DSA 2011

[Augmum]

soka

an added info…
maybe u would like to know, DHS’s flag raising time is at 8 .00 am,
instead of the usual 7.20/7.25 a.m
and on thursdays, it is at 9.00 a.m

[soka]

From these advices, most probably will take public bus from north then circle line to DHS. (School bus only one way)

A happy news to at least a NYGH WLer too.

[1248]

Thanks for such good info, this decision should take by DS, and I just checked with him. He wants to go to DHS.Actually, his dream school is HCI, but HCI DSA failed, so I advice him to work hard for PSLE.

[yukilei]

ngbrdad:

PiggyLalala:

yes, do consider DHS for DSA. It is a good school and the DSA process is not complicated for GEP students. Just fill in the DSA form. No interview for my son last year. You can visit the school open house next year and get the DSA form. If I did not remember wrongly, I think the requirement for GEP overall is like 75%.

Problem is it's all the way in the east.
Not convenient for people staying on the west side.

agree with ngbrdad. I've thought of DHS. It seems like it's one of the \"easiest\" DSA for GEP student. Think they're asking for >75%. But the location is very inconvenient. Esp, when we're staying in the west.

[yukilei]

PiggyLalala:

yukilei:

[quote=\"Blur Dad\"]

Not sure, but I have done some simple calculation . There are estimated about 320-330 x P6 GEP boys in year 2011.

1)\tAssume 90%++ have applied for RI. So Est. 300 GEP boys have applied to RI
2)\tRI has about 175 seat for GEP Students
3)\tTo my understanding there are few cases of GEP boys who scored low end of 80% were awarded WL for RI
4)\tSo I assume that there are more than 175 GEP boys scored more than 80% for their SA1
5)\tThere are total about 450 primary 6 GEP students in year 2011. Including those P6 GEP girls, I believe there are more than 50% of the total cohort scored more than 80% for SA1.

However, you might not agree with me.

My DS scored 77.x% for his SA1. Applied DSA to RI, HCI and ASCI. Got rejected from RI and HCI. WL for ACSI. The DSA journey was quite painful for my DS. Take sometime for him to get over it.

Well, I guess this is the price to pay for not scoring >80% and hoping to get DSA to the top boy’s school via DSA.

Cheers

Blurdad, sorry to hear abt this. This is my worry too... I really hope that my ds can score >80% next year, hoping he does not need to go thru such agony. But seems like those who get low 80% also can't be spared by such agony this year. Imagine there're 350 GEP boys in 2012 batch!
Wishing your ds all the best for his PSLE!

Just to add on.
The computation of the average is based on normal chinese and not higher chinese. So make sure your child do well in the normal chinese in P6.

I think for most GEP students, they are able to achieve > 80% in Maths and science. As to whether their overall >80% would then depend very strongly on their CHinese and English. GEP english is quite tough and not many can scored >80%. Hence my advice is to aim for 90% for maths; 85% for science. English around 75 and not too low for chinese too. If you score below 70% for chinese, it is very difficult to pull the overall up to 80%.

Same for PSLE, if you are aiming above 260, then your chinese cannot be too poor, must at least a high A.

In short, I think chinese plays an important part in determine their overall as the mark difference for the other 3 subjects are usually not that great.
JMHO. :)[/quote]PiggyLalala, thks. That's the standard that I've told my DS for both Math & Science. But he can't even meet 70% for his English in P5 SA1, that's my worry. His English was >70% in P4. So now, I told him he has to target at least 70% for English. Surprisingly, he did better for his HCL, a subj that he take up only in P5.

[Tinkerbelle]

1248:

Thanks for such good info, this decision should take by DS, and I just checked with him. He wants to go to DHS.Actually, his dream school is HCI, but HCI DSA failed, so I advice him to work hard for PSLE.

Hi 1248,
Sorry to hear about your DS's HCI experience. At least you have COs from NUSH & DHS.
Will your DS put DHS at 1st choice or will he try to get into HCI through central posting? All the best to your DS. :rahrah:

[Tinkerbelle]

soka:

From these advices, most probably will take public bus from north then circle line to DHS. (School bus only one way)

A happy news to at least a NYGH WLer too.

Hi soka,
Good to hear you've made a decision.....All the best to your DD in DHS.

[yukilei]

DaddyDaddy:

Hi Blur Dad


I can really emphatise with you
Being a father of 2 GEP kids who had gone thru the GEP Programmes and DSA in the past couple of years, I feel that there's a lack of understanding of GEP programme and why DSA is a necessary & important path for GEP kids.

Let me put it this way.
I do not think my 2 kids who went through GEP programme necessarily any more intelligent nor any more deserving to go to the TOP IP schools than the kids from mainstream. The only difference is that for some reason ( which till today I also do not fully understand ) they were somehow selected for the GEP programme…
DSA to GEP kids is not and should never be an entitlement, but I would dare say that DSA to GEP kids is a very very important lifeline.
Why?

The GEP programme is like a Decathlon Training & Exposure Programme ( 10 events - long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m, 110m, discus, pole vault, javelin, 1500m )
Whilst the PSLE is a Nationwide 400m race ...
So whilst the mainstream kids are prepared in a very focused manner for the 400m race ( PSLE ) from as early as P4 all the way to P6. The GEP kids are instead being focused on being ‘exposed’ to all the different Decathlon events.
I know my kids’ GEP teachers even constantly remind parents not to prepare their kids for PSLE but to support them and focus on allowing the kids to be exposed to as many things as possible, they assure us that they will start to seriously prepare our kids for PSLE from May/June of the PSLE year onwards... )

Imagine .. A GEP kid not getting a DSA to any of the IP schools that offer School Based Gifted Programme & knowing that only in August/September of PSLE year... they wld then hv to intensively prepare for the Nationwide 400m race ( PSLE ) in a short few months in P6 against a whole cohort of excellent athletes ( equally if not more intelligent & academically inclined students in mainstream )

There are many GEP kids ( I would venture, say 10%? of 500 = abt 50? ) without any CO/WL from any of the TOP IP schools after the DSA exercise.
It's also really not easy for them to really focus on preparing intensively for the PSLE ( when 90% of the classmates hv already gotten a DSA CO ). Put yrself in their shoes…. If I were them, I know I wld be really demoralised and find it difficult to ‘chiong’ when the other kids with DSA are not chionging to the same level. I know if I am a PSLE kid and I have a DSA CO, I wld not be chionging at the same level as I wld if I do not have a DSA CO, I am only human…. And I am an adult, what more a 12 yr old kid ??….

It's also not easy for them to compete against the mainstreamers in the PSLE ( A kid trained for decathlon having to compete in a nationwide 400m race with less than half a year of focused intensive training in the event against a whole bunch of just as able/more able kids who have been trained for the 400m race over 2-3 years )

Many of the GEP kids who find themselves in such a situation wld 'survive' at the end of the day ( get to a desired IP school via PSLE )
But there are also those who do not manage to do so... ( but whom I believe they wld be able to do so if only they had been as prepared and focused on the PSLE over P4-P6 like kids in the mainstream .. )
My heart really goes out to them ...
So that is why I personally feel that DSA is really an important lifeline for GEP kids…. It is not their entitlement… but a real important lifeline…

My own personal 2cts worth ...

:goodpost:

Daddydaddy, well said!!! Sometimes, I mean really sometimes, I wonder if it's the right choice to let my DS go into GEP. If he's in mainstream now, if he doesn't get thru DSA, well, guess he should feel ok since it's not easy for mainstream students afterall... But not for the case for Geppers.... where I think >70% (my guess) get CO/WL. The feeling for those without CO/WL definitely will not feel good.

[1248]

Tinkerbelle:

1248:

Thanks for such good info, this decision should take by DS, and I just checked with him. He wants to go to DHS.Actually, his dream school is HCI, but HCI DSA failed, so I advice him to work hard for PSLE.

Hi 1248,
Sorry to hear about your DS's HCI experience. At least you have COs from NUSH & DHS.
Will your DS put DHS at 1st choice or will he try to get into HCI through central posting? All the best to your DS. :rahrah:

Yes, DS selected DHS as 1st choice. However, we'll appeal for his dream sch once his T'score meets the HCI's COP.

[Frog]

Hi I am a newbie, my DD got admitted into the RGS DSA with the CO letter received a few days ago. She has also been admitted into the Talent development Programme (TDP) GEP, does anyone know anything about the TDP?