Elias Park Primary

[PowerPuff Mum]

HamburgerMom:

Hi everyone, I just joined this big family - EPPS. Yesterday I brought my boy to Elias Park Primary school for P1 Orientation. Overall impression is pretty good except for bring back home a worry - The form teacher looks not that friendly and not that patient. I hope my impresson is wrong and I understand first impression not so good doesn't mean that she is not a warm-hearted teacher. However, I am pretty sure you can understand my worry and my feeling especially when I saw form teacher from other class was so patiently explaining to the parents this and that while ours seems not.


On one hand the form teacher's attitude made me feel bad, on the other hand something upsets my boy is when he found out he was separated with some of his k2 friends in different classes. That makes me really feel like transferring him to another class. I wonder if as a parent we are allowed to do so and what will be the proper way to do this.

Appreciate if someone could offer me help in any way that I can get to know the teacher better. Can we get the form teacher's profile from EPPS' website? I wish that I just had a wrong impression and transferring class to me is not a preferred option.

Sorry, I've not bn here lately hence the late reply. You shouldn't judge the teacher when you hardly had any interaction with her. You should give it a chance to develop. If you still have problems till now..that's 6 mths has passed..then you should bring up your concerns to the principal. That's the right way to do it. They are very open to talk to you with regards to any matter concerning your child.

I don't recommend asking for transfer of class. cos after all, your child need to adapt to new situation and make new friends. You need to let yr child manage this with yr close supervision of cos. Work with the teacher closely and if its still a problem ..talk to the teacher abt how u can work with the teacher to help this transition for your child.

[Shimmers]

Hi EPPS mommies


Anyone can share more input on the school… are the teacher commited,are the programs good and if theres anything more I need to know abt EPPS apart frm the PSG please do advise…

Most likely my DS will be joining the sch next year…We had no choice its kind of not our ‘plan’ school. We were unsuccessful to get to the 2 schs we wanted. We also didnt want DS to travel out of Pasir Ris so EPPS is next on list. I wanna knw hw they performed acadamically and physically. There arent much info and I do not knw anyone who has kids in the school so inputs will be greatly appreciated.
TIA.

[dondon]

Hi mommies, I 've jus joined this big family as well. My 2 boys currently in EPPS P1/2. We have a lot of issues with their form teacher. She is always absent (since day 1). either the school arranged relief teacher ( 2 or 3 different ones in a week) or send the entire class to library. A few times with no teacher in the classroom. :x I heard from upper level mommies that this school focus more on CCA than academic even in P6. We are thinking to switch school. Anyone has any similar issues with the teachers or the school system? or just my son’s class?

[PowerPuff Mum]

dondon:

Hi mommies, I 've jus joined this big family as well. My 2 boys currently in EPPS P1/2. We have a lot of issues with their form teacher. She is always absent (since day 1). either the school arranged relief teacher ( 2 or 3 different ones in a week) or send the entire class to library. A few times with no teacher in the classroom. :x I heard from upper level mommies that this school focus more on CCA than academic even in P6. We are thinking to switch school. Anyone has any similar issues with the teachers or the school system? or just my son's class?

Hi dondon,
Few things I wld advice you to do. Firstly, you should contact the school principal or vice principal regarding your concerns. Sounds to me that there some miscommunication. I suggest u do this immediately. The Principal is a very open and approacheable person and she will call you back and meet you. Call the general office, leave yr name and state your concern.

EPPS is no slacker in academics I can assure u that and has been performing very well academically.You can check this on their school website. Many of EPPS students has gone on to top end schools and band 1 schools after PSLE as they performed very well.

I hv 2 kids in the school. One in P6 and one in P3. They are all doing very well. I have absolutely no regrets sending my kids to this school. I believe my son who's in P6 will do well in PSLE this year as they hv prep them adequately for this national exams.

[dondon]

Hi, we already met up last year pertains to the same problem (my older boy had same form teacher). She was worse. Only appeared once a week for 3 whole trimester. The class was so badly behind the standard. Also she would call parents up to complain on the children for very insignificant matters. All our kids were so afraid of her. The prinicipal’s response was very slow in recitifying the situation. After several push from parents, we managed to change the FT for P2.


Now, I’m facing the same issue for my younger boy. Quite disappointed in fact. A P4 mom is facing FT issue as well…long absent and homeworks mostly unmarked. The piles of unmarked worksheets returned to parents just 1 week before exam. The reason from the FT was she trying to conceive so cannot be under stress. They too met up with prinicipal and the reply they got was "What do you expect me to do?"

So I’m not sure if meeting the prinicipal helps in anything at all.

[PowerPuff Mum]

dondon:

Hi, we already met up last year pertains to the same problem (my older boy had same form teacher). She was worse. Only appeared once a week for 3 whole trimester. The class was so badly behind the standard. Also she would call parents up to complain on the children for very insignificant matters. All our kids were so afraid of her. The prinicipal's response was very slow in recitifying the situation. After several push from parents, we managed to change the FT for P2.


Now, I'm facing the same issue for my younger boy. Quite disappointed in fact. A P4 mom is facing FT issue as well....long absent and homeworks mostly unmarked. The piles of unmarked worksheets returned to parents just 1 week before exam. The reason from the FT was she trying to conceive so cannot be under stress. They too met up with prinicipal and the reply they got was \"What do you expect me to do?\"

So I'm not sure if meeting the prinicipal helps in anything at all.

I would see her and bring up my concerns. I don't believe it cannot be resolved. The thing is ..do not be defensive. Be open minded and work with the school. I don't think there's any school who wouldn't be concemed abt their students well being.

[dondon]

Ya…will meet her again before making a final decision. Hope there is a good change after the talk.


Just sceptical about what can be changed after going through last year "ordeal". So far I heard too much dissafaction from different level mommies so kinda affected - in the "giving up" stage. Just not sure hanging onto this school due to convenience’s sake is a wise choice.

You are the first parent I heard good comments from. Your children are lucky to have met good leaders throughout their years. Thank ya for your encouragement!

[PowerPuff Mum]

dondon:

Ya..will meet her again before making a final decision. Hope there is a good change after the talk.


Just sceptical about what can be changed after going through last year \"ordeal\". So far I heard too much dissafaction from different level mommies so kinda affected - in the \"giving up\" stage. Just not sure hanging onto this school due to convenience's sake is a wise choice.

You are the first parent I heard good comments from. Your children are lucky to have met good leaders throughout their years. Thank ya for your encouragement!

Hi Dondon,
I am shocked to hear that I am the first parent you hear positive things abt the school. I, on the other hand, hardly met parents who are unhappy with the school which makes me wonder who or where you have been getting feedback from. On the contrary, majority of the parents I hv met are very happy with the school and I know alot of them cos I am in the PSG. If the school have not been doing well, it would not hv to go through balloting for P1 last year. There were students who had to be turned down due to limited places.


If u heard negative things abt the school from one or two person that does not represent the whole school population. It is dangerous to making statements abt the school based on a one off remark without verification.

Do not dwell in this negativity, the sooner u resolve this ..the better it is for u and your children. All the best.

[dondon]

I dont think this is negativity. The fact is the after several encounters with the principal, I personally do not think that can resolve the matter in a prompt and efficient manner.


Last year, we highlighted to the principal with reagrds to my older boy’s form teacher. She was constantly absent and it was often a relieve teacher.

This year, my older boy’s form teacher changed and she is much better. Unfortunately, that same teacher became my younger boy’s form teacher. And the problem is still the same. She is constantly absent. Was not even there for the class photo.

Our complaint last year was directed to MOE and the principal. If nothing has been done a year later, I dont see how another meeting would help.

The complaints I heard is not from a parent or two only. And yes, they can be verified. I personally don’t think that balloting is a benchmark for how good a school is. There could be many reasons why balloting was needed.

I made the statments because it actually happen and the many parents I spoke to have had their bad experiences. I can’t speak for the other parents, but in my case, everything can be verified.

Was there balloting this year for EPPS?

[kitty_mum]

nope