junemum72:

Can I know if there is any private school bus for TNS?


Can you share the contact if you have? Thanks a million.

http://taonan.moe.edu.sg/about_us/vendors.html

Here's the drivers contacts.. is your child going P1 next yr. if yes, see you on sat :imcool: :imcool:

esmummy:

About Schoolhouse by the Bay.....


My daughter was there from N2 till K2 and my boy is there in K2 now.

The school underwent a major management change about 2yr ago. The former principal, along with some good teachers, left to start Childfirst at M Square.

There has been many changes, not all of them good. I'll give you my take on the good, bad and ugly....

Good:
1. True bilingual immersion: one day entirely mandarin, next day entirely English so all teachers and lessons for the day will be in one language or the other. I don't know if any other preschool that has that... Most will have one Eng and one Chinese teacher in the class and if the child is more comfortable in say, English, then he will preferentially seek out the english teacher. In SHBTB, they are forced to use Chinese on alternate days and you can see even expat kids managing conversational mandarin.

2. Most of the teachers are pleasant, caring and responsible. I cannot speak for all.

3. Large enough rooms, a proper canteen, 2 or 3 open spaces/playgrounds and use of the huge CC gym/hall and dance studio.

4. There are observation rooms where you can watch your kids from behind a one way mirror, anytime of day or even the whole day if you wish. This open policy shows confidence and gives a reassurance that mere words lack.

5. Their full day programme has improved in terms of focus and content.

Bad:

1. Class size is huge! My boy's K2 class has 28 kids with 1 main teacher and one assistant teacher.

2. Food provided is usually refined carbs.... White bread, coco pops, juice out of a packet.... But hey, you can always BYO

3. I only share my experience with their teaching, which may differ from other parents' opinions. I cannot give them credit for teaching my kids to read. Their emphasis on phonics is weak and they rely on sight words to teach reading, something I don't agree with. At K2, my girl still couldn't read until I took matters into my own hands.

Maths is passable. No fancy stuff like abacus or speed counting, but no issues there. Did not do number bonds in preparation for P1.

Chinese is good. They do di zi gui, han Yu pin yin, character strokes etc...

I did consider taking my son out this year because they suddenly doubled his class size and some other issues irked me. But since it Is his last year and it would be too disruptive, I decided to stay on. That said, his current teachers are pretty good, and if it weren't for the class size, I'd still recommend the school.

Just heard that they brought on board Patricia koh ( founder of Pat's) as the program director 3 mths back..

And they are gunning for sparkle by next yr..
Hopefully , there will be new changes to make the school better.

hi tns parents,

For pri1 , I understand that the children will be in pm session. Would like to chk , what is your p1 child schedule like… what time wake up… what time do homework… I am a ftwm, I need to work out time to supervise her homework…
The problem is my girl hit the bed at 930 and I reach home at 7. i wonder if it will be a better idea to put her in student care so that others could help her…

Orh.. thanks nicnac and omg

for school fee… I can use the kids cda acct for giro right ?

hi pumpkin pie :rahrah: :rahrah:

see u on 15 Nov.



thanks oh_my_gosh and onAir.

Oh My Gosh:

Welcome to the Taonan family

Thanks.
:lovesite: :celebrate:

hi new here…

Just manage to get a seat today.
Wonder who else are in the same situation. . can share share ideas…as we go along…

Blessed Homemaker:

It really depends on how many people you have, hotel/minsu/daily rental, what vehicle you hire and do you need the driver 24/7.

For us, we don't stay in 5 stars hotel but in \"budget\" hotels/minsu/daily rental. As long as the place is clean, we are ok since we are out most of the time. Also, another criteria for accommodation is, I need a washing machine as we are lazy travelers and we travel light.
Our past accommodation cost for a family room range from NT1680 to NT3600. Driver fare from NT3000 - NT5000 per day, 8-12 hours service.

Jrage:

hi Blessed Homemaker, thanks for your useful notes in this thread. been reading up for the last few days.
would you like to seek your advise on budget.. how much do you think it reasonable per day pax to cover acomm and transport ?

thanks for the advise. was quoted NT6000 - 7000 for 9-seaters drivers.
Quite expensive. I just told 1 driver that I wont be taking his ride because he quoted me NT7000 for cj to Taipei ( stopover yingge). Then he reply me saying that if the quote is too low.. need to be careful.. * now I abit scare liao.

Lavis:

Hi, can anyone suggest any good location where there is a few good alternative school around ? Any SHHK affiliated school got good school nearby as alternative in case cannot get? Planning to shift house with primary school selection in mind thank you!

you probably get a better luck in the eastern region.
If you make your selection right, you will have a few schools to \"work\" with. Clementi area is probably the worst choice with all the \"not so bad\" school already very crowded.