Pat's Schoolhouse

[debpch]

My kid is 2008 born and we have been with Tanglin for 1 month. We are currently in the queue for Serangoon (seems that there are >200 2008-born kids in the queue :roll: )


Teachers-wise, we have a local lady teaching English and a PRC lady teaching Chinese. The English teacher is very friendly and readily offers feedback of our kid's progress in class. The class ratio (if I remember correctly) is around 12:2. Ms Ada (our principal), the main reason we signed up with Tanglin in the first place, is very approachable and ever willing to offer advice.

We do agree that food-wise, there is room for improvement. However, because our kid is there for half-day only, the food was not high on our list of \"must-haves\" when we chose PSH.

Like empressplace, we chose PSH after comparing the curriculum (Chinese & English) with the other preschools (5 in total) that we visited. Having said that, whenever I ask my kid what she does in school, she will always cheekily say: \"Dancing the whole day.\"

[eyktay]

debpch:

My kid is 2008 born and we have been with Tanglin for 1 month. We are currently in the queue for Serangoon (seems that there are >200 2008-born kids in the queue :roll: )


Teachers-wise, we have a local lady teaching English and a PRC lady teaching Chinese. The English teacher is very friendly and readily offers feedback of our kid's progress in class. The class ratio (if I remember correctly) is around 12:2. Ms Ada (our principal), the main reason we signed up with Tanglin in the first place, is very approachable and ever willing to offer advice.

We do agree that food-wise, there is room for improvement. However, because our kid is there for half-day only, the food was not high on our list of \"must-haves\" when we chose PSH.

Like empressplace, we chose PSH after comparing the curriculum (Chinese & English) with the other preschools (5 in total) that we visited. Having said that, whenever I ask my kid what she does in school, she will always cheekily say: \"Dancing the whole day.\"

Thanks so much for your valuable sharing.
Your child is there for full day?
I visited church kindy too, at this age, it does seem like it's more Music & Movement, i.e. singing & dancing. That's the reason why I wanna see what is the diff from PSH's curriculum. So maybe, I will consider PSH when she is older, i.e, K1, as compared to now, cos the $$$ is really high, sob sob.

Cos K1 onwards, there's enrichment like iMath, etc which I feel is very useful. But PreN & N, I wonder where is the diff. Hope more mums can enlighten me, thanks!

[crystalbelle08]

Dear mummies,


i agree that its more worth it to send them in at the later stage when the enrichment classes and the strong curriculum kick in.

However, i have also heard mummies telling me that the wait list for nursery and Kinder level were so long that they never get to enroll eventually as they are not many dropouts as the children progress to Kindergarden level.
What i heard is, for popular outlets like Serangoon, the wait list is ridiculous. My jaw dropped when i heard the number. Serangoon Pat’s are trying to increase their capacity by acquiring more spaces, so pray hard that they are successful. If not, no point waiting, better have some contigency plan.

I suggest those who are in waitlist for Serangoon or other popular outlets, call and enquire how many people are in front of you. No point pining high hopes if there is a whole chunk of people queueing ahead of you.

For them, priority will be given to siblings, followed by existing students asking for transfer, and then to those on the waiting list. So mummies can roughly guess the chances from there.

eyktay,
The reason why i started my gal with the toddler’s class is to have my first foot in Pat’s. To be honest, whatever she learn during her toddler’s class year, i believe she could learn it in other PAPs childcare also. The second reason was a low teacher student ratio which i thought is impt as she is only 1yr+ then. Academically wise, I have zero expectation.

Curerntly she is in playgroup (2-3yrs). I will expect them to maintain a good student ratio, trained my gal to be academically ok, and also with decent teachers who speak properly.

At nursery level, I will have HIGHer expectation. My gal has to speak well and be academically stronger than her peers in the cheaper CC. If not why i pay so much since the student ratio is getting closer and closer to the normal CC. This is the stage where Pat’s strong curriculum and teachers are important.

[smurfy]

eyktay:

I've heard that diff PSH branch is diff.

Any views of PSH Serangoon?
Anyone's kid is there for half day only?

My child is 2008, am thinking of placing her for half day. At the same time also exploring church kindergartens, how diff is PSH programs for half day for younger kids of 3yo compared to church kindys? Many thanks in advance for any advise.

hi, my boy is 2007 and he is with the serangoon branch since last year @ playgroup. My views on serangoon is that it's a well established center w lots of experienced teachers (having said that, alot of things are taken for granted that u should know or you shld not worry too much coz it's been tried and tested by tonnes of kids in the past). He was in half day last year and full day this year. the enrichment programs (imaths, music and me, fasttrac kids, speech n dramas), all started in nursery level and above. For playgroup, quite similar to other cc/kindies, it is more towards gearing them in their self help skills. curriculum wise, they are exposed to the 26 characters in lettterland.

seriously, i dunno how much he learnt in playgroup, except he's having lots of funs -_-'

[smurfy]

debpch:

My kid is 2008 born and we have been with Tanglin for 1 month. We are currently in the queue for Serangoon (seems that there are >200 2008-born kids in the queue :roll: )


Teachers-wise, we have a local lady teaching English and a PRC lady teaching Chinese. The English teacher is very friendly and readily offers feedback of our kid's progress in class. The class ratio (if I remember correctly) is around 12:2. Ms Ada (our principal), the main reason we signed up with Tanglin in the first place, is very approachable and ever willing to offer advice.

We do agree that food-wise, there is room for improvement. However, because our kid is there for half-day only, the food was not high on our list of \"must-haves\" when we chose PSH.

Like empressplace, we chose PSH after comparing the curriculum (Chinese & English) with the other preschools (5 in total) that we visited. Having said that, whenever I ask my kid what she does in school, she will always cheekily say: \"Dancing the whole day.\"

be warned abt the high student ratio in serangoon ~ ah boy nursery class is 2 trc: 18 students ( 2 new add-onz from last yr playgrp).

yep. even the 2 new addon who came in had some relations to enter... 1 is transferred from Whitely, the other is like got older sibling in the sch.

[eyktay]

Thanks for sharing mummies! Truly appreciate the frankness. So seems like PG years are for investment for a place in PSH…sigh…very ex lei…sob sob.

[eyktay]

REPEATED POST

[smurfy]

eyktay:

Thanks for sharing mummies! Truly appreciate the frankness. So seems like PG years are for investment for a place in PSH....sigh.....very ex lei....sob sob.

for me, I started in dstory club... \"existing sTUDENTS' get priority for playgrp kekeke.

[eyktay]

smurfy:

eyktay:

Thanks for sharing mummies! Truly appreciate the frankness. So seems like PG years are for investment for a place in PSH....sigh.....very ex lei....sob sob.

for me, I started in dstory club... \"existing sTUDENTS' get priority for playgrp kekeke.

The iMath progs start in Nursery or K1?
Hmmmm, PN half day also not cheap lei....

[omgmum]

empressplace,


Totally agree with you. Like you, I was debating btw CH and PSH, and in the end, chose the latter because of the bilingual system, and CH didn't have phonics.

The English at PSH is okay, although I still have to say that CH's spoken English is better, maybe cos the teachers don't really have the Singlish accent.

Now having another major headache; I have to find another centre for dd when she goes to nursery next year. Cos Halifax is full! It was one of those Wah Lau Eh moments! Especially now that dd is quite nicely settled in Halifax.

And I thought that I'd only had to go through the whole searching for preschools ordeal only once! Have to start worrying about logistics and what-nots again.

The worst is that the schools near my area- Buckley, Claymore and Mt Emily- seem to be very popular too. Was going to bathe my dog but now totally not in the mood!