Raffles Girls' Primary

[berrypunch]

Hi EHIH


I am responding to your query on RGPS teachers and their level of involvement in the students’ learning process. Your query is a sensible and valid one and I hope my input can give you some food for thought so you are in a better position to decide if this is the right school for your girl.

Firstly I am an old girl so naturally my daughter is enrolled in RGPS. I have more than a decade of tutoring students from neighbourhood schools (and these are students from the lowest ranked classes in the neighbourhood schools), to students from the best classes of the top schools in Singapore. As such, I have had the opportunity to compare the quality of teaching across a wide spectrum of schools.

RGPS teachers are a varied breed, just like in any other school. There are dedicated and committed teachers who are passionate about their subjects and students, and there are teachers who do the bare minimum to get by. There are teachers who nurture and care for their students, and there are teachers who raise their voices and use unkind words. What kind of teacher the child gets is based on pure luck.

One thing however that teachers in RGPS tend not to do is mollycoddle the students. They do not mother the girls or fuss over them, even the very young ones. This applies to both the academic as well as non-academic aspects. RGPS girls, from the day they step into the school, are expected to be independent and learn to fend for themselves. Because teachers do not spoonfeed them, they have to learn fast and be quick on the uptake. If not, they get left behind very quickly.

However this style of teaching- teach the basic concepts, no repetition or spoonfeeding, get the worksheets and tests done, move on to next topic- means that there are a lot of gaps left to be filled by - you guessed it- parents, tutors, enrichment centres etc. Many times you will find homework worksheets set at a manageable level but come tests and assessments, a quantum leap in standard occurs, which sometimes leaves the students bewildered.

To be fair, the teachers generally do not tend to set killer exam papers, unlike a few other top schools. However if the parent depends solely on the teacher to supply her child with the material and knowledge necessary to score a Band 1 in P3 and beyond, she is sorely mistaken. A lot of the groundwork is done outside school hours by either parents, tutors or other third parties. Otherwise the child ends up with mediocre results.

That being said, many parents still choose to enrol their girls in RGPS because of the academic environment. RGPS girls grow up in a competitive environment where academic achievement is celebrated and good students are looked up to. There are very few lazy girls in RGPS, simply because they do not have the time or opportunity to be lazy.

So in a nutshell, assess your girl’s character to see if she is suitable for the school. If she likes studying and reading, doesnt mind sitting down at a desk and doing work for extended periods of time, concentrates well and enjoys using her brain, she is a good fit.

For your info, my girl loves going to school and cries if she has to miss school when she is sick. But bear in mind that I am very hands on in guiding her and making sure she is always well prepared for tests and exams. I teach her the maths and science syllabus half a year in advance, which is what a number of other parents do. But I know of girls who do not enjoy school as much, a large part of which is due to the fact that they are struggling academically. So it very much boils down to how academically suited the girl is to such a school environment.

Hope the info has been helpful to you. Good luck!

[okie]

:goodpost: thanks for sharing

berrypunch:

Hi EHIH

I am responding to your query on RGPS teachers and their level of involvement in the students' learning process. Your query is a sensible and valid one and I hope my input can give you some food for thought so you are in a better position to decide if this is the right school for your girl.

Firstly I am an old girl so naturally my daughter is enrolled in RGPS. I have more than a decade of tutoring students from neighbourhood schools (and these are students from the lowest ranked classes in the neighbourhood schools), to students from the best classes of the top schools in Singapore. As such, I have had the opportunity to compare the quality of teaching across a wide spectrum of schools.

RGPS teachers are a varied breed, just like in any other school. There are dedicated and committed teachers who are passionate about their subjects and students, and there are teachers who do the bare minimum to get by. There are teachers who nurture and care for their students, and there are teachers who raise their voices and use unkind words. What kind of teacher the child gets is based on pure luck.

One thing however that teachers in RGPS tend not to do is mollycoddle the students. They do not mother the girls or fuss over them, even the very young ones. This applies to both the academic as well as non-academic aspects. RGPS girls, from the day they step into the school, are expected to be independent and learn to fend for themselves. Because teachers do not spoonfeed them, they have to learn fast and be quick on the uptake. If not, they get left behind very quickly.

However this style of teaching- teach the basic concepts, no repetition or spoonfeeding, get the worksheets and tests done, move on to next topic- means that there are a lot of gaps left to be filled by - you guessed it- parents, tutors, enrichment centres etc. Many times you will find homework worksheets set at a manageable level but come tests and assessments, a quantum leap in standard occurs, which sometimes leaves the students bewildered.

To be fair, the teachers generally do not tend to set killer exam papers, unlike a few other top schools. However if the parent depends solely on the teacher to supply her child with the material and knowledge necessary to score a Band 1 in P3 and beyond, she is sorely mistaken. A lot of the groundwork is done outside school hours by either parents, tutors or other third parties. Otherwise the child ends up with mediocre results.

That being said, many parents still choose to enrol their girls in RGPS because of the academic environment. RGPS girls grow up in a competitive environment where academic achievement is celebrated and good students are looked up to. There are very few lazy girls in RGPS, simply because they do not have the time or opportunity to be lazy.

So in a nutshell, assess your girl's character to see if she is suitable for the school. If she likes studying and reading, doesnt mind sitting down at a desk and doing work for extended periods of time, concentrates well and enjoys using her brain, she is a good fit.

For your info, my girl loves going to school and cries if she has to miss school when she is sick. But bear in mind that I am very hands on in guiding her and making sure she is always well prepared for tests and exams. I teach her the maths and science syllabus half a year in advance, which is what a number of other parents do. But I know of girls who do not enjoy school as much, a large part of which is due to the fact that they are struggling academically. So it very much boils down to how academically suited the girl is to such a school environment.

Hope the info has been helpful to you. Good luck!

[stay healthy]

Thanks berrypunch for sharing.

[phtthp]

Thanks berrypunch, for sharing openly


much appreciated !

:goodpost:


appreciate further sharing, from -
- current / ex P6 (pupils & parents), who had graduated

- current / ex Rgps Teachers, teaching in our school

- any current pupil / parent

- parents with kids facing learning difficulty
(ADD, ADHD, Autistic, Dyslexic)

has RGPS been encouraging, in your child's journey of learning ?

[nexyanne]

Sorry to sidetrack here.


Can we use the Sticker name labels for the girls in school? On their personal belongings I assume its okay. How about for their books?

Any color is okay?

[Eunice72]

So does that mean not sending my girl to tuition will be a far fetched idea? Also by teaching the kid half a yr in advance, won’t she feel bored in class when the teacher is teaching the topic?

[phtthp]

nexyanne:

Can we use the Sticker name labels for the girls in school? On their personal belongings I assume its okay. How about for their books?

Any color is okay?

Yes, you may use any colored stickers : to label yr dd books, personal belonging.

[phtthp]

xuanting:

i'm also v curious about the level of enrichment suitable for p1 higher chinese. is berries still suitable?


i've heard of many parents who switch their kids to another centre for primary school chinese, esp the ones doing higher chinese.

can mommies/daddies share your views?

for P1 and P2 -
If parents can teach own daughter at home : no need to go for Chinese tuition.
can buy assessment books from Popular, practise daily at home, will be able to pass Chinese, well.

because P1 and P2 Chinese are manageable : not difficult.
most parents can still manage.

come P3 onwards -
because of Chinese Composition (zuo wen), HCL gets tough.
If parents can't find the time, or find it hard to teach own dd, can turn to tuition centre.

However, not all parents turn to tuition / enrichment centre.
Some prefer to hire Chinese tuition Tr, come to their house to teach instead : as they already know where their child's specific weakness lie in, & they much prefer personal attention from the Tr this way, zooming into their child's specific area of weakness.

Reason being :
In a tuition centre, normally the class tend to be big, around 10 kids or even more.
Since their child need personal attention, they rather hire personal tutor, come to their house instead.

There are also others : where their parents or grandparents able to teach Chinese, much prefer to teach their own child / grand-daughter, instead.
Some of their grandparents are retired, experienced ex Chinese Tr or HOD, from primary / secondary schools, in the past.

for those who turn to tuition / enrichment centre -
they can choose any centre, they deem suitable for their child.
No specific centre.
Some choose Berries, while others prefer Tien Hsia, Han, Molin, Wang Lao Shi.

whether or not Berries is still suitable for Upper primary (P5 / P6) HCL: parents can assess & evaluate for themselves.

There are a number of pupils here that choose Jiang Lao Shi (bugis), from mid to Upper primary : because a great number of other SAP school students, also flock there for HCL.
( eg : SAP school pupils from Nanyang, Catholic High, Maris Stella, Nan Hua, CHIJ St Nicholas, Maha Bodhi, Ai Tong, Pei Chun, Pei Hwa primary go there)

Jiang Lao Shi had been well established, for past 19 years.
Parents staying as far as Woodlands also send their kids there.

[phtthp]

P3 Round 2 Gep test results are out.


successful 2014 P3 pupils offered Gep -
will be invited to attend P3 Gep parents and pupils briefing, on Saturday morning : 8 Nov, at NUS High School of Mathematics and Science (Clementi)

http://www.nushigh.edu.sg/others/contact-us

[justmummy90]

Speech and Prize giving day is on 14th Nov. Does anyone know what kind of awards are given to P1 and P2 students? Top in class or standards?