2013 PSLE Discussions and Strategy
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Do your DC get any homework for June holiday?
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happyheart:
Do your DC get any homework for June holiday?
This week DS still goes to school so no homework yet. Maybe he will get homework at the end of this week because he will get 2 weeks holiday starting next week. He has to go back to school again on the 4th week. How about your DC? Any homework? -
DS has 10 half-days of supp class this June. Homework started before school ended last week. Today first day of supp already given homework… I’m fine with that as long as there’s time left to cover his weaknesses at home.
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Top PSLE Scorer’s Steady Route to Success
Wee Yen Jean, top PSLE student 2008
No school work after dinner!
Such a piece of advice would stun many parents. But for Mrs Wee Pei Fong, the idea of burning the midnight oil every day for months is out of the question. Despite this unconventional practice, her daughter, Yen Jean, topped her cohort in this year’s PSLE results.
So what’s their secret?
Yen Jean, who studied at Nanyang Primary School, lives by the golden rule that consistent work to laying a good foundation is the path to academic success. According to Mrs Wee, steady progress in studying and revising not only helps Yen Jean to remember, it also gives more opportunities for her to clarify doubts and improve her understanding of difficult topics.
No surprise, therefore, that Yen Jean credits this approach for her success. “It was the consistency that helped me achieve the good results, not cramming at the last minute,” she says.
On their part, how can parents best support their children in the nerve-wrecking months leading up to the PSLE? Mrs Wee gives full credit to Yen Jean’s teachers for their hard work in preparing the pupils. In turn, she sought to complement the school’s efforts by ensuring that Yen Jean lacked for nothing at home.
Tips from the parent of the top PSLE student? Mrs Wee sees an intangible but nonetheless real value in basic acts such as ensuring that Yen Jean maintains a good balance between schoolwork, play and rest; and eats a healthy diet. It also means giving Yen Jean steady moral support, especially when she feels discouraged or down. Mrs Wee believes parents should always be available as a sounding board for their children to talk about issues that affect them.
Adjusting to a new stream
Mrs Wee, who quit her job eight years ago to become a homemaker, puts a premium on having a close relationship with her daughter. “I try to always be around,” she remarks. “If Yen Jean has a problem, we address it quickly rather than letting it fester. At this age, she faces many growing up issues that we discuss about.”
Yen Jean was formerly a pupil at CHIJ Kellock, but switched to Nanyang Primary School at Pri 4 after qualifying for the Gifted Education Programme (GEP). Initially, she found it a bumpy ride trying to adapt to the new school. “I was a little apprehensive at first as I would be leaving CHIJ Kellock for a completely new environment, one in which there was a lot of emphasis on Chinese which was my weakest subject then,” Yen Jean recalls. But her fears soon dissipated when her paternal grandmother offered to coach her in the language. And rather than relying on tuition, Mrs Wee herself helps Yen Jean in her English, Mathematics and Science.
Transfering to the GEP stream also threw up other concerns. Mrs Wee was not worried about Yen Jean’s self-motivation and desire to excel, but she saw a need to manage her daughter’s high expectations.
“It’s not uncommon for a child to falter under stress,” observes Mrs Wee. “Yen Jean did not do well in her Science Practical Test in Pri 5 despite trying her best, and naturally she was very disappointed”. In this instance, Mrs Wee sought to reassure Yen Jean that it was ok to stumble on occasion. “I told her that we are human beings” she recounts, “and the important thing is to learn from failure and mistakes and continue to persevere.”
Not all work and no play
Hitting the books takes up nearly 70 percent of Yen Jean’s waking hours. But she makes it a point to immerse herself regulaly in a whole gamut of activities. Taking after her mother, who was a lawyer, Yen Jean loves to debate. She also enjoys the thrill of thinking up creative solutions to problems and has joined her schoolmates in a trip all the way to Perth, Australia to learn about Future Problem Solving from international coaches.
With this range of experiences and the emotional support of her parents, Yen Jean is no stranger to new challenges and environments. Now about to enter Raffles Girls' School, she is looking forward to future adventures in learning. “I hope that I will be able to maintain a good academic performance,” she laughs, adding lest you think that’s all that matters, “And at the same time, have lots of fun!”
http://www.schoolbag.sg/archives/2008/11/top_psle_scorers_steady_route.php -
Hi Everyone,
My DD has not finished some of her top school SA1 papers yet :nailbite: . should we move on and do the prelim papers first or continue and finish the SA1 papers :scratchhead: ? Also, are prelim papers harder than SA1/PT1
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kiasuparentsirock:
My son only finished about 5 SA1 papers in TOTAL. Realistically he won't be able to finish SA1 and Prelim papers so we just moved on with Prelim papers.Hi Everyone,
My DD has not finished some of her top school SA1 papers yet :nailbite: . should we move on and do the prelim papers first or continue and finish the SA1 papers :scratchhead: ? Also, are prelim papers harder than SA1/PT1 ? -
kiasuparentsirock:
During my elder boy's time, the sch teachers will give out other schs prelim papers for practice. Hence, I am not starting on prelim papers, just focus on the SA1 papers for now.Hi Everyone,
My DD has not finished some of her top school SA1 papers yet :nailbite: . should we move on and do the prelim papers first or continue and finish the SA1 papers :scratchhead: ? Also, are prelim papers harder than SA1/PT1 ?
I told my boy if he can get only 2-3 mistakes for 5 consecutive EL papers, we will stop practising EL. -
ngl2010:
My DS has homework for all subjects. Supplementary classes start only end of Holiday period and he is expected to finish before attending the classess. so far, he has done Eng compo P1&2, still have science mind map, chinese compoand paper and tons of Maths questions. I hope he can finish on timehappyheart:
Do your DC get any homework for June holiday?
This week DS still goes to school so no homework yet. Maybe he will get homework at the end of this week because he will get 2 weeks holiday starting next week. He has to go back to school again on the 4th week. How about your DC? Any homework?
as we are going away for a few days!
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kiasuparentsirock:
I have the same thought, does not look like he can finish SA1 papers. Maths teacher also told me that they will have tons of papers to do come July but did not specify what paper. My guess is should be prelim papersHi Everyone,
My DD has not finished some of her top school SA1 papers yet :nailbite: . should we move on and do the prelim papers first or continue and finish the SA1 papers :scratchhead: ? Also, are prelim papers harder than SA1/PT1 ?
Anyway, I think I will pass on NYPS paper, very demoralizing for DS. -
kiasuparentsirock:
When my daughter was preparing for PSLE 2 yrs ago, we looked at it from the perspective of what we felt she needed to do plus the time available. There's no need to do every paper available. I didn't buy the sets of exam papers and just downloaded what I wanted her to do, and she didn't do many SA1 papers at all - maybe 5? Quite a no. of prelim papers were used as school homework, and we gave her a few more for practice. The difference between SA1 and prelim papers is that some topics may be left out of the SA1 papers if the school hadn't covered them at that point.Hi Everyone,
My DD has not finished some of her top school SA1 papers yet :nailbite: . should we move on and do the prelim papers first or continue and finish the SA1 papers :scratchhead: ? Also, are prelim papers harder than SA1/PT1 ?
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