[Marine Parade] Primary Schools

[Ran1977]

Btw I want to ask all you parents out there of my opinion:

I am Indian (not Tamil but 1 of the minorty Indian race and we don’t speak Tamil) and my son will be entering P1 in 2014. We will be moving to Marine Drive next year.

I am confused if I should put my son in Tao Nan or Tanjong Katong Primary(he has been learning Chinese since Nursery and I want him to learn Chinese in P1).

Is Tao Nan too Chinese based emphasis…yes, I want him to learn Chinese but I heard that you need to learn higher Chinese, there is Chinese poetry, Chinese pop quizzes every week… is that true?

Should he not do well in Chinese…i.e. his marks is low for Chinese…will that pull down his overall grade in other subjects?

In that case, should I just put him in Tanjong Katong where emphasis is all round development such as character development and academic?

Very confuseed …any advice very helpful

[enirac]

Ran1977:

Btw I want to ask all you parents out there of my opinion:

I am Indian (not Tamil but 1 of the minorty Indian race and we don't speak Tamil) and my son will be entering P1 in 2014. We will be moving to Marine Drive next year.

I am confused if I should put my son in Tao Nan or Tanjong Katong Primary(he has been learning Chinese since Nursery and I want him to learn Chinese in P1).

Is Tao Nan too Chinese based emphasis..yes, I want him to learn Chinese but I heard that you need to learn higher Chinese, there is Chinese poetry, Chinese pop quizzes every week.. is that true?

Should he not do well in Chinese..i.e. his marks is low for Chinese...will that pull down his overall grade in other subjects?

In that case, should I just put him in Tanjong Katong where emphasis is all round development such as character development and academic?

Very confuseed ..any advice very helpful

First of all, I think that you should check out the chances of your son getting into Tao Nan. Which phrase are you eligable for and what are your success rate.

And i think your qn on Tao Nan's chinese is best posted in Tao Nan's thread instead of here..

[tankee]

Ran1977:

..... Is Tao Nan too Chinese based emphasis..yes, I want him to learn Chinese but I heard that you need to learn higher Chinese, there is Chinese poetry, Chinese pop quizzes every week.. is that true?


Should he not do well in Chinese..i.e. his marks is low for Chinese...will that pull down his overall grade in other subjects?
......

There is NO chinese pop quizzes every week. The Principal do tell moral stories quite frequently and pop related questions to the students. Students get novelty prizes for answering these questions.

Only non-acedemic subjects beside Chinese, are taught in Chinese. So if a student is weak in Chinese, his other grades, namely Science, Maths & English, will not be affected. Science & Maths are taught in English.

And there are non-Chinese race teachers in Tao Nan.

Ran1977:

..... In that case, should I just put him in Tanjong Katong where emphasis is all round development such as character development and academic?......

why this misconception that TNS does not focus on all round development? :?

TNS has a very good chinese martial art team, its badminton, sailing, maths, scouts, etc are all doing very well too. There are leadership training, exchange programme, etc etc

[phtthp]

hi Ran1977,


Tao Nan requires balloting, within 1 km.
Tao Nan more competitive to get in.
last year, TKPS no need ballot.

http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=464&start=680

i) Tao Nan SAP school.
Higher Chinese start from P1.
come P3 to P6 - those who can't cope can opt for normal Chinese.

TKPS - P1 no higher Chinese.
but P2 onwards, not sure.

you may call up Tao Nan, ask to speak to HOD (Chinese).
let her address your concern. ask specifically:-

–\tso far, how are kids of your race coping with Chinese in Tao Nan ?

–\tif pupils are weak in Chinese, what are the avenues available for school to help pupils ?

–\tany advice can she give you ?

- any other concern that you have (Chinese poetry rhyme, whether or not got Chinese pop quizz, all round development, etc) ?

tel: 6442-8307
http://www.taonanschool.net/?aid=301&gid=541&Qid=1445&lid=298

likewise, call up TKPS, speak to HOD (Chinese), ask same qns.
if they busy, can make an appointment visit both HOD in school.
when you're there, may ask HOD give you a 15 minute short tour of the school.
as she bring you around, observe school premises & behavior of school kids.
are the children overall disciplined, rowdy etc?
from the reply given & quiet observation made, your gut feel will tell you … which school more suitable for your child.

http://www.tanjongkatongpri.moe.edu.sg/cos/o.x?c=/wbn/pagetree&func=view&rid=21592

ii) I saw a number of Indian children from mid N2/ K1 / K2 taking Chinese at Kumon, Novena branch. They're taking Chinese as 2nd language, and are coping well.

nowadays, a number of foreigners (Japanese kids, Korean kids, Filipino kids, European kids, other nationality kids) may opt for Chinese as 2nd language. maybe because China is the next super economic power. If start from young since kindergarten days, should be fine.

iii) Quality passes:-

Tao Nan 2011
Chinese 89.6 %

English 80.4 %

Science 70.3 %

Maths 66.2 %

TN results comprise max 50 GEP pupils (2 classes), the rest are Mainstream.

==============================================================================
TKPS only show 2010 results (at least have a rough idea): -

Chinese 77.6 % (TKPS)

English 66.1 % (TKPS)

Science 62.8 % (TKPS)

Maths 53.5 % (TKPS)

http://www.tanjongkatongpri.moe.edu.sg/cos/o.x?c=/wbn/pagetree&func=view&rid=1083680

[Ran1977]

Hi parents,

Would Ngee Ann or Tanjong Katong make a better choice for Primary One addmission?
My son will go in through Phase 2C and we live in Marine Drive.
Thanks.

[phtthp]

hi Ran1977,


my niece study in Ngee Ann primary, she is P3 this year.

if you keen, i can pm you my cousin's (the child's mom) telephone.
you may ring up and ask her qns about Ngee Ann. is a school that is pretty \"on\" type. Overall, I would say that the teachers are hardworking.

P1 - all kids start with Normal Chinese. Towards end of P1, Chinese teachers would have identified who are the stronger pupils ready to tackle Higher Chinese. Higher Chinese starts from P2. Those pupils who show keen interest & have a flair for Chinese - some can be selected to learn Chinese calligraphy, provided the child is interested & willing to learn. My cousin can also help advise you what to look out for, since my niece already finished P1.

ngee ann 2011 psle:-
http://www.ngeeannpri.edu.sg/2011psleresults.html

i am not familiar with Tanjong Katong, so can't comment.
perhaps parents with kids studying in these 2 schools may comment.

[Ran1977]

Hi, any parents got any idea which is a better school in terms of academic, disclipine - Ngee Ann Primary or Tanjong Katong primary?

Also is Ngee Ann too Chinese-based emphasis?
We live in Marine Drive - what are the chances of Phase 2C in both Ngee Ann and Tanjong Katong?
Appreciate advice please. :?

[phtthp]

last night spoke to my cousin. my niece P3 Ngee Ann this year.


she said please ground your child well in Chinese - during kindergarten K1, K2 foundation years. She said Ngee Ann now P1 offer 3 type of Chinese:-

- Higher Chinese
- Core Chinese (ie. normal or ordinary Chinese)
- Bridging Chinese (for weaker students)

the Bridging Chinese is \"unofficial\". But once enter P1, after about one month, the Chinese teacher would have already assessed your child. Teacher will classify your child under one of the above 3 category. Cousin said other primary schools normally intro Bridging Chinese at higher level. But Ngee Ann do it early, around P1 Term 2.

i ask her, \"any idea how are the Indian kids coping with Chinese so far in school?\" She replied if your child start from kindergarten years, shouldn't be an issue. In fact, she cited me one example where got one Indian child in the school excel in Chinese. Every year this child sure to go up stage collect prizes not just for Chinese, but also for English. She said not sure how his parents groom this child. But if start from kindergarten, should be fine.

next, i ask \"how you find the teachers there?\" She replied, \"Oh! the teachers are very caring. I like Ngee Ann. It is a good school. The teachers are supportive and caring. They bother to walk the extra mile to help your child.\"

next i ask \" does she need to stay back in school, besides CCA ?\" She replied, \"this year my girl's P3 Maths getting tougher. There is quite a huge jump from P2 to P3 curriculum. So her Maths teacher recommend her stay back after school, attend extra Maths lesson called Neuro maths to help strengthen her.\"

next, i ask \"how about Tanjong Katong ?\" She replied \"not sure. Is a relatively new school. Last time only have Tanjong Katong Sec, no primary.\"

perhaps parents with kids currently studying in Tanjong Katong or Ngee Ann may help comment.

[phtthp]

Tao Nan balloting breakdown


2011

Total no. of available places : 360

Phase 1 - 185 applicants

Phase 2A1 - 22 applicants
Phase 2A2 - 57 applicants

Phase 2B - 47 vacancies } 1km : 76 (Balloting), 1-2km : 3, >2km : 5
Phase 2C - 49 vacancies } 1km : 88 (Balloting), 1-2km : 0, >2km : 0

2010

Total no. of available places : 360

Phase 1 - 158 applicants

Phase 2A1 - 17 applicants
Phase 2A2 - 59 applicants

Phase 2B - 63 vacancies } 1km : 94 (Balloting), 1-2km : 8, >2km : 12
Phase 2C - 63 vacancies } 1km : 94 (Balloting), 1-2km : 5, >2km : 0

[phtthp]

Ngee Ann primary


Balloting exercise was conducted for last year, 2011 and the previous year 2010 for applicants living outside 2km from the school.