Pat's Schoolhouse

[myvirtualife]

My kid will start at Baby Haven KK toddler playgroup soon. Am a little concerned about the bad feedback about pats lately. Anyone with experience (current or recent) with BH? I am aware that the principal has changed and their lease is due end of year, but we had felt this was still our preferred option.

[breezie80]

myvirtualife:

My kid will start at Baby Haven KK toddler playgroup soon. Am a little concerned about the bad feedback about pats lately. Anyone with experience (current or recent) with BH? I am aware that the principal has changed and their lease is due end of year, but we had felt this was still our preferred option.

Has BH gotten approval to renew their lease? If not, aren't u afraid that the lease might not be renewed and u have to source for other schools within a span of a few mths?

[myvirtualife]

We don’t mind moving to Buckley if BH can’t find another site nearby. The point was to get him introduced to the Pats environment and curriculum

[Busymom]

myvirtualife:

My kid will start at Baby Haven KK toddler playgroup soon. Am a little concerned about the bad feedback about pats lately. Anyone with experience (current or recent) with BH? I am aware that the principal has changed and their lease is due end of year, but we had felt this was still our preferred option.

Has the principal changed? Not Ms Gwen anymore?

[myvirtualife]

Busymom:

Has the principal changed? Not Ms Gwen anymore?

It's Lilian now.

[Busymom]

myvirtualife:

Busymom:

Has the principal changed? Not Ms Gwen anymore?

It's Lilian now.

I see. Any idea where Ms Gwen has gone to?

[Tory]

Hi mummies,


I have been contemplating whether I should withdraw my girls from Pat’s Schoolhouse as I feel that the school have not met my expectations in terms of the high fees that I am paying. The teachers we get are really depend on luck, like what some mummies previously commented. Some very young and no experience in managing preschool kids and simple things like providing constructive and proactive feedback to parents on child’s development and performance in school. The twice a year PTC is very brief and little effort is put in by the school/teachers in providing an update on what the kids have been doing in school. This is in constrast to how other schools out there conduct their PTC whereby they showcase the children’s work/projects done for the half-year. And there is a detailed portfolio on their child’s development (motor skills for younger kids) and progress (academic for the older kids).

From their recent newsletter, I read that some Pat’s centres have conducted briefing for parents on their curriculum. After close to 2 years, my kids’ centre has not organised anything like that though I thought that this was supposed to be one of Pat’s selling point on parental involvement with the school.

With the recent removal of the English S&D, I am still perplexed by why a core enrichment is removed from the curriculum and replaced with PE. I wonder what is next.

Anyway, the reason why I am still contemplating on whether to withdraw my girls is mainly for the fact that they are very settled in their school. Can any parent update how your kids coped after you withdrew them from Pat’s?

[breezie80]

Hah, i hv withdrew my girl from Aroozoo. She will only start sch in June. can only know her reaction by then. But I think it will also depend on your child’s character. if she is those easily adaptable ones, should be no problem.


Hi mummies,

I have been contemplating whether I should withdraw my girls from Pat’s Schoolhouse as I feel that the school have not met my expectations in terms of the high fees that I am paying. The teachers we get are really depend on luck, like what some mummies previously commented. Some very young and no experience in managing preschool kids and simple things like providing constructive and proactive feedback to parents on child’s development and performance in school. The twice a year PTC is very brief and little effort is put in by the school/teachers in providing an update on what the kids have been doing in school. This is in constrast to how other schools out there conduct their PTC whereby they showcase the children’s work/projects done for the half-year. And there is a detailed portfolio on their child’s development (motor skills for younger kids) and progress (academic for the older kids).

From their recent newsletter, I read that some Pat’s centres have conducted briefing for parents on their curriculum. After close to 2 years, my kids’ centre has not organised anything like that though I thought that this was supposed to be one of Pat’s selling point on parental involvement with the school.

With the recent removal of the English S&D, I am still perplexed by why a core enrichment is removed from the curriculum and replaced with PE. I wonder what is next.

Anyway, the reason why I am still contemplating on whether to withdraw my girls is mainly for the fact that they are very settled in their school. Can any parent update how your kids coped after you withdrew them from Pat’s?[/quote]

[breezie80]

btw, can share which centre is your DD from?

Tory:

Hi mummies,

I have been contemplating whether I should withdraw my girls from Pat's Schoolhouse as I feel that the school have not met my expectations in terms of the high fees that I am paying. The teachers we get are really depend on luck, like what some mummies previously commented. Some very young and no experience in managing preschool kids and simple things like providing constructive and proactive feedback to parents on child's development and performance in school. The twice a year PTC is very brief and little effort is put in by the school/teachers in providing an update on what the kids have been doing in school. This is in constrast to how other schools out there conduct their PTC whereby they showcase the children's work/projects done for the half-year. And there is a detailed portfolio on their child's development (motor skills for younger kids) and progress (academic for the older kids).

From their recent newsletter, I read that some Pat's centres have conducted briefing for parents on their curriculum. After close to 2 years, my kids' centre has not organised anything like that though I thought that this was supposed to be one of Pat's selling point on parental involvement with the school.

With the recent removal of the English S&D, I am still perplexed by why a core enrichment is removed from the curriculum and replaced with PE. I wonder what is next.

Anyway, the reason why I am still contemplating on whether to withdraw my girls is mainly for the fact that they are very settled in their school. Can any parent update how your kids coped after you withdrew them from Pat's?

[empressplace]

Tory:

I have been contemplating whether I should withdraw my girls from Pat's Schoolhouse as I feel that the school have not met my expectations in terms of the high fees that I am paying. The teachers we get are really depend on luck, like what some mummies previously commented. Some very young and no experience in managing preschool kids and simple things like providing constructive and proactive feedback to parents on child's development and performance in school. ?

I have realised that I cannot rely on teacher feedback as different people have different standards. This is especially the case for young and inexperienced teachers who may not yet have children of their own.

Tory:

From their recent newsletter, I read that some Pat's centres have conducted briefing for parents on their curriculum. After close to 2 years, my kids' centre has not organised anything like that though I thought that this was supposed to be one of Pat's selling point on parental involvement with the school.

You need to work with other parents to make a strong request to the principal before you will receive this briefing on curriculum. And I don't think PSH is that big on parental involvement. We are only asked to work on craft work with the kids once or twice. Other than that, we are supposed to leave the day to day academic stuff to them. Detailed and proactive feedback/information is not their style in my experience so I have learnt to moderate my expectations. Unless you actively seek out the teachers, all they will provide you is that Friday Feedback and the half yearly MTP session.

Tory:

With the recent removal of the English S&D, I am still perplexed by why a core enrichment is removed from the curriculum and replaced with PE. I wonder what is next.

Ahh....did you read their explanation? It's a Singapore Sports Council recommendation! We need to prepare our kids for primary one PE! :evil:

Question is - why didn't they announce the change of enrichment program together with the fee increase last year so that parents have a fair chance to decide if this is the program/school they want for their kids for the following year and if this is the package that they are happy to pay more for? But, no worries about what we think, there is a long queue of people who are happy to join the school and enjoy the PE program.

Tory:

Anyway, the reason why I am still contemplating on whether to withdraw my girls is mainly for the fact that they are very settled in their school. Can any parent update how your kids coped after you withdrew them from Pat's?

The way I see it, a child would eventually have to adjust to a completely new environment in primary one. I think children would learn to adapt. If adaptation problem is a valid and significant concern, then I suppose you may have to accept whatever changes and fee increases PSH comes up with next. :yikes: