Moving from New York, need some school advice

[Kendo]

We are moving from New York in the summer to Singapore and need some help with schools choices. We have three children, ages 11, 5 and 3, and wonder if anyone has suggestions for which school(s) might best suit our needs. We don't have to go to an American school, but will need a school that will follow enough of a U.S. curriculum so that when we return to New York in five years' time our kids won't be completely confused by what's being taught in the schools here.

We would prefer NOT send our kids to the American schools so that they--and we--get to meet people from other countries and cultures, but at the same time we are concerned that the subjects/testing/teaching structure will be so different in a non-American school from what the norm is here that re-integration for them in five years will be a problem. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[windycitykidz]

My husband and I went through the same process as you. We wanted our children to have an "international" experience. We choose SAIS, mainly due to their daily Chinese program and they offer the IB program, albeit an American School.

Thus far my kids love the school and I must say it is a very International School. We will most likely head back to the US in a few years and should have no problem reintegrating.

[Sisi2000]

My child is also at SAIS. He just started this term at a upper elementary grade. I found the standard of their curriculum and work load much easier & lighter than any private school in the US that I have known. Homework load at SAIS is (in my opinion) comparable to a regular public school in the US. I am thinking that my child might have a hard time adjusting when he returns to the US

[Sisi2000]

Sorry, I do have to add that my child is very happy at SAIS. He looks forward to going to school everyday, much more than in any other school he had attended before

[Kendo]

Thanks for the responses. I definitely want a school that is academically tough and challenging for my children, so maybe SAIS isn't for them. I would like a school that teaches IB--since it will probably be more international--and maybe the local standard of math, but again am concerned of the transition back to the US, whether my children will be at the same level and have learned the same subjects when they reintegrate. Has anyone heard of an American kid going to a British or non-American school and then having no problem adjusting once they return back home? If so, which school?

[Brooklynjenn]

I'm also a parent at SAIS, and I am surprised that someone finds the workload and curriculum easier at SAIS. My kids have learned volumes more than at their schools in the US, and to me it is mind blowing just how much better the school is than our old one back in California was. We were at a public school, one that was in the top three percent of our state. The inquiry based learning has really worked for my kids. I have yet to speak to a parent personally who is unhappy with the workload and what they are learning at school. I have a KG1 and grade 1 kid.

[Sisi2000]

My child was from a private school in California and I find SAIS curriculum to be much easier and homework load to be way lighter than some private schools that I have come across in California. Within this forum, I have also encountered a 2nd? grade parent who mentioned that the curriculum at SAIS to be not at grade level. Frankly, it really depends on the kid. I think this slow pace seems quite suitable for my child. I am just making comparisons based on experience I had with other schools that I know.
Kendo, I have heard of Singapore kids going to the US at grade school that skipped grades and graduated high school at 16. If you want a challenging curriculum you may want to look into the local public schools. You might also want to check out SJI International - this school has a Singapore Math curriculum and has Mandarin as part of its curriculum. I believe their Chinese level is on par with the local school - which is more challenging than what SAIS offer.