I’ve visited Ngee Ann before, they have many high-tech facilities and is one of the more tech-savvy schools indeed!

ABOUT CCAs:


As mentioned previously, every CCA in every school has to be busy to be fulfilling. 2-3 times a week would be a good commitment level. Really good way to get students interested in school, as they have something to look forward to other than lessons

In my opinion, most DHS CCAs (especially in Junior High) are hard core and train many times a week. The spirit of excellence is strong!

ABOUT BUTTONS:

That's a great way to attach the metal button on, you don't have to use the ring every day. Anyway, remember to remove the buttons before washing the uniform. Some of my friends say the button will rust if you don't. I've got friends who just washed the buttons for 4 years without much rusting on the buttons too...

At the end of it, it's how much care you want to take of the buttons Most people keep the buttons after finishing Junior High/ graduating from DHS. The metal button was also one of the items in the DHS60 commemorative set!

POINT 1: LAPTOPS


I never had to buy a tablet/ laptop, even for Home-based learning! For students without a computer at home (or without internet access), the school has free-access computer labs with good wi-fi The school computers are also very functional, comes with lots of Adobe and Microsoft Office programs.

For Senior High, the same applies! You can use school resources to do your work. Even for PW, you don't need one on your own because you can share one as a group, or use the school one for individual work.

Don't need to worry about that! (Though having your own laptop means you can go home to do homework).

POINT 2: OPPORTUNITIES

DHS is rather merit-conscious. You do well, you get more opportunities. This makes sense because these people are seen to be more deserving/ able to make the best out of limited opportunities. Works for both CCA and academics

Personally I appealed into DHS but could go for academic olympiads, do research projects etc. One thing though, YOU HAVE TO GO GRAB THESE OPPORTUNITIES. Many of my friends don't sign up for maths olympiad (which is free for all) because they believe that their Maths isn't olympiad standard. Who cares? You have to try to know, and trying makes you better at it, right? Don't worry so much about going in to win medals. (Want to know another secret? The people who do well at Maths Olympiad also study and prepare hard for them!)

POINT 3: SUBJECT COMBINATIONS

Dunman High offers most students their first choice subject combination. As a small school, the timetables are more flexible and odd combinations are welcome From outside sources, I heard that NJC offers a wider range of subject combinations at JC. BUT, this would be a major consideration for students considering Arts/ Hybrid stream :3 Do understand that restrictions on subject combinations may be for your own good, as the school has considered work load and the usefulness/ value of different subjects in a combination.

Hello everyone,

Here are some matters to clarify:

1. H2 Econs has no subject-specific pre-requisite. Note that GPA 3.4 (including -0.2 from CCA) is needed to take 4H2. However, you can still take H2 Econs as part of 3H2 1H1.

2. For my batch, some SBGE students transferred out of DHS before school started and there were slots available… The teacher said that he randomly picked from a list of students given by the school. To me, SBGE classes offer a better learning environment. It helps ex-GEP students ease into a more mainstream environment. These classes tend to have more active class discussions (ex-GEP students tend to enjoy contributing in such a manner) and students are more academically-driven. The teaching pace may be faster too.

3. In my opinion, all the UGs in Dunman High are demanding. However, I would rank them as such: St John Brigade, Girl Guides, NPCC, Scouts. Secondary school is a good time to join a UG as it disciplines students. But if you have a passion in a sport or performing arts, by all means go for it.

4. The school only accepted about 300 students this year because MOE already sets a limit. If not, more schools will have to close down…

Taking double humanities is a good option, if you have confidence in the humanities. Many people in my batch took triple science because they felt that they were weak at the humanities. Instead of taking 2 and failing 2, take 1 and spend more time on it. This is especially so for those who are very strong in Maths and Science.


Geography syllabus
Year 3 Geography: Atmosphere, Lithosphere, Coasts, Hydrosphere
Year 4 Geography: Global Economy, Population, Tourism, Urban
There is a lot of uncertainty in the syllabus now, especially because of the new A level syllabus. Also, since it is a school-based examination, content may vary depending on time available to teach. Best to ask current Year 3s.

Thank you to the alumni who have shared experiences.


I think the definition of a good school would really depend on the child. What kind of environment does he or she thrive in? Different schools have different programmes which aim to bring out the best in the students, even the TRP Programme in DHS. Besides being a mock-PW practice, it is also important to cultivate the skills needed to work in teams.

It is a good gauge but not fair to judge a school by the entry cut-off points as the academic rigour and demands of primary and secondary school are different. The former involves more \"studying and hard work\", and (I believe) quite a lot of pushing from parents. However, secondary school is really a time for students to learn how to manage the commitments that they have, and to explore what they like. And yes, many changes can occur during these volatile teenage years - some may collapse under the stress, some may face relationship problems (with friends or family). However, the late bloomers tend to thrive during this period of time. This is when they start understanding their own interest and passion and go all out to pursue them. Let me give you an example: these apply to all schools, not just DHS. I have a level mate who DSAed into DHS with 24+, but subsequently topped the level in his favourite subject (Maths). Even the president of current senior high student council actually appealed into DHS, but did very well (2nd in level) in Year 2. On the flip side, there is another case of a girl who DSAed and did well for GAT (close to full marks), but PSLE score 22+. Eventually got into BGR and eating disorder problems, and sunk. That is just the transition from Primary school to secondary school. Many changes can occur in the child's interest in school and in his or her social life. And at this age, teenagers get influenced by their friends a lot. This is where parents' support is crucial.

It was also mentioned that Year 1 academic rigour is not enough. If the definition of academic rigour is to have to go home and study until it is time to sleep, every day, then of course it is not rigorous. I think year 1/2 focusses more on non-academic development - CCA, computing, Appreciation of Chinese Culture (ACC). If the academic rigour of the normal curriculum is not enough, students are always free to go to the library, pick up a book on A level Physics and do some self-reading. There are so many options to explore and this cultivates a sense of ownership towards one's learning. If your child only learns because it is part of the curriculum, then there is little self-motivation involved. I have friends from the Raffles family who say that many students are constantly enriching themselves - reading more, doing more. This happens in DHS too, but not as common. It all depends on the individual's drive to learn and learn more.

However, I still think that Year 1/2 is the time for students to develop holistically - finding themselves, learning about their friends and having fun. The RELATIVELY non-competitive environment is to foster a culture of sharing. DHS encourages students to share their notes and work together, which is quite common between seniors and juniors. I say relatively uncompetitive because DHS is still a competitive place to be in. There are people vying to be at the top, but not many will outwardly express it. In fact, DHS promotes humility and support - if you do well, good for you, but be careful about how others feel. If you have not done as well, your friends understand how you feel and are willing to help you get there. The idea is: we progress together, no one gets left behind (as long as they are willing to seek help and work for it).

No school is perfect, but it depends on what you want in your child. When you look at people who come out of the school, look at who they are as a person. Trust the school you have sent your child to. Work with them to bring out the best in your child. :imcool:

Hello, I would like to say that I think that the classes are allocated by subject combination and enrichment. For the 2013 Year 3 batch,



3A: O levels
3B: Bio, Chem + elit/Geog/Hist
3C: Phy, Chem + Geog/Hist
3D: Bio, Chem + elit, Hist (history enriched)
3E: Phy, Chem + elit/clit, Geog/Hist (history enriched)
3F: Triple science + elit/clit/Geog (E. Lit enriched)
3G: Triple science + Hist
3H: triple science + Hist (LA, maths enriched)
3I: Triple science + Geog
3J: Triple science + Geog (science, Geog enriched)
3K: Triple science + Geog (Maths, Geog enriched)
3L: triple science + elit (LA enriched)
3M: triple science + Geog/Hist (maths, science enriched)

*For LA, Geog and Hist enriched: not all the students in the class are enriched. For eg, 3D and 3E have history lessons together, split into the enriched and normal class
Geog enriched: J/K together
Maths enrich: students from 3H join 3M (whole of 3M is maths enriched)

Hope this helps!

Love Clouds:

DD1 is happy to get her 1st choice in year 3 subject comb. It seems that all her friends got their 1st choice too. Do they all get their 1st choice as long as they meet the minimum requirement in GPA?

She said her next year class has students taking different combination (triple Sci but taking diff humanities).

Yes, most students will get the combination of their choice, unless they are taking special double humanities combinations not offered.

The school tries to arrange students taking the same humanities into the same class, to facilitate meet-ups for group projects. However, there may be some mixing, most frequently seen in the double science classes. My batch had two \"mixed\" triple science classes. One had Geog, E. lit and C. lit students, while the other had Geog and Hist students.

raindropsonroses wrote:

> My daughter also considering to take 3rd language. Stuck between French and Japanese,
> perhaps even Malay as well (important language in SG). Any inputs and suggestions
> and also maybe if DHS has any of the languages taught in school so my daughter need
> not go out of school?

Malay lessons are conducted in the school compound.

Hello, I’m a Year 4 Student, currently taking triple science and Geography.


To make it clear, it is not true that 50% of 4M are PRC Scholars. There are only 4 of them, out of 25 students. There are more PRC scholars in other classes. An increasing number of them are choosing to not take Biology and they end up in other classes. This is because the M class usually has Science enrichment and those PRC Scholars are not offering Biology.

The classes with better average GPAs at Year 2 are those which the PRC Scholars are admitted to. It could be because of the Maths and Science enrichment offered. PRC Scholars are only offered Geog or Hist but they usually take Geography.

PRC Scholars offer "English Language" instead of "Language Arts". They have to take the ‘O’ level English examination.

With regard to selecting a humanities subject, there is no "easier subject to study for" because it would depend on your child’s inclinations. I am not doing too badly for Geography now but if I were to sit for a History examination, I may well be the lowest-scoring student. Nevertheless, I personally feel that Geography may be easier to do well in (not score) with just memory work. Scoring requires more skills and thinking.

To add on, Chinese literature is also offered at Year 3, as a humanities subject. I heard that the test constitutes memorising some texts. A girl once scored full marks for a test. If you have the aptitude and interest in C. lit, it can be a very good option to go for.

As for the number of classes for the various subject combinations, it really depends on each batch of students. My batch has eight triple science classes, two double science classes and two classes with 7 units. The ‘A’ class is for ‘O’ level students. It is also good to note that more students are opting for 7 units simply because they would be able to do better. The top students last year for year 3 and 4 only offered 7 units.