Club Multiple Births

[nonKiasu]

Hi. Would like to gather all parents with twins, triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets, sextuplets, septuplets, … and discuss anything abt our multiples.

I have a set of triplet boys in K2 this yr. The first thing I would like to discuss is: Will/Did you put your multiples in the same class when they r in P1? What makes your decision?

[keltan]

HIHi


My Twin Girls are in K2 too, same class now and i intend to put them in the same class again when they enter primary 1.
I personally feel it’ll be better this way for them. As it’s good to have someone you know there for you when you enter into a totally new environment. Also, having the 2of them in the same class, you’ll always get 1st hand updates on what’s going on in class today.

Though, one of them do not wish to be in the same class as her twn sister.

[nonKiasu]

keltan:

HIHi


My Twin Girls are in K2 too, same class now and i intend to put them in the same class again when they enter primary 1.
I personally feel it'll be better this way for them. As it's good to have someone you know there for you when you enter into a totally new environment. Also, having the 2of them in the same class, you'll always get 1st hand updates on what's going on in class today.

Though, one of them do not wish to be in the same class as her twn sister.

Hi, keltan. Welcome to the club!
When my triplets were in childcare, I put them in the same class and ended up DS3 become very dependent on his brothers while DS1 is too 'helpful' and dormineering. DS2 will be a leader only when DS1 is not around. At later stage in childcare and now in PCF, I put them in 3 different classes and they seems to be developing well on their own and have their own friends which I thot it's a good sign. But now I have to meet 5 teachers during parent-teacher session (luckily DS1 and DS2 share the same chinese teacher). Quite tiring for me. And on top of that, the teachers may progress differently and have different projects which is not easy for me too. Someone warned me that things will be worse in P1 i.e. much tougher for me to managed if my DSs are in 3 different classes. So quite a headache for me.

[JHJC]

HIHI

my twin boys are in N1. I have recently asked their teacher the same question. The teacher said they will usually encourage twins to split.
She has however feedback that they do not stick with each other and have their own friends. So i will monitor and decide later.

[keltan]

Hi nonKiasu,


Initially when they 1st joined the school, they’ll tend to stick with each other for the 1st few weeks, but after they get to know the rest of the class, they now have their own group of friends and will no longer stick to each other in class, that’s the case for my girls.

It’s not easy having multiples, i totally agree with you. Though they’re born on the same day, their personality and pace of learning are totally differents and it’s a headache for us at times.

However, i think i’ll still put them in the same class when they enter primary one. As you mentioned, when they’re in different class, the teachers might progress at differents pace and when it come to teaching and helping them with homework, you’ll have headache. Futhermore, entering primary one itself can be stressful to the kids themselves and for us too. So I personally felt that having them in the same class when they enter primary 1 can help them settle down earlier and it’s easier for you assists them in their homeworks or project, hence lesser headache for us and less stress for them.

Plus, in the event if their pace of learning really differ, the school will recommend to split them when they enter primary 2. By then, it’ll not be as stressful for the kid themselves to be in different class, since they had already settle down and are familiar with the schools and teachers.

Still each child is different, so maybe you would like to talk to the school which they’ll be entering and see what the school recommends.

[nonKiasu]

keltan:

Hi nonKiasu,


Initially when they 1st joined the school, they'll tend to stick with each other for the 1st few weeks, but after they get to know the rest of the class, they now have their own group of friends and will no longer stick to each other in class, that's the case for my girls.

It's not easy having multiples, i totally agree with you. Though they're born on the same day, their personality and pace of learning are totally differents and it's a headache for us at times.

However, i think i'll still put them in the same class when they enter primary one. As you mentioned, when they're in different class, the teachers might progress at differents pace and when it come to teaching and helping them with homework, you'll have headache. Futhermore, entering primary one itself can be stressful to the kids themselves and for us too. So I personally felt that having them in the same class when they enter primary 1 can help them settle down earlier and it's easier for you assists them in their homeworks or project, hence lesser headache for us and less stress for them.

Plus, in the event if their pace of learning really differ, the school will recommend to split them when they enter primary 2. By then, it'll not be as stressful for the kid themselves to be in different class, since they had already settle down and are familiar with the schools and teachers.

Still each child is different, so maybe you would like to talk to the school which they'll be entering and see what the school recommends.

Thanks, keltan. Great advise!

[vividlaurel]

Hi,


I have b/g twins who are in P1 this year. I thought parents do not have the choice to put them in the same class as the school makes the decision? When I got the letters from the school, my twins were put in different classes. Also I have heard (not sure if this is true) that MOE does not like twins/triplets in the same class - they are almost always seperated.

I feel this is good as the children learn to grow on their own and are not dependent on each other in class. However, it is a pain when you go for Parent Teacher meetings! CC was not too bad - took around an hour in total since the number of students was just about 14 per class, but P1 was a pain since you have to meet 4 teachers (Form teacher and MT each). I was in their school for more than 3 hrs and if not for the fact that my ds's FT asked me to meet her sooner, I would have been there longer!

nonKiasu:

Hi. Would like to gather all parents with twins, triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets, sextuplets, septuplets, ... and discuss anything abt our multiples.
I have a set of triplet boys in K2 this yr. The first thing I would like to discuss is: Will/Did you put your multiples in the same class when they r in P1? What makes your decision?

[nonKiasu]

vividlaurel:

I thought parents do not have the choice to put them in the same class as the school makes the decision? When I got the letters from the school, my twins were put in different classes. Also I have heard (not sure if this is true) that MOE does not like twins/triplets in the same class - they are almost always seperated.

I just attended a seminar conducted by CDAC at MOE premise on P1 prep last Sat. During Q&A (not my qn tho), the speaker said that schools will put multiples in same P1 class unless parent indicate otherwise. Anyway, I concur with the speaker that parents have the final say.

vividlaurel:

I feel this is good as the children learn to grow on their own and are not dependent on each other in class. However, it is a pain when you go for Parent Teacher meetings! CC was not too bad - took around an hour in total since the number of students was just about 14 per class, but P1 was a pain since you have to meet 4 teachers (Form teacher and MT each). I was in their school for more than 3 hrs and if not for the fact that my ds's FT asked me to meet her sooner, I would have been there longer!

This is precisely my dilemma. I see the benefit of my DSs in different class in the area of self-development and growth. However, now in PCF, I spent a total of abt 4 hrs meeting 5 teachers who have diff teaching style, emphasis and activities. Can't imagine when I meet P1 teachers! Also, diff class means diff time-table - tough for me even now!

[nonKiasu]

Here's our club members updated on 11 Aug 2012 (I will just update this msg as and when there is new member or changes):


:welcome: Everyone!

name, location, multiples, gender, yr of birth, other children?
nonKiasu, Tampines, triplets, b/b/b, 2004, no
GreenQ, Toa Payoh, triplets, b/g/b, 2004, no
keltan, Woodlands, twins, g/g, 2004, no
vividlaurel, ?, twins b/g, 2003, no
Funguy71, Toa Payoh, twins, ?, 2009, yes
ximi, Bukit Panjang, twins, b/g, 2009, no
bum, CCK, triplets, b/b/b, 2006, no
fatBobo, Pioneer, twins, g/g, 2009, no
Twins, Katong, twins, B/B, 2003, yes
tattybear, CCK, Twins, g/g, 2009, yes (1 more)
Twin_mum/woodlands/twins/gb/2005/no
juliet, pioneer, twins, b/b, 2010, 1 boy 2008
joper, East Coast, b/g, 2007,
Triplets Mom, marine parade, triplets, b/g/b, 2005,
TiaraUrchin, hougang, twins, g/g, 2007,
newmorning, Geylang, twin, b/b, 2010, yes
Tripsplanner, Toronto, triplets, g/g/b, 2007, no

Pls let me know if there is any errors in above info.

[GreenQ]

Hi nonKiasu, sorry for late reply!


I plan to put them in same class in P1. I think that will be a quite different environment compared to kindy. So if they are in same class in P1, I will be less worry for them as they can help each other if there is a need. I think it is good for them too as they are not really talkative or bravo kids in new environment.

When they are in P2 or P3 onwards, the sch may separate them base on their academic achievement. So I guess that’s not too late for them to learn to be independent at that stage and when they are more familiar with the sch environment.