Singapore Education System

This is a flow chart of the Singapore Education System. It gives us an idea of how school-going children in Singapore progress from Primary up to Tertiary Education.

KINDERGARTEN

- provides 3-year pre-school education program

- caters to 4-6 year olds

- school hours usually 3-4hours a day, five times a week

- learning activities that develop language and literacy skills, basic number concepts, simple science concepts, social skills, creative and problem solving skills, appreciation of music and movement and outdoor play

- learning 2 languages: English and Mother Tongue (choice of Chinese, Malay, Tamil)

PRIMARY EDUCATION

- a 4-year foundation stage from Primary 1 to 4 and a 2-year orientation stage from Primary 5 to 6 (6 years of COMPULSORY education)

- overall aim of primary education: to give students a good grasp of English language, Mother Tongue and Mathematics

- National examination: Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE)

- Students are encouraged to participate in Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs) and Community Involvement Programmes (CIP)

* Primary 1 Registration Process

SECONDARY EDUCATION

- places students in the Special and Express, Normal (Academic) or Normal (Technical) course according to how they perform at the PSLE

- 4-5 years of education

- National examination: GCE ‘O’ Levels(for Special/Express courses) or GCE ‘N’ Levels (for Normal course)

- All students take part in at least one CCA; CCA performance is considered for admission to JCs, CI, polytechnics and ITE

Special And Express Courses:

4-year courses leading to the GCE ‘O’ Level examination. Special course students offer Mother Tongue at a higher level (Higher Chinese/Higher Malay/Higher Tamil).

Normal Course:
■Students in the Normal course follow either the Normal (Academic) [N(A)] or Normal (Technical) [N(T)] curriculum.

■4-year programme leading to the GCE ‘N’ Level examination.

■A 5th year leading to the GCE ‘0’ Level examination is available to N(A) students who perform well in their GCE ‘N’ Levels.

■Students can move from one course to another based on their performance and the assessment of their Principal and teachers.

PRE-UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

- prepares students for the GCE “A” Level examination at the end of the 2-year junior college or 3-year centralised institute course. Students who completed their pre-university education will receive a School Graduation Certificate

- 2-3 years

SCHOOL FEES

Giving Birth in Singapore

I got pregnant (2nd child) around February 2004, while I was starting work as a travel advisor. I was referred by my cousin to her ob-gyne:

Dr. DOLLY WEE HOLK LEH

Clinic for Women #04-08

Mt. Elizabeth Hospital

Telephone #: 6734-6673

Initial consultation fee:

Succeeding consultation fees: $50

Scanning: $45

Laboratory fee: rangin from $10-$80 (blood tests, etc)

CTG: $40

Down payment for delivery package: $480 (amount to be deducted from total hospital bill)

Although I have regular check ups at her clinic, I chose to deliver at Mt. Alvernia Hospital.

Mt Alvernia Hospital

820 Thomson Road

(opposite MacRitchie Reservoir),

Singapore 574623

Tel: 6347 6688

Fax: 6255 6303

Email: enquiry@mtalvernia-hospital.org

The hospital tour was informative and we were comfortable delivering there. It has a chapel, which was good cause we were able to have our baby blessed before leaving the hospital.

I gave birth on the 12th of November 2004 . Normal, assisted delivery (with the help of forceps/vacuum).

Delivery Cost (with antenatal package) = $2,500-$2,800

• 2 days stay in a 2 bedded room (Class B)
• total hospital charges around $1400
• total Ob-gyne charges $1,200
• total pedia (Dr. NG PAU LING SIMON) charges $150
• down payment/deposit paid for ante-natal package = $450
• our medisave accounts were still empty when I delivered so there were no further deductions
  

Kelvin's Bronze Level Swimming Test

Kelvin started swimming lessons in June 2007 - during the school holidays. We used to bring him to Hougang Swimming Complex then. He had a good start. He progressed quite fast.

When the Sengkang Swimming Complex opened in 2008, we requested for him to take his lessons there as his instructors also held classes there.

Sengkang Swimming Complex is bigger than Hougang Swimming Complex. It has 3 sets of water slides, one covered pool (around 4 ft deep), a jacuzzi area, learning pool (around 2-3ft deep) near the waterslides, a kiddie pool (1ft deep) with playground and mushroom fountain, and a lap / training pool (4-8ft deep).

After 2 years, he was ready to take the Bronze Level Swimming Test. We signed the application form, paid $8 for the test and he was scheduled for 2 June 2009 from 9-10am at the Sengkang Swimming Complex.

During the test, he was asked to wear pyjamas.

Criteria for judging:

1. Straddle or tuck jump entry from the side of the pool and swim 50m.

2. Demonstrate ability to "drown-proof" for 1 minute.

3. Tread water for 3 minutes.

4. Undress in water and demonstrate ability to make float from attire.

5. Swim 400m using any stroke.

6. One surface dive must be executed and swim submerged for at least 5m.

7. Climb out from the deep end of the pool without the use of steps or assistance.

The successful candidate will receive a collar pin, a woven badge and a certificate.

waiting for the test master

Test master briefing those who were taking the test.

He looked strict but was actually quite hilarious.

I think it was a good thing to calm the nerves of the kids.

getting ready

drown-proof for 1minute and then treading for 3 minutes

making a flotation device out of his pyjamas

400m swim

few final laps...

last few strokes....

final stroke....

and the end!

 

Kelvin has done it!

He passed. He was very happy and relieved.

After all it was 1 whole hour of gruelling swimming test.

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Kelvin had his First Confession on Nov 8, 2008 at St Anne's Church.

Their catechism teachers have been preparing them for this day since the start of the year. They made a First Confession banner which they held on to while parading to the altar.

This was Kelvin's banner.

In doing our part at home, in preparing for his first confession, we prayed with him for 9 nights until the confession day. I have also created a blog in multiply to share it with our friends and relatives and ask them to pray for him as well.

From Ira & Kelvin

while waiting for his turn

From Ira & Kelvin

his catechism teacher guiding him, few minutes before his first confession

From Ira & Kelvin

"Father, bless me for I have sinned. These are my sins........"

It was a brief confession actually.

From Ira & Kelvin

praying after the confession

Singapore Coin Sorter

01 October 2009
Carrefour, Suntec City

I have been looking for a Singapore coin sorter / coin bank for quite sometime now. I saw one from an acquaintance a year ago. I thought it would be good for the kids to have one.

Good thing we went to Suntec City during Children's Day. I saw these coin sorter cum coin bank on our way to the cashier.

I asked the boys what design they wanted. Kelvin chose the panda while Ira chose the bear.

The coin bank sorts Singapore coins - $1, 50 cents, 20 cents and 10 cents.

Good thing about this coin bank is that the kids could easily count their money. They know if the coin bank section is full. Then they hand it over to me to exchange for a bill :)

A fun way of teaching them how to save and recognize coins.

Kelvin's Orientation Day @ Montfort

17 Nov 2006 was the orientation day at Montfort Junior School - Kelvin's primary school for the next school year. Mark took a leave so we could all go and attend. We, or at least I, were excited because it's like turning over Kelvin to his new "family". It's actually not a very hard thing for him to adjust to having a new school since he has already been to 3 different schools since playgroup. And we have always been talking to him about having a new school since the registration for pri 1 started. He was actually quite excited when we told him he was going to Montfort for Primary 1. We told him it was an all-boys school and that he needs to ride the bus everyday going to school. We also told him that he needs to wake up early every weekday morning next year because the bus needs to pick him up around 6:30am. Yes, that early!

Orientation day coincided with his last day in kindergarten. They were going to have a party so they can say goodbye to their friends for the last time before the school holidays. We didn't want him to miss the chance to bid farewell and spend a little more time with his friends. We all woke up early and got dressed and went to his school at 8am. We let him play with his friends and took some pictures of them together. We left him there for about 20mins so he can join the party even for a short time. Then picked him up at 8:45am, just in time to take the bus and get to Montfort at 9am for the orientation.

At the school, we checked his student number, class and house - 096, P1F, Blue. Then sent him to his class together with his new friends. The rest of the morning was spent listening to talks by the different school officials. It was quite a tiring day. But Kelvin enjoyed meeting some of his new classmates. Ira enjoyed running around the hall while we were trying to pay attention to what was being discussed by the officials - quite hard you know.

That's it for Kelvin's orientation day. Next week we will be back to Montfort for the school buzz - to know about the school's WINGS program and other forms of teaching.

House Hunting (HDB Flat) in 2004

A requirement for eligibility to buy an HDB flat is you are either a PR or a Singaporean. Once we got the approval letter for our PR application - in Sep 2004 (after living in Singapore for 4 years), did our formalities Oct 1, then we immediately set out on our hunt for our home away from home.

Here are some of our considerations:

Buying an HDB Flat

Here are the step by step process we have done in search of our HDB flat: 

Work out our budget and preferences. Immediately after we got our PR approval in October 1, 2004, which is an eligibility requirement before owning an HDB flat, we were set on searching for and buying a flat. We made notes of our requirements/preferences, checked our budget and scoured the newspapers for advertisements.

Kelvin turns 7

Kelvin celebrated his 7th birthday in April 2000. He was in P1. It was a tradition to have a big celebration on the 7th birthday so we prepared a simple party for him at home.

The theme was Thomas the Train (it was a hit 9 yrs ago). I ordered some Thomas decors, goodie bag items and banners. We bought some balloons and had them set up around the house.

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

We ordered cake from Bengawan Solo (one with train topper).

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

We had the party catered by Neo Garden. It was a really good choice. The guests loved the food. I ordered spring rolls, lemon chicken, sweet and sour fish, chocolate eclair, yong chow fried rice, fried chicken. My sis-in-law and I cooked some nuggets for the kids.

He invited friends and classmates over.

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

few hours before the party. We just finished decorating the house.

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

photo-taking before the guests arrive

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

I fixed his bedroom into different stations where he and his friends can stay while waiting for other guests.

I also prepared some games for the kids to enjoy. Of course, every game had a prize.

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

a smile on the face of the birthday boy - PRICELESS

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

the boys singing the school song (most of the guests are his classmates)

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

our neighbors also came to join in the fun.

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

time to blow the candles

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

family pic with the cake before the birthday boy blows the candles

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

cousin Aidan

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

we also borrowed "pabitin" from a friend. This is a game from the Philippines wherein bamboo sticks with food and toys tied to it is raised up and down (thanks to one of Kelvin's classmate's dad) and the kids will try to grab as much goodies as they can.

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

Ira was too small to reach the bamboo stick.

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

time to open the gifts

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

From Kelvin 7th Birthday

It was indeed a very simple celeration of Kelvin's 7th birthday but I'm glad he and his friends had lots of fun.

Baby Boy Ira

It was a Friday morning, 12 November 2004. I was feeling some pain on my feet and back. I suspected this might be the day as the pain goes back every now and then.

At around 6am, I got up and timed the "contractions". The intervals were around 5 minutes each time. I decided that we should go for a check up before I go to work. I always have my admission papers (for the hospital) in my bag in case of emergency.

On the way to the hospital, the contractions were getting worse. I felt irritating pain, like being electrocuted, on my legs and my back. But I was still not convinced that I was going to give birth today. When I got to the clinic, my gyne sort of scolded me for not heading straight to the hospital! She said I was already in labor. Well, so much for not having labor pains during my first pregnancy, I was clueless.

Hubby and I took a cab to the hospital. I was admitted and wheeled in to the delivery suite around 930-10am. I have been having contraction intervals closer to each other and the pain was beginning to be more unbearable. But I was not in the right "opening" yet. To add to that, because of my first delivery conditions (my spinal column bones are too close to each other) I couldn't have epidural. So I had to bear with the pain with just the "gas" to rely on, which didn't help that much.

Since we realized I was not going to deliver soon, I told hubby to go home and have lunch first. He also had to bring the maternity bag to the hospital.

Around 6pm, and I was on the verge of bringing our bundle of joy out into the world. But no matter how much I push, he won't come out naturally. Ergo, I had an assisted delivery - vacuum. In no time, he was out!

We named him Ira Zachary. He had chubby cheeks, was a bit reddish, has ample hair and was ready to breastfeed! We were all delighted to have him in our family.

Kelvin was so excited to see his baby brother.  During their visits, he would always ask to go to the nursery and have Ira be brought to the room so he could see him and just admire him. He was a good Kuya.

After 2 days, we checked out. Mt Alvernia has a chapel and Ira was prayed over and given a blessing by a nun before we left the hospital.

SPI School Bags

When Kelvin was in P1, we were thinking what bag he should use, knowing that kids here carry A LOT of books everyday to school. The bag should be sturdy and light. And it should be good for his back. There were a lot of bags and brands to choose from. But this specific brand caught our attention - SPI. It's an ergonomic bag brand from Hong Kong.

Here are the selling points for this bag:

Helps Eliminate Back Strain and Back in Kids

The ergonomic school bag provides both support and padding where it is needed and removes any heavy loading from specific areas

Promotes Excellent Posture

By allowing the child to comfortably wear the back pack properly, there is no need to slouch or lean awkwardly whilst the school bag is in use

Medically Endorsed
Ergonomic School Bags are endorsed by the Chiropractic Doctors Association of Hong Kong
 
Tried and Tested
Ergonomic School Bags are the result of years of research and development. Feedback from thousands of customers around the world has been analysed optimised and refined before being incorporated into or our products.
 
Quality Assured
Our focus is not just upon visual appeal or ergonomic principles. We also require the highest quality standards.

 

Kelvin's SPI bag in Primary 1 - Get Set design, small size. Bought it at a discounted price of $105 (if I remembered it correctly). Found it at Takashimaya Department Store but they didn't have any stock for color black. So we had to go down to Centrepoint and get one from there. I could say that it was a good buy. The bag is sturdy. There are compartments for books, notebooks and stationery. I guess he was carrying too much load for the next 3 years. One of the shoulder straps was sort of ripped from the main bag (but I think it could still be mended, in time for Ira's use next year :) ).

Now, Kelvin is in Primary 4. I thought he could use a new and bigger bag. SPI bag was still my choice (and his). This is because even though the bag is more expensive than others, it really is durable. No point in buying a $30 bag that you replace every 6 months or every year. In the end, it will even cost you more.

We chose the Active design, large size.

Again, we found the design at Takashimaya Department Store, hoping for a good deal since it was end of the year (Christmas sale). Unfortunately, they didn't have the blue color. I called the nearest shop they have (Kinder Fun at Centrepoint) but they were out of stock for this color. Then I called Kinder Fun at United Square. Luckily, they still had some stock. I reserved one for Kelvin. We picked it up 2 days after. The pricing was the same as in Takashimaya $119. I think it was a good  deal considering it was already $30 off (original price is $149).

Features of SPI backpacks:

The contoured back cushion gives extra support in the most vunerable areas and ensures a cooling flow of air

U-Shaped shoulder straps ensure even weight distribution, releiving pressure on the neck, shoulders and back

Adjustable straps allow a snug fit to be obtained

Anti abrasive base ensures a long working life for the backpack

It is robust but lightweight - it keeps its shape even when empty and weighs less than 1.2Kg

The reflective material and 3m Scotch Lite piping helps visibility in low light conditions

Just one reminder to Kelvin: always take care of his bag because he is supposed to use it for the next 3 or so years :)

And another thing, he should do well in school.