Julia Gabriel
Julia Gabriel
Julia is the Founder Director of Julia Gabriel Centre, Chiltern House and the Julia Gabriel School of Education. She holds Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Australia, and licentiate teaching diplomas in Speech & Drama from the both the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the London College of Music. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, having been awarded life membership of the school in 1993 for her services to the field of speech and drama.
Julia is the author of three books, including ‘EduDrama’- A Guide to Speech and Drama. She believes education is for sharing and enjoys working with parents and educators. In July 2019, Julia passed on after a decade-long battle with cancer. Her legacy which she had built with love, dedication and generous spirit of sharing and teaching, will continue to live on in all the children who have walked through our doors to pursue a dramatically different education.
Wang Pau Lee
Wang Pau Lee
Background Information
Pau Lee was a parent at Julia Gabriel Centre Singapore when she first enrolled her daughter, Kate in PlayClub as she found the programmes and learning environment truly enriching and enjoyable. When her family returned to Malaysia, Pau Lee and her husband, Surachet made the bold decision of bringing Julia Gabriel Centre over to Malaysia to enable their daughter to continue her learning, thus establishing the Bangsar flagship centre in 2006.
She also started Chiltern House Preschool, a Julia Gabriel Education centre, under the same roof. Soon after, a second centre at CITTA Mall Ara Damansara was established in 2011. Since then, the Malaysia centres have welcomed and nurtured many confident communicators under its roof. She now works with an ever expanding team of more than 70 educators and staff.
Wendy Loh Pei-Wen
Wendy Loh Pei-Wen
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Specialising in Child Development), San Francisco State University
- Trinity Guildhall Foundation Teaching Certificate, Trinity College London
- Julia Gabriel Teaching Foundation Certificate, Julia Gabriel School of Education
- A Child’s World, Julia Gabriel School of Education
Background Information
Wendy first worked as a counsellor for two years in a non-profit counselling centre in downtown San Francisco before joining an early childhood development centre in San Francisco. When she finally returned to the Malaysian shores in 2008, she was welcomed into the Julia Gabriel family.
Currently the Head of Chiltern House, she was previously Bangsar’s Head of Centre and was instrumental in building the foundations of Julia Gabriel Centre’s PlayNursery programme. She has taught in Julia Gabriel Centre’s PlayClub and Bilingual PlayClub programmes, and is still presently teaching Speech and Drama classes for the Primary level.
She believes education is for sharing and enjoys working with parents and educators.
Shobana Chandran
Shobana Chandran
- Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications, University of Science Malaysia
- Trinity Guildhall Foundation Teaching Certificate, Trinity College London
- Julia Gabriel Teaching Foundation Certificate, Julia Gabriel School of Education
- A Child’s World, Julia Gabriel School of Education
Background Information
Shoby first started her teaching career in our organisation as an Assistant Teacher in Julia Gabriel Centre’s exciting and immensely popular PlayClub programme in 2008. There was no stopping Shoby since then as she has sung, performed, danced and taught her way to leading her own PlayClub class, Bilingual PlayClub, Speech and Drama, and PlayNest before taking charge as the Head of Julia Gabriel Centre Programmes. She also leads her team of specialist teachers for Chiltern House Preschool classes and is part of the core Julia Gabriel Centre storytelling team. In December 2019, she took on her second role as Head of Centre for CITTA Mall centre, before moving to Bangsar centre in January 2022 when she was appointed the new Head of Centre.
Ashwini Subramaniam
Ashwini Subramaniam
- Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, Open University Malaysia (on-going)
- Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, UCSI
- Julia Gabriel Foundation Teaching Certificate, Julia Gabriel School of Education
Background Information
Ashwini first joined the Julia Gabriel family back in January 2013 where she began her journey with us as an Assistant Teacher for the Julia Gabriel Centre programmes – PlayClub and Bilingual PlayClub. She then transitioned to Chiltern House Preschool in which over the course of her tenure with us, she has taught as a lead teacher across the levels from Nursery 1 to Kindergarten 2. She has also taught in Julia Gabriel Centre’s Speech and Drama programmes, and is at present the Readers and Writers specialist teacher. Ashwini’s passion for teaching, her zestful pursuit to continuously develop herself in the field professionally, along with her calm, cool and collected nature have earned her her place as one of our most experienced educators in the school. She currently serves as the Assistant Head of Bangsar Centre.
Cannie Beh Ke Xin
Cannie Beh Ke Xin
- Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, minoring in Special Child Education, University of Malaya
Background Information
Cannie’s background in Special Child Education has provided her with an invaluable insight into how she could best provide for children across levels with different needs. Her experience as an intern at an enrichment centre for the deaf prior to joining Chiltern House only proved to solidify her passion for educating young minds, fired by her passion and flair for the Mandarin language.
She first joined Chiltern House Preschool in 2018 as a Mandarin Teacher and has since taught children from the Nursery to the Kindergartens. Julia Gabriel Education’s EduDrama methodology, she believes, has inspired her to express herself creatively, keeping the children engaged in this language immersion journey through fun and interactive learning. She likens Mandarin words to building blocks and the enjoyment one can derive when composing different characters together to make a meaningful word. It’s been a beautiful and fulfilling experience so far, and she is thankful for the opportunity to share her passion for Mandarin language with young children.
Janice Tan Yng Jye
Janice Tan Yng Jye
- Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, majoring in Instructional Design & Technology, University of Malaya
Background Information
Janice joined the Chiltern House family back in 2018 and has since taught young children across different levels from the Nursery to Kindergarten One. Always up for a challenge to continuously improve herself as an educator, she became a part of Julia Gabriel Centre’s Mandarin team in their Bilingual PlayClub toddler programme. Teaching has always been a strong passion of hers that she attributes to her innate love for children. For Janice, working with children leaves her with such a gratifying feeling that she could never leave a room full of children without a smile on her face. And being able to play a pivotal part in helping her young students build a strong foundation for their early years through Chiltern House has certainly been the highlight of her career so far.
Aja Azman
Aja Azman
- Bachelor of Music Education (Hons.) (Major in Classical Piano) from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam
- Diploma in Music, UiTM Shah Alam
- Julia Gabriel Foundation Teaching Certificate, Julia Gabriel School of Education
- ABRSM Piano Practical and Theory Grade 5 (Distinctions)
Background Information
Aja joined the Julia Gabriel International family back in 2017 as Julia Gabriel Centre’s specialist Music teacher for Chiltern House Preschool. She has taught Chiltern House Music for pre-schoolers of all levels – from Pre-Nursery to Kindergarten 2, and is also the specialist Speech and Drama teacher for Pre-Nursery level. Tapping into her fervent love for teaching and keen interest in music, Aja has been instrumental in maintaining the high standards of Chiltern House’s music education. Since 2019, she has been serving her new role as Head of Music Department. Prior to joining the organisation, she was a volunteer teacher with an NGO where she taught English to children, teenagers and working adults, in small and big groups.
Umi Zulaikha
Umi Zulaikha
- Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education) majoring in Children Performing Arts, Unitar International University
Background Information
Umi joined the Chiltern House family in September 2019 as the school’s Bahasa Melayu specialist teacher. She’d first started her journey in early childhood education when she was offered a scholarship by Yayasan Peneraju Pendidikan Bumiputera, during which her time at the university, she was an active performer for her faculty. At every given opportunity, she would perform storytelling, puppet shows, and dance movements for children – completely feeling at home and immersed in her passion. She then went on to complete her internship in the Lembah Subang preschool and a private nursery.
As a Bahasa Melayu specialist in Chiltern House, she has taught the Kindergarten levels from 2020 before embarking on a new journey teaching the language to the Nursery children in 2022. As an early childhood practitioner, Umi believes that every child deserves a chance to have a safe and comfortable learning environment, which fuels her determination to make the learning of Bahasa Melayu a fun and interactive experience for her preschoolers.
Rebecca Steven
Rebecca Steven
- Diploma in Child Psychology and Child Disorder Management, CAE Malaysia (on-going)
- Julia Gabriel Foundation Teaching Certificate, Julia Gabriel School of Education
Background Information
Rebecca or more fondly addressed as Becca by the children has been with the Julia Gabriel family since 2017. She has risen over the years to become a core member of the Julia Gabriel Centre team of specialist educators, actively teaching in Julia Gabriel Centre’s Early Learning and Speech and Drama Programme, even as specialist teacher in Speech and Drama for Chiltern House Preschool. Becca’s passion for teaching young children shines through with her ability to connect with the children with her carefree demeanor and constantly pushing boundaries to transform classrooms into a creative environment that inspires her students to step out of their comfort zones and build their confidence in communication.
