The HoneyKids team spoke to the Hiranos to find out how One World International School has made their children feel at home since day one.
Settling into a new school isn’t the easiest, especially if you’ve just relocated to a new country. That’s why Ryuji and Mami Hirano were set on finding a school with a welcoming environment so their children could easily adapt and love going to school every day. This is what led them to enrol both their children – Emma and Ray – at One World International School (OWIS). Read on as they share their experience with us…
Hi Ryuji and Mami! Can you tell us more about your children, Emma and Ray?
Our daughter Emma is a very considerate and caring person who always tries to help others. She’s independent and loves a challenge! She also enjoys dancing, painting, and making crafts.
Ray is always smiling and cheerful. He also has a good sense of humour. He loves building with blocks and Legos.
Both of our children started studying at OWIS Nanyang in September 2020, when we first moved to Singapore. They moved to OWIS Suntec, which is the new campus of the school, in August 2021. Emma is now in Grade 1 and Ray is in Early Childhood 2.
Sounds like they have some fantastic hobbies! Could you share with us what made you decide OWIS was the right school for your children?
What we hoped for most when we moved to Singapore was for our children to be able to adapt to their new school environment and enjoy going to school. We saw that OWIS creates a comfortable atmosphere for newcomers, which helps our children adapt quickly without any stress.
The curriculum offered at OWIS is another factor that drew us to the school. We want our children to develop the attributes that are described in the International Baccalaureate (IB) learner profile, which they can achieve through the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) offered at OWIS. The school provides a learning environment that facilitates this, where our children can explore what they like and go on to improve on what they’re good at. We believe this education style will lead our children to find something they are most passionate about.
Last but not least, a learning environment with diversity is also something we were looking for as we would like Emma and Ray to have more opportunities to explore the world and its various cultures and people.
Speaking of the learning environment, what do you think of the school’s facilities?
Our children had the chance to experience both the Nanyang and Suntec campuses (they’ve just started attending OWIS Suntec in August 2021). Both have different facilities. All of the facilities at both campuses are well-designed to facilitate the various programmes offered at the school, including Physical Education, Music, Arts, and so on.
Does the school have a community for parents?
Yes, it does! The school creates a community for parents using communication tools, such as class WhatsApp groups to help build friendships and good parent-teacher relationships. On the Toddle communication app, we also receive very specific and personalised advice and comments from teachers about what Emma and Ray are good at, and areas they can improve on.
And how has OWIS lived up to your expectations?
We are more than happy, and really proud that our children are students at OWIS. We have seen our children develop their capabilities, such as communication skills, thinking skills, and learn to be open-minded. The teachers are also very caring towards each student.
That’s great! We’re guessing that Emma and Ray enjoy attending OWIS too. What’s their favourite part about school?
Our children love doing school projects that are challenging and require creativity. They’re always willing to challenge themselves. We also noticed that Emma and Ray not only love their friends and teachers at OWIS, but also everyone who works at the school because they make the school such a safe and happy place for them.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us, Ryuji and Mami!
This post is in partnership with One World International School
