Pat's Schoolhouse

[windie]

Jerico:

Hi Windie,

I've not met Elsie personally but have spoken to her over the phone. The problem is that alot of the other Pat's school house branches such as Serangoon, Halifax and Buckley are full and have waiting list. Thus they are trying to encourage parents to go to Whitley branch. Is Buckley able to confirm a vacancy for you ?

Cheers,

Buckley has places for afternoon session. I'm waitlisted for full day. I'm still considering cos Principal does play a big part. :?

[precious3]

DS is doing well and enjoying P1... I think Pat's did prepare them quite well for P1. Re Chinese... If I remember correctly, they are introduced to Han Yu Pin Yin sometime during their K2 year as an introduction to what they'll learn in P1. They have Ting Xie too. My kids do not come from a chinese speaking home but thankfully, they are not averse to the language and infact they enjoy it quite a bit! I think this can be attributed to the school and the way they teach the language.


As for English/Math, aside for the regular spelling, they are taught Time and Money sometime during K2. Last year, sometime in November, the school engaged someone to come in and simulate \"Going to Primary One\" with the K2's.... They were introduced to the various aspects of P1, eg. classroom setting, going to recess etc.

I can't say if Pat's prepared my son very well for P1 cos I'm sure there are other schools out there that do more than Pats :lol: On the other hand, I know that my son didn't have any real problems when he started P1 so I guess Pat's much have done something!! On the whole, I think education at Pat's is well-rounded and holistic, academics weaved in very well with play!!

I'm my kids school bus so sorry... can't help you with the cost of school bus fares

Hope all this is useful....

cheers

[tchloe73]

sorry for not replying to the numerous PMs…have been really busy and stressed over my son’s P1 registration…


Despite my "experience" with her, I had the assurance from Mrs Koh herself that Mel has many many years of experience (with other branches of Pat’s schoolhouse) so she is definitely "qualified" to take care of a school.

Somehow though I just could not approach her like I did with the previous Ps, stand in Ps, district manager who was managing the school during the interim. I was also quite put off by her explanation/replies to some of the concerns I had. But of course this is very subjective. Some parents seemed to be ok with her too…

With the current P, I find it easy to voice my concerns and she also will try her best to react to my many concerns. oh dear seems like I have many complaints like that but it usually has nothing to do with the curriculum…

We just went for the NDP celebration today, you can see the kids really enjoyed putting up the show and the good rapport most of the teachers have with the kids.

[snowbee]

I am thinking of writing to Mrs Koh (her direct contact) to feedback about the experiences I had at Pats to her. Can anyone provide pl ?


Anyway, I now waiting for the registration at the other school and I will withdraw once it’s confirmed.

[discus]

hi snowbee

can i know which sch are u transferring your child to? I have also just withdrew my son from Pats Arena although i have not been able to find a suitable school for him at jurong area.

[windie]

discus:

hi snowbee

can i know which sch are u transferring your child to? I have also just withdrew my son from Pats Arena although i have not been able to find a suitable school for him at jurong area.

Hi Discus,

May i know why u withdrew yr son? Is it also becos of Merlinda?

[discus]

Hi Windie

Not becos of her.I guess I am expecting more from Pats since I am paying for a premium sch. Overall, Pats is a gd sch…just that I have a high expectation.

[pea]

discus:

Hi Windie

Not becos of her.I guess I am expecting more from Pats since I am paying for a premium sch. Overall, Pats is a gd sch..just that I have a high expectation.

Hi discus! My son is on waitlist for several pre-schools for next year, and one of them is Pat's. Like you, I don't mind paying premium fees, but I sure hope they can deliver. Would you care to share with me the reasons that they did not meet up to your expectations? Would really appreciate it! You can PM me if you like.

Thanks in advance.

[jerejoy]

Hi pea,


Can I know which are the schools that u have selected? I’m also looking for some gd schools that are worth waiting. Thanks!

[pea]

jerejoy:

Hi pea,


Can I know which are the schools that u have selected? I'm also looking for some gd schools that are worth waiting. Thanks!

Hi. May I know what area you're looking at? Or distance is of no matter to you? Also, do you prefer montessori/play-based/academic type?

Actually, I don't think I'm qualified to make many comments, as my child hasn't started any school yet. But I've been making the rounds, and have shortlisted some schools based on my impressions. But then I think you never know till your child has been attending the school for a while. It seems that about 50% of my friends change preschool at least once, and most of them had done their homework too!

It's very important for you to get feedback from your friends/neighbours/relatives etc and of course, from KSP forum!

After you've narrowed your choice to a shorter list, do make the rounds personally to get a feel of the place, and talk to the principal, or teacher if possible.

There are many great tips on what things to ask the school, from this forum. I think there's a thread on curriculum, sorry, I don't know how to post the link.

I went to 8 preschools, some I visited twice, or thrice. And although I'm on the waitlist for some, I'm still looking around... :lol:

Good luck! :celebrate: