develop their global and environmental awarenessand appreciation.
Respect, trust, open communication and mutual
goals are all positive indicators for effective andcollaborative partnerships with our parents,
children and staff.
Upon reflection we continually foster and further
support the learning and understandings of ourchildren and that is EPIC for all of us at EtonHouse
Newton!

A parent teaching students in K1 Polar Bear class how to fold different
paper origami during Japanese Children’s Day.

community.

Teachers, parents and students at Sport’s Day assembly
waiting for the event to begin.

Through cultural celebrations our faculty at Newton
supports a positive cultural identity for all children
and their families. Through all other celebrations
we
promoteand strengthen
a positive andsupportive
schoolculturethat allows ourchildren to further

include Parent Information Sessions andConsultations, Parent Assemblies, Community
Events, Cultural and Global Celebrations, School
Exhibitions, Sports, Music and Arts School
Events. All of these global, school and community
based activities honour and celebrate the diverse
cultures that are an inherent part of our school

Our Early Years
Sport’sDay.
Teachers
andparents
working
together to help ourlittle ones throughtheobstaclecourses.

-9-

Parents participating on Earth Day Celebration.

A parent reading a story book on Easter Bunnies tochildren in N2 Leopards.

E tonH ou se in China

Be Friends with Books, Be Happy with Books
EtonHouse @ Zhuhai
by Rain Chang, Class Teacher

World Book Day was one of great importance for
us at EtonHouse Zhuhai as it also marked our first‘reading festival.’ We asked specialist teachers
from the local story club to collaborate with us in
our activities andinvited the parents
along to join in thefestivities.
The events included
storytelling,
triviaand performances
all
aimed
to
encouragethechildren to think ofreading as a joyful
experience to betreasuredratherthan a mundane chore. We planned experiences
for children to make reading pleasurable sothey think of books as another one of their toys,
something that is engaging and fun.

All in all, the event was a great success andhelped to spark our book sharing activity that isnow flourishing within EtonHouse Zhuhai. Our
students are all better off now that they haveaccess to such a vast and diverse
array of new and interesting books
that they can change on a weekly
basis. We look forward to next year’sWorld Book Day.

Introducing the World Book Day to the children and parents.

EtonHouse 17th Anniversary Celebration
EtonHouse @ Yiwu
by Jeremy Van Sluytman, Principal

community thathosts our school
and its families.

On June 9, 2012 EtonHouse Yiwu hosted acharitable event supported by the entire community
in celebration of the 17th anniversary of EtonHouse.
We felt this occasion was not only
a chance to celebrate the successand growth of EtonHouse overthe past 17 years, but also thecollaboration demonstrated time
and time again in this community- this time in giving back to the

Families donatedgoods to be sold.
Many parents also
volunteeredtosell these goods.
All
proceeds
amountingto
12,000 RMB will be used to buy books and otherschool supplies for Chi’An Pre-School, a local
school with far less funding and resources than
we are fortunate enough to enjoy.
Students, teachers, and parents also
prepared performances to highlightthe international nature of our school.
Colourful dances accompanying
songs from around the world- 10 -

demonstrated the talent and team work here at
EtonHouse Yiwu.
A good time was had by all who attended. Aswell, the profile of EtonHouse was raised in Yiwu
through this cultural and charitable effort. We are
grateful for the ongoing support of the communityand look forward to further collaborations with
Chi’An Pre-School and other organizations in
Yiwu area in the future.

E ton Hou se in China/ Ind ia

Graduation of the First Batch of Senior Year Students
EtonHouse @ Suzhou
by Scott Taprell, Principal

EtonHouse Suzhou is extremely
proud to have our first graduating
senior years group this year. Whileit was only three students, they
have all worked extremely hard topass the EtonHouse High School
Diploma, with two of them achieving
a distinction. Masatsugu Saito and
Hitoko Sasaki will be returning toJapan to sit entrance exams andeventually attend the universities of
their choice, and we wish them good
fortune in their applications.
Erina Izutsu has attained a place
studying for a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Fine
Arts, in the prestigious Lasalle College of theArts, Singapore. Erina has worked extremely

hard this year to complete the required portfolio
for her Advanced Placement exam in Studio Art,
Drawing, which considering she had very little

previous experience in art was
not an easy task to fulfill; but withhuge determination, relentlesspersistence, talent, passion andthe support of her dedicated art
teacher Ms Katherine Webster,
she succeeded in completing therequired quota of exhibits andmore. As a result of her fabulous
portfolio she has achieved theaccolade of attending one of thebest colleges of the arts in Asia,
directly entering the BA (Hons) Fine
Arts course without being required
to complete any prior course. We
take great pride in Erina’s accomplishments andwish her great success in her future.

Fostering a Collaborative Ecosystem
EtonHouse @ India
At Vivero and Serra International Pre-schools
India, we believe in fostering an ecosystem thatencourages collaboration. Be it collaboratingwith peers, parents or the community at large,
our children are encouraged to foster a genuine
and dependable relationship with families and thecommunity early on.
Vivero @ Pune:

created a positive impact on our children. Theylater excitedly narrated elements of their visit toteachers and parents, making this collaborative
effort an enriching educative experience, taking
them one step closer towards Vivero’s aim ofcreating a caring community.
SERRA International @ Aundh & Pune:
Parents as collaborators

Collaboration, a community effort

We believe a parent’s involvement in a child’s
We recently went on an excursion toeducation starts at home and should continue at
Akanksha Foundation, a non-profit educational
school. In Serra, we believe parents are partners
organization for theand a collaborator inunderprivileged.
a child’s education,
Our
children,for us partnering with
along
with
their
parents is one of ourpeers in Akankshamain differentiators.
collaboratedto
Be it Culmination
create a beautiful/ Portfolio Sharing
piece of art; theyDay,
‘Daddy’sthencollectively
Day
Out’
or
participated in a
‘Grandparent’s Tea
story telling session.
Party’, the support
The
experience Vivero, Pune: ‘Collaborating, a community effort’
we have received- 11 -SERRA International,
collaborators’

Aundh,

Pune:‘Parents

asfrom parents has been fantastic.
Our recent Annual Day celebration was a great
success owing to the collaborative efforts ofSerra parents. From coordinating dances, to onstage introductions, they actively participated intheir child’s Annual Day celebration. Parents later
shared that being a part of the event not only
helped them learn about their child’s progress,
but also left them with a sense of belonging. This
response further reinforced our belief, that it takes
more than a just a good school or a home toeducate children - it is collaborative effort.

Eton Hou se in J ap an/ Korea

Fostering a Collaborative Ecosystem
EtonHouse @ Tokyo
by Peter Ackerman, Pre-School Director

Schools are social
institutions
andeducation is a social
process in whichlearning grows andevolvesthroughsocial interactions.
Schools can provide
opportunities
for
a
wide
varietyofcollaborative
relationships to form
between children, parents, and educators. For
these reasons, at EtonHouse International School
Tokyo we strive to promote the development andtalents of children, parents, and educators by
nurturing a culture of working together, learningfrom each other, while at the same time creating
opportunities for all.
There are a multitude of areas in which we focus,

in order to build and enhance ourcollaborative school community.
These include the use of the written
EtonHouse curriculum document,
the Inquire-Think-Learn curriculum
framework, which has been
designed to enhance collaborationand flexible planning. Furthermore,
our curriculum is built aroundchildren’s own
experiences,and is also
play-based,democratic,
responsive, and flexible.
The curriculum evolves aschildren’s interests, ideas,
views and questions are
explored. We then allow
children time and multiple
ways to express these.

Anotherway
wepromote collaborationisthroughthedocumentingofchildren’s
learning
andthesharingof it via displays
throughout the school,
portfolios, and weekly

newsletters that inform
our school communityof what is happeningintheclassrooms,
what we value, andadditionally
provokefurther exploration andlearning.

Father’s Day
EtonHouse @ Korea
by Eunhee Kim, Principal, EtonHouse Dongtan

The event was held on a Saturday morning somore fathers could attend. Classroom teachers
worked in creative ways for fathers to experience
their child’s classroom life, while minimizing any
nervousness for our new participants.
The teachers prepared craft and cooking
classes, and the children’s fathers (and somegrandfathers!) joined in class calendar time. The
highlight for many was the gym class where Sue,
the gym teacher introduced many exciting games

Although expectations are changing, many
Koreans still believe that mothers are primarily
responsible for the education of their children.
Fathers who are interested in their children’s
education often appear shy when visiting school
and to meet their child’s teacher. In order tocreate a greater partnership between home andschool, both EtonHouse Korea schools planned a
Father’s Day event to help promote fathers’ active
involvement in their children’s education.

- 12 -

for the day. Some daddies were very competitive!
The children and their fathers left school smiling –a sure sign of success. It was a good opportunity
for fathers to understand how their children learn
and grow at EtonHouse – and one that will be
repeated in the future.
We continue to seek an authentic partnershipwith families and the community – and encourage
parents, and other relatives, to be actively involvedin the classroom for the benefit of their children.

Eton Hous e in Malaysia/ Ind onesia

Collaborations through Art
EtonHouse @ Malaysia
by Claire Blake, Pre-School Director

Feared by many, ‘art’ isconsidered a finished productmade of paint, paper, clay orcollage. Sometimes teachersof young children use art
to refer to spontaneous,open-ended
and
often
messy
explorations
ofcolour or texture, with little
or no teacher direction or
involvement. As we explore new possibilities
for ourselves as teachers, however, we begin
to use the word ‘art’ to describe a lively processof engagement with a range of materials – anengagement that is sensual and reflective,
creative and deliberate, and that deepens andextends children’s learning.
Through encounters with a wide range of media

and materials, children explore thesensuousness and beauty of colour,
texture, movement, lines and space.
They learn to look carefully and discern
nuances, to move with thoughtfulintention and to follow their intuition.
They also learn to find joy in the playof their senses. As children become
more comfortable and skillful withthese media, they areable to use them to communicate
their understandings, emotions
and questions. Their fluency ina range of art “languages”, inturn, opens new possibilities forcollaboration and dialogue, fortaking new perspectives and fordeepening their relationships witheach other.
At EtonHouse Malaysia, these understandingsof the power of art shape our daily practices withchildren. Our teaching and learning are inspiredby the pedagogy of the schools in Reggio Emilia
and its emphasis on “the hundred languages,”or the ways in which art media can be used to“speak” about experiences, observations, feelings
and theories.
Through the sharing ofthese experiences in our art
exhibition, we aim to embrace
beauty and full-bodied sensory
experiences. We aim to use
art media to anchor these
inquiries and bring beauty into
our lives.

A Field Trip Learning Opportunity “Knowledge Speaks but Wisdom Listens”
EtonHouse @ Jakarta
by Chris Hartman, K2 core teacher

At
EtonHouse
for their expert contribution. We often invite
prepared, and they even had the chance to try
Indonesia
wethe parents to join celebrations and events
their own hand at cooking five-star food. The day
providetime,
at school and involve them to enrich theended with some real Italian pizza and a photo
resourcesandchildren’s learning by volunteering to plansession with all the chefs.
space for ouractivities or share knowledge withchildren to havethem. The parents are willing tothe ‘freedom’ tobe guest speakers or to help out
Inquire,Think
to arrange and sometimes provide
andLearn.
for things needed for an activity
We involve theinvolving the children’s current topic
parents as muchof study.
Chef delights at student’s focus andas possible in concentration
For example, last month a number
theirchildren’sof our children were invited by a parent
learning journeys. We feel that involving parents
Master Chef for a tour of the Italian
helps strengthen the quality of the school’s
restaurant at Shangri-La Hotel Jakarta.
program.
The children were able to observe theToken of appreciation to parent,
We have parents from a wide range of nationalities
kitchen operations there, where dishes
Master Chef of Shangrila Hoteland they come from various unique professional
for up to a thousand people can be “ Chef of the Day” group photo Jakarta.
backgrounds which provide for opportunities- 13 -