2009 GEP Screening And Selection

[pinkgorilla]

Bing_He:

pinkgorilla:

Hi Again


WORKING INDEPENDENTLY
Some of you mentioned that you need not help your kids in their projects. What happen if other parents are very kiasu and they helped alot and their kids projects look really good. I am all for my dd to work independently but will the teacher be fair in the grading. A project can be done at different levels of quality. Some kids are really better then others at project work and if parents are involved, it looks even better. How can the teacher tell?
Eg. I heard from a parent that the famiy tree project, some just use a vanguard sheet and draw. Some parents buy plastic hanging trees and hang photos.

Hi Pinkgorilla
add on to your comments, it is true some parents help out. But most of the learning need to be performd by the child.
So it is up to the parent to decide how much effort need to put in to assist the child.
Ultimately, I believed marks did not allocated just how elaborate the project is put up, but also the content and the thought process in bring up the project or presentation.

Workload
Kinda enjoy seeing dd having some idle time. She reads voraciously, always have alot of ideas to occupy herself making and doing things. We go to the outdoors and exercise and that needs time too. I guess at the end of the day it's all about discipline and time managment. That's tough as when activities are too structured, we fall into a rut and it's not so fun anymore. I know 2 GEP kids who have lost the sparkle in their eyes, what happened?

For this, not to worry much.
The child will device their own way to deal with it.
The teachers in GEP will seek parent assistance if the child is not progress well.
BTW, I personally do not know some of the maths taught in GEP.


Cheers

Hi Bing_He

I agree with you that the end-result of the project is not important. We teach our kids that the reward in any learning is in the journey. I believe in cooperative learning more than competitive learning for children at such a young age. Competition breeds fear and fear is the cause of alot of misery and problems for the mind. We must let children wonder and learn without pressure to outdo each other. Like the bible says, there's a time and season for everything. When the mind is ready, learning needs less effort. In Singapore, we want our kids to perform like instant noodle. Get it cooked as fast as possible. My husband and I feel very uncomfortable when we read from this forum some parents escalating their kids beyond their level on the pretext that the kids need it. Who really needs it, parent ego or child? That is a very thin line.

I'm glad the GEP is an enrichment progam and not an escalated prog as the MOE said. How true, I'll find out.

Congrats to those parents and kids who got in the program. For those who can't decide, let me share a short story about a brick layer:

Once, there was a brick layer who was laying a brick to build a wall with 1000 bricks. He did a fantastic job but found that 2 of the bricks were a little misaligned. Being a perfectionist, that really bothered him. Passers-by came and went, all commented what a beautifully layed brick wall it was but the brick layer was still unhappy because of the2 bad bricks. He told those who complimented him, \"Can't you see the 2 bad bricks?\". They replied, \"Oh no,we were looking at the 998 beautifully layed ones.\"

That's the story. The GEP will have it's flaw, the feedback about the stress level, the quirky behaviour of the kids, etc are the 2 bad bricks. Let's focus on the 998 good bricks of the program. If we want to embark on a program, we need to have faith in it. It's the same when we see a doctor, must have faith he can cure our illness.

We've decided to let dd try and hope it'll turn out well for her. She's already in a GEP school and very near home.

Thanks Bing_He for sharing!

[Full.010894Cream]

david59:

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.

I'm not sure what they teach in sec 1 now but I know that they are exposed to what I did in 'O' and 'A' such as factorial (n!), combination (nCr), permutation (nPr), series (n-whatever)...prob not in depth but just the concept.

[cluelessmama]

Since Friday, I have been reading through the discussion about GEP in this forum. I have also spoken to a few mums whose kids/friends' kids are in GEP.


Most seem to encourage my kid to try the GEP.

However, as of now, after reading through the booklet and after a discussion with my kid, she still seems very determined that she should stay in her current school. DD acknowledges that doing research, projects and presentation will help \"prepare\" her for sec school. But she makes a point to highlight that she is happy in her current school and she will miss her friends and teachers if she leaves them.

.... Somehow, I feel that her emotion and happiness are more important that academic excllence. I really don't have the heart to make her feel miserable as she's a sensitive and precocious kid.

Also, looking at her performance in school for the past 3 years (including this year) : although she has been scoring pretty well in exams, she seems to be cluless and blur :idea: most of the time. I read in the GEP booklet that she needs to be able to be organised and do her own filing - Till now, I have yet to see her being organised or can really file her own things well.

... I really doubt that she will be able to cope with the rigours and demands of the GEP.

When I share my thoughts with friends and family members about her not going for GEP, I get scolding from everyone. It appears that if I let my DD make the choice of not going, I'm depriving her a chance of improving herself. Actually, I'm in a dilemma. :stupid: On the one hand, I want her to be able to improve; on the other hand, her happiness and well-being are important to me too.

[turquoise]

Neko:

She got 86/100 for SA2. SA1 97, CA2 90. Getting lower by each exam. dh jokingly asked me 'er, did she become stupid ah ? if the marks keep dropping, by P6 no marks left!'


I know it's not good to compare her marks with her classmates' (many near fullmarks) or her P1/P2 marks, but can't help myself lah (i admit i feel disappointed though i did not show it outwardly). dd knows she could have done better but is not particularly perturbed by her results ('oh, this yr no trophy liao').

If she decides to go GEP, dh says Rosyth seems to be the nearest to Woodlands, but dd prefs rgps (prestige and 'uniform very nice ah'). but the moment i mention it won't be so relax like currently, dd wld go 'ohhhh'

... ...

we'll go for the talk then decide (if we could...)

Neko, your dd's Math results are fine. I don't think she'll have a problem with GEP Math.

If I'm not mistaken, the Rosyth uniform for girls is similar to the RGPS one. But if your dd prefers an all-girls environment, then you should consider RGPS.

[turquoise]

pinkgorilla:

[

We've decided to let dd try and hope it'll turn out well for her. She's already in a GEP school and very near home.

!

Glad that you and your dd have made up your minds to let her have a go at GEP. The fact that your dd is already in a GEP school is a definite plus point for joining GEP. She doesn't need to adjust to a new environment, new friends... And she still gets to see her old friends. All the best!

[TwaTau]

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) :?:

My DS is in Henry Park GEP P4 this year. The school transport information can be found at their school website. We started him on school bus as well, but found out later, with CCA + enrichment classes in the afternoon, he end up taking only about once every week. The rest of the time, due to fixed timing set by the school bus operator that cannot match to his release time, we end up fetching him ourselves. Last few months, my DS choose to take public bus back on his own, which he enjoy.

http://www.henryparkpri.moe.edu.sg/cos/o.x?c=/wbn/pagetree&func=view&rid=40678

Don't know too much about what they are good at, but I observed that my DS batch is a close knitted bunch. About 32 of them split into 2 classes. We chose HPPS mainly due to their enthusiasm :grphug: in providing us visit to the school and helping us with our enquiry whereas the other 2 schools (not the schools you have shortlisted) that we have enquired, don't even bother to entertain us on the phone when we were choosing the school. :?:

[vlim]

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.

:rahrah: :rahrah: :rahrah:

[TwaTau]

cluelessmama:

Since Friday, I have been reading through the discussion about GEP in this forum. I have also spoken to a few mums whose kids/friends' kids are in GEP.


Most seem to encourage my kid to try the GEP.

However, as of now, after reading through the booklet and after a discussion with my kid, she still seems very determined that she should stay in her current school. DD acknowledges that doing research, projects and presentation will help \"prepare\" her for sec school. But she makes a point to highlight that she is happy in her current school and she will miss her friends and teachers if she leaves them.

.... Somehow, I feel that her emotion and happiness are more important that academic excllence. I really don't have the heart to make her feel miserable as she's a sensitive and precocious kid.

Also, looking at her performance in school for the past 3 years (including this year) : although she has been scoring pretty well in exams, she seems to be cluless and blur :idea: most of the time. I read in the GEP booklet that she needs to be able to be organised and do her own filing - Till now, I have yet to see her being organised or can really file her own things well.

... I really doubt that she will be able to cope with the rigours and demands of the GEP.

When I share my thoughts with friends and family members about her not going for GEP, I get scolding from everyone. It appears that if I let my DD make the choice of not going, I'm depriving her a chance of improving herself. Actually, I'm in a dilemma. :stupid: On the one hand, I want her to be able to improve; on the other hand, her happiness and well-being are important to me too.

I had the same problem 1 year ago with my DS. Same reason about his emotional attachment to the school. What we told him is that he will loose quite abit of his classmates and he will have to restart all over again with new replacement classmates coming to his class. It took us all the way to the last minutes before we finally convince him to join GEP, and looking back, I think it was worth it. For us, we use both the soft and hard approach, and eventually, we agreed that if it did not work out, he can come back to the mainstream, although that will mean he stay in his new school.

[Neko]

cluelessmama:

I really doubt that she will be able to cope with the rigours and demands of the GEP.

When I share my thoughts with friends and family members about her not going for GEP, I get scolding from everyone. It appears that if I let my DD make the choice of not going, I'm depriving her a chance of improving herself. Actually, I'm in a dilemma. :stupid: On the one hand, I want her to be able to improve; on the other hand, her happiness and well-being are important to me too.

Oh, you took the words right out of my mouth!

dh and myself initially decided we wld let dd make the decision, after telling her what to expect in GEP (on the first day dd was sure she did not want to chg sch so there was no issue ... then she had a chg of heart). we got scolded by friends and relatives that such a major decision shd not be left to a 9 y.o. hmmm, they seem to hv a pt, so we thought we wld make the decision together.

right now dh is all for GEP (all his friends encourage dd to take up the challenge); I am not for it cos I am afraid dd is not able to cope (i hv no doubt she is smart but is she suitable for GEP's environment given that she is not very hardworking and has the tendancy to choose the ez way out?) and most importantly whether she will hv time for play at all; dd is sitting on the fence.

we chose a neighbourhood sch (i am not sure what other term to use to descb her sch .... it is ard my neighbourhood, non SAP) so that she will not be stressed out and can hv more free time. Sekali she got into GEP.

I cannot imagine a life where she spends practically the whole day in sch 3 - 4 times a week and still hv to do hw/proj etc at home aft sch . but then again, these are my views and i do not want to be bias and influence the final decision unfairly

(btw dh is a risk taker, I am super duper risk averse).

knowing her current sch, she will not be 'developed' if she stays on. but is it impt to develop her to her so call fullest potential?

[cluelessmama]

Neko:

cluelessmama:

I really doubt that she will be able to cope with the rigours and demands of the GEP.

When I share my thoughts with friends and family members about her not going for GEP, I get scolding from everyone. It appears that if I let my DD make the choice of not going, I'm depriving her a chance of improving herself. Actually, I'm in a dilemma. :stupid: On the one hand, I want her to be able to improve; on the other hand, her happiness and well-being are important to me too.

Oh, you took the words right out of my mouth!

dh and myself initially decided we wld let dd make the decision, after telling her what to expect in GEP (on the first day dd was sure she did not want to chg sch so there was no issue ... then she had a chg of heart). we got scolded by friends and relatives that such a major decision shd not be left to a 9 y.o. hmmm, they seem to hv a pt, so we thought we wld make the decision together.

right now dh is all for GEP (all his friends encourage dd to take up the challenge); I am not for it cos I am afraid dd is not able to cope (i hv no doubt she is smart but is she suitable for GEP's environment given that she is not very hardworking and has the tendancy to choose the ez way out?) and most importantly whether she will hv time for play at all; dd is sitting on the fence.

we chose a neighbourhood sch (i am not sure what other term to use to descb her sch .... it is ard my neighbourhood, non SAP) so that she will not be stressed out and can hv more free time. Sekali she got into GEP.

I cannot imagine a life where she spends practically the whole day in sch 3 - 4 times a week and still hv to do hw/proj etc at home aft sch . but then again, these are my views and i do not want to be bias and influence the final decision unfairly

(btw dh is a risk taker, I am super duper risk averse).

knowing her current sch, she will not be 'developed' if she stays on. but is it impt to develop her to her so call fullest potential?

:celebrate: share the same thoughts as you ... the reason why she's in a so called neighbourhood non sap school.

Actually, within the \"family unit\" (me, dh and dd) the idea against going for GEP is stronger than going. My dh is super duper against the idea. In fact, he didn't even want her to take the test. I was the one who \"secretly\" sign the consent form. Every now and then, he would come back with \"horror stories\" about how his friends kids suffered in GEP.

So, all along I've taken the approach when dealing with dh:\"You think you dd is smart meh? you think she'll be so lucky to be in top 1% of co-hort ah?\"

With dd: \"Never mind, just go for the test; treat it as revision b4 SA2. :lol: Don't worry, I won't forced u to change school if u don't want to.\"

But now that she's selected, I'm really a little overwhelmed by the \"reactions\" by other family members and friends. :?: Having said this, I know their concern that she won't be \"mentally challenged\" if she stays on in current school. But, she's really like a baby. Can you imagine a baby going to GEP? :idea:

Anyway, there are only 4 schools i can look at coz I stay in the west - RGPS, NYP, NanHua and Henry Park. My impression is that NYP and NanHua's chinese standard is high.