Barker Road Methodist Church Kindergarten (BRMCK)

[cornucopia]

Original Title: Barker Road Kindergarten, Nanyang Kindergarten and St James.


Dear parents,

Anyone care to advise difference bet these schools? Which school is better? Nanyang Kindergarten only Pre N and Nursery 100% mandarin. Food they serve children very miserable.. Understand there's also high turn over of teachers.
As for Barker Road Methodist Church Kindergarten ( BRMCK ) and St James- What's the feedback? :lol:

[Poonie]

If you send your kid to Nanyang K, be prepared:

- to pay donations in the form of building fund. It is compulsory!
- to climb many flights of stair cases to go to the gym or AV room. Not safe for pre-schoolers.

[kaitlynangelica]

Poonie:

If you send your kid to Nanyang K, be prepared:

- to pay donations in the form of building fund. It is compulsory!
- to climb many flights of stair cases to go to the gym or AV room. Not safe for pre-schoolers.

Poonie,

How could building funds be compulsory?? Any idea how much it would be? Am just curious.


http://www.richestsg.com/Bigstore

[cornucopia]

Hi kaitlynangelica,


Yes Poonie is right, i heard from parents there it's compulsary. $150 building fund. And school fees is also subjected to GST. :lol:

Enrichment lessons don't come cheap too and it's 8 lessons only for per term. Nanyang Kindergarten do have enrichment like calligraphy, strings, Gymnastic, Wushu etc.. Wow! Impressive!

Is Nanyang Kindergarten better than Barker Kindergarten ( Anglo-Chinese School Building ) in terms of curriculum? P/s note: There is no affiliation to ACS. :roll:

Any comments?

[Poonie]

Yes I recall that it was around $150 p.a. or per term which is nominal but what is not right is that it iwas compulsory when it was supposed to be a donation.


What’s most worrying are the stair cases.

If you want your child to be exposed to a Chinese enviornment, you may want to consider Newton K. They expose the kids to more difficult characters as well as chen yu. What’s most impressive is that it hires teachers who speak very well. The principal is very caring too.

[kaitlynangelica]

Poonie:

Yes I recall that it was around $150 p.a. or per term which is nominal but what is not right is that it iwas compulsory when it was supposed to be a donation.


What's most worrying are the stair cases.

If you want your child to be exposed to a Chinese enviornment, you may want to consider Newton K. They expose the kids to more difficult characters as well as chen yu. What's most impressive is that it hires teachers who speak very well. The principal is very caring too.

Ladies,

If you are going to spend so much for enrichment at NK, why not spend the same amount of money at a good half-day child-care like Kinderland instead? Saves you time on fetching here and there.

I heard BRMC is not too bad either. But I know the enrichment doesn't come cheap.

Newton Life K is not easy to get into.

[Kammie]

My child is graduating from BRMCK this year. So far so good. Teacher’s turnover rate is low. The school has a ‘no hat, no outdoor play’ rule which I like ie. the school hat is complusory when the children are out to play. 2 sessions ie. am or pm. Lunch is provided for pm session kids (at no extra cost). Enrichment classes are quite costly and i did not find it good (considering the price I paid). And yes, it’s not affiliated to ACS. They share the same car park/transport area, so at certain timing, it’s almost impossible to get parking lots.

[starystarynite]

Any mum can share more info on Barkers road methodit chursh kindy??


thought o sending my child there. He is currently with MMI at PSA and is doing well. But worry that at nursery level he will not be well prepare for the stressful academic life in primary school.

So, thought of changing him to a conventional church based kindergarten. Furthermore, BRMCK has montessori enrichment program too. So, best of both world.

What do you guys think??

I am actually considering PAt’s schoolhouse vs BRMCK vs Maris Stella…

Which is better??

Thanks.
starynite

[Starling]

Hi


I am also thinking of switching my boy from his current childcare to BRMCK and will be popping by to take a look at the environment.
Should I meet up with the principal after the school orientation to find out more about the curriculum?

Parent whose kids are already there or were there before, had any feedback or comments that I should take note of? I am worried that switching school will be v traumatic for my boy.

[cnimed]

BRMCK


pros- nice classrooms, facilities, well-trained teachers, structured curriculum, helpful staff, most kids are well-behaved.

cons - very very very crowded carpark, assembly and dismissal take up about half an hour everyday, longer on fridays, weak Mandarin curriculum

Overall I think it’s a nice friendly place, ok if you live nearby. If you have to brave the traffic, it’s not worth the effort/fees for essentially 2.5 hours. btw, the menu is nice, but the portions are TINY, so do give your children some food at home.

Maris Stella

I think it depends on the teacher. They are starting to have a standard curriculum but they couldn’t tell me a lot when I asked. The chinese teachers are supposed to be quite good, and my son’s nursery chinese teacher was indeed good and popular with the children.

Charming if old playground, back to nature kind of place, but beware of afternoon sun if your kid is prone to fever after too much sun. Best advice would be to find out more about the teacher your child will be with. The school also take in children with mild autism, ADHD etc.

But no matter what, the most important is to look at your child’s temperament and then decide on the fit with the school.