Our wonderful team of Teaching Assistants are Jenny, Jamie, Ezra, Praxie, Maryanne and Deanna
KATIE TERRY – DIRECTOR
Teaching Experience: Katie started teaching nearly 20 years ago and her experience includes the UK (primary & early years); ESF (primary & special needs), Dover court (special needs) and SJII (supply).
Nationality: British /Singaporean PR
Background: Katie is a director of Rain Trees and is responsible for the overall management of the school. She has been in Singapore for over 15 years and spent most of her childhood and twenties in Hong Kong. Katie is married to Hugh and they have 3 children all born in Singapore.
ROHINI RAMADAS – PRINCIPAL
Teaching Experience: Rohini started teaching nearly 20 years ago, and moved to Early Years teaching about 10 years ago. She has had extensive teaching experience in Singapore including imparting the International Baccalaureate Curriculum at Eton House and taking leadership roles.
Nationality: Indian / Singaporean
Background: Rohini has lived in Singapore for 18 years and has a daughter who is living and working in New York. Her teaching philosophy includes the tenet that effective learning requires a collaboration between teachers, students and parents grounded in mutual trust and respect. She also believes strongly that the best learning happens when its fun and positive.
BAHAR AFKHAMI – BUSY BEES TEACHER
Teaching Experience: Bahar has 8 years of experience working in Early childhood education. She has been working with international children for the past 8 years in Singapore following the Early Years and Kindergarten curriculum. She is very excited to be part of the Rain Trees team.
Nationality: Singaporean
Background:
Bahar was born in Dubai and brought up in Singapore. She started her studies in Early Childhood education in 2015. Bahar believes that a child’s growth is developmental. Every child is unique in terms of life experiences, developmental readiness, cultural heritage and ways of learning. She believes as an early childhood educator one has to provide a safe and nurturing environment, which promotes physical, social, emotional, language and cognitive development that will ensure a positive continuation of the child’s education process, learning through play and hands on activities.
Bahar likes to spend her spare time watching movies, going to the beach and travelling when she can.
MADELINE TEO – DRAGONFLIES TEACHER
Teaching Experience: Madeline has five years of experience working in the Early Years. Effectively bilingual, she has taught in local and international schools in Singapore. She has a Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood from Monash University and Diploma in Early Childhood Teaching.
Nationality: Singaporean
Background:
Madeline has been working with children since her teens for the past 19 years and has travelled to various south-east Asia countries engaging in humanitarian missions work with children.
She believes every child is a unique and beautiful individual who is independent and capable of making choices. She loves to promote a sense of wonder and curiosity, empowering them to be confident and active contributors to their communities. Madeline enjoys spending time with her family, cycling and going on hikes.
MUGE PANTON – LADYBIRDS TEACHER
Teaching Experience: Muge developed a passion for working with children after visiting many pre-schools and attending educational seminars. She has 7 years of work experience and strongly believes in inclusive schools that exercise a play-based approach to learning and that treat all children equally and with compassion. She has a degree in Business and HR Management and has also completed a degree in Early Childhood Years from Northumbria University.
Nationality: Singaporean
Background:
Muge was born in Turkey and raised in Singapore. She attended United World College (UWC) and after finishing school, moved to Australia. She later returned to Singapore where she met her husband and has three wonderful children.
Muge enjoys working with children of all ages and from all walks of life. She sees every child as unique and full of light, and how they thrive in a kind, nurturing environment. She is passionate in wanting children to develop into happy, confident people who are eager to learn and play.
In addition to teaching, Muge enjoys spending time with her family. She adores the outdoors and loves cycling, swimming, and tasting all types of different cuisines.
CHRIS BRADLEE – FIREFLIES TEACHER
Teaching Experience: Chris has been working with children in various capacities since 2005. She has experience teaching in many diverse and multicultural environments. She has a holistic approach and motivates her students in to have a growth mindset. She believes that children need to be free to explore, learn, and grow and to also make mistakes. Learning takes place not only inside the classroom, but also in outdoor spaces. Chris encourages children to be curious about their surroundings and to learn through their senses.
Nationality: American/Singapore PR
Background:
Chris was born and brought up in the USA, She has lived and worked in Thailand, Cambodia and India and is now proud to call Singapore home. She is married and has one daughter.
Chris likes to spend her spare time with her family. She is passionate about gardening, reading and yoga. She previously managed a Farm to Fork café garden in California. She is also is a certified yoga instructor and has learned and taught yoga in the USA, India, and Singapore.
Chris is a lifelong learner and is grateful to all of her students for allowing her to learn and grow with them. She trusts in the immense potential of each child and considers the early years as the most important time to instill a love for learning. She believes in the power of kindness and compassion and also encourages her students to be kind and caring.
ANNA FACEY – BUTTERFLIES TEACHER
Teaching Experience: Anna has 9 years of experience working in Early Years. She has taught in London for seven years in two International Nursery schools following the Early Years Foundation curriculum. Anna then moved back to Singapore where she worked in an International IB school for over a Year. She is very excited to be part of the Rain Trees team.
Nationality: British/Japanese
Background: Anna was born and brought up in Singapore. She left Singapore in 2005 to Study Early Childhood Studies and Fine Art in Canterbury, UK. In 2015, she moved back to Singapore.
Anna believes that every child is unique in their own way. She is passionate about the development of young children and creating stimulating and enriching experiences to augment their learning.
Anna likes to spend her spare time exercising, going for walks with her black Labrador named Cha-Cha and travelling when she can.
JUDY LUI – MANDARIN TEACHER
Teaching Experience: Judy has been working in international schools in Singapore for 11 years. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chinese Language and Literature from the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
Nationality: Singaporean
Background: Judy has 2 teenage daughters. In her leisure time, she enjoys travelling, reading, yoga and growing edibles for her cooking.
She believes every child has their own potential and uses songs, rhythms and stories to engage the children in their second language learning.
MELANIE WIGHTMAN – ADMISSIONS OFFICER
Administration Experience: Over 10 years’ experience in Human Resources administration working in a number of different companies in both the UK and Singapore.
Nationality: British
Background: Melanie moved from the UK to Singapore in 2006. Married with 2 children, she’s a keen traveller, enjoys experiencing different cultures, going for long walks and is building up on her running skills, but mostly just loves to be home with her family.
SHRADDHA THAKKAR – FINANCE & ADMIN OFFICER
Administration Experience: CPA from New York. Finance/Banking experience over 9 years in USA, UK, India & Singapore.
Nationality: American/PR of Singapore
Background: Married with 2 children; moved to Singapore from UK in 2008. Enjoys traveling to different places, meeting different people. Passionate about the different physical training courses – swimming, Yoga, weights training.
