Eton House International (and SAS and ERIS)

[Greta]

Has anyone sent their children to the Broderick branch of EtonHouse--the International School? We may be able to get both children admitted (ages 6 and 3 when they will be there). Any thoughts? We are coming from Seattle and looking for an academically challenging but supportive school and a Montessori experience for the younger one. Or are all schools in Singapore rigorous? We might be able to send one child to SAS's kindergarten, but the one-time facilities fee for a six-month stay is discouraging in that we are paying our own fees. We might also be able to send the children to ERIS.

Has anyone visited the Eton House facility? What are the demographics? (We are American but would love the children to have a more local experience). Any impressions or ideas of these schools would be helpful. (I've read the other threads on SAS and ERIS). Thanks!

[sofeajones]

hi i've never been to eton but i did go to eris this mrng and checked the preschool and it was fantastic! it is definately more spacious as compared to other schools i've visited. and the principal and staff are lovely! and one thing i like is half the kids are asian and the other half are expat kids.
thats a good mix i feel you shld check it out.

[Greta]

Sofea- Thank you! That's great to hear. We didn't want to send the children to an expat-only school. (We were supposed to live in Lahore, but the political situation has gotten tricky there.) What were the children doing when you were there? What types of activities did you observe? How strictly Montessori does it seem? Are they doing any group projects or do the children only choose their own projects? (doesn't matter to me either way- I'm just curious. My daughter just finished Montessori preschool here in Seattle and she tended not to do the projects that didn't appeal to her... sometimes I wished there was a bit more of the marching in line, but she loved it!)

I would love to visit these schools but we have to enroll the children in schools sight unseen--that's why I really appreciate getting your first-hand experiences. Is there a playground at ERIS? Did you see the primary school or the kindergarten? Sorry to bombard you with questions!

[sofeajones]

hi greta well singapore is certainly a safer bet than lahore
well i visited both preschool and the grade school itself .. for the preschool, i visited while they doing their montessori work, i saw a few kids learning with the maths tools that they have and also the grammar kits it was pretty interesting, Gabriel (my 5 y/o)was running arnd the place eager to join the kids. they looked like a happy lot! it is a full montessori preschool, most schools i know only do half montessori (i really don't know why, its either your montessori or not to me) the children do choose their own projects and i was abit worried too but the principal assured me that they would rotate the activities accordingly. it is good that they have a progess report of your child too so the parents know whats going on.
there is an indoor playroom and 2 outdoor play areas (one carpeted and a sandpit) so i would say the preschool is amazing. i did see the primary school too, very nice teachers and classes i must say.

anyway, since you'll be enrolling them first without checking out the school, their website has a sort of interactive portion where you can see the classes and preschool so that might help. www.eris.edu.sg

and its alright you can ask me anything, its better to know than to regret! it's tough enough being away from home.