I have been in the school for the past four years and I would like to just share a little of my experience as being part of the school’s IP programme with fellow parents/students/potential juniors here


My four years in Junior High has been considered quite fruitful and enriching as a whole. Academia aside, I feel that the school has really exposed us to many interesting programmes (adventure education, arts appreciation, governance and society) that are unique and helpful to us. And of course, most students’ favourite, the boarding programme. Boarding was a really fun experience for me all these years. I find that many parents are being way too worried about their children in boarding, when in fact, the students are having a lot of fun in there. I mean, really, not many people get a chance in their teenage years to live with their peers. To eat, sleep, study and chat together, it’s the communal living and little things like these that really make up our friendships with one another. And boarding also exposes us to many other things like night cycling, musicals, workshops and stuff. But not to worry about lacking behind in studies, because there are study prep times for us to all sit down and study together.

On the academic side, I think it’s common consensus that the Junior High curriculum does lack quite a bit on the humanities side. In some years, we only get to do history. In some years, we only get to do geography. And what is being taught is definitely much lesser in content as compared to schools that take O levels. The weightage (credits) of humanities in GPA is also significantly lower than that of Maths & Sciences. But on the other hand, our Mathematics and Sciences are considered more advanced. Some of the things that we are learning are not in the O level syllabus, but in the A level syllabus, which will be helpful to us when we reach Senior High. But that doesn’t mean more stress because we are learning more difficult things. For me, at least, I find myself able to cope with them.

As for the environment here, I don’t find it particularly stressful or competitive, it’s pretty fun and nice to be in. My peers are helpful, and my teachers are very dedicated. They are always there when we needed help in our studies. They really don’t mind staying late in school just for an additional hour of consultation to help us grasp the content better when our exams were nearing. And outside class, our teachers are also very friendly and approachable. They eat with us, joke with us, have fun with us. Because they know there are times to be serious, and times to just have fun! As a whole, I sincerely feel that my time in the college so far has been good generally (even though there are times when I do get irritated by the school), and I hope that this post can probably give a first-hand sort of experience to those who may be interested in the campus life

Hi, any JH4s/parents know where to find the information and slides about the vietnam trip? The teachers-in-charge mentioned that it would be put up on LMS but I can’t seem to find it yet?

Neus048:

Hi everyone I'm new here! Just received my O level results yesterday, have a raw L1R5 of 6, 4 after bonus points. I visited NJ's open house, the facilities and everything seems really nice but didn't manage to visit the CCAs :(. Anyway, could anyone share about their experiences at NJC (It's known for being a boring school, is that true or just a silly stereotype?) and the academic aspect/ teachers! :). I have a friend who claimed that the better teachers have been picked up by other schools? I'm not very outgoing so I'm ok with a more 'boring'/ 'quiet' school, but how is the school life like?

Also, if this helps, I'm currently undecided between VJC and NJC. :). I live in Serangoon area so the travelling time for both is about the same. Thank you!

Grats on the good score Have been in NJ for a couple of years, personally my experience have been good so far! I know there's a typical stereotype of NJ being a mugger school, but in fact i don't really find it that way. The seniors that i know (I'm in Junior High) from Senior High are mostly spontaneous and very active. School events are generally nice and we can be pretty hyped up too (; There are bound to be some muggers in every school i guess though. The teachers here are relatively nice But i guess it's really subjective cuz there are good and 'bad' teachers in every school too. Some of my really nice teachers have transferred to other schools (that's pretty true :stompfeet: ) but there are still other nice ones left I do have a few teachers who are very friendly and treat us students like friends. They are very caring and very willing to share with us their own experiences. I think CCA would play a big role in school, but most of the CCAs here are good and friendly i guess. Don't go for a CCA for it's achievements i'd say, go for your passion (; For me myself, I joined my CCA since Sec1 and I'm really close to my seniors :hugs: I've seen several batches graduate and leave the school but we're still close and sometimes they will come back to visit while we train

Hope this will help you!

rains:

CassN:

[quote=\"rains\"]Is cca point deduction important for IP students? Do they need those 2 points to get into the jc at year 5?

No, IP students do not need. Which i feel is a good part of being in an IP school. I can join whichever CCA that I enjoy. I used to be in a top-notch sport in my school, given many leadership opportunities through that, lots of achievements through taking part in comps. But i left the CCA (cause i know i'm not interested in it and i don't want to waste my time building up portfolio by doing a sport which i don't enjoy) and joined another sport (which isn't doing very well in my school as it's not a niche CCA). But i'm enjoying myself very much now as it is where my passion really is and what i really like.

Thanks! I read somewhere on this forum that not getting good points for cca might affect your chances at getting into popular faculties at university level. The person quoted an example of a student who couldn't get into medicine even tho he got straight As for his academic results, bcos he wasn't actively involved in cca (which implied that he didn't get good grades for his cca).

If the above is true, then it means that you still need to do well in a cca no matter which path you take, O level or IP?[/quote]Ofcourse CCA Records are still important If the CCA itself isn't really doing well in terms of achievements, i'm sure there are other means of getting a good record, such as holding a leadership position in the CCA or perhaps just being actively involved. My school also has this 'CCA Grade' thing that is reflected on our progress report, though not calculated into GPA. Usually if one participates actively (go down for trainings, practices frequently) and has good attitude, an 'Exceeding Expection' score isn't too hard to get.

And according to my teachers, universities also look at how committed you are in a CCA If during a 6-years IP, and one keeps hopping CCAs [I really know of people who have joined more than 4 CCAs (at different times) and quitted within the first 4 years of school], I think it wouldn't say much about that person's character. But of course we are always open to choices, just don't try them too much.

argv1900:

Hi Moonne,


I didn't have time to purchase them.
I need to rush back to office after the briefing.

Did you manage to get all the uniforms ?
Reading first few pages of this forum, made me worry about the availability of the uniforms.

According to the school website, the uniforms will also be on sale on 4&7 Jan for the JH1&2.

rains:

Is cca point deduction important for IP students? Do they need those 2 points to get into the jc at year 5?

No, IP students do not need. Which i feel is a good part of being in an IP school. I can join whichever CCA that I enjoy. I used to be in a top-notch sport in my school, given many leadership opportunities through that, lots of achievements through taking part in comps. But i left the CCA (cause i know i'm not interested in it and i don't want to waste my time building up portfolio by doing a sport which i don't enjoy) and joined another sport (which isn't doing very well in my school as it's not a niche CCA). But i'm enjoying myself very much now as it is where my passion really is and what i really like.

Usually I get a Adidas/Reebok/Jansport backpack for school.

It’s cheaper than deuter (around $35 - $60) and good enough to use for school

panickymum:

Where can I get NJC PE attire ? Can't find it at Bibi baba.

Thankyou

You can check out the schedule for sale of School uniforms/PE attires here:
http://www.njc.edu.sg/index.php?option=news&task=article&id=192

In addition, uniforms/PE attires are also sold in the school bookshop during school terms.

phankao:

I think Year 3 probably has one of them more challenging assessments/exams so that those who cannot cope can quickly look for an alternative mainstream secondary school and do the O levels. It's be really too late at Sec 4, right?

Not all of them are requested to leave. Some are getting reviewed based on past performances and attitude.

lebookworm:

wheeee:

[quote=\"ong.hongli\"]what time is the latest normal (w/o cca) dismissal timing?

The latest would be 3pm on Mondays. Wednesday is 3pm as well. Fridays are the earliest to be dismissed.

It differs for different levels and also at different timings so you would have to refer to the timetable given.

For example, JH2s during Term 4, the latest dismissal timing is 4pm on Mondays as they have SPIRE then. However, during the rest of the year the latest would be 3pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.[/quote]4.30pm some days for JH3s