Saari:

prettymomma:

Mindchamps is great but the fees..

At Sjck, I must say I have been disappointed by the service staff who attended to my queries, ( I truly hope Sjck management read this forum) and they seem v disinterested and not very helpful. They didn't reply to my email. They seem very bochap and less professional so i am quite flabbergasted. I wonder if it is because they are not exactly a 'commercial' enterprise...I hope I am wrong. There r so many good reviews here regarding teachers and happy kids at Sjck.

I would call them. Strangely I've never encountered the same as they are very spontaneous and helpful through email, calling and other modes of communication. They were always prompt for me. I love it that their teaching staff volunteer feedback even. Maybe take note of their operating hours - the staff knock off earlier than an average company or school, which may explain why if you sent an email at 4.30 pm, you may only hear back a day later.

chien6:

hmtt:

University Road. SJ school buses are full.

Really?? Have you given this feedback to the school? I know the school will make sure every child has a transport back home..

hmtt, please try enquiring within the school again. I know they will make every effort to check for seat availability. At the time of registration, I was told no place. Days before starting, I got a place and the bus driver said he had several vacancies left and we live maybe 5 mins from you. Sometimes kids pull out for a myriad of reasons, including parents whose work contract expired and have to return home overseas (I believe that's how there was a vacancy for my child in the school in the first instance). In short, no harm asking again.

eureka29:

Hi parents, my child recently received a spot for next year's nursery slot at Harding Road . I was wondering whether I could get some feedback on their Chinese curriculum. Also, my child has mild speech delay and I'm not sure whether the teachers would be receptive. He is currently attending another pre-school at the moment.

I would think correcting speech delay would take precedence over curriculum, after all there are numerous enrichment programs available out there for children to catch up. Vocab can be increased anytime while development delays shouldn't be prolonged if you can help it. If you already have concerns about speech delay when your child is already attending school, perhaps it is a sign that the current school simply cannot do more. Maybe it's time to try another, after all St James staff are all kind and compassionate and their curriculum is flexible to accommodate kids with different learning abilities that other schools cannot tolerate.

Honestly I think their Chinese syllabus is one level behind. My kid was a transfer case and can already read their new vocab and we aren't even a Chinese speaking family. But not a hindrance to me as there are books we can buy or borrow. Most important thing to me is their ability to foster learning and instil self-confidence, something I cannot find in other public preschools. My belief is as long as a child is keen to learn, more than half the battle is won, and I know St James can provide that.

edit: ooops just saw that you accepted the offer.

joanne cheers:

Anybody sent to the kids to Cma Toa Payoh branch before ? How was it ? Teachers good ?

Or
Any Cma class near Toa Payoh , bishan , amk are good ??
Pls advise ! Tks

I picked Bishan for its location although both Toa Payoh and Bishan are about equidistant from me. Not a fan of highways...

Quite happy with the Bishan one so far. My boy's teacher is very bright, kind and firm, very exceptional teacher. I would say the pace of CMA is lightning fast, lots of mental sum drills even for pre-K beginner classes. Classes are in English (I don't know if other branches have Chinese), but the instructional videos that you take home to watch with your kids are in Chinese with a Taiwanese accent. As I am quite handicapped in Mandarin, I have to watch the first couple of videos a few times each to comprehend :scared: but after that got used to the quick pace. My kid was initially lost for the first 2 lessons because joined late but soon catched on and now I find that his mind processes information (of any kind) a whole lot faster than before.

I am wondering about the quality of English used in MC as I am aware that a lot of teachers are prc. Yesterday while I was shopping, I observed a mother-and-son pair conversing. The mother spoke in perfect fluid English while her 5 yr old spoke in Singlish and broken English. With the exception of the Paragon branch, I was also told about the low level of English used. I am wondering if the kids are ever taught English by bilingual prc staff whose first language isn’t English?

wanting:

I like math but I can't learn it well, I am worried about that!

Me too! That's why I avoided math like the plague.

sleepy:

OrangUtahn:

many members joined to find life partners.

Yes, that's what I have in mind too. Will renew dd's membership when she reaches marriageable age

You crack me up!
Actually I still have a group photo taken during a UK river cruise where a couple fell in love (albeit in drunken stupor) and later married. /sigh no such luck for me /cries

Aaaaanyway to the others who enquired on the thread, I feel it is best to take the aptitude test during school/uni-going age like say 15-22, when the mind is at its sharpest.

Lynn2010:

Just to revive this discussion.... any one found any benefits of joining the Mensa??

I am re-reviving
I got tested in 1997 and am a member. I would say the benefits are largely personal and partly social. As a confidence booster it gives you an idea of where you stand, sometimes even helps you to get selected for a job when there are too many shortlisted for the same position, and helps you get acquainted with other high IQ people. I would say membership probably is of greater interest to adults rather than to teenagers because within the club are special interest groups (SIGs) and some may require in depth knowledge of a certain field. I used to attend the UK mensa while I was studying there and at that time many members joined to find life partners.

It doesn't mean people with higher IQ always succeed in life. Members come from all walks of life and it is really an eye-opener to know where these people are. On the other hand, there are quite a number of highly accomplished professionals who excel in numerous unrelated areas, e.g. well known doctors who are also music composers and novelists. Their achievements help inspire the rest of us to have a more positive outlook in life.

Some members are incredibly intelligent, typically because their minds are constantly thinking so far ahead of their peers, they often get frustrated that nobody understands them. Joining mensa can help such people get along with other members of the same wavelength so in a way it helps them socialize.

I think it is fair as long as the kid can cope with lessons and has a mild form of autism like Asperger’s. Just as you sometimes have tall short-sighted kids sitting in front so they can see better although they may be obstructing the view of shorter kids behind them. Not all autistic kids disrupt classes and I think it is very tactless to make assumptions like it is a bad thing, it’s not like the kid can help it when s/he is born his way. FYI there are autistic people who graduate well - they can be medical professionals, talented composers etc so don’t be too ready to diss schools which accept them. Hey wasn’t Einstein autistic too?

Jav:

I have read the 4 pages on BRMCK, and visited the school. However, I would like to also hear from any current parents with kids attending the school. I am torn whether to switch my kid from SJCK to BRMCK due to conveniency & proximity. From my visit, I kind of gather that BRMCK is pretty academic as compared to SJCK, somehow, the kids look less cheerful as compared to SJCK. Can any helpful parents provide some insights & their own experience of the school please, like the teachers, etc.

Interested to know why you said so. My son seems very unhappy there but he doesn't tell me why. Are teachers overly strict? A friend schooled 2 of her kids there and mentioned something about their punishment and discipline system and when she transferred her kids out to another school they were much happier. Every morning I struggle with coaxing my son to wear his uniform. Understand some kids don't look fwd to attending school but surely not this early in preschool?