nansyxu:

any parent receive invitation of RGSMS this year? cannot find any information related it.

can call RGS general office to check with the school?

Wish all the "J3" Hwachongians the best of luck in their A level results!

C.C:

Hi all, forgive the lengthy post, but hope you guys can advise on what would be the best option(s) for me ...


I'm living near Bartley / Macpherson area, and I am a Catholic High old boy. I had a \"Which option for the scenario\" question some time last year on whether to give up 2A(1) with Catholic High to go for Maris Stella instead due to distance (yeah I know, I threw in a red herring scenario in there as well).

But in any case, I'm actually not too worried about my son, and he won't be in Pri 1 so soon. I am however, undecided on what I should do for my daughter, who is 2 years older.

The Mrs is a CHIJ OLGC (and CHIJ St Joseph Convent) old girl. My understanding is that OLGC doesn't have an alumni association but from what I'd been reading my daughter would have a pretty much guaranteed spot under 2A(2). I'm not sure OLGC would be ideal for her though, because it is about 5km direct distance and a 7+km route from our place to the school, even further if we have to factor in other stops for school bus. On top of that, should it come down to having to fall back on the SJC affiliation (I know, probably thinking way too far ahead), the current location at Sengkang is going to be one hell of a commute.

I'm now trying to come up with possible alternatives, factoring in that her younger brother will most likely be going to Catholic High 2 years later.

The nearest CHIJ to us is actually Katong Convent, but even that is about 3.5km away direct distance, about a 5km route. I was considering this as an option seeing as primary and secondary will be at the same location and my understanding is that based on past years records there's a good chance of getting a place, but have been advised against it as 1 child going east and the other going west (with my home as base) would be a logistics headache.

There are a couple of additional factors I might take into consideration:

The kids' paternal grandmother i.e. my mother, lives within walking distance of Catholic High. Just exit from the primary school side small gate, walk out through the landed estate to the main road (i.e. the Whitley Secondary bus stop), cross the overhead bridge and it's my mother's estate. I do not rule out the possibility my son will go there after school or even stay there on weekdays if he does go to Catholic High, so I may start the same arrangement with my daughter. Just for reference, this address is just a bit over 1km from Ai Tong (1.0xx km actually) and just a bit over 2km from SNGS (2.1xx km actually).

The kids' paternal grandfather i.e. my father, is an active member of Paya Lebar Methodist Church. We also do not rule out the possibility of going the religious affiliation route to try for 2B at PLMGS - which is over 2km but less than 2.5km distance away from my place - if we do not go with a weekday / after-school arrangement for the kids at my mother's place and have them go back to our own home.

Based on all of the above, what would you guys choose to do for my daughter if you were me?

Hi CC,

You may need to consider (1) the primary school itself (2) distance (3) affiliation to secondary school.

For the aspect of affiliation,
As other parents replied, no affiliation from cedar primary school to cedar girls. Then CHIJ school might be a good choice. Because there are quite a few good CHIJ secondary schools, your child will have more choices when your child chooses secondary school after PSLE.

All the best to CJC J2 students last year for their A level results release this Friday!!

iRabbit:

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/elite-ri-students-must-be-inclusive-retiring-principal-says-their-responsibility


SINGAPORE — The principal of Raffles Institution (RI) caused a stir back in 2015 when he made a speech about elitism, but his candid remarks must have rang true to those who heard it or read about it, because they were surprisingly well-received.

On July 25 that year, while marking the school’s 192nd Founder’s Day, Mr Chan Poh Meng admitted that RI had become “insular”, was not “truly representative of Singapore”, and catered to students from the upper class of society. The school had become “middle class” and the student population had become less diverse in terms of their socio-economic backgrounds, which was unlike what it used to be.

Speaking to some 2,000 students, teachers, parents and alumni then, Mr Chan said: “A long period of conditioning means that we often fail to see elitism even when it is staring at us in the face.”

His words struck a chord. Some members of the public praised his candour after that. During parent-teacher meetings and gatherings with alumni, the feedback from these groups was that they were “happy” he made that stand, he said.

Commenting for the first time on why he made that speech, Mr Chan, 60, who is retiring from the education service this month, said that it was meant to be a “reflective piece”.

“As a school principal, I wanted to acknowledge it with my own people, let them know this was how I felt, and to ask them, ‘What do you think?’,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Ministry of Education’s annual appointment and appreciation ceremony on Thursday (Dec 28), where he was among 16 retiring principals honoured for their service.

The objective was to reinforce to students that although it was through their academic achievements that they were admitted to RI — which is widely considered to be the best school here — it was a “privilege” to be a part of the school community.

“At the end of the day, there must be some giving back to the larger community… It is a responsibility for us to fulfil,” Mr Chan, who was a former RI student, said. He was appointed the school’s principal in December 2013.

While it is fine to be recognised as part of an elite group of students who excel in studies or are endowed with other talents, it does not give one the licence to be elitist, he explained. “You don’t be exclusive. You must be inclusive,” he said.

“It would be terrible if you deny there is such a thing (as being) elite... it’s what you do with that as a responsibility,” he added.

On how he ended up with a “reflective” speech, Mr Chan disclosed that it was possibly due to his own illness. He was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in 2014 and took a six-month leave of absence to undergo chemotherapy.

“It could be that... I had so much time at home, thinking about life,” he said with a laugh. “It could be one of those moments when I was reflecting about what was the meaning (of life and) what I was going to bring to my job.”

When he returned to work, Mr Chan set out to ensure that the school’s programmes encouraged students to be more inclusive.

Since 2016, for instance, he has been welcoming students from other secondary schools to join RI’s boarding programme for 10 weeks. The programme was started in 2008 to develop students’ leadership and character.

There was also a student-led initiative called The Golden Page, which was started in 2014 to allow them to help improve the living conditions of seniors by installing equipment such as ramps and handle-bars in their homes.

INSPIRED BY TEACHERS

Mr Chan himself first wanted to be a teacher when he was a student at the then Park Road Primary School, which was located behind People’s Park Complex in Chinatown. He was inspired by two of his primary school teachers, who helped him develop his self-esteem.

His father — who died 15 years ago at the age of 60 — was against the idea because he thought that the profession would not take his son far in his career.

His parents worked as hawkers selling noodles, and Mr Chan is the oldest of three children.
Pursuing his childhood dream anyway, Mr Chan became a teacher in 1982.

Over the years, he took up various leadership positions, including being a superintendent at the Education Ministry’s headquarters. He was also the principal of Victoria Junior College for seven years before he was posted to RI.

If there is any regret, Mr Chan said that being in leadership positions took him away from the classroom, so he had less time to spend giving individual guidance to students. “That’s what I miss a great deal,” he revealed. “I like to be known as a teacher more than a school principal or leader. That was where I found the greatest satisfaction.”

On his retirement, he refused to see it as a sad moment, because he is grateful to have served in the education sector for more than 30 years. He is looking forward to taking a break, to travel to Japan, and to see the Northern Lights, for example.
There is a sense of completion as he leaves RI as principal, since he not only studied there but started out as a trainee teacher in the school.

“I would say it’s a rare privilege. I don’t think anyone who joined the teaching service and was later found suitable to be a school principal would end up in his or her alma mater to lead the school,” he said. “So, this full circle is especially meaningful for me.”

Thanks for sharing. Quite true less diversity in social-economic class among the RI boys nowadays.

Hi,


Anyone knows by when the info on DSA selection this year will be out?

Thanks in advanced.

Hi,


Anyone knows by when the info on DSA selection this year will be out?

Thanks in advanced.

Hi,


Anyone knows by when the info on DSA selection this year will be out?

Thanks in advanced.

eve74sg:

Hi, my DD has a score of 8-4=4, is it a high chance to try HCI Science?

In fact i am worry it will be very stressful for her in HCI, but think of it, all JCs are stressful as well.

Hi eve,

your child get in to HCI?

It is quite true that all JCs are stressful.

Does the fan maths book got worked solution at the back?