Hi! Am interested in any comments about the CCAs. My boy took golf in ACSP and is crazy about it but Barker does not offer golf. He is interested in programming but it seems that the Infocomm Club focuses on robotics. He does not like performing so dance/choir/drama are out. Does not like swimming nor water polo nor rugby nor basketball... Sigh... Would be grateful for any info or suggestions.
Latest posts made by Metis
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RE: Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road)
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RE: Xuelin Learning Hub - Discussion
My son complains that he keeps getting different teachers. He is in P6. The materials looks ok but I am not happy with the way they changed the schedule. School just informed parents in late July that all term 4 classes for P6’s would be moved forward to be completed before PSLE which makes sense. However, this results in overlapping with term 3 classes and there are a number of classes we could not attend due to clashes in schedule. So far, a new administrator whom I have not seen before informed us that we still have to pay for the classes which my son could not attend (which is unreasonable since Sep, Oct and Nov classes are all crammed into Aug and Sep) but fortunately, the new class teacher will appeal to the principal. Will update everyone on this.
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RE: Singapore Chinese Girls School (Secondary)
Hi hi,
I have never heard of my daughter and her classmates discussing boys! They do discuss which JCs or fields of study they want to join, and what they want to do when they grow up, since their cohort does not benefit from the IP program. I do wonder if this could be due to the fact that she is in one of the top classes and her peers are really hardworking and focused.
The last time she mentioned boys was when she was in Primary 6. (Four years ago!!!) She told me that some of her schoolmates met boys from tuition classes and they connect on Facebook and go for lunch and ice-cream, etc.
After entering secondary school, there seemed to be a change in the profile of her schoolmates. In primary school, there were quite a number of tai-tais or their drivers hanging around to pick up the kids after school, including a certain socialite featured in yesterday’s Sunday Times. In secondary school, these families seem to disappear. I hear many of these kids go on to international secondary schools. In SCGSS, we see more girls taking buses. Yes, they are older now and more independent but when you mingle with the parents, there are also more middle and lower income groups. You don’t see so many branded handbags and bling-bling and obscenely huge cars. (So if u see them, they are usually there to pick up a primary “baby”.) There is a Malay girl in my DD’s class whose parents don’t appear at all well-to-do. She was not from SCGPS and her two siblings are also in elite secondary schools. I am so happy for this family! Talk about social mobility through meritocracy!!
As for the school leadership, the Principal is a very ambitious and driven lady but with a good heart. I have also found her approachable and open to suggestions (but please do your research first before presenting them to her). Many people may think she is a tough taskmaster but I think she is mindful of the importance of a balanced and well-rounded education and is doing her best to motivate every student and staff to achieve excellence (quite tiring leh). At the end of the day, she has to face the parents and school board and be accountable for the school’s reputation and high standards. -
RE: Singapore Chinese Girls School (Secondary)
Dear tiredmama,
My daughter is in SCGS Sec 4 and was in SCGS Primary as well. She has been very happy here. I would like to share with you an overview of the school.
What are the key words to describe SCGS? Based on our experience: holistic, excellence, kindness, grace, refinement... Generally, SCGS are very 斯文 (refined and graceful) even as the school strives for excellence. Don't let those gentle smiles beguile you. These girls are no pushovers - the environment is quite competitive! Top scorers will enjoy the rigour here and the myriad of opportunities to stretch their minds in many different fields. I personally like the Business at School project (with the Boston Consulting Group) to expose the girls to entrepreneurship. As the school is one of the best in Singapore for \"value-added\", other girls can expect to catch up and do well too.
Girls from non-affiliated primary schools need not worry - more than half of my girl's clique comprise of them :grphug:
SCGSS is one of the few schools still offering Literature and my girl has matured and learnt so much about life from this course. This is one of the ways you can see that the school pays attention to a well-rounded and holistic education, and is not focused on grades alone. There are also one-off, ad hoc classes, which are very interesting, held on a regular basis. My girl tried her hand at animation and Japanese tea ceremony. She was very disappointed that she could not get into the cake decoration class - fully subscribed within the hour!
I also love the way the school uses its Peranakan background to teach the girls about our Singapore history and Asian culture.
Last but not least, quite a number of nice young men have asked me over the years if I know any nice SCGS girls. They think that these girls have a good combination and balance of smarts, personality and character. I told them my cohort is a bit too young for them. It is comforting to a mother to know that her girl stands a good chance of being sought after! -
RE: Alcohol & Teachers on School Trips
Thanks Chief Kiasu! So do you think I should inform the school? The Principal?
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Alcohol & Teachers on School Trips
Will appreciate forum members’ advice on whether I should give feedback to my child’s school about a teacher’s alcohol consumption on a school trip overseas.
According to my child and a few other students, one of the teachers drank at least a glass of wine every dinner. Fortunately, he was able to function normally on most evenings. On a couple of evenings, his speech was slurred and he had to stumble to the tour bus. The other teacher did not drink and was not too successful in her attempts to dissuade him. The trip went smoothly but I think his ability to look after the youngsters in his charge was probably compromised. I am also worried for other children that he may be in charge of on future trips.
As he is a good teacher, I emailed a general feedback to MOE, hoping that MOE would issue a warning and explicit guideline on this to all schools and teachers. This will hopefully give the teacher a second chance without damaging his career. My feedback was : “Does MOE have a guideline for alcohol limit for teachers, tour guides and drivers taking students on school trips? I am concerned due to feedback from one of my children during a recent trip.”
Here is the reply I received today: "Based on the information you have provided, we wish to share that the school Principal or management would be in a better position to address your concerns and look into the matter. "
I am reluctant to do so as I don’t want to ruin this teacher’s future. On the other hand, I am bugged by a nagging feeling that something bad may happen in future. Unfortunately, my intuition had always been reliable. What should I do? -
RE: Is two-week vacation leave after only one year reasonable?
Thanks for advice to check her luggage. My last maid sealed up most of her stuff and very quickly sent them home by sea-mail - the big box type. Her face was very black when I tried to check her luggage. Luckily I thought about this scenario, did an inventory check and transferred all the more valuable and important items to a small room at StorHub and a safe deposit box with Certis Cisco 4 months before she was due to leave. I put all the more valuable and important stuff there, including branded items.
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RE: Is two-week vacation leave after only one year reasonable?
Agree. A few of my friends had maids who didn’t want to go back after completing 2-year contracts and received similar quantums of cash compensation for air tickets. They seemed very happy!
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RE: Is two-week vacation leave after only one year reasonable?
Thanks, sad citizen!
Imp75: home leave application just means that the maid goes home with the intention to return to Singapore to continue working for the same employer. By contract, this is granted at the end of 2 years. Occasionally, some maids want to return home, like mine, for events such as the wedding or death of a family member before the completion of 2 years.