Every child has a unique learning style, whether it is visual, auditory, kinesthetic or a combination of all of these. Moreover, there are different educational philosophies, one more suitable for your child than the other. As such, finding the perfect fit for your child’s academic journey can be a challenging task. It often involves a careful balance between the curriculum, cultural diversity, and the school’s overall learning environment.
For parents like Timothy Carr and Daniele Mari, the Global Indian International School (GIIS), East Coast Campus has proven to be the ideal choice. Let’s hear what they have to say.
‘Warm, welcoming and diverse’
Timothy Carr, parent of Elliana Irene Carr, CLSP Grade 6A, GIIS East Coast, relocated to Singapore from the Philippines in 2019. During their school hunt, a visit to GIIS East Coast Campus, particularly a sit-in on a Grade 2 class, left a lasting impression on him, making them want to come back.
“It was the warm and welcoming atmosphere that they provided that made us want to come back,” Mr. Carr said.
For the Carr family, cultural diversity played a significant role in their decision-making process. “What’s important to us is the cultural diversity that the school can offer, and certainly GIIS has that in the classrooms and the programmes. And that is a big part of the learning, almost as important as the curriculum,” Mr. Carr added.
What the Carrs value most in a learning environment is the sense of family and the school’s overall environment. GIIS, with its friendly and creative learning environment, met these expectations.
“I think what’s important for us in a learning environment, particularly in Singapore, is the family atmosphere and the culture of the school that provides a friendly environment and fosters a creative environment for learning,” Mr. Carr added.
‘IB is very international’
As an international family, Daniele Mari, parent to Victoria and Elenora, PYP 3A and Nursery A, needed an educational system that could seamlessly transition with them, regardless of where they move in future. The IB Primary Years Programme (IB PYP), part of the IB, offered them the possibility of international continuity, ensuring their children can follow the same curriculum wherever they move.
“It was in 2021 that Victoria joined Grade 1 IB PYP. We are quite an international family and we don’t know how long we will stay here. IB is very international and even if we go back to Europe or America, we will find another IB school with the same curriculum – it will be easy for our kids to follow the curriculum,” Mr. Mari said.
At GIIS, children are encouraged to express themselves actively and collaboratively. PYP at GIIS empowers students to participate in building lessons alongside their teachers. Daniele appreciated this engaging approach, as it helps children learn how to express themselves clearly—a skill valuable not only in school but also in their future careers.
“We visited quite a lot of schools in Singapore. What we felt was at GIIS, the kids are free to express themselves. It’s not that only the teacher is speaking and all the kids are listening. The kids are building the lesson together with the teacher. So, it’s more engaging for them and we like this approach. This is because even later in work life, you need to express yourself clearly,” Mr. Mari added.
Also read: Passion for sustainability: Green initiatives at GIIS East Coast Campus
In conclusion, with multiple international curricula choices (IB PYP, CLSP, Cambridge IGCSE), a diverse community, and focus on student engagement through academic and non-academic activities, GIIS continues to shape the futures of its students, preparing them for success on the global stage.
GIIS East Coast campus is now an authorised IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) school. If you are keen to know more about GIIS, please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly admissions counsellors.
Shubhdarshani Mitra
Shubhdarshani has over 10 years of experience in content creation, curation and editing. She has worked for Indian newspapers, school magazines and international news websites where she worked closely with the leadership on the execution and communication of the content strategy. Aside from work, she’s a passionate B&W photographer and storyteller.
