[Hougang] Primary Schools

[AZMum]

cantbearit2:

AZMum:

Hi All,


I have been following this forum for quite some time to gain knowledge on Pri 1 registration. My girl is born in 2006. So now, I'm deciding what school I would like to register her in.

I am within 1km to Hougang Pri. However, my husband is an old boy at Temasek Pri (Bedok South). So now, I am in a dilemna to decide if I want to enrol her in Temasek Pri under Phase 2A2 when the time comes or to do PV for Hougang Pri and register her under Phase 2B. :scratchhead:

Any advice from the Kiasu Parents here? It will be greatly appreciated.

Both schools do not have affiliated sec sch. Both are good sch given their past academic records. However, if u are staying near HPS, it might be better to do PV at HPS. 40 hrs of contribution is still better than 6 years of long travelling time for your gal.

Just to share with you, I regretted my decision to give up the PV at HPS. IM staying more than 2km fr HPS thus if no PV means no chance at all.

Luckily we still manage to register DD in a sch which we like but of course it is much further.

Just my 2cents worth. You still have time. Consider carefully. Good luck!

Hi Cantbearit2,

Thanks for your prompt reply. If we decide to go for Temasek Pri, hubby and I are thinking to shift closer to the school when the time comes. The logistic problem is more for my boy who will still be in childcare.

There are a few factors that we are deciding of course:
1) Which school is better? Hougang Pri or Temasek Pri?
I called up Temasek Pri requesting for a visit, but was rejected due to security reasons. The next open house for the school is in 2012, when my girl is due to register.
I have visited Hougang Pri. It felt like a normal primary school to me. I saw the kids laughing, having fun during recess time. Talked to the teacher a bit who guide me about the PV program. She commented that the school results are getting better due to the cohort of students they are having. Their emphasis is a lot on other activities and CCA too. They believed in character building with academic advancement.

2) A few of my colleagues that I talked to said that they would choose Temasek Pri as I can get in at Phase 2A2. It will be more hassle free. I'm just wondering if Temasek Pri is worth for us to make the move?
I have been thinking about upgrading my place... cos it's getting rather crowded... my 2 brothers are staying with us too... so it's getting a little cramped... Just that I have very nice neighbours... it's like a little kampong at my place there and it's really nice to have neighbourly support when you need it....
So it's a huge dilemna... sigh...

Why is Pri 1 registration such a big headache??

[CL05]

hey all,

looking at the registration history of PLMGS, i also got a bit worried. Cos it is my 1st choice of school for my daughter borned in 2005.

I’m due to register next year in 2011.

Like most of the parents out here, i’m doing research on the schools.

A bit of info here for me:
1) we stayed in Lor Ah soo (within 1 km of PLMGS)
2) We have 2 choice of caregiver - MIL who stay in Aljunied or my mum who stay in Hougang ave 9
3) Hubby is old boy of GMPS which i’m also considering (also near to MIL)

The thing is if we put my girl in PLMGS, i will have another stress for my boy who is born in 2008.

Alot of friends & family have encouraged me to try PLMGS for my gal & Maris Stella (MS) for my boy since MS is not far away from our house (about 2 km away).

But we know we will have almost 99% chance to get into GMPS due to hubby’s old boy status.

Should i try our luck at PLMGS? It sounds a tad risky, right?

Fellow parents, please advise.

[MMM]

CL05:

hey all,

looking at the registration history of PLMGS, i also got a bit worried. Cos it is my 1st choice of school for my daughter borned in 2005.

I'm due to register next year in 2011.

Like most of the parents out here, i'm doing research on the schools.

A bit of info here for me:
1) we stayed in Lor Ah soo (within 1 km of PLMGS)
2) We have 2 choice of caregiver - MIL who stay in Aljunied or my mum who stay in Hougang ave 9
3) Hubby is old boy of GMPS which i'm also considering (also near to MIL)

The thing is if we put my girl in PLMGS, i will have another stress for my boy who is born in 2008.

Alot of friends & family have encouraged me to try PLMGS for my gal & Maris Stella (MS) for my boy since MS is not far away from our house (about 2 km away).

But we know we will have almost 99% chance to get into GMPS due to hubby's old boy status.

Should i try our luck at PLMGS? It sounds a tad risky, right?

Fellow parents, please advise.

This sounds like the million dollar question when I've asked myself whether to choose my primary school (Maha Bodhi) or try for Tao Nan or HIPS as we've property within 1km of the schools.

In the end, I choose my primary school. We are staying at upp serangoon. Fortunately not too far away from Ubi.

Lor Ah Soo to GMPS don't seem that far. If logistic is not a issue, I would prefer to go for GMPS and don't even have to worry about PV or balloting.

In your case, making to PLMGS is one thing. You will still need to undergo the same process to put your son to Maris Stella which is popular in the area. Can't imagine having to go through the stress twice....

Just my personal thoughts.

[CL05]

Hi MMM,


You are quite right and sometimes i think should i even make my life double stress?

But my sister who is a Pri school teacher advised that GMPS standards has dropped (but it still remain a popular school judging from the no. of registrations each year). She has a friend teaching in GMPS who actually wanted to transfer to another school due to the standard dropping.

And furthermore, my friends and family’s advice has been quite consistent. They all encouraged me to try PLMGS & MS.

One friend remarked that his brother’s son got into MS easily w/o balloting cos there’s not much people with pri sch going kids staying there. I wonder how true is that…

[CL05]

MMM, actually if i were you, i will choose Maha Bodhi w/o hesitation as the reputation is already much stronger than Tao Nan & HIPS.. Further, with you being an old student, there's no sweat getting in..

[MMM]

CL05:

Hi MMM,


You are quite right and sometimes i think should i even make my life double stress?

But my sister who is a Pri school teacher advised that GMPS standards has dropped (but it still remain a popular school judging from the no. of registrations each year). She has a friend teaching in GMPS who actually wanted to transfer to another school due to the standard dropping.

And furthermore, my friends and family's advice has been quite consistent. They all encouraged me to try PLMGS & MS.

One friend remarked that his brother's son got into MS easily w/o balloting cos there's not much people with pri sch going kids staying there. I wonder how true is that...

Hi CL05,

I would suggest that you look at the past balloting records in KSP to evaluate your chances and make informed decisions based on that. There are very good resources here.

http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/content/toa-payoh

If you are able to qualify under phase 2B, seems like good chance for Maris Stella. However phase 2C looks challenging if you are staying >2km .

I've 2 nieces in PLMGS. They are in secondary school now. The cut off point for secondary school has now increased. So far, they are very well behaved girls.

Meanwhile for std, it's really subjective. What was the original benchmark? The same story is heard for MBS, standard has dropped,etc.... Most parents nowadays send their kids for enrichment classes and no longer solely dependent on the school..... so I wonder if that really matters.

[vicki]

HI CL05,


Yup - agreed that if you can get into 2B for MS - and if you are within 2km - then should be quite a breeze for you. But if you are out of 2km, chances of balloting would be high - cos you will most likely have to ballot with the other catholics (who are out of 2km) who would have applied for the school (I was one of them this year!).

And to be honest, with the opening of the MRT station, actually MS has suddenly become a very convenient primary school locatioj - hence - i feel that there will most likely be balloting for >2km for 2B from this year onwards.

If you are in 2C, then the ballot would most likely be in the 1 to 2km category.

You still have time to think about it. - All the best. I have been planning for this year since 4 yrs ago, and im glad Part 1 - getting into the school of choice is finally over and done with. Now, for me is the \"surviving the education system' planning that i need to do!

[tankee]

At End of Phase 2C Supplementary


School / Vacancy / Number Registered

Montfort Junior School 120 36
Punggol Primary School 53 58
Xinghua Primary School 95 16
Yio Chu Kang Primary School 83 61

[CL05]

Thanks MMM & Vicki for replying.


Phase 2B = PV right?

To be honest, i’m very lazy to do PV. Last year, i did consider to do PV in PLMGS in order to get my daughter in but due to busy nature of work, in the end i did not.

So without any links or PV, i can only depend on distance.

For MS, my house is outside 1 km of MS but within 2 km.
For PLMGS, my house is within 1 km.

Another option for me if i failed to get my daughter into PLMGS, maybe can try Canossa Convent (within 1 km of MIL place) cos i saw that its quite easy to get into this school based on past history (pardon me if im wrong).

Overall, still dunno whether shld i gave up a near-perfect chance of getting GMPS to take the risks…

[vicki]

CL05:

Thanks MMM & Vicki for replying.


Phase 2B = PV right?

To be honest, i'm very lazy to do PV. Last year, i did consider to do PV in PLMGS in order to get my daughter in but due to busy nature of work, in the end i did not.

So without any links or PV, i can only depend on distance.

For MS, my house is outside 1 km of MS but within 2 km.
For PLMGS, my house is within 1 km.

Another option for me if i failed to get my daughter into PLMGS, maybe can try Canossa Convent (within 1 km of MIL place) cos i saw that its quite easy to get into this school based on past history (pardon me if im wrong).

Overall, still dunno whether shld i gave up a near-perfect chance of getting GMPS to take the risks...

Actually you should register in GMPS first (under 2A) - at least you have a seat there liao. Then - monitor the situation at PLMGS and MS - before deciding if you want to withdraw your name from GMPS and apply for the latter schools....

But to be honest, unless you really dont like GMPS - its really not worth the risk to give up a confirmed seat for a shot at balloting. What happens if you end up with neither -- i think it would be worse! :stupid: