Raffles Girls' Primary
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I hope parents here don’t mind my saying my 5 cents share here. I agree sleep and rest is important and it seems to be top on the mind of parents here. Then why not enrol in a school near home? Sometimes, you can’t have the cake and eat it too.
I put my girl on the bus because I am a working mum. I am also one who whine when my girl is dropped off 5 minutes later. But if you think about it, do you think the driver not want to start his day later and end earlier too? Everyone is just trying to make a living in an expensive city we live in. -
Hi,
I need we need to re-focus on what is the main issue here.
For me, school bus service is not something that I can negotiate upon, as the list of providers has already been chosen by the school/SSTA. As such, I can only work with them to the best of our mutual benefits and hope that it’s a win-win situation for both. But sad to say, the interaction has not been always pleasant. However, I take it that as part and parcel of life, as each would like to fight for their own benefit.
However, I would find the following unacceptable:
1.\tMisrepresentation (intentional or otherwise) about the earliest time they are allowed to reach the school. I have also written in to school yesterday and the confirmation is school bus is expected to reach no earlier than 6.45am. But the school bus driver insists on otherwise and what can I say? Take or leave it is his attitude.
2.\tCCA bus fare: Despite my many queries, school bus insisted on $30 fare and 2 trips a week max. Never give me the CCA bus memo. This afternoon told me that my helper needs to walk a far distance to pick my girl up from drop off point for CCA bus.
3.\tTold me numerous times that the pick up and drop off point will be at a bus-stop 5 mins unsheltered from my block, when all the other girls get their void deck as the pick up and drop off point, just to facilitate him having an easier route, when the turn into my block will only take up at most 1 min extra time. His is a small van by the way.
There is the argument that why don’t I move, let my girl sleep earlier etc etc?? I think sometimes things have to be taken in perspective. The arrangement with school bus has it’s own Service-level agreement which has to be adhered to. If everyone conducts their business in a professional manner and in accordance with the SLA, won’t life be easier be everyone??
Knowing it might be futile to fight the battle against the school bus people, I have no choice but to let my girl sleep earlier, and it means I can’t really go through much work with her during weekdays. Of course one can ask, then why don’t I move, or why don’t I quit my job etc etc?
There is no end to the argument – Ultimately as parents, we just hope for our girl’s safety and hopefully they do not have to reach school 1 hour before the school starts and being deprived of sleep. If all the stakeholders are serious about doing their work, we should not have to have this argument here in the 1st place. -
ER:
I hope parents here don't mind my saying my 5 cents share here. I agree sleep and rest is important and it seems to be top on the mind of parents here. Then why not enrol in a school near home? Sometimes, you can't have the cake and eat it too.
I put my girl on the bus because I am a working mum. I am also one who whine when my girl is dropped off 5 minutes later. But if you think about it, do you think the driver not want to start his day later and end earlier too? Everyone is just trying to make a living in an expensive city we live in.
I like yr post too. :goodpost:
Why dun parents enrol their kids in a school near home? :? -
The discussion is not to blame the bus drivers as explained but exploring alternatives while balancing everything in an expensive and elitist city.
BTW, my nephew lives 1.5km away from the school; bus comes at 6.30am as it has to pick 2-3 others along the way to the school. He is a bit slow as such wakes up around 5.45am to bathe and drink Milo etc and sleeps around 10pm or later as my sister is also working only has the 8pm to 10pm timeslot to help her son with school work. She does not believe in sending to tuition practise revising daily with her son and is one who will attend school talks at night on how to coach maths etc… She wish school starts at 8am like what Anon said and the bus could pick at 7.30am and then she leaves for work. In instance like this, it is definitely not a case of wanting a cake and eating it too. -
Tania and ER,
Did not see your name on the Luanee's list.
Maybe you can introduce yourself so that Luanee can also keep the list updated.
Tania and ER; Welcome to the RGPS family !!!
Per Chief Kiasu mentioned the school network for the members of the school to share info, help one another, console each other, support one another and give constructive solutions and \"air grievances\".
As a family; we should be able to be open about our views and not being bombarded and not made to be seen as inconsiderate and inflexible.
When we have issues and We try to help one another to the best of our abilities and console one another.
I believe We the RGPS family and especially MW CHUA as I have been following her thread will not and do not come here just to point fingers at people unreasonably
Luanee Post subject: Posted: 27 Jul 2009 09:01
Councillor
Joined: 11 Aug 2008 09:25
Posts: 1470 List of parents here with dds in RGPS (updated as of Jan 2012):
P1 - lilac_tulip, carboolie
P2 - Andaiz, bicky, darlinte, Fressia, JenJen, Kazza129, znzyzyzx
P3 - Funz, mwchua, PnTMom
P4 - Andaiz, ctct61t, KSP, Luanee, nonyakueh, rugrats_pat, 3VS, Mama miya, sunshine4, felinej, GiftedGem
P5 - aqeqiq, HVR, bliss-ful, Smileystar08
P6 - Herbie, moonee, ASLMUM
Grad already - jtoh, caroline3g, znzyzyzx, EN, Maisu, Honey1999, MummySTay
If I had missed u out or made a mistake, pls let me know, thanks!
Last edited by Luanee on 12 Jan 2012 08:27, edited 17 times in total. -
Freesia:
Hi, I am a P4 parent that only started following this thread this year. Oops, didn't know I had to report first.Tania and ER,
Did not see your name on the Luanee's list.
Maybe you can introduce yourself so that Luanee can also keep the list updated.
Tania and ER; Welcome to the RGPS family !!!
Per Chief Kiasu mentioned the school network for the members of the school to share info, help one another, console each other, support one another and give constructive solutions and \"air grievances\".
As a family; we should be able to be open about our views and not being bombarded and not made to be seen as inconsiderate and inflexible.
When we have issues and We try to help one another to the best of our abilities and console one another.
I believe We the RGPS family and especially MW CHUA as I have been following her thread will not and do not come here just to point fingers at people unreasonably
Luanee Post subject: Posted: 27 Jul 2009 09:01
Councillor
Joined: 11 Aug 2008 09:25
Posts: 1470 List of parents here with dds in RGPS (updated as of Jan 2012):
P1 - lilac_tulip, carboolie
P2 - Andaiz, bicky, darlinte, Fressia, JenJen, Kazza129, znzyzyzx
P3 - Funz, mwchua, PnTMom
P4 - Andaiz, ctct61t, KSP, Luanee, nonyakueh, rugrats_pat, 3VS, Mama miya, sunshine4, felinej, GiftedGem
P5 - aqeqiq, HVR, bliss-ful, Smileystar08
P6 - Herbie, moonee, ASLMUM
Grad already - jtoh, caroline3g, znzyzyzx, EN, Maisu, Honey1999, MummySTay
If I had missed u out or made a mistake, pls let me know, thanks!
Last edited by Luanee on 12 Jan 2012 08:27, edited 17 times in total. -
Hi,
I’m not an RGPS parent but am also facing problem with school bus timing. Just for info, there’s a school 5mins drive from my home but I see the school bus picking up the kids at 6.15am.
My child is in another school 10mins drive away (<2km). But the school bus comes by at 11.20am when school starts at 12.30pm. So, sometimes staying near school doesn’t help in later pickup time -
Hi Freesia,
Thank you so much for your understanding and support, I am new here and my girl also started P4 this year is also new to RGPS.
My girl came back with a fruit today which she made into a candy snack, I think she wants to eat with something sweet, so much for healthy week, hahaha. -
Dear Fressia and mwchua
The main issues can be sub-divided into two categories:
- The attitude of the bus driver and the money issues
It really depend on yr luck, i got a lousy bus driver too so my dd stopped taking the school bus. The payment issue sound weird to me cos i paid $20 for her CCA bus with unlimited trip. For this issue, I can understand mwchua’s frustration.
- Timing in which the school bus reaches the school
My dd’s school reaches the school between 6.40am to 6.50am. School requires the kids to be in school by 7.20am. Hence, the kids are in school perhaps like 30 mins to 35 mins before 7.20am. There may be student prefect on the board and they have to be at their respective area by 7am.
Hence, it is misleading to say that the kids reach sch 1 hour before school.
The 1 hour which mwchua has mentioned could it be traveling time from home to school? But if you are staying miles away from RGPS, the 1 hour travelling time on the bus is unavoidable.
This issue is not new, parents who are staying far away from school just doesn’t want to face the fact until the problem starts to kick in when their kids is in P3. -
Hi,
Lets not forget that school start time in Singapore has been the same for decades. I went to primary school 30 years ago and the start time was the same as now - 7.20 am. I had to wake up at 5.20 am every morning as the school bus came at 6 am. I don't remember my mother wanting to complain to school, MOE or MPs. She just accepted it. I completed my homework in the afternoons and my mother made sure I went to bed by 8.30 pm every night, no staying up to watch TV, chit-chatting, playing.
If generations of Singapore school kids can survive waking up at 5 to 5.30 am throughout their school life, what's so special about our kids that we have to molly-coddle them. Come on, kids are tougher than you think.
Its just plain common sense primary school kids should NOT be sleeping at 10 or 11 pm if they have to wake up at 5 am.
My kids are both in afternoon sessions and they are in bed by 9 pm. They sleep til 8 am every morning. That's 11 solid hours of sleep. I am a working mom and i get home at 7.30 pm. I manage to squeeze in 1 hour of interaction/ homework/reading before 9 pm bedtime.
My husband is a Caucasian and when he first came to Singapore he was incredulous to see Singapore kids running about in shopping centres at 10 pm at night. In most Western countries, kids are put to bed by 7 or 7.30 pm! In fact, he thinks our kids' bedtime of 9 pm is far too late. When my daughter starts P3 he will probably ask her to go to bed at 7 pm
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