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Ganenu Day School
Ganenu Learning Centre opened it's doors in November 1996 to meet the growing needs of Jewish education in Singapore. Ganenu which means "Our Garden", is an educational project which operates under the auspices of the Jewish Welfare Board. The center caters to children between 12 months and 7 years. Located at the Sir Manasseh Meyer Hebrew School building, known to all as the Menorah Club, the fully air-conditioned school occupies about 4000 square feet of space. It has 7 classrooms all equipped with updated educational material ranging from computers, library books and age appropriate games and toys. The premise also has a state of the art kitchen to accommodate hot lunches for the students everyday. The school is beautifully designed in pleasant shades of soft pastel green and salmon, and furnished with child size furniture; the environment is most conducive for its purpose.
The founder and principal of the school, Mrs. Simcha Abergel says the idea to start Ganenu was rooted since her arrival in Singapore almost 10 years ago. Preparations to open the school began in early August 1996. Ganenu welcomed its first student on November 12, 1996 with a subsequent enrollment of 8 children, but it has grown since then to more than 50 students. The school operates from Monday to Friday. Daily sessions begin at 9.00am in the morning and ends at 3:00 pm and 1:30 pm on Fridays. Bus transportation is available. The children are taught lessons on Judaism such as the significance of customs and holidays, the Hebrew language, reading and math. There are also music, mandarin, gym, art and crafts and computer classes.
One interesting example of an activity which the kids particularly enjoy is the enactment of the Oneg Shabbat every Friday when the children take turns to play act as parents and are taught to make their own bread. Mrs. Abergel directs a team of over 15 staff which includes teachers and assistants who were trained in Israel, Canada and Singapore amongst other counties. Our philosophy and aims is to provide quality care for all of our children. This means providing a warm, happy, safe and caring environment where parents and children are made to feel welcome. A stimulating program in a Jewish environment will only serve to enhance your child's learning. Our program is designed to provide a balance between structured and unstructured activities. Children are encouraged to use a wide range of equipment and materials for indoor and outdoor experiences.
We believe that the role of caregivers is to guide behavior by positive reinforcement and encouragement. We aim to provide children with the necessary skills such as social, language and physical skills, and respect for people and their belongings. According to Mrs. Abergel, Ganenu aims to be the place that helps young ones get their initial Jewish introduction and eventually this becomes the first step towards a fulfilling and successful Jewish life. For more information, please contact Ganenu Jewish Learning Centre. You may contact Simcha Abergel or Beth Ginsberg at (65) 6737 9746
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