INTRODUCTION

1. Message from the Founderand Group MD

SINGAPORE

1. EtonHouse @ Mountbatten 718

2. EtonHouse @ Mountbatten 717Embracing Nature

3. EtonHouse @ Mountbatten 764ARTopia 2010-2012 Charity Drive &Home-School Partnership

4. EtonHouse @ Orchard

EtonHouse @ Outram

5. EtonHouse @ NewtonAction: Jamiyah Welfare Home

EtonHouse Education CentreMaster Class in Children’s Art,Creativity and Play

6. Self-Appraisal through reflectivepractice

EtonHouse @ BroadrickIntroducing Mr Alan Small, Principal

CHINA

7. EtonHouse @ JinanGrandparents’ Day

EtonHouse @ YiwuVisit by Singaporean MinisterLim Hwee Hua

8. EtonHouse @ Xi’anSpecial Events

EtonHouse @ Suzhou

INDONESIA/JAPAN

9. EtonHouse IndonesiaCaring and Sharing

EtonHouse Japan

INDIA

10. EtonHouse India

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Contents:From the Founder & Group MD

Newsletter Q3/4 - 2010 e N e w sThis eNewsletter is the thirdand f i na l E tonHouseCorporate Newsletter for the2010 calendar year. TheNewsletter has the aim ofsharing with our EtonHousecommunity of children,p a r e n t s , s t a f f a n dstakeholders, a collection ofarticles representing asnapshot of the many veryinteresting activities occurring in pre-schools and schoolsin Singapore, Jakarta, India, Japan and China. Alsoincluded are articles that provide some greater insightinto the richness and diversity of pedagogical thinkingthat drives the quality of EtonHouse classroom teachingand learning.

EtonHouse has celebrated its 15th anniversary yearin 2010. The theme in this 15th anniversary year hasbeen one of sustainability and environmental awareness.This environmental learning, as explored throughInquire-Think-Learn and the International Baccalaureate,

has been transformational,taking children and theircommunities on a journey tobe better global citizens,a s s u m i n g p e r s o n a lresponsibility for their actionsfor the benefit of all who shareour planet. These are mightya s p i r a t i o n s f r o m a nEtonHouse pre-school andschool system committed not

only to learning excellence but equally, the nurturingof genuine leaders for the future.

Please enjoy the articles that follow and thank you foryour support and partnership over this past year.

EtonHouse now looks forward with optimism andconfidence to 2011 and the further innovation andlearning journey that it will bring.

Ng Gim ChooGroup Managing Director

EtonHouse is delighted to announce the openingof a new Internat ional Pre-School at 718Mountbatten Road in January, 2011. The Centrewill commence with enrolments in Pre-Nursery,Nursery 1 and Nursery 2. The new Centre is knownas EtonHouse International Research Pre-School.

The Inquire-Think-Learn curriculum, inspired by theReggio Emilia pedagogical approach in NorthernItaly, will focus on inquiry-based learning in which

c h i l d r e n ’ s i d e a s ,interests and theoriesinform the curriculumexperiences.

The classrooms areaccommodated in twobeautifully renovatedea r l y 20 t h cen tu rybuildings. The outdoor

area is spacious and designed to stimulate outsideplay and exploration.

Inquiries about enrolment in this new EtonHouseInternational Research Centre can be made bycontacting Cathy Klein-Wallace, Parent LiaisonM a n a g e r , o n 6 8 4 6 3 3 2 2 o r e m a i lcathy.wallace@etonhouse.com.sg

EtonHouse @ Mountbatten 718

In our continued endeavour to bring nature into the lives of our young charges,the Pre-nursery and Nursery One children were invited to embark on a journeyof inquiry and exploration in nature. The teaching team at 717 got together andheld a discussion on the green possibilities within the program.

The teachers introduced literature in theclassrooms that revolved around nature andits wonders. This was the beginning as webuilt on the children’s budding interest in thenatural environmentwhich was clearlydistinct in their dailyoutdoor exploration.

We examined theoutdoor environment,

creating and segregating gardening plots. We invitedparental collaboration, and encouraged parents to bringin recycled materials that can be given a new lease oflife in our garden.

The teachers modelled respect and care for nature andthe children were encouraged to do so too. The provisionof various gardening tools like spades and shovels etc.were enough to get the children motivated and get theirhands dirty.

As the children explored the functions of thegardening tools, they assumed responsibility andtook up the role of taking care of their outdoorenvironment. Outdoor experiences soon involvedspritzing and watering the plants, raking driedleaves, digging and preparing plots for new plants,planting their own seeds, and adding fertilizer toenrich the soil.

It became a part of the children’s daily routine asthey hurried to the shelves, picked up the wateringcans, filled them up at the sinks and watered theirplants. The children were developing an understanding of what plants neededin order to grow. Their close encounter with nature sparked interest in fauna

as the children came up close andpersonal with nature’s gardeners,the earthworm.

Nature’s colour palette wasinspiring. Every morning childrenstarted to name the colours of theblossoms they saw. “How manyyellow flowers do you see?” Asimple question was all that was

needed to pique the children’s interest and engage them in a counting experience.There was a sense of satisfaction as the children watched the first buds emergeand continue to grow under their care.

Our gardening experience has taught boththe children and teachers valuable lessonsas we grew their appreciation and respectfor the natural environment. We believe thatour children are competent and activeprotagonists of their learning. Theresponsibility falls on us to bring their attentionand recognition towards the role they canplay in preserving nature. The simple actand engagement in gardening serves to instilvalues of nurturing and caring for the naturalworld. It was a way to keep the children intouch with the vibrancy of nature; to taketime and slow down to appreciate the ‘green’.

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EtonHouse in Singapore

EtonHouse @ Mountbatten 717:Embracing Nature

To inculcate the development of social awareness, responsibility and sustainabilityin their students, EtonHouse 764 partnered their parents and families in acharity drive through their annual art exhiition, ARTopia – celebrating the 21st

Century child’s learning, journey through visual arts.

The event was opened toEtonHouse co l leagues ,p a r e n t s , f a m i l i e s a n dfriends on Thursday, 30th

September 2010 between4pm – 7pm.

The Team ident i f ied theS i n g a p o r e C h i l d r e n ’ sSociety as their off ic ia lChari ty Partner for year2 0 1 0 - 2 0 1 2 . T h e m a i nreasons for the selectionw e r e t h e i r b e l i e f t h a t

“charity begins at home” andt h a t t h e S i n g a p o r eChildren’s Society supportsd isadvantaged ch i ld ren,y o u t h a n d f a m i l i e sr e g a r d e l e s s o f t h e i rc ircumstances, race andrel ig ion. The Team f indssuch d ivers i ty and ant i -biased practice important asit reflects its values of globalcitizenship.

T h e 7 6 4 Te a mwould like to thankand congratulatet h e i r s t u d e n t s ,parents, famil iesand colleagues forsuch a wonderfulpar tnersh ip thatresulted in a verysuccessful eventw h i c h r a i s e d$7,888.50.

EtonHouse @ Mountbatten 764:ARTopia 2010-2012 Charity Drive & Home-School Partnership

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The product: Nina and Lauren of N2 Petunias played in the GB Housethat was installed using recycled plastic bottles.

“People like my artwork. We put in a lot of hard work and we did it together.At the end it looks very nice. It is fun to do art; it is about learning somethingnew.”

Han Tao, K2 Orchid

“I realised art needs a lot of focus and concentration to be a good artist. WhenI grow up, I want to be a jewellery designer.”

Chloe Lim, K2 Orchid

“I learn how to use a metal wire to mould into the shape of a shark. Then Itied it with two nylon strings to make it move.”

Chloe Lim, K2 Orchid

“Art is magical because you can use anything to make art. I love doing art.”Kristine, K2 Orchid

“I never thought I could use junk and different types of materials to make art’like my wind chime. It is really a trash to treasure and it makes beautifulsounds.”

Alyssa, K2 Orchid

“I am truly honoured and privileged to be a part of ARTopia and mostimportantly as a co-learner alongside the children in the process. My limitedunderstanding of art took a quantum leap as the children and I brainstormedon the countless creative possibilities of materials in creating art …”

Mrs. Anne Liew, K2 Teacher

Congratulations“I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed Artopia. You all managed to outdoyourselves again and I enjoyed it even more than last year. I am not an expertbut I could not believe the calibre of the works of art on display!Hope it all went well and you managed to hit that target. Congratulationsagain on such a fabulous event!”

Mrs. Adj Frema-Appliah, mother of Jemima, Harriet & Charlie

“Congratulations Jo and all Mountbatten 764 team members for inspiringall exhibition visitors yesterday with a display of artwork that was trulybreathtaking in its richness of conceptualization, imagination, contemporaryawareness and presentation .. In every room and in your outdoor area, therewere artworks connecting to such a diversity of ideas – and explored in sucha wondrous variety of media. ARTopia was indeed a feast for the eyes, andsenses.”

Mr. John Cooley, Executive-Principal of EtonHouse (Singapore)

Reflections

EtonHouse in Singapore

The process: The K2 Orchids observing the spread ofblue dye as they paint around orchid motif during themaking of “Our Identity”,using Batik techniques.

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EtonHouse @ Orchard

In September, John Harper and Elena Serraglio cameto EtonHouse International Pre-School for the IBAuthorisation Visit. This is a required audit byrepresentatives of the IB, in order to become an IBWorld School. During the visit the educators receiveda lot of positive feedback; they felt one remark stoodout. John Harper, the visiting team leader, said: “Thisschool is definitely a place for innovation."

Innovation is a change in thought processes. It has‘uniqueness’ implications and carries an undertoneof positive expectations. Innovation adds value to an organization. At EtonHouseOrchard the educators started working together in March 2007. In September2007, it was decided the school would apply for IB PYP candidate status. Thiswas the start of an exploration of how the PYP framework fits with the ‘Inquiry-Think-Learn’ programme at EtonHouse.

This programme is inspired by the educational project of Reggio Emilia. Recently,the mayor of Reggio Emilia described this town as ‘A dream come true’. Healso mentioned that Reggio Emilia is a place that is constantly changing. CarlaRinaldi, one of the protagonists of the educational project in Reggio Emilia,believes change is both a value and a right.

“ Though change may not be easy and can sometimes be painful it is vital. Vitalin relation to life, because life is change. We talk about the right to change,change is both a right and a value. It is a quality of life and of living which

requires awareness to give oneself direction. What isnecessary is to give meaning to change and to accompanychange”.

This statement evokes a poignant question: ‘How dowe accompany change?’.A key challenge in innovation is maintaining a balancebetween continuity and alteration. It is also importantto constantly discuss and identify the process andelements of change with all members of the community.A higher level of understanding about our work alongside

children can only be reached through a culture of reflection and collaboration.This culture of collaboration and mindfulness has supported the developmentof the programme at EtonHouse International Pre-School. At the same timethere has been a pleasure of ‘being’, of joyfulness during the process.

The efforts of John Cooley, the Executive Principal of EtonHouse Singapore,Mrs. Ng, our Managing Director and all the educators have made the IBAuthorisation visit a success. Victoria Newman, the PYP Coordinator, put in atremendous amount of time and effort in preparing the visit. It's their hard workand dedication that have shaped EtonHouse Orchard into an exceptional placefor teaching and learning.

Anne van DamSenior Pre-School Director

EtonHouse International Pre-School

At EtonHouse Outram, wehave been working towards ourK2 Graduation with our childrenwho will be leaving for PrimaryOne very soon. This has beenan enjoyable and engagingproject as the children wereinvolved in the whole process.They made decisions aboutwhat they would like to shareon the day and what art pieceswe could display to create anambiance in the hall whereparents will join us to celebratethis occasion.

EtonHouse @ Outram

The children prepared their graduationinvitations for their families. This allowedthem to engage in writing for a purpose.

The children illustrated their invitations andfelt empowered as they were involved inthe graduation process from beginning toend.

The children have been invited to createsymbolic representations of their timewith us at EtonHouse using clay.Shaw Wee can be seen left intentlyengaged in creating the intricate designson his tortoise shell. He shared “I chosethe tortoise because it is my favouriteanimal and I learnt many things about itfrom the books, the computer and David’sWildlife magazines!”On the day the clay representations willbe displayed as meaningful art exhibits.They have been engraved with thechildren’s years of attendance atEtonHouse and will be sent home as atreasured memory of their time with us!

This has become our inquiry over the pastfew weeks as the children have preparedindividual presentations to share about theirfavourite learning journey at EtonHouse.One of our students, Miyu, can be seen asshe selected images from her favouritelearning inquiry to share for graduation. Shetyped her thoughts and feelings about theimages.

This will be used as a power point on theday. The children can demonstrate theircompetencies as they operate technology toshare their individual memories of their timeat EtonHouse.

EtonHouse in Singapore

EtonHouse International Pre-School was granted IB PYP WorldSchool Authorization in November 2010

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During the weeks leading up to Children’s Day ourschool community was involved in collecting itemsfor donation to Jamiyah Welfare Home. Items thatwere collected included clothing, toys, tinned foodsand toiletries. The response wasoverwhelming and the K2 childrenhelped to sort and pack quite a lotof the donations. On ThursdaySeptember 30th , K2 children andtheir teachers, packed thedonations into the bus andpersonally delivered the donations.During this time all of the K2

children displayed many of theattributes of the IB learner profile andattitudes that have included thembeing confident, caring and reflective

r o l e m o d e l s .Experiences such asthese help children todevelop a deeperunderstanding and appreciation ofthe communities that they live in. TheK2 children have engaged inreflections that have seen them usingoral and written communication skills

to express their thoughts and feelings. Their actionshave helped to provide some less privileged childrenwith a reason to celebrate “Children’s Day” with asmile on their faces.

EtonHouse @ Newton:Action: Jamiyah Welfare Home

EtonHouse in Singapore

EtonHouse Education Centre (EEC):Master Class in Children’s Art, Creativity and Play

The EtonHouse Education Centre (EEC) recentlyconvened its second conference for 2010 - a seriesof Masters Classes on children’s art, creativity andplay. The Master Classes held at the Novotel, ClarkeQuay, 14th – 16th October were attended byeducators from Singapore as well as 8 neighbouringcountries and included classroom teachers,specialist art teachers and policy makers. The 90participants included a large delegation fromEtonHouse pre-schools (Newton, 764 and 717,Mountbatten Road, Vanda, Outram and Broadrick).

Dr. Barbara Piscitelli (AM), who facilitated the 2.5day conference, is an acknowledged advocate for

children and young people’s engagementin museum culture. She has worked for 30years with a wide range of educationalsettings, galleries, museums and librariesto develop and deliver high quality artsprograms. Dr. Piscitelli serves on the Boardof Directors of major Australian museums;advises widely on the arts and culturalsector; works directly with children andcommunities; and collects and curates children’sart. Dr. Piscitelli holds an Order of Australia, Member,General Division, 2006

Dr. Piscitelli was ably supported across conferencesessions by Dr. SusanWright (Professor of EarlyChildhood and SpecialEducation at the NationalInstitute of Education;NIE) and Esther Joosa,also of NIE, all strongadvocates for the arts.Playeum representativesSumitra Pasupathy andJennifer Loh also took part

in conference sessions. The Playeum (or themuseum without walls) serves as a widely successfulcommunity arts programme, with a clear focus onsupporting children’s creative development throughplayful engagement in the arts and culture. Throughdirect participation with artists and arts programs,they aim to support children in creating, expressingand indulging their imagination.

Dr. Susan Wright’s latest publication Understandingcreativity in early childhood. (2010). London, UK:Sage publications, is currently available atSeptember 21.

Heather Conroy, Senior Director of Pedagogy

Conference sessionsaddressed working withar t is ts in res idence;documenting and analysingchildren’s artistry; the adultrole in supporting creativitya n d s y m b o l i crepresentation and howb e s t t o e s t a b l i s henvironments which fostercreativity and play.

Art is a crucial part of the thinkingprocess and creativity must becultivated... I must communicate this toparents... ...

The conference was a wake up call forme... it has inspired me and given mea push to create a quality learningexperience for children...

Art is an integral part of a child’s day(and their holistic development). I amgoing to instil creativity and play into ourdaily curriculum...

EtonHouse Pre-School Newton was granted IB PYP World SchoolAuthorization in June 2010

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EtonHouse in Singapore

Epstein (2003) says that reflection is rememberingwith analysis. When educators reflect…it is asthough we are looking through a lens to examineour behaviours and then thinking about ways toimprove….it is a process of metacognition becausewe think about our own thinking (Suskie 2003 inHarle & Trudeau 2006 p 101).

If we consider the early childhood field within aSingaporean context, self-appraisal through reflectivemode is now receiving attention as a valid form ofteacher (self) evaluation and professional growth.

Despite our understandings of the significance ofcritical reflection as a learning tool, many practitionersseem to find reasons not to engage in this process.If however, we acknowledge ourselves asprofessional teacher-researchers, we need to seektime and space to engage both in individual reflectionand as critical friends within a collaborativeframework of collegial reflection to ensure that ourvalues; beliefs and theoretical knowledge informour practice. Without deep reflection, our actionswill be merely ‘doing’ - we need to seek ways ofsupporting more insightful practice.

Time, or the lack of it, is often cited as a reason forNOT employing a more reflective stance in relationto our teaching i.e. the time educators allocate forplanning, as well as the actual process of learningand teaching, seem to take up every minute of theday…many teachers believe they are just too busyto pause momentarily, to look inside their thinkingfor the purpose of self-evaluation.

We advocate that the habit of reflecting on ourpractice (individually, or with colleagues) must beacknowledged as part of our day to day teaching;as one of the ongoing responsibilities we undertakeas a professional educator. We see the process ofcollegial reflection, based on openness and trustwithin the group, as being a powerful way ofsupporting and challenging both thinking andpractice. In other words, we propose that the practiceof accessing another’s perspective as a provocationto our own critical consciousness (Freire 1973 p38) of a particular interaction, conversation or eventsupports us in becoming authors of our owndecisions (Freire 1973).

To demonstrate our respect for this standpoint i.e.the critical nature of reflective practice to our ongoingdevelopment as educators, we established a goalof creating a culture of collegial reflection at EHVanda pre-school. Teachers were invited toindividually respond to several questions related toour already documented image of child and thework practices at our pre-school. It was proposedthat these individual reflections would then be sharedwithin the full group to initiate further dialogue aboutvalues informing practice. This dialogue was notaimed at reaching a ‘conclusion’ about anything –instead we wanted to initiate a process of furtherexploring meaning together – thinking together andlearning together about our teaching.

Self-Appraisal through reflective practice:Heather Conroy, Senior Director of Pedagogy, EtonHouse PreschoolsEmelia Prayogo, Preschool Director, EH Vanda Preschool

References:

Epstein, A. S. (2003). How planning and reflection developyoung children’s thinking skills. Beyond the journal.Washington. USA: NAEYC.

Freie, P. (1973) Education for critical consciousness. NewYork, NY: Continuum International Publishing.Harle, A.; with Trudeau, K. (2006). Using reflection toincrease children’s learning in kindergarten. Young Children.Washington, USA: NAEYC. p 101-104.

I feel that I am still learning to plan learning experiencesbased on ongoing observation, reflection andevaluation. As the day goes by with lots of experiences,l need to tell myself to stop and reflect …and beingable to reflect on this with my peers in a small groupwill be very effective as we would able to share …andevaluate towards better practice. Parimala

This is what I try to pay attention to when I reflecteach day…the importance of … Getting down to achild's level and looking at things from their point ofview, listening to them, respecting their values andideas by responding to them verbally, walldocumentation, displaying their creations, taking theiropinions into consideration and extending the learningplans/experiences accordingly.

Munia Ahmed

Reflecting onour thinking:What was shared

EtonHouse International School and Pre-School, Broadrick wasdelighted to be able to welcome Mr. Alan Small as the newcampus Principal on October 18th, the first day of the Term 2calendar. Mr Small relocated from Sydney, Australia with hiswife Suzy, and has already made a fine impression upon allsections of the school community.

Mr. Small is an outstanding educational leader, having previouslyheld the positions of Head of Junior School at Central CoastGrammar, Deputy Head of Middle School at Newcastle GrammarSchool and Head of Middle School at Bishop Tyrell Anglican College

– all well-renowned independent schools in New South Wales, Austalia.

Mr. Small’s educational vision can be summarized from his resume in whichhe stated, ‘I believe that each person in an educational community is uniqueand that each possesses special strengths that are the cornerstone of emotional

balance, self-image and learning for that individual. The educationof the “whole student” is of paramount importance.’

EtonHouse Broadrick looks forward to Mr. Small’s visionaryleadership of the campus over many years into the future.

EtonHouse @ BroadrickIntroducing Mr Alan Small, Principal

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Jinan Eton House has a busy Program Calendarthroughout 2010 – 2011 designed to enrich children’slearning while building partnerships withthe parent community. On Friday 22nd

October 2010 , they hos ted aGrandparents’ day with over 140Grandparents joining in the day’scelebrations. The day provided anopportunity to develop understanding ofthe process of inquiry, and showcase thelearner profile attributes; such as ourcaring, thinking communicators. Grandparents

witnessed learningenvironments andac t i v i t i es verydifferent from theirown days at school.

T h e b i l i n g u a lopening addressdelivered by the

Principal, Cheryl Kelly, and the Assistant Principal,Lucy Qu, drew enthusiasticapplause from the grandparents.Children and teachers had beenpreparing for the day andclassrooms hosted a rich displayof pictures and children’s workin progress; all bil ingual.This year Jinan EtonHouse is

making a transition to a fullybilingual school and visitors wereable to appreciate the displaysin either English or Chinese.Grandparents were able to seethe Inquiry Process Boards inthe classrooms and appreciatethe current Unit of Inquiry whichhas been f ocus i ng onunderstanding Who We Are.

Grandparents joined in musicand singing, art work, games

and language time in the classrooms. After sharinga snack in the common areas, children and teachers

invited the grandparents to join in outdoor gameson the school oval. It was wonderful to see thecooperat ion asgrandparents ranrelay races, joinedin piggy back racesand played withtheir grandchildren.

Grandparents’ Day followed a recent parentworkshop looking at the philosophy of EtonHouse

and the Inquiry approach, alsoattended by an enthusiasticgroup of 45 parents. Bothbilingual events have helpedbui ld understanding andp a r t n e r s h i p s a t J i n a nEtonHouse.

EtonHouse @ Jinan:Grandparents’ Day October 22, 2010

EtonHouse in China

On September 8th,Singapore’s MinisterLim Hwee Hua,c o n c u r r e n t l yMinister in the PrimeMinister’s Office,Second Minister for Finance and Second Ministerfor Transport, led a group of Singaporean officialsand business representatives in a visit toEtonHouse, Yiwu as part of a tour to build relationsbetween Singapore and Zhejiang. The Minister,along with local Chinese officials including, MrZheng Hou Ze of the Yiwu Municipal ForeignTrade and Economic Cooperation Bureau touredthe school and chatted with teachers andstudents. The Minister was impressed by theschool’s facilities and international makeup,representing 15 nations.

EtonHouse @ Yiwu:SingaporeanMinisterLim Hwee Huavisits

On September 20th, the children and teachersin the Chinese Department shared a presentationof various songs, dances and poems to celebratethe Mid Autumn Festival. All children, teachersand parents were invited to this presentation. Inthe evening, a delicious assortment of Chinesetreats and snacks were served.

Mid-AutumnFestivalCelebrations

Curriculum Evening

Our Curr iculumEvening held on 21September was anoppor tun i ty forparents to gainmore informationabout their child’s curriculum and also to askquestions. Staff made presentations about the NewLiteracy and Numeracy Programmes as well as ournew IB Diploma Programme. The event was well

supported by bothPYP and MYPparents and thefeedback to staff hasbeen very positive.

EtonHouse @ Xi’an:Special Events

EtonHouse in China

Crazy Bike Ride

Alasdair MacLean our amazing Principal rode over350km in 17 hours to raise money for The LibraryProject. He rode without a support crew due to alast minute ccancellation through the mountainsfrom Xiang Fan to Xi’an in the dark and pouringrain. This man is an inspiration to our students, heis definitely a risk taker, caring, principled andreliable.

Community and Service

Our Student Council hasraised over 6,000 RMBover the last year for”The Library Project”.We now have enoughto buy a library for GongWant Elementary School in Lantian County, ShaanxiProvince. This will provide books, bookshelves, aglobe and other library resources. We are excitedat the prospect of delivering our library to the school

and meeting the staffand students. Weintend to build arelationship with ourProject School andto continue to shareand communicatewith them regularly.

The first 100km done, phew,only 270km to go.

Home again withIsabel and Max

EtonHouse @ Suzhou

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It is an exciting time atEtonHouse, Suzhou as thisyear for the first time we havestudents all the way fromaged 2 up to 17 years old.

It has been great to see howour youngest students havequickly adapted to life in thePandas. The Nurseryclasses are such exciting

places of learning and discovery. It is thatengagement with learning that has always beenone of the strongest characteristicsof EtonHouse, Suzhou. The learningjourney here has maintained thatexcitement and child centred natureright from the youngest to the oldeststudents as we focus on the IBLearner profile.

The students’ happiness and the care they showfor each other is also regularly commented on byvisitors to our school, and it is the security thisprovides that underpins our students’ willingnessto be risk takers in their learning.

As we move towards authorisation forour middle years programme andprepare for the introduction of theDiploma Programme in 2013, we areseeking the continuity and seamlessprogression of a whole school IBprogramme. It is a common sight to seethe oldest boys in school taking thehands of some of the little ones to guide and assistthem, whether it is day to day or various crossschool initiatives such as our Buddy Readingprogramme.

This year is seeing significantdevelopment in our languagesprogramme across the school bothin EAL and in mother tonguesupport and development. As ourmiddle years has grown in the lastyear from 29 to 49, with this growth

almost exclusively being of students from an Asianbackground, it has been necessary to support theiraccess to a curriculum delivered in English.

Research on second language acquisition supportsthe importance not only of addressing the teaching

of English but also the continueddevelopment of the mother tongue.At first sight this is counterintuitivecompared to second languageimmersion programmes. If studentscan continue to develop theirconcepts and metacognition in theirmother tongue, however, i t

enhances the development of their learning ofconcepts across the currculum.

This is because although oral communication skillsin a second language may be acquired within 2 or3 years, it may take 4 to 6 years to acquire the levelof skill needed for understanding the language inits academic uses (Collier, 1989; Cummins, 1981).The recent expansion of our languages programmefrom English and Mandarin to now include Koreanand Japanese is a result of EtonHouse’scommitment to its students.

It is a privileged and an exciting time to be in aschool that is developing these languageprogrammes alongside EAL in a structureddevelopment from the age of 2 all the way to 17and 18.

EtonHouse International Preschool Tokyo officiallyopened on Monday the 30th of August, 2010. Allstudents separated from their parents and settledinto their classrooms without any signs of anxietyor a single tear. The teachers were all feeling verymotivated and thrilled to begin the school year afterweeks of working together as a team to prepareclasrooms, organize resources, andwrite curr iculum documents.

School Director Peter Ackerman said,ìI am delighted and proud to beworking as the Director of EtonHouseInternational Preschool Tokyo in its

inaugural year. I want to continue the hard work ofothers from EtonHouse schools throughout the worldand I hope to build on their success while workingwith our staff here to achieve even more. Thismarvel lous school is theculmination of many years of hardwork by the school’s management.The school’s curriculum isresearch based best practice, theteachers are well prepared,enthusiastic and excited, theschool is very well resourced andthe classrooms and facilities are incredibly beautifulso I can’t see how children can come here and notbe totally inspired. Our school promises to be agreat place for learning where children develop

confidence in their abilities and excel.î

The school managers have plans to furtherdevelop the school’s facilities beginningwith the construction in the coming monthsof a playground at the front of the school.The students are currently using this area

for water and sand play and also for riding thetricycles. The development of the playground willbegin with the laying of soft ground cover beforethe climbing equipment is then put in place. We

have been regularly visiting ourlocal park (Hinokichokoen) foroutdoor play time. During one ofour recent trips to the park thechildren enjoyed eating theirmorning tea on the benches bythe pond. As the children sat andate they discussed some of the

things that they could see – water fall, fish, insects,birds, and a bride and groom being photographed.After they had finished their morning tea, some ofthe children didillustrations of thep o n d b e f o r efinishing the tripto the park withsome play on thes l i d e s a n dswings.

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Our programme for theIndependence Daycelebration started witha cat walk show of batikand International clothesparade worn proudly by

the children of EtonHouse International Preschoolin Jakarta. Some of ourteachers took to the cat walktoo with beautiful Indonesiancostumes After the show,parents mingled and lookedat art & craft items made fromrecycled materials on sale

and they also bought local delicaciesmade by the staff in the kitchen.

In keeping with our philosophy of helpingthose in need in our community, thefunds generated from the sale at theIndependence Day Bazaar were

channelled towardsa Nursing Homefoundat ion. MsVera, the PSD andMs Nita, the PLMrepresenting theschool, visited the

Bina Bhakti Nursing Home on 1st

September, 2010 to give our donationin the form of food supplies such asdried noodles, biscuits, rice, oil, flour,sugar, eggs, milk and milo. It waswarmly received by the 70 residentsthere.

EtonHouse Indonesia:Caring and Sharing - The EtonHouse WayVera Lie, PSD, EtonHouse Jakarta

EtonHouse in Indonesia & Japan

EtonHouse Japan

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Vivero International - Pune

The flagship pre-school of Edvance Pre-schools,proudly reports having 111 children across 16nationalities. Vivero has establisheditself as a premium brand when itcomes to early childhoot education andcare in Pune. A host of celebrationswere seen in the last quarter – GokulAshtami, Eid and Ganesh Chaturthi.Another important event was theLiteracy Week where the children wereencouraged to draw and scribble, readtheir marks through action and talk,listen to stories and read about and learn how toorient their bodies and minds to the technicalitiesof books and print.

Vivero International – Powai

Vivero International in Powai, Mumbai began itsfirst year with a houseful of 78 children, across 11nationalities. The first term started with the children

entering the class crying and clinging to their parentsand came to an end with them entering with brightsmiles and refusing to leave their school. This is abig achievement for them considering the fact thata majority of them are attending school for the firsttime.

Vivero International in Powai, Mumbai offers Pre-Nursery, Nursery, Mother-Toddler and Child Careprograms and will be starting Kindergarten 1 andMother-Toddler programe with the new academicyear.

SERRA International – Aundh

The month of September marked the beginning toa festive season with the festivals of Gokul Ashtami,Eid and Ganesh Chaturthi being celebrated in Indiaas well as in the pre-school. These celebrationsnot only gave the children an insight to various

festivals but also helped the school inliving up to its mission statement of“Fostering genuine and dependablerelationships with family and thecommunity.” The model franchiseecentre SERRA International in Aundh,Pune will turn one on 14th November,on the occasion of Children’s Day having97 children across 5 nationalities.

SERRA International – FranchiseesCentres

SERRA International has successfully franchised5 pre-schools, across Aurangabad, Bangalore,Nagpur and Pune and commenced the academicyear on 18th November, 2010. We look forward toworking witht h e s ef r a n c h i s e epartners whos h a r e o u rcommitment,a n d a r emotivated tocreate a social impact through a financial ventureand thus make a difference to the socieity andeconomy of India. Over the next few years, we aimto provide quality pre-school learning across thelength and breadth of the nation through thefranchisee netwrok route and more prospectivefranchisee centres are in pipeline.

EtonHouse India

EtonHouse in India