[Clementi] Primary Schools

[aggellim]

Hi Harishita All parents :


CLEMENTI PRI they are the top 10 most Improved School for last year and in these recent years, more and more pupils are enrolling to that school that they have to ballot ( in the past, no balloting- 2004/2005 )they have a 'numeracy test' during orientation to gauge the 'math' standard for the P1 kids .-fr single session to double session ,they start streaming based on P1 end of year result Since 2006.. Seems that this school only focus on the top class, and the other classes are somewhat neglected.It seems that they only choose the good ones and groom them .
i had a talk with my gf who is a teacher in Pri Sch. when I mentioned headache dunno which sch to register my son last yr, she gave her 5cents view. School performance have to match child character. School can have very GOOD Grades for most student but might not apply to every child. Especially if the child confidence level drop due to falling behind friends then learning will be a prob. She also mentioned, see where's the interest of the child, if the child is more sports incline, and the school matches, the child do very well in sports, in turn he will hv confidence in learning.
In Nan Hua Pri I also notice that the earlier phase are getting more and more applications, perhaps due to high demand for places else where, most ex-students will want to register in their old school to secure places first. This year, Nan Hua alumni registration doubled. Also, parents are getting more and more prepared for P1 registrations Last year phase 2B need not ballot, but this year must. They start streaming based on P1 end of year result to best class by the end of P2 and P4 only ( not GEP- Students ) P2 - Based on ENG / CHI / MATH 2 Classes. P4 -Based on MATH with SCI 90+ above Only 1 Class .( not GEP-Students )
For me , amount of Homeworks It's GOOD QUALITY that's IMPORTANT , not QUANTITY . alot the teachers put in good effort to groom the Students So far I have heard pretty good feedback Fr Nan hua Parents .I think most important is for the teachers to have a passion to help weaker students not only those who r GEP Students. Nan hua orientation is 1st Nov the orientation and buying of books, uniform and filling up of some forms .Parents can buy on the same day or come back another day to buy. the book list will be distributed on the orientation day. there's quite alot of interesting programmes CCA school.Eg-Wushu/Violin/Bowling/Golf /Guzheng/Science Club/ Art Club...etc For a more balanced education.CCA participation for P1-P2 pupils is optional.My Ds is doing well, considering his is a transfer student ( Fr CLEMENTI to Nan Hua P4 This yr ), his is coping very well. In Nan hua i find many fantastic teacher are giving me very good impressions now However, i am a believer of strong foundation . In Nan Hua Their expose children to more difficult questions Eg... Grammer - Vocabulary and informative passages teach pupils to read purposefully and train the pupil to derive the meanings of words from context with ALL worksheets . This skill will assist them in their upper primary years of grasping new words easily and using them confidently and effective in their writing also serve as Good discussion materials for studenes . Nan Hua is SAP -GEP school provides lots of opportunities for the children. Meaning Eng n Chinese both 1st language. They study higher chinese. That was my only concern for my Ds .Generally Nan Hua has a higher standard than the rest of schools, so at PSLE time, she would be more well prepared than neighbourhood schools. Those from neighbourhood schools may be caught by surprised.

GOOD luck All Of U who needs to go thru the balloting nxt yr.. hv confidence & faith that U will b the lucky ones !!!! :lol: :lol:

[HAPPYH]

Thank you so much. Do you think that getting books or worksheets from Nan Hua primary school (get from those in nan Hua) will help even if my daughter will be in Clementi primary? or will it be too stressful for my daughter in future?

[HAPPYH]

Thank you for the information. I would like to enquire whether getting worksheets or books provided by nan hua (Get from the students) and practicing those worksheets will help my daughter?


Or do you think it will stress her more since she might also need to do things given by clementi primary school (within 1 km from my house)?

[aggellim]

Hi harishita , all parents :


Sorry for replying late. don't be too stressed up,

Nice to see you here again.y ou really put in a lot of efforts .
In Clementi Pri there will be a better mix of students of different backgrounds, and I believe in variety . :lol:
Before you decide to enrol, do be aware that it is a Single school.
Do u know CLEMENTI Pri is Double Session School ? ? Only P1 is in afternoon ,P2 onwards All morning session . What other school you have in mind ? Are you considering to enrol ur girl to Pei Tong ?( Single session ) For me very good !! Coz My 2 children nap in the afternoon
for convenience , I Prefer to send my child Only to Single School .I find afternoon sessions a big waste of time. Can have more time in the afternoon to rest & to complete any homework Kids tend to wake up late, then whole day gone . Morever, afternoons are usually hot & it might affect his concentration, which is why I prefer him to be in the morning session . Even my Ds1 now at P4 , I also insist that his naps (1.15min). Else We could not guide him sch work at night ( tuition ) fr 6pm-7.30pm .

My Ds1 has been studying in Clementi Pri - P1-P3 .
I was the unlucky one who was unsuccessful in my Ds1 balloting at Nan hua Pri 2004 yr ( born in 1998) . he got into Clementi Pri under Phase 2C supp. Actually, i have priority under Phase 1 to get my Ds2 ( born in 2001 ) into Clementi Pri when the time comes last yr. But we give up....
Coz Double session !!! My Ds2 got into Nan hua under Phase 2C last yr .

Even though my Ds1 didn't get into Nan hua 2004 yr, but we still manage to get a successful transfer to Nan Hua (Own merit - this yr . it is however much difficult to arrange for a transfer to from a neighbourhood school to a SAP+GEP school cos it is more difficult to adapt to a more challenging environment and unless our kid did exceptionally well academically .
The main reason I am looking at Nan Hua is also because of proximity but I also like its more emphasis on the Chinese cultureits and good value .which is very important to me.

Everyone commented that I was so lucky to get a transfer because I can save the hassle when my younger DD P1 ( born in 2006 )registration comes. hee....

Just my 2cent worth of opinion ,
your plan to teach your children at primary level is good ? If you could teach your girl, then it is even better than sending her to enrichment. You are the best person to know her weak areas . :lol: :lol:
So, I think before your kid go in to primary school, must has all the basic. If not, the kid will feel stress. otherwise, ur girl will sure to have stress next year when she goes P1...

Do you send your girl for any enrichments /any P1 preparation class ?
are u busy preparing yr kids for P1 ? Clementi Pri only one exam SA2 at the end of the yr for P1 pupils . During my Ds1 time .
i think that if a child can learn more advanced techniques or knowledge in a good school i.e ( Nan Hua or Other Top School worksheets ,exam papers ....etc ), then she should be given the chance , It is very important to know your child's capability . hopefully she will benefit from the high standards papers . Every parent has their own expectations . My stand is to stretch the child a little by a little, because you never know what's their true potential, if you don't try. Of cos', you have to gauge carefully, and don't over stretch .he... he :lol: :lol:
We're all trying our best to be the best mother to our own kid .
l too believe that as long as we can instil some form of disciplines on regular revision of school work from very young age, they will keep the momentum going. :lol: :lol:
If she is good, there will still be a chance for her to transfer to a better Primary school at a later stage ( GEP to Henry Park primary school ) :lol:

My son ( P4 & P1 ) r studying in Nan Hua Pri now . As for whether it is stressful, it all depends on the child . Different schools will have different requirements of homework load . based on their daily work and school exams . it really depend on themselves !!! Again, depending on the kid's own learning style . :lol: I used to wonder why this school has no homework ( P1 ) for their pupils because whenever I ask him whether he has homework from school, his answer is always 'no'. Then I realise that he tends to finish everything in school. Hence, if a child needs a longer time to do his / her homework, it is more likely that he has to bring back home and do. This might appear to the parents that the school is too stressful for their child. Hope you will find them useful too .

My Ds2 is in P1 now, school already start them on Eng and Chi composition (60 words+) .
I let my son tried past years P1 papers ( All the Top School Papers ), he can score well for English and Math between 90 to 95 this yr. In my personal opinion , For Math practice, practice more I sat with my boy working thro' past year exam papers, I reminded him that a number of questions are trick questions so if he is not careful he will fall into the traps. I think he will slowly realize the dangers of being careless. It worked well !!! I am a SAHM , I have alot time to sit comfortably with him to give him tips for so many exam situations , because doing well in exams is still my priority...I think how the kid performance in school really depends very much on parents guidance at home . for me primary education is the foundation for a child, if they are given a good environment to study, they will be motivated . Personally I feel that Quality is what matters most, not Quantity .

Clementi Pri just had a new principal this yr and from what I heard from other parents is that she set quite high standards and is quite strict .
l know most of the classes in Clementi Pri school have form teachers teaching Most of the subjects. But my son's class is the odd one with form teacher teaching only English,Art . He has a Math teacher, a Chinese teacher, a Music teacher and a P.E teacher. So you see, he has so many teachers teaching different subjects. ( Specialty of that sudjects ) so far, i would say he has wonderful teachers there. Sometimes it's not the matter of schools. Commitments & the passions of teaching from the teacher that matters . :lol:

Pri Sch is very important as that's the foundation of the education the child will be receiving and therefore if their foundation is not build good enough then years down their educations, they might faces a lot of problems.... :lol: :lol:

Perhaps as parent, we must really TRY to be objective and assess our children's capabalities... to fairly determine what is best for them.
All the best and I hope you succeed in doing so. Cheers! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[ChiefKiasu]

aggellim:

Hi harishita , all parents :

...

Hi aggelim, thanks for your inputs! I think your message qualifies as the longest post ever put up by anyone so far

[aggellim]

hi Chiefkiasu ;


Sorry, so embarrassed !!!

[ChiefKiasu]

aggellim:

...Sorry, so embarrassed !!!

Why? I think your post has all the elements of life and unadulterated frustrations of a mother with a Primary school kid in Singapore.

[aggellim]

hee... :roll: :roll: i am a member of the kiasu forum :lol: too talkative

Actually for all us first time parents, it is pretty scary as we don't know the exact standards of the school so we are searching in the dark to prepare our kids for P1, hence the pressure of whether it is sufficient

Everyone has expectations of anyone around them. my take is that if you don't care about your kids, then yes, you don't have expecations about them. i expect my boy to be a moral, useful contributing member hwen he grows up. my other take is that expectations is fine so long that when the kid fails to meet up to expectations, he/she must be reassure that the parent's love is regardless of the achievement of these expectations.
2 cents.

Just to share:
I hv been sending my P4 boy to Speech & Drama since his was 3 - Julia Gabriel Speech & Drama Centre . forgot to mention . My Ds1 has only attended a year of Eton house, when his was 4 yrs old coz too far and no transport, inconvenience ..... K1- K2 I would strongly recommend Gracefield Kindergarten\"is a very academic pre-school . P3- MindChamps Personally, I feel that they teach alot of things . But my kids have been in school already I can't see changes in them , felt like Wasting money $$$, Both my kids attended The tuition is 3 a week now.( Home tuition by ex-school teacher ) i believe by now ur kid has already been with the MindChamps for few months ? Can you share about your experience there ? Are there any significant improvement that u can share with us ? Thank you :roll: :roll:

So far I must say my kids are quite well prepared for Primary 1 & P4 as a result..... :lol: :lol:

[HAPPYH]

Hi aggelim,


Thnak you for the detailed information. By the way, my daughter is in K1 now. She will be going to primary 1 in 2010. Yes. I will try my best to prepare her for the primary 1. At this moment, for her age, she is doing well, espeacially in maths. She can do addition upto 100 and subtraction upto 50. But, as u know very well, parents are never satisfied.

since I am working full time, I always have this guilty feeling of not spending enough time with her. I really tell you - when I came to know that the application for parents’ voluntary service is closed for 2003 kids in henry park, I was so upset and kept thinking that I failed to do my duty. And I closed one good oppurtunity for my daughter. Lots of frustrations!

That’s why, now I want to find out more details and prepare her well for the good academic start. Thanks for all the info provided. Really useful.

[onlyling]

[Moderator's note: Topics merged.]


Hi all,

I have just been to Qifa's website. The school looks like one that does not just stress on academic achievements but also all round development of the children. However, I heard from my neighbours that the exam papers are too easy hence does not prepare the students well for PSLE.

Does anyone have any first hand experience about the school? Is it true that it does not prepare students well for the PSLE? Is it so relaxed that children lose competiveness?

Regards,
Chiayen