With additional support, a welcoming environment, and positive school culture, Shruti Jain’s son was able to adapt to his new school within a month!
Relocation can take a toll on families, especially children who may take slightly more time to adjust to their new home. Add in a new school, new teachers, and new classmates – that’s a lot for a young child to take in.
This was the situation that Shruti Jain’s then-preschooler, Shreyans, experienced when the family first moved to Singapore. Thankfully, with his teacher and school community’s help, Shreyans settled into Canadian International School (CIS) easily within his first month.
We spoke to Shruti to find out how CIS made Shreyans feel welcome as a new student, and why the family has been a happy member of the school’s community for the past few years.
Hi Shruti, can you share a little about Shreyans first experience at CIS?
We enrolled Shreyans at CIS in Senior Kindergarten level. He was born in Germany, and was attending a school following the British curriculum before our move to Singapore. Even though we relocated when he was very young, it was a hard transition for him. The weather, culture, people, and the curriculum (CIS follows the International Baccalaureate – IB) were all very different for him. On top of that, he joined CIS in the middle of the term. Understandably, all these made it harder for him to adjust.
How did the school help him settle in?
Shreyans’ then homeroom teacher was very understanding. She provided extra support and attention to help him adjust. She would check on him more throughout his time at school, and would even give us daily updates. We’re very appreciative of this.
Furthermore, CIS has a very inclusive culture where all differences in culture, backgrounds, and experiences are celebrated and respected. We recall feeling instantly welcomed during our first visit to the school.
Were inclusivity and the welcoming environment factors that led you to choose CIS for Shreyans?
Yes, those were some of the reasons.
We were also looking for a school that offers the IB curriculum. We like that it encourages students to set personal goals, self-evaluate, and learn through inquiry-based teaching. We wanted Shreyans to attend a school that has a strong academic reputation, solid technology integration, strong sense of community, and one that encourages open communication between parents and staff.
CIS offers all these. Along with the IB, the school has excellent Open Minds and STEAM programmes. It has a nurturing environment – you can see this from the homerooms, where students’ works are displayed and students are engaged in their learning. We can sense the strong school culture seeing the Principals and Head of School greet students, parents, and caregivers at the school gate every morning. This may be a small gesture, but it’s so important to us! The admissions team deserves a mention as well, as they were super helpful and supportive, patiently answering our long list of questions.
Last but not least, CIS came strongly recommended, as we’ve read and heard reviews from parents of the school.
How would you rate the level of communication between the school and parents now?
We’ve been with CIS for a few years now and are happy to say that it does a fab job of communicating with parents. We receive weekly updates in the form of blogs with photos from his teachers and Principals. There’s also a weekly newsletter that keeps us informed of things that happen across the whole school.
The teachers are always happy to speak to parents who have concerns any time of the year. They really go above and beyond the usual parent-teacher conferences.
Does Shreyans enjoy attending CIS?
Absolutely! Shreyans has always had the most engaging teachers since day one. He actually looks forward to going to school every day and learning from his teachers. There’s also a variety of clubs, activities, and competitions for him to participate in. Some of the ones he mentioned include the Olympiad, Reading Club, Lego League, Student Council, and Eco Warriors. Shreyans has even picked up skating!
What about the facilities – has he benefited from them?
Definitely. Shreyans enjoys visiting the school library. As he’s also into maths and science since he was three, CIS’ advanced STEAM facilities have helped keep this interest alive, and even contributed greatly towards his learning in these subject areas.
Does CIS have a community for parents?
It does. CIS has a strong and active Parent Teacher Association (PTA) that works closely with the school in hosting family events, charity events, and service opportunities for students. Every homeroom and grade has a parent representative as well.
The school also does coffee mornings for parents, where they cover a variety of topics like a deep dive into the curriculum, parenting styles, and how to safeguard students’ wellbeing. Aside from these, CIS creates opportunities for parents to go into classrooms to share their experiences that are related to the unit of inquiry. We’re invited to accompany our children on field trips too.
Last question: any advice for parents on how to find a suitable school for their children?
Be clear with your must-haves and good-to-haves when looking for a school for your children. The must-haves are the ones that you shouldn’t compromise on. Feel free to ask as many questions as you want before you make a decision. It also helps to gather feedback on your shortlisted schools from multiple sources so you can make an informed decision.
Thank you for sharing, Shruti!
This post is in partnership with Canadian International School.