Pat's Schoolhouse

[mom of r and m]

GarangMama:

Hi,

I transferred both my ds to Pat's Schoolhouse at the beginning of this year, from another Pat's affiliated childcare because they were bought over by a large consortium.

DH and I really cannot ask for more, and felt even more certain that our decision to switch them to Pat's is a positive move. Sure some of these changes might probably be attributed to other factors, but the changes have been consistent and we are seeing how the new environment - teachers, school, friends, curriculum - is drawing out the best out of our children even after 2 weeks in school.
I hope this helps.

Hi, which centre they are in? halifax?

Could any of you share some experience about jubilee park Pats schoolhouse

Thx

[sparkie0209]

hi there, would appreciate if mummies who have kids at/kids graduated from pat’s schoolhouse at jubilee park, please feedback… am considering this school… thanks.

[Busymom]

tinkerbell:

hi..


I'm not sure if current parents of PATs does agree with me but i feel my DD doesn't seem to learn much for subjects like Chinese, Maths etc. She's in K2 this year and i'm abit worried abt her blending into the Pri School. I hv to send her for both Chinese & English enrichment classes.

I do know some of my DD's classmates parents do think like me .
Can anyone with children that hv graduated fm PATs able to shred some information or feedback ?

Hi tinkerbell

My DD is at Pats Halifax too. On Chinese, I believe most parents these days send their children to external Chinese enrichment regardless of the preschools that their children go to. It's mainly due to the fact that more familes are now English-speaking and the exposure to Chinese is simply not sufficient (unless you are in one of those kindergartens with full immersion in Chinese).

Thus DD has her Chinese enrichment, like most. However, I'm pretty impressed with what they are teaching in Pats. It is not like they don't teach difficult words. Occasionally I will ask DD to read some of those material from her chinese speech & drama class (under the extended program) - and she remembers them well, even after a long time.

As for maths... I'm not sure if they teach more \"advance\" materials as compared to PCFs (have this impression from another thread that the PCFs teach alot - maybe already teaching P1 materials already? If my impression is wrong, please correct me). I personally think that they can do more, but then again, maybe it's better that they build a strong foundation at a steady pace than going at a faster pace that could leave some kids behind? I don't have an answer as I'm not an expert in the field of childcare.

Pats is known to be strong in English. So far, I think DD have got excellent English teachers in her last 4 years with the school. She is able to read well and I believe part of the credit should go to the school (cos both DH and I are clueless when it comes to phonics ). A friend whose kid is now in Sec 1 once said that he was impressed with the writings done by kids in Pats... anyway this was sometime ago, so whether the quality is still the same is just anybody's guess.

Overall, Pats is not the typical academic type of preschool. As what one parent has correctly put, it is a well-rounded preschool which also emphasizes on creativity and teaches the children to adopt the right attitude towards learning (and I'm pretty sure there are many other preschools which do that too). Yes, maybe they are not as academic (or maybe they are sufficiently academic - it's just us kiasu parents who think otherwise?), but I love the fact that children have lots of opportunities to go on field trips and are learning things that are outside the textbooks. It's a question for parents if that is the kind of learning environment that you want for your child.

[Busymom]

dfstan:

after reading this thread on Pat's Schoolhouse, wondering how are the teachers at halifax as some posts mentioned the good ones has left. Anyone whose kids currently in Pat's at Halifax can comment on the teacher capability and quality please?


thanks!

From what I have seen from DD's level (K2), the teachers are still intact; as in her K2 teachers were her K1 teachers, her English teacher has taught her since playgroup (i.e. 3 yo), her chinese teacher who is really nice and good from her playgroup class is now teaching another class in K2, etc. etc. The only one whom I know has left to join Pats Whitley is her teacher from Baby Haven days. That was another excellent teacher - kind of sad that my DS would not have a chance of being taught by her...

[Busymom]

arielle08:

Hi Busymom,


Any idea if we can pull out from the holiday program and save 1 month of school fees?

Maybe you could check with the school on that, but I highly doubt it, afterall, programs are being run and fixed costs have been incurred by the school...

arielle08:

Any idea if there is any forum or links for pat's parents which i can join?
It will be great to have such forum where Pat's parents can voice out their concern and update each other about the recent happenings.

No idea really. KSP forum is the only forum that I visit... :lol: :lol:

[littlebubble2000]

[quote] hi,

i understand pat's schoolhouse at whitley branch is newly opened. any feedback so far on the teachers there?
thanks ! (supermom) [/quote]Supermom, my son was moved to Whitley for a few weeks last year whilst his branch was being renovated. I don't know about the teachers, but I do have an opinion about the location.

If you are driving yourself - then you should know that the drop off is rather inconvenient. The road leading into the school is a dead end. The road is narrow and there is little parking space and few waiting areas.

If you are thinking of Whitley, maybe you should also consider Buckley?

My son is at Claymore and he loves it there.

[Augmum]

To me, i think the most impt of a preschool is that the environment and the preschool teachers

are able to cultivate the love , desire and hunger for learning rather than the drilling of worksheets (as seen in other kindergartens)
a strong foundation is necessary…

[xinyao]

Hi, anyone know if i can make special requests for food given to my kids at pats?

[tinkerbell]

Hi Busymom,


thanks for yr insight
Looks like our DDs could be classmates :lol:

Its ironical how i want my DD to develop at her own pace (no stress etc) and yet worried abt her not catching up in pri school :?

I do appreciate PATs however, for encouraging creativity in their students.
The toilet rolls and all those that we deem as \"rubbish\" is definitely put to good use by my DD during those creative spurts at home

[mummykanga]

My dd started with Pat’s Katong in K1 and is now in P1. She seems to be adjusting well and loves school. I was a little worried initially that she might struggle in P1 (given that the last quarter was virtually spent rehearsing for the graduation concert) but so far the work she brings home looks pretty simple, stuff she’s probably covered in K2, and she does well in spelling / ting xie / math.


She had a very dedicated teacher at Pat’s who followed her class through from Nursery right up to K2. They inadvertently call her mum at times!
Very caring and nurturing environment and parents get to meet often and exchange insights at birthday parties. The only "con" perhaps was that her class grew quite big (a little over 20) as the principal obviously felt the same about this teacher’s abilities and loaded her with the newer students. Pat’s kids generally turn out confident and articulate and should have no problems adjusting in any environment and coping with schoolwork.