Choosing a Secondary School for your Child - A Mom Shares What Matters

November 27, 2009

One fine day, you wake up and realise that your child's six years of primary school are almost over. All of a sudden, you find yourself worrying about the next important step: choosing a secondary school that would support your child's learning needs and maximise his potential.

Granted, many parents start to think about their options in good time. But the questions are still the same: how do you decide which school is most suitable; how important are a school's non-academic strengths and CCAs; and how much say should you give your child in choosing a secondary school?

It's said that experience is the best teacher. If so, Mrs Pat Chong, a MOE Parent Ambassador and mother of five, should prove a reliable guide for parents who'd like to hear how one parent approached the task with the varying needs of her children very much in mind.

Continue reading “Choosing a Secondary School for your Child - A Mom Shares What Matters”»

Giving Foreign Students a Home Away From Home

October 30, 2008

Arriving in a new country means a new school and new friends. But a new family?

"When I first heard about the Foster Parents programme at Nanyang Girls' High School, I could not help but be sceptical," recalls Le Nguyet Han Giang. But soon after the Vietnamese national arrived in Singapore in January 2007, Han Giang was happy to cast aside her doubts and warm up to her new family of foster parents, "Uncle Samuel Tan and Aunty Soon Yin", and her foster siblings, Joshua, Beatrice and Hongjie.

Continue reading “Giving Foreign Students a Home Away From Home”»

Family Life Takes Flight with Father’s Wing at Montfort Junior School

October 23, 2008

Sleek racing cars zoom down winding streets. The drivers strain as they go bumper to bumper and narrowly miss the curb. Their intense concentration is broken by random cries of excitement as one car succeeds in overtaking its rival.

Sounds like Formula 1? In fact, all this action took place at Montfort Junior School, where four Xbox consoles let pupils match their gaming skills against their dads. And no matter who finishes the race first, every player is a winner in this hour of paternal bonding that takes places at the MJ iTech :) Corner.

Continue reading “Family Life Takes Flight with Father’s Wing at Montfort Junior School”»

Educating Junior, Hand In Hand (Part 2)

October 3, 2008

Want to find out more about how you can be an active partner in your child’s school life? Tune in to the next episode of Educating Junior, Hand in Hand to see how parents are playing their part to enrich the learning experience of both their children and their children’s schools.

While Episode 1 focused on primary schools, Episode 2 will put the spotlight on students in secondary schools. Catch the show in your preferred language on the following channels: • Channel NewsAsia - Wed, 8 Oct, 9.30 p.m. • Channel 8 - Sat, 11 Oct, 10.30 p.m. • Suria - Wed, 15 Oct, 7.30 p.m. • Vasantham Central - Thu, 16 Oct, 7 p.m.

Here’s a sneak preview of what you can expect to see in this installment:

Continue reading “Educating Junior, Hand In Hand (Part 2)”»

Family Bonding on School Fieldtrips

July 11, 2008

When I was a student, I used to look forward to any day when my parents attended school activities with me. So when I received an email from my daughter Hsien Hui’s school, Yew Tee Primary School, calling for parent volunteers to help with Pri 4 education tours, I signed up immediately. I’ve helped out at many school events before - from orientation sessions for Pri 1 pupils, to open houses or Sports Days, to excursions to the zoo. This time, Hsien Hui’s class was scheduled to go on a learning journey to Oh Chin Huat Hydroponic Farms. I had to take leave from work in order to go with them, but it was well worth the while. Hsien Hui was as excited as I was that we would be going on this trip together.

Continue reading “Family Bonding on School Fieldtrips”»

What Being a Parent Volunteer Has Done for Me

February 1, 2008

Research by the National Parent Teacher Association in the USA has found that students whose parents are actively involved in their education do better at school, regardless of their family income and background. Specifically, students with involved parents have greater academic success, better attitudes about school and fewer behavioural problems. Sounds too good to be true? Not at all!

Continue reading “What Being a Parent Volunteer Has Done for Me”»

The First Day of School for My Children

December 26, 2007

The first day of primary school must be a big day for children - or so we thought! But try asking them and you'll be surprised by what they tell you. After all, most kids in Singapore would have attended playschool, nursery or at least two years of kindergarten before they enter Pri 1. Nevertheless, I have "prepared" not one but three daughters for the first day of primary school over the last seven years; they attended Pri 1 in 2007, 2003 and 2000. Let me share my experiences.

Continue reading “The First Day of School for My Children”»

Trekking the Himalayas with My Sons

September 7, 2007

Crisp mountain air, magnificent scenery like something out of a National Geographic magazine - and 30 of us screaming for joy when we reached Dharva Top, a peak 4,150 metres above sea level. No, it wasn’t quite the typical family vacation, not when I was travelling with my sons on a school expedition to the Himalayas, organised by Whitley Secondary. While I was the only parent in the group, I thought the trekking trip would be a golden opportunity for me to bond with my sons, who are in Sec 2 and Sec 3. In fact, our bonding opportunities started well before we left Singapore, as I had to join the group for training sessions. But first we had to get there.

Continue reading “Trekking the Himalayas with My Sons”»