Victoria Kindy to Local Primary Schools

L

louisouis

Registered User
Hi! I will like to seek the advice and opinions of all great mothers and fathers who had gone down this path. My son is currently in K1 and we will like to try for some good local schools which we understand are very competitive.Is it possible for a child who had attended Victoria to gain entrance into the good local schools. I have enquired with a couple of companies which offer extra classes in regards to this and they all sounded aghast that I had sent my son to Victoria!!! ???? Insinuating that he will ony be allowed into international schools as Victoria is considered a 'slower' school. Is that true? (of course I understand they have some hidden agendas as they seem to be pushing a couple of the kindys like K****ville and St. ****ine, saying that they know the principals and you will not need to queue up forthe forms etc etc)

Anyway, I am now scared and confused! How should I prep the young boy for the interviews, what classes will help him. What kind of portfolio contents are they looking for P1 interviews for the good local schools? Will really appreciate any insights to this confusing system.

I have read journal articles on pedagogy, I understand that studies had indicated students do better when they are not forced at this age, but sigh.... I am in HK now and I have to play by the local rules if my son is to survive this system.. Please help and share your experiences.
 
who said you have to play by the rules to survive the system?

the top schools do NOT only select students from certain kindergartens. and to imply that victoria is good for int'l because it is "slower" what a ridiculous statement.

the best bet is to talk to the schools that you are interested in to see what they suggest.

it depends also on what type of local school to which you are referring. are you talking private schools? or gov't schools? or DSS?
 
I am only just applying for kindergartens for my kid and my attitude is on the que sera sera side of things, but a few thoughts:
1. These companies make a living out of feeding off parents fear that if their kids do not get into the BEST school, the sky will fall down on their heads.
2. It is very very sad that little kids have to go for classes to prep for school interviews and have to submit portfolios. A school that requires a portfolio would strike me as a not very good school at all because what kind of educators would ask for something so ridiculous.
3. How about just prepping him at home in a natural way, taking him to gatherings with friends so he gets used to new faces, and seeing how it goes? I watched a programme on Pearl where they interviewed the heads of some of these schools, and I think the principal of DBS said they are not looking for a professional portfolio at all. Why they would ask for a portfolio at all is beyond me but you might take heart that they don't want a professional one.
4. Some of big name local schools have a religious affiliation and if you are part of that religion that gives you a leg up. (not saying you convert... just if you already are, you might not worry so much).
5. Finally, so what if your kid doesn't get into the best school? There are tons of decent schools in Hong Kong. And if your kid is a Cantonese speaker, there are so many more options. I don't think schooling will make or break your kid's future regardless of the hysteria surrounding the subject in Hong Kong.
 
Yes, I wouldn't really put too much credence on the words of a company that makes money when anxious parents come to them to ensure their little one gets into the RIGHT school. Case in point, my 3 year old was have a few problems counting up to 10 and her nursery suggested we get some help for this. I tried to sort it out at home for 2 months or so and it didn't really work, in fact I received a fair bit of push back from my DD, so I enrolled her into a trial class for Kumon at some other friends suggestion.......well I was told my DD was behind for her age, I was told they have 2 year olds that could count up to 100 and write it too.....this totally freaked out my MIL and dear hubby (both locals) and they insisted that she be enrolled although I didn't feel I have any chemistry with the Kumon owner as she had tried these hard line tactics to nail the sale......

Even to this day, I think how ridiculous, to think my 3 year old who can count up to 6 but not 10 is miles behind everyone else. Sure the 2 year old the Kumon teacher is speaking of is ahead now but in 20 years time...so what!!!!
 
my brother is a teacher in canada and every once in a while i ask him about what his youngest is learning in school (his youngest is 9 months younger than my oldest and they are in the same grade)...when i told him that my 7 year old is learning things like:

64
39
+82

my brother was shocked! not only that, my son is also learning things like this:

73-59=

which for 7 is mighty difficult!
 
yes the pressure here on young children is pretty intense, I'm told it gets much worse when they go to primary ect yikes.......
 
but, you know what? my son LOVES maths! he finds it challenging but when he finally "gets" the concept, he's away and enjoys the challenge....
 
mummymoo said:
yes the pressure here on young children is pretty intense, I'm told it gets much worse when they go to primary ect yikes.......
Click to expand...

Yes it gets worse for primary school. And it gets worse still as each year of babies cram into the school system.
 
Victoria primary are only taking 6x27. It's a fact of life that kids from Victoria kindy will go to other schools, be they DSS, international, etc.
 
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