It was 5 years ago when we moved to Johor Bahru from Kuala Lumpur. My daughter started her schooling at the Garden International School in KL. The Garden school has a long history with a good reputation and has more than 1,200 pupils. My daughter was very happy to go to school every day and as parents we were satisfied with their organization.

When we choose Sri Ara International School as her new school at her Year 5, we had a good impression about the school environment and staff but we had some disappointment for the differences of class size and facilities.

However, despite our worries, she started to change for the better in a very short period.

After a few months, a mother of her classmate in KL who knows my daughter well for three years mentioned to me how impressed to see my daughter’s English level is increased.

From that moment, it didn’t take us so long to realize that her character started change as well.

At Garden, she was a happy child but never tried to express herself to others. She was encouraged to put her hands up three times in one class but she was too shy to do so.

At Sri Ara, as they have small number in a class, she is constantly asked questions directly and when she answers, not only the teacher but classmates listen to her and they also reply.

After all, I believe that this dynamic made her confident, good with communication skills which automatically increased her English level as she speaks more.

Nowadays, I hear sometimes she goes to office to make some complains when she feels something need to be discussed. This really makes me wonder if she could do this if we were in KL for all these years.

With friends, teachers and office staff, Sri Ara helped my daughter to be confident and active in many ways. She is really comfortable and happy to be there.

Mrs. Ota
2011

This is my daughter’s 6th year and the 3rd year for my son at Sri Ara International School. When we start sending my daughter to this school, there were not many choices for non Malaysian children in Johor Bahru.

In the last few years, we have seeing more new schools coming into town. Some parents decided to shift their children to new school from here as their facilities are all new & modern, they looks organized and most parents believe that more children in class enhances their ability of education and communication skill.

What I hear from some of those parents and children recently… They are missing so much of the things that they enjoyed in Sri Ara, a school that has something very special to offer…

This ‘something’ is the thing that binds us to this school.

When you first visit Sri Ara, you will be impressed by the large garden surrounding the charming, old world buildings. Within these buildings, there are always lots of activities taking place such as Cultural day, Tele-match (sports day) and Teachers day.

This is one of the beauties of Sri Ara, I think. The environment and ethos of the school plus their constant program of interesting extra curricular activities, such as Taekwondo, Dragon dance club, Team building motivation camp, SRC’s activities such as fundraising will encourage your child to become more sociable and cheerful.

Whilst they are not perfect, they still have a lot of charm. To start with, class sizes are small – 5 or 7 kids is the norm – so all students are guaranteed personal attention. Compare this with other International schools here where 20-30 in a class is common. And it is obvious to see how this small class size is working well for my children’s academic level.

To conclude, I believe that Sri Ara offers considerably more than most other International schools. By going beyond normal classroom learning, and trying to teach the children social skills, co-ordination, the good habits of concentration and caring and respect for others, I believe that the school is doing an excellent job of preparing the children properly for a full and rounded future.

Mrs. Cowan

2011

Ara School has given both my sons an excellent education in small classes with individual attention to my kids needs, opportunities to try new things in a safe environment and a community of parents who believe in the schools mission.

There is no doubt my son got a good education at Sri Ara. In addition to opportunities to excel, he also gets a chance to participate in a range of activities he doesn’t have to be the best in order to be valued.

What I cherish at Sri Ara is that it’s an excellent place for children to learn to work together and help each other regardless of any age group or where you are from. It’s a beautiful environment which we will always cherish and remember.

Mr. & Mrs. Sukumaran Letchumi
November 2010

I have 2 children who have been students at Ara Schools since they were in Standard 1. Ashvini Sivakumar has just completed Year 6 and Ashvin Sivakumar has just completed Year 4.

The first time my husband and I walked into this school we loved it. The environment and surroundings, the students and teachers were all so cheerful. It was so different from the conventional schools that we were used to. This school has an excellent concept of small classes that help nurture each child as an individual, to excel in his or her own way and bring out the best potential in each student.

The school itself, within its walls has helped nurture, support, challenge and encouraged each student in various ways to excel in different activities be it in music, dancing, sports and public speaking.

The teachers at Sri Ara dedicated and very encouraging. They are the main pillars of the school and through their encouragement and support the students are encouraged to think “out of the box” and come up with brilliant ideas to make learning more fun. They are strict on discipline, but they are also friends and confidantes to the students.

The cultural diversity that is seen in Sri Ara is an experience that one would never get in other schools. Students of all races and religions are good friends with each other. There is so much respect for each others culture. The best part is that everyone knows each other and no kid is a stranger to the other. All new kids are made welcomed the moment they step in. All students regardless in Primary or Secondary are there to help one another and teamwork is excellent. This is best seen at camping day and also the excellent show that is done for the end of the year concert!

This school has definitely brought out the best in both my children making them well focused in life, responsible and very determined young individuals.

Thank you very much Sri Ara for giving them an experience that they will always cherish and remember. They will definitely miss the school and the good friends they have made all through the years and the teachers who made learning fun. Your guidance in role modeling would definitely make them steadfast in their future undertakings.

I would like to wish Sri Ara all the best in the future.

Yours Sincerely,
Vanassa
November 2010

The 11 years of basic tertiary education is coming to an end for my son Ahmad Izkarnain . For those who are not aware, Ahmad Izkarnain or fondly called Iz by his school mates joined the school since he was 7 years old and come what may, this year, Iz is now in his final year in Sekolah Sri Ara.

Looking back over the years watching Iz grow, as his parents we are more than glad and thankful that we have chosen the right and also the best school for him. The transformation he has undergone till now would not be a reality if not for the outstanding help and support from the school and its dynamic management team.

At Sekolah Sri Ara, we discovered that learning is all about having the passion for achieving all-round excellence in education. It is characterized by knowledge acquisition, knowledge creation and knowledge sharing through a dynamic school program that encompassed academic and co-curricular pursuits.

Besides that, the teachers in Sekolah Sri Ara have also inspired the students through their innovative teaching and active learning. They provide a wide range of learning support strategies to bring out the best in students and work closely with them to develop their sense of worth, self-esteem and leadership qualities. In this respect, Sekolah Sri Ara is unique.

My son has never been prominent during his early years in the school as he has always been a very modest person. But as the years went by, he gradually emerged with lots of potential to be tapped. To our amazement and delight, in his final year at Sri Ara he has become the SRC president. His level of confidence and communication skills have risen to an amazing extent that impresses us as his parents greatly. He is confident and brave enough to come up on stage, he became last year’s emcee and performed with a group of friends.

Therefore, it is obvious that Sekolah Sri Ara is not just a school which strives for academic excellence but is also complemented by a challenging and engaging co-curricular programme that promotes leadership, creates team work opportunities and nurtures the students’ talents.

Lastly, I would like to take this golden opportunity to thank the school management and the teachers, especially Puan Nooraini Dato’ Mohd Yasin who has overseen her students with enthusiasm, care and discipline.

As for Iz, Sekolah Sri Ara has been his second home come rain or shine but the most valuable contribution to him is that Sekolah Sri Ara is the pavilion that has nurtured him with the zest and confidence needed to help him climb the ladder of success in the future.

Md Najib bin Alang