Maha Bodhi

[Midnight Sun]

As a Buddhist himself, my hubby is keen to send both kids to MBS and hoping to register the elder one in phase 2B.


My question: How 'active' is MBS in practising buddhism? ... Cos the sch website dosen't say much. Do they have Dharma camps/classes, prayer sessions, like examination blessings? Optional for non-buddhists?

Thanks much in advance!

[MMM]

Unlike a catholic school where there is daily prayer during assembly, term mass or a chapel in the school that the kids can go and pray in, I don’t observe such practise in MBS (in the buddhist context).


For MBS, based on my observations, I don’t think they have prayer sessions or religious camps. Kids are generally taught to bow to the buddha and they have buddhist study once a week. They have text book and workbook on that. For P1, it’s about the story of buddha and then talk about the values that the religion is trying to foster eg. compassion, etc… This is to foster learning about buddhism. In some instance, (not sure if all), they are actually taught by monk/ nun for that subject.

On vesak day, they have "buddha bathing" in the school. Other that this, I don’t think the school has alot of religion related practises for the kids. I believe that there are non-buddhists in MBS. Eg during my era, quite a no. of my classmates are christians/ catholics.

We are free thinkers and so far we find the "religious" related stuff in school manageable. I think it’s alot less than catholic school which I attended when I was in sec. school.

[Midnight Sun]

Thanks for the helpful info, MMM.


Do you mean that the Buddhist studies is incorporated into their curriculum? Or that it is an after-class/optional kind of lesson?

[MMM]

Yes buddhist study is part of the cirriculum.

[jsmum]

Hi MMM,


I think my gal will be the first to display her new PE shorts this week. She has outgrow her PE shorts and it is simply too tight to wear it again for her PE lesson this Wed :oops: .

The uniform supplier is opened on Saturday too. Should have gotten it last Saturday.

Since PE lessons for her is once a week, I will just buy 1. Kids grow up really fast now. No point buying 2. Uniforms I will get 2 each but later date (dunno by year end their waist expand by how many again).

[MMM]

We went to the uniform shop again last sat :roll: It's the 8th and 9th shorts that we are getting for my P1 son. It appears that those we got earlier doesn't fit him now as it's big.... slipping till the hip. For the sake of his image, my hubby said, we need to get him a smaller size otherwise his friends will remember him for life.


The consolation is that we can keep the rest till he grows bigger.

BTW, for P3, I thot they are wearing skirt during PE??? So they are still required to wear the PE shorts below? Probably makes sense otherwise :oops:

Wanted to ask you about CCA for P3, does it fall on saturday??? We registered for BC 2010 classes. I've actually gone for sat 10.30 - 12.15 quite a popular timing so I wanted to register early to ensure we get that slot. I am assuming that most CCA should take place after school. My girl said she wants to continue with school band.

[jsmum]

Yes, all P3 girls are required to wear the PE skirt with their PE tee and shorts on their PE days. Only during PE lessons the girls has to take off their skirts.


For CCA if I not wrong, only guzheng is on Saturday (not sure abt the band). Most CCA are on Wednesday afternoons. The malay lessons are also on Wednesday afternoon before CCA start. So my girl finish everything at 4.30pm. There are school buses catering to bring kids back after CCA (must pay and depending on distance). For my girl it is $2/trip (my gal taking the big bus), I was told it will be the small bus fetching the kids after CCA and the drop off point is up to the bus driver (he want to drop >1 kid at a point). Thus I did not take up the offer since the bus did not want to drop my girl at my block (but 2 streets away).

I am unable to have same time slot for BC for P3 and P4 next year. The chinese enrichment schedule still not out. So unable to make a decision now.

[MMM]

We asked my girl if she is ready to take the public transport when she is in P3 and she said she will wait for another year (for my son). We've around 3-4 buses that goes to our place so fairly convenient.


How many CCAs are the P3 required to undertake? My P2 is currently doing band and basketball. She is keen to continue with the band and my Sec 2 niece (PLMGS) was telling me that if my girl joins the school band, that can potentially be use for DSA in the future. I am not too sure about such :?

I originally thought that it would be great if the school move to single session. We can drive them there in the am while my maid can fetch them after school. Think we will have good savings from the school bus.

Oh, so they will be having malay conversational class from P3? It is not part of cirriculum?

Our 2010 sat schedule is now back to back (excluding science) :roll:. At least we can all sleep alittle later on sat morning. The kids have chinese speech & drama on sunday so we can't sleep too late as well.
10.30 - 12.15 BC Current 8.30 - 9 15am
1.45 - 3.45 Molin
4.00 - 5.30 Enopi maths

[MMM]

Hi MBS parents,


This is for your younger kids (K1/ K2 in 2010).

I am trying to find 5-6 kids who fit the criteria above to start a new chinese speech & drama class in 2010. If you are keen to put your kids to S&D and are looking around, pls ptely email me.

FYI, the purpose of S&D is to :
1) Create an interest in chinese language
2) Train the kids to speak "perfect" chinese. This will eventually help in their oral exams. Our kids tend to speak rojak chinese and sometimes direct translation from english.
3) Confidence to stand infront of others to speak out
4) Creativity

This S&D teacher used to teach in MBS for 10+ years. She is a retiree and she came highly recommended by my P2’s chinese teacher for its effectiveness she observed in students who attended this S&D teacher’s class. My older kids have attended her lesson for 1 term already and I do see improvement in them. They are more conscious of their pronunciation. They do alot of rao (4) kou (3) ling (4), I also observed that as some of the sheets have no hypy, it forces my P1 to recognise more chinese words, etc… In any case, they enjoyed the class tremendously.

On seeing the benefits, I was keen to put my nursery going child through the class but the S&D teacher only has class for P1 & above. So it appear that we’ve to wait till then. Personally, I feel it’s good to start young so that they learn the correct thing early. The S&D teacher told me that if I can find 5-6 students, she will consider a class for pre-schoolers in 2010.

She conducts the lesson at Han Language in Katong Mall. The fees should not be more than $200 per term. So far, she conducts the lesson on sunday am. Do ptely email me if you are keen.

[chasingjelly]

Is CCA compulsary?