Intelligence plus character that is the goal of true education – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Education is the right of every individual, which acts as a means to attain the greater goals of career and academic excellence. It helps them to realize their potential and build their own bright future. Hence, every individual aim to attain excellent education. Accordingly, they look out for elite educational institutions, which impart quality education with dedication and equal attention towards the current industry scenario and trends. This is where the leading educational institutions play their part. They teach the students with dedication and equal attention towards the current industry scenario and trends.

Situated at Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Forest Hill International School (FHIS) offers excellent educational facilities to students in a supportive and thoughtfully prepared learning environment. It nurtures the natural desire for knowledge among the children. Furthermore, the school prepares them for the future by fostering their emotional, intellectual, physical, and social development.

A Wide Variety of Programs Offered

The school provides different programs, which give wings to a child’s imagination, while enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional skills. Its prime objective is to impart education in an effective, engaging, and fun-filled manner. The three primary programs that the school offers include, Montessori Daycare, Montessori Preschool and Kindergarten, and American Elementary Program.

The Montessori Daycare Program is tailor made for children ranging from 3 months to 3 years. This age span is the best duration for creating a child’s emotional base, intelligence, social skills, curiosity, joy in learning, and problem solving. Children are nurtured in peaceful and positive environment, where they feel safe, cared for, and ‘at home’. Additionally, students are assisted to develop a positive self-image, excellent social skills, concentration and creativity, while guiding their physical and intellectual development.

This program offers various features such as:

• A clean and sanitary environment, with adequate attention towards children’s health
• Proper care of students and ensuring their overall development
• Nurturing teachers and teaching assistants dedicated to fulfill the child’s physical and emotional needs
• It maintains a child to adult ratio of 4:1
• Spacious classrooms with calm and peaceful environment and natural lighting create situations conducive to learning
• Furniture such as tables, chairs, and cushions are arranged for the children so that they can engage in social inter play
• It also provides materials such as toys, that assist in cognitive learning

The Montessori Preschool (CASA) program creates five distinct areas, each having a separate environment. Special hang-on materials added to these areas allow young children to learn concepts and skills in a practical way. Children can enroll in the full day program or in a half-day morning program.

The Montessori Kindergarten Program designed for children aged 5-6 is a full-day primary program. It follows the Montessori Philosophy and emphasizes on using Montessori apparatus and specially designed learning environment to develop and reinforce Kindergarten concepts. This program encourages students to use sounds to form words. Gradually, they start reading and writing simple short vowel words and simple sentences, both phonetically as well as using basic sight words for their age group.

It focuses on various areas of learning and development such as:

• Language Arts (Zoo Phonics and A-Z Reading)
• Mathematics
• Science and Practical Life
• Social Studies (Geography, History, Culture, and Cambodian Culture)
• Physical, Social, and Emotional Development
• Co-Curricular Activities

The American Elementary Program is developmental in nature and accommodates the unique needs of young learners ranging from Grade 1 to Grade 3. With the focus on enhancing the knowledge of sounds (short vowels, long vowels, vowel digraphs, diphthongs, and so on) and vocabulary, it uses the A-Z readings Program. The program emphasizes on phonics and writing as tools for communication and also includes writing for meaning, sentences, and paragraph building.

The Knowledgeable Leader

The person leading FHIS from the front is none other than Mr. Pech Bolen. He is the Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of the Westline Education Group Co. Ltd. and has strong passion for bettering education in Cambodia. From being a teacher of English to now the Chief Executive Officer of a leading group of educational institutes that comprises of 1300 employees and serves 13000 students, he has inspired many people locally and internationally.

Recently he has been appointed as Deputy Co-Chair of Government-Private Sector Working Group on Education as well as Council Member of ASEAN Future Workforce Council. In addition to his great contribution to improving education in Cambodia, Mr. Bolen is also an influencer in a number of business sectors. He is the 2016 National President of Junior Chamber, Cambodia, and is the Vice President of Young Entrepreneurs Association of Cambodia; he also used to serve as a chapter president of Business Network International. He is one of the founders of the first ever angel group in Cambodia – Cambodia Investor Club.

Focus on Students’ Development

The school encourages students to write their own stories, while using a variety of writing types. It implements the Math Mammoth Series in primary programs through the usage of manipulative and other concrete objects to nurture abstract thinking skills. Fitting well into the Montessori Philosophy, this design aims to develop practical thinking and learning skills. Math Mammoth further develops critical thinking skills by involving writing in the process.

FHIS teaches Science and Social Studies in themes, adapting into the Language Arts curriculum and enhancing common experiences for children. In Science, each grade level follows a cycle of themes, one for each area: physical, life, earth, and health. In social studies, each grade level follows a cycle of themes, based on one theme for each of the strands: history, geography, culture, and a special emphasis on Cambodian culture. All science and social studies units and themes are actively-based, meaningful, and are designed to spark children’s natural curiosity, interests, and enthusiasm.

The school had registered to provide the Khmer Curriculum for 2017/18 school year. It will also offer a full program administered by the MoEYS to ensure that students are fully prepared to appear in exams in future and successfully receive a full diploma. This curriculum is available to all Cambodian students, while complementing FHIS’s international program. It covers different areas of learning including language; mathematics; science; social study and culture studies; creative arts (music, art, drama); physical education (sport, swimming, outdoor play); and library. The school also provides options of various after school activities such as Chinese language sessions, taekwondo, and art & craft sessions.

You can know more about the institute by visiting www.foresthill.education