Hi everyone. Thanks for taking the time to share your insights and experiences with me, having taken the path before…


For now, (whether I send DD to enrichment class or not), I have decided to take chien6 advice to just relax and let my children have as carefree, happy and meaningful childhood as possible. Take Han Seo’s advice and expose my children to as much life experiences and types of reading materials as possible. Take Caynelle and Empressplace’s advice and not worry too much.

Hi Empressplace and Caynelle…


Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me. I am torn between the 2 views.

DD can read simple readers now (and relatively more difficult passages from the Lcentral text though less fluently) after attending L central. But she finds it tough and doesn’t exactly enjoy reading nor spelling. Which I feel defeats the purpose of sending her for classes. In the longer term, love for reading and writing is more important than actually reading and spelling. By forcing her to read and write now may be putting the cart before the wheel and counterproductive in the long run.

That’s why I dont know whether i am doing the right thing. If SJCK does adequately prepare them, then maybe I should just let matters take their naturally course and see how she copes in P1, which hopefully won’t be too late.

Strong phonics skills whilst important is not the most important and only skill required in gaining literary. And SJCK spends 3-4 years just teaching phonics. I’m not convinced that is really the best curriculum for our children. I do feel daughter and I wouldn’t be in this predicament if SJCK had a better reading program in school.

Hi Chien6


Thank you for your advice and sharing your experience.

Based on your experience with your 4 children then, do you think enrichment classes are necessary at all?


Regards,
Jo

My 2 children are currently attending St James (girl in K2, boy in N2). I have been a fan of SJCK for the longest time cos I see how happy my children are at SCJK. However, lately, I’ve been thinking of pulling my son out… and would do the same for my daughter except it might be too late and disruptive to do so now…


SJCK is a good school in terms of the following:
- Building Christian values and character (chapel, memory verse, prayers, christian songs)
- It is a very warm, happy, loving and non intimitating environment to raise happy children in
- Children look forward to school because it is mostly fun and play with hardly any academic stress
- Teachers are mostly warm and patient towards the children, although there are exceptions (like the chinese teacher my son is having now)
- Project work for one term and presentation at the end of the term (not sure if any other preschool does this)

Reason why I am thinking of pulling out my son
- At the end of K1, my daughter still couldn’t read. SJCK was still teaching only simply phonic sounds, and havent even started blending. I was not a kiasu parent and didn’t send her for any enrichment classes. We spoke english at home and I read to my children every night; and I thought that was enough; cos I figured SJCK surely will prepare my kid for P1.
- Fyi, in K2 first term, the spelling words assigned are very easy ones like a, is, as, of, for, him, her, they, was, are etc…
- Based on feedback from other parents, their kids could read and write only because either they attended additional enrichment classes outside the school. Those who didn’t are also panicking like me now. This applies for both English and Chinese.
- I decided of course to send my DD for enrichment classes this year. The trouble of having to send her for english, chinese and math enrichment classes every week is simply a pain, not to mention the the stress and agony of helping her catch up with her languages after work.

I thought this was the norm and consulted friends. Most of them told me that their kids’ school helped prepare their kids for P1, and they never had to send them for any additional enrichment classes (except maybe non academic enrichment such as piano / art…)

My advice to parents thinking of sending their kid to SJCK is, unless you are prepared to teach your kids yourself, or send them to enrichment classes, or accept lower academic achievements, in return for a carefree childhood in a good christian kindergarten environment, then dont send your children there.

Hi, I am thinking of registering my son and daughter with LC. Any one who wishes to be my referee to get the $30 voucher, pls pm me, thanks.

There's a good TCM physician at Telok Blangah who speaks both English and Mandarin.. She has a masters and Phd in TCM and used to work for Tan Tock Seng Hospital. For the last decade or so, my whole family (and extended family) have gone to see her for all our TCM treatments... and her charges are very reasonable.


She even has a blog where she posts about the cases she has treated etc...
http://drongsweeling.blogspot.com/

Call 62726400 for address and opening hours... Clinic's name is Yong Kang Medical Hall and physician's name is Dr. Ong Swee Ling. See pic of her clinic below that I downloaded from her blog.
http://i56.tinypic.com/x56q6h.jpg\">