2009 GEP Screening And Selection

[rains]

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

Oops, I assumed that he went back to his former school becos she mentioned that he was very happy to be back. Now that you asked, I'm not sure if she meant 'back to mainstream' or 'back his old school'. I can always check with her again on Monday.

[david59]

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

What I know is that my P6 GEP kid in my centre who is from Rosyth Pri. has a school bus that sends him to my centre in Compassvale after his supplementary classes every week. Best is to check with the school that you are interested in.

[leeven]

Hi Vlim and current GEP parents


1. can any one advise me the transport for Henry Park , Rosyth primary schools for to CCK. :idea:

2. Niche areas for the 3 of these above schools . :idea:

3. any mums can share their experience for the kids in these schools (GEP) :?:

[david59]

Neko:

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).

What marks did she get for her Maths paper? If she got 90+, I think she is very good already.
From what I know from my GEP student in my centre, the kind of Maths that he had to do from P5 onwards were very very 'chim' one, more like Sec 1 Maths. As for modelling, he hates to use it ( probably GEP kids are not required to use them - can anyone confirm this?) In fact most of their Maths qns. they are learning are more of the heuristic types.
So, what do you mean when you said that she did not do well in Maths? :?

[vlim]

leeven:

Hi Vlim and current GEP parents


1. can any one advise me the transport for ACS, Henry Park , Rosyth primary schools for to CCK. :idea:

2. Niche areas for the 3 of these above schools . :idea:

3. any mums can share their experience for the kids in these schools (GEP) :?:

Hi Leeven,
First of all congratulations to your kid!
1. when you go for the briefing next week, go to the the booths of the gep you are keen in and get their brochures and other stuff. It shd consists the transport vendors contact numbers. Call them to check whether they serve your area and the fees.

2. same... from the brochures you collected you may be able to know the niche areas..as ge programme are centrally control by moe so gep students from all the schools will study and learn the same things .. however different schools are good in different ccas for example acs is good in swimming and etc, rosyth is good in badmintion and etc, henry park no idea... On the briefing day, representative from different schools will stand at their booths.. so that is the time you can ask whatever qn you like to know with the respective schools gep teachers or even gep student representatives.

3. heeeeeee..at the moment would like to keep my son school confidential...most of its gep teachers are very experience and good teachers

the reason for us to choose this gep school is it is nearest from our house so he would not waste time in travelling.....

[leeven]

vlim:

Hi Leeven,

First of all congratulations to your kid!
1. when you go for the briefing next week, go to the the booths of the gep you are keen in and get their brochures and other stuff. It shd consists the transport vendors contact numbers. Call them to check whether they serve your area and the fees.

2. same... from the brochures you collected you may be able to know the niche areas..as ge programme are centrally control by moe so gep students from all the schools will study and learn the same things .. however different schools are good in different ccas for example acs is good in swimming and etc, rosyth is good in badmintion and etc, henry park no idea... On the briefing day, representative from different schools will stand at their booths.. so that is the time you can ask whatever qn you like to know with the respective schools gep teachers or even gep student representatives.

3. heeeeeee..at the moment would like to keep my son school confidential...most of its gep teachers are very experience and good teachers

the reason for us to choose this gep school is it is nearest from our house so he would not waste time in travelling.....

thnx a lot vlim for your reply in short time. taking time now to start browsing... :thankyou:

[atutor2001]

Neko:

...dd is not the hardworking type.... she is pretty happy that everythg (except math) is so easy & she can always top the std.
so .... no decision

Hi Neko
The fact that your dd is not hardworking and is selected for GEP is a clear proof that she is gifted. Don't miss the chance. Math is not everything. However, close monitoring and constant show of concern and interest in her study is important to make sure that she does not fall behind.

It will be easier for her to go to RGS through GEP than by normal PSLE because math has a great effect on the T-score. Pr syllabus is skewed towards math/science because there are no human subjects such as History, Geography... Once in RGS, she will excel in the human subjects - by Sec 3 she can elect to do the human course.

The most compelling reason why I feel that a child who is capable should take up the challenge is, the \"environment\". Being surrounded by bright children will push her to a greater height. My children are all only average and none of them qualified for GEP. However, I \"make sure\" they get top score in PSLE to go to the top sec school. Most people think that it is for prestige and pride (or hao lian). No, it is the environment that I want them to be in. Once in those schools, I can relax and have peace of mind that there is less chance that they will mix with bad companies. They have been on auto-mode all the way. No tuition no personal coaching - just giving moral support like staying up late with them and listening to their complaints. (that is why I am so free can kaypoh here everyday :oops: )

I have never regretted and neither have they. Their results can be average from sec 1 to 3. However, push them to do well in sec 4 because the class allocation in JC depends on that score. It is important to get into the top class in JC - for the same reason, \"environment\". All the students in those classes will do well on their own. Students in the other classes are equally smart if not smarter but are too playful. JC is only 2 years and JC1 is the honeymoon year for most of them. If a child did not settle down fast enough, he/she will not do as well in A level. It is so competitive nowadays that not doing well to students in the top JC means not getting all As. it is no longer a great achievement when a child gets all As because there are so many out there with the same score. It is saddening but that is the fact of life.

[vlim]

leeven:

thnx a lot vlim for your reply in short time. taking time now to start browsing... :thankyou:

hi leeven u are most welcome!... :rahrah: Oh just got to know from your earlier post that your son mt is not chinese.... if I were you i would put rosyth as my first choice...

[mathsparks]

//Editor's note: Topic selected for http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/content/gep-or-not-gep-perspectives-gep-parent.


:congrats: to all kids who've been selected. As my son has benefited greatly the last 3 years, I would like to share his experiences to parents who're having doubts.

1) It's not a fluke. Have faith in yr child's ability..unless your child has attended gep preparation course..then seriously reconsider your decision.

Mine wasn't in the top 50 of his cohort in P2, and yet he was selected. We had our doubts then. Looking back, I'm glad we've made the right decision; instead of doubting him just because he's never top his cohort.

He's had a challenging but very mentally enriching 3 years. He's had opportunities to go to RI/NUSH/NUS for some enrichment programs.

2) Is it really stressful? Mine stops his work by 9:30pm every night. No afternoon naps though. He hates them. He takes leisurely meals, long breaks to read his books. Yet, he's able to clear his work, meet his deadlines on time. He's not the hardworking type; You don't see him doing more than is necessary. Chinese takes up so much of his time..cause he's so SLOW in doing anything chinese.

Though there're stressful times, he copes well. He doesn't sigh or ever regret joining the program. The kids aren't competitive; though they always strive to do better than one another...friendly competition perhaps. but not the stressful, unhealthy kind.

3) Do I help him? Yes, stuffs like guiding him how to draw straight lines/boxes/write on vanguard sheets, how to use movie editor. I was also his cameraman in his Science project. I don't teach him academic stuff like maths n science. But I do point him the way if he needs more details..like looking up his sis' sec books, internet etc. Help him with stuff like Eng grammar, Chinese words. Other than that, I'm rather hands off with him. More like his driver. If he's stuck, there's also his teachers, his friends or the internet to help him.

Some of the projects submitted by his peers are of such high quality, it's very obvious it's done by the parents. While I guide him sometimes, I don't do his work for him.

4) With a class size of 18 and dedicated teachers, your child is in good hands. The teachers are just an email or a phone call away.

5) No worries if you're a parent who find ge maths tough. It IS very tough. If your child is weak, there're remedial classes; or sign him up for tuition. If your child excels in Maths, stretch him further by signing him up for competition training...unless of course, you're able to teach him or you found some excellent olympic maths guide so your kid can self-learn.

Note, however, that some schools only allow students of Maths club to take part in the competition..do check. These competition can beef up the portfolio.

I don't agree that ge kids, to prove that they're worthy of the program, shouldn't be seen in tuition centres.

6) You don't need to join sports cca to be successful in dsa. Mine didn't and neither did most of his friends.

7) You don't need to score more than 80% to apply for dsa.

For app to nush, it makes no diff if you're gep or not. You still need to go for selection test then camp. For RI, if you score more than 80% in p6 sa1, you can skip the gat and go straight to interview. For hci, it's just a writing segment and interview. As for dhs, you don't even need to pay to apply and no interview required either.

8 ) Higher chinese. Textbooks same as that used by mainstream higher chinese. Exams are different from mainstream but doesn't imply they're any tougher...unless you're in the BICEP program.

In the recent PSLE exams, he commented that HCL is easier than CL.

Mine goes for tuition as we don't speak the lang at home. Then again, he also goes for Eng tuition.

9) Continue to participate in the annual ICAS papers...again for beefing up his portfolio.

10) If there're opportunities for other events like Mind games olympics (ACS), RISA etc, go for it..again for the experience and his portfolio.

11) As for reading list, I reserve them from the NLB, paying $1.55 per book. He doesn't read all of them...but he also reads beyond that list.

12) Being in GEP does give your child a higher chance of being selected for IP schools. In son's class, out of 14 boys, 6 will be going to RI. Only 1 doesn't have an offer. That's because he only applies for 1 school.

PS: Though I'm not keen to be drawn into another controversy, I hope that by sharing my son's experiences, I'm able to convince some doubtful parents/kids to go for it.

The child can always join back the mainstream if the program isn't suitable. But why give up without putting up a decent fight? At least you will not look back years from now and regret your decision.

[Zann]

mathsparks:

3) Do I help him? Yes, stuffs like guiding him how to draw straight lines/boxes/write on vanguard sheets, how to use movie editor. I was also his cameraman in his Science project. I don't teach him academic stuff like maths n science. But I do point him the way if he needs more details..like looking up his sis' sec books, internet etc. Help him with stuff like Eng grammar, Chinese words. Other than that, I'm rather hands off with him. More like his driver. If he's stuck, there's also his teachers, his friends or the internet to help him.


6) You don't need to join sports cca to be successful in dsa. Mine didn't and neither did most of his friends.

7) You don't need to score more than 80% to apply for dsa.

For app to nush, it makes no diff if you're gep or not. You still need to go for selection test then camp. For RI, if you score more than 80% in p6 sa1, you can skip the gat and go straight to interview. For hci, it's just a writing segment and interview. As for dhs, you don't even need to pay to apply and no interview required either.

.

Hi mathspark,
Thanks for the useful tips. Regarding above mentioned, may I ask if your son still do mainstream subject assessment books? IF so, which ones do you reccomend? When you say 80% in point 7) , are you referring to total average including SS? Or the percent of each subject? What CCA did your son join and which GEP centre were he from?