any comment about SJI International Elementary School?

[nope]

not a concern to me! If you want security go to Tanglin School where the security guards carry guns ( what a great message to give children - not!)

[security]

I don't need or want guns. What I would like to ensure is that anyone off the street can't just walk in and wander around, which seems to be what is happening at the moment. I can't believe that anyone with a child at SJI (or anywhere else) would be happy about that! Certainly not something with children in the younger years anyway. I'm a big fan of SJI and am probably going to send my children there, however this lack of control over people's comings and goings at the school does concern me. As I said, I know it's been raised by various people before, I was wondering whether they'd found a solution.

[scorn]

"not a concern to me! If you want security go to Tanglin School where the security guards carry guns ( what a great message to give children - not!)"

Of course there's a reason for the guns in that any terror attack against UK children isn't going to be thwarted by the stop sign out front.

But if it's the message we send to children that is paramount surely the sight of policemen with guns and fighter jets with missiles is destroying them as we speak.

The ascendancy of perceptions and impressions over the nuts and bolts of reality seems to be an increasingly English characteristic. One wonders how post-war England managed to be so civil after years of exposure to guns while today's surveillance society, its gun bans and laws against unsavoury speech lead to ever more feral streets.

[Don't hog]

Please don't hog the OPs thread about SJI 'scorn'.  If you have an axe to grind, start your own thread.

[nope]

to 'scorn'  -  "And the Oscar goes to....'scorn' for the most pathetic answer/comment that has EVER been written on this board" - Congratulations!

[needatranslator]

I write for a living and earn a good living doing this but I have NO idea what Scorn is saying; well I did after three re-reads - learn to express yourself simply and clearly!

[mytake]

I am not an authority on international schools but i developed a negative image of SJI int'l (high school) after finding out that it is  dumping ground for kids from affluent local families who did badly for their primary school national exams (PSLE).

think of it this way - if the kids at other international elementary schools were to take the PSLE, there is a good chance that they would score similar results as these kids who choose SJI int'l as a "dumping ground".

[scorn]

Sorry to upset you for 'hogging' the thread but I was merely responding to two consecutive messages about guns.

And 'needatranslator,' I too used to write for a living: more than 15 years as a foreign correspondent and then as editor at two of the world's biggest news organizations.

If you can't understand my point it really says a lot about your reading comprehension.

 

[any more feedback?]

I know there were some concerns about certain teachers at SJI (elementary) a few months ago, have these just been put down to teething problems with children settling in? ie of the sort you'd get anywhere? or have they really had problems filling all their posts with decent staff. It's a difficult question to ask them, and it's now crunch time re school decisions.

[ex-SJI]

Well the particular teachers who were the reason we withdrew from SJI are still there according to the SJI website. In my opinion there are much stronger schools available in Singapore. All the best.

[so...]

if you personally had a choice between SJI and Tanglin you'd choose Tanglin?

[not me]

I'm not the previous poster but I had that choice and chose SJII and have been really happy. I'm not sure which teachers the previous poster was referring to. There were some issues with one of the prep one teachers last year. She's still here and there have been no similar issues this year. (that I am aware of) One of my good friends daughters ended up in her class and thinks she's great. I can't help but think there was a bit of a mum's mafia going on.

There will be good and bad teachers in any school. I have about 5 friends who teach at Tanglin. They all say they think the kids get a great deal but the teachers don't seem all that happy. I think eventually that has to show through. Its not a very culturally diverse school- in attitude as much as anything else. Local celebrations aren't touched on much. And it very formal and assessment based. But I know lots of people are really happy there.

I also think it depends what age your child is. I wouldn't choose SJII for an older child because the senior school is very different.

I'm sending really mixed messages aren't I! I think the short answer is go with your gut. Put the emphasis on the aspects of education that are important to you. Forget all the rest. No school is perfect and you will most likely end up feeling you made the right choice which ever way you go.

[scorn]

I chose not to send my kids to SJI but just wanted to comment on the sec school. Their first batch of IB takers last year had an average of 35.7 points. This compares to UWC's 36.

That's a pretty good showing for their first year at IB.

[here we go]

I am not an authority on international schools but i developed a negative image of SJI int'l (high school) after finding out that it is  dumping ground for kids from affluent local families who did badly for their primary school national exams (PSLE).

think of it this way - if the kids at other international elementary schools were to take the PSLE, there is a good chance that they would score similar results as these kids who choose SJI int'l as a "dumping ground".

Would you stop with this complete and utter garbage about local schools being years or miles ahead of other schools?! It is getting tiresome. One just has to speak to local child or their parents and see that they are not any smarter than anyone else at the end of the day! (And miles less eloquent or able to handle normal social situations  )

[businnes as usual]

I would like to reply to some of the posts on this page, as our child attends SJI.
So far our experience with SJI has been for the most past  positive and we find our child's teacher to be really dedicated and has fostered a love of learning with our 5 year old. However, like all schools, there are issues with SJI.
The playground in the elementary school as been closed for safety reasons, same for the growing garden at the back of the buildings. We were informed this has happened as a few children had bumps and grazes from the playground, and the growing area was closed off, as some child was bitten by a mosquito ( Oh the horror of it).
The traffic system in and out can be frustrating, there are 2 lanes in and only 1 out , with the resulting jam inside the school grounds.  And as mentioned earlier, the bus service is very expensive in comparison to other schools, also the incident with the prep 1 teacher mentioned by "Not Me" , did re-occur , more than once, and yes the teacher is still there.
I will say again, overall positive , mainly because of the teacher , but we will re-consider again after another year,