Calling mommies staying near commonwealth

jasmum,

its ok.. dun have to say sorry
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hi hi,

can i join this thread.
i am currently on maternity leave till Apr 08. Have a 2 month old baby girl..

so glad that there are pple living near me. i live in bt merah view blk 125. any neighbours around here?

do u all know of any baby sitter in the area. actually i wanted to send her to infant care but was advised against it by pd who says the kids in infant care always fall sick...any advice?

and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
 
thanks jasmum
if not i would have lost this thread. Congrats to ur 2nd pregnancy. do take care!

hi snow
congrats to ur 4th pregnancy. do take care!

hi mummies,
i m staying at redhill rd Blk 74A. anyone staying nearby? thanks
 
Hello mummies

I just saw Jasmum's posting at "Free Item Only" and got directed here.

Dramaqueen, i stay quite near you, at Rumah Tinggi.

I'm a FTWM and my son is 15 mth old.

Hope to share more info with u all.

Happy New Year.

Cheers.
 
hi jasmum,
thanks for the warm welcome and the links to the agencies. will give them a call.
Never knew it was not so easy being a mother....we worry all the time.
Do u stay near me?

ladies,
if there are any SAHM who is interested to babysit from april, do drop me a message. my bb will be 6 months old then.
 
hi all Mums, happy new year!

it's been a long time since i wrote anything as i've been settling in my new job. sigh, changed 2 jobs in 2007 and hope i need nt change again for at least the next few yrs. any mums like me who juz wanna settle in on a normal 9-5 job, get things done and make sure we're home for the kids? gee, i wasn't like this till i had my ds. cos now i feel guilty abt working late and not being there for him during the day.

2008 is gonna be eventful for me. ds registering for P1 in aug. my mind is now full of gotto teach him how to count $$, buy food, etc... any mums got tips to get well prep for p1?
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hi grace (starmiffmel),

we sold our 5a unit at strathmore last nov'07 and got a 4rm unit at strathmore (again) the one next to dawson place
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but it's not ready... till march'08
we will only be getting the keys this Sat then reno has to be done in 2 parts, due to CNY in early Feb *sigh* bo-bian caught in the middle of it.

so we are now renting a 3rm unit at holland ave... it's a friend's place, so not too bad, nearby and alot of yummy food in this area *heee...*

i have a son who is in P2 this year... and am looking urgently for a chinese tuition teacher... so if anyone knows of one, could help share info
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many thanks !! i know of another mum here in holland ave looking for chinese tuition teacher too for her P2 & P5 boys
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hi smurf16,
it's never easy for a mum to balance family, work & home.
i was blessed to be a sahm till ds was 1yr then had to join back the workforce... then when he started k1, both dh and i made a stand for me to quit and again be a sahm till now. *praise God* for we do have to make alot of adjustment in lifestyle and slowly able to manage with just a single income. it's really tough but somehow thru' thick & thin, we managed.
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reg. for P1... have you decided on a school ? is it AM / PM session ?
oh yes, indeed good to start training... cut-off afternoon naps, going to bed early and waking up early.
get him to buy small items like a loaf of bread, milk, magazines from shops and keep track of the $$ amount.
some schools allow the use of the EZ link card for recess but that will only be issue by smrt in end Feb or ealy March... so it's still best to learn to use $$.
when at the hawker or food court, slowly get him to buy his own drink and allow him to bring it to the table.
P1s are usually buddy-up with an older kid during recess, anyway... but it's good to instill simple $$ handling knowledge now. and make sure he learns to speak up to teachers in asking to use the washroom and clean himself up thereafter.
in P1, kids do sit on the floor too during lesson, so remind him to always wash his hands, especially before meals.
and teaching / learning how to responsible of own belongings... do ensure all items have his name.
hope this info is useful
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hi jasmum,
we nearly bought strathmore too! but the price was too high. we also only moved in to bukit merah view end 06. then we decided to try for bb and was lucky to be pregnant after 3 mths. bb born in oct 07..

ya, holland has alot of good food. previously we stay at telok blangah, downstairs coffeeshop food sucks. now we are better, as the hawkercentre is just down stairs.

i dont think i will be able to not work for a year. i will have to make do with 6 months. cant afford not to work since we just got this flat. then again, i am not the stay at home type, i would like to have my work identity and felt very lost during this 2 months at home. but i know i will miss my baby alot when i go back to work in april. its just difficult to balance.
 
Hi everyone,

I am clearing some baby stuff for my girlfriend. Good condition or brand new stuff like baby swing, brand new playpen, good condition medela double breast pump, high chair, etc. Check out the pics on my picassa web album. Let me know if anyone of you is interested in these items. Email me at [email protected]. Pickup is at Depot Road.

See
http://picasaweb.google.com/cheesg.lk
under baby furniture, baby toys, etc.

Thanks so much.
 
hi jasmum, so envy you can be a sahm. one day i might juz quit and live life simple. but it doesn't look like it's gg to be soon
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tks for the P1 training tips. agree it's gd to start training early. so not stress! ya, we gg to register ds in river valley. think it's pm session for P1 & P2. take care and rest well.
 
Hi smurf16,

Just want to correct this: for river valley primary school, only Primary 1 is pm session. The rest of them are am sessions. As for counting money, buying food, etc., it will come naturally to them. They have buddy systems in RVPS for the first week, so the buddy-prefect can guide them. Also, RVPS has a food catering system (purely optional) for the first month so that the newbies can settle down before buying their own food. You pay for 1 month of food catering up front when you go for orientation and your son can just collect his food, sit down for his recess without paying. This has put my mind at ease. Let me know if you need any info on RVPS. This was my old primary school too. Had lots of fond memories there.
 
Koh Lay Koon (lkkoh),
hello
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hee... so our boys are of the same age 8yrs p.2 this year. mine will be 8yrs in march... and is attending acsp at baker rd (dad's an ol' boy) so i got no say in the wanting to choose the sch. rvps would have been my choice too heee.... !!
btw, do you happen to know any chinese tutor ? i am urgently looking for 1 who is able to come to holland ave... temp plc till my 4rm is ready by end march.
both dh & i don't speak chinese as much at all (i am of a mix-parentage, so totally lost touch on reading and knowing chinese !!) and we really need a home tutor to ease my travelling to any centres for lessons. i am 5.5mths preg. and still have bedrest order... i lost a gal in july'06 at 24wks... so this time alot more cautions to obey.
ds had his ex-kindergarder teacher the past year, but she's going back to china for good this month... so here i am... looking and searching...
 
Hi jasmum,

Yah our boys same age but my boy will only be 8 years old at the end of this year (he is born on Boxing Day, 26 Dec 2000)...actually he just celebrated his 7 years old birthday barely 2 weeks ago!!!

I don't know any chinese tutor cos I tutor him myself on all subjects including Chinese. My Chinese is pretty good but I can't spare any time to do tutoring cos I have another young one. Cos I don't have a maid or any one to help out (yah, no mother, mom-il, etc) so I do everything myself - cooking, marketing, cleaning, kids' homework...).

Why don't you send him to some chinese learning centres like TianXia (天下), BaiLeGuo (百乐果), etc.? Btw, there is a chinese tuition centre at Depot Road. Just started like 1 month ago. The name is "Learning Depot" or 知乐荟林。Haven't heard any feedback on this centre (actually it is housed in a HDB shop unit). You can check it out. The contact number is: 91451670 (Block 108, Depot Road, #01-16, Depot Heights Shopping Centre).

You can also ask his school teachers for recommendations. Maybe his Chinese school teachers cannot teach him cos there is a conflict of interest, but these teachers usually have teacher friends in other schools who are tutoring outside. Maybe this can be another avenue. Let me know if you need more help.
 
hiya all... glad to find this thread for mums ard this area.

I'm a SAHM with a P1 boy (RVPS) and a 6mth old gal.
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Everyday is exciting and happy... but busy! I don't have a domeestic helper and am doing everything (with hubby's help, thank god!) ourselves!
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hi hi to all and i am back too ..

and glad to know so many mummies with kids studying at RVPS here..

hi smulf16
wave wave, i will be registering my son there this year as well..

hi jasmum
thanks for the useful tips.. i am more kiasu.. have actually started training him to order for his own food at macdonalds liao..
my only concern now is his chinese, will be sending him for chinese enrichment classes very soon..

hi lay koon
may i ask how is the chinese standard in RVPS? heard it's going to be tough..
really salute u.. how do u teach your son chinese, in particular?

hi catikah
how is your son coping so far? did u accompany him to school last week, did he cry on the 1st day of school?
hahaha.. i bet my son will be one of those crying kids...

one question:
besides the MMI at Bukit Merah, does anyone know of other Montessori pre-school near our area? any recommendations?
 
hello kk (mummykoo),
fyi there's Montessori pre-school at dawson place - seedlings... but heard intake very small.

hi Koh Lay Koon (lkkoh)
thanks so much for the info.
when ds was in k1 he attended tian hsia for 1yr, which was good as for that age group the lessons were more fun. then i got preg. (but lost that baby later) and to avoid the traveling, his kindergarden teacher offered to tuition him, which worked out great and of course so much of savings also!! heee...

she stopped last month dec... now jan, i am hoping to get a home tutor again... as i need to try and avoid too much movement... this time... am now 5.5mths preg.
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me too a homemaker with no help, but managed to get a cleaning lady now while staying at this rental plc. in fact she said she might follow up when we shift back to strathmore too
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even when i had ds, i was pretty much a very hands-on mum. i had a maid for 2.5yrs after 1 yr being a sahm... thereafter when maid left, ds attended my church cc - milk & honey along alexandra rd.
my mil lives nearby too at bt.merah but she can't help... my hubby was looked after by his granny (her mum) furthermore mil is the v.modern type, must go out everyday and do her own things. my own mum has passed away some 12yrs ago... so not much help at home too...
so need to plan-plan ahead for the coming baby... am due in early May, so far i know i can always count on my church ladies for help...

but am looking for a "house-keeper" a local aunty who lives within the estate or nearby that will come-in by month of april / may at 8-9am, cook, clean, wash and go off by 3-4pm... not sure if i am able to get one... but am trying... as am willing to pay a fix income of $350 for the job which is really good income considering it's a range of a maid's salary...

well, if anyone knows of a housewife aunty, wanting to earn such an extra income do let me know. her lunch will be incl. as she cooks the simple meals of 3 dishes, etc...
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hi kk

today is the first day of real lessons... last week, on wed-fri, we are allowed to go during reccess time to see them. i am the chauffeur... will send him to and from school.

he has been to childcare-k2 for a year and i would say that childcare centres has it's plus point!!! he has become independent in his one year of childcare k2 training.

on the first day, we left them at the ground level's hall, then they were being brought upstairs to the assembly hall. I thought that he'd be scared/cry... but he just stand in line, then waved bye bye and smiled and just followed the prefects up!

second day, he asked me if i really gotto be there during reccess... hahahaha...

third day, i just peep from the side, he is managing his $ and food well...
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i guess i have got no worries from day 1... and rvps has got an organised system of settling down the Pri. 1s... thumbs up!
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hiya all

am a PTWM staying at Kim Tian with a 23MO gal.
any1 living ard this area with children her age?

happy new year!
 
hi jasmum
thanks, have called up the school but they are a CCC. any other recommendations?

hi catika
good for you.. hope my son can be the same as well, hahaha, guess i worry too much liao...
 
Hi kk,

The chinese standard in RVPS is like any other school cos they are using the same text book. In my opinion, chinese standard in RVPS is ok. They are tested mostly on their textbook knowledge so the scope is limited. If you ask me, I think the English standard is way up high cos the scope is so wide. You just have to keep reading and reading and expanding your reading repertoire and vocabulary and learn spelling, etc. I find English paper tougher. In fact, the average score for English paper last year was lower than that for Chinese or Maths. The marking scheme also adds to the difficulty in scoring.

I guess language requires lots of reading and writing and memorising. I find that my son forgets the chinese characters so I go through story books with him but cover up the hanyu pinyin part. If he comes to a word that he has studied before (I know and remember cos I went through the chinese text books too), then I stop to let him recall the characters. If he cannot remember, I will try to jog his memory by citing the passage or group of words that he has had spelling in, etc. He gets more fluent reading this way but there is definitely still room for improvement. Flash cards in the 字宝宝 are very good too. You can flash him after each lesson and see if he recalls. Just treat it like a game. This is very well said, but it is still struggle getting him down to reading sometimes. Hope this helps.

Btw, the English text book for RVPS is "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl. Cheem right? Got to go to the seminar to see what they expect of the P2's.
 
hi all,

I staying at Strathmore, Queenstown, can I join tis thread?

I juz gave birth to a baby boy 2 months ago, and next month going back to work :p
 
welcome Shernine (shernine)
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hee... where about at strathmore are you ?
i was from b80 and now at rental at holland ave and by march will move to b58.

congrats !! on a new baby... so fast 3mths is coming up huh... where about do you work and who is gonna help you care for the baby while you are at work ?

me an 'old' mum to a p2 boy and expected a gal in early may.
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well, do share more and feel free to ask questions too... heee....
have a good day
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hi lay khoon,

tks for the correction. was thinkg its pretty std tt all P1s & P2s in pm session except for single session sch. btw, i heard that RVPS is quite stress becos they hv a lot of activities. I'm nt sure what kind of activities but I remember 2 mums in another thread and one of them with a kid in RVPS is always sending hers to sch for extra activities. Stresss ~~~
So it sounds like the chinese is pretty at par with other schs... and english is the a little tougher? My ds quite strange lo, he's one of those who starting reading earlier than rest of kids but guess what? He seems to have probs with spelling, even simple words like 'the', 'and'. he kept spelling 'and' as 'end' cos he tried to use his phonics bkground to code the words. aiyah like that how?

hi kk(mummykoo)
wave wave too! glad to have a mummy to share more abt RVPS. we r registering in phase2c (1st child, no relation to sch). you? am looking arnd for a chinese tuition ctr which covers characters and pin yin...

hi catika,
wow... gd that ur boy's settling down well. think my boy shld be one of those ctying one. haiz. hes the kind with lots of deep thots and worries. so sure cry whn insecure. does RVPS have any orientation where we can bring the kids in to look see?
 
Hi smurf16,

Actually, RVPS subs all school buses to 1 bus company Poh Lee. This company manages all school bus routes for the students including remedial, CCAs, Arts from Young (for P1s), etc. For those "weird" hours, they require a minimum of 10 students on the route before operating. Each of this trip is charged $3/-, payable in 1 lump sum by the number of times, eg for CCAs. I find this very useful, cos I do not need to send my son to school, but just rely on the school bus service. Maybe the mummy sends her son to school herself, so she needs to keep going to school. Not to worry about this if you intend to let your son take school bus.

I find that although phonics helps the kids in the pronunciation, it also has drawbacks like what your son experiences. Try not to emphasize on phonics now. Use more flashcard, read more books, do some spelling and this problem should reduce itself. My son sometimes still does what your son did but I keep reminding him that there are many exceptions and phonics is not the rule. Hope this helps.
 
Hi Commonwealth/Queenstown mummies
It's been a long while since I came in here! A change in my work portfolio since Nov last year kept me so busy that I only had time to frequent my Jan 06 thread.

jasmum
Think I didn't get a chance to congrat you on your pregnancy. My ds also attending milk and honey too for half-day pm, afterwhich my maid/and or mom will pick him up to head home for his nap =)

smurf16
I feel that phonics at a young age is good, but as they get older and start to be exposed to spelling, they have to apply what's in context to the word. I'm really out of touch on the school system now but in the past in our time, we're given a list of words to learn for our spelling. Right now is 'free flow'? I'm not very into flashcards but one point where Lay Koon mentioned, reading books will definitely help alot.
 
Hi jasmum,

I was doing a search for Milk & Honey cc when I found this thread. I'm thinking of putting my son there for K1 and K2 when he turns 5 next year.

Can you provide any comments about this cc and its curriculum?

Thanks!
 
Catherine (catyeo),
hello
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M&H take 18mth ~ 6yrs (k2) but not sure of the vacancies...
they offer half day and full day childcare...
as it is a Christian Ministry, so there is worship, bible teaching on values, saying of grace at meals, etc...
the centre is about 18yrs now... and the teachers are very committed ones and motherly figured types
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and the food served at the centre is very balanced and yummy !!
as for curriculum it's very much standard as it's MOE/MCYS standard, do call and check with Mrs Jacqueline Tan for more details and feel free to make an appointment with the supervisor before coming to view.
Mrs Jacqueline Tan
Milk & Honey Day Care Centre ground level of Hephzibah Christian Fellowship church bldg.
350 Alexandra Road S(159946)
tel: 64791858
email: [email protected]
 
Hi

I need a good nanny in Mar/Apr for abt 2 weeks only, from 9am to 6pm. My mum has to go operation during that time and can't take care of my baby (7mth) for me
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Any mummy has good contact of nanny at Redhill/Tiong Baru area can share with me ? Or any SAHM can kindly help me over these 2 weeks ? What is the rate charge like cos I quite tight budget...Thanks so much !

Pls kindly PM me as I may lost track of the thread...
 
Hi jasmum,

Thanks for your reply, I feel more assured now. I'm looking to switch my son from his current childcare next year when he goes to K1. Hope they'll have vacancy there... or maybe earlier if they have one for Nursery class. Will call up to arrange a visit after CNY.

By the way, I used to live in Mei Ling Street for 8 years before moving to Pasir Panjang about 5 years ago. Still not too far to qualify for this thread, right?
 
hi mamachan & lay khoon,

thanks for the advice. son is getting into the hang of spelling. i make him learn 3 words each time instead of all 5 at one go. using the old conventional method of memorising after i find that decoding using phonics does not apply all the time. but for words that can be decoded using phonics, we still use it. so far am satisfied with the results la. dun wanna stress.
 
Hi everyone, its a long time since I last log in...i am a mother of 2...staying in CCK but working in Commonthwealth and 5 yrs old son attending K1 this year in Milk & Honey...

Hey Jasmum congratulations on your preggie!

Hi Catherine, my son attends milk & honey since 2 yrs old, the teachers there are very nice and loving, and you can really rest assured that your kids are well taken care of.

Not sure if you are interested to buy over my son's uniform, as I will be transferring my son out of Milk & Honey to a child care near my home from March onwards (Sob! Sob!) both my husand and myself actually can't bear to let my son leave the child care, but becos of the far distance, we feel it should be the right time to let him go a different environment. Do let me know if you are interested, will arrange to meet u up.
 
Hi no_name,

I'm still thinking about Milk & Honey - LTA recently announced that there will be 2 new ERP gantries along Alexandra and Commonwealth Ave in Nov '08. These are the routes we have to take if we were to get there.

Anyway, can I get some info from you? How much are the full-day fees for K1/K2 (before subsidy)? Do they have any enrichment programs?

Thanks!
 
The fees for K1 and K2 is $300 per mth (after subsidy) so it should be around $450 before subsidy if i am not wrong. They do outsource enrichment programmes eg. speech and drama, computer programmes and JLTP (John Lingui... thinking programme)cannot rememeber exactly the full name.

The teachers there are all very nice and caring, and they are very patient with the kids. Class size for K1 now is 14 students. I would suggest that you go and take a look and talk to the supervisor, Mrs Tan.
 
hi everyone, would like to join this thread. i'm a SAHM with a 1 yr old boy. i'm staying in west coast. tokking abt childcare, actually i'm thinkin of putting my boy in cc when he turns 18 months. i can c many mommies's kids are way older than mine.. keke
 
Hi mummies,
Think I should join this thread and let the mummies in the WTE thread move over. Am staying at Strathmore Ave like Jasmum. my girl is 3yrs old and attending Maris Stella Kindy this year.
 
hello mummies,

So exciting to know that there so many strathmore mummies here. I'm staying at strathmore ave also. bb girl is just 6 months.
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hello mummies, long time didn't come in..

lay khoon
many thanks for your sharing, my son's kindy teacher adv me to start him on hanyupinyi now cos start p1, everything is in pinyin and no 'han4 zi4', is this how it should be? very confusing lei, he has problem now recognising words, how can he cope then? oh dear, very stress now. so much to prepare him; more work, longer school hours, new friends, bigger class size, buying own food during recess, taking school bus, etc...

btw, is your son taking higher chinese? also, what is the seminar that you are talking abt? is it the same as orientation?

smurf16
my hubby is an ex-boy there, so save me the headache. hahaha, think my son can shake hand and make friend wz yrs. he needs a long time to warm-up, will rather keep quiet and stand one side than joining the rest of the classmates, only this year then i see some improvements, but on their hand, me and daddy do find him more mature than his other peers, haiz..

so, have you sign your son up for any chinese class?

mummy1030
hi, so yr gal is turning 4 this year right? heard alot of positive comments abt the school, can you share with me how is their curriculum? my hubby's family are buddhist while i am a free thinker, just wondering if they are very much into religious teaching, 'christian' type? where exactly is the school located? is she taking school bus? sorry for all the questions cos if i call the school, i don't know what to ask them lei? hehehe..
 
Hi kk (mummykoo),

it is ok if your son is not confused between english and hanyu pinyin. I felt my son would be so I did not introduce hanyu pinyin until he learnt it in school in P1. A bit disadvantaged cos some of them actually learnt it in K1 or K2. But I felt that it was better to start later with a "white paper" than a confused mind. So when he did hanyu pinyin in P1, I sat with him every night after dinner and practised all the pinyin pronunciations. Initially he was quite confused but after a while he got the hang of it and then it was quite smooth sailing.

Actually nowadays, seems like parents need to help quite a bit with the kids' school work. Easier to write down what to cover and then work on them each day. Don't worry so much. They will cope somehow. Last year, in the very first week of school, one boy exchanged his 50 cents coin with my son's one dollar coin. And my son agreed. We were so surprised or more shocked rather...then we taught him to count money again. Already taught but this incident really taught him to count properly. Initially I wanted to let him buy food for himself. But knowing that he eats so slowly, he might not have eaten his full, I packed his recess for him every day and he is fine with that. Cos sometimes I packed chicken pie, apple strudel, all his favourites. Things will fall in place when school starts, so don't worry so much.

My son took higher chinese only in P1. But he couldn't do the comprehension passage well so this year he is just doing the Enrichment Chinese. Seminar? Oh, they ran a seminar or mini lecture on the use of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". Many parents have questions on how the kids are assessed while they are doing this book.

Let me know if you have more questions. Don't worry so much.
 
Good evening mummies!
kk - I am a free thinker too and I think my hubby is considered Buddhist cos' he's not local. Maris Stella is a Catholic school and the Principal is a Sister. I actually registered my girl in SJCK also but I switched to Maris Stella cos' SJCK is becoming very commercialized. Also, I met with a mummy who took her son out of SJCK cos' she said their teaching method is not suitable for her son. My girl was at LWPS for 3 months also cos' my maid suddenly decide to quit. I like LWPS alot cos' I think the teachers really take good care of the kids there. Though the Chinese teachers are mostly PRC but the English teachers are mostly local. On top of that they have Drama teacher from the other LW centre coming over for their drama period so the kids get to learn from the "angmohs". Their year end concert was totally produced by their Speech and Drama teachers. It was quite sad to take her out of LWPS but I have alreaady registered her at Maris Stella since the beginning of last year and the school fees very reasonable. Most of the teachers have been there for a long time, in fact, my girl's chinese teacher used to teach my niece and nephew who are graduating from NUS this year! The school is located along Holland Road and my girl takes the bus to and fro for $100 a month. I went to school once to pick her up and she cried cos' she wants to take the bus and not ride in my car. So far she has no problem adapting to different school and hasn't cried for mummy at all. I guess its because I started her in all types of classes from a young age so she is exposed to kids and adults quite alot. Maris Stella started a new curriculum this year I think and all kids have to buy a complete set of English and Chinese Readers. The English books comes with flash cards that are given to the parents to use at home. The kids learn to identify the words from the book and the meaning. Hope this helps.

aynix - you just moved in two years ago? are u on the high floor? heard the prices there not cheap either.
 
Hi kk,

Forgot to mention that once they get to P1, they will learn about money quickly cos they always go to the bookshop and buy lots of "junk" home. Erasers, sharpeners, toys, etc, etc, etc. Sure know how to use money cos they use them every day.
 


mummy1030
yes. i moved in sep 2005. MIL stays in commonwealth so decided to stay around her. i'm not on a high floor. high floor prices too steep and i got fear of heights so settle for lower floors.
 

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