Thanks, cherrygal for the invaluable info.


Up to 3 weekdays/week for non-school team sounds like hell a lot of commitment!!! Really wonder if it’s worth the amount of time/sacrifice when after 3 years/X hours of grounding, the kid doesn’t get into the school team for whatever reasons.

I mean, I can understand that not every kid has the talent in the sport. And I am quite sure that the selection criteria for the trial is super lax (like mine got selected for all 3 too and it sounded like a big fat "kelong" to me cos I know my boy!). As I understand from my boy, the stuff that they were asked to do at the trials were nothing overly technical.

I’m feeling very skeptical about the whole YDP thingy now. The big sounding name is but another marketing gimmick! Yes, it does sound like big deal to be in a "youth development program". But at the end of the day, knowing that you and not the school are paying the training fee and investing so much time which may reap little benefits, is it worth it?

Back in my schooling days, they have differentiated training for school team vs non-school team. Non-school team is once a week. School team has a heavier commitment for obvious reasons. If everyone trains as hard but one group is school team and the other is not, for the amount of effort put in, it’s super bo hua for the non-school team.

Just my 2cts…

Parents of P1 kids - Any thoughts about the Youth Development Program (YDP). Worthwhile to go for it?


Parents of P2-6 kids on YDP - What happens if the kids eventually don’t get selected for school team? They just "drop out" and choose some other CCA? Selection for school team is done in P2? P3?

Namie:

I am more concern about the drinks sold at canteen. I long suspected my son is buying drinks from the canteen as I caught him a few times when he was in P1. Though he promised not to do so anymore, I don't believe him. I have to remind him every day not to buy sugared drinks during recess. He is P3 this year. Just now my maid told me my son drinks a can/bottle of isotonic drink a day cos he brought back the bottle. I am very furious with my son and I also think the school should audit the kind of stuff that is sold.

My boy came back and told me he drank a can of H2O one day and I told him it's not healthy (did not elaborate why lah). He said it's H2O (water) and the can says \"new improved healthy formula\"! Faint! All these marketing gimmicks!

Anyway, I told him it's best if he spends just on food and save the rest of his pocket money so that he can buy books/toys. If he wants sugared drinks, come home and drink FOC Ribena which he need not pay money. Guess it was a good enough proposition to him so he doesn't seem to be buying sugared drinks in school anymore.

Based on the email from the teacher, P1 Chinese Test is in the week of 25/2-1/3. Test can be on any random day. They won’t tell you which.

Friday’s MTP


Well, they did say -many times- to email the teachers if we have further queries. So I guess there is no reason for the form teachers to stay behind.

I was just commenting to my HB how tough it is for teachers now compared to the past. When I was in Pri school, and when schools were still operating at dual session, my teachers left school the same time as me ie. half day. Currently, I have 4 teachers in my immediate family, and a VP who is my close friend. Their hours are longer than my current working hours. They are in school by 7am and mostly leave at 5 or 6 or later, though their schools are single session… My cousin has to bring papers home, stay up past midnight to mark the papers cos there are just too many meetings/remedial sessions in school that eat up her spare time.

It was Friday, and the last Friday of the month for that matter. I am not sure if MOE/schools practise Blue Sky Friday and have everyone leave early before the sun goes down. But to have them teachers around till 7pm is something I dare not say I would take for granted. I thought they should have the meeting earlier at 3pm or so, just so that we parents would be more greatly inconvenienced and be forced to take leave and their teachers can leave earlier at 6pm. Ha ha.

All in all, I still feel it was an informative session and I am quite glad and thankful that they spend the time to do it for us.

Blogs/email - who would not want regular updates? But would we want the teachers to tweet every now and then on what the boys are doing? My boy’s teachers drop the parents an email once a week, though I’d always welcome even more regular updates (vanity vanity…). They even reply emails using iPhones and on weekends. Is this the expectation now?? Good grief but I’d never want to be a teacher!

If you feel the need to do a daily revision with your boy, then just ask the kid which page of the textbook they are currently at. Even if the kid is unable to articulate well, there are just so many books in his bag and if you revise with him on an average of 3-4 new pages per day, you can’t go far wrong. So there!

I’m new here. My boy in P1 too.


Missing boy from schoolbus case - interesting. Not sure if he had intended to be out for an adventure. Else, he really could have sought help from school even if the bus went without him. shrug

Anyway, shit happens, no matter where you are. You just need to equip your kid to know what to do when they get lost:

1. Make sure your kid memorize you and your HB’s contact no.
2. Make sure his wallet/bag has your contact no.
3. Help him identify people whom he can seek help from. I always told him if he gets lost in a mall, the best people to seek help from are the people working in the shops, and not the strangers walking around. Just walk into any shop and get help. Give them my HP no and get them to call me.

When we go on an overseas trip, I get him to remember the hotel name and room no. for good reasons.