For those interested, NTPS is having Open House on Saturday 22 July in the morning. Not entirely certain about timing but should be around 9am to 12.30pm.

In P1, there’s little homework. Only what students can’t finish in school would’ve brought home to complete. Less than 1 page per week (English and math). Mother tongue seems more intensive. At least 2-4 pages per week. Weekly spelling lists (both English and Mother tongue) are quite long (around 10-15 words, including short sentences) but that’s not unusual.

ShanNi:

Hi Im SC stay within 1-2km from RMPS, >2km from CHIJ Kellocks. My girl will register 2018 intake.


Our choice will be between RMPS phase 2C as i have younger son. Or CHIJ Kellocks phase 2B as I'm Catholic & have affiliated school.

Any idea how the balloting history @RMPS for phase 2C for SC living within 1-2km. Need to Ballot?

Thanks

You should probably expect to ballot for Radin Mas within 1-2km. For a few years, SC had to ballot within 1km. Last year bucked the trend because of low birth year. A number of friends were fully expecting to ballot last year staying within 1km and was pleasantly surprised (and relieved!) about not having to. But you should be prepared and get ready your second choice (for phase 2C Supplementary if you don't succeed in ballot at 2C).

CHIJ Kellock would be the best choice if you can go in at 2B but with a younger son, I understand why you would want to try for Radin Mas. Get ready a backup choice e.g. Zhangde, Gan Eng Seng or Cantonment.

Yup, the rule applies to after P1 registration, not before.

Snow24:

Hi


Anyone know how fast can a transfer maid still in SG can be transferred to a new employer?

If the worker is available to transfer immediately (some might have to wait till end of the month if current employer needs her help), and you already meet requirements (e.g. having already completed the EOP if employing domestic worker for the first time), the transfer can be done in 1 week.

Same here. I’ve not been receiving email notifications since last week.

Some feedback on New Town primary school, since the last few posts focused on Queenstown:

I went to both Queenstown and New Town Pri’s open house days. As I said in an earlier post, I liked what I saw at Queenstown, but the open house at New Town really impressed me, hubby and kiddo. Very well organised in terms of having staff and students stationed all along main routes to greet and guide visitors, well planned programme (including experiential sessions for kids either in ICT (how to search for information on internet and make a simple powerpoint slide) or story-telling using Lego blocks). Every subject had one classroom each to showcase learning materials with activity stations (e.g. crafts, games, computer programmes, role play) that really give good sense of how learning activities are conducted in class. Milo van (such nostalgia!) and popcorn cart were a very nice touch, especially having the older students taking them round to visitors throughout the morning.

There seems to be quite strong emphasis on Chinese (the school used to have Chinese as medium of instruction until 1980s) and other mother tongue curriculum seems well resourced. Music, dance and drama appear to be their strong CCAs, although also nice range of sports CCAs offered. Uniformed groups more limited to just Red Cross and Brownies, but I guess you can’t have everything.

The older kids impressed with their good manners, enthusiasm and confidence. A large number of kids were involved in the performances, activity stations in each classrooms and as guides, so I think it is a fair representation of the student body. This is one aspect that really shone for me in comparison to Queenstown’s open house.

Another key difference is the banding exercise starting from P3. Queenstown have banding for first two classes (so, class 1 for best abilities in English and Maths, followed by class 2) while the rest of the classes are mixed abilities. New Town has banding throughout the cohort for all classes. I get the sense that Queenstown caters for more varied learning speeds and abilities, while New Town leans towards pushing higher ability students. Both approaches have their pros and cons, and parents may prefer one over the other depending on how their kids are. Both schools have remedial arrangements after school for slower learners to help them catch up.

Lovely school grounds with new facilities and well maintained. Has its own school field, covered basketball court, indoor sports hall (separate from school multipurpose hall) and even a gym.

Not entirely sure why the registration rate at 2C is so much lower compared to previous years, but since I got in I have no complaints! Perhaps Queenstown’s registration is much higher this year due to newly completed flats and condos around Margaret Drive and Dawson area. But I think New Town is a good choice for those looking at 2C Supp. Good chance that there will be more vacancies at Phase 3 too, and more mixed nationalities is I think an asset for our young children getting along with other cultures.

ecym:

[quote]
huh...if ballot wins for 1 of the twins, the other twin will automatically get in??? :shock:

[/quote]Yes. One successful ballot for one of the twins will mean both siblings getting into the school = remove 2 places at once from remaining vacancy.

For those staying near APS and need to go for another school, Zhangde is probably the closest.


Heard from a friend: cantonment has 74 spaces left as of 10am today.

I would expect zhangde to catch some of the spillover from APS. It is the closest school for those living near APS.