Sunshine House International - the Peak

C

Cinabon

New member
My son started attending attending the Mother Goose Class (for Toddlers) at sunshinie House the Peak campus since Sept 2009. I like the schoo curriculum very much but I am just so disappointed at the high staff turnover - first the teacher who used to teach the toddlers class left and a new teacher was hired for term 1 (Sep09) and 2 weeks after the start of the term, they moved her to another class and hired a new one - which turned out not working and they had to replaced her after 3 weeks. This one turned out to be very good and all the children liked her but she resigned after term 1 and now we got another teacher - whom personally I feel not as good as the previous one and the children are not thrilled to see her and had little or no response in the class. Just within 4 months , we had 3 new teachers !!! It's just not good for the children.
Though I really like their program and the things they teach there, I am seriously thinking of withdrewing my son from the class and I am thinking of applying to either Highgate, Woodland or Tutortime .

I would really appreciate if anyone can give me some advise as to which of these 3 have the curriculum similar to Sunshine or they are all similar. Also which campus would you recommend ?
 
Cinabon
My LO has been to both Sunshine House playgroup and Highgate House playgroup. The curriculum is completely different. Highgate House has a Waldorf Steiner approach so you won't find any emphasis on formal learning like at Sunshine House. You should try to visit Highgate House if you want to find out more.
 
Cinabon

That has been big issue with Sunshine in general- high turnover of teachers. One of the reasons that we didnt put our son there.
 
Portia
thanks how did you find both ? Just wanted to get an idea of what to expect as sometimes even if you go and pay a visit, this is still so superficial. It's so hard to find a good playgroup.
I was hoping to find a place where he will attend playgroup, then pre-nursery and kindergarten...I don't like to idea of switching around every now and then. Is this a realistic expectation ? Sorry for so many question as I really desperate to get him out of Sunshine.
 
My LO attended the playgroup and is now in the kindergarten at Highgate. For 2 years olds, there is a choice of nursery (attend alone) or accompanied playgroup. He can stay at Highgate until he starts primary school.

I liked certain things better about Sunshine House, eg the Mandarin teaching. But I had to move my LO as he was definitely not ready to attend nursery alone at 2 years (give or take a few months) which is essentially a requirement at Sunshine House. The Waldorf Steiner approach is quite different so you need to think if Highgate House is for your child. There is no formal teaching of alphabet or phonics or numbers or Mandarin, so some parents may rule it out as insufficient preparation for primary school. It is a very gentle introduction to pre-school, with a lot of emphasis on play and socialisation.
 
Music programme in Highgate House HK?

Does anyone have any information about the music programme at Highgate House HK? The website says they do music and movement but no other details. How does the music teaching there differ from other kindergartens in the region? Please offer your thoughts and any information. I would like to nuture my daughter's musical talent. She is showing interest in music already! She is 3 years old.

Thanks!
 
music at highgate

My daughter goes to Highgate and they do lots of songs and my daughter loves it. The school prints the lyrics on the handbook which returns to the parents once a week.
 
Re. Music at Highgate House

Thanks for your reply instantnoodle. Sorry, more questions...

Do you mind me asking what types of songs they sing? For instance, are they popular childrens songs (I.e. Found on children CDs) or new simple chants/songs which are not so popular? Also, do they do any movement and percussion instrument activities like Kindermusik and Gymboree? And what sort of music curriculum do they follow or is there no curriculum - only singing for singing sake?

Thanks again to you and to anyone else with information re. this school.
 
Highgate House

Hi


My 2.5 yr old goes to Highgate House and is extremely happy there- always very excited on a school day and goes off singing. I'll give you what I think about it- for what it's worth!

I echo what has been said about it being very gentle. There's an emphasis on helping your child develop into a well-rounded individual rather than achieving academic targets at the youngest possible age. They use the young child's natural way of imitating adults to educate rather than flashcards and formal lessons. My personal experience of this is extremely positive. I was slightly worried the philosophy was a bit "new age hippy" and would result in my daughter learning nothing but have found the reality quite different.

Pluses for us:
Happy child!
Extremely able, kind, educated staff with great advice on general childcare issues
Builds great social skills and confidence with other kids and adults
Activities she wouldn't do much elsewhere (baking bread, playing in garden with rabbits, eating with a large group together at a table, messy artwork etc)
Vocab and speech are good- engaging, repeated stories help
The classes are excellent at encouraging imaginative play

Negatives for us:
The routine is not so exciting for me as a grown-up. The kids love it but it drives me mad to do the same kinds of things each time!
The price- in my opinion it's pretty expensive for what it is (apparently due to location at the Peak with high rent) and has occasional "school outings to park/ beach/ inset days etc" in paid school time, which annoys me slightly but I expect is the same at most places.
Lots of helpers in the parent/ child classes and not so many parents- possibly because the other parents find the routine a bit much too!

Your questions re music: The music is integrated into the daily routine. They sing all sorts of songs- often linked to festivals/ times of the year. Some are popular (ie Christmas carols, nursery rhymes in Mandarin and English) and some are more unusual. The songs are sung in a circle and usually have actions and maybe movement around the circle holding hands. It's not like some of the other music classes you mention- no recorded loud music/ brightly coloured toys etc. The songs are repeated often enough to help develop vocab and this is seemingly carefully planned according to a Steiner philosophy. It is the opposite of being the first to get your grade 5 piano etc, but I am sure a talented child would do well whilst developing other skills!

You should really see for yourself how this works- phone reception and ask to be shown round.

Hope this helps inform your decision.
Best wishes!
 
Sorry for the late reply, Coco1. Thanks for the information regarding Highgate House. The school sounds wonderful but the price may be too high for us. But I will call to make an appointment with the school all the same. I may also drop in to see Sunshine House on the Peak. This is closeby so convenient. But the comments I've read about this school online and on this forum is not too good, especially about the high teacher turnover. I'm still curious to see what this school looks like, how they teach and what their curriculum is like.
 
Pips

Hi,
Does anyone anything about PIPS at Parkview? They have a nice campus but haven't heard much about the school.

thanks
 
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