Pei Chun Public
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I am really very appreciative with all the opinions and advices from all the parents with regard to my issue now… whether to allow my girl to continue with CO ( which she has already started 2 months ago) or switch her to VB now since she is selected. Till now, nothing is conclusive as my girl is also undecided… she asked me to decide for her actually cos she’s torn between both!! Both of us still very lost…
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999happygolucky:
So my girl is considered to be in the Sports Class if she is with Chinese Orchestra, which is the niche CCA according to the Head of PE?
Eventhough your academic results are good, as long as you have a niche CCA, you are in sports class.
999happygolucky -
kin:
Hi Kin,Hi bridesep,
For my child, she enjoyed VB very much.The kids build team spirit, feel a sense of belonging to the school and when their peers win in matches, the atmosphere is really great. Of course the kids get physically tired with the training but the kids are very adaptive. They get special coaches to train them, they get to understand what sports discipline is like in the sport. I feel that there is value in that kind of school experience. EVen though the sch is top in VB nationals, I dont see the kids being pushed emotionally beyond their limit. The coach do not speak down to them or condemn them when they do not do well. I have not seen my girl come home emotionally upset because of training, except if she feels she has not played enough.I believe the coaches have handled them well and she looks forward to VB trainings.
What you have shared is exactly what I am hoping to hear from some parents!! I was a volleyball player during Pr and Sec school days. I missed those esprit de corp feelings and atmostphere... I hope my girl will learn all these too.. but am very worried that the fact that she's not naturally gifted in the sport, she will be half the time training for no purpose and feels demoralized if she is not selected for the school team... or the coaches will solely focus on the top 5-10 players to groom them and neglect the rest. This is the last thing i want to happen to my girl. She doesn't have to be the best but I want her to enjoy the process and be proud of her sport.
So the VB girls won't be put down in any way even if they don't make it to the school team eventually?? Is this the message you are driving across? -
Callie Tan:
Callie, yes. If my memory serves me right, this was explained at the sports class briefing and at the P4 parent briefing.
Am I right to assume that P4 streaming to P5/6 is based solely on academic performance only??
Rationale for sports class is not elitist. It is more pragmatic as external specialist coaches need to be hired and it's easier administratively to group the children in the same class. The sports class students have 1 hour extra PE time which is spent in the niche sports CCA. Wushu is also a sports CCA but they don't group them in the sports class I dunno why...
At P5, children are streamed in 2 groups, those taking 4 core subjects at normal level vs foundation level classes. Streaming is done at school's recommendation based on P4 results. HC remains as a separate session after school. At P5, the parent has a say - for eg school recommend child takes foundation level and parents think their child can cope - they can opt for normal level. However at P6, school will decide and ultimately stream children who can't cope to foundation class.
Here my memory is hazy - I cannot remember what combination of core and foundation subject is allowed. I think some take 3 foundation and 1 normal (MT). I think children who remain in the sports class in P5/6 are a combination of those who take all core subjects normal level and some at foundation level. During the relevant lessons, they just split and join another class. -
Callie Tan:
Only basketball, table tennis and volleyball are grouped in Sports Class. PCPS has MANY niche CCAs. CO, choir, wushu, weiqi are others but no special class grouping.
So my girl is considered to be in the Sports Class if she is with Chinese Orchestra, which is the niche CCA according to the Head of PE?999happygolucky:
Eventhough your academic results are good, as long as you have a niche CCA, you are in sports class.
999happygolucky -
Callie Tan:
I am really very appreciative with all the opinions and advices from all the parents with regard to my issue now... whether to allow my girl to continue with CO ( which she has already started 2 months ago) or switch her to VB now since she is selected. Till now, nothing is conclusive as my girl is also undecided.. she asked me to decide for her actually cos she's torn between both!! Both of us still very lost...
kin's DD has music, swimming, art, and VB and is coping well. Some children in the sports class hv 2 CCAs and enjoy it. If DD was given a chance for another CCA at P3, we would hv taken it. There are so many things she would like to try. And that's why I added in music at P4. She could cope. If results are a concern, if your DD is above average, she should be able to cope w 2. This could be an exercise in responsibility and self-motivation. -
Hi Callie,
When I agreed to accept my girl into sports class, the PCPS netwk was so quiet and I just had the "go for it thinking" and signed my girl up, even though she is suffering from asthma.
Ok, before I forget, yes, There are many niche CCAs in PCPS, why VB has more attention than the rest is because of a few reasons. 1) If you go into the MOE website for PCPS, it is stated that PCPS is a school with special sports selection done for lower pri(let me find the website).2) Also PCPS is the Headquarters of the VB association in Sg , and ALL the competitions in the primary schs are held in PCPS (ie, our kids no need to travel to other schools, we play on home ground.) I hope you dont get me wrong, I’m not promoting VB, just that I believe I am the only mummy sharing now, whose child is in the Sports class P4 this yr so I have the most updated info and hence talk alot…heheh.
Callie, I’m not sure, but just a suggestion, since its too early to say anything. Why not let her join sports class and continue CO (after you talk to the respective HODs). On the basis that its unfair to decide at this point of time…?
From my girl’s sharing over the 2 yrs, her only regret is that she has asthma and is not fit enough to complete their special training especially this yr. She was actually playing in the sch team group but after getting asthma attacks frequently, and missing out in training (you naturally become out of form), you get easily forgotten in that sense. After missing so many training sessions in P3 and early P4, she is not able to play in the competitive team anymore(while they were selecting) and naturally opted out to the others. I even bought a VB and we wanted to train on our own. For you, since you were a VB player, you can coach your girl sometimes. It makes a whole lot of difference, since you can perfect her throws and hits.VB is very much a skill-trained sports , right?
Apart from those normal scoldings you get from the coach, my girl has not been spoken down to even though she is sick (I’m quite impressed with that) and they actually praised her when she does well. And PCPS have Head coach and main coach and some assistants. In P3 there were assistants and main coach.During compeitive yr P4, it is main coach all the way and during weekends, Head Coach will occasionally come down…My girl likes both Head Coach and main coach. They both encouarge aptly when the kids do well. Hope this clarifies some "clouds".
So, there is no putting down. But of course there are also cat fights among the girls too at times. So you must teach your girl EQ… I have seen the girls playing during the matches… they scream and yell at one another during the match (while training), especially when someone misses the ball and it gets quite hot at times.But coach is very smart, everyone is rotated and have a chance, so everyone gets screamed at, at the end, and I also have seen the more nurturing girls who pacify the cat-fights at times. But all in the name of sports. Must have good sportsmanship too. You will not know the type of boys or girls you child is going to be with until the beginning of the year. So they have to learn to accept everyone’s differences and "screaming" during scary VB matches.
mummyv , Callie…
now, my girl is not medically fit to do sports such as VB anymore. VB is high impact, and fast pace. So it is really sad. My girl is upset but she has to accept it.She was able to cope with all the extras and VB and still happy because its true, discipline and responsibility too. But now, no VB, no art, no swimming until the school holidays… -
mummyv:
Agreed... but is it too greedy? The teacher told me it's better not to take up the volleyball if I intend to continue with CO... I would be depriving another student a place in VB team. She is being frank lah, makes some sense too...
kin's DD has music, swimming, art, and VB and is coping well. Some children in the sports class hv 2 CCAs and enjoy it. If DD was given a chance for another CCA at P3, we would hv taken it. There are so many things she would like to try. And that's why I added in music at P4. She could cope. If results are a concern, if your DD is above average, she should be able to cope w 2. This could be an exercise in responsibility and self-motivation. -
mummyv:
Ok I am lost here... why suddenly got core subjects at foundation or normal leve?? The kids in PCPS all will be taking Maths, Science, English and Chinese right?
Here my memory is hazy - I cannot remember what combination of core and foundation subject is allowed. I think some take 3 foundation and 1 normal (MT). I think children who remain in the sports class in P5/6 are a combination of those who take all core subjects normal level and some at foundation level. During the relevant lessons, they just split and join another class. -
Callie, you mentioend that your girl is selected for VB but did not receive the letter to attend the briefing? Pls check with the FT as a friend of mine asked the teacher why no letter, reply was that only parents whose kids are offered Sports Class gets the letter. Could your girl have missed it?
Does PCPS offer VB as a CCA?
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