GRADE SCHOOLS - feedbacks and reviewa

[ichelie]

@marose, i agree with your point regarding school's cut off age.  insider insights, i worked in big schools and some are really strict with the age, including poveda.

here's some reasons, in my opinion.  when kids are in the same class with agemates, they are expected to be in the same footing in terms of their mental, emotional and social development.  most are likely to be expected to achieve the tasks for their age/grade.  IF PROBLEMS arise, it would be easy to rule out concerns, since being delayed in age is not a factor anymore.  from what I noted among my counselees who's ages are younger, they may be mentally competent around Gr.1 and 2, but eventually, when subject matters are harder, they find it hard to handle it.  Add to their difficulty in emotionally handling the demands of the level, as well as getting along with peers. 

Another point, when these kids are tested (meaning standardized tests), he age is an important factor to see how they are doing compare with other kids in the level.  Then it becomes a concern again, if the ages are varied.  Since most big schools are traditional schools, they have the same apporach for all the kids in class, and most of them do aptitude and achievement testing, wherein age is a big factor   hope this helps.

[tiggerlily]

I agree with the age requirement. My cousin was accelerated twice pero parang hindi sya happy. parang hirap sya to cope. girl pa yun ha, what more kung boy.

ang hirap talaga maghanap ng school. nahihilo na nga ako e. may masa-suggest ba kayong chinese grade school in qc na maganda? i'm planning on homeschooling my kid. tapos by grade 1 saka na sya sa big school.

[swiTsuplada]

OK then I'll take your advices mga sis. Naisip ko lang kasi nung sa atin naman dati mga classmates ko eh younger sa akin ng 1 year pero OK naman sila, karamihan mga achievers pa. But then it's hard to compare din.

[inkslinger]

^IMHO, age is not just the factor to consider when and where to put your child to school. Based nga sa studies, you also have to consider the intelligence, motivation, emotional maturity, personality and learning styles of the child.

Tama ka that there are kids who are a year younger than their peers but did even better than classmates older than them. Meron din namang mga bata when held back a year from schooling also excelled in school. In short, you as a parent, your husband, and the support group of your child (your Pediatrician, DevPed, immediate family members) are the best persons to know if your child should follow the age requirement of a school, hold her back a year, or enroll her in a class where she is the youngest. Sa pagdedesisyon ng ganyan, lagi yung bata ang nasa sentro ng desisyon, hindi yung sa kagustuhan lang ng magulang.

For highly intelligent children, they thrive in an environment where their intellect is stimulated and their emotional needs are met. That is why there are schools that accept younger enrollees and even promote grade acceleration. If you don't challenge this type of kids, they will think that school is easy (kasi nga kayang-kaya nila) won't see hard work as an important element of learning, and will crumble or give up when given harder tasks or face a difficult situation outside school (kasi nga di sila sanay ng hardwork). Holding back your child for early enrollment or acceleration just because other kids didn't thrive in school after skipping a grade or two is drastic a decision to make. Why deny your child of what will be best for her? Kung hindi nag work sa iba, it doesn't mean that it will not work with your child. Meron din namang ipinasok ng tama sa idad pero nagdrop out of college din, di ba? Ipasok mo man yan ng maaga, sa tamang idad o mas matanda sa karamihan, ang tamang paggabay natin sa kanila bilang magulang ang siya pa ring maglalagay sa kanila sa tamang daan.

[bingski]

@marose17 - I'll be going to the open house of Centro Montessori tomorrow. I called just now, it's from 9am-12nn. I'm thinking whether I should bring my son or not.

[marose17]

@bingski, I'm going din.  Go at 8:30 am so you can see the presentations of the students. They're very bright and articulate, I heard.   I'm bringing my two sons.  Hope to see you!

[stormy]

@inkslinger, nice insight sis. Yaan lahat naiisip ko then nabasa ko post mo. Sa school ng anak ko 6yo ang grade 1 kaya iniisip ko if itatransfer ko sya next year kasi pakiramdam ko hindi pa sya ready. I really have to make my daughter the center of my decision, not my fears (I have to acknowledge na fears ko yun nangingibabawa aside from the factors na namention dito).

[ichelie]

agree mga sis

stormy, what are your fears in schooling your child?  if its okay to ask.   good that you acknowledge it now and address it.  our children has the tendency to sense and even absorb our anxieties.  it may not directly affect them, but it may manifest in other ways.  lets keep in mind, that each child is different.  true, their personalities, strengths & weaknesses, learning style and mental capacity, as well as emotional maturity are factors to consider.  speanding regular time with the kids and observing them well, may lead us to get to know all these and assess our children.

i believe, its not just about the school na maganda system, but if our child will thrive in that kind of system   ang hirap mag decide on the best school.  ill face this in about a year.  and even if i work in school, i still go through the same dillema. 

sana makayulong tayo sa isat isa in making the right decision for our kids' schooling!

[marose17]

^Ichel, what is the Iowa test?  The directress at Centro Montesori said that they use that test for their elementary students since the school does not give out grades.  They use it just to check the level of academic performance of the students, because in Montessori, there is no ONE standard to measure academic performance of the students of a particular level.  Ms. Lagazon said that the older children in a class consistently perform better in the test as compared to the younger children.  She also said that Deped rules prescribe the age requirement for grade 1 and the school follows it.  She has been teaching for many years na ha and she said she agrees with the Deped.  Even her son whose birthday is alanganin had spent 5 years in preschool and it was good for him because when he reached grade 1, he was mature and emotionally ready for the work in elementary.

My dilemma in choosing a school is whether to go traditional or Montessori pa rin.  Very difficult since both schools have their own strengths and weaknesses, similar tuition and located near our house.  This is where the best for the child fit is crucial.  I am still trying to gauge where my children will thrive.  Personally, I am scared of the homework of the traditional school because I want to tutor my kids and it is not possible with my schedule now.

[ichelie]

^ sis, IOWA test is an achievement test for the early grades.  Achievement test, means how well the child knows and the skills that is present based on previous learning.  The purpose is to provide a comprehensive assessment of student progress in major content areas.  Major areas are mostly math, language/reading.  This is a standardized test used by schools.  This would check how well the child is doing among his class/level.

@Marose, we are all in the same boat, and I have friends who are in a dillema about what school to put their kids.  Weigh your values in the family and the one you want to instill in your kids, are the ones uphold by the school.    another is that, if your son's learning style would thrive well in the school.  When do you plan to move them?    Maybe we can meet up soon!

[marose17]

^ Thanks for explaining about the Iowa test. 

My kids will be in prep or grade 1, depending on which school they will enroll in, in SY 2013-14.  But, as early as summer 2012, my husband and I have to make a decision because applications and entrance tests for the SY 2013-14 will happen around the first semester of next year.

Yeah, we have to have our coffee date soon.

[stormy]

@ichelie, general naman ang fears ko, na Baka hindi makapag-adjust anak ko or Hindi sya maging masaya. ISA rin sa fear ko na Baka binabase ko decisions namin more on what I think is best for her (since alumna ako nung school kaya alam ko na aligned sa values namin ang matututunan nya) and I may not know better pala. In short, kahit pa magresearch ako o iassess ang observations namin sa anak ko at kahit nakikita ko na happy naman sya e nandun pa rin yung kaba at dasal na sana tama yung decision namin.

Playful masyado kasi ang anak ko, isa sya sa pinakabata sa klase nila, naniniwala kasi ako na malaki ang difference sa maturity ng kids kahit ilang bwan lang yun variance sa age.

[prettycha]

sis purple bear huggs, a friend sends her daughter to Everest in the Fort.  She is happy with the outcome.  They have an affiliate school in Spain which can accommodate their students in the Philippines as an exchange student.  But the tuition fee is really steep:  close to 400k a year!

[ichelie]

^^ stormy, normal lang na parents have fears.  thats good if na ackowledge mo na yun.  the most you cando is help your child maximize her potential w/o overparenting her.  in spite of what school you put your child, being a quality parent is much more important. thats provern by reseaches!  

yung playfulness ng child mo is the factor to consider in thriving in a big school.  some kids are ready for the traditional set up, some are not.  so best to assess your child's maturity on this aspect.  readiness is on a per child basis.  you can rush it, but you can assist them by giving more opportunities to be independent, confident and take responsibility for themselves.   

[stormy]

^yes, very independent ang anak ko ayun nga Lang sobrang confident minsan kaya minsan careless na. Mahirap mag balanse, iba kasi yun totoong buhay na kaysa sa mga nababasa kahit pa empirical studies yan dahil pumapasok ang iba na variables tulad ng dynamics sa pamilya at kultura. I'm just praying na sana Hindi Lang ano yun tama ang naibibigay namin, sana yun masaya ang anak ko. Equally important sa akin yun, dun pumapasok yun pagbalanse

[hunny_ally]

sis purple bear huggs, a friend sends her daughter to Everest in the Fort.  She is happy with the outcome.  They have an affiliate school in Spain which can accommodate their students in the Philippines as an exchange student.  But the tuition fee is really steep:  close to 400k a year!

The 400k is the rate if you go to the affililate school or that's the tuition locally?

[prettycha]

The 400k is the rate if you go to the affililate school or that's the tuition locally?

That's their rate locally

[YaZiLove]

Mommies with kids studying at CSA, please share your experiences or REVIEW of the school.
I'll appreciate it soo much!

Nwei, what I heard lang is sobrang busy ang kids with all the activities/contests/diff. programs ang school.
In short, talagang "intense" ang system @ CSA.

How about TF range?

Thanks in advance.

[domestic diva]

@YaZiLove:  my kids enjoy studying at CSA and we had just transferred from a progressive school.  There are syllabus given out at the start of school year so you have a guide to what your children will be studying.

Araling Panlipunan is in filipino in grade school and in english in high school but you can request that your grade schooler's exam be in english (for free).

My kids are not naman sobrang busy.. it probably depends on the child.  There is a range of extra curricular activities that your children can enroll in if not join as varsity player.  These sports will also serve as your child's PE grade (no need  to join regular PE classes); same goes for music if you enroll your child in extra curricular music classes (piano, voice, etc).

As for TF: grade school around P89k and high school around P99k.  Add P5k for books and supplies and another P5k for new PE shoes and uniforms.

Would I recommend CSA?  YES
Hope this helped!

[YaZiLove]

thank you so much sis domestic diva!
what do you mean you had transferred? from what level?
im actually contemplating kasi of transferring so part of my research are to ask moms of CSA kids.
your reply was really a big help.

we're on the middle of weighing things... i find it quite difficult to decide with a number of considerations, kaya nothing final yet.
isa na duon is the adjustment "again" of my grade1 (going gr.2 @ CSA if ever)...she's from different school nung prep. her present school is her 1st big school.
2nd to consider is the TF. i know its worth it kaso next year tatlo na silang nag-aaral. Whew! ang mahal talaga magpa-aral ngaun.
but when i thought of building a very strong foundation for my child...no doubt! walang patumpik-tumpik na YES din ako.

oh my! thanks again.

btw, do they accept transferees nga pala?