2016 PSLE Discussions (Born in 2004)

[AppleCrumble]

reddiechan:

Apologies to all that I backtrack a little, as I've just seen this post.

I got the same reaction with my boy 5 years ago, and then my girl this year - total disinterest in the booklet, and anxiety, to some extent, from me.

The funny thing about this time is that, while my girl was rather indifferent towards the guide book, my older boy picked it up and went through it in detail. And then he wondered why he is so interested himself now when she should be the one doing this.

Having gone through secondary school and knowing about other schools through CCA contact may have helped his understanding of the maze of schools in the country, after all, there are quite many. This, with the fact that he's not the one subjected to the fate of this exam, may be the reason why he would want to find out more about them.

I make the important choices for my children, in consultation with them. They are too young to make life choices at 12, so I believe it is my job as a parent to guide them through. We may have forgotten our own naivety at that age, after going through so much in life.

They'll grow up and want to find out things on their own and make their own choices soon enough, and when you have been there to guide their choices, they'll come back to you whenever they need help. Continual communication is essential to bringing up teens, IMHO.

Agree with you, reddiechan. This is the same reason why I proposed to Belle to get her DD to run through the book and identify with her on the schools her DD is keen on and make plans to visit those schools with Open Houses.

I can understand the other view that it is rather difficult to choose schools when you/your child have no clue of how thePSLE result is going to be. Nonetheless, going through the book will give one a better feel what the secondary school scene is like. Attending Open Houses will allow one to have a better understanding on secondary school culture, environment, principal's leadership, etc. All the knowledge/experience acquired will definitely help when the time comes to choose a secondary school that your child will thrive in.

Even if your child's t-score is not what you expected (way higher or way lower) and there is a need to visit a few more secondary schools after the results are out, you will be more 'in-tune' of what to look out for to make last minute decisions.

It's always good to be prepared by doing your homework early....aka 'kiasu'... :rotflmao:

[What The]

Many schools are holding Open Houses, before PSLE release date.

Do go and take a look with your DC.

[nansk]

AppleCrumble:

Even if your child's t-score is not what you expected (way higher or way lower) and there is a need to visit a few more secondary schools after the results are out, you will be more 'in-tune' of what to look out for to make last minute decisions.

It's always good to be prepared by doing your homework early....aka 'kiasu'... :rotflmao:

Agreed. I marked out some nearby schools for dd to look at, underlined CCAs that she is interested in, marked the buses that she can take from our place, etc.

AppleCrumble:

Attending Open Houses will allow one to have a better understanding on secondary school culture, environment, principal's leadership, etc. All the knowledge/experience acquired will definitely help when the time comes to choose a secondary school that your child will thrive in.

We went to one open house last week and dd loved it. It seems out of her reach but at least she got a taste of secondary school CCAs and activities.

[Belle]

Thanks for the feedback from some parents.


I would like to find out from those parents with secondary children. What time usually do your children come back home from school every day? Do they have to stay back for many activities in the afternoon?

[Belle]

Thanks for the feedback from some parents.


I would like to find out from those parents with secondary children. What time usually do your children come back home from school every day? Do they have to stay back for many activities in the afternoon?

[passioninlearning]

Belle,


Students, without CCAs, can be released from school around 2+pm. However, for days with activites, it can stretch to early evenings. Of course, this is dependent of the schools as well.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Eric
passioninlearning.wordpress.com

[AppleCrumble]

passioninlearning:

Belle,


Students, without CCAs, can be released from school around 2+pm. However, for days with activites, it can stretch to early evenings. Of course, this is dependent of the schools as well.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Eric
passioninlearning.wordpress.com

Just to give you a flavor of the sorts of secondary 'activities' that Eric is referring to; which will result your DC coming home later than usual:
- CCA (meeting, training or competition, can be 2-3 times a week)
- Support schoolmates in national sports/performance events (especially when school is in final or semi-finals)
- Value-in-Action projects (either class or student initiated)
- Coursework/Project discussions with classmates (can be several because of different subjects). This can take place in school or someone's home.
- School-hosted concerts/performances

The above list is drawn based on my 2 kids' secondary school activities for the past few years and is not exhaustive. Sometimes, weekends are 'burnt' too because of school activities. There are also compulsory events/camps during the school holidays which will also mean that your DC can come home late in the evenings (or not at all as they are overnight).

Be prepared that you will see less of your DC when he/she is in secondary school. It would be good to start training your DC to be familiar with the local public transport system (MRT lines, looking at bus routes charts at bus stops to determine bus service to take) because some of the event venues can be located very far away from your home and your DC will need to come home by him/herself. This is a very useful life skill to have.

Most (if not all) principals in secondary schools would advocate parents to learn to let go of the children so that they can learn to be independent when they start secondary school.

Personally, I am in full support of the P's proposal. Thus far, DH only goes to fetch our kids only when the school event ends past 11 pm, which has happened a couple of times. Otherwise, they will come home by public transport themselves.

[nms1]

AppleCrumble:

passioninlearning:

Belle,


Students, without CCAs, can be released from school around 2+pm. However, for days with activites, it can stretch to early evenings. Of course, this is dependent of the schools as well.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Eric
passioninlearning.wordpress.com

Just to give you a flavor of the sorts of secondary 'activities' that Eric is referring to; which will result your DC coming home later than usual:
- CCA (meeting, training or competition, can be 2-3 times a week)
- Support schoolmates in national sports/performance events (especially when school is in final or semi-finals)
- Value-in-Action projects (either class or student initiated)
- Coursework/Project discussions with classmates (can be several because of different subjects). This can take place in school or someone's home.
- School-hosted concerts/performances

The above list is drawn based on my 2 kids' secondary school activities for the past few years and is not exhaustive. Sometimes, weekends are 'burnt' too because of school activities. There are also compulsory events/camps during the school holidays which will also mean that your DC can come home late in the evenings (or not at all as they are overnight).

Be prepared that you will see less of your DC when he/she is in secondary school. It would be good to start training your DC to be familiar with the local public transport system (MRT lines, looking at bus routes charts at bus stops to determine bus service to take) because some of the event venues can be located very far away from your home and your DC will need to come home by him/herself. This is a very useful life skill to have.

Most (if not all) principals in secondary schools would advocate parents to learn to let go of the children so that they can learn to be independent when they start secondary school.

Personally, I am in full support of the P's proposal. Thus far, DH only goes to fetch our kids only when the school event ends past 11 pm, which has happened a couple of times. Otherwise, they will come home by public transport themselves.

I would not allow my daughter to be at a school event after 11pm however she is coming home. They are still 16 or under in secondary school and activities shouldn't continue that late. Teenagers still need 9 hours of sleep (although I know it is a lot less for most of them in reality).

As for coming home earlier than that on her own, I think she needs a bit more practice on the MRT first

[AppleCrumble]

nms1:

I would not allow my daughter to be at a school event after 11pm however she is coming home. They are still 16 or under in secondary school and activities shouldn't continue that late. Teenagers still need 9 hours of sleep (although I know it is a lot less for most of them in reality).

As for coming home earlier than that on her own, I think she needs a bit more practice on the MRT first

Given a choice, I would not allow my DD to come home that late too. Unfortunately, there will be occasions where you have to accept and deal with it.

DD was in a UG and they were hosting a campfire at school compound. They invited fellow UG members from other schools (as it is a practice to take turns to host campfires). The event officially ended at 10.30 pm but the host team had to stay on to clear up. It was past 11 pm when all was done. So DD had no choice but to call daddy to come and fetch her home. This happened only once a year when she was in Sec 3 and 4 as she has taken up a leadership position. Must 'lead by example' for the juniors right?

9 hours of :snooze: daily while in secondary school when one has so much going on? That's a luxury or the person is super efficient/discipline in time management... :evil:

[janet88]

At daughter’s review at NUH today and after talking with her doctor, I feel better and to assure my daughter we will face her results bravely together in 2 weeks time. All this while, it has been a topic we have avoided mentioning. I know deep down how hard she has worked, but i neglected her feelings. Now I am able to hug and assure her that those 4 letters should not take centrestage because there will be more exams to come in life.