CHIJ Family of Schools

[momresource]

icebaby,


I have sent you a pm… I would like to find out more about HIPS, hope you can help me.

[snowyqueen]

luvmum:

I'm intending to enrol my girl into CHIJ QLQP.

Dear luvmum,

My mum takes care of my children and so naturally I had to look for a school near her house (using her address to apply) under phase 2C because I am a working mum. I chose CHIJ QLQP for a lot of reasons. First of all, I need not be PV (no time for me) based on past enrollment records with no balloting even for 1-2km. Previously, the school was quite old and small and hence not so popular. Starting from 2007, it had been rebuilt with new facilities and nicer school building. I had to ballot (but only two were not successful) in order to get my gal into the school. I heard this year P1 registration (for 2009) also needed to ballot with more demand than supply as compared to the previous year.

Secondly, I like the fact that it is a \"single-session\" school with 30 students in a class. Their classes start at 8.00 a.m and end at 1.30 p.m. Even if they have other CCA etc, there is arrangement for school transport to pick up the students at 4.00p.m. I do not have to worry about making other arrangement to fetch my girl back.

Thirdly, I want a \"all girls\" environment which is more suitable for my girl because she is a girl of low self-esteem and she hardly had friends when she was in Kindergarden. I saw before during K1 K2 that the boys would bully her by pinching her on her cheek etc and disturbed her as she was a quiet girl in school. She went home telling me that she hated her classmates who called her a loser, laughed at her and they refused to play with her.

It was really heart-ached as a parent to also hear from the teacher about her problems in school. I did try to enrol her to phonics class but she had difficulty coping because of her problem. Subsequently, I needed to travel very often when she was in K2 that I did not really prepared her for her P1 education.

During the first 1-2 months, she managed to make some friends and she started to socialize. I went to her school a few times during her recess time to look for her and I was really impressed and glad to see that her classmates were really nice to her and treating her like little girl when she needed help. For example, she would cry when she saw me but her classmates would comfort her and helped her to put away the plates after eating. They were forever helpful and would direct me to where she was after they had seen me a few times if I could not find her at the canteen. They would even volunteered to accompany her to toilet.

Due to my \"bochap\"attitude about her schoolwork as my focus was to make sure she could adapt to the P1 school life and not really on academic as I did not want to stress her, she did not do well for SA1. After the review session with the teacher, I realized that there was still a certain standard that the school would expect from the students that I could not ignore. Hence, I was very determined to pull up her standard by drilling her during her school holidays by teaching in advance and started to enroll her to tuition/enrichment classes.

She learnt and progressed well to cope with her school work after school re-opened. What I wish to share over here is that for a child like her, it is very important that she have the confidence to try on things (without being feared of being laughed at by her classmates). Her classmates would cheer for her when she volunteered to do the Maths problem sum on the whiteboard and they would clap if she manage to answer difficult question correctly. If not for the encouragement and positive class environment, she would not have the motivation to want to participate in class.

My mum also agreed with me even today when we talked about what had happened for the past few months that my gal is really very fortunate to have such a good bunch of classmates and her class girls are really nice and caring.

Depending on one's thinking, I certainly think that a all girls environment is more suitable for children who are more timid and of lower self-esteem. It is very important for young children to feel motivated and inspired and have good environment for them to develop themselves. I have found the right place for my gal and I am really grateful to the school. I have been enduring with my girl's problem for so long and I cannot describe how happy I am especially when I saw that she had also done very well for her SA2.

I strongly believe that my girl will continue to progress in such an environment. As what I had mentioned, I am not at all bother if this school has how many students scoring above 270+ etc. I believe I can \"groom\" my girl myself or with the help of \"branded\" enrichment centres may be .

[ChiefKiasu]

snowyqueen:

...I chose CHIJ QLQP for a lot of reasons...

Wow, snowyqueen, that is really heart-warming! Thanks for sharing. I'm sure other parents reading this would consider QLQP more seriously now.

[luvmum]

Dearest Snowyqueen,


Most thankful to all your sharing and makes me more affirmative in placing my gal there. Like you I like 'all girls' school kind of environment and being a christian, I wish to instill christian values to my child since young and CHIJ is the best fit to what I'm seeking. Having sensible and thoughful friends help a long way in moulding one's character.

It's v bad of his Kindy classmates to bully her this way and the teachers should step in to help out. Since it's over, dun brood over it.

I'm happy for you that your girl adjust well to the school and score well in her SA1.

Cheers!!!

[snowyqueen]

luvmum:

Dearest Snowyqueen,


Most thankful to all your sharing and makes me more affirmative in placing my gal there. Like you I like 'all girls' school kind of environment and being a christian, I wish to instill christian values to my child since young and CHIJ is the best fit to what I'm seeking. Having sensible and thoughful friends help a long way in moulding one's character.

Cheers!!!

Dear Luvmum,

What I had written was based on my own experience and I do not want to paint a beautiful picture that this school is fantastic such that you will be disappointed later and it will be too late.

You would have also realised that I do not want to comment too much about the teachers because I did have bad experience.

Generally, the teachers also had high expectation of the students. During the parent review, they told me that P1 students' results should be in Band 1 range and they should score average 90 and above for all the subjects. I consulted a lot of my friends about this. Some said Yes but some said students with this type of results should be in the top quadrant of the whole P1. I am not sure about this as my girl is my my first child. But to get this type of results also mean that the parents have to prepare their child well before they go to P1. If not, I do not see how it can be achieved. There are also other negative comments that I shall skip because in every school, there are always \"good\" and \"bad\" teachers.

You know, I am a parent with a lot of doubts about our education system????? I also get feedback from my friends who has children in neighbourhood school that teachers really taught the students step by step instead of the current way which to me is \"teach less, access more\".

Anyway, I had a lot of stories to tell but to cut short, I feel that you should also try to find out about other schools for comparision. For me, I like the little girls there. I feel that they are nice little angels who help my girl along the way and give her the friendship and warmth to progress in the school. My girl is a December kid so she need more time to develop into a more mature kid. This kind of environment is suitable for her.

Cheers!

[socks]

Hi snowyqueen!


Thank you for your insights on the teachers’ expectation. My dd is enroled in that school too. She’ll be in P1 next year. Now I wonder if she is prepared for the rigour of the school as I don’t push her very hard and she spends most of her time playing apart from attending her regular kindregarten programme.

socks

[luvmum]

Dear Snowyqueen,


Thanks for sharing so much. I've just PM you, hope we can chat more via email. I do understand in every school even reputable ones, there are bound to hv good and bad teachers. No school is perfect. Seems like all schools have v high expectations of our kids. My SIL whose child is in a neighbourhood school, teachers told her that though her child score abv 80 but less than 90 in all her subj, that is not good enough. :roll: Sometimes really sad that our children have to subject to such intense stress at such young age. And yes, my niece at RGPS has not much teaching and homework to do, they are expected to know a lot of things w/o teaching. Can say the way children are taught now is drastically diff from our time.

Dear Socks,

can I know if you went thr balloting to enrol your child in? How far are you staying from the school. My home is 1-2KM and based on past yrs, no balloting including last, balloting only for >2 but I still volunteer for PV as I'm KS. But just thinking if it's necessary.... :shock:

[socks]

Dear luvmum,


We are staying within the 1-2 km radius and I did not PV. I must say we were very fortunate that balloting was not required this year for those staying within the 2 km range. I actually wrote to the P before and she said that we ‘stand a fair chance’ getting into the school. Then again, everything boils down to luck.

[luvmum]

Dear Socks,


Bet you are staying near me since we are both within 1-2Km from school. :lol: Can share why you choose CHIJ OLQP? Actually I've shortlisted a few schools but eventually set my mind on this after recommended by my colleague whose child is there this year and all along I wanted a girls school and this seems to be the only school at our vicinity. I've sent an email to the Principal before but she din reply me. Think u shld be going for the P1 orientation soon.

[socks]

Dear Luvmum,


I bet we stay very near to each other too! The main reason why we chose the school was proximity. Secondly, my alma mater is Kellock, hence, OLQP is the closest I could get. Lastly, its got a new building. Hee hee, apart from the first reason, the rest are not very ‘logical’ right? Wish I could tell you more about the school. Maybe next year…