Saturday, March 5, 2011

A水准会考 及格率突破90%

<a href="http://video.xin.msn.com/?mkt=en-sg&vid=04835f88-580c-4b47-9f0e-cae46f47855b&from=en-sg&fg=dest" target="_new" title="A水准会考 及格率突破90%">Video: A水准会考 及格率突破90%</a>

A水准会考成绩放榜,有90.8%的考生过关,比上一年的87.9%高了几乎三个百分点。

新传媒新闻报道,A水准会考成绩放榜,有90.8%的考生过关,比上一年的87.9%高了几乎三个百分点。这也是初院课程自2006年改革以来,及格率最高的一次。其中,莱佛士书院就有三名学生,考获九科特优。

教育部数据显示,去年近1万4300名A水准会考考生当中,超过九成,考取至少三科H2科目也就是高级主修课,以及英文或知识探索中,考获及格。

自2006年进行初院课程改革后,A水准会考及格率平均徘徊在87.7%,这回是第一次突破90%大关。在最多考生应考的莱佛士书院,礼堂内欢呼声不绝于耳,学生有三个男状元考取九科特优。

九科特优状元唐佳豪说:“我感到真的有点意外,尤其是英文那一方面,我原本以为,我不会拿到A,A水准会考之前,我每个星期都会花不少时间在练习上,就是多读多写之类的练习。”

九科特优状元冯杰明说:“我在学校参加了辩论和化学国际比赛,我认为这些东西,比我在课本外学到更多东西。”

学校1185名考生当中,也有242人考取七或八科特优。至于私人考生,教育部将邮寄成绩单给他们。私人考生也可以到考试与评鉴局网站,查看成绩。

Exam emergency? We'll help !!!





Exam tip from the top

One tip both top Mingming and Elis shared for doing well in the A levels is knowing when to stop studying.

Elis says she continued going to church regularly even during her most busy and stressful exam period.

Said Mingming: "They have to know that leisure (time) is important; study during you optimum hours, and have a break every day."

But a cycling break during the exam period did not turn out well for Temasek Junior College student Kee Chuan Kai*.

He fractured both elbows when he got into an accident while cycling at the East Coast park after his second paper.

However, he not only managed to complete all his other exam papers, but scored an impressive six distinctions out of seven subjects when the results were announced today.

Top scorer at Temasek Junior College



Over at Temasek Junior College(TJC), another perfect scorer was Elis Lee Yue Xian, 19, also from the integrated programme.

The top scorer managed to get As in all her 9 subjects at 13 academic units as well. She scored A2 in her mother tongue subject. She thanked her family for their support, which included rearranging meal times to accommodate her schedule.

According to TJC, one in three students achieved five and more distinctions.

Hwa Chong student tops A levels this year


Above: Hwa Chong Institution and Singapore's top scorer Koh Mingming. She scored distinctions in all 9 subjects at 13 academic units.

Koh Mingming, 19, who was in the through-train programme, emerged the top student at Hwa Chong Institution(HCI), with nine distinctions at 13 academic units. She also scored A1 in Higher Chinese, making her the top student this year.

Raffles Institution (RI) produced three top scorers this year - Nigel Fong, Barry Tng and Kaushik Venkataraman with nine distinctions and 13 academic units. Last year's top student, Pan Zixiang, was from RI.

Hwa Chong's performance

Effective trilingual in English, Chinese and French, Mingming has already applied for a place in Yale and Harvard, where she hopes to major in Economics.

Hwa Chong Institution (HCI), which offers the integrated programme, produced a record 94 perfect scorers this year, its best showing in four years.

More than 60 students at HCI scored 8 Distinctions and better in Humanities, Mathematics and Science.

Recieving 'A' Level ????





The 2010 Singapore GCE A level results were released to students today at 2.30pm.

A total of 14,280 students sat for the examinations last year, of which 90.8 per cent, or 12,965 students received at least 3 H2 passes, with a pass in General Paper (GP) or Knowledge Inquiry (KI).

This was a slight improvement from the year before, where 87.9 per cent of students achieved the same results.

Top Malay Scorer




Aqilah Abdul Rahim from Raffles Institution emerged the top malay student with 8As in the 2010 A level examination.





One of the top Malay students, Norman Maswari Aziz from RI.

Top scorers of the 2010 GCE A Levels



Koh Mingming, Singapore's top A level student this year, shares that she chose only those subjects that she liked, so studying was more enjoyable.




Top student of Temasek Junior College, Elis Lee Yuexian scored As in GP, Project Work, Biology, Mathematics, Chemistry, Economics,

H3 Distinctions for Molecular Biology and Game Theory & Competition and Mother tongue (A2).



Temasek Junior College student Kee Chuan Kai fractured both elbows during the exams, but managed to pull through with six distinctions.




Top 2 Students from Innova Junior College - From Left: (Ong Shu Yi, Teh Yee Liang)



The Top Student from Innova Junior College





Three top GCE 'A' level results students from Raffles Institution, Nigel Fong, Kaushik Venkataraman and Barry Tng.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Do you need a sample copy of DSA Application Forms..

the sample can be downloaded @ our server....

This is the DSA info kits w kid resume....LOL !!!!

http://www.mediafire.com/?hnduce1dlg8kf3d

It's about who can afford better tutors


As posted on ST Forum:

LAST Thursday, my daughter received her Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results. We were proud of her 252, not because it is high, but because she wanted no help and designed her own study schedule with no external or home tuition. It will get her to the secondary school of her choice, which is what the PSLE is supposed to do, and nothing else. To us, it does not measure her intelligence or maturity against her cohort, give any gauge of her academic ability or provide any bearing on her future.

The PSLE is no longer the placement exam it was designed to be. Through the years, it has evolved into an exam that divides the haves and have-nots among our 12-year-olds.

While hinting at a student’s academic ability, the PSLE measures more the family’s ability to find and pay for good tuition teachers. Those who have money to employ tuition teachers will inevitably do better than their peers with equal academic ability. Many parents fork out thousands of dollars a year to prepare their children for this exam, in the hope of getting them into a better school. Therefore, a lucrative shadow education system is forming, with many good school teachers leaving for it.

A few years ago, the Ministry of Education introduced the Direct School Admission (DSA) programme with some top secondary schools. Those who display talents ‘beyond’ their peers get into these schools via DSA. This fuelled anxious parents scrambling to enrol their children in numerous art, music and sports programmes.

Students from well-to-do families will get into better secondary schools. Students from one-income families who have a stay-home parent and can be driven around can pack in more tuition and activities. With money, students can participate in overseas training, exposure trips and competitions. These beef up their testimonials – a criterion many good secondary schools use to choose their students.

If all this fails to get the average child into a good school, knowledgeable parents will know how to bypass the normal PSLE route, via the supplementary intake or appeal round, visiting principals and authorities to persuade them to accept their child, even if his score falls below the cut-off point.

If average students with tuition, enrichment classes, credible sporting endeavours and smart parents are taking all the places in the good schools, what does that leave bright, promising but poorer students?

Pamela Liu (Ms)

What do u all think? I can’t help but agree…

PSLE Revision Tips


The best PSLE notes are the notes that your child creates his/herself. The process that your child goes through to come up with the notes help more than you think. This is why it is important for them to spend some serious time sitting down and compiling what they have learnt into proper notes.

It forces them to review everything they have; learnt, organizes what they have learnt in a particular structure which helps them to remember it better and it forces your child to create linkages between different topics and chapters so they can create a logical flow to the notes.

Here are some other tips, which you can apply to further help your child’s revision process for a day before a PSLE exam. They can make quick mind maps without looking at their notes, which will help them to think through what they have learnt. They can help themselves remember a list of things by linking each item to a location that they are familiar with or they can even create a story out of whatever they have to remember.

For example, photosynthesis, mammals, warm blooded animals, lion, rabbits, cold-blooded animals, reptiles, snakes, and lizards. They can make a story out of this list of words. It doesn’t even have to make sense sometimes. Photosynthesis helps a mammal take photos of warm-blooded animals such as lions and rabbits but cold-blooded reptilian animals like snakes and lizards do not like to pose for pictures.

It doesn’t make sense. But it sure helps one to remember the key words required in a science paper.

Some other tips would be to help your child find a deep and compelling reason to learn a subject and pass an exam. This reason would motivate your child to succeed without being pushed by an external force.

Before any revision, get your child to do some warm up exercises to get some healthy oxygen flowing to the brain. You can also get you child to have 15-minute power nap to improve their concentration for the next round of revision.

Lastly remind your child to read each question on the exam paper carefully. Most children tend to miss out the instructions and lose marks when they actually could have answered it well if they had read the question properly.

By Nadira Begum | October 7, 2010
The Asian Parent

10 Tips to Free Your Child from Tuition


Phew! Your kids have already completed their exams and the school term has come to an end! As parents, do you feel that sometimes you are more anxious and worried about the final exams than your children? Many of us feel forced to give our kids extra help in the form of tutors to keep ahead of their other classmates or simply because all our colleagues and friends are doing it too!

Amidst all the rush to secure the most qualified tutors, theAsianparent talks to a working mother who does not believe that tuition is necessary for her children! Not only are Mrs Choo’s 5 children studying in top local universities, junior colleges and secondary schools, they have always done well academically. She shares with us some of her tips and secrets to her kids’ academic success.

1. Determine if your kids really need tuition, but know when to stop!

There are 2 main reasons why kids may require tuition. The first is known as ‘Foundation Tutoring’, where children are unable to keep up in class. Furthermore, falling behind in class may result in them losing interest in the subject altogether! In this case, tuition is necessary to help your child get back on track. So, find a qualified tutor who will be able to inspire your child to learn to love the subject. Most importantly, the end goal of tuition is to make sure that your child does not need tuition in the future! The second reason is that your child may not be fulfilling their potential and may need extra coaching a few months before a major exam. The goal of the tutor here will be to help your child consolidate their knowledge and answer any questions they may come across when doing practice papers.

2. Be your child’s Learning Coach and find ways to make learning fun

How can learning be fun, you ask? Well, the key here is to improvise and use whatever you can find to make new learning tools for your kids. For example, Mrs Choo made simple flashcards to teach Mandarin words to her children, printed out handy timetable charts for memory on the go, used jigsaw puzzles as a tool to learn spelling and colourful ice-cream sticks to help her younger kids visualize Math problems. The list goes on, so be creative!

3. Subscribe to magazines and television channels

This is Mrs Choo’s sneaky way of getting her youngest child interested in Science without her even knowing it! Mrs Choo subscribed to channels such as National Geographic and magazines like Horrible Science, which is a science magazine full of fun facts and experiments kids can try at home. (Definitely not as “Horrible” as its name suggests!) So by the time her daughter was introduced to Science at Primary Three, she had already cultivated a liking for the subject. She also subscribes to Reader’s Digest and Time for her older children.

4. Take your kids to the library

We know you’ve heard this one before. But the truth is that it works! Besides exposing your kids to reading at a young age, the library can also be a place where you discover your children’s other interests. Perhaps your daughter tends to borrow books on Arts and Crafts or your son somehow seems to gravitate towards the Cooking section? Your child may have interests they’re not telling anyone about, so observing the types of books that attract them may give you a clue!

5. Set aside a fixed study time every night

Discuss this with your children and agree upon a fixed study time, say from 7 to 8.30pm every school day. During this time, all distractions like their gaming consoles and mobile phones should be put away. Mrs Choo saw that the fixed timing idea works well on her younger kids as it provides them with a daily structure, making them more likely to focus as they know they can take a break after study time is over.

6. Plan a revision schedule and set goals before every exam

Probably a month or so before an exam, Mrs Choo sits down with her kids to list out the topics tested in the exam, fit the exam dates onto their calendar and draw up a revision schedule. Another important thing is to set goals for the coming exam. Now, remember to be realistic here! Look at your child’s current grades and encourage him to aim to improve by one grade.

7. Don’t bribe your kids to do well

“If you do well in the exam, Mummy will buy you that new toy you wanted.” Sound familiar? Many of us know that threats only serve to stress kids out so we resort to promises of rewards in order to “motivate” our children before an exam. But did you know that this is doesn’t work well too? We’ve heard stories of kids not being able to focus in the exam because their parents promised them a holiday to Switzerland and they were too worried that they would not do well enough to go!

8. Get your older kids to coach the younger ones

With five children to raise, Mrs Choo knew that she could not afford tuition for all her kids. So she got her older children who were able to handle their work independently, to teach their younger siblings. This reinforced their knowledge and her younger kids found learning more enjoyable. But only do this if your older children are done with their own work, you wouldn’t want to cause them unnecessary stress!

9. Stay away from ‘kiasu’ parents!

Okay, we’ve all been guilty of comparing our kids to our relatives’ and colleagues’ children. Whose child goes to better schools, has better grades and has the most expensive tuition fees… there’s just no end to it! Instead of getting stressed up by these ‘kiasu’ parents, talk to your child’s teacher or someone whom you feel has been coaching his or her kids well.

10. Have fun!

Learning opportunities are everywhere so don’t just restrict your kids to their study room at home! Check out our list of educational places in Singapore you can bring your kids to have some fun!

By Gillian Tan | December 23, 2010
The Asian Parents

Best TV programs for kids in Singapore


You’ve just returned home from work. You are tired and drained. Yet, there is much to do such as getting dinner ready, doing the laundry, going through the mail and tidying up, just to name a few items on your to-do list. Your 7 year old son is throwing a temper tantrum as you refused to buy him a MacDonald’s Happy Meal on the way home from school.

Need a breather? Well, the T.V remote is at arm’s leangth. You switch on the television and surprise, surprise, your son calms down. He sits quietly on the sofa, engrossed with the images emitted from the black box in front of him. There is peace once again in your home.

The television is a life saver for busy working parents.

However, do we really know what our children are watching? Are the hours spent watching the television doing more harm than good?

Here’s my personal list of the top 10 children’s programs which I find beneficial and entertaining as well as 10 programs to steer clear of, if possible! (TV timings may vary, please check with your TV guide for current updates.)

Top 10 favourites

1. Sesame Street (weekday mornings at 9am on OKTO)

I loved watching Sesame Street when I was a kid and actually still do! It’s a timeless classic which has thrived over time, giving valuable lessons to young children, not only about the ABCs and 123s but also lessons in life. Kindness, good manners and diversity of race and culture – all these flourish, often in catchy songs, in Sesame Street! It’s no wonder that we love returning there!

2. Little Einsteins (weekday afternoons at 4pm on Playhouse Disney, Channel 34, Starhub)

Follow the adventures of Leo and his sister, Annie together with June, Quincy and Rocket as they embark on missions which lead them to amazing cities and places all around the world. They introduce the young viewers to classical music in a fun and engaging way. The team is always ready to offer upbeat encouraging praises like “Way to go! That is very good clapping!” and “Awesome dance steps” when you participate in their adventures.

3. WordWorld (weekday afternoons at 3pm on Playhouse Disney, Channel 34, Starhub)

Words come alive in the form of animals, plants and objects. They save the day and they become your child’s best friends. I am amazed at how creative the illustrators are in making words into the objects that they name. For example, a dog’s body is formed by the alphabets “D”, “O” and “G”. WordWorld makes spelling so much fun!

4. Charlie and Lola (weekday mornings and afternoons at various times on Beebies (BBC), Channel 31, Starhub)

Lola, the younger sister of Charlie, has a vivid imagination which often leads her into either trouble or dismay. Charlie, the older brother is ever so patient in guiding her and teaching her. However, every now and again, Lola teaches Charlie to have fun too. I like to see how the two siblings interact and work together and of course, Lola’s crazy ideas!

5. Berenstain Bears (weekday mornings and afternoons at various times on KidsCo:Asia, Channel 29, MIO)

The cartoon series is based on the children’s books of the same name which teaches the good values in life to children. Pa and Ma’s children named Brother and Sister go through situations that children often go through such as peer pressure, having team spirit, saving money, being grateful for one’s blessings and many other challenges. Pa and Ma are always able to provide the right solution, advice and comfort to their children. Parents can learn a lot from this series as well!

6. Tricky TV and Spellz (Monday nights at 830pm, OKTO)

Both programs teach simple magic tricks to children. The instructions are easy to follow. Kids will be able to put them into practice with some guidance from parents. The child’s self esteem and confidence will increase greatly when they accomplish the tricks and entertain their parents. I know my son loves watching Tricky TV which unfortunately ended its run on OKTO but Spellz will be starting its screening on OKTO from 14 December onwards so do catch it!

7. Growing Up (weekdays at 1pm on Animal Planet, Channel 10, Starhub)

This program shows how young animals grow up in their different environments. A recent episode followed a pair of clouded leopard cubs born in captivity and hand raised by Sara, a professional surrogate mother specializing in big cats. Children of school-going age and their parents will have their eyes opened to the lives of animals that we don’t normally see in Singapore.

8. What Would Happen If… Nat Geo Junior (weekdays at 5pm on National Geographic Channel, Channel 11, Starhub)

Dr. Marty Jopson takes great pains to answer all the quirky questions that are in your mind but you are afraid to ask them aloud! Questions like “Is it possible to open your car door via your mobile phone?” or “Can you blast a watermelon with lightning?” This series shows science in an unconventional light, making it interesting for its young viewers.

9. How do They Do It? (weekdays at 5pm on Discovery Channel, Channel 12, Starhub)

This program shows you the complex technological processes that lie behind the creation of normal everyday products in the modern world. It’s an eye-opener. A recent episode was about the creation of a diamond mine in a crater of a volcano. It is perhaps more suitable for older children but it’s a good teaching tool to widen their imagination and creativity. Another program which allows you as the parent to learn a thing or two about technology and invention.

10. Stranger Than You! (Mondays nights at 830pm on OKTO)

This series invites you into the lives of children in other parts of the world, showing us how different and remarkable their lives are compared to ours in Singapore. A recent episode was about a young girl in the Philippines who had the gift of healing. Her neighbours and villagers from neighbouring towns visit her daily to be healed. This program gives your child insight about the different growing up experiences of children in other countries and broadens their minds and outlook on life. Unfortunately, this series is ending soon but I hope OKTO will screen its new season next year.

10 shows to steer clear of!

All of these programs have a similar objective: to win your children’s viewing loyalty and tempt them with an array of merchandise that is related to these cartoons. They are not educational, often meaningless, violent and do nothing to improve your child’s intelligence and creativity. These shows often result in tension headaches in parents together with a big credit card bill, especially around this holiday season.

1.B Legend! Battle B Daman! (OKTO)
2.Bakugan Battle Brawlers
3.Ben 10
4.Dinosaur King
5.Masked Rider Kabuto
6.Pokemon
7.Power Rangers
8.Spongebob Squarepants
9.Super Yoyo
10.Winx Club
I know the pulling power of such programs is very strong especially when your children’s friends all have the same Ben 10 bags or Winx Club pencil cases. Parents will have to be resilient and creative to teach their children that life is not all about having the latest toys and gadgets. It’s about counting your blessings and appreciating your family and friends. Why not switch off the television set tonight and head out for an evening walk in the neighbourhood park with your kids?

By Jenny Toh | February 24, 2011
The asian parent

Primary schools rankings – top 21


Junior Colleges were once officially ranked but the listing was scrapped in 2004. There is currently an official banding system used by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to judge the overall standard of Secondary Schools across Singapore, but none on Primary Schools. Bearing in mind that primary education lays the foundation for every individual’s academic path and is therefore of paramount importance, it begs the question of why isn’t there an official ranking for primary schools.

Albeit not to the extent of the notorious Tiger Mum, Singaporean parents are notorious for being competitive and “kiasu”. We are naturally curious about the quality of schools our children go to. In any case, it is always good to have a rough idea of how your child’s primary school is performing and whether your child is standing in good stead, education wise.

At theAsianparent.com, we have done the work for you. We trawled through mountains of data from MOE and compiled for you a ranking based on the MOE awards conferred to the primary schools in the past 6 years. Awards are appropriate yardsticks to measure how well a school is doing as it reflects the effort the school has put in to nurture its students and received due recognition for.



Level One Awards are given to schools to affirm their achievements in certain domains in at least a single year, while Level Two Awards recognise schools for their sustained excellence in specific areas. The Special Awards recognise schools’ holistic efforts in establishing outstanding education processes and obtaining excellent outcomes.

School Excellence Award (SEA)

The SEA recognizes schools for their excellence in both education processes and outcomes. It is the highest and most prestigious award and serves as a mark of distinction for schools that have sustained achievements in a wide spectrum of student development processes. This award is highly difficult to achieve and once achieved by a school, it usually lasts for a few years before it expires.

School Distinction Award (SDA)

The SDA recognises high-achieving schools with exemplary school processes and practices. It is the second highest award conferred to schools. Similar to SEA, the SDA lasts for a few years before it expires.

Sustained Achievement Award (SAA)

The SAA recognises schools’ ability in sustaining good outcomes over a number of years, in 3 areas: Aesthetics, Sports and Physical Health. Schools need to achieve an Achievement Award in the same category over 3 consecutive years before they are awarded the SAA.

Development Award (DA) and Outstanding Development Award (ODA) for Character Development

The DA recognizes schools that have put in place systems and processes for the effective development of students’ character. The ODA recognizes schools with innovative, sustainable and exemplary approaches to character development.

Development Award (DA) and Outstanding Development Award (ODA) for National Education

The National Education Awards recognise schools for their national education efforts. There are two levels of attainment for the National Education Awards: Development Award (DA) and Outstanding Development Award (ODA). The attainment of the level of award depends on how well a school meets the evaluation criteria.

From the winners of the Outstanding Development Award for National Education, a maximum of 2 award recipients, one for the Primary School category and another for the Secondary School and Junior College/Centralised Institute category, will be selected for the Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) National Education (NE) Award. Introduced in 2002, this award recognises schools that have excelled in their national education efforts in imbuing our students with a strong sense of national identity and social responsibility. It is the pinnacle of the National Education Awards.

Best Practice Award (BPA)

The Best Practice Award (BPA) recognizes schools for their effective practices and systems that lead to good education outcomes in both academic and non-academic areas. There are 4 categories for the BPA: Organisational Effectiveness, Student All-Round Development, Staff Well-Being, and Teaching and Learning.

As of now, only 21 primary schools in Singapore have attained at least one Special Award. Without a doubt, these are the crème de la crème of primary schools in Singapore

The table shown below are the top 21 primary schools in Singapore:

Raffles Girls’ Primary School
Rulang Primary School
St. Hilda’s Primary School
Ai Tong School
Catholic High School
CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School
Chongfu School
Gongshang Primary School
Henry Park Primary School
Kong Hwa Primary School
Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary School
Marist Stella High School
Methodist Girls’ School
Nanyang Primary School
Pasir Ris Primary School*
Pei Chun Public School
Radin Mas Primary School
Rosyth School
Tampines Primary School
Tao Nan School
Temasek Primary School

These are what our parents shared about the primary school rankings on our facebook page.

Ther Asian Parent
By Low Heng Jing | February 1, 2011