KiasuClown:

Just a quick note after DD's 1st 2 weeks:

1. Orientation was fun. Parent Briefing was detailed & well-organised.
2. Reasonably flexible: students have some flexibility with school shoes, some grooming options, etc. Good for the development of an individual hurtling towards adulthood.
3. Curriculum is very interesting - science & maths are accelerated, but there is sufficient exposure to the humanities, languages, etc. DD is absolutely sure she is in the right place.
4. Great variety of CCA, electives, etc - little competition for enrollment.
5. Although the population of boys is high, she feels that they are OK & not 'creepy'.

Great to see a student highly motivated by her environment, mentors (teachers), friends, curriculum, etc.

Glad to know that she enjoyed herself. A word of caution for all newbie parents of NUSH though, do guide your kids in terms of time management, I personally think that is one of the most important skills that Y1 students need to master. Also watch out for signs of computer game addiction, especially the boys. Some kids we know played so much games that their grades suffered.

We tend to think that the curriculum at NUSH is 'beyond us' and adopt a hands-off approach. But secondary school is really a big transition for the kids, and during this 'bridging period', it would be helpful if parents guide them along. Not to 'babysit' them like in primary school, but get them to plan a time table or schedule by themselves and follow it.

All the best to the Y1s!

My niece is in sec 4 this year in St Nicks, she doesn’t have tuition and does not intend to have any even though it is her O level year. Her results are not fantastic, 60-70+ range, but her parents’ view is that letting her learn how to study on her own is more important, cos it will be crucial during tertiary years. So if you are concerned about tuition, my take is that you can still survive without tuition in SNGS. But if you have higher expectations from your child, then it’s your personal choice.


I don’t know about Crescent Girls, so I can only speak of SNGS. Some plus points for SNGS:

1)Bilingual emphasis : Not so ‘Chinese’ as it used to be, but still, it is an SAP school, and there are many programmes with bilingual or bicultural components. My niece was not very fond of Chinese, but by sec 2, she was reading Chinese novels regularly.

2)Warm, Family environment: The school has a warm, family-like atmosphere to it. The girls are generally very friendly and the sense of camaraderie and ‘sisterhood’ is very strong. Even though school work may be challenging, many find motivation to do well by supporting each other.

3)Mission school: this may be a -ve point for some, but actually, having some sort of spiritual education is good during the teenage years. I’m an old girl myself, and I come from a Buddhist family, but religion was never an issue in school. It was fun listening to Bible stories, and good for values education too.

The Parent Support Group and Alumni support network is also very strong.

Oh, and since SNGS is running the IP programme, you may want to check with the school if they will allow girls who perform well at sec 1 and sec 2 to switch to the IP track. If yes, that may be another plus point.

But another important factor should also be distance. If you stay on the west side, I would think staying with Crescent is a more sensible choice. Secondary school hours can be very long, with CCA activities and extra lessons, if the child needs to spend more than 1-and-a-half hours on the road to get home, she will have little time to do homework at night.

zeedoo:

Hi, I have a couple of questions regarding the uniform:


1) The velco on the belt - will it still stick after a number of washes? Should we do something to secure it, e.g. stitch it?

2) The green, plastic name tag - do we write the name on the white sticker and stick it onto the green tag? Wouldn't it look awful if your handwriting is not nice? I'm so used to sewed-on name tags that this idea is a bit weird..
Thanks for any ideas!

Hi,

Do stitch the Velcro on, as it detaches after washing. But I need to warn you that it's pretty difficult to stitch on. If you can buy the type of Velcro that doesn't have adhesive at the back, it will be easier to stitch.
Not sure abt the name tag question, as far as I know, all secondary girls will get a plastic name tag with their name engraved on it. Anyway, no need to sweat over handwriting, I don't think the girls will actually scrutinize it. Relax, school is really fun!...even with all the work

To all posted to st nicks secondary, welcome to our family! As an alumni ‘big sister’, I am always excited to see new ‘meimei’ join us! I’m sure you will enjoy school as much as ‘Blissbambina’, cos we are a really friendly bunch!

For those on appeal, good luck too!

Jon101:

Hi Tiggermum,

Taking the Circle Line, which station is the best station to alight to get to NUSH? Thereafter, what bus can we take from the MRT station to NUSH? Pl advice. TIA

DD usually alights at buona vista and then take bus 198 at bus stop across the road

leeven:

CCK. Thnx . What about after school , any alternatives to public transport.

school bus is one way only, as the students end their day at different times, depending on the CCA they are involved in, and the elective modules they take.
Shortest day ends around 1230pm, most days end between 4pm-630pm(CCA training)

leeven:

Anybody can advise on the transport from school.KP's using any private transport services , if so please help with details. My DS might be joining Sec 1 next year.

there's a school bus service, though most are driven by parents in the morning or take public transport. One of DD's classmates stays around Bishan, and gets on the school bus at around 630am, which I thought is ok. Not sure about cost though.

Which part of the island do you stay? If you stay along Circle Line, it's very convenient to take the MRT to get to NUSH.

krystaltyz:

I think most of you out there have made a big mistake.

You guys cannot make a comparison of two schools by seeing
how many top scorers Cedar produced, as compared to the yearly top scorers SNGS produced, which usually don't really include Singaporean girls.
A key note I wish parents know is tht cedar girls always produce the highest average L1R5 of ranging from 8.9-9.6 which means cedar produces MORE Girls with L1R5 of below 9 than SNGS. I wish parents are actually clear about this point and not judge cedar because they have no top scorers

actually, L1R5 is also not a fair comparison. Cedar does not take in affiliate girls that score below their COP (around 250, right?), while SNGS take in affiliate girls from their primary school section scoring as low as 211 (in some years). So the range of abilities of the intake for the 2 schools is already different, not quite fair to say which school produces better results just based on L1R5, IMHO.

I think both are equally good schools, difference is in school culture and proximity from home. And for the IP girls, which JC they end up in.

daddy_psp:

I am wondering how long is this year waiting list and is there ranking in the waiting list.

I think only the school mgmt will know. But I think they are quite strict about giving WL, you have to make the cut to be considered.

Happy Mummmmm:

Is anyone here deciding between RGS and NUS High? Anything to share.


My daughter has been accepted by NUS High and awaiting results from RGS. She likes both schools.

But I do not know where to start comparing the two schools.

I would appreciate any advice.

Hi,

I'm not sure whether you've seen NUSH alumni Aaron's blog. In case you haven't, here's the url:
http://thehungrygeographer.blogspot.sg/2012/02/nus-high-school-experience.html

Both RGS and NUSH have their own strengths and flaws, as we've mentioned several times, it really boils down to which one is a better fit.

There are many concerns from parents about NUSH not being able to provide a well-rounded education. But if you read Aaron's blog, you'd know it's not the school, but how much you make out of your experience there that counts.

One thing I learned to appreciate about NUSH is the small cohort. For Y1, there's less than 200 kids. What it means for the child is that there is higher chance to get access to opportunities, compared to jostling for one against 449 other bright students in the top IP schools.

DD was never the athletic type, but she always enjoyed a game of netball in primary school. When she went to NUSH, she got to join the netball team with minimum fuss. She recently competed in a sports day event and came in 3rd. It's no big deal, considering only 8 took part in that category and they had to beg people to join. But she came back happy and learnt a few things from the experience.

Had she gone to a top IP girls school, would it have been possible? I think not.

It's also quite egalitarian in NUSH. There isn't an elite group that gets special treatment or get to go for special programs. The Da Vinci program is open to all, so are the electives. So the kid gets equal access to these enriching programs, so long as you are interested (and you are quick enough to get to the online system to sign up for those with limited vacancies), you get to go.

And it's not easy to find tuition for NUSH, which is a good thing, IMHO. It is a relatively level playing field, you work hard and get your grades based on your own ability, not by paying for a good tutor. There is less pressure for the students to go for tuition for fear of falling behind their peer who have tutors, and that translates to less stress.

Of course, there will be challenges. Some get distracted by BGR and computer games, some take a longer time to find their niche. But I think it's really part and parcel of dealing with a teenager going through adolescence.

If eventually your DC chooses NUSH, as a parent, please don't do it half-heartedly and keep thinking another school is better, this school is not good enough.Encourage DD/DS to make the most of their time at NUSH, I think it will make their journey more meaningful!