phtthp\" post_id=\"1947297\" time=\"1574217068\" user_id=\"35251:

2020 PSLE P6 students (born 2008)


For Maths (subject)
when school re-open in 2020 January Term 1,

perhaps can clarify with your own primary school's Maths, both ( HOD + your own P6 class Maths Teacher), whether \"Speed\", a very time-consuming, tedious, laborious practice P6 Topic
... ...

Where did you get this info from?

Hi all, I have a dd who will be taking the PSLE next year. Can someone share what the pace is like for p6ers in our school? I would like to know the following:


Do teachers generally finish teaching the syllabus early and begin revision early? Are there any subjects that take longer to complete?
When do supplementary classes start/end? Also, frequency and duration? Are they for all subjects?
Is there generally a drop in the results in p6 SA1 as compared to p5 SA2? If yes, do they generally improve for prelims?
When does the school generally start the girls on past years’ PSLE papers?
What is the pace for p6 like compared to p5? Is it true that most of the important bits are covered in p5?

Thanks in advance!

chenlaoshi\" post_id=\"1926594\" time=\"1564984642\" user_id=\"162894:

xuanting\" post_id=\"1926591\" time=\"1564983664\" user_id=\"11301:

A question regarding Chinese: Are past year papers still useful since the textbooks have changed?

2017 onwards, all sections except Paper 2 Booklet A Section 1 (15 MCQ), are still relevant. Paper 2 Booklet A Section 2 (Cloze passage), less so, but still can be used for general language practice.

Thanks for the information, chenlaoshi.

– Duplicate post deleted —

A question regarding Chinese: Are past year papers still useful since the textbooks have changed?

Hi Guacamole,


I’m not an expert on the topic but I’d like to share what I know as a dance parent. I think the training method does not matter as much as whether you are able to find a very good teacher for your daughter. At the end of the day, the basics and steps are the same, but the teacher’s insistence on small details can make a world of difference in your daughter’s training.

I guess one difference between the two will be that students attending an RAD school will learn a specific set of exercises and dances for the RAD examinations every year whereas the Vaganova-based school will conduct its own assessment for promotion to the next level.

Vaganova videos on Youtube will not be able to tell you very much about the Vaganova-based local schools you are interested in since Vaganova itself is a full-time boarding school and it only selects students with a very specific ballet physique as well as other characteristics that make them highly suitable to train in the Vaganova method. It has no affiliations to schools anywhere.

In terms of opportunities to pursue a higher education in ballet, I think all such schools require an audition, whether in person or via video recording, so back to quality training again with little regard for which syllabi the applicant is trained in.

As for scholarship opportunities, dance competitions seem to be the way to go. Dance competitions normally offer a wide range of scholarships/apprenticeships to winning/selected candidates. These can be long term or short term (one/two weeks, summer intensive etc). The more prestigious the competition, the more highly sought after the scholarships/apprenticeships are.

If you haven’t already settled on a school, I’d suggest taking your daughter for trial classes to experience the learning environment in some of your short-listed schools. Hope this helps. All the best to your school-hunting!

cool_hi:

Just Sharing:
my gal and her 2 other classmates, went for trial for Grade 5 class, but all 3 were rejected right after trial..& Ms Sylvia never bother to speak to us, the parents...
we asked receptionist, she merely say teacher say their 'styles' are different from her class/her teaching...
...
anyway, when we were asking the receptionist why we were rejected, another gal who was an existing student there,
was crying when receptionist told her no need to pay for next term's fess. coz Ms Mccully wants her to stop class coz she is not up to her standard...
Me & the other 2 mummies were :yikes:

Wow. I've been under the impression that schools are fighting very hard to keep their existing students as well as to recruit new ones! There are so many choices nowadays and studio hopping is becoming increasingly common.

I'd like to share something the father of a dance student wrote in his blog:

[quote]The other night someone asked me \"Why do you pay so much money for your girls to dance?\"

Well I have a confession to make, I don't pay for dance. Personally, I couldn't care less about dance. I grew up in a family of 4 boys and no girls. The \"Nutcracker\" was something you did on a dare off of the high dive at the pool or something you unpleasantly surprised your brother with. Up until the day I met my wife if I were asked to go to Swan Lake I would have asked if we were water skiing or fishing.

So if I am not paying for dance what am I paying for? I pay for those moments when my daughters become so tired they want to quit but don't. I pay for those days when my daughters come home from school and are \"too tired\" to go dance but go anyway. I pay for my daughters to learn to be graceful. I pay for my daughters to learn to take care of their body. I pay for my daughters to learn to work with others and to be good teammates. I pay for my daughters to learn to deal with disappointment, when they don't get that part they hoped for, but still have to work hard at the part that they received. I pay for my daughters learn to make and accomplish goals. I pay for my daughters to learn that it takes hours and hours and hours and hours of hard work and practice to create something beautiful, and that success does not happen over night. I pay for the opportunity my daughters have and will have to make life long friendships. I pay so that my daughters can be on stage instead of in front of a screen...

I could go on but to be short, I don't pay for dance, I pay for the opportunities that dance provides my daughters to develop attributes that will serve them well throughout their lives and give them the opportunity to bless the lives of others. From what I have seen so far I think it is a great investment!

I am sure that other parents get similar questions. \"Why do you pay for competitive baseball?\" \"Why do you pay for Quarterback training?\" \"Why do you pay for club soccer?\" \"Why does your kid swim year round?\".... I just think it is important to realize what we are really paying for.[/quote][Source: http://shadmartin.blogspot.sg/2015/10/why-i-dont-pay-for-dance-anymore.html]

Oh My Gosh:

Dilemma... DD is P5 this year. ... ...

Hi OMG, my kids are not in P5 yet but I'd say leave it too. From the looks of it, you have a very well-rounded child who is independent and able to manage her interests and priorities well. I wish mine could be like that too!

prizkar:

Hi Mommies,


My DD will be turning 6 this year and has enrolled her to a dance school under CSTD system only this year Jan. Recently I have read up and seemed that RAD is more recognized in Singapore. Just wonder if any mommies here send your DD to learn both types?

Thanks.

Hi prizkar,

Here's a useful summary someone did a while back. I found it very helpful while I was deciding on a school. My daughter did some trial classes for both and liked the RAD better. She found the CSTD class a bit too jazzy (very little barre work, lots of \"skipping around\" with Disney music). But that's just her personal preference. Perhaps you might want to let your daughter take a trial class for RAD before deciding if you want to sign up for both?

neorenjie:

As the owner of a dance school, maybe I can share some perspective that some parents may not see. For the record, our dance instructors are both RAD and CSTD qualified and we are running CSTD syllabus for our students. I will answer some of the most frequent questions from parents and then followed by my reasons for choosing CSTD over RAD.

I am sure many parents come across this problem and they receive different opinions from different schools. Here are some questions that have been asked frequently by parents.

Which syllabus is better?
Better in terms of what? Both are very established syllabus, you have to know what you want to compare.

Which syllabus is easier to get a job?
Some schools are offering CSTD while some are offering RAD. If you are keen to become a dance instructor as a career, you should get both. Start with either RAD or CSTD and subsequently cross over to the other syllabus when you are in advance level. Knowing more genres of dance, for example Jazz and Tap, will make you more employable as well.

I want my child to get into SOTA. Which syllabus should I choose?
SOTA recognizes both CSTD and RAD syllabus. Your child needs to be Grade 5 in either syllabus in order to qualify for the interview. In short, the syllabus makes no difference.

A better portfolio would help her. Take up more genres of dance, for example Jazz and Tap. Participate in more performances and competitions. You might want to choose a school that offers more genre of dance so that it is easier for you to bring her around. Most schools running CSTD ballet courses should have Jazz and Tap. Some schools offering RAD ballet may offer CSTD Jazz and Tap as well. You will have to do your own research.

I want a syllabus that can help my child in her school. For example, DSA.
Build up her portfolio. Look above.

I want my child to have performing opportunity. Which syllabus should I choose?
It depends on the school. Performing opportunities are not tied to the syllabus. A good dance school will organize concerts for students to gain performing experience. Find out how frequent the school organizes performances for its students and who are the students that can perform. Some schools allow everyone to perform while some only cater to a group of 'better' dancers.

I want my child to have competition opportunity. Which syllabus should I choose?
RAD organizes the Genée International Ballet Competition every year, it is open to RAD students around the world. The competition is hosted by different countries around the world, some countries that have hosted are England, USA, Belgium, Scotland, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa and Australia.

CSTD organizes the CSTD Singapore Dance Competition and Asia Pacific Dance Competition (APDC) every year. The competitions are open to all CSTD students. The Singapore Dance Competition is held in Singapore every year. APDC is hosted by participating countries in the Asia Pacific region, some countries that have hosted are Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and Philippines.

If you want your child to have more competition opportunities, CSTD may suit you better. Although the RAD competition being worldwide is more prestigious, CSTD competitions are more affordable as you do not have to travel across the globe to participate. Therefore, it is also the most contested dance competition by Singaporeans. If you like overseas competitions, you can also participate in APDC which should be relatively cheaper as it will be hosted by countries in the Asia Pacific region. Make sure to find out if the dance school that you are joining will provide your child with competition opportunities.

Why do some schools choose RAD and some choose CSTD?
For RAD, there could be many reasons. RAD has been around for a longer period while CSTD is a relatively new syllabus. A lot of the older dance instructors are RAD trained, they teach RAD simply because the teachers are not CSTD certified. There are also some that still hold the thought that RAD being around for a longer period means that it is more prestigious and therefore better. Another common reason is that RAD is stricter and more technical as compared to CSTD which emphasizes more on performing. Hence, they often say that if you want to learn proper ballet you have to learn RAD.

For CSTD, some schools choose it because it is more 'fun' and it gives the students a better and more complete dance experience. There are more genres such as Jazz and Tap and also more opportunities for competitions. Some schools take the 'best of both world' approach by running RAD Ballet and CSTD Jazz, but most school choose just one syllabus as it is not easy managing the schedule of 2 syllabus as the exams and coaching dates are different.

A lot of schools that choose CSTD sees the value that competition brings to the students and the school. Students have more events to look forward to in a calendar year and it will keep them excited throughout. Participating and winning competition is good for a student's portfolio and serves as a good motivation. Schools also want to participate in competitions because it helps to build their credentials when their students win competitions. CSTD competitions are more attractive to dance schools than RAD because they are more 'winnable' as they are smaller scale (local & regional) and have more categories (age, genre, solo/group) and hence more prizes to be won.

Since RAD is more technical and more prestigious, are RAD students better dancers?
Even though RAD may be more prestigious, the students may not necessarily be better dancers. How good they become depends on what kind of exposure they get from the school, how good the teachers are, and of course the child's learning attitude. RAD focuses on technique more while CSTD focuses on showmanship more, but that does not mean RAD do not bother about showmanship and CSTD does not care about techniques. In fact, a good dancer needs both. If you want your child to be a good dancer, then my advise would be to not make a decision simply by whether the school is offering RAD or CSTD.

How should I choose a dance school for my child?
If you feel lazy often or if you find it hard to commit to a school that is far away, just bring her to the dance school nearest to your home. But since you are reading this, I suppose you want more for your child. My advise would be to first understand what do you want to get out of this enrichment. If you are looking for better career prospects, both syllabus are the same and you should get both in the long term. If you want to look for something to help your child in DSA or to enter SOTA, look for a school that offers more activities to build up her portfolio. If you want fun, a school with more activities should be more fun.

How does your school plan its courses?
We offer CSTD from pre-grades to major grades and RAD major grades. This is so that our students can have a better learning experience from CSTD but still get both certificates if they are keen to pursue higher grades. We cross over at higher grades, reason being if they do not get to the higher grades then they are not going to use the certificates. If they do not use, then it does not matter whether it is CSTD or RAD.

We hire teachers that are both RAD and CSTD certified so that these teachers have the knowledge and experience of both syllabus to focus on both technique and showmanship to train our students to become better dancers. We keep our students excited about dance by planning activities throughout the year. Apart from the yearly examinations, performances and competitions, we build bonding with our students and parents by organizing gatherings, parties and overseas trips to keep the students interested. Some students quit not because they do not like dancing, they quit because they do not like the environment.