Children integration in a new school in Malaysia

Since nobody has answered yet, i'll add a question.

1. What ages are average for kids coming here?
2. Are they old enough to know where they are?
3. Do they appreciate the experience?
4. Was it a huge mistake to bring them?

Generally,
it helps a lot when a Family is reunited with their Loved ones because then you can Concentrate on Work-Related Matters.
There are all sorts of Schools for all Ages around the Corner in Malaysia so finding one that suits your Child's Curriculum becomes the Focus.

Secondly, Fees Structures deffer considering which School you get your Kids Enrolled, from the High Rollers to the modest Hardworking Person.

I have also learnt that you can pay weekly, monthly, Termly or Quarterly basis.

I have also learnt that certain Schools respect the Halal Ethics hence Certain Foods are never served.

I have been Happy to Note that Found a Day Care school that teach kids from Early morning till MIdday with the Option of Extension till 5pm for the Typical Office Parents.

Most of these Learning Centers have been around for Minimum 2 Decades & they have a Teacher Pupil / Kindergarten Ratio 2:1 / 4:1 which really helps in Enriching Inter-Personal Relationships, Communication & Care.

I personally Distaste Schools that are Factory like meaning Numerous Enrollment & less Teaching Staff.

Extra Teaching Lessons are very Affordable with Malaysian Students & Professionals alike willing to earn an Extra buck for a Couple of Hours.   

Last but not least, Transport Modes to & from School are easily arranged from an Uber Arrangement to drop & pick kids to School buses doing the same or Parents.

Regards,

Rather than looking at this as a child moving from one Malay school to Malay school, I'll come at it as an international recruiter, one who brings Expat teachers and their families from abroad to work and live in Malaysia.

The choice to move abroad is a big decision whether you are moving away from home for the first time or even if it's just the next move on a long list of expatriate postings.  It's important that the whole family, including young children, are included in the decision making process.  No one knows your children better than you do and you'll know how much to, or not to, involve them in the moving process.

Before You Announce Your Decision

Have a family meeting and explain you are considering a move to a new country.  Tell your children that you value and appreciate their thoughts.  Normally you will have already made a decision about the move, but it's important not to just spring such a big change on your family.  Warm them up to the idea, to the location, the adventure and the new experiences they will be exposed to.  Make them all feel that they are contributing to the family's decision to re-locate.  Discuss the pros and cons with your family.  Encourage your children to do their own research, make their own lists and take the time to address all of their concerns.  Give them time to absorb and adjust to the suggested change.  Focus on the positives, turn the negatives into positives without minimizing their concerns and emphasis areas that are of particular importance to your child.

Before you leave

Have your children take an active role in finding and identifying their new school.  Visit the school's website together, watch the videos and read the blogs together.  Look at the school on google maps and plot your trip from home to your new country and your daily route from your new home to their new school.  Many international schools have great orientation programs or pre-boarding programs that allow parents and students to communicate directly with their new teacher and / or future classmates - by email and by video conferencing.  Some schools will give you a video tour of the school and classrooms, if they don't offer then ask them to do this.  You and your child can start to share projects and art work with your new teacher.  If your child brings home a piece of art work from school that they are particularly proud of then send it on to their new teacher / school.   Be sure to have a clear understanding of what the curriculum and expectations for your child will be at their new school.  Sometimes you can involve your current teacher / school in helping to prepare your child for the move, socially and academically.  All of this will build familiarity, comfort and trust in the new school / teacher for your child.

Depending on the age of your child, you can give them a special project that they will be 100% responsible for upon arrival in the new country.  Maybe it will be their job to plan your first weekend away as a family after you get settled - in Malaysia planning a trip to Sunway Amusement Parks or LegoLand can be something young children can look forward to.  Or it could be something as simple as researching where Friday night's pizza will be ordered from.

We all remember how important our childhood friendships were.  So take special care in addressing those friendships for your children.  Let their current teachers know a move is upcoming so they can watch for and support any behavior changes at school.   Make sure to inform the parents of your child's friends as well so they can help manage the situation.  Start video chatting with friends and extended family on a regular basis before you leave (your kids are probably already doing this anyway) so they can get used to the idea of keeping up friendships by playing video games together or having a video chat.

For the Journey

Give your child a job for the trip.  Tracking your progress on a map and providing regular updates to the family can be a great way to keep them engaged.  Keeping a travel diary of the door to door trip with video and photos so you can update grandma at home or share it with their new teacher on arrival is another great activity.  Travelling is exhausting for most of us, so make sure your kids get as much rest as possible and that they stay hydrated.  Make sure you have built in enough time upon arrival so they can get over their jet-lag and get familiar with their new surrounding before they have to jump right into school.

On Arrival

Be sure to tour the school and meet the teachers before their first day of school.  Meet with the teachers and be sure to get a good sense of the expectations and requirements for you and your child over the next few weeks and months.  Ask what you can do at home to help ease the social and academic changes your child will be facing.  Get involved at the school, ask what groups you can join and how you can support school activities.  Be sure to check in with your child's teacher a few weeks into the school year to see how they are adjusting.  No curriculum is exactly the same from school to school, country to country, so there will be a period of adjustment for your child as they catch up in some areas or perhaps find that they are more advanced in others.  The most important thing is to be involved and interested.  I would assume that if you are still reading, you are a very involved parent and your child will have an easy adjustment period because you've taken a pro-active approach to it all.

At all stages be positive and enthusiastic yourself.  Your excitement or lack of will be picked up by your children and echoed back.  Build this as a great opportunity and an exciting adventure for the whole family and it will turn out to be just that.  Your child will build memories, make friends and gain experiences that will last a lifetime.

Jeff Baggs
Managing Director, Byron Recruitment

Hi....just sharing based on my experience for 9 years as expat here in Malaysia:

What does one need to factor in when choosing a new school for their children in Malaysia?
- When choosing a new school for expat's children in Malaysia, the basic things that parents should consider are:
a.  An international school with an open religious practice.
b.  a school in which English is the major language
c.  International curriculum is being followed
d.  learning environment with balanced co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.
e.  absence of bullying
f.  reasonable tuition fee with quality standard recognized not only in Malaysia but Internationally.[/i]

How does one prepare their children for the transition into a new school in Malaysia?
In preparing children for the transition into a new school in Malaysia, be sure to let the children come 2-3 months ahead of the class commencement so that they will be familiar with places, neighbors, and the kind of environment they will be living and studying, and the practices in Malaysia.  Then let them explore by showing them videos about Malaysia and education in Malaysia.  enrolling them in some short activities during summer or break before coming will also help.[/i]

How does one help their children integrate into their new school? Any tips to help a child transitioning into a completely different new program or curriculum?
To avoid being in amidst of hard adjustment, children should be enrolled in an International school that follows the same curriculum from the home country.  Example, if the children are from the Philippines, look for an international school with American curriculum.  Also as, as much as possible, engage your children in some other co-curricular activities to prevent them from getting bored.[/i]

Is there an age period during which a child really should change schools?
For me, none in particular.  As long as parents know how to prepare their children for a new environment, be it Malaysia or other country.[/i]

What are the signs that a child is having trouble transitioning into their new school?
Parents should be observant if children are having trouble transitioning into their new school.  Signs can be:
1.  Not excited to come to school every morning.
2.  Not happy when coming back home from school.
3.  showing no interest in joining school activities or mingling with children of his age.
4.  always complaining of the teacher or the subject matter.
5.  spending less time to study at home.
6.  keeping himself quiet all the time, not keen to tell stories about the school.[/i]


Tell us how it went for your child in Malaysia.
When my son came here in Malaysia to study, is when he is already in College, so he is already grown up and knows how to adjust to the environment.  It's just that he is not very enthusiastic in aspiring for more here in Malaysia because the way of studying here is very easy and no challenge at all according to him.  Ending up with him going back to Philippines to further his studies.[/i]

I agree with Programer. There are more Pros than Cons in bringing your family here. About the major issue of getting our kids to matriculation, there are a lot education system to choose from. It depends on one's objective.

The local education system here emphasize on teaching in Bahasa Melayu for all subjects. So, figure this out on international arena.