Hi all, I've got 2 kids in P1 and P3 in HIPS. Hope to answer some of the questions posted here:


Qn: And for those whose kids are taking sch bus, roughly how much is the rate now from hougang area to hips? Thanks
Ans: My kids charged $90 per pax for two-way to/from Hougang Ave 1.

Qn: does anyone knows if HI have plans to convert to all morning session? I thought MOE direction is for school to convert to all AM session by 2016?
Ans: HIPS is currently operating Partial Single Session where P1 & P2 are in afternoon session and P3 to P6 are in morning session. The school already informed that it will go single session for all levels but I can't remember when is the target date.

Qn: I saw from moe list that hips converting to morning session..can i ask what is the morning session hours?
Ans: Based on my P3 boy's timetable, regular hours is 7.35am to 1.05pm.

Oh yes yes yes… I totally forgot about PE uniform! Yeap, school bookshop sells them. Paisay Yah… Chinese Books can only buy in Dec.

But the letter says that there will not be sale of any uniforms/books/name tags tomorrow. What are the remaining things you need to buy? May have to go again on those days that the vendors are there. I did not manage to get everything on Admin Day too. For uniforms, I got them from the vendor’s ‘shop’ at Kallang Pudding on Saturday coz the alternative dates that they’ll be in school are weekdays, which is inconvenient for working parents.

Looking forward to P1 Orientation Day tomorrow

joicewee:

I am interested to attend the lantern festival carnival. Can anyone tell me when is it? Thanks.

Hi joicewee, the Mid-Autumn Carnival is on Saturday 7 Sep 2013, 5pm-9.30pm.

keinc:

Hi everyone, thinking of sending my daughter to holy next yr. Catholic staying more than 2km away. Any feedback on the school? Kids happy? Principal good? Homework policy? Thanks in advance for any form of help.

Hi keinc.

My boy started P1 at HIPS this year. My sister's daughter is in P2 now and her older son graduated from HIPS last year. Our experiences with the teachers are very positive so far. Those that we have interacted with are found to be approachable and supportive. Parents are given the teachers' contacts (email/HP numbers) so parents can contact them (but don't harass lah ). Since we did not have one-to-one contact with each and every teacher, we can't conclude that all the teachers are good. I'm sure as with any organisation, there might be some not-so-good ones lingering around.

As for Principal, I haven't had any occasion needing to see/talk to her yet, so no comments.

Homework load is manageable, sometimes more, sometimes nothing, but definitely do-able. There are also some home assignments during school holidays. For instance, my boy had some short online assignments for the March holiday. Teachers also give out a calendar of activities in advance such as scheduled tests, assessments, etc so there will be no surprises. There are no formal exams in P1. Students' progress will be reported based on selected assessments etc.

The school offers some optional enrichment programs conducted by external parties at additional costs. These courses are held outside school hours. For my P1 boy in PM session this year, the courses are in the mornings of school days.

My boy is very happy attending HIPS and is enjoying himself. But again, as with any community, there are always good and not-so-good folks, and he did share with me about some \"naughty\" children in the school.

Overall, I am very pleased with the school so far. Performance wise, I feel HIPS is doing well. However, for parents who are looking for an elite school that tops every single chart, then this is not the one. It's all about knowing exactly what we want and managing our expectations.

By the way, the school will be undergoing upgrading works onsite from June 2014 to June 2016 to allow it to go single session in 2016/2017. Students will continue to attend classes in the same address during upgrading.

Hope the above helps

queendom:

My gal from P1 brought a form yesterday for non catholic students to attend Catechism class. Any parents know if we hv the option to opt out from this program? Is it a must for all students to attend, including non catholic? Any non catholic successfully opt out before?

Hi YellowBelt,

Hope this reply did not come too late. For non-catholic students, it's an opt-in rather than opt-out. If you do not wish to let your gal attend the lesson, you do not have to return the form. Once you've opted in, the consent lasts throughout the student's years in HIPS.