Stamford American International School

[Brooklynjenn]

We are considering Stamford American International School. Unfortunately, I have had a hard time finding feedback on the school, presumably because it is so new. We have a 4 and 6 year old. I have read the archives and the detailed school visit from 2009. Has anyone had more recent experience with the school now that it is established? Are any families on this board attending the school currently?

[boffenl]

I'm surprised no-one has jumped in yet. There were a number of families who left SAS for SAIS, and I was hoping to hear from them.

My advise--go visit the school and see if they can offer some names or parents or families at the school now.

Good luck!

[Jackielovesjon]

I can add that my husband and I visited SAIS during our look-see trip in March 2011, and were very impressed.

It ended up being our second choice for our 3 kiddos (4, 6, and 10) behind ICS. Facilities at SAIS are better/newer, but we preferred ICS for it's christian community. Both schools seem great for young ones.

I hope this is helpful. Best regards!

Jackie O.

[Brooklynjenn]

Now that we have chosen Stamford American and my children are attending, I thought I would follow up since there is not much info out there from the community on the school.

I absolutely love the school, and I feel like it was the right place to send our children. The kids have really started enjoying their new school. My older child was welcomed on her first day by children jumping up and down with excitement at her joining. Obviously, the teacher had prepared them for a new student and they were super excited and welcoming. It really started things out well for us, because she was so nervous about making new friends. The younger child was given the appropriate amount of distance(she is slow to warm) so she could get used to things and settle in. The teacher took special care of her on the first few days, holding her hand, assigning her a buddy to play with, and helping her get to know the other students. She has a really severe food allergy, and feel so confident that my child will be looked after appropriately. The nurses spent over an hour with me discussing her treatment plan. They even had allergists to recommend that the other children have been using.

The academics are challenging enough but not overwhelming to the children. They seem appropriate, and perhaps a bit more challenging than our public school back in the states, which was a distinguished public school. They get two cocurricular activities a week, so my daughter is taking art and swimming. They have daily Mandarin lessons for 50 minutes. We have been here three weeks, and my children are singing Mandarin songs with the taxi drivers. Amazing.

The community is friendly and welcoming, and very international. There are groups for parents to meet up and get to know each other, such as book clubs, sewing clubs, museum clubs, food tour clubs, etc. Communication is more than we ever got at home, with weekly emails and teacher conferences. My youngest daughter's teacher told me daily how the little one was doing with her adjustment, and they are very responsive to email. The older child's parent teacher conference included her as well. She got to set personal goals, and she was able to give her input as to how she is doing. It was really esteem building, all framed in a way that was positive and encouraging.

My only complaints are pretty minor. The bus takes longer than I would like. It depends on where you end up on the route. My kids are also getting mosquito bites at school. I'm not sure that would be any different elsewhere.

Bottom line, it is a great school and my children are very happy there.

[CJO]

I'm surprised no-one has jumped in yet. There were a number of families who left SAS for SAIS, and I was hoping to hear from them.

Do you mind sharing why? We may be moving to Singapore at the first of the year and these are the top two schools we are considering.

Thanks!
CJ

[boffenl]

Sorry CJO, I don't know they reasons for leaving SAS for SIAS. That's why I was hoping a few would comment here. The school has a new principal and they are very open and out in the community. Probably because they're just starting out and the International Schools market here in incredibly competitive.

I'd suggest to go visit both--with your kids. Then you'll be able to tell what fits your family better.

Good luck! and welcome to Singapore!

[Brooklynjenn]

CJO, we considered both schools, and chose SAIS for two main reasons. One, SAS had a wait list for our kids' grades, even for Americans, but since SAIS is expanding and a newer school, they had space. Even if all things were equal and there were a space at both schools, a deciding factor for us was that SAIS is significantly closer to the central area. We have a friend in Holland Village whose children get on the bus for SAS at 6:50 am, and they return at 3:30. At SAIS, our kids get on the bus at 7:55 and return at 4:05. We are located centrally. We just signed a lease for a place near Holland Village and our bus times will be quite similar to our current times. Mine are quite young, so 30 minutes a day not spent on the bus is significant. I am sure it all depends on where your permanent place ends up on the route, but one thing I found helpful was to contact the bus company to find travel times from certain areas. Some going to SAS choose to live in the Woodlands to make it shorter, but for us that would make commuting to work take too long, so we had to take travel times for all family members into consideration.

[Brooklynjenn]

Thought I would also add that people I talk to whose children go to SAS also really seem to like it, so I don't think you could really go wrong with either school. It is much larger, more established, while SAIS has a smaller sort of feel to it.

[CJO]

I appreciate both of your replies. We definitely plan to visit both when we get there. Thanks for the additional background info.

CJ