Choosing and Evaluating Primary Schools

[Bluebottle]

bongbong:

Scary:

[quote=\"bongbong\"]Hi all, really love all the sharing of thoughts in this forum. I am going for Phase 2c this year and just would like to understand is there any issue / problem if i register my girl to CHIJ school though we are not Christian? I understand the selection criteria won't affect us but if she successfully enrol herself to CHIJ, will she encounter any issue or even pressure with the school's holistic teaching and her friends who are mainly Christian?

Best is not to put her in a mission school if you are worried. Inevitably, there are kids who will be influenced. You must be mentally prepared if you choose to put her there as you are the one who decide on the 6 year environment for her.

I actually just want her to have freedom to choose! Not because she is in IJ and she will get the pressure to become Christian. I attended both bible study and buddhist darma talk during my college time. I am fine for my girl to decide either Buddhism / Christian, but not making decision under pressure![/quote]Think that's a wonderful stance to take as a parent. Very enlightened.

[Scary]

bongbong:

Scary:

[quote=\"bongbong\"]Hi all, really love all the sharing of thoughts in this forum. I am going for Phase 2c this year and just would like to understand is there any issue / problem if i register my girl to CHIJ school though we are not Christian? I understand the selection criteria won't affect us but if she successfully enrol herself to CHIJ, will she encounter any issue or even pressure with the school's holistic teaching and her friends who are mainly Christian?

Best is not to put her in a mission school if you are worried. Inevitably, there are kids who will be influenced. You must be mentally prepared if you choose to put her there as you are the one who decide on the 6 year environment for her.

I actually just want her to have freedom to choose! Not because she is in IJ and she will get the pressure to become Christian. I attended both bible study and buddhist darma talk during my college time. I am fine for my girl to decide either Buddhism / Christian, but not making decision under pressure![/quote]No worries if you give her the freedom. There is no pressure but there maybe influences.
I know of parents who strongly objected and wrote in to schools about excusing their kids from certain activities.

[bongbong]

Blessedwife:

Actually it doesn't matter if the school is a Catholic or Methodist school because your child won't be forced to become one if parent or child don't want to & most importantly school will only teach the child to be a good person regardless of Christian, Catholic or Methodist school.

glad to know that! feel relief!

[sleepy]

Michecplow:

The best school is the one near to your house.
We have given up phase 1 for Henry park, but registered DD with neighbor school which > 5 mins walking distance from home .
i believe the most important is still the home support & parent involvments to work together with the teachers .

I'm not so sure about that. Although I used to be a strong believer of distance, the nearer the better.
I PV for a school that is stone throw from my place. Need to PV because of balloting for 2C within 1km.

Turn out school was way below my expectation. I'm clueless why it is so popular. Well, obviously over-rated.

At end of p1, I wait list for top school with p1 results. Managed to transfer at beginning of p4, after a really long wait. But totally worth it. Very satisfied. Top school is top school for a reason

[Macymama]

Choose a Primary school near your house… go and visit the schools and have a feel.

As time comes nearer - go to the school you have narrowed down and register there.

[After that - enroll her in enrichment class like English, Abacus, etc to give her the extra edge]

Where are you staying ?

Mr Ng[/quote]

==========
Thanks for the sharing, we will arrive in Singapore late August, we have targeted those areas around Airport, but we won’t rent any house before we get any confirmation on her P1 vacancy.

What’s your suggestion in living / school choice?

i think we can only wait till Phase 3 completes to know the school, and the house to live in… will there be any chance of having no shool vacancy for her for P1 next year?

[Macymama]

tankee:

Macymama:

Dear parents,

I am from Hong Kong who is holding a EP P1 working in Singapore. I have 2 kids, the first girl will enroll the P1 2014. I have no idea how to seek for a Primary for her. I know we have to wait till Phase 3. But can anybody teach us how to do and what to be prepared? Thanks so much for helping a mother here. Thanks!!!!

Prepare for the registration or for adapting to Primary school?

Both...
by end of August, need to prepare for registration
by end of December, need to get ready for P1 school life... what shall we do...

[bluemoon]

sleepy:

At end of p1, I wait list for top school with p1 results. Managed to transfer at beginning of p4, after a really long wait. But totally worth it. Very satisfied. Top school is top school for a reason

Yeah, I too believe not all the schools are the same even though they teach the same syllabus. Some schools just have that winning formula.

[Dreamgear]

bluemoon:

sleepy:

At end of p1, I wait list for top school with p1 results. Managed to transfer at beginning of p4, after a really long wait. But totally worth it. Very satisfied. Top school is top school for a reason

Yeah, I too believe not all the schools are the same even though they teach the same syllabus. Some schools just have that winning formula.

Ya but not all students in the same school are treated and performed uniformly across the board.... Sometimes its better to be in the high ability classes in normal schools then in the \"forgotten\" classes of the top schools......

[lchunleo]

Dreamgear:

bluemoon:

[quote=\"sleepy\"]
At end of p1, I wait list for top school with p1 results. Managed to transfer at beginning of p4, after a really long wait. But totally worth it. Very satisfied. Top school is top school for a reason

Yeah, I too believe not all the schools are the same even though they teach the same syllabus. Some schools just have that winning formula.

Ya but not all students in the same school are treated and performed uniformly across the board.... Sometimes its better to be in the high ability classes in normal schools then in the \"forgotten\" classes of the top schools......[/quote]sorry to inject, so what so different between those \"popular/branded\" school and not? what is the delta?

[track15]

Choose schools for the best fit between their approach towards character moulding and your own personal one. You’d rather have a child whose academic results is quite good and character good rather than results good/very good but character lousy. Not cut out for life.

Academic wise, only a few schools are suspect when it comes to academic programmes. Anyway, academic performance is more likely to be determined by genes and parents’ pockets.