CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' Secondary

[VitoRelax]

annabeth:

My daughter and I are seriously considering putting CHIJ St. Nicks as our first choice. She qualifies for it by over 10 points.


Does anybody have any reviews or have their daughters studying in this school? How is the workload like and are there many snobby girls in this school? Is the standard high? What is the school and its students' public image like? How does the uniform look like and is it comfortable? (just asking)

Lastly, this does not matter to us but does the school have a high prestige level? Anyone else sending their kids to St Nicks?

Congrats, your girl get a good result.

My friend has 2 daughters there & both of them told me that it is an excellent school. When talking to them, I can see that she spoke with confidence & respectful. Also, character & intellectual reasonings are very good.

She said the teachers in the school make the lessons in school enjoyable but she didn't mention about the amount of homework. So, I assume she can cope.

Hope this help.

[mew2]

They are shifting to a temp site for 2 years

could shifting of sites be any of yur consideration?
temp facilities, temp environment and being 'settled' :?

[annabeth]

thank you both for your valuable information so far.


hi mew2, i don’t think the relocation would affect my daughter that much as I hear the holding school isn’t too bad either…unless I hear wrongly?

[VitoRelax]

annabeth:

thank you both for your valuable information so far.


hi mew2, i don't think the relocation would affect my daughter that much as I hear the holding school isn't too bad either...unless I hear wrongly?

Yes, I agree. I think the relocation should not be a factor in our decision making on which school to go. Even with a holding school, the teachers & programme & fellow peers are the same.

From the 2 students I spoke to & seeing how they have developed into a person who shown so much confidence & respectful to elders, I am convinced that this is a good school that not only develop your thinking & oral skills but most importantly your character building.

All the best to you & your daughter ...

[mrswongtuition]

Just a thought after teaching at 2 schools which were at holding schools. As long as your child is not at the holding school during ‘O’ Level year, I think it’s fine.


Bear with the holding site for 2 years in lower sec and get nice new facilities when you shift back in upper sec is great!

[KiWee]

My girl will be at the holding sch in TP till her O levels. Last Wed was their official move out day. Have gone to the sch to take a look. It is a condusive environment, with the necessary facilities. I think the sch spirit will still be with the students and teachers. No worries.

[KiWee]

During the first Sec 1 year, my girl has problem coping with sch work esp loads of projects to be done. Eventually after 3/4 year, she managed them with breeze. But its normal for all Sec 1s in all sch to feel overwhelmed. This year my girl worked very hard for all her exams and she managed to get into the subj combi that she wanted. She also requested to have tuition so that she can get good grades for O level. Its very heart warming to know that she has the initiative to work hard. I thank the sch for doing a great job in nurturing them.

[mrswongtuition]

KiWee:

My girl will be at the holding sch in TP till her O levels. Last Wed was their official move out day. Have gone to the sch to take a look. It is a condusive environment, with the necessary facilities. I think the sch spirit will still be with the students and teachers. No worries.

Which school was previously at the holding site?
There's alot of factors when moving to holding site. Admin staff and teachers also need time to adapt. And when it's almost time to move back, everyone will be very busy planning for the big move.

[charlie]

s-weetsugar:

Im currently fifteen and I completed my Secondary 1 and 2 syllabus in CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls', and frankly speaking, they only recognise the best. If you're second best, it is hard to get opportunities that will really enrich and give you the experience that will come out useful next time.


Start of my Secondary 3 year , I transferred to a rather unknown school in the west due to a change of address. It really opened my eyes as for the first time, i was actually coming into contact with students of different races and different academic streams. My cohort has a total of 2 Express classes, 3 Normal Academic classes and 1 Normal Technical Class. It was shocking at first, St. Nick's has 11 classes of Special/Express students.

Let me just head straight to the Pros and the Cons.

Pros (academically)
> The small cohort makes sure every student has the proper attention that they need.
> The teachers are just as good as those that i had in St. Nick's, or even better.
> Sufficient CCAs.
> Meaningful enrichments.

Pros (character-building wise)
> We embarked on a programme called the Leukaemia Awareness Programme, where we went down to Wisma Atria to promote the awareness of Leukaemia. We are now in the Singapore Book of Records because of this. Before this, we had a 2 month enrichment course on how to plan events, market our merchandise to raise funds and public speaking. I wouldn't even have dreamt of such an opportunity in St. Nick's.
> I became more mindful of the other races, especially now that i have a few malay close friends.

Cons
> Distractions like BGRs are definite to show up.

I hope i have cleared up misconceptions that prestigious schools are definitely better than neighbourhood schools, for it is not always the case. In St. Nick's, it was just 24/7 study, study, study (and i truly mean 24/7, with the amount of homework), but now, my studies aren't neglected while having other activities, and i still achieved an excellent grade after the End-Of-Year Examinations.

Afterall, it is still up to the child on whether he/she will do well in their studies. But in our time, being academically strong isn't the only criterion that people look at in society.

Saw this post a few days back. Do agree to an extent that the same thing also happens in the primary section. Only the top classes get all the attention in terms of enrichment, senior and experienced teaching staff, etc. etc. For the rest, you have to \"enrich\" your own children.

[kiasustudent]

Not many St. Nicks’ girls will tell you this but, there is and has been an ongoing conflict between the principal and vice-principal of St. Nicks.

It is really affecting the school many teachers are leaving the school because of it. I heard that 12 teachers are leaving the school this year. Some may have been transferred or retired as any normal school, but the number is still way above average.
Also, teachers are taking sides. Some teachers have even taken their conflicts to class. Eg. The teacher at the back of the class observing the lesson would openly comment about the bad teaching methods of the teacher teaching. The school dynamics is currently very bad.
However, the girls entering St. Nicks’ must be very bright with such a high COP. I do believe that they are able to get through all these conflicts and make a memorable experience for themselves. But I personally think that they deserve better teachers for their talents.
Just my opinions.