Catholic High School

[phtthp]

After end of Y2 IP streaming exercise over,


can name, identify
some of the GCE A-level "Chemistry" topics that are "pulled down" to Upper Sec, start teaching IP students in ( Y3 and Y4 ) CHS-Integrated-curriculum program ?

[ResilienceLC]

The ‘normal’ IP schools like CHS cannot teach too much in advance.


It is the inherent disadvantage of the system.

meaning too much A level materials within the Y3, Y4 program.
Because at Y5, there will be new intake of students from non- IP schools as well.
and because of that - they have to cater to them.

So the normal IP schools will use the ‘extra’ time - to get more depth and width rather than more topics.
And also use the time to cultivate other ‘soft’ skills of the students.
eg Research papers, investigations, presentations etc.

[ResilienceLC]

If there is one topic in Chemistry to extent in Y3 - it could be the electronic shells and the energy levels.

[deardear07]

Btw I’ve heard some schs give easier papers for sec 1 CA… but some grill the students from onset. Many friends from other schs shared some of their kids did v well but some from other schs said theirs failed some papers…

Can anyone share what is the CHS style? R the papers challenging coz the sch standard/ students r supposed to be good? or cause it’s first paper, teachers set easier papers or r lenient?

[ResilienceLC]

Students always ask me in class -

Cher , is the test / exam/ WA easy or hard ?

My answer is
To those that knows - it is easy
To those that take study easy - it is hard.

[phtthp]

deardear07\" post_id=\"2016557\" time=\"1614794463\" user_id=\"1429:

Btw I’ve heard some schs give easier papers for sec 1 CA.. but some grill the students from onset. Many friends from other schs shared some of their kids did v well but some from other schs said theirs failed some papers..

Can anyone share what is the CHS style? R the papers challenging coz the sch standard/ students r supposed to be good? or cause it’s first paper, teachers set easier papers or r lenient?

depend on which Term of Assessment, you are refering to.

Sec 1 TA1 should be easy, because all Sec 1 students are just fresh from PSLE five months ago, students have not yet adjusted to Secondary school life yet, still in the stage of exploring. So, school tend to go slow, let students adapt first.


However,
as time passes,
once reach Sec 1 EYA CHS OP Term 4 WA assessment (Maths & Science) papers, may not be easy.


For subject Maths,
at Term 4 EYA,
CHS may have taught a bit of Sec 2 Moe Maths syllabus topics, ahead first, which other typical ordinary OP schools start to teach only in Sec 2, not in Sec 1 yet. After all, MOE Sec 2 Maths topics ought to be taught only at Sec 2 level, isn't it ? No reason why should teach Sec 2 topics, at Sec 1 level so soon.

That means, CHS OP Sec 1 teach slightly more Maths topics in advance first, ahead of other ordinary OP schools, even though everybody also Sec 1, at the same level.

Partly because,
Catholic High is a dual track \" OP-cum-IP \" school concurrently, in case at end of Sec 2, there are some OP students interested in transferring across to the IP track, starting Sec 3 IP. So, better to prepare these OP students early.


Now, what your son can do is -

Normally, 2 to 3 weeks just before any Termly Weighted Assessment, CHS individual subject Teachers would have given Sec 1 students a few set of mock practice Maths & Science papers.

Example

If 2021 Sec 1 TA1 is around this period, his class Maths & Science Teachers could have given our son probably last year (2020) Sec 1 OP mock-up practice papers, or maybe 2019 mock papers. Ask your son : how he find them, so far ? Easy or not that easy ?

If need be,
if your son find that he still need to practise more past years mock papers, eg.
Those from 2018 / 2017 / 2016 Sec 1 mock papers, he can approach his class subject Teachers for more past papers, to practise. After all, \"the more one practise, familiarity breeds confidence\".

Btw, if your son is interested in switching over, from OP to the IP track, by middle of Sec 2, after his Sec 2 mid-year TA2 over, can let CHS VP (Academic section) know early in advance, so that VP (Academic) have some idea of head-count, in mind :

who (which OP students, from which class ? ) is interested, have the keen intention to cross over, into IP track (Sec 3), affliated to EJC come Y5 ?


Also, one more thing.
Don't compare CHS past year mock papers, with other schools because

1) CHS is an OP-cum-IP school, a bit unique.

CHS is not a straight-forward ordinary OP school.
As such, CHS OP standard of papers set, could be different from other typical OP schools.

2) Every school : the sequence of Maths & Science topics taught, can be different.

Example

In Term 1 or 2 itself -

CHS OP curriculum could have taught Science Topics (X, Y, Z).

But then, other OP schools' topics may be different from that of CHS, didn't even teach the same, identical CHS Science topics.

So, if your son go and do some other school's Sec 1 Science test papers he may scratch his head, wondering why all the questions asked, are not what he had been taught in CHS. Follow ?


The same, apply to Maths as well.

========================
abbreviation used

OP : O-level program or curriculum

IP : Integrated program or curriculum


TA1 : Term 1 Assessment


EYA : End-of-year Assessment, in October (Term 4)



============================

In primary school, from (P3 to P6), we all used terminology like CA1 / CA2 / mid-year SA1 / year-end SA2. P1 and P2 : no exam

that was, in the past, in primary school.


Once come to Secondary school, we don't use above terminology, anymore. Instead, we used different terminology -

TA1 : Term 1 Weighted Assessment, either start end February or early March

\"A\" stands for Assessment.


TA2 : Term 2 (mid-year) Weighted Assessment, held in May


TA3 : Term 3 Assessment


TA4 : Term 4 (year-end) Assessment, either start end September or early October

[ResilienceLC]

Even before becoming an IP school.

CHS (as well as other higher profile schools) teach Maths (especially algebra) differently from other main stream school.

There are components of Sec 2 algebra maths that are taught in Sec 1, and Sec 3 algebra that are taught in Sec 2.
This is the nature of the school program.
It is very normal.

For my Catholic High students - my teaching approach is the Differentiate Instructions.
unlike one size fits all as in other places.

It is more work to do DI approach - but it is required so that the students will be able to cope with the school’s work at the minimum.

If there are any thing I can help in more in depth.
Please PM me.

Cheers!

Resilience Learning Center
Mr Matthew Ng

[ccdd]

Dear parents,


I would like to know if any of your son join the CCA called i.O.N. (iMedia, Oculus & Nucleii) incorporating photography/videography, media production, event management, robotics and programming?

My son is P6 now and he has great interest and participated in some programming competitions. Since CHS is not offering coding as one of the domain for DSA, so perhaps we will wait for the Sec 1 posting.

Saw this CCA, seems like small part of this CCA its related to programming. Would like to hear more from parents to understand more and see if this CCA could further develop his interest in coding.

Thanks in advance for your sharing.

[forrestz]

Hi, can someone share a rough timetable for Sec 1 students? – things like when school starts and ends every day, some afternoons got CCA and electives, etc.?


Thanks in advance!

[san20sg]

Anyone knows the subject combinations in the o track and IP track?