River Valley High School [*IP]

[snowsam]

daisyt:

I would think, both academic and morality are equally important, no matter which school my child goes to.

Totally agreed.

[WeiHan]

daisyt:

I would think, both academic and morality are equally important, no matter which school my child goes to.

For example, school can dictate that students must have certain kind of fix hairstyle. This is to inculcate discipline. But another school may think that individualism is better because it may help in critical thinking and creativity, so that school don't dictate strict rules for hairstyle.

[MXYMum]

daisyt:

Hi snowsam, I wish to say something about this sentence \"the school only focus on academic result and neglect the morality.\" - Last time the P a bit \"ang mo pie\", more open with the students. This P, more traditional and he is quite strict on morale issues. If I am a student, I won't like current P's old, traditional, Chinese style. If I am a parent, of course I agree to this style but on the other hand, also worry for the kids, hope they won't make big mistakes and get punish hard.


From the view of a parent, I don't see any major difference in terms of the teachers or maybe not yet. :?

Actually, dd told me, she saw SO MANY students applying DSA this year.

Well, this is expected as there is limited choice of good secondary schools in the West Zone. Thus, with RV in Boon Lay, many kids staying in the Jurong area or anywhere around the West are applying. Most the kids from my DD's class say that they want to go to RV. Regardless of what happened lately, RV has good reputation and long history of producing good students.

[WeiHan]

MXYMum:

Well, this is expected as there is limited choice of good secondary schools in the West Zone. Thus, with RV in Boon Lay, many kids staying in the Jurong area or anywhere around the West are applying. Most the kids from my DD's class say that they want to go to RV. Regardless of what happened lately, RV has good reputation and long history of producing good students.

I guess you are refering to the change of principal. I can't think of any reason why students should dislike a principal except for the strict discipline he/she may demand. Principals usually don't interact with students directly so it must be the policies that he/she introduces.

May I know what are the changes in policies that the students do not like? There may be many reasons for teachers to dislike a new principal because they cannot get use to the new style? Maybe he want the teachers to change some of the curriculum and thus add more jobs for the teachers and they dislike? But students?

This new principal of RV, I thought I see that, never just sit down to do some routine mundane administrative work only. I thought I see that he keeps thinking....During his stay in HCI, he introduced the policy that teachers should go for graduate studies so that they can better advise students on project researches.

[daisyt]

MXYMum:

Well, this is expected as there is limited choice of good secondary schools in the West Zone. Thus, with RV in Boon Lay, many kids staying in the Jurong area or anywhere around the West are applying. Most the kids from my DD's class say that they want to go to RV. Regardless of what happened lately, RV has good reputation and long history of producing good students.

Actually, quite many from the North too, not only the West.

[verykiasu2010]

WeiHan:

MXYMum:

Well, this is expected as there is limited choice of good secondary schools in the West Zone. Thus, with RV in Boon Lay, many kids staying in the Jurong area or anywhere around the West are applying. Most the kids from my DD's class say that they want to go to RV. Regardless of what happened lately, RV has good reputation and long history of producing good students.

I guess you are refering to the change of principal. I can't think of any reason why students should dislike a principal except for the strict discipline he/she may demand. Principals usually don't interact with students directly so it must be the policies that he/she introduces.

May I know what are the changes in policies that the students do not like? There may be many reasons for teachers to dislike a new principal because they cannot get use to the new style? Maybe he want the teachers to change some of the curriculum and thus add more jobs for the teachers and they dislike? But students?

This new principal of RV, I thought I see that, never just sit down to do some routine mundane administrative work only. I thought I see that he keeps thinking....During his stay in HCI, he introduced the policy that teachers should go for graduate studies so that they can better advise students on project researches.

parents and students and potential students of RV should be happy that a HCI principal is transferred to them to further enhance the standard and reputation of the school.....RV has been in the \"wilderness\" for quite a long time already....good thing they got the IP approved and move on

[daisyt]

Found something interesting here


http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20100503-213954.html

Mr Koh Yong Chiah, principal of River Valley High School and former principal of Jurong Junior College (JJC), said he felt doing away with uniforms altogether could be a better idea. 'JC students are, after all, the same age as polytechnic students, who don't have to wear uniforms - so why make them do it?'

During his tenure at JJC, Mr Koh required students to wear their full uniform just once a week. On other days, students were allowed to wear official school T-shirts with their trousers or skirts. These, he said, could be anything from house T-shirts to student-designed co-curricular activities group shirts, as long as they were approved by the school.

[Albon]

Actually imo, it might b better to go to the school n ask to speak to the new p or other key staff to direct your doubts rather than taking opinion wholesale. But 1 thing for sure, parents of the seeking dsa admission to rv would b most happy wif all these negative comments with regds to rv cos lesser candidates will n competing wif their kids.

[WeiHan]

daisyt:

Found something interesting here


http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20100503-213954.html

Mr Koh Yong Chiah, principal of River Valley High School and former principal of Jurong Junior College (JJC), said he felt doing away with uniforms altogether could be a better idea. 'JC students are, after all, the same age as polytechnic students, who don't have to wear uniforms - so why make them do it?'

During his tenure at JJC, Mr Koh required students to wear their full uniform just once a week. On other days, students were allowed to wear official school T-shirts with their trousers or skirts. These, he said, could be anything from house T-shirts to student-designed co-curricular activities group shirts, as long as they were approved by the school.

I have heard about this too.....thus confirming my impression that Mr. Koh isn't rigid minded but his policies have specific aims which means that they are pragmatic in approach.

[WeiHan]

So far, I only hear that there are negative things about the new principal but when asked specifically what is it, we don't get anything......


But what I have here are concrete facts.

1. During his tenure at JJC, the cutoff point of JJ has improved and many students stayed after actual A level result release.

2. He made the teachers worked 5 days week only instead of 6 days. So I don't see how he can be a unreasonable slave driver. In fact it shows that he is quite caring not just students but teachers and staffs under him.

....there may be other things which you can read the report MOE has written after he took leadership at JJ.

http://conference.nie.edu.sg/paper/Converted%20Pdf/ab00349.pdf