Pei Chun Public
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Dear Kin, 999Happygolucky and Mummyv,
Thank you for all the information and sharing !
I am really fearful at the amount of time spent on VB training. My thoughts are that using VB or any sports as DSA may not be suitable for everyone. Firstly, it means the child needs to continue to do the sports in sec school. Even if the child gets into a top Secondary School, i believe he will struggle if his academic is not very good. He may end up not doing well enough to get any scholarships or even a place in the universities , etc ? … wouldnt that be a big sacrifice?
I also feel that the school needs to do everything to maintain is brandname. So it depends on the pupils in sports class to continue to maintain the position in sports while for academic, it has the "A" class pupils to do that. So eventually, if the child’s results drop, the poor child and parents suffer. For the school, it’s pretty ok cos it still as the other group of pupils to excel academically. I tend to think that schools are run like companies these days, end day, they also need to maintain their KPIs and ranking, right ?
I thought that last time, PCPS has sports class only in P5 and P6 (I could be wrong). Making the poor 8-year old child decides isnt really fair. I have been hinting to my son not to go sports class. He is already not very happy. He may end up resenting me for life for not letting him go sports class.
According to the PN, pupils who opt for sports class cannot back out in p3 and P4.
It appears that only a few can make it to the school team while the rest in the VB class could be reserves. So if the child is not good enough to be in school team, he might not be able to get DSA. Then the poor kid is dangling halfway… academic results suffer and sports not good enough?
From the posts, it appears that 5A is for the students who top academically. So sports pupil who are good academically go to 5A and not continue join a sports class?
So far, my son’s results has been pretty ok. He has 2 piano lessons weekly (1 group and 1 indiv), he enjoys his art class at NAFA and also has swimming. If he were to go to sports class, it means i have to cut down on these activities. I kind of feel that it is a big sacrifice. More importantly, the poor young kid will be so tired to be able to do much work. He might end up being sleep-deprived?
For PCPS, streaming into P3 is based on results in P2 or P1 and P2 ? Some schools deny this and said that the streaming is random, just to allow the pupils to meet and work with different pupils. I remember asking Mr Lee the principal at orientation and he said it is random. I dont believe that is true. The best class for P5 and P6 is "A" class but for P3 and p4, it is not necessarily the "A"?
I wonder how the teachers going to manage the sports class if the academic level pupils are different. In one of my PV assignments 3 or 4 yrs ago, I got to come into contact with the different classes in P5, . The profile of the pupils were so different. About 75% of the pupils in the top class (cant recall what alphabet the class was) were prefects. They grasped what you said very quickly, complete the task accurately and quickly. Whereas for some classes, the pupils could hardly comprehend what you were trying to tell them. I am not trying to steorotype the pupils, just sharing that it will be a big challenge for the teacher to teach the pupils if they are at different aptitude levels. The poor children in the sports class already have very little time for school work and when they have make-up lessons, they may find that they cannot catch up ?
Sorry if I sounded very negative. Actually, I am more worried and as a KS parent, perhaps I am thinking too far ahead ? ha ha… -
Any good tutors to recommend for PSLE student?
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Can any parents let me know - if don’t go sports class, can the kid still join sports related cca?
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Imami:
Can any parents let me know - if don't go sports class, can the kid still join sports related cca?
Yes the kids can join volleyball or basketball as a recreational CCA according to the Head of PE... -
Imami:
Can any parents let me know - if don't go sports class, can the kid still join sports related cca?
Yes the kids can join volleyball or basketball as a recreational CCA according to the Head of PE... -
Callie Tan:
thanks Callie!Imami:
Can any parents let me know - if don't go sports class, can the kid still join sports related cca?
Yes the kids can join volleyball or basketball as a recreational CCA according to the Head of PE... -
As far as I am aware, P3 and 4 are not streamed according to their academic abilities, but there are 2 sport classes. P5 and 6, if academic is good, you may choose to go to the top class but still remain in the school sports team.
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Hey Callie :snuggles: yes overseas trips are usually at P5 level. I think there are 3 - Chinese immersion, aesthetics CCA and sports school team. So keep P5 holiday family plans last min - in case it clashes and DD is upset cannot go ... just like mine.. for once I planned 3 months in advance ... and it clashed with the Nov/Dec sports trip.
Hi bridesep sports class is from P3 to P6. Like you I was VERY apprehensive over time spent on sports CCA. It's only natural, we are PARENTS it is our job to worry. :evil:
1. Time management is school supported.
DD was so keen that she was willing to give up StarHub cable subscription so we took the plunge. I personally talked to the principal before committing to ensure that IF she does not do well I will not hesitate to pull her out. Don't worry, the school has a system in place. For P3/P4 on the days that sports training end late in the afternoon around 4/5pm, there is relatively little homework. This is VERY important as the child at P3 is still struggling with time management. Also during competition period, if the child misses school, the team may receive extra coaching during class time to ensure they can catch up. This is harder on the teachers. Sports CCA training is 3x a week w break for exams and also during school holidays (with 1-2 wk break for the long Dec hol).
2. Wide gap of students in sports class academically?
Yes this is true BUT it is true of every class at P3/P4 level in PCPS becos there is no streaming now. So this should not be a concern
At P3/P4 - child needs to spend 1 day on CCA, so IMHO it will not matter if additional 2 days / wk is spent on sports if your child is coping well so far. Our children don't play enough. I take this as school supervised opportunity for play. And me being evil will naturally load DD with extra homework if she has too much free time to watch TV. :rotflmao:
3. Academic streaming at P5
Yes P3/P4 is your commitment to school. P5 onwards if the child is more academic then they will be streamed to 5A/5B etc. Only one sports class will remain. For me this is when the problem starts. Time management is no longer school supported... so as parents you have to be vigilant to ensure your child stays on top of things. It was a big issue for my child at the beginning, but children are amazing, they can cope IF they want to. Pace at P5 is very fast. For ex sports class kids streamed into academic classes, some dropped sports CCA at beginning of year when they could not cope, some out of school team after competition. This creates a \"vacancy\" so kids who did not stand a chance previously were \"promoted\" to school team even when they were not from sports class without extensive training at P3/P4 and their skills are not as good as those they replaced. There are kids who were not in the sports class who rose from the CCA ranks (those who train just once a week) to join school team based on talent. So sports class is just a grouping with time management supported by the school. Note, this streaming is current practice and may change whenever school decides.
4. DSA
I am no expert. I will not be exploring this as DD is not keen after experiencing first hand the amount of time needed. Seniors have successfully DSA but these kids are committed to the sport. Only time will tell if your child is committed to the sport. A friend of mine, whose child went in thru DSA said her DS was put in the last class in the sec school together with the rest of the DSA cohort and affiliation students whose COP are low. Thankfully her DS \"woke\" up and became a top scorer at Sec 3. Another friend whose child used DSA is still struggling academically even at Sec 4. So DSA is just another route. No good or bad, depends on the child and the opportunities for that year. -
DSA is a tough route, whether it is through arts or sports. Obviously you are eyeing for a top school, and so are hundreds of others. The child really needs to stand out in the sport or art in order to stand a chance. Once the child gets in, he/she needs to be equally strong academically otherwise he/she may be teased by other school kids. I have heard from AC and RI boys regarding this. So consider carefully if you are really thinking about DSA. To excel both in sports/arts and academic, it takes a lot of discipline and a dose of talent.
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Thank you, MummyV. Sorry to make you do a FAQs. Your answers are very detailed and impressive !
So is your daughter still in the VB school team? Sounds like P5 and P6 is even tougher. Already everyone tells me grades in P5 will drop 1 level as alot of stuff are cramped in P5 so that P6 can spend more time on revision.
Just curious, do the children in sports class still manage 9 to 10 hours of rest and can still manage tuition classes?
Aside to Callie - my views is just focus on 1 niche CCA. No way to do two. For me, I think even one is tough. ha ha..
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