It has become a favorite thing of mine to be the one assigned by our team to personally visit and check out schools or learning centers in and around the South. I truly find it fascinating and inspiring how institutions like Redwood School Manila and the teachers who run it manage to stay committed, dedicated, and selfless; despite our education system struggling to keep itself reliable and effective all these years.❤️‍🔥 Even when the pandemic hit, they still pushed through and proved the experience didn't 'lesson' their passion for teaching and nurturing their students.💪🏽

I didn't have to be a parent nor need a 'cool'culator to know that I thoroughly enjoyed my Open House experience at Redwood School Manila and to appreciate the work that they do.🙌🏽 Sharing with you 4 of my favorite moments as to why I came to that conclusion, after spending one morning at this WHOAsome preschool in Daanghari.👇🏽

4. The School Staff joined the teachers and the kids for their Good Morning and Good Bye song & dance activities.🧑🏽‍🤝‍🧑🏾🧑🏽‍🤝‍🧑🏾🧒🏽🧒🏻
Everyone working in the school that I got to meet or interact with were sooo friendly and were always ready to greet people with a smile. It was such an endearing moment when even the staff sang and danced with the teachers and the kids during their hello and goodbye songs with much gusto! Adorbs!🥹

3. I took part in quite an informative and lively Orientation along with another family considering to enroll their kid.👩🏽‍🏫
Teachers Carla and Cathy shared a lot on how they go about their classes and take care of their students, as well as the learning methods they apply in their programs. They were able to cover a lot of potential questions a parent might have when considering preschools for their child, and they made it a point to get clear with the values they have and foster in their classrooms. (In case you were wondering about the family I attended the orientation with, they *did* enroll towards the end! YAY!🙌🏽)

2. I got to take a Tour of all their WHOAsome facilities!🏫💯
They had cute and thoughtfully-designed rooms (think: functional & fun but safe) for their regular and SPED classes, as well as big and clean communal spaces for playtimes, cooking classes, and nature breaks. OMG!😱 I could not get over how cuuuute their restrooms were! I wished I needed to pee just to experience using them. LMAO. Another one of the many things I discovered and appreciated about Redwood was how they redefine the typical “go to your corner” method by creating a Safe Place in each of their classrooms. This designated corner provides their students the space and the opportunity to express or process their emotions independently and freely in their own time. Kudos, Gaiz!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

1. I was able to take a peek at their super s'cool' yearbook!🎓📕
I don't think I've ever heard about a lot of pre-schools doing this, and even when some did, I don't think they could top how EXTRA these Redwood peeps are in making sure these kiddos cherish how much they've progressed from the time they started school to the time they are finally ready to move on to 1st grade. Other than the usual photos of stuff they did the whole year and individual profile  pages for students, they went the extra mile and got the parents involved in making personalized highlight reels for each graduate that they can watch via scannable QR codes. It was super touching to watch: juuuust like a family home movie. I mean, talk about being extra EXTRA, amiriiiight?!🤯🙌🏽

MORE DEETS & PRO-TIPs: 
👥🍎 They always have 2 teaching aides per classroom.
📒 They adopt the Vygotskian approach in learning wherein they encourage socialization and deep play for the kids.
💡 Redwood students have a learning/play plan where they draw or write what they want to learn for the day: it serves as a great way to teach them to get organized even when their plan is to have fun and it helps them remember what they accomplished for the day, plus makes it easier to get their parents updated on what they did at school.
📚They're very intentional with applying effective learning programs to enable their SPED students to eventually go "mainstream".
🧑🏽‍🏫 They have elective classes every Friday. The kids get to experience these classes with students of different ages, and they get to pick from the following interests: yoga & mindfulness, community service, STEAM, or music.
🚌 They hold Mini Field Trips for the kids to teach them real life skills, like doing the grocery and they allow students to hold their 30-minute Birthday Parties in school, as this tradition seemed to have been a rarity for most after the pandemic.

🍽️ Parents/Guardians don't have to go far if they wanna grab a bite while waiting or if they want to celebrate special occasions with the whole family, as Affordable Gourmet by Ria (4th floor) and

Banh Beo Cafe & Bistro (2nd Floor) are in the same building! Plus points, cause their foods are legit noms, too!
📋 They are now open for registration and enrollment for SY 2024 - 2025. Scroll 👇🏽 to find their socials below & inquire!

Thank you so much for s'cool'ing this Southie well, Teachers Carla and Cathy, as well as the whole Redwood School Manila Team!🙏🏽

Check out their socials and other deets, inquire about their open house schedules, and tell us if we're on point with telling this story, Southies!😉👇🏽
📱 @redwoodschoolmanila on IG
👍🏽 Redwood School Manila on FB
📍 3F The Garland Building, Daang Hari Road, Bacoor, Cavite
☎️ 0917 878 5788
📧 info@redwoodschoolmanila.com
🌐 www.redwoodschoolmanila.com

 Blog by Southie Donna