Snow Crystal:

:imanisland: So cute ... the Year 1 Cedar IP classmates are in KSP forum for 'class gathering'.

Suggest you young ladies visit other IP threads in this forum and you will realize that you are not alone.
Also, because you study alongside Cedar Express so you think that their life is easier. Two sides to a coin...these Express ladies work so hard and in order to go to VJC, they practically have to get almost all distinctions for L1R5 - very very tough. So appreciate your chance in IP, continue feedback to your Principal and unite in your voices.
All the best to you sweet ladies and when stressed, do come here and pour sorrows to the aunties (or uncles), and do also share your joy. There are so many positive traits which you have acquired from IP too.

:goodpost: is your dd in cedar?

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NY1969:

Are u in secondary 3 now or belong to the IP program?

I am in the IP programme. ^^

thank you all for the encouraging messages, I really appreciate it! :thankyou:

Thank you Snow Crystal and isetan for the encouraging replies, we'll brave through the storms!

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mamona:

want_to_know:

[quote=\"mamona\"]Hi


I attended the Cedar Open House last Saturday & liked the school. But reading from this thread I came to know they give more emphasize on Maths & Sc rather than English. Is it true ?

I am concern as my daughter is strong in English and her passion for English is remarkable.

Also is there any school bus available for Cedar ?

Hi, I am in Cedar, currently in Sec 2 and for me, I didn't really feel the difference in emphasis for the subjects! There are math periods everyday (for Sec 2s, at least, i'm not sure about the Sec 1s...) because we have to take A Math in sec 3. They definitely still give emphasis to Eng! I'm an english person too, I got an A* in PSLE for Eng. But fear not, they emphasize in Eng. Just slightly more in Math & Sci because these are the harder(?) subjects. For eng there's drama and stuff, so it's really fun and cool.

And there's bus services in the morning. Even if you live in Marine Parade.

Hope this helped!

Many thanks for your reply. Good to know that you are happy being a english high achiever person. Also it is great to know they have school bus.

Do you have any info on the GAT ? How to prepare for it ?[/quote]when I DSA-ed for Dunman High and Cedar-IP, this GAT is actually a test which is almost impossible to prepare for because all the questions are 'pattern' types, which are literally patterns with squares and circles and boxes everywhere. They basically test your logic skills and yeah it's quite abstract. It's pretty tough, I screwed it up way worse than my friends who are highly intelligent (RGS/NYGH/RI/HCI/DHS calibre) and my friends already found it hard. But not to worry, I managed to secure my DSA offer even though I did badly for it (based on gut feel). Results for this GAT test will not be revealed though.

underthesea:

Hi EllyInTheSkies,


Well done in your PSLE!!

My dd is in Mee Toh P6 this year. Can you please share with me what are the strategies to prepare for PSLE. With your T-score, why didn't you choose NY or RGS?

hmm...strategies. I'm not sure myself, because I slacked a lot in P6. All I did was assessments and practice papers.

Always listen to the teacher in class, because the he/she is the key in helping your dd ace PSLE. When in doubt, ask. There is not much need for you to resort to any particular exam strategy. Just do your best with confidence and everything should be all right.

However, for maths, one should not stick to model methods because the questions in P6 can hardly be solved with models. My tuition teacher taught me algebraic manipulation in P6 and it was really the best method because I could solve many 4/5 marks questions easily with algebra. You can try teaching your child that, however, not everyone can understand and apply it correctly.

As for why I didn't go to RGS or Nanyang, that's because at the start of the year my P6 results were quite rocky and at that point in time I could only score a mid 240+. So I wanted to have a 'safety net' for my PSLE and DSA-ed to Cedar's IP. I got accepted in the end. However, I never expected myself to get 264 because all along my results were pretty mediocre (except during prelims, I got 360/400 which was 2nd in my class) and I lost my confidence for 2 subjects after taking the exams. I only predicted I would get at most 250+, but when I saw 264 on the results slip I was so overwhelmed I started crying endlessly. I wanted to appeal, but unfortunately, I was already DSA-ed to Cedar, hence I had no choice but to go to Cedar.

a huge thank you to the lovely aunties for their replies! :grphug: :lovesite: :thankyou:


I do indeed feel better after reading them. It seems like every student, be it in the O-Level or IP track, will face this problem. I suppose it depends on how proactive we are and what attitude we have when overcoming these challenges.

I'll just try my best to make my secondary school life a fulfilling one!

I’m a Sec 1 student in Cedar’s IP and my best friend in primary school in now in Dunman’s IP.


She tells me that Dunman is ‘super slack’ and their homework is at most a ‘few pieces of worksheets’. She can afford to laze around at home everyday after finishing her homework. Also, she ends school way earlier than me (3.15pm!!).

As for my school’s IP, it’s horrifying. In just a few weeks I already have 2 science projects, one maths graded assignment where you even need to explain with words how you derived your answer and what logical reasoning you used and tons of homework from other subjects. Everyday it just keeps piling up. Usually we get 10+ sets of homework over the weekends. My class tried to negotiate with the teachers, but they often say that they did not violate our school’s Homework Policy. I often need to finish my projects within a tight deadline and hence I usually sleep at 12 or 1am a few days in a row. Coupled with 3rd Lang, I always feel very drained at the end of the day. We also need to bring laptops on a daily basis, and it’s really exhausting to carry it around.


Why is it that Dunman’s Year 1 IP is so carefree, yet mine is so ridiculous? With my score of 264 I could’ve chosen Dunman as my first or second choice in the S1 posting exercise, unfortunately I had already been bound by Cedar’s DSA. Now I kind of regret going to Cedar, because I’m really afraid I will breakdown one day.

I graduated from the 2011 batch and had a PSLE score of 264(+3). I am now in Cedar's IP (which is super super stressful).


I cannot fathom why MTS parents are so desperate for their children to have remedial classes. Is it really necessary, what with all that supplementary classes, tuition, CCAs, enrichments, etc.? Imagine if you tell your kid, 'son, you're going to stay back 3 hours everyday with your teacher because your maths is drastically failing,' would your child like it? I wouldn't be very happy, because my time would be spent on all this academic drilling when I could actually relax after a hectic week.

Aren't we putting too much focus on academic results? What happened to holistic, all-round development of the children? We musn't forget about letting the kids have a balanced amount of work and play, no matter how bad their grades are.

Also, if your child listens attentively to the teacher and asks him/her questions when in doubt, there would usually be significant improvements. For example, I was in the best class in P5, but my maths (which was never my forte) was terrifying. For SA1 I got 65, which is not something you would see in the best class. I did improve, but I never went above 75.

In P6, I was worried about my maths and decided to place more focus on it. My teacher, Mdm Ang, was really effective in teaching mathematics and was willing to stay behind for 15 minutes after lessons to clarify our doubts. There were no remedial lessons whatsoever though. Through her efforts I managed to score an A* in PSLE last year. I think good, helpful teachers is one of the main factors of getting your child to improve.

Remedial is not always the ideal method unless your child is still failing when PSLE is around the corner. But if your child is only in P4/P5, I really see no need for it. You just need to believe in your child, and trust me, miracles can happen. On the day of the release of the PSLE results I was so shocked to the extent that I cried. I only expected 240+ because I was sure I had already 'thrown away' 2 As after the exams. But I didn't. I was still able to succeed. The same goes for your child. You just need to place your faith in him, and everything will be fine.

just my two cents on this matter.