DSA 2011

[Tinkerbelle]

1248:

Tinkerbelle:

[quote=\"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.[/quote]Oic....so now, focus on his PSLE and hopefully, he can get into his dream sch. Jia you!! :rahrah:

[ngbrdad]

yukilei:

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.

Assembly time at 8 am.
Not too bad actually.

[Nightrace]

Augmum:

in the end, my decision was to go with my gal's heart,
as she would be the one studying in the school and till date,
she enjoys every bits of it, loves her school, her friends and teachers there.......

[/quote]


Yes. When the child is happy, he/she will be self-motivated. DS is happy in DHS and he loves his school.

1248, all the best to you and your DS.

[Funx3]

1248:

my first post here.

I have headache due to DS getting CO from NUSH and DHS,any suggestions? :?

:welcome: and :congrats: 1248!

[Funx3]

soka:

1248 wrote:


my first post here.
I have headache due to DS getting CO from NUSH and DHS,any suggestions?

1248, same headache here for DD between NYGH and DHS. $$$$Fee is also a reason. TIll now I also can't decide leh.

:congrats: soka for your Gal's Double CO!

[Interested]

[quote]

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.

[/quote]
Can understand how Blur dad feeling and thanks Daddydaddy for writing how I feel. My DS is in the same or even worst situation then Blur Dad, ds got less then 75% and got rejected by all 3 sch, not even CO/WL. I understand this year (or maybe I'm not aware of prev yrs) <80% got CO the rest got WL or Rej. If this is the case why told us in the beginning that 70% is safe in GEP ?? If less then 75% mark geppers got rej then this year Geppers without CO is more the 20% rite ?? Not all applied for more then 3 sch and if got rejected mean they fall inside the no CO group. I really confuse now, if <70% but less the 75% got no CO then it should be more the 20% w/o any sch thru DSA rite ?? I'm really confuse now....

[Funx3]

Interested:

Can understand how Blur dad feeling and thanks Daddydaddy for writing how I feel. My DS is in the same or even worst situation then Blur Dad, ds got less then 75% and got rejected by all 3 sch, not even CO/WL. I understand this year (or maybe I'm not aware of prev yrs) <80% got CO the rest got WL or Rej. If this is the case why told us in the beginning that 70% is safe in GEP ?? If less then 75% mark geppers got rej then this year Geppers without CO is more the 20% rite ?? Not all applied for more then 3 sch and if got rejected mean they fall inside the no CO group. I really confuse now, if <70% but less the 75% got no CO then it should be more the 20% w/o any sch thru DSA rite ?? I'm really confuse now....

Hi Interested, Sorry to Hear of the Rejection.
Maybe U could Advise your Boy to put this DSA Experience behind him, and Concentrate to Work hard to Score in PSLE instead.

ALL is Not Lost yet, With Good PSLE Score, He Can Still Apply to Get Into Any Good Sch of His Choice.

JiaYou!

[LangMum]

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,

Is there MRT near DHS? Which station is that?

[Blur Dad]

Interested:

[quote]

yukilei:

: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.

Can understand how Blur dad feeling and thanks Daddydaddy for writing how I feel. My DS is in the same or even worst situation then Blur Dad, ds got less then 75% and got rejected by all 3 sch, not even CO/WL. I understand this year (or maybe I'm not aware of prev yrs) <80% got CO the rest got WL or Rej. If this is the case why told us in the beginning that 70% is safe in GEP ?? If less then 75% mark geppers got rej then this year Geppers without CO is more the 20% rite ?? Not all applied for more then 3 sch and if got rejected mean they fall inside the no CO group. I really confuse now, if <70% but less the 75% got no CO then it should be more the 20% w/o any sch thru DSA rite ?? I'm really confuse now....[/quote]Hi Interested

I totally understand how you feel. I and DW did not set the right expectation to DS. I told my DS that \"Son, you are only a few marks different from your classmates, as long as you do well in the Hast, GAT, short written test, personal statement and interview, there is still good chance to be awarded a CO for RI/HCI/ACSI\". I was than bloody naïve.

I think it is better for those schools to set the expectation right in the beginning. Suggest to mention that to the DSA applicants that “For GEP students, if your SA1 result is <80%, need not apply.” Or “The COP for DSA is 80%”.

[Brenda10]

Hi,


Sorry for the late update as we were busy during the last few days.

DD recd an unsuccessful letter from DHS last week!

Have jokingly told her that perhaps there are too many 舞林高手 lah！ :evil:

Therefore she is still a 自由身 that can sign her contract with different tier of school base on her PSLE result!

BTW, we found the DSA process is a great experience and DD had learnt and experience how competitive that she will be facing when she move to Secondary school.