2009 GEP Screening And Selection

[Herbie]

Hi rains,


You mentioned that the GEP boy went back to the mainstream after one year. Did he go back to his former non-GEP school or the mainstream GEP school?

Kindly advise.

TX

[Neko]

I read all 91 pages of this thread (my eyes r popping out :idea: ). Very informative, thanks to all contributors!


But I still cannot come to a decision.

Dd is gd with languages but less so with math. Am wondering if she can cope with GEP math. She is not the type who enjoys prob sums. Didn't do very well for SA2 math (once the qn is slightly more complicated, stuck liao). If she needs help with GEP math I don't thk I will be able to do so (modelling mtd took me a while to understd). Aiyo, how did she get selected in the first place ?

Distance is also an issue. We stay in Woodlands, no GEP sch nearby (don't have rite ?). The reason we chose her current sch was cos it was within walking distance (though she qualifedfor a SAP sch).

But if she stays put in her current sch, the sch will not give her more challenging/stimulating work ... her sch focuses more on helping weaker students

(hmmm or shd I send her for some enrichment classes ?)

Oh, I am so confused :stupid:

Am I right that we need not make a decision until we attend the talk next Wed ?

[Full.010894Cream]

Herbie:

I understand that the GEP kids haave to stay in school after the normal school hour for enrichment classess.


Do they have to stay behind one or twice a week?

I am planning to arrange for a school bus to take her to and fro from school. Or shld the bus service be just one way (home to school) instead cos they have to stay behind in school very often.

Can someone advise please?

Tx

I think for P4 they don't stay back for GEP no more than twice a wk. But there'll be CCA and if kid is not doing too well, remedial. Also have others such as Maths Olympiad and other optional prog. Also may not be the same throughout the yr.

In any case, almost all activities will finish by 4pm (for my boy)...school bus still the most convenient.

[turquoise]

Herbie:

I understand that the GEP kids haave to stay in school after the normal school hour for enrichment classess.


Do they have to stay behind one or twice a week?

I am planning to arrange for a school bus to take her to and fro from school. Or shld the bus service be just one way (home to school) instead cos they have to stay behind in school very often.

Can someone advise please?

Tx

The kids stay back twice a week in P4 for GEP - once for CL/HCL, another for computer skills and research skills (if my memory serves me well). On top of that they stay back for CCA. So they stay back at least 3 times a week.

There are CCA school buses, so you can put them on that on days they stay back.

Oh, and there are lots of excursions

[turquoise]

Neko:

I read all 91 pages of this thread (my eyes r popping out :idea: ). Very informative, thanks to all contributors!


But I still cannot come to a decision.

Dd is gd with languages but less so with math. Am wondering if she can cope with GEP math. She is not the type who enjoys prob sums. Didn't do very well for SA2 math (once the qn is slightly more complicated, stuck liao). If she needs help with GEP math I don't thk I will be able to do so (modelling mtd took me a while to understd). Aiyo, how did she get selected in the first place ?

Distance is also an issue. We stay in Woodlands, no GEP sch nearby (don't have rite ?). The reason we chose her current sch was cos it was within walking distance (though she qualifedfor a SAP sch).

But if she stays put in her current sch, the sch will not give her more challenging/stimulating work ... her sch focuses more on helping weaker students

(hmmm or shd I send her for some enrichment classes ?)

Oh, I am so confused :stupid:

Am I right that we need not make a decision until we attend the talk next Wed ?

Go attend the talk on Wednesday. You'll have a clearer idea of what GEP is all about. I believe you don't have to make your decision by Wed. Check the letter that was given to your daughter. The deadline is usually a couple of days after the talk.

GEP Math is challenging. And different from mainstream. The children who are good in Math enjoy it a lot. There are of course kids who find it tough. One advantage of a GEP class is there are only 20+ students per class. So the teachers are able to give good attention to all the kids. If your dd has difficulties in math, she can approach the teachers for help. The teachers at my dd's school were very accessible. So you don't really have to worry about not being able to help her.

If your dd's current school is not able to provide her with greater intellectual stimulation you might want to seriously consider letting her join GEP. A lot of my dd's friends were starting to feel a little bored by the mainstream syllabus in P1-3 so they were really happy to join GEP.

As for distance, yes, it can be tiring for the child. But my dd has friends who live as far away as East Coast, Woodlands and Sembawang and they commute daily via public bus and schoolbus and have no regrets about joining GEP.

[turquoise]

Neko:

I am all for the critical skills/knowledge she will acquire at GEP but realistically and pragmatically, getting good enough results in PSLE to get into her dream sch (ya, she has already decided on her ideal Sec sch) is very impt as well.

...

Hi Neko,

Which is your dd's dream school?

[Full.010894Cream]

interesting....dream school.


saw 2 names mentioned earlier...MGS and SCGS. Do they really dream of going to another school, such as RGPS??

Think they shd be all very proud of their schools, even more so if their mothers or grandmothers were old girls.

[Neko]

turquoise:

Hi Neko,


Which is your dd's dream school?

She had wanted to enter Cedar Girls' in the past as it was my Sec sch, but this yr she is more keen to get into RGS. reason ? all her friends are aiming for RGS (and that 'Raffles sounds darn gd').

[turquoise]

Neko:

She had wanted to enter Cedar Girls' in the past as it was my Sec sch, but this yr she is more keen to get into RGS. reason ? all her friends are aiming for RGS (and that 'Raffles sounds darn gd').

If she enters GEP, RGS will become even more of a dream school for her. Most GEP girls aim for either RGS or NYGH.

[Full.010894Cream]

Neko


look at it this way. even if your kid struggle with GEP maths, it’s not the end of the world as she will still be taking the same PSLE in p6.

There will be struggle, some more, some less so as parents, it’s utmost impt that we provide the support and also manage both ours and the kids’ expectation.