What makes a school kind? The Kim family has a chat with HoneyKids to share what they love about OWIS, a school that truly values kindness.
In a time where kindness appears to be in decline, it’s refreshing to hear about a school that prioritises kindness just as much as a great education. OWIS is a school that exemplifies kindness and caring, which you can see in the smiling faces of both the staff and its students. At OWIS, children are taught to embrace values like kindness and resilience, so they’ll be ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Inside the school you’ll find Kindness Trees that embody the values-based education OWIS is known for — the very reason why the Kims chose OWIS over other international schools for their daughter, Terry and son, Harry. Here’s what else we found out about their decision-making process…
Hi YooMee and Vince, tell us about what you were looking for in a school.
We relocated to Singapore over a year ago from Beijing, where our children attended the largest and oldest international school. Though they had an amazing experience there, we learned that along with great facilities, it’s the total package of teachers, vision and culture that makes a great school.
And what made you decide on OWIS?
While we were only able to do the virtual tour, what struck us was how the school placed a lot of emphasis on kindness. We’ve learned that it’s a very important value that is regularly emphasised by the teachers, embodied by the students and seen in school events. We also love that the teachers are really attentive and always challenge our kids to succeed. Terry talks about how she loves the kindness activities and her teachers, while Harry says that everybody is nice and he made friends right away.
Do you have any tips for parents who need to do their school search online?
Do a thorough browse of the school’s website and make sure you speak to someone from the school. Take the time to learn about the school’s mission, vision and culture to see if it’s in line with your beliefs. Also, take into consideration that all kids are different, so the school you choose needs to be able to adapt to these different needs.
Are you satisfied with the level of communication you receive from OWIS and how it engages parents?
We are very satisfied with the communication from teachers. Like most schools, they use a digital platform to share about our kids’ day. They are also attentive to any inquiries we have. They also have regular Parent Teacher conferences, which really help.
What does the school do in terms of building a community for parents?
There is an OWIS Parents Committee and the representatives regularly update the parents with upcoming events. They also share how parents can help out. Each class also has a parent group chat where the Class Parent Representative shares information from the school, parents’ committee or the teacher.
Thank you, YooMee and Vince!
This post is in partnership with OWIS
