Victoria School

[dadmum123]

Thank you, happymum8 and tutormum, for the information.


I told my son about the attire and he said he was not going to wear his primary school PE attire as 'he was a Victorian now'. The VS school uniform looks really smart, especially with the school tie on. My son will be wearing the bright yellow PE attire as he says everyone will be able to see the word 'VICTORIAN' on his back. (I did't know my son had that much school pride :D) I'm sure this is just the beginning for tutormum's DS3, as ultimately he'd have to be a sportsman and professional as well. His behaviour must have been a very pleasant surprise for you. I'm still carrying the heavier stuff.

Merry Christmas!

[tutormum]

carebear:

Aiya, then maybe my son should have applied for VS as first choice? :?


Actually it was I who highlighted that he is the last of the cohort, and that made him not select for the school.
He selected TKSS.
41-35=6, anyway not much of a difference.
If it were 25-30 students per class, then i would be sore.....

Then you should have applied for NUSH cos there will be only 30 (max) students to a class. :lol: :siam: I understand that there is only 23 students in one of the classes in TKSS probably with vacancies reserved for appeal cases. I understand how you feel about being at the bottom of the cohort cos I share the same sentiments but if your DS's score is not too far from the mean score, it shouldn't be a problem for him. Anyway, I'm sure he'll do well in TKSS. In fact, DS3's best friend has a better score than him but insists on going to TKSS which everybody felt it's a waste. However, he promised his mum that he'll work hard and prove that he can still do well even though he didn't go to VS.

[tutormum]

dadmum123:

Thank you, happymum8 and tutormum, for the information.


I told my son about the attire and he said he was not going to wear his primary school PE attire as 'he was a Victorian now'. The VS school uniform looks really smart, especially with the school tie on. My son will be wearing the bright yellow PE attire as he says everyone will be able to see the word 'VICTORIAN' on his back. (I did't know my son had that much school pride :D) I'm sure this is just the beginning for tutormum's DS3, as ultimately he'd have to be a sportsman and professional as well. His behaviour must have been a very pleasant surprise for you. I'm still carrying the heavier stuff.

Merry Christmas!

DS3 seems obsessed with the idea of being a gentleman, a professional and a sportsman. He has been parroting for the past 2 days that he is a 'professional gentleman who is sporting'. :lol: :lol: I'm sure your son will feel the same and you'll see the gentleman in him also. DS3 is cheeky but I can see a change in his behaviour recently and he's esp helpful. He went to the open house and has never let the '4 don'ts' out of his mind. However, being cheeky as usual, he says that he'll cheat, lie, bully and steal. :faint: BTW, DS1 is so jealous that DS3 has such a 'quality' PE T-shirt. VS really knows how to give their students the best and it's really a good way to motivate them to give their best. We also receive very good comments and blessings when we told our friends that DS3 is going to VS. This is an indication of how reputable the school is. :celebrate:

[carebear]

tutormum:

Then you should have applied for NUSH cos there will be only 30 (max) students to a class. :lol: :siam: I understand that there is only 23 students in one of the classes in TKSS probably with vacancies reserved for appeal cases. I understand how you feel about being at the bottom of the cohort cos I share the same sentiments but if your DS's score is not too far from the mean score, it shouldn't be a problem for him. Anyway, I'm sure he'll do well in TKSS. In fact, DS3's best friend has a better score than him but insists on going to TKSS which everybody felt it's a waste. However, he promised his mum that he'll work hard and prove that he can still do well even though he didn't go to VS.

Really bottom of cohort if DS had opted for VS, score 245.
Therefore no chance of going to NUSH.
Friends and relatives say should have applied for VS.
But i think TKSS will motivate him, and who knows later may move on to NUSH.
To those who are successful in getting into VS, congratulations! :celebrate:

[dadmum123]

Tutormum: I'm impressed with what your DS3 has shown in the past few days. I like the way he puts it about being a 'professional gentleman who is sporting'. It's great that he has shown positive change as a '3-day old Victorian', even remembering the four 'don'ts'. Yup, I definitely agree that the boys are getting the best, including a 'quality' PE T-shirt. It's interesting that the T-shirt reads 'VICTORIAN' and not 'Victoria' or something. It helps develop a strong camaraderie among the boys, knowing that they are all wearing the same T-shirt and are all Victorians. It also motivates them as they know they have to do their best as Victorians, even in public. We like VS as it is a top boys' school that doesn't reek of elitism that other boys' schools are known for, and also the student-teacher respect (addressing teachers as 'sir' or 'ma'am') as it is lost in most schools, where students call teachers by their first names. I am really excited to see the change in my son as you have seen in DS3. Orientation Camp would be an excellent way to integrate into the Victorian way of life!


Carebear: IMHO, forum contributor 'victorian' has given excellent advice above. He mentioned that it doesn't matter that you're at the bottom of the cohort if you work hard along the way. But what's done is done, so all the best in TKSS!

[easymama]

To: tutormum & dadmum123,


Real envious of you for having such easy kids, in particular to their enthusiasm about going to VS.

My DS scored 248 but missed his 1st chose of Cath High by decimal pts. Was posted to VS but he wasn't very happy and insisted on appealing to Cath High. His primary school was in the vicinity of Cath High and most of his classmates and schoolmates also reside around this area. Due to the logistic reason, most of them had chosen this school over others and most (some with same score) had managed to get in there. DS who is very particular about friendship naturally followed suit even though we are residing in the east.

Since we had missed the VS open house and couldn't elaborate much, we could only show him the earlier write up of 'Victorian' hopefully that could change his mind. But even after reading and our deliberate highlight about the 2 pt-affiliation to VJC, he was still unmoved. He was so strong-headed that we had no choice but to proceed with the appeal. Now waiting for the outcome to be announced on 29 Dec.

Had talked to his ex-teacher, friends and my siblings and almost all supported the idea of staying put at Victoria coz feel that it's a very good school. Many told me that even students of some IP schools opt to DSA to VJC at the end of their 2nd year, just to continue the 'Thru-train' programs. It's such a pity to miss out this \"golden opportunity\" if he chooses Cath High instead.

With DS' close scores to Cath High's COA and his CCA exposures (interschool and Asia-pacific competition), he stands a very high chance of succeeding. Now we are in a dilemma, do we go along with DS' wish or stay put him at Victoria?

Hope some kind souls out there are able to show us the direction. Thanks in advance …………

[carebear]

Hi easymama, both Catholic High and VS are good schools.


You should let your DS decide for himself , should his appeal to Catholic High be succeessful. After all it is he who will be studying in the school for the next few years. But you may like to lay out the pros and cons for him.
(Like in my case, i discussed with my son between VS and TKSS, and he chose TKSS)

As for the VIP (victoria integrated program), he can apply even if he is in Catholic High at the end of Sec2.

[easymama]

carebear:

Hi easymama, both Catholic High and VS are good schools.


You should let your DS decide for himself , should his appeal to Catholic High be succeessful. After all it is he who will be studying in the school for the next few years. But you may like to lay out the pros and cons for him.
(Like in my case, i discussed with my son between VS and TKSS, and he chose TKSS)

As for the VIP (victoria integrated program), he can apply even if he is in Catholic High at the end of Sec2.

Thanks, carebear, for your kind advice. My salutation to you for being so liberal with your DS's decision. :celebrate:

Hubby and I did lay out the cards before him. He acknowledged them & even prepared to 'suffer' in his grades due to the higher standard of Chinese in Cath High. One possible scenario would be that he'll likely to be in the bottom class together with those who are affiliated (t-score in the range of 22x ~, who were already classmates/schoolmates) and those appeal in with lower t-score. Will the school still assign 'quality' teachers to them, understandably that it's usual for any school to assign the best teachers to the best classes?

Whereas in Victoria, even if DS is unable to make it to IP program in VJC, he still has the advantage of the 2 pt-affiliation to VJC after 'O' Level.

I do agree with you that both Catholic High and VS are good schools. DS promised to work very hard in either place and this seems a consolation to me after all his 'strong-headedness'.

[carebear]

easymama:

..........Will the school still assign 'quality' teachers to them, understandably that it's usual for any school to assign the best teachers to the best classes?

............

Yeah dunno about that.
That was one of the factors i considered too.

easymama:

........Whereas in Victoria, even if DS is unable to make it to IP program in VJC, he still has the advantage of the 2 pt-affiliation to VJC after 'O' Level.

........

You may want to highlight this again to your DS.
That may change his mind.

[victorian]

Hi easymama,


I can understand how your DS feels about going along with his friends to Cat High. Definitely, friends will be an important factor in choosing a school. Perhpas you can explain the other factors to him so that he can make a more informed choice: travelling distance (what's logistically better for his friends may not be logistically better for him since it is physically tiring to travel a long distance everyday), possibility of expanding his social circle (making new friends in a new school while keeping in touch with old friends), affiliation (as you mentioned), demographics of the students in both schools etc etc etc. Would his preference for Cat High be emotional (solely based on friends' influence) or rational (based on judgement of the pros and cons)? This is something to explore further.

Since you missed the open house, I would be happy to provide you with any information you need on VS (based on personal experience) or Cat High (based on what I see in my friends from Cat High).

Hope this helps!