Raffles Girls' Primary

[ansari635]

Dear phtthp,

Have left a PM for your advice.

[phtthp]

Hi ansari635,


Replied your PM

[phtthp]

CuriousMummy111:

Hi, looking at the current registration rates for RGPS, what are the chances for SC > 2km , in Phase 2C?

last year (2013), on that fateful, last day of 2C

in that final, last 45 minutes from 3.45 pm to 4.30 pm :-
suddenly, a swarm of parents living within 1 to 2 km, turned up to register.

Those > 2 km got a shock !
some no time to react to withdraw in time, to go down other schools to enrol before 4.30 pm.
End up > 2km no chance to ballot : because balloting occurred between 1 to 2 km.

in the first 2 days of p2C : when > 2km enrolled up to last day 12 noon, everything seemed calm and ok (ie. looked promising : like got a good chance to enter).
only in the final 45 minutes or so : the table flipped, the other way round.

So, the first 2 days of p2C : looks can be deceiving.
on the first day itself : already got quite a few > 2km, came down to register.

this year (2014), on that last day of 2C (Friday, 1 August 2014)
do not make the same mistake, as last year.


> 2 km :
do NOT register on the first, two days.
do NOT withdraw from an earlier Phase (2A or Phase 1), on initial first 2 days, nor on the morning of last day p2C.
better to be patient : monitor the numbers very carefully, first.
patience is the key.

reason:
because the moment you withdraw from an earlier Phase and come down to register in 2C : you cannot go back to that school you'd withdrawn from, any more.
The moment you withdraw: that seat you had chosen to give up willingly, will automatically be released to the next available pupil, who wants it badly.
(in that school you had withdrawn from)

Example
if you are > 2km and you withdraw from a CHIJ primary school (either from Phase 1 or Phase 2A), to register at Rgps -
you cannot go back to that CHIJ school, anymore.
So do be patient: hold back your registration during first 2 days + morning of last day p2C, no matter how excited & keen you are.

for the (initial, first 2 days and last day morning) of p2C:
instead, let all the 2C staying (less than 1 km and within 1 to 2 km), come down to register first.

So, all 2C within 2 km : pls co-operate.
We need you to co-operate, be considerate to others.
put yourself into the shoes of > 2 km.
is pitiful for > 2km : to be left in a lurch last minute.
because if left in a lurch : those > 2 km have no time to react/withdraw : their daughter would have missed the opportunity of enrolling into a phase 2C school, which is a great pity !
I believe you do not want this to happen to your own dd.
so likewise, pls do not hurt those > 2km, unnecessarily.

Our school need your co-operation.
kindly help those staying > 2km.
if you are staying within 2 km -
pls come down on the initial first 2 days to register, or register by 2 pm latest, last day of 2C, once you make up your mind.
Don't come so late, after 3.45 pm.
Think of > 2 km, be considerate.


> 2km
on last day of 2C : around 3.15 pm, confirm with P1 duty officer :-
\"I stay > 2 km. How ? Any chance, for my daughter ?

if P1 Officer reply, \"Sorry, no chance\"
Then quickly go down to your standby Phase 2C, to register.
make sure someone (your spouse / friend / relative, etc) is already there at that Standby, emergency p2C school, to help you obtain a queue number first.

eg: can be Marymount, St Margaret, other Convent Girls' school, that still got vacancies for SC > 2 km, etc.

==============================================
Summary for > 2km

monitor the numbers, very carefully.
as we witnessed sudden jump in the people registering in RGPS, on the last day afternoon p2C .

These people are mainly from 1 to 2km.
So, it is very risky for above 2km.

The consequence is too serious : if you do not get in 2C.
because not many schools to choose from, when come to 2C Supp.

here is a list of schools (from last year, 2013) that need balloting under 2C Supp.
may refer, as a rough guide
http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum ... start=1020

depending on which area you stay in, may refer to past historical trend, which schools require balloting under 2C / 2C Supp, from past years (2006 to 2013).
click on that area you interested in, for backup schools in 2C / Supp.
http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum ... start=1010

having said this, the decision is still yours.

[CuriousMummy111]

Thank you for the detailed explanation above. Really useful for those >2km. I also kindly urge all parents who are within 2 Kms to please not leave us in a lurch in the last min on 1st August. Please register early for us to guage the situation.


I have one qn. It’s mentioned above that if we withdraw from say sch A which we have registered successfully with in the earlier phases, we cannot got back there. Does that mean that if we withdraw from Sch A on the 3rd day of phase 2C, and we start monitoring sch B but then later we realise that sch B is risky/ less chance, we can’t immediately go back to sch A to register freshly under phase 2C?

[kab]

CuriousMummy111:

Thank you for the detailed explanation above. Really useful for those >2km. I also kindly urge all parents who are within 2 Kms to please not leave us in a lurch in the last min on 1st August. Please register early for us to guage the situation.

I stay within one km from both RGPS and NYPS and will register for RGPS on the first day. But I can understand why some of my neighbors will only want to register on the last day - many of them have younger boys or they are looking at the affiliated NYGH (aka lower PSLE score needed) or they just prefer NYPS (for the sake of…male grandchildren….)- so NYPS is their first choice. Some of them plan to station one parent at each school and won't register until the very last minute. So if the odds look bad on NYPS on the last day, they will register for RGPS and will lead to the so called mad rush near 4:30 on Friday.

[est1892]

kab:

CuriousMummy111:

Thank you for the detailed explanation above. Really useful for those >2km. I also kindly urge all parents who are within 2 Kms to please not leave us in a lurch in the last min on 1st August. Please register early for us to guage the situation.

I stay within one km from both RGPS and NYPS and will register for RGPS on the first day. But I can understand why some of my neighbors will only want to register on the last day - many of them have younger boys or they are looking at the affiliated NYGH (aka lower PSLE score needed) or they just prefer NYPS (for the sake of…male grandchildren….)- so NYPS is their first choice. Some of them plan to station one parent at each school and won't register until the very last minute. So if the odds look bad on NYPS on the last day, they will register for RGPS and will lead to the so called mad rush near 4:30 on Friday.

of course the odds will look bad!

[phtthp]

CuriousMummy111:

I have one qn.

It's mentioned above that if we withdraw from say sch A which we have registered successfully with in the earlier phases, we cannot got back there.

Does that mean that if we withdraw from Sch A on the 3rd day of phase 2C, and we start monitoring sch B but then later we realise that sch B is risky/ less chance, we can't immediately go back to sch A to register freshly under phase 2C?

for this very good question -
it is important to confirm with sch A, now :
latest by what time must you rush back to sch A, to register under 2C on Friday (1 August, last day of p2C), if you had withdrawn earlier from sch A ?

adopt this strategy :
only if you have confidence that upon return to sch A to enrol under 2C this time round (if suppose rgps > 2 km : no chance to even ballot), your chance under 2C with sch A is still safe, because of your distance.

if not safe, due to your distance : meaning that you need to ballot in sch A upon return under 2C, then forget about it.

Example
a parent, who is an SC > 2 km

p2C duration (public) : open for three days
first day : Wed (30 July 2014)
second day : Thur (31 July 2014)
last day : Fri (1 August 2014)

scenario 1

suppose this parent : SC > 2 km, stay less than 1 km from CHIJ OLGC (Lady of Good Counsel) : whose dd had already successfully enrolled under Phase 1 (sibling), but parent is keen to try her luck at Rgps.

suppose on first day (Wed) :
this parent withdraw from CHIJ OLGC Phase 1 (earlier phase), re-register into Rgps, under 2C.
the moment she withdraw : that Phase 1 seat which she had given up, is quickly given to some other children, keen to register into OLGC.

then, on last day of p2C (Fri), between 3.45 pm to 4.30 pm :
if she discover that SC > 2km no chance to ballot at Rgps,
(because a lot of \"less than 1 km\" plus those \"1 to 2km\" last minute commotion stomped back from (Nanyang + SCGS) : if their odds look gloomy at Nanyang / SCGS), but her husband on emergency standby had already obtained a queue number at OLGC : now waiting for her to return fast, husb inform P1 officer at CHIJ OLGC that wife is on the way back, to re-register under 2C. Pls wait for her to come back.

This is possible :
because this SC parent stay < 1 km from OLGC, unlikely to ballot under 2C. (where OLGC is concerned)

In other words, if the situation is favorable to > 2 km : she can proceed to ballot at rgps.

but if situation un-favorable :
then rush back to OLGC before 4.30 pm, re-register under 2C.
Her dd can still enter back safely into OLGC, if no balloting is involved, for her distance from OLGC.

scenario 2

suppose another parent : SC > 2 km, stay greater than 2 km from CHIJ OLGC (Lady of Good Counsel) : whose dd had already successfully enrolled under Phase 2A2 (ex-students), but parent is keen to try her luck at Rgps.

she is like scenario 1 parent above.
withdraw on first day, but her situation is slightly different.
she is risky : because she is > 2 km from OLGC.

Suppose rgps > 2 km no chance to ballot, then she must ask herself -
should she return to OLGC, or go another school whereby confirmed very safe, no need to ballot, definitely can enter at p2C ?

If she call up OLGC around 4 pm last day (Friday, 1 August) and OLGC school confirm that Yes, SC > 2 km from OLGC must ballot, then no point for her to return OLGC.

Unless OLGC reply that SC > 2 km safe : no need to ballot, then she can return.
So, depend on what is OLGC reply then: next Friday, around 4 pm.
again, her spouse must be on standby at OLGC, help her get a queue number, & inform P1 officer that wife is on her way back.

according to last year (2013) data -
OLGC : SC > 2km : need to ballot.

in this case -
this parent might as well enrol into another school (eg: Marymount Convent), since SC > 2 km at p2C : no need balloting at Marymount, based on past years' trend, as a rough guide.
(this year we not sure)

SC > 2 km
parents who wish to withdraw from earlier Phase, and subsequently have the intention to go back to earlier Phase school under 2C this time : if Rgps > 2km no chance to ballot at the 11th hour, pls do yourself a great favor.
because this is very important !

Pls call up your earlier Phase school A now -
confirm whether can withdraw and then come back register to under 2C : is this practice allowed, and what is the latest time you need to rush back, to re-register under 2C ?

That is why once you withdraw from an earlier Phase school, it is very risky.
Try not to withdraw unnecessarily on the first 2 days of p2C, unless really necessary, for whatever reasons.
Hold onto your earlier Phase school, for as long as possible.
Unless you're confident that you can secure a seat, even after you withdraw and can come back to sch A: ie. can avoid balloting.

[CuriousMummy111]

Thank You so so much for the detailed explanation phtthp Really appreaciate your response

[xuanting]

hi parents with kids in rgps (afternoon session): if you live around 1km from the school and your child takes the school bus, what time do they reach home in the evening? what about school bus pick-up for school earlier in the day?

[wyx]

hi parents with kids in rgps (afternoon session): if you live around 1km from the school and your child takes the school bus, what time do they reach home in the evening? what about school bus pick-up for school earlier in the day?

Hi, the school bus comes between 12-12.10pm. She is the last to be picked up. And she is the last to be dropped off after school. So she reached home at abt 7.10pm.