Earlier this year, a new school for children with special needs opened in Loewen Gardens. The school is called the Melbourne Specialist International School (MSIS) and it is operated in partnership with the Port Philip Specialist School of Melbourne, Australia.
The new school uses the performing arts and child-centered educational practices to help special needs children between the ages of 3 and 18. The school uses art, drama, music and dance along with traditional education to help children develop academically and emotionally. Each child receives their own individual learning plan that is designed to fit the individual needs and abilities of the student.
Of how the program plans to be successful and work to address the needs of students on a daily basis, a press release from the school reads,
“To ensure the successful implementation of the Visual and Performing Arts Programme, MSIS provides teachers and a teacher’s assistant who work closely together to address the daily needs of all students.”
The school also offers a range of therapy services that include art therapy, music therapy, language therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy.
School principal for MSIS, Juliet Cooper, says of the program,
“We have a unique programme and curriculum model that I’m excited to be bringing to Singapore. The Visual and Performing Arts Programme we are offering at Melbourne Specialist International School enables us to more readily achieve literacy, numeracy and living skills goals.”