The Team
Ronald Stones OBE
Director of Schools
Ronald Stones OBE
| Designation | Qualification | University |
|---|---|---|
| Director of Schools | MBA in Educational Leadership | University of Lincoln |
Ronald hails from Britain, but has been resident in South-East Asia for thirty years. His entire career has been spent in education. He led three of the region’s prestigious international schools – Tanglin Trust School, British International School Jakarta and British School Manila.
He also spearheaded the development of a new paradigm in education which changed the distribution of prosperity in the developing world. Ronald has been awarded several honorary positions, including Fellowship of RSA and recognition by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II for services to education.
Eugene Low
Principal
Eugene Low
| Designation | Qualification | University |
|---|---|---|
| Principal | Postgraduate Diploma in (Primary) Education | Nanyang Technological University |
Eugene is an experienced international educator who had held various teaching and leadership positions in both Singapore and overseas schools. In his various roles, Eugene had been directly involved in school administration, student pastoral care, professional development, mentorship and appraisal of teachers, curriculum development, implementation and review, and preparing school communities for external accreditation.
For the last 14 years, Eugene actively represents Fieldwork Education and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Asia Pacific region in providing school consultancy, accreditation and teacher training services for schools in the Asia Pacific region – Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, China (including Macau and Hong Kong), Australia and New Zealand. After 22 years in education, Eugene remains passionate about children’s education and believes that a quality international education should be focused on developing internationally-minded, culturally-sensitive, environmentally-conscious and self-aware learners who can impact the world we live in.
In his free time, Eugene enjoys spending time with his two young sons, food, travelling, swimming, gardening, walks in nature, movies, cars, LEGO, jig-saw puzzles, design and architecture. He is fluent in Chinese and hopes to learn Japanese in the near future.
Helen McPherson
Year 1 Teacher
Helen McPherson
| Designation | Qualification | University |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 Teacher | Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education) | University of Canberra |
Helen McPherson is an Australian teacher with over 14 years’ experience teaching young students, with 8 of those being in International Schools. She has a Bachelor of Education specialising in Early Childhood Education plus postgraduate qualifications in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and Contemporary Literacies.
Helen has had the privilege of teaching a broad range of students from many nationalities. She has experience with a broad range of curriculums and different educational frameworks. Helen focuses on a range and balance of teaching methods to allow each student to develop as a whole child. Helen’s professional interests are in inquiry based learning and language acquisition. Helen has specialised knowledge with regard to the nature of 21st-century literacies, language informed approaches to literacy, and the nature of evidence in literacy curriculum and assessment. She has a passion for inspiring a love of reading in her students.
In her spare time Helen enjoys reading, travelling, being out in nature and spending time with family and friends.
Julie Cooper
Year 2 Teacher
Julie Cooper
| Designation | Qualification | University |
|---|---|---|
| Year 2 Teacher | Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Primary) | University of Bradford |
Julie is an experienced UK qualified teacher. She has a BSC (Hons) in Applied Biology from Coventry (Lanchester) Polytechnic and a PGCE from Bradford University. Her subject specialism is science.
Julie has many years’ experience teaching across the primary age range in schools in the UK and Singapore. Her love of science and expertise in teaching science is highly valued in schools she has taught in. Whilst working at Tanglin Trust School Julie promoted the use of the grounds as an exciting science resource for young learners to explore science concepts and develop their understanding of and love for science. She is looking forward to developing the Garden to Table Project at The Grange in which the students learn essential life skills in a fun way and also learn about food education and environmentally sustainable practices and lifestyles. These are areas in education that Julie is passionate about.
She believes in creating a positive learning environment in which children are confident to “give it a go” and believe in their own ability to take on new challenges. Julie’s hobbies include a variety of arts and crafts, often taking inspiration from nature and the architectural and cultural diversity of SE Asia.
Emi Morishige
Foreign Language Teacher (Japanese)
Emi Morishige
| Designation | Qualification | University |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese Language Teacher | Bachelor of Domestic Science | Kyoritsu Women’s University |
Emi is the Japanese language teacher at The Grange. She has been a relief teacher at other international schools in Singapore for over 6 years. She also teaches Japanese culture and traditional customs to students as well.
From her working experiences and experience in raising her own children, Emi has a strong motivation to teach Japanese Language to young children.
Emi has lived in Singapore for 14 years now. She has three boys who grew up in here and studied in international schools in Singapore. She is very happy to support expat families by sharing her own experience.
Emi has many interests in areas such as cooking, sowing, knitting, piano and sports. During her free time, she likes to play tennis and football!
Chen Lih Jiun
Foreign Language Teacher (Mandarin) / Learning Assistant
Chen Lih Jiun
| Designation | Qualification | University |
|---|---|---|
| Mandarin Language Teacher | Master of Education (Early Years) | Queensland University of Technology |
Lih Jiun is an experienced educator with 6 years of Mandarin teaching experience in Singapore and Malaysia. She has also obtained the Certificate for Teachers of Chinese to Speakers of other languages (CTCSOL), a certificate recognised globally for teaching Chinese as a foreign language.
Lih Jiun has a very strong drive for excellence and is very passionate in her teaching. She believes that education must be balanced and consistent. As a teacher she often motivates her students to extend their own personnel limits.
In her free time, she enjoys practicing Chinese calligraphy, reading, swimming, and cycling. She is proficient in Mandarin, English, as well as Malay.
Janette de Silva
Music Teacher
Janette de Silva
| Designation | Qualification | University |
|---|---|---|
| Music Teacher | Certificate in Teacher Training | Yamaha Music School |
Janette’s music teaching career began in 1979 at the Yamaha Music School in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. After completing the Yamaha Music Teachers Training Course (Singapore) and several other intensive training sessions in Singapore and Japan, she was appointed Key Teacher of that music centre. In 1991, Janette joined Yamaha Music Malaysia, headquartered in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, as a music teacher, Chief Instructor, Teacher Trainer and Lower Grades Examiner.
In 2001, Janette joined Crestar Education Group, Malaysia, also based in Petaling Jaya. At CEG Malaysia, she had the privilege of working with Kinderland kindergartens and the Crestar Enrichment centres, specifically in the Speech and Drama and Dance (Ballet) programmes, given her experience in music and ballet.
Jannette now speaks some Mandarin from the years of working in China. Since joining The Grange, Janette feels that she has met all her loves here; wonderful children who enjoy music, brilliant friends who love good food, creativity and the arts as a major focus of everything we do here at The Grange.
Katie Sutcliffe
Learning Assistant
Katie Sutcliffe
Katie Sutcliffe is an Irish intern at The Grange and will be assisting in Year 1A. She has lived in Singapore for 10 years. Katie will be studying at the University of Sussex perusing a degree in Psychology. Her passion for working with others provided her with an experience working in an international schools in Singapore for the past 2 years.
She has further experience in planning and running events for children and hosting overnight camps. Her passion lies in helping individuals learn in the best way that suits them. Her experience with MINDS (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled Singapore) as well as Riding for the Disabled provided Katie with skills to work with individuals and their needs.
In her high school career Katie participated in IB conferences in Singapore providing reflection and feedback at the conferences through a panel of students. As an international student herself, Katie values teaching children about understanding and respecting all cultures, perspectives and beliefs.
In her own time, Katie enjoys volunteering work, Art, reading and fitness. With great appreciation for nature, she loves to spend her time with her family and dog exploring places in Singapore.
Melanie Rappa
Learning Assistant
Melanie Rappa
After graduating from hotel school, Melanie worked in the hotel industry for 16 years in various positions from Operations to Convention Services to managing the Catering department. Her experience involved extensive customer service, management and communications.
The next 16 years was dedicated to raising her 3 sons. During that time, Melanie and her family lived overseas for five years in Sydney and Shanghai because of her husband’s job posting.
Having completed a certificate of Professional Practice in Phonics in 2018, Melanie is pursuing a second career in education. She enjoys working at The Grange as a teaching assistant working with our Year 1 students.
In her free time, she enjoys nature walks with her family, new dining experiences, reading self discovery books and values her quiet and contemplative time.