slmkhoo:

dohmisoh:

[quote=\"KPFan\"]Is it compulsory for all year 1s to get Mac Book? Which is recommended, Air or Pro?

Yes, all work done on the computer.
Air is better cos enough power and lighter.
They have to bring it everyday.

It depends on what you want. My daughter (will be Yr4) got a Pro based on advice from my husband as it's more powerful and has more memory. Air is sufficient for schoolwork and general surfing, but if your daughter is likely to use the computer for music, photo storage, video editing and the 1000+1 things that some kids do, the additional capacity may be useful. They have to use it for at least 4 yrs. My daughter takes public transport to and from school daily, and although she does grumble a bit about the weight, she manages OK. They don't carry many books.[/quote]Slmkhoo is correct.
Ultimately, it depends on the user.
For school stuff, basic air is enough. Don't even need the bigger ssd cos can always icloud or nas.
If power user, nothing is ever enough.

zulu:

KPFan:

Thank you dohmisoh and giftedgem for the info.

Looks like reporting day is going to be a really busy day... Filling in forms, talks?, school bus, Mac vendor, uniform vendor..must start taking chicken essence to boost energy.lol.

MacBook is later so no worries. Bot from school vendor. Price is ok and they provide assistance in school if issues arise. DD asked for Pro as it is supposedly faster tho slightly heavier (I drive her to and from school). Anyway you will be provided with all necessary info- specs,price,accessories etc when the time comes so you can make an informed decision.

I bought pro for dd cos being more powerful, thot would be better. Turns out they are simple users. Air would be good enough. Ds has the air. She finds no difference in her usage. dd likes the weight of the air, even carrying around in school. Who would have thought 200g would be such a difference.

You can check prices on Apple website before registration so as to compare prices with vendor. HK is $200 cheaper.

KPFan:

dohmisoh:

[quote=\"KPFan\"]Is it compulsory for all year 1s to get Mac Book? Which is recommended, Air or Pro?

Yes, all work done on the computer.
Air is better cos enough power and lighter.
They have to bring it everyday.

Thanks for the quick reply!
dd2 graduated from Rgs last year, she told me only some classes were on trial with Mac. Looks like the school is going full steam ahead.
Which year is your dd in?
dd3 may be joining Rgs next year, so I'm curious to know about the Mac. Does the vendor give any discount?[/quote]She is yr2 next year. In 2013, the yr 1s start full steam in March. My dd full steam from start.
I bought from HK.

KPFan:

Is it compulsory for all year 1s to get Mac Book? Which is recommended, Air or Pro?

Yes, all work done on the computer.
Air is better cos enough power and lighter.
They have to bring it everyday.

Teacher Aaron:

jtoh:

Unfortunately, since 2006 all students must take at least one contrasting subject so the option of triple science + math at H2 level are no longer available to most students. That is the reason why the most common subject combinations these days is BCME and PCME, Econs being the contrasting subject.

I know about the contrasting subject requirement, but the contrasting subject can be offered at H1 level. You can still take triple science and math at H2 level and take, say, Economics at the H1 level, which the result will be of no consequence to university admission.

Triple science and math at H2 level is the best subject combination based on my knowledge of university admission requirements. Of course, the question is whether JCs are willing to offer such an option. Maybe parents can try to pressure JCs to offer this option?

From NUS website.
Computation of University Admission Score »
The University Admission Score (UAS) is computed as follows:


the best four content subjects (i.e. 3 H2 and 1 H1 content subjects, with at least 1 content subject to be from a contrasting discipline) either GP or KI grade taken in the same sitting
H1 Project Work

:evil:

jtoh:

Unfortunately, since 2006 all students must take at least one contrasting subject so the option of triple science + math at H2 level are no longer available to most students. That is the reason why the most common subject combinations these days is BCME and PCME, Econs being the contrasting subject.

My 2 cents worth that I tell my own kids.

Logic by which you choose your subjects.

1) Choose subjects that you like (chances are, you will be good at it)
2) Choose subjects that you are good at (can score)
3) Choose any subject (boh pian)

:boogie:

zeemimi:

clay569:

Some questions, pls help...

What if a child DSA via sports or performing arts but lost the passion some years down, are they not allowed to quit at all?

And if a child sustain certain injury that hampers his/her ability to continue in the sports DSAed in, will the child be 'dismissed' from the CCA and thus lose the CCA points?

DSA Sports commitment is at least 4 years.

DD's friend DSA sports but sustained injuries due to the sports and could not continue. However she stayed on with the Track team and did light training and supported the team morally in competition. Though she could not compete, she was not \"dismissed\" from the Track team.

Just to add on, in Dd Ip school, DSA commitment is 6 yrs. She loves

wonder mom:

Hi! I have an idea of choosing rgs for my daughter. her cut off is 262. She likes science and maths. She has an interest to pursue career in engineering. Is it possible for that when she finishes Ip in RGS. In RGS curriculum I can see maths, Physics, Chemistry, biology. Will Rgs students have Maths and science each year, or will they have that subject only once. I browsed through the web site and got confused with raffles academy and other programs.

Will all the children study the same subjects. If not, are they free to choose the subjects for them or will the subjects be offered to them on merit basis. pls help me with this as soon as possible. If possible please give me the list of subjects they will be studying in years 1, 2 3 and 4.
She didn't take DSA tests. So she can't go for NUS high school or Singapore School of science and technology.Thanks

The school builds the girls up towards the A levels at the end of 6 years. Along the way, the school will support the interest of the student to the extent that the child is able to handle. Raffles Academy is an accelerated program designed to cater to the high achiever.

peppercr@b:

Hi all,

My dd got 261+2. We went to the open house for River Valley (RV), St. Nicholas (SN) and Bukit Panjang Gov (BP). My dd like RV very much but we are very concern about her HMT, and her ability to cope with RV's IP program as there is no 'O' level backup. Should we insist to put her in BP? Or let her \"make it or break it\" in RV? Anyone knows the fallout rate of RV? Any comments is much appreciated. :idea:

With your dd's score, she can even try for RGS or Nygh. Most important is that she must like the school and the culture. I suggest you read up on the individual schools pages in ksp to get an idea.

ilovelaksa:

Resilience:

So what is the marked difference between paying in hundreds to take the IP programme in ACSI/ RI etc, vs only a few dollars for an IP programme in CHS/ NJC etc?


Why would it be worthwhile? Due to vastly different programmes offered?

I am just trying to find out a bit more. Thanks!

I'm not sure about this. I tot the higher fees in the elite IPs meant that class sizes would be smaller and of course, it could be due to the larger number of staff with Doctorates and Masters degrees.
In VCA IP, class size is around 25 for the yr3. Staff is drawn from VS and VJC.

Hi,
My DS is in RI Yr6 (IP) and DD in NJC Yr5 (pioneer batch of 6 year IP).

I wont comment on the infrastructure and the teachers as I believe that these top schools are more or less the same. The program and exposure that my 2 DC had was also about the same. I would like to share a little on the softer side.

Each school's approach is a little different. RI is more independent, leaving the kids to find their way. For NJC, there was a little more hand holding, especially in Yr 1 and 2 (maybe it is because the program was brand new then). These styles suited the styles of my kids.

Now that they are in Yr 5 and 6, I have to say that there is a difference and it may not be due to the school. The school spirit in RI is very strong as the kids have a strong affinity to the school and to each other. My DS goes back to the school to mug for this final run up, staying as late as 11 pm, even on weekends. He goes because many of his friends are there too. In fact, we see at least a couple of hundred students all working hard, supporting each other. There's a strong support structure comprising of the school, parents and students. Parents pool together and put up a home cooked buffet dinner for 2 weeks. The kids pay $1 for a meal and they love it.

On the other hand, NJC is very quiet. Kids study outside, maybe in their own groups but definitely not as a cohort.

This is something that money cannot buy.
Just my opinion.