Maris Stella High

[bigfoot]

BlueTopaz:

Hi parents,


Just want to say hello. My eldest gg to MHS in 2011. Hope to make some frens here to share notes n tips

:welcome:

You have come to the right place. Hope we can all benefit from each other's experiences.

[bigfoot]

vicki:

Do you mean 1 on 1 tuition or tuition centers?? My boy is also attending Berries - sigh - but cos we dont really have a chinese speaking environment at home - so - his standard is like behind his peers...


Now im doing some last min \"chinese speaking\" spree - hopefully come P1 he wont be totally lost!

Not 1-1 tuition. I don't think 1-1 is suitable for P1. It is also a group tuition but the focus will be more academic based. Somehow I feel Berries is only good for generating the interest. I may be wrong here. This is just my opinion. That is why I am still keeping to Berries for now.

We tried to make a conscious effort to speak in Mandarin. In fact, I was from a mandarin speaking environment. Tried let him watch chinese shows. Whenever we are in the car, I will also tune in to the chinese station. They will complain initially but slowly, they will get used to it.

Lastly, don't worry. I think many parents face the same problem with regard to chinese. We will share tips and help each other out. If I come across any good chinese tutor, I will recommend to you.

[bigfoot]

24hr-mum:

does MS have CA or SA for p1?

or is it based on daily work?
if there are SA for p1, is it tough?

If I am not wrong, doing away with CA and SA is part of the recommendation of PERI. You may want to refer to this webiste for more details:

http://www.moe.gov.sg/initiatives/peri/updates/

Your child will basically be assessed not just using a standard pen and paper test at the end of each term/semester. Other form of assessments will take place. This is more of a formative assessment rather than a summative assessment. The focus is to develop your child rather than testing him/her in what they know or don't know. And yes, it may include daily work, weekly spelling. It all depend on the school. I am not sure about MSH. Is next year P1 in MSH the 1st batch? I don't have the answer. Maybe some parents with child in P1 can shed some light?

[24hr-mum]

ya would be grateful if some MSH parents can shed light on whether P1 got SA or just daily work.


also like to know, i understand that they stream children only in P5 (some schs do it yearly, my girl’s do it at the end of p2). is the streaming based just on p4 results or the whole three years from p1 to p3?

[toffeev]

There was SA1 (20%), CA2 (30%) and SA2 (50%) for P1 this year. Not sure about future years.

[vicki]

toffeev:

There was SA1 (20%), CA2 (30%) and SA2 (50%) for P1 this year. Not sure about future years.

I think they kindof mentioned no exams for P1 this year.

[vicki]

bigfoot:

vicki:

Do you mean 1 on 1 tuition or tuition centers?? My boy is also attending Berries - sigh - but cos we dont really have a chinese speaking environment at home - so - his standard is like behind his peers...


Now im doing some last min \"chinese speaking\" spree - hopefully come P1 he wont be totally lost!

Not 1-1 tuition. I don't think 1-1 is suitable for P1. It is also a group tuition but the focus will be more academic based. Somehow I feel Berries is only good for generating the interest. I may be wrong here. This is just my opinion. That is why I am still keeping to Berries for now.

We tried to make a conscious effort to speak in Mandarin. In fact, I was from a mandarin speaking environment. Tried let him watch chinese shows. Whenever we are in the car, I will also tune in to the chinese station. They will complain initially but slowly, they will get used to it.

Lastly, don't worry. I think many parents face the same problem with regard to chinese. We will share tips and help each other out. If I come across any good chinese tutor, I will recommend to you.

Txs bigfoot! I am so desperate now - I signed him up for alot of 天下 holiday lessons in addition to his Berries!!

[vicki]

cherrygal:

Hi Namie,
Speak to your Berries teacher and check with her on your son's progress. I just asked my son's Berries teacher today and she said he's progressing well. I had thought she made a mistake circling the \"Able to do Higher Chinese\" class next year coz he is very unwilling to do Chinese assessments books at home. She told me that the kids are all like that. They become independent and smart only in class and revert to their playful and lazy selves when at home. Don't worry too much!

I also used the Chinese flashcards (from the P1 book list) and he could read most of the words without hanyu pinyin. I drill him in Hanyu Pinyin myself once a week and we make it into a mini-quiz where we take turns to spell. He finds it fun that Mummy also has to be \"tested\".

BTW, how come MS doesn't hold holiday Hanyu Pinyin crash courses ah? Many schools are doing it leh.

I am actually more worried about the English Creative Writing and Chinese composition.

Hi cherrygal - actually what got me really worried is that hsi berries teacher IS speaking to me every week now!! (sigh)

She told me to write hanyu pinyin on every word that he doesnt know and hopefully in time to come - he will learn!

So - now i super hardworking! Berries + Tien Hsia (holiday lessons) + as much spoken chinese as possible at home

But then hor - i must admit - my CL2 also not very good lah - so as i am speaking to my dear boy in chinese - my dh is correcting my CL2!!

[24hr-mum]

Jus read more story bks and revise those words the child doesnt know, shd be ok. my girl doesnt go presch enrichment. i just read a lot of ch storybks (readers) n teach ch flashcards daily before she enters p1.


for MS p1, does they hv compo exam for eng?
wat abt compo exam for chinese in p1?

i thot most sch ch compo exam starts from p3.

[24hr-mum]

and practise writing ch characters daily.

they may not be tested in the exam but if cant write ch characters well, when doing compre, can even copy the word wrongly.