Community Voices

Voices from Our Community

We like to think of the EtonHouse community as a microcosm of the world — over 70 nationalities make up our beautifully diverse and tightly-knit family in our Singapore schools alone. 

Every family’s EtonHouse journey is unique and special. Regardless of the path, we are always touched to hear when parents and ex-students tell us how they will never forget their years with us. Here are some of our favourite memories.

Pre-School

Crystal and Kevin Coll, Parents of Edith Coll 
EtonHouse International Pre-School Claymore

Looking back, one of the biggest decisions we made as a family was choosing Edith’s first school in 2018. Little did we realise how important and consequential it would be for Edith, our only child, who has blossomed with the warm, energetic, and loving care of all the staff at EtonHouse.

It’s hard to capture the small school essence of EtonHouse other than to describe our wonderful experience over the past 2 years. It is about the people. From the moment Edith and her classmates are welcomed every morning at the school gates by everyone — security, teachers and staff — to picking her up from the classroom, we know and trust she is in your good hands. Even in times of adversity, such as now, we feel that the staff at EtonHouse have tried their best to give their students an opportunity to learn and connect with their classmates in new ways. 

Edith tells us she feels loved by everyone at EtonHouse and we know she feels the same about school. To start her young life with a love for people and learning is a gift that will bless her throughout life. Her maturity, character, curiosity, and ability to communicate in English and Mandarin Chinese is something we give her teachers, classmates and staff tremendous credit for. Day in and day out, these formative experiences at school compound into a unique, complex individual whom we trust will continue to be a giving, caring and thoughtful member of a larger community of people.

Finally, as parents, we feel that EtonHouse has helped us become better and more mindful in this grand life experiment called ‘parenting’. We are still learning the ropes and appreciate how the school’s structure, strong culture, and active support has helped us immensely on this rewarding journey.

Sarah Cerreta, Parent of Ethan Cerreta 
EtonHouse Pre-School Vanda

Ms Shobah is truly the best! She deeply cares about each student in her class and makes everyone feel so valued and unique. Ms Shobah took the time to truly understand what Ethan was motivated by and found ways to weave it into the everyday environment. She carefully considers this for each child and crafts a fun and engaging curriculum around that assessment.

I also really appreciate that she kept us in the loop about the goals and plans for the children and the school. I always felt comfortable talking to Ms Shobah about anything that came to mind, knowing that she would take our feedback and institute positive changes. Ethan has flourished under Ms Shobah’s care and continues to talk about her all the time.

All of the teachers and staff at EtonHouse Vanda are so pleasant and upbeat and create an environment where children can thrive. Thank you!

Neil and Tulika Narale, Parents of Saanjh and Saaya Narale
EtonHouse Pre-School Newton

We initially chose EtonHouse Newton in 2013 because of its Mandarin program and large spacious grounds which we thought was important for our son. EtonHouse Newton has provided so much more to him and his sister, who has now joined him. As parents, we love that our children love waking up and going to school to see their teachers and friends. Along with the love and nurturing that the teachers and staff provide, EtonHouse has encouraged their curiosity for life and learning, imagination, self-esteem, social and physical abilities.

Roopa Iyengar, Parent of Aurik Joshi
EtonHouse Pre-School 717 Mountbatten Road

When your child is excited to go to school after a holiday despite being tired, it shows how good the school is. This is how good Etonhouse – 717 Mountbatten is.

We moved 1.5 years back to Singapore and we are glad we chose 717 Mountbatten Etonhouse for our son. We chose 717 Mountbatten Etonhouse primarily due to its curriculum, campus and the warm faculty. The curriculum-based on Reggio Emilio, made learning fun, helped in building strong concepts while letting him explore his creativity. What sets this school apart is its focus on life skills such as dressing up, cleanliness, eating habits etc.. , which slowly but steadily made him strong, caring and independent. The huge outdoor play area with different activity centres such as the sand pit, cycling track, treehouse, water play etc allowed my son to explore his imagination. Indoor activities were regularly upgraded to keep them in sync with the growing needs of the kids.

The care provided by the teachers from day one made the transition to a new country smoother and faster. They ensured that he was not overwhelmed by the changes in the setup and gradually integrated him. The teachers updated us on every minute detail of the child on a regular basis and this ensured a two-way communication. The warm welcoming principal, helpful teachers and nurturing environment ensured that my son loved going to the school without a complaint. It was a home away from home for him.

Sam & Dawn Toh, Parents of Ashley & Alyssa Toh
EtonHouse Pre-School 223 Mountbatten Road

Coming back to EtonHouse always brings back wonderful memories, both for the kids as well as for us parents. It’s a close-knit family that works together for the good of the children. This holistic environment brings out the best in children via creativity and the love for learning. Constant play leads to the development of new skills and this phenomenon is so evident in EtonHouse. We, as parents, are delighted to know that our kids are so capable and independent. 

Graduation Day at EtonHouse was more emotional for the parents than for the kids. Besides feeling proud of our children’s achievements, we could not bear to part ways with the teachers and fellow parents. EtonHouse has become a second home. As the saying goes, home is where the heart is and our hearts are with you.

Fay McGrath, Parent of Leonidas McGrath
EtonHouse Pre-School Upper Bukit Timah 

We would like to thank everyone for the fantastic care provided to our son. The teaching and assisting staff were fantastic during his settling period and made the whole process so much smoother for him. We have undoubtedly seen a difference in his physical and academic development during his stay in the school. The great brand new facilities together with the very efficient admin staff complete the picture of a great school, which is supportive and nurturing for little ones. Thank you for all your effort and assistance. I’m sad to leave but it is part of growing up. Once again thank you very much for everything you have done for our son.

Leona, Parent of two children
EtonHouse International Pre-School Mountbatten 718 

There were two main reasons why I chose this school — the environment and the curriculum. Throughout the years that I have been at the school, I have also come to love and appreciate other aspects such as the wonderful teachers and staff, the high level of interaction between the parents and the teachers, and the strong social aspect of the parent community.

The school environment is so beautiful and inviting. As a school influenced by the Reggio Emilia approach, it uses the environment as the ‘third teacher’ so careful attention is paid to the look and feel of the classrooms, the ateliers, and the outdoor spaces, with great consideration and priority given to natural materials.

The classrooms are bright and spacious with lots of natural light. The school has two large sandpits, a vegetable garden, sensory gardens, a watercourse, a tricycle track, climbing structures, in addition to sufficient open green space.

Along the walkways, there is always something inviting exploration — an easel with paint, a basket of books, a chalkboard, some balls of yarn for winding around a chair or a column, some flowers frozen in blocks of ice, an overhead projector showing a video on the wall, a tub of sand with brushes inside, a water wall, etc. Often you will find the parents playing with these provocations too!

The school is a candidate for the IB World School (Primary Years Programme) and this was an important factor to me. I wanted a curriculum that was child-led and play-based, which is what the school is about. Within the framework of different units of inquiry, the students take charge of their own learning — what they learn is driven by their own theories and research, working collaboratively with each other, discovering and exploring together. I am continually amazed by how motivated the children are when they are in control of their own learning, and I am always impressed with their ideas and creativity.

Amanda Lucas, Parent of Lachlan and Maddison Lucas
EtonHouse Pre-School Robertson Walk 

I have two children attending EtonHouse Pre-School Robertson Walk. Our family has been very impressed with the personal and loving care from the teachers and administration. Each child is part of the school community. The school also involves the family a lot. The curriculum is well balanced and helps develop our children socially, emotionally and intellectually while providing a genuinely multicultural experience.

Primary and Secondary School

Penny Lee, Parent of Anise & Alessi Lee
EtonHouse International School Sentosa

EtonHouse Sentosa is like a bright light radiating warmth and energy from a tiny island south of Singapore. For us, it has become a very important part of our family and community of friends. Our youngest started out refusing to let go of me, and not wanting to enter the classroom. Now, he walks around the school as if it is his home and he proudly co-narrated the recent Christmas play in front of all his friends and their parents. Our eldest had a paralysing fear of heights but through the Action Adventure programme and with the steady support of her amazing teachers, she managed to proceed higher on the ropes course and now she loves the MegaZip line on Sentosa. What a change we have seen in both of our children! And it’s all thanks to the warm and energetic environment created by all the staff.

Mark & Riri Florance, Parents of Emilie & Oliver Florance
EtonHouse International School Thomson

We have fond memories here. We feel very privileged to be able to send our children to a smaller school like Thomson where their characters are formed in a nurturing and caring environment. Our children’s ability to connect and experience nature first-hand is a wonderful part of this journey. Our favourite memory of our children’s time in EtonHouse is their enthusiasm about going to school and learning. They wanted to be in school rather than at home during the holidays!

Mary and James Whittred, Parents of Genevieve and Xavier Whittred
EtonHouse International School Broadrick 

James and I were looking for a school that was close to our home, would cater to all of our children and would provide a supportive environment that embraced diversity. We were very fortunate to have friends with children already at EtonHouse. We’d attended some school events prior to enrolling our own children so we had a feel for what was to come.

The task of finding a school for our children, Genevieve (8) and Xavier (5), was made more difficult by Xavier’s diagnosis of autism, but we were delighted when the children were both accepted by EtonHouse.

Genevieve is currently in the Year 3 bilingual class. She loves learning and especially enjoys her time with the specialist teachers at school. She has been given many opportunities to explore outside of the set curriculum, supported by her class teachers. Xavier has been attending ‘big school’ for nearly six months and is showing progress in many areas. 

We have been very happy with the levels of support that have been offered by the dedicated staff and love the close community feel that pervades the school’s many celebrations of learning and living.

Kentaro and Miho Tajimi, Parents of Itsuki and Tamaki Tajimi
EtonHouse International School Orchard

Two months have passed since our children started Primary school at EtonHouse International School Orchard. On the first day of school, I remember my son returned home feeling hungry because he did not know how to say ‘more, please!’ during lunch time. In just a short amount of time, his English has improved — he is definitely able to express himself more confidently now. 

I love the comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to education. For example, all year 6 students had to explore the theme of “human rights” through reading stories about refugees, making dioramas and looking through photo collections. 

On another occasion, my daughter and her classmates went on a school excursion to the Singapore Science Centre to learn how machines work to make people’s lives convenient. They were then asked to design a machine that would help solve a problem. My daughter created a “book stand” that’d help her lie down and read without having to use her hands. Through the process, she learnt to apply what she’d learnt, brainstorm, problem solve and be creative. 

Alumni

Sophie Guan, Alumnus and current Medical Biosciences Undergraduate Student at Imperial College London

Passing by EtonHouse always evokes a feeling of warmth and fondness in me. Despite having only attended Kindergarten here, it has made a great impact on my life.  My strongest memory of my time there was this phrase in a Chinese song that I learnt from my teachers. It said something about, when you win a medal or achieve something great, come back to visit your teachers and they’ll be proud of you. So for a good part of my life, I tried to do my best. I used to think about my kindergarten teachers quite often and made sure that my achievements might one day make them proud of me.

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