Ngee Ann Primary
-
Hi Terry, I’ll probably opt for driving my boys to school in morning, then go work. And after school, definitely needs transport back to Bedok area. Heard from some that from NAPS to bedok, it will be almost 3pm by then, worried they hungry hungry.
My boys always dilly dally, everynight slept at 12am…now trying very hard to slowly adjust their sleeping pattern…so far no success…bcos daddy also an Owl…
-
daniel_tancl:
Hi hokkiengirl, ur 1st child already in NAPS? So any experience to share?
He's VERY happy there! I am so glad I did PV to get into NAPS cos I live outside 2km of the school. Many parents will call me crazy, but I gave up a chance in a 'branded school' within 1km of my house and opted for Ngee Ann instead. I interviewed many, many kids from the branded school. Practically all said they were very unhappy there cos the work was overwhelming. No life. The NAPS kids I spoke to seemed happier, so I went for it! Have never regretted my choice.
You will love the fact that NAPS has a multi-cultural student-population. My boy is hanging out with his Indian, Malay, Chinese, Korean and British kakis all the time. Seriously very colour-blind. Wonderful!
You will appreciate the fact that there is homework but it is not insane amounts. Your child will not be up till midnight struggling to complete pages and pages of writing (unlike in some other schools. Will not mention names. Hee.) This means that if he is weak in one area, he will have time to put in extra work for that subject to do better. He will not be bogged down by tons of 'compulsory' work from school and will have time to read, dream and go to the playground. (Playground time becomes a myth for quite a few children the moment they enter pri school. I find that terribly depressing.)
If your child is taking Chinese, I find the standards pretty high, actually, The teachers are SERIOUS about it and the ting xie reinforces words learnt in the past.
What else? Let's see... I love the walks along the beach during Mass P.E., the special programmes like the Mooncake Festival celebrations at night, that he is learning to play the Chinese drums and guzheng during regular music classes, the availability of enrichment classes after school eg. NeuroMath) and the friendly atmosphere in the school. Because it is not so competitive, I find the kids are nicer to each other, too.
But, of course, if your kid wants to get into the A class, you gotta be prepared to work very hard. NAPS, like any school, has a group of very 'on' parents with 'on' children who are willing to put in the work to get to the top.
Hope that helps! All in all, I am very relieved my second boy, who is a gentler, quieter soul, will be going there. It really is a less aggressive environment than in some other schools, from what I've heard! Happy National Day to all!
-
Hokkiengirl,
Thks so much for sharing.
Im glad tt ur description of the sch fits my ideal
More of play and less homework. Relatively stress free so my boy can still enjoy his childhood. I quit to be stay home cos i wanna spend time bonding and just hang out with them. The few times i tried to coach him in ‘homework’ makes me( n him) miserable. So i gave up being kiasu. I dun wan him to be A. I just wan him to be well adjusted, confident and happy person when he grows up.
Ur sharing puts my mind at ease concerning academics pressure.
Tks again and hv a GREAT wkend. -
Hi daniel_tancl,
Hmm…better pack some snacks for them for after sch while waiting for the bus.
Any parents sending kids to student care? I tot it will be full hse. But the after sch care seem very empty… -
Hokkiengirl,
Thanks for your valuable info. Like U, I gave up my balloting chance to be in a "branded" school and opt for NAPS instead. Similar reason you cited:-
- Don’t want to weigh my boys down with tonnes and tonnes of homework. Just wanna let them have a relatively good academic results, if they can make it, they will make it.
- Let them enjoy childhood, play hard but also study hard. I’d rather them be in the top among the average then be the last amongst the best
- Seems quite okay with CL2, anyway my chinese also quite bad, cannot coach them well :-0
- Quite like the multi-cultural student-population, and I think it is a good environment for them, esp we are having such a population mix outside school…this will teach them to live in harmony with others.
- But one thing I didn’t manage to see much is the outdoor sports NAPS has…so far lots of performance arts, which my boys don’t quite enjoy. Maybe soccer…ball games…will fit them more…
Cheers!!
- -
Terry,
packing snacks will be the only solution besides finding a faster means to get them back to my intended student care at Bedok area Anyone keen to "book" a taxi for ferrying back from NAPS to bedok area? Can car pool…my twin boys already accounted for 2 seats…can split cost… -
Naps only has table tennis for p1&2. Then the chinese ochestra. They dun even hv track &field. Then they hv floorball, dun noe watz tat. Soccer and others, but those for upper pri. Then i saw some kids doing wushu.
I oso need some outdoor activities to burn his energy. -
Yah, boys need lots of outdoor activities to burn their energy and then we hv "easier" time at home…
-
Hi, terry and danieltan_cl,
You’re most welcome!! Yes, we would seem to be the typical Ngee Ann parents, the kind that would like their kids to have a more balanced childhood. It’s really a wholesome place to grow up! Having said that, do be prepared to sit down with your children to do some coaching with regard to school work. The teachers can and do teach, but I’ve always believed that the reinforcement really comes from the parents at home. And teachers, being human, do make errors in marking at times. So it’s good to check the kids’ work, not to go on a witch-hunt, but to make sure the kids are learning from their mistakes correctly.
Oh, there’s soccer for boys, too! But you’ve raised a good point about the lack of more choices in sports. I suspect it is probably due to space constraint. Hmm, maybe I’ll email the principal and suggest activities like TKD and gym. Pity there’s no basketball CCA, though. -
Hi daniel_tancl,
I m sending my boy ourselves. No sure abt the sch bus charges.
Hi hokkien girl,
Sounds really fun. your eldest must b really happy to go to sch everyday.
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login