CDNIS vs HKIS

shabushabu

My kid is in pre rec at CDNIS. While he loves his school and I don't have much to complain about, he's lucky to receive an offer from HKIS.

Now I am really torn. On one hand I like CDNIS as the teachers and the community have been wonderful. Parents in his class are so friendly and supportive. The teachers are great and my kid adores them. Yet HKIS seems to be an obvious choice for many due to its scale and track record.

Would love to hear your views for them.

mafoonfoonyan

Definitely HKIS given all thats going on within CDNIS. Simple decision.

shabushabu

原帖由 mafoonfoonyan 於 16-03-22 發表
Definitely HKIS given all thats going on within CDNIS. Simple decision.

Thanks! The governance issue is not my biggest concern as all schools go through it at some point in time. It's just unfortunate that the issue at CDNIS is made public. I actually think the teachers are amazing for holding it together under such pressure and watchful eyes from the public.

I guess I would like to know more about the community, the culture and the general atmosphere at the school. If there's any existing HKIS parents to share your view it would be very helpful. Thanks!

alwaysontrip

May I know if the offer you kid received from HKIS is for R1 starting this August? Has the school already released the results?

Shootastar

If your kid loves the school and the teachers and community are wonderful, there is no obvious reason for you to make a change, whether HKIS is a "better" school or not. A change of school may necessitate adjustment on your kid. If the adjustment is not good, then it may have negative impact on your kid.

shabushabu

Yes its for R1 and we got an email yesterday.

shabushabu

原帖由 Shootastar 於 16-03-23 發表
If your kid loves the school and the teachers and community are wonderful, there is no obvious reaso ...

Thats what I thought before I received an offer. But when you have it, it gives you more to think about...its a good problem I supposed....

Shootastar

回覆 shabushabu 的帖子

CDNIS adopted the IB and Canadian curriculum while HKIS adopts the US AP (liberal art) system. You should consider which education is good to your kid. You should thoroughly understand the two systems apart from the personal factors mentioned by you before you make a decision.

nintendo

shabushabu 發表於 16-3-23 08:33
Thanks! The governance issue is not my biggest concern as all schools go through it at some point in ...

I do not agree. This is a big issue since I do not believe any schools has ever sacked so many teachers and senior management within a year. There has to be problems. Not sure how it is going now but definitely low morale.
Someone mentioned the curriculum. That is what I would look at as well.

lovecasey

回覆 shabushabu 的帖子

Both IB and AP are recognized widely in US university, so it should not be a concern and both schools are a through train school.... why would you like to move your kid if he is happy with the current school?

nintendo

IB is recognised in the US. It is not a recognition issue.
But parents need to know which curriculum suit their children best.
IB and AP would suit different types of students.
Of course, for some of the best students, they probably would do well in either.

Shootastar

回覆 nintendo 的帖子

I can't agree with you more.

The American education system adopts the liberal art style education. The beauty of a liberal art style education is that you will have a wide choice of subjects for you to explore before you make a decision on what you really love.

IB also allows students to choose subjects but it is rather "rigid" in the sense that you have to choose subjects from different areas. As far as I know, you cannot take 3 science subjects at the same time even if you are strong on science. Again, you cannot drop science subjects even if you are weak.

It is not a right or wrong question for AP or IB education system. It is a matter for you to know which education system will suit your kid more so as to pust his limit of study to the far end of his potential.

tsuenkee

I agree with Nintendo.

lijacq

I agree too. My daughter is in IB system and they need to write a lot of analysis.  So one must be good at writing even for Mathematics or Physics.

julier_z

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Would you mind telling us when you had the interview?

shabushabu

Shootastar 發表於 16-3-23 13:51
回覆 nintendo 的帖子

I can't agree with you more.

Thanks for your comments on this Shootastar. We parents always on the search for the best for our kids. But the difficulty for me is that it's hard to decide which systems fit my kid's personality and learning style at such a young age. On the other hand, maybe it's not the most critical factor given both systems are well recognized. Especially in North America where we will be most likely heading toward.
I guess I am interested to learn about the "soft" aspects for HKIS as well, such as the teacher/students dynamic, how do they structure the learn through play in reception years, what's the community like, what are the goods and the bads etc

shabushabu

nintendo 發表於 16-3-23 13:07
IB is recognised in the US. It is not a recognition issue.
But parents need to know which curriculum ...

What's your take on the student's profile that thrives for each system?

shabushabu

nintendo 發表於 16-3-23 13:07
IB is recognised in the US. It is not a recognition issue.
But parents need to know which curriculum ...

Of course there are problems. Yet rarely do these governance / management issues get cascaded down to teaching staff levels, or get aired out in the public with bias. Like I said, the teachers have been amazing in putting our kids as their top priorities.
Anyway, this is not the focus of this post so no point to dwell into this further.

shabushabu

lovecasey 發表於 16-3-23 13:01
回覆 shabushabu 的帖子

Both IB and AP are recognized widely in US university, so it should not be a ...

oops, missed your post earlier.
We were pretty clear with our preference for cdnis. Last year, we picked cdnis over gsis (friends called us crazy...) and earlier this year I've ceased the application procedure with fis and cis, as we come to know better of what we look for in school for our kid.

However, with HKIS I just don't have the same crystal clear determination. That's why I am hoping I could get more insights from you all to help me make a well informed decision.

shabushabu

原帖由 lijacq 於 16-03-23 發表
I agree too. My daughter is in IB system and they need to write a lot of analysis.  So one must be g ...

I am curious to know how do the teachers provide support for students who struggle with putting their learning into writing?