聖士提反(赤柱)小學 versus 聖保祿天主教小學

4eyesDad

我喜愛SSCPS，但老婆喜愛母校，如何選擇?

thomasha

Choose a school suitable based on her personality and mode of learning, not only on what you and your wife prefer.  Analyse the advantages and disadvantages (or strengths and weaknesses) of each school and consider whether they are relevant to your daughter.

原帖由 4eyesDad 於 10-12-17 17:01 發表
我喜愛SSCPS，但老婆喜愛母校，如何選擇?

4eyesDad

thomasha: Thank you for your valuable views. There is an unequal distribution of information between these 2 schools and that makes my job difficult.
From the website and other sources, including two interviews and talking to current students, I think I know many details about SSCPS.
On the other hand, my wife's views of her old school literally belong to the last century. We know no current students of St Paul's Catholic Primary School. There is no interview. It's website does not answer my questions.
Any information and views are welcome.

ricenoodle

I like SSCPS more!

I like SSCPS campus and enviroment more than SP Happy Valley campus as the latter one is quite small.

thomasha

I understand.  Government-aided schools usually receive less attention than DSS and private schools because the latter ones require much more preparation and the former ones carry a big element of luck for entry.

You face a similar problem I had before.  My mother school is a famous Catholic boys' school in Wan Chai.  The fame is still very much in parents' mind, so many of them highly recommend it to us.  Fortunately I know people whose children recently finished studying there, so I have more recent info about it and, at the end, chose to release the place for SSCPS.  In short, the fame in the past does not guarantee that its quality can be maintained nowadays.  Of course,  the situation of different aided schools are different, so they will have to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Just to stimulate thoughts, does your wife know any of the teachers of the present teachers or the headmistress?   They are probably better 1st-hand information providers.  

BTW, when do you need to start applying for P1?  The discretionary phase for 2011/12 is already over.  I suppose you are asking in advance, or are you going to participate in the forthcoming lucky draw?

原帖由 4eyesDad 於 10-12-17 17:27 發表
thomasha: Thank you for your valuable views. There is an unequal distribution of information between these 2 schools and that makes my job difficult.
From the website and other sources, including two ...

ricenoodle

I have heard much positive comments from SSCPS parents recently, their children received high quality education with a well-balanced curriculum include sports, music and outdoor activities with students and teachers.  The boarding requirement in P6 can strengthen a child's independent ability before going to Secondary school.  The atmosphere at SSCPS is more relaxed and definitely not a traditional strict local school when compare with SP Happy Valley.  The academic requirement is still strict and demanding at SSCPS.

4eyesDad

ricenoodle: Thank you for your contributions.
SSCPS has a beautiful campus with swimming pool, etc. whereas St Paul's Catholic Primary has a historical and protected building which, according to the latest news report, is about to be re-developed with an additional 10-storey building behind the existing facade (like the Pen Hotel in TST).

4eyesDad

thomasha: My daughter has an offer from SP Happy Valley at the discretionary stage for 2011/12.
There is a slight complication: SSCPS now places her on a "waitlist" even though I thought we did well at the 2nd interview and I think she fits in well with the school's philosophy, etc.
I told my wife that we should not give up. (And I certainly will not.)
My daughter has been to SSCPS and likes the school very much. She has never been to SP Happy Valley except driving by its front door.
We have a younger son. If big sister can enter SSCPS next year (Sept 2011), it will make life a lot easier for, if possible, I intend to send little brother there in future as well.

thomasha

Now I understand more of the rationale behind your current situation.

I think SSCPS has an added advantage in your case as you have a younger son, and SSCPS does have some places reserved for siblings of current students.  Since you reckon SSCPS is suitable for your daughter, and both schools seem to be good, waiting for a possible place in SSCPS seems to be a wise choice, especially in saving most of the trouble of the tough P1 application process.

原帖由 4eyesDad 於 10-12-17 20:54 發表
thomasha: My daughter has an offer from SP Happy Valley at the discretionary stage for 2011/12.
There is a slight complication: SSCPS now places her on a "waitlist" even though I thought we did well  ...

4eyesDad

What if my daughter is also on the waitlist for an ESF school?

thomasha

What is your opinion about ESF schools and how suitable are they to your daughter with regard to her personality and mode of learning?

BTW, is she on other schools' wait list?  We can thus address to all these schools at once.

原帖由 4eyesDad 於 10-12-18 21:52 發表
What if my daughter is also on the waitlist for an ESF school?

[ 本帖最後由 thomasha 於 10-12-18 22:02 編輯 ]

cmchang0927

My daughter is in P.1 this year (St Paul's Catholics).  It is a school that much better than I expected (I took this school after my girl failed the 2nd interview of DGJS).  
I love this school cos':
-free of charge
-near my home (only 20 mins school bus)
-half day school so my girl can take extra activities at the time when other full days students are still at school.  E.g. the eng course that I took in tue am, only 2 students (my girl and other st jo boy) enrolled.  It was supposed to be an 8 ppl's class on Sat when it's full.
-the primary school has an Eng band one secondary school connected although it's not a top school as popular as DGS or Marymount.
-the atmosphere are good there.  My girl told me that everyone is her friend and no one bully her
-my girl told me that the teachers are nice (better than I thought cos' I heard from others that the teachers were v. straight there)
-no ranking on the 成績表 or 精英班throughout the primary school life. (but one of my friends do not like that cos' she wants to show her girl's ability to others....)
-emphasizes on ethnical development (I have 3 old collagues were from this school, primary to secondary and they all have studied master.  They share the same style, humble, serious at work and relationships....)
I love this school since my girl loves to go to school everyday.  Besides, I m an old girl of St Stephen's College, Stanley.

4eyesDad

thomasha: I'm for ESF (and international) schools because they are not "duck-fed" style commonly found in traditional local schools.
My wife is against my idea, because she says we live in HK and our kids should read, speak and write Chinese well.
I sense my daughter does not like being duck-fed and hence my preference for "happy" learning environment. SSCPS is probably in the middle, and seem to cover all major areas.
Because SSCPS is now placing my daughter on a waitlist, and my daughter is also on the waitlist for an ESF and an international school, I have very little room to move, and not much time to deliberate if any other school move her up from the waitlist to an actual offer.
Some people told me that if and when an offer comes, I would need to decide within a very short period of time and pay the deposit immediately.  
The notion "One bird in hand worths two birds in the bush" applies only if there are no birds coming.
Having invested in time and costs in applying to several schools, I am hoping other birds will come.
Timing is beyond my control and the wait is painful.
And, we still have to work hard to supplement my daughter's Chinese language skills if she entered ESF or international school.

4eyesDad

cmchang0927: I appreciate your views on SP Happy Valley.
May I ask why you did not send your daughter to your old school in Stanley?

cmchang0927

- I have calculated the cost of the school fee of St Stephen's, it's nearly 10000 per month from p.1 to p.5, p.6 is even more expensive.......... I have a younger boy.   And I would prefer to save money for my kids to study aboard when they finish their secondary school.
-In the past, before it changed to DSS, SSC was only a band two secondary school.  I have seen so many teenagers troubles in a co edu school.......... e.g. some girls used cutters to make tatoo of the boys' names on their hands, arms or even legs........ u know the artress Yuen Nem Ming? She was my friend (I knew her in F.3)'s brother (who was only in P.5 at that time)'s girl friend!  I understand I cannot stop my girl from the love affair, but I just saw too much and thought that I couldn't handle that for so early..........
But I think SSCPS is good for :
-more exposure to music and atheletics
-fantastic campus (I think it's also why students are more easily to fall in love there, haha)
-Good Eng medium
-The boarding program? good for independence but..... it's the catalyst of love affairs....... in the old days, most of the boarders have love affairs.........
-co edu.  Actually, I also worry that my girl will turn into a tom boy or doesn't know how to deal with boys when she grows up from a girls ' school......... some of my friends who were from famous girls' school, e.g. SH, True light, St Paul are still single..............
Everything has 2 sides........ u have to consider which side you can accept more.   After the diaster of making decision of primary school for my girl last year, I understand that there is no perfect school.   And you will never know if your daughter can fit into the school that you choose for her.   But so lucky, St Paul's just turned out as a school that fit her and me.  So good luck!  I think both are good school but u really need to think abt the drawbacks of each one....

cmchang0927

Moreover, last year my husband and I were a bit struggle to send my girl to St Paul's last year since it was a chinese primary school.   But after a few months' study, we found that most of the P.1 kids found Chinese as the most difficult subject!   Most of the kids got 90 or above in maths or Eng but not Chinese.   I think studying in a chinese primary school can force the kids to learn more chinese (haha).   Nowadays, it's easy to find good classes for kids to learn Eng in HK, but it's hard to find good Chinese classes.   Chinese is  a subject that also needs to be ok to get into Uni.   E.g. my husband got Bs and Cs in Chem, Phy, Maths in Alevel, D in Eng but F in Chinese (haha), so he couldn't get into HKU at the first round, only could manage to get into poly U at last.  So Chinese primary school may still has its own advantage?

[ 本帖最後由 cmchang0927 於 10-12-20 00:51 編輯 ]

ricenoodle

cmchang0927,
Hi, can you share more on SP Happy Valley Chinese as the medium of teaching?  May I know which subjects will be taught in PTH besides the Putonghua lesson?  
Thank you so much!

原帖由 cmchang0927 於 10-12-20 00:50 發表
Moreover, last year my husband and I were a bit struggle to send my girl to St Paul's last year since it was a chinese primary school.   But after a few months' study, we found that most of the P.1 ki ...

Magi

agreed with your view.  Failure in Chinese, no way to HK government higher posts .  Chinese becomes important in the world, it may become the 2nd international language following English.

原帖由 cmchang0927 於 10-12-20 00:50 發表
Moreover, last year my husband and I were a bit struggle to send my girl to St Paul's last year since it was a chinese primary school.   But after a few months' study, we found that most of the P.1 kids found Chinese as the most difficult subject!   Most of the kids got 90 or above in maths or Eng but not Chinese.   I think studying in a chinese primary school can force the kids to learn more chinese (haha).   Nowadays, it's easy to find good classes for kids to learn Eng in HK, but it's hard to find good Chinese classes.   Chinese is  a subject that also needs to be ok to get into Uni.   E.g. my husband got Bs and Cs in Chem, Phy, Maths in Alevel, D in Eng but F in Chinese (haha), so he couldn't get into HKU at the first round, only could manage to get into poly U at last.  So Chinese primary school may still has its own advantage?

4eyesDad

cmchang0927: Thank you once again for sharing your experience here. I'm happy for you that your daughter enjoys her experience at SP Happy Valley.
On a scale of 1 to 10 (and 10 being 100% forced "duck-fed" system), what would your daughter say about SP Happy Valley in terms of its teaching style and work-load in P1?
Am I right in thinking that you attended SSC, but not SSCPS?