SMO Junior

[sunflower]

Dharma:

Hi sunflower,

Although Michael is not a degree holder .... to be fair to the man ... he has exceptional talent in competition maths and I agree with phankao that the fact many kids trained by him go on to do well in SMOPS is already a credential itself.

My older child was selected by RGPS for maths olympiad training in 2007 under Dr Spario Soon (10 lessons - from Jan to Apr) but she continued w/ Maths Hub. The fact that RGPS does not engage Maths Hub for Maths Olympiad training doesn't mean anything. This year,2 RGPS girls who won platinum had gone to Maths Hub, one of them was placed 6th and 10th at SMOPS and APMOPS respectively.

I am not here to promote Maths Hub ...my child doesn't go there for Maths Olympiad anymore due to her tight schedule. As a parent, I am just sharing ....

Hi Dharma, thanks for sharing. Actually, my point is that some award winners didn't win solely because they were sent to a particular enrichment centre only. Many RGPS award winners were also trained in the school by Dr Spario Soon (Interactive Math Exploration Centre - Learning Interactive, http://math.com.sg), which is the external training centre engaged by the school. In fact, I've heard of some really kiasu parents (from other schools) who send their children to several enrichment centres to prepare their children for this kind of competitions. So, I would say that there are many factors that contribute to a child winning a competition, and one very important factor is the child's aptitude in maths.

[Dharma]

Hi sunflower,


Definately having aptitude in particular field (maths, in this case) is crucial …together with passion and also lots of practice is the key to success, I guess.

These kiasu parents u r talking about … must be SUPER KIASU …wonder whether their kids have time to breathe.

There won’t be a need for enrichment centres if schools like RGPS start preparing kids early for these competitions, maybe from P4 onwards on a continuous basis.

[lizawa]

Dharma:

Hi sunflower,



There won't be a need for enrichment centres if schools like RGPS start preparing kids early for these competitions, maybe from P4 onwards on a continuous basis.

I don't know about other schools but in my daughter's schools, only selected pupils / selected classes go through such continuous training from P4 onwards. So for those who do not get this chance through the school, enrichment centers will be the other avenue.

[sunflower]

BTW, I understand that some enrichment centres encourage the students to register the SMO competition under their respective schools or as independent participant, so maybe that’s why we don’t see names of some enrichment centres in the result list, although many award winners went to private enrichment centres for training individually .

[sunflower]

lizawa:

Dharma:

Hi sunflower,



There won't be a need for enrichment centres if schools like RGPS start preparing kids early for these competitions, maybe from P4 onwards on a continuous basis.

I don't know about other schools but in my daughter's schools, only selected pupils / selected classes go through such continuous training from P4 onwards. So for those who do not get this chance through the school, enrichment centers will be the other avenue.

Yes, my daughter's school (in fact, I think most schools) select only those pupils who perform very well in Maths (usu the top 2 classes or the top few % in terms of Maths exams score) to go for competition training. However, some schools do not provide this kind of training for the students, so some top scorers go to enrichment centres for training.

[wmd]

Contestant [] P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 Total Rank Award

Abs. Rel. (%)
Team results 42 29 11 17 17 0 116 30 71.8 S, S, B, B, B, HM
Jia-Han Chiam 7 3 7 1 7 0 25 117 79.43 Silver medal
Yao Chen Ivan Loh 7 4 1 5 7 0 24 130 77.13 Silver medal
Ryan Jun Neng Chan 7 7 0 5 2 0 21 181 68.09 Bronze medal
Jeck Lim 7 7 1 3 0 0 18 208 63.30 Bronze medal
Tian Wen Daniel Low 7 7 1 0 0 0 15 249 56.03 Bronze medal
Jia Hao Barry Tng 7 1 1 3 1 0 13 283 50.00 Honourable mention

Leader: Yan Loi Wong
Deputy leader: David Chia

[kiasiparent]

http://sms.math.nus.edu.sg/Competitions/SMO2009.aspx


Lim Jeck is really good.

[wmd]

kiasiparent:

http://sms.math.nus.edu.sg/Competitions/SMO2009.aspx


Lim Jeck is really good.

Thanks!
Lim Jeck is in the top 10 name list of both SMO JUNIOR and OPEN, is really good. he is Sec 2 student, isn't it?

[wmd]

Two national team members fell in a competitive examination. (SMO 2009)

[mjl]

wmd:

Two national team members fell in a competitive examination. (SMO 2009)

Two IMO team members .. not National Team members. Every year 6 IMO team members are selected from 20+ National Team members.

You actually scrutinised the whole list :lol: Good observation!

In competitions, there is always an element of luck (the questions set may not be the student's best topic) and also the student's mood/frame of mind/attitude/determination.