Migration to AWS!!
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Any feedback on the camps? What do they do?
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Any one signing up this june for DVC? I am looking for a camp code for discount.
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Hi all, we already have the minimum 5 people for group ‘Tiramisu’. For the first 5 sign-ups, payment has to be made in full first and a refund will be given once they’ve confirmed this is a ‘genuine’ group. Anyone else looking for the 10% discount, please feel free to use above group name.
Also, wondering if anyone in Pasir Ris area sending or intending to send their child for the camp? If so, let me know if you’re considering a carpool. We can drop off in the morning but require assistance picking up at end of day. Thanks. Oh, I’m talking about the camp at St Stephens! -
Hi I am interested to send my boy to Discovery vacation camp as well, but maybe to New Town Primary or Ai Tong. Would I be able to use the group "Tiramisu" to enjoy the group discount 10% as well?
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I sent my son to the DVC in Nov 2015 at New Town Primary Sch.
I was disappointed with DVC. On the first day, the Camp commandant Dr Seet as there and she appeared to be the only person who knew what was going on. I turned up with my son on time and approached the front desk staffed by camp leaders. The camp leaders were busy receiving payment from another parent. As I have already made payment, I approached another camp leader (I assumed that was her position since none of them wore any identification tags) to ask where my son should be headed. She did not know. Then Dr Seet stepped forward to direct me to look at the lists of names pasted on the fence to check which group my son belonged to. Once I was certain of my son’s group. I was told to hand over my son to the camp leader that I had earlier approached. I was most reluctant since that camp leader was clueless earlier on. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, thinking that it was the first day of camp and perhaps these are part time staff who had not been briefed. Did I mention that none of the camp staff smiled or greeted any parent or child. I did not feel that the whole atmosphere was cheerful or inviting for any child.
On the second day, there was no front desk. Instead a tuck shop bench was set up and a few camp leaders were sitting on it, chatting among themselves. When my son (carrying his DVC bag and name tag) and I arrived, no camp staff step forward to welcome or receive my son. They carried on with their chatter. They made no eye contact with us. My son then pulled me along and told me that he was led to wait in the canteen for everyone to come. At the canteen, there were a few camp leaders. They were not intermingling with the kids. The kids were left to their own devices. Some were walking about aimlessly, others were reading a book or chatting with each other. In addition, I saw bags of snacks left on the canteen tables at 8am. I asked the camp leaders what those were and I was told that those were snacks for the camp kids at 1030am. Immediately, my maternal instincts about food safety and hygiene were raised. I wondered how long the snacks had been left out on the tables without proper refrigeration? I asked my son if he knew where the bathroom was, where the water cooler was, who to approach if he felt unwell, where to go if he was lost. Nope. He knew nothing. There was no orientation of the school what so ever. I left him there with a heavy heart and proceeded to call DVC and also email them.
By the afternoon of the second day, I finally got hold of someone from DVC after calling repeatedly. I spoke to a teacher who confirmed that the camp leaders were tertiary students on vacation. They were engaged for the duration of the camp only and were paid daily. She acknowledged that their behavior was not comforting to any parent dropping off their kids to a camp. I further voiced my concern about their ability to react appropriately in an emergency during the camp outings. The teacher gave me her mobile phone number to reach her to allay my fears. On the same day, I received a curt email reply to thank me for my feedback and that DVC would look into the concerns I raised.
By the third day, the youthful camp leaders were finally trying to be more enthusiastic about the camp. They greeted (rather mechanically) the children with Good Morning and told the parents that they would walk the kids to the canteen. The kids had performances on Day 5. Unfortunately, there was a lot of AV malfunction that no one could solve. So some kids were disappointed that their performance was dragged down by the AV.
All in, DVC needs to improve on:
The quality of their youthful part time camp leaders. A more comprehensive training manual to teach the camp leaders to smile, have eye contact with the kids and their parents, speak to the parents that their kids will be looked after etc will go a long way to leave a good impression. Their camp staff also left me wondering how prepared they would be in an emergency.
Conduct a proper physical orientation of the school. Many of the kids were not from New Town Primary Sch. They had no idea where facilities like male/female toilets, water cooler are located. They had no idea what they should do should they be lost while walking between venues. I did not feel safe leaving my kid in a school that he was unfamiliar with.
food safety. It is not acceptable to be eating food left in the open for ‘who knows how long’. This is a mass food poisoning waiting to happen.
That said, the fees that DVC levied for a 5 day camp was reasonable. The science objectives that they tried to teach through this camp had good variety and was engaging for our local kids who have otherwise been exposed to Science from textbooks.
Personally, I will not use DVC again. If you are looking to sign your kid up for DVC, pls do bear in mind my experience. -
I kind of agreed with PlatypusAsia. My son attended in Nov 2015 at Yu Neng. In terms of their lunch, DVC needs to improve on this area. The children can be given chicken rice with 1-2 chicken wings and no vegetable
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I sent my girl to the camp held in Jun 15 at RGPS premise. This was when RGPS was still in Ghim Moh.
I dropped DVC an email on 20 June, the day right after the camp.
I raised issues about this teacher Pauline who labeled the kids as mischievous from the start of the camp, using threat during excursion…
for concert, she told the kids they were not up to mark and her previous class was better etc…
told the class they should come with more common sense.
holding a long ruler pointing at the kids and directing them where to sit etc…
a non-passionate, unmotivated camp leader…
DVC replied that these leaders are recruited on a camp by camp basis. more like a temp staff.
I have given DVC a miss since then even when the camp fees is more affordable than the rest. -
Is anyone sending their children to the upcoming DVC camp in Dec? Keen to look for a group to get the 10% discount.
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Hi, I am thinking to send my boy to Ai Tong
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Yes me too. Am considering Ai Tong. I have two children with me for the camp. If you are interested then there will be three of us. Need two more to form a group to get the discount. Anyone else?
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