Checking In: Life after House on the Hill

We caught up with some of our House on the Hill alumni families recently, to see how our not-so-little anymore graduates have been doing!

Our students usually leave us around the age of 6 to move to primary school, either Singapore Ministry of Education or International curriculums. This is a big move for the students, who might be overwhelmed emotionally or academically. At House on the Hill, we take pride in guiding each child through their Kindergarten 2 level and preparing them for this transition. But don’t just listen to us, hear from our parents! We caught up with 7 families who graduated between the years of 2018 to 2020 to see how our students coped with the move and how they’re doing now.

They were generous in sharing their experiences with us, and we are pleased to share their stories in this month’s blog post.

“She still misses her teachers!” –  Mikaela, Graduated 2018 

Mikaela in HotH and all grown up with her little sister (now also in HotH!)

“Learning at House on the Hill was fun and memorable. The teachers nurtured each child to their fullest potential and Mikaela’s leadership and good self-help skills were put to use in her primary school.

Mikaela was well prepared for primary school with House on the Hill curriculum that instils strong language and mathematical skills for each child. She was able to adapt to primary school learning easily. With confidence and trust, I worked hand in hand with the teachers as they provide feedback to improve on Mikaela’s learning.

Transition to primary school was smooth with no fuss all thanks to the teachers at House on the Hill! ”

– Naomi, mum of Mikaela, graduated 2018

To read Naomi’s sharing, please click here

“After the first day at school, we saw a big smile on his face” – Moran, Graduated 2020

Moran working on the golden beads in HotH and in primary school now

“We came to HotH in March 2017 and stayed there for almost 4 years. We witnessed HotH grow from a small family preschool to a three-branch big preschool. At the same time, they accompanied Moran from a little innocent baby to a confident boy, and accompanied us from being new, inexperienced parents to parents with clear goals.

When Moran first came to Singapore, he could not speak any English, and could not express himself well. But the teachers were very patient, they taught him not only the English language but also how to take care of himself. To help Moran get used to the new environment, I often joined in the school activities, did different volunteer assignments, made play dates with his classmates etc. Moran grew up in HotH freely and comfortably, which gave him a memorable childhood and a strong base for his whole life.”

– Lifeng and Guanyu, parents of Moran, graduated 2020

To read Lifeng and Guanyu’s sharing, please click here

“Sometimes he feels that most of the things he has learned it before in HotH.” – Philip, Graduated 2019

Working on Constructive Triangles for Maths skills in HotH, and now more advanced Math work as a young man

“We always feel confident that Philip will be able to cope his further study in Primary School because HotH has prepared him so well.”

– Agus and Frida, parents of Philip, graduated 2019

To read Agus and Frida’s sharing, please click here

“We believe she was more than ready for that next stage” – Maia, Graduated 2019

Maia walking home from the first HotH Mount Sophia Tower House and now with little sister Gia (currently at HotH!)

“Maia has exceeded any expectations we had in terms of academic achievement. She is in a school with small class sizes similar to HotH and a setting which allows children to study at their own pace and move forward quickly if they grasp, understand and pass the relevant primary level test.  She has been quick to accept new challenges and is so motivated by seeing her own results, that it drives her even more. We honestly do believe that having had a good foundation for her education from her time at HotH helped her strengthen this belief in herself too.”

– Shereen and Raj, parents of Maia, graduated 2019

To read Shereen and Raj’s sharing, please click here

“[He] does not feel intimidated by the learning environment at Nanyang Primary School” – Joshua, Graduated 2020

Joshua proudly showing off his lacing on the bow tying frame and now in primary school

“Joshua was certainly more than ready for P1 in all aspects. He was independent and confident on his first day of school. He also showed little difficulty handling the academic portion of P1. His P1 teachers at our first PTA presented a picture of a confident boy who cared a lot for friends and was conscientious with his work with a good learning orientation.”

– Mark and Jacqueline, parents of Joshua, graduated 2020

To read Mark and Jacqueline’s sharing, please click here

“Emma had a lot of fun!” – Emma, Graduated 2019

Learning spelling with sandpaper letters; Emma now in primary school

“Our experience was great [at House on the Hill]. We felt that Emma is in good and responsible hands. We felt that everyone’s focus is to educate and nurture while understanding that every child needs are unique.

The teachers were really doing their best to help Emma progress and we could see her developing day by day.  HotH approach is holistic from plating and learning to health and nutrition experts. Emma had a lot of fun.”

– Gin and Tamir, parents of Emma, graduated 2019

To read Gin and Tamir’s sharing, please click here

“The mixed-age class setting also helped Maya to have more chances to interact with kids of different ages” – Maya, Graduated 2020

Focused in class in HotH to a precocious little primary schooler now!

“We had some concerns in the last year of her pre-school especially as she might be the only few children in her class going to local school. The local school system is known to be more academic focused and competitive which we worried would be stressful for Maya. Teacher Lina, Shao laoshi, Gim Peng were really helpful in making extra efforts to make sure the transition to P1 would be smooth for Maya.”

– Liang and Ruchir, parents to Maya, graduated 2020

To read Liang and Ruchir’s sharing, please click here

It was so lovely to get to catch up with our alumni families. We are so glad to see that our young charges are thriving in their new schools – and that they remember us fondly!

Thank you so much to our HotH families for sharing your stories with us. We cannot wait to see all the great things we know that the children are going to do! 

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