Pat's Schoolhouse

[empressplace]

Thanks Desertwind for highlighting your issues with Pat's Schoolhouse. I have since paid more attention to the issues you have highlighted in the past week.


Indeed it is true that the published ratios are not strictly adhered to. The answer I got from their management is that it is just a recommended ratio. Whatever ratio you see, you should expect to add a couple more.

Pat's premises, unlike other bigger kindergartens or international kindies, are not spacious generally. I find it quite cramped for so many little kids. It isn't the idyllic picture of little children playing happily at different stations that you see on the MCYS website, especially the section on physical premises.

At the end of the day, the thinking is that if your kids' teachers can handle the class size and your kid is developing well, that is all that matters.

That is true to a certain extent but that may not be good enough for some parents. However it may be PSH's business decision that the current price point versus their product offering is optimal for themselves and the target audience. Feedback is really just to express parental wishes but I am not too confident from my own encounters that they would be taken seriously as ultimately there are business decisions involved and currently there are no shortage of takers.

Other parents I have spoken to have expressed their concern that there is not much parental engagement. We do have the half yearly review with the teachers and you always have the option to ask the teachers for feedback. Many expat parents feel that it is odd there is so little parental involvement in the course of the year. I have always imagined that I would get to see my kid perform a little something but there is none of that so far.

The individuals I have met so far have seemed genuinely nice. However when I speak to management, I feel the business pressures behind the scenes. Let's face it...PSH today is of a scale that you can't expect only the warm and fuzzy stuff.

Of course we all like to think that we have done the best for our kid by putting our child in the \"best\" and expensive preschool. But as omgmum and desertwind pointed out, we do still need to keep a close watch.

[empressplace]

Desertwind I actually get your point about kind and loving teachers from the church kindies. I think all of us hope for that warm and loving preschool for our precious little ones, where they will spend their innocent childhood years before the pressures of primary school pile on. It’s just not right for things to get too commercialized and business oriented for this age group.

[debpch]

Hi,

My kid has started school for close to 1 month and have been sick twice already... it has come to a point where the number of days she is at home is more than that in school...

Is this normal? :?:

[empressplace]

debpch - yes, that’s common.

[zeroyee]

Dear all,

I am very new to the forum.

I am putting my gal (2008) to Pats serangoon starting 1 April 2011. Any one in this thread from same level, same school?

[debpch]

hi empressplace,

It has been a tiring 1 month. My kid fell sick after 1 week and stayed at home for 1 week (during which time, I caught the virus from her), then she went back to school for 1 week, fell sick again and stayed at home for 2 weeks (and again, I got the flu from her)..

it is like a vicious cycle that refuses to end (will it ever end?).. It has gotten to a point where hubby is considering pulling her out..

Any advice?

[empressplace]

My suggestions are to let your daughter take cod liver oil and sambucus and not to put her back to school so soon after recovery. Take it easy initially.


For yourself, you may want to wash/disinfect hands frequently and get all caregivers to wear masks when caring for her. My kid even caught chickenpox and HFMD from school and spread the diseases to sibling. The problem was worse for us because it is just very hard to prevent spread to the younger sibling. I have tried separating the kids and rigorously disinfecting door handles etc like a mad woman. For adults, it is more possible to prevent catching the disease if you are disciplined. The steps I have mentioned do work to a certain extent.

I also went through the same struggle of whether to pull my kid out of school. Unless the doctor advises you otherwise, it may be worth persevering. However you do need to equip yourself with the surgical face masks and surface and hand disinfectants to prevent spread in the household to adults and other children.

[debpch]

My kid is currently taking colostrum & multi-vits. But, at the rate she is falling sick, looks like it is not much use...

i am also like a mad-woman now, changing bedsheets every other day cos she has puked on it again after a coughing fit. :roll:
i wash my hands more often now but my kid is not the age where she has made a habit of covering her mouth when she coughs... So, she tends to rain saliva on us everytime she coughs... and so, we catch the bug almost 100 %.

wah... i understand the challenge if you have more than 1 kid. i probably would have gone nuts...

1 question... do they get better? i.e. does the frequency of falling sick drop? If yes, how long does it take normally? (I am trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel in this case... )

[smurfy]

debpch


they will get better…
it will depends on individual child when they will to get adjusted.
mine oso like 1 month fall sick once… then…(last yr)… worse, is come home spread viruses to baby sister.
the only consolation then was that majority of his classmates who fell sick, the parents had the social responsibility to bring in the child only when they get much much better (lesser chance of transmitting virus around)

[crystalbelle08]

Usually if its fever, kids will not be allow to attend school.


But if its cough or running nose…
Its quite common to see kids with either of these, roaming in class.

Rest assured…the frequency will definately reduce.
For mine, during her toddler class year, she did fall ill v frequently. Once every fortnightly…
Now as she progress to playgroup, her immune system do get stronger.

So must perserve!