Arriving at Tadika Junior Jaya Mentor, I wanted to re-apply my lipstick before alighting from my car to meet Madam Lily, principal of the pre-school. To my surprise, Madam Lily had already materialised in front of the pre-school gate and was waving to me to go in! Though I didn’t get the chance to look my prettiest, I am happy to have met a principal who is always on her toes. This means that Madam Lily is a principal who is very alert to her surroundings and hence, sensitive to her students’ safety and wellbeing. With a principal like this, parents can be assured that their children are in safe hands.
Enthusiastic Children
Upon entering the pre-school gates, I was immediately greeted with very friendly children. Two of them came to give me an official welcome by introducing themselves and escorting me to the snack table.
“This is my milk bottle…”, one of the boys proudly announced. “…and these are my friends and teachers”. The children smiled sweetly and waved at me.
As it was almost nap time, I can see some children rubbing their eyes while waiting for their milk but there is no shoving or screaming. Just orderly children who waited for their turns patiently. As I left them to conduct my interview with Madam Lily, I wondered why the children are so well-behaved.
The Principal
I soon found out why. Madam Lily, who has been running the pre-school for 6 years, told me the key to raising courteous children lies in the cooperation between teachers and parents.
Parents and teachers should work hand in hand guiding the children and being their role models. Both parties must have respect for each another and a mutual interest in the child. Communication is of utmost importance to ensure that the child is always well-cared for physically and emotionally both at home and in school. There should be a continuity in rules set for the children that the teachers and parents must work together to ensure a smooth transition from school to home and vice versa. Children are after all, creatures of habit and perform best when in their comfort zone.
While speaking to her, it became apparent to me that this is a principal who has great patience and love for her students. Devoted and kindly, she can instantly create a bond with you and draw you into her warmth
Parents are always encouraged to speak with Madam Lily and the teachers about their children’s development but there are also 2 yearly PTAs to discuss the children’s progress in detail.
Madam Lily and her team of teachers believe in rewarding the children for good behavior and Madam Lily says that it is imperative that all her teachers are patient and love children. Once a teacher joins her pre-school, she will be continuously sent for seminars and training to ensure that she is well-equipped with skills and knowledge to nurture the students. The one thing that never fails to brighten the team’s day is seeing the children learning new skills and attaining more knowledge every day.
The 3Q Programme
Madam Lily tells us that she was really impressed with the 3Q Programme when she first found out about it. The interesting study tools keep the children excited about their day to day learning while working effectively to synchronise the left and right brain for whole brain development. The programme even has its own mascots called Sunny and Queenie who appear in most of the books and flash cards. Besides, the 3Q programme also has links to the primary school syllabus hence the children who graduate from this programme are well prepared for Standard 1. The subjects offered are very comprehensive and aim to optimise and enhance the children’s learning capacity:
- 3Q™ English
- 3Q™ Bahasa Malaysia
- 3Q™ Chinese
- 3Q™ Mathematics + 9-Bead (abacus)
- 3Q™ Science
- 3Q™ Music
- 3Q™ Moral
- 3Q™ Art
- 3Q™ Circle Time
- 3Q™ Smart ME
Together, the subjects promote whole brain learning skills while sharpening the child’s imagination and thinking skills through the environment and materials used. The 3Q Programme also has a number of innovative systems such as the Super Memory Map (a chapter learnt is summarised into a fun and easy to read pictorial page to encourage long term memory storage) and the Flazzle Cards (a unique syllabus related card deck that combines flashcards and picture puzzles which makes mastering the 3 languages entertaining and efficient).
One more reason why Madame Lily loves this program is that is puts emphasis on character building. She believes even very young children should be prepared with the necessary social skills to enable them to grow into responsible people. In her pre-school, the children are encouraged to think and not just blindly follow instructions; to participate in social settings (like concerts, public speaking etc) and have more social exposure to prepare them for the real world.
Taking to the stage
Talent competitions, concerts and sports day at 3Q pre-schools are always a large scale carnival! For all pre-schools adopting the 3Q programme (there are about 900 in Malaysia and Singapore including this pre-school), their main events are a concerted effort that sees all the pre-schools coming together to put on a huge celebration. Each child is cheered on to develop their full potential according to their unique strengths and talents and their national-level stage enables them to showcase their various gifts and talents.
The Fine Details
Student to teacher ratio stands at 10:1 (3 years old), 15:1 (4 years old) and 20:1 (5 and 6 years old). School times are 8:15am – 12:15am and extended care is available till 6:00pm. You will also be spoilt for choice with their holiday camps which offer science experiments, cooking classes, gardening, arts and craft, and logical and linguistics.
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