Victoria School

[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!

[easymama]

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!

Thanks carebear & victorian for both your replies.

I had a good chat with DS last night. Concerns like travelling distance & finding of new friendship were re-discussed and apart from that, these are the areas where DS is interested to know,

1. Does the school distribute classes base on t-score? Are students with same scores placed in the same class?
2. Based on DS' t-score & VS' cutoff this year, will he likely go to one of the bottom classes?
3. For sports CCA like Soccer, is one required to go through any selection process? DS is interested in taking up Soccer & Robotics in his sec. years, is there a Robotics club in VS?
4. How's the support from teachers especially during the initial transition, and also peers' support throughout the 4 years?
5. I read about the 'Enhanced Study Programme' in your earlier post for students who are academically weak. Is there any system in place other than this that will also help the student buck up, e.g. the buddy system in class?
6. Percentage of the cohort offering triple science at year 3.
7. Percentage of VS students entering VJC after ‘O’ level. :?


The open house at Cat High had certainly given DS a very warm feeling. The tranquility of the statues of holy saints and the school buildings somehow had instilled the kind of unexplained faith in him. I could see the sudden sparkle in his eyes when he met his ex-schoolmates (now students of Cat High) there. The total experience all in all had impressed him so well that he is still so absorbed in it. I really regretted for not being able to attend the VS open house. The scenario would be a total different one should we have.

I sincerely appreciate victorian's kind gesture by offering us the information required. :celebrate: What we would probably need now is not so much about the information of the school which could easily be obtained from the website. It's the first hand impression and impeccable warm feelings that DS is so eagerly looking forward that one finds it hard to fulfill. It would be good perhaps if you could kindly highlight some interesting and memorable moments in VS that would help DS foster his faith and believe that he too could find similar or better experience while in VS. Thank you so much!

[victorian]

1. To some extent, yes. Students with the same scores are mostly but not entirely placed in the same class.

2. This depends on how well the other students that got into VS did, and this varies from year to year. But like I mentioned in an earlier post, it does not matter even if he goes to one of the bottom classes in sec 1/2. It's which class he goes in sec 3/4 that matters. The school does not specify which sec 1/2 class is the best and which is the worst so you would not feel like you are in a bottom class even if you are, but everyone knows which sec 3/4 class is the best and which is the worst.
3. There should be some trials based on talent scouting and interest. I'm sure he would get opportunities if he registers his interest. Robotics is under IT/Infocomm Club and is one of the activities in which they are involved in. I believe VS can definitely satisfy his interests in these areas. I am not aware of the CCAs in Cat High.
4. The teachers are generally helpful. But of course in every school, there are more helpful teachers and less helpful teachers. They will generally help students adapt to the differences between primary school and secondary school life. This was covered during the 'Pastoral Care' sessions while I was there, and also from day-to-day. They may have different programmes now. There is also support from the student leaders. Peer Support Leaders (older students) are assigned to classes and interact with the new students, offering guidance along the way. Peer support is also present in the student's CCA, where members of the same CCA are together for all four years so support is definitely present. As for friends, it's easy to meet new friends and get to know them better along the way.
5. I heard that the ESP has been renamed, but it still exists under a different name. There are study groups within CCAs (some CCAs cancel their normal activities and meet up to study when the exams are near). There are also additional help within a class (not at a cohort level as with the ESP) and this is decided by the subject teacher. These positive external influences would motivate the student to buck up.
6. I do not have specific figure, but I know that there are 2 triple science classes and a handful of triple science students in other classes as well. So assuming a cohort size of 350, I would put it at 20-25%.
7. Again, I do not have a specific figure. I was from a triple science classes and I would say 90% of my classmates went to VJC. I would estimate that the cohort average definitely not less than 30-40%.

Haha, your second part of the question is difficult. :roll: Different people have different experiences and it is not easy to describe in words, but I can try. :lol: I would suggest making a trip down to VS if you have not done so.

VS doesn't have statues of holy saints and does not have a religious background, but it exudes it's own charm. It occupies a sprawling compound seven storeys high. Recently, a new sports hall was built. It is probably one of the most equipped schools in Singapore. The pond, despite drawing public attention because of its cost, is a feature appreciated by the students themselves.

The most memorable moment would probably be the Victoria Challenge held once every four years. It is an activity for the students to make an 'aesthetic' or 'atmospheric' contribution to the school. If you remember the grandstand of the old VS along the PIE (the one that has the words 'Thy Sons Are We'), that was done by students during the Victoria Challenge. You may want to refer to http://www.victoriachallenge2007.blogspot.com/ to see the other activities that the students have attempted. During my year, it was held in conjunction with the school's move from Geylang Bahru to Siglap Link, and President Nathan (an old boy) graced the event.

Another memorable experiences would be the National Track and Field Meet. VS is big on track and field, and during the finals, the whole school would go down to lend their support. You may have read the joke about how many VJC students does it take to change a lightbulb. The answer is 'the whole school' because one student would be changing the lightbulb, while the rest of the school would be cheering and waving flags and banners to show support. The same can be said of VS students. The Victorian culture is probably one of the strongest in the country. In fact, the loudest cheers in the National Stadium came from VS. One year, VS clinched both titles and the principal declared half a day off. That was memorable. (On a sidenote, the principal also promised another half a day off if all the cultural groups obtained gold in SYF. We did, and we got the half day off. :D)

Other memorable moments include the sec 1 and 3 camps and many other school events that would take a book for me to describe everything. Like I said, words are inadequate in describing the experience of the moment. Only when you've been through it, will you be able to savour it.

I hope I have gave the first hand impression that you have asked for. The impeccable warm feelings in VS come from the strong school spirit that exists in VS. Let me know if this has not answered your queries or if you need any more information.

[MDAJP]

victorian:

6. I do not have specific figure, but I know that there are 2 triple science classes and a handful of triple science students in other classes as well. So assuming a cohort size of 350, I would put it at 20-25%.

My DS2 just completed his secondary education with VS. I would like to add to point 6. I think the school does not place a cap on the number of triple science classes. During my son's time, the students had to do well enough to quality for 8 subjects. In fact, I believe more that 50% did triple science in his cohort. From our conversation, I have only heard mention of 2 non triple science classes - my son's \"rojak\" class and the sports class.
When DS2s was in sec 2, I made inquiries and and was told that all boys had to do pure physics and additional maths. The school does not believe in offering combined science, because this will affect their options in JC. Other than that, they try to accommodate the choices made by the boys.
To qualify for 8 subjects, the boys had to score something like at least 65 average and at least 65 for English.
My husband and I encouraged DS2 to do just 2 sciences and take up an extra humanities subject instead after being advised by a teacher and agreed that it is a safer option, because of the L1R5 requirement for JCs. DS1 did triple science and he complained that studying biology was all for nothing (very time consuming).
Please also note that there may be schools belonging to roughly the same performance band as VS but which offer combined science. I have a friend whose daughter went to such a school and was made to do combined science, much to her disappointment.

[victorian]

MDAJP:

I think the school does not place a cap on the number of triple science classes.

I think this is true as well. I do not think it operates by a bell-shaped curve. Perhaps it just happened that only an estimated 20-25% of the students made it to triple science in my year.

[tutormum]

Correct me if I'm wrong. I don't understand the emphasis that parents placed on having their children do triple science. Both my elder boys did combined science and I don't think that they are disadvantaged in any way. My niece did triple science and is graduating with an accountancy degree next year. She felt that working hard for triple science is a waste. Another niece became a lawyer and triple science did not contribute to her career in any way. DS3 has set his mind to be a maths lecturer and I wonder whether he needs triple science. Can someone please enlighten me? :?


TO VICTORIAN,
I notice that there is no English textbook and DTT textbook in the booklist. I was also told that NJC also do not use textbooks. How is lesson conducted then? Is it a requirement for the students to subscribe to magazines such as Reader's Digest? I do hope that the teachers will conduct lessons based on it cos I swear by it.

[victorian]

tutormum:

TO VICTORIAN,

I notice that there is no English textbook and DTT textbook in the booklist. I was also told that NJC also do not use textbooks. How is lesson conducted then? Is it a requirement for the students to subscribe to magazines such as Reader's Digest? I do hope that the teachers will conduct lessons based on it cos I swear by it.

Just a few years ago, there was an English textbook in the booklist. However, the textbook was not used for lessons. The school had its own resources. Eventually, they removed it from the booklist. I'm not sure about D&T because I didn't take D&T. We had to subscribe to Reader's Digest, but that was a few years ago. That must be good news for you. I am not very sure if they still do it now, but I would suppose so.