Will my child be able to enter other schools when we are ready to move on from Sunrise? Our students leave Sunrise School well prepared for the academic programs of schools all over the world. Students have been accepted to attend Bali International School, Canggu Community School, Dyatmika, and Gandhi here in Bali and have moved to schools in Australia, Germany, Japan, US, UK, France, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, among others. If you would like to contact some of these families to hear of their experiences, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’m sure we can help you get in touch for first-hand answers. [top] Do you provide facilities for physically challenged students? At this time, we do not have a campus that is wheel-chair accessible nor are we able to provide for students with other impairments such as vision or hearing losses. Students who have learning disabilities or other mild academic challenges will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. We need to make it very clear that any intervention for students with limited special needs must be manageable by the classroom teacher in order for a challenged student to attend Sunrise. We do not have resources for specialists, and if the needs of the challenged child interfere with the ability of the teacher to serve the other students in the class, we will not be able to continue. [top] How can you teach the children everything in the universe is connected? Sunrise School makes every effort to let students explore topics of study in a variety of ways. By teaching cause and effect from the earliest of classes, children begin to realize the relationship between themselves and other people in their lives; between themselves and their actions. Through environmental studies and other lessons, children begin to realize this when they see relationships. For example, how an insignificant piece of rubbish tossed on the ground by one person, quickly multiplies into thousands of pieces of rubbish on the ground - which then clogs waterways and causes flooding - which then ruins property and damages man-made structures - which carries contaminated water, causing illness - which causes death - which means familes may lose children, parents, siblings, etc. - and on, and on, and on. [top] Is it a pipe dream to create this learning environment? No, not at all! We are operating from the understanding that "We can be the change that we want to see in the world" (Ghandi). We know that we need to impart particular core knowledge to our students, but we also know that these children are the future of the world. The more we can teach them to be thinking, reasoning adults who CAN make a difference, the better chance we have of success. Change begins one step at a time. Sometimes the smallest things we do are like seeds that fall into a crack in a rock - over time, that small seed can break the rock into pieces, bringing about major changes. [top] Can my child transfer from Sunrise into another school with a conventional education program? Yes. Actually, many private and international schools introduce a number of non-conventional learning strategies into their core curriculum and students move and adapt quite easily. Because our students are expected to engage in standard pursuits in academic areas, they are prepared to move into schools with standard academic expectations. In many ways, they are more prepared to go elsewhere because we work very hard to prepare them to think and reason independently - so their ability to adapt is probably better than students who have had a more structured program. Reports from parents who have returned to their countries of origin generally report that their children not only fit in easily, but their academic preparation was equal to or better than their counterparts. [top] Is the holistic approach appropriate for upper primary and Junior High kids? It is appropriate for all ages, although some students adapt better than others. Just as we all look different, we all have different ways of learning. Students who come to Sunrise from other schools, and arrive in the upper grades, sometimes need time to realize that we really DO want them engage themselves totally in all that they are doing. Students who need more structure are able to get support from their teachers and classmates. [top] Is this a religious school? Sunrise School is not a religious school, although we do sing songs that have religious content and we bring exposure to many religions of the world. Students are encouraged to welcome and respect people of all faiths; to celebrate all religions. By opening our hearts and minds to the possibility of all things, we prepare our students to interact on a very real level with everyone in the world. [top] Are your teachings conflicting with families' religious beliefs? The religions of the world teach tolerance and acceptance. Families are encouraged to share their particular practices in order to enlighten everyone, if they feel the need. Because no one is forced to participate in specific religious rituals, there shouldn't be any particular religious conflicts. We believe that exposing children to a variety of practices will broaden their abilities to understand and accept people who believe differently from themselves. [top] Do school fees exclude lower income families from attending Sunrise? Sunrise School wishes to provide a more moderately priced education for expats who find the standard international schools too pricey. School fees are set at a rate that allows the school to bring in qualified native English speakers to teach the students as well as to obtain texts and materials to carry out the lessons in the core subjects. But, Sunrise School is committed to bringing the opportunity of a quality education to Indonesian children by offering a limited number of scholarships and a promise to continue the scholarships when those students need to move out of Sunrise and back to a National Plus school in order to complete their educations. This way we meet the needs of the more affluent foreign community while opening doors to less affluent host nationals. [top] Are holistic schools more relaxed in discipline? Actually, in order for a holistic school to function efficiently, there are a mixture of components that must fall into place. On the surface, the program might look and sound very 'free' and people interpret that as being too relaxed in discipline. The reality is that some very specific disciplinary tactics need to be in place in order to create enough boundaries so the children have some guidance while loosening others so children have room to explore things on a variety of levels. Once children learn the difference between being free and being responsible, the atmosphere becomes one of self-discipline rather than external discipline. [top] Do Sunrise students wear uniforms? Although we do not have formal uniforms, we have adopted colorful T-shirts in 3 different styles: standard T-shirts for boys up to 6th grade, cap-sleeved T-shirts for girls up to 6th grade, and polo shirts for the Jr. High. There are a variety of colors available for the younger students. The Jr. High has fewer choices, but they are permitted to dye the white shirts any color they would like if they don't find colors that suit them. [top] What happens if a student comes to school without a Sunrise T-shirt? Students are expected to have enough T-shirts to always come to school in a neat, clean shirt. If, for some reason, they don't, they will be expected to purchase a new one immediately (parents will be charged) or they will be sent home. [top] How many T-shirts do students need to buy? Assuming a clean shirt is needed daily, each student should have a minimum of 5 T-shirts. Because of the climate, it may be wise to get a few extras, since sometimes they don't dry as quickly as we might like. [top] Is there a PE uniform? Yes.Each child must have a PE uniform.You might need to purchase extras so a clean one is always ready. [top] How many PE uniforms should a student purchase? Bali is a humid climate a good part of the year. If you don't have a clothes dryer, you should plan on having a minimum of 2 uniforms so that one can be drying when the other one is worn. If the PE classes are a few days apart, this should be adequate. Uniforms will then need to be washed immediately so they are ready for the next PE class. If the classes come close together, it might be wise to have at least 3 uniforms. [top] What must children wear on their feet for PE? Students must have proper sports shoes and socks for all PE classes recess and sports. [top] How are children protected from the strong sun of Bali? All Sunrise students are expected to wear a brimmed hat when outside in the sun. The hat should have your child's name on the outside (embroidered names are quite inexpensive and look really nice - or in permanent marker).Parents are strongly encouraged to teach children how to use sunscreen, and to help little ones apply it before coming to school. Although we have no policy regarding the use of sunscreen, studies show that children in this part of the world are particularly susceptible to the harmful rays of the sun due to the holes in the atmosphere. [top] What are the school hours? School is in session Monday-Friday, except for some national holidays, from 8AM to 2:30 PM. Please see our calendar for specific holidays. [top] Does Sunrise have after-school activities? After-school-activities (ASAs) are offered and, depending on the activity, might run anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours after school. The offerings change according to the interests of the students and the people who are available to organize them. [top] May non-Sunrise students participate in after-School activities? Yes, as long as there are spaces available after any Sunrise students who wish to participate are enrolled. Participation fees depend on the activity and non-Sunrise students can expect to have a higher fee. [top] How many after-school activities may my child attend? As long as your child is able to complete all regular course work for normal classes, there are no limits to the number of activities done outside of school.If you find your child is not able to keep up with school work you may want to consider adjusting his/her after school schedule. [top] Will my child be penalized if he/she doesn't participate in after-school activities? No, participation is voluntary, unless the classroom teacher feels a particular activity would benefit his or her group - then a special request would be made to encourage parents to support that activity by enrolling their children. In that case, the child would not be academically penalized if he/she didn't participate, but would be missing out on something that the rest of the class would have done. Sometimes an ASA is set up to target the needs of specific students. In a case like that, we would contact you to inform you of the opportunity for your child to receive help in an area where we, as educators, perceive the need. We ask that you give serious consideration to the request to have your child/children participate in something like this. [top] How does Sunrise view competition and winning? Sunrise understands and accepts that there are times in life when there is a place for competition and that sometimes the goal is to 'win'. Our students participate in BSSA competitions for soccer, volleyball, basketball and other sports. We are always excited when our students win games and championships. But, we stress that the fun of play is far more important, and our students are learning to be good winners as well as good losers. In academics and life-skills, there is sometimes an innate sense of competition, but we model behaviors that help our students see that there are no winners or losers ... just people who do the very best they can do. "A job worth doing is worth doing well!" We show children that we all have strengths and weaknesses and we need to recognize the positive aspects of each person. Whether it's accepting that our best friend might learn a skill the first time he/she tries it but we might need multiple experiences before we get it, or if it's the other way around - we all need people cheering for us to succeed, just as we must cheer for them. [top] What is a safe environment? A safe environment is measured in different ways. Sunrise works hard to keep our students physically safe from outside forces: the sun, terrorists, illness, etc. We expect our students to dress properly to be outside, we check identities of people wanting access to our campus, and we isolate children who are sick by sending them home. We use appropriate cleaning products for bathroom, classroom and kitchen surfaces; we spray for mosquitoes. 'Safe' can also mean emotionally safe. Children at Sunrise have the expectation that the adults in their lives will protect them from emotional and physical attacks - by classmates or other children in the school. Children are taught not to taunt or tease but sometimes adult intervention might be needed to ensure that everyone shows respect for others. Through forum and life-values lessons, students learn how to respond to others, to give appropriate feedback and to take responsibility for their actions. [top] Where does my child get lunch each day? Sunrise School has a vendor in the school that prepares a limited menu of lunches and snacks for the students. A larger variety of lunch selections are available through outside vendors who deliver meals in time for lunch. Every month, a menu is circulated. Anyone wishing to buy a lunch simply signs up and pays in advance (Rp. 15,000 – 20,000 per lunch). Special requests are available by filling in the appropriate space on the form. Some parents choose to send meals from home. Drivers often deliver just before 12:15, when students break for lunch. If you wish to send food with your child first thing in the morning, you need to be aware that there is not space to refrigerate meals and food left sitting out in the heat might not be safe to eat. Be sure that you use refrigerated bags with special ice packs. Also, ants and local cats can be a big problem when food is left for several hours, even when it seems to be in a well-sealed package. [top] Where does my child get snacks? Sunrise School has a vendor in the school that prepares limited lunches and snacks for the students. Each day there are a variety of choices including fruits, juices, cakes, cookies, nasi campur, and a number of other things at reasonable prices. Juices and other healthy drinks are available, too. Some children choose to bring food from home - the previous issues of food safety, ants and animals apply. [top] Why can't my child join the early childhood program? His/her birthday is only a few weeks past the October 31 cut-off date! Cut-off dates are set to ensure that the children who are in the class are no more than 12 months apart in age. This is especially important in the developmental years because a few weeks or months can make a BIG difference in what a child is coordinated enough to do, in his/her brain development or in his/her social skills. It is not fair to your child, to the other children in the class or the teacher, if we let someone come in who will be significantly younger than the oldest student in the class. Even though your child may appear advanced to you, physical, social and emotional development are much bigger factors when little children are together. There is no reason to hurry our children to be in school. They will be doing it for the next 15-20 years of their lives! [top] Why are students expected to engage in meditation, yoga and other spiritual practices? Because we believe in teaching the whole child, we believe that we need to work to help them get to know their inner selves. Helping them learn how to relax, sharpen their focus and call on inner reserves all go together to engage them on a variety of levels. We do not promote nor require the children to adopt anything for which they feel an interference with their personal beliefs, but we do try to expose them to the pieces of these practices that can be used no matter what they believe. [top] Do Sunrise students go on field trips? Whenever the teachers wish to enhance their lessons by taking their students off campus to experience something, this is encouraged. Sometimes trips with little academic value are planned as a reward for some accomplishment. We like to see these trips occur at the end of a semester, but they do occur. [top] What happens when students don't take advantage of 'opportunities to learn'? In the beginning, the teachers decide on consequences for students who don't have assignments completed when they are due. They might need to stay in at recess to catch up, stay after school, or take a lower grade. But, over time, if those consequences don't bring about the desired changes, they may need to attend a mandatory study hall after school and/or on Saturdays. [top] What happens if children are habitually late to school? Students fill out tardy slips when they arrive late for school or for class (in the Jr. High). One slip will go to the teacher, one to the student, one to the office, and one will be sent home so the parents are aware that their children are arriving at school late. On the day they are late, they must stay after school for a 1 hour study hall. After an accumulated 15 minutes of tardies, students will need to attend Saturday School. During this time, they might be expected to do assignments, listen to inspirational tapes and CDs, meditate, read, participate in discussion groups, or do other activities designated by the Saturday School proctor. [top] Are students permitted to use cell phones in school? Cell phones are everywhere today. Although they certainly are useful to keep parents and children in touch, they are not appropriate for school. Students are not to send and receive text messages; make or receive calls. Phones should be turned in at the office in the morning and picked up at the end of the day. If parents need to reach their children during the school day, they should call the school phone and ask to speak to them. [top] Will Sunrise School be operating beyond 2007? Sunrise School has gone through some very difficult financial times in recent years due to a sudden drop in enrollment. But, Yayasan MACK has agreed to make up any shortfall. So even though we may not have enough students to be financially independent, we will not need to close our doors.At this time, (Oct 2006) we are clearly on an upswing and anticipate a good, strong future. [top] What grade placement will my child get if we come from another school? Sunrise has been following the British National Curriculum, but the naming of the grades has been more international or American in flavor. So, grade 1 at Sunrise is the same as Year 2 in the British system. See the chart below. Your child will be placed in a grade appropriate with his/her age (based on birthdays) or based on school records from his/her previous school. [top]
Age | Sunrise | Indonesian | American | British | by pre-determined cutoff date | October 31 | - | set by each district | September 1 | 2 years | - | Playgroup A | Nursery School | - | 3 years | Playgroup 3 | Playgroup B | Nursery School | - | 4 years | Playgroup 4 | Kindergarten A | Nursery School | - | 5 years | Kindergarten | Kindergarten B | Kindegarten | Reception or Year One | 6 years | | | | |
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