Hwa Chong Institution (High School)

[CatMoon]

Hi New Mum,


My ds is now in Sec 3. Here are some of my suggestions (in blue):

1) is teaching by the school sufficient for the kids to score at least a B3? Or is tuition needed?
Depends if your boy is coping well in class. Tuition is needed if he is lagging behind the class.
My boy has group tuition to help him in compre & compo.

2) how does yourself or your kid excel in Chinese? Like what are the books to read or assignments to do?
The school distributes the youth magazine regularly - it is quite good.

3) what is your experience of how reading Chinese newspapers or storybook help in improving Chinese?
Very practical to read Lianhe Zaobao. Your boy should already have subscribe either hardcopy or online. Also read the youth magazine given.

4) how to improve 作文 which is the most headache one for my son.
Either go for group tuition for compo, read newspapers or read model essays (from Popular).

5) seem like the teacher does not teach much from textbooks.is this the norm..?
The teacher will not cover every chapter in the textbook but will only cover chapters from certain themes. The emphasis will be in the writing assignments given in class - reflections on current topics, opinions on current trends, etc.... Watching current affairs in Chinese on TV definitely helps.

[New Mum]

CatMoon:

Hi New Mum,


My ds is now in Sec 3. Here are some of my suggestions (in blue):

1) is teaching by the school sufficient for the kids to score at least a B3? Or is tuition needed?
Depends if your boy is coping well in class. Tuition is needed if he is lagging behind the class.
My boy has group tuition to help him in compre & compo.

2) how does yourself or your kid excel in Chinese? Like what are the books to read or assignments to do?
The school distributes the youth magazine regularly - it is quite good.

3) what is your experience of how reading Chinese newspapers or storybook help in improving Chinese?
Very practical to read Lianhe Zaobao. Your boy should already have subscribe either hardcopy or online. Also read the youth magazine given.

4) how to improve 作文 which is the most headache one for my son.
Either go for group tuition for compo, read newspapers or read model essays (from Popular).

seem like the teacher does not teach much from textbooks.is this the norm..?
The teacher will not cover every chapter in the textbook but will only cover chapters from certain themes. The emphasis will be in the writing assignments given in class - reflections on current topics, opinions on current trends, etc.... Watching current affairs in Chinese on TV definitely helps.

Oh, thanks a lot for the good advice, cat
moon. Appreciate very much. .:thankyou:

[CatMoon]

New Mum:

Oh, thanks a lot for the good advice, cat
moon. Appreciate very much. .:thankyou:

Hi New Mum,
No problem, glad to help! I actually asked my ds' laoshi the same questions when he was in Sec 1 and 2. These were some of the teacher's suggestions.

[siling]

hwachie:

HairyOrange:

Let me try to answer some CCA concerns. Have two sons in Sports CCA.

HCI, like most other schools, is very competitive in Sports CCA. Hence Sports get first choice in selection and amongst the Sports, Track & Field gets the choice picks.

Since yr DS have gone for trials, the Sports would tell them they are shortlisted and to put the Sport as their 1st choice BUT Track & Field can overrule all choices.

Majority of non-Sports will end up in UG.

Sports training can go up to 5x weekly during competition session but these hardly affect academic performances. All boils down to DS time management.

Boys can change CCA end of Sec 2 if all effort put in to CCA or health reasons. Most time they change because of poor fit.

Welcome to Hwa Chong!

Hi HairyOrange, thanks for your input. As a former student, I'd just like to clarify some of the statements made. While they may be some observations people have made over the years, not all of them still apply.

Firstly, you are right that HCI is very competitive in Sports CCAs. We have clinched countless championships over the past 5 years, and usually students without prior experience have a difficult time getting in as they lack certain skills that coaches are looking for. However, it is a fact that it is not only the Sports CCAs that are competitive, but rather all of the CCAs. e.g. UGs have won consecutive Gold Awards; nearly all of the Performing Arts obtained Distinctions in SYF etc.

Secondly, sports CCAs do not get first pick, and T&F does not get choice picks, neither can they \"overrule all choices\". Our CCA selection system attempts to match students interest (based on option form) with CCAs interest (based on shortlist/trials), such that a student will definitely get into one of his 2-9 choices. That is to say, if a student did not put down a certain CCA as one of his options, the CCA will not be able to recruit him.

Thirdly, I'd just like to insert a word of caution here: \"Sports would tell them they are shortlisted\". This may also apply to all other CCA trials. Some seniors like to mention \"If you put us first choice confirm get in one\", but it really depends on vacancies [All CCAs have a cap on their intake, which is calculated based on number required for competitions and achievement points and how many it takes to sustain the CCA etc] and how high the student is on the shortlist.

Fourthly, the statement \"Majority of non-Sports will end up in UG.\" may not be necessarily true. There are only 4 UGs, compared with 7 Clubs and 6 Performing Arts, hence while it may seem like a huge number is split into UGs (because of their large intake), I would say that students are generally well-split according to each CCAs' needs.

Lastly, the last point mentioned \"Sports training can go up to 5x weekly during competition session but these hardly affect academic performances. All boils down to DS time management.\" is very true, but might also apply to other CCAs as well, not just for Sports. e.g. More practices before a performance. I've personally seen students stay back after 8 to rehearse. And time management does play a huge part in whether students perform well for academics. Even though some may take on many roles both in CCA and council, those who manage their time well will still go on to ace their exams.

Hope this helps
~Hwachie

Edit: Having been only able to find a link to CCA trial information on the HCI website, I dug up an older post with the link to CCA information in general (2016 Achievements) http://www.hci.sg/sports4all/home/home.html
The link includes information about all CCAs, as well as new tabs (some of which are still being updated) on PE and Outdoor Education. Might be useful in choosing CCA options

Thanks Hwachie! Very helpful!

[Oh My Gosh]

What do HCI mean by Term 1 Sabbatical "6-10 March 2017"? Is this the March holidays?

But MOE March Holidays is 13-17 March 2017 right?

[CatMoon]

Oh My Gosh:

What do HCI mean by Term 1 Sabbatical \"6-10 March 2017\"? Is this the March holidays?

But MOE March Holidays is 13-17 March 2017 right?

Hi Oh My Gosh,

In HCI, the sabbatical is a whole week where the boys take certain enrichment classes which they had to bid earlier. E.g. learn how to play the guitar, robotics, flying remote-controlled planes, wushu, baking, and many other interesting programmes.

In bidding, the boys are given a certain number of points which they will use to bid so they can join these fun and interesting programmes (since each programme has a certain quota).

[New Mum]

CatMoon:

Oh My Gosh:

What do HCI mean by Term 1 Sabbatical \"6-10 March 2017\"? Is this the March holidays?

But MOE March Holidays is 13-17 March 2017 right?

Hi Oh My Gosh,

In HCI, the sabbatical is a whole week where the boys take certain enrichment classes which they had to bid earlier. E.g. learn how to play the guitar, robotics, flying remote-controlled planes, wushu, baking, and many other interesting programmes.

In bidding, the boys are given a certain number of points which they will use to bid so they can join these fun and interesting programmes (since each programme has a certain quota).

Hi Catmoon,
Curious to know how is the bidding process like? Highest bidder win? Does school result play a part? Like those with better results has higher chance of getting the bid.
Thanks in advance :rahrah:

[Maple leaf]

Hi,


May I know how many Maths are offered at A level for HCI? And also can my DS take Art at A level ?

TIA.

[Oh My Gosh]

CatMoon:

Oh My Gosh:

What do HCI mean by Term 1 Sabbatical \"6-10 March 2017\"? Is this the March holidays?

But MOE March Holidays is 13-17 March 2017 right?

Hi Oh My Gosh,

In HCI, the sabbatical is a whole week where the boys take certain enrichment classes which they had to bid earlier. E.g. learn how to play the guitar, robotics, flying remote-controlled planes, wushu, baking, and many other interesting programmes.

In bidding, the boys are given a certain number of points which they will use to bid so they can join these fun and interesting programmes (since each programme has a certain quota).

I see. So if the students did not sign up for anything, they do not have to turn up for school? E.g. for the Sec 1, they will be having their SOAC Camp from 8-10 March (Wed to Fri), then do they need to turn up for school for Mon and Tue?

How does the points system work? Do the points have an expiry date or do they get carried forward to the rest of the IP years if the students did not use them in a particular year?

[CatMoon]

Oh My Gosh:

I see. So if the students did not sign up for anything, they do not have to turn up for school? E.g. for the Sec 1, they will be having their SOAC Camp from 8-10 March (Wed to Fri), then do they need to turn up for school for Mon and Tue?

How does the points system work? Do the points have an expiry date or do they get carried forward to the rest of the IP years if the students did not use them in a particular year?

I think all the students must sign up for a programme - so must still bid for the programme they are interested in. But for Sec 1s, I remembered my boy going for the SOAC camp instead of the sabbatical programmes. I think they still need to turn up on Mon and Tue.