sorry OT. I will be registering next yr and have narrowed down potential choices to:


1. Xinmin Pri (<1km); backup is Xinghua Pri (<1km)
2. Jurong Pri (<1km); backup ???
2a. Xinmin Pri (<1km); alternate 2C choice Jurong Primary (1-2km); backup is Xinghua Pri (1-2km)
3. Princess Elizabeth (<1km); backup ???

We will be registering in Phase 2C for all the above options. To explain the choices above, we have two residences that we can use. I can "put" my parents in one address and take the other, which is the scenario in 2a.

My question is - does anyone know of the relative quality of the above schools? Are they all comparable or does one of them have better attributes than the rest? I’m mostly concerned about having a conducive learning environment and access to a reasonable number of CCAs. Thanks.

edit - sorry salah… PE pri is <1km.

Sun_2010:

happytwins:

Just to share, assuming you are not underweight, I think losing weight really helps to lower BP. I lost 15kg in 5 months and my BP dropped 20 points from 120/80 --> 95-100/60. Recently gained back a few kg and still 100/60.

Wow that is lot of weight lost over a short period. More so since you did it with just 30 mins exercise and moderate diet control :salute:

Just wondering isnt 100/60 little low - borderline? Do you feel less energetic than before?

I have BP of 100/60 since young, which does give me some mild discomforts but not bad. The GP said one of the bad effect is we tend to have less energy. So I am just curious, for some one who had a higher BP , how does the drop affect you?

Hi Sun_2010. I think I was just plain eating too much before. Only when I started counting calories did I realize that shorties like me need a lot less food. Also ate a lot less oily/hawker food, cut out sugared/milky drinks and brought my own food to work etc.

On BP. I was 120/80 for a long time, most of my adult life. When I was measured after weight loss I thought the 90/60, 100/60 readings were due to faulty equipment. But measured a few times since then and still at 100/60. People look at me like they expect me to faint at any moment, but really I feel just fine. Perhaps even more energetic since I exercise regularly now and don't weigh as much as I used to.

But may depend on individual, as my mom has low BP, about the same as mine. She always says she cannot run at all, although she's quite active doing daily housework, going market etc.

bb_mom -


diet (eating less calories than expenditure) + daily 30min exercise. However, not easy to keep up as you can see from my 3-4kg regain… Hoping to either maintain in this healthy weight range or lose back to the lowest point.

Just to share, assuming you are not underweight, I think losing weight really helps to lower BP. I lost 15kg in 5 months and my BP dropped 20 points from 120/80 –> 95-100/60. Recently gained back a few kg and still 100/60.

I’m just a spectator here, but this brings back memories. Don’t remember the English test, but the GAT test was fun. Couldn’t finish the math, spent a lot of time thinking about one tough question.


The most memorable part was visiting a different pri school and eating a plate of ghastly pink meesiam during the break!

Doesn’t anyone else remember their own testing day back in P3?

Thought it used to be 0.5%, not 0.25%? Just curious.

Hi, I have a slightly strange question. My daughter is 4 and on the chunky side. She is not fat, but can tell that she will not be a wispy little thing. Should this affect our decision to enroll her in ballet? Are teachers prejudiced against bigger girls? The last thing I want is for her to have some kind of complex due to unkind people.

Hello. My girl is 4 years old and is enjoys "dancing" to music. I’d like to give her a trial at ballet lessons. I stay v near Kovan mrt and convenience is key… Prefer a dance studio that is accessible by mrt. Any opinions on the following outfits?


1. Dance Point at Seletar-Yio Chu Kang

2. Ballet & Music Company @ Nex Serangoon

3. Aljunied CC - I’ve called this place several times and have yet to reach anyone.

Your thoughts are appreciated. Thanks.

Pen88n:

Trust the guy to come up with stupid suggestion to collect stats for future GEP parents by tracking progress of current GEPpers over the years. His suggestion reminds me of putting a smart chip on animals to track their progress. He may agree to his kid being the \"lab animal\" but I would certainly not agree to invading my kid's privacy for years to come! Nuts!

Geb already does track the progress of geppers over the years. We receive sporadic questionnaires, although the questions are of a broader bent than grades received in school, and range from our chosen professions, achievements, salary and even whether our spouse was also a gep graduand!

My guess is that that information is used only for gep planning purposes and never intended for public dissemination.

Hi all. I’ve been lurking on this board for a bit although my own children are a few years from entering Pri school. I just wanted to provide the perspective of an adult who went through the GEP program – what the program offered, and what it has meant to me. Caveats being that the GEP program and what regular primary schools offer now may have changed since I was in primary school, and I did not participate in the Pri 4-6 GEP program as I entered through the supplementary intake at Sec 1.


I’m not trying to sway people one way or another but I do believe that your children should be closely counselled on what they are choosing not to pursue if they are not in favour of joining the program.

My experience in primary school (all girls neighbourhood sch) was a stark contrast to my time in the program. I count the four years in sec GEP as one of the best experiences in my life. Although I was a big fish in a small pond in primary school, I can hardly remember anything significant about Pri 1-6. I truly wish I was selected for the Pri 4-6 program as well.

The GEP program is a rare opportunity for your child to be educated with his/her intellectual peers. There will never be another time or place (save ivy league university or certain elite sec schools) where your child is free to explore and learn with people who understand them. The social component of the program is significant. My relationships with my best and oldest friends stem from shared experiences in GEP. When I started the sec GEP program, I felt immensely relieved that I was among people who understood how I thought, who I was and why I did the things I did.

Before people bring up elitism, I never thought I was better than other students but I did feel continually misunderstood by my peers. On the topic of elitism, there will be plenty of time in life to interact with people of all social statures. Good family support/social groups outside school will help.

Lastly, I feel that it’s a positive thing to experience “controlled” failure in primary school and to realise early on that there are people that are better, faster, and smarter than yourself (as opposed to coasting by in an “easy/normal” environment). Learning how to cope with stress and failure are important lifeskills as everyone invariably experiences failure at some point. Learning these skills at an early age will better prepare your children to cope and overcome failure and disappointment.