Is Hong Lok Yuen int school good ?

joenkm

Please give comments. Very likely I will send the boys into this school for kindergarten.

ashleymama

my aunt's daughter went there and she said the school is so so and the academic standard is low to compare with other Int'l School. So it will be a bit difficult to catch up to others when your boys finish primary schhol. Why don't you consider Japanese International School? It's much better than HLYIS. Check it out at :www.hkjs.edu.hk

CAAmum

ashleymama,

Is only your aunt's daughter's own academic level low or the overall school's academic level low?

You can't just quote one single example and say that the whole school is not good.

I have seen quite a number of people graduated from very reputable local schools (eg., La Salle, DGS) who had "so so" exam results and applied for "so so" positions.

It is very unfair to HLYIS if you apply one particular case to it on the whole.

ashleymama 寫道:
my aunt's daughter went there and she said the school is so so and the academic standard is low to compare with other Int'l School. So it will be a bit difficult to catch up to others when your boys finish primary schhol. Why don't you consider Japanese International School? It's much better than HLYIS. Check it out at :www.hkjs.edu.hk

joenkm

Thanks anyway,

Do you have other successful examples that I can study or refer. My boys , one study in NIS and one in Kingston. Kingston not accept my elder because they are not guareetee Primary one in the same school. NIS is a small school but indeed a good school. It is not that dilemma situation to me because I visited HLYIS two times and I found the kids are pretty smart, don't know their academic results, english proficiency no doubt is good but all IS are good in english. What attrack me are the playgroup, spacious environment and the after school activities.

But they are english curriculum not IB.

I also think about Rennaissan of Ma On Shan cos I am living there for this moment.

Please advise. Thanks a million.

joenkm

Thanks ashleymama as well. I will consider that too.

ashleymama

Dear CAA mum,
well, my aunt's daughter now is in KGV. she had an interview with the principle and advised that she can go to S1 immediately and skipped the 1st semester because of her high academic results. I consider this school before for my daughter but my aunt's comments changed my mind. She told me this is not her own opinion but among parents she know. Of course kids who are smart enough (like her daughter) will be ok even at a low academic school. Of course you notice the Eng level of students is high to compare to local school students.  HLYIS is an Int'l school, right? The opinion is that, compare among In't schools, the syllabus is simple and "easier". Afterall, in reality, ratio that entering into ESF high school is lower than other int'l schools.

ashleymama

yes, Renaissance College is also highly recommended by many parents. I am considering this school, too! There is one info session coming on 26 Nov and I will attend.

joenkm

Sounds scary "the syllabus is low". I get from the official web site, HLYIS offers English Curriculum, correct me, very close to ESF. I thought ESF opts for students from HLYIS!

But I also heard from another parent in this forum, comments are positive and she even felt sorry to leave this school because she needs to change to US syllabus, the kids eventually need to go back US. They are ABC.

lenglengma

Hello Joenkm,
It was me who felt sorry to leave HLYIS.  I really think that HLYIS is a good school, and honestly speaking, I really don't think their syllabus is "low".  Most of the kids after year 6 go to Shatin college.  They have year 7 now, and the kids need to equip with their own Apple computer (they need to bring that to school everyday).  My son is in Reception (4 1/2 years old) and he will be in year one if he stays.  By the end of Reception, he will be able to read.  I personally don't think IB curriculum will be a problem, since HLYIS only offers Kinder to Year 7.  Choose a secondary school with IB in the future should solve the problem.  Also, I think HLYIS has a pretty strong Chinese department.  My kid just started to have their Mandarin lesson once a week for only 1 month, and he already knows all words for eyes, nose, hair, chin, teeth, mouth, hands and legs in Mandarin already.  I particulary like their atmosphere and their open spaces.  They have tons of toys and activities for their Kinder kids.  Trust me on that one because my kids have been to school in both the U.S. and Hong Kong.  Their English standard is indeed very good.  One thing i think you need to consider is that you need to pay around $10,000+ for the reservation fee, which is not refundable (I think this is a bit unreasonable).  And once a year you need to pay a $3000+ dollar family subscription fee and your child subscription fee (almost $5000 for reception and up).  That's another 8000 dollar you need to pay annually (not once).
Lenglengma

CAAmum

Dear ashleymama

That your aunt's daughter could skip one semester in another int'l school actually means a lower level at HLYIS equals a higher level at another int'l school, which in turn logically means the academic level at HLYIS should be higher than the other school that your aunt's daughter has changed to.  Please correct me if my logic is wrong.

In my own experience when I was in primary school, my mother had once wanted me to change to another school and I attended the test of the other school. The results was that my level at primary 2 equal primary 4 at the other school, which means I could skip 2 levels!!!  Thankfully, my mother changed mind and kept me at the original school which has much much higher academic level.

I have seen more than 1 HLYIS students (only around 7-8 yrs old) who can read a whole english book (no picture, only full of words). In my own case, I started to read a book (no matter eng or chin) only when I was in secondary school (local of course).

joenkm

Thanks you all valuable comments. All your valuable comments I will consider.

ashleymama

Dear CAAmum,
same to me! I started reading late (also local school). I think every school has pros and cons. You logical thinking is right but everything has exceptions. I think my aunt's daughter is a very special case as she is a gifted child. I wonder how many students can skip normal semester in ESF schools like her case. Let me quote my own girl: she can "read" english books at 2 and now she is four but her english standard is already at p6 level. I know she is very smart in this area but doesn't mean her school is "extremely" high in terms of academic level since her reading ability does not trained by her school. I was attracted by HLYIS's "hardware" at the beginning but after listening to her comments, I changed my mind. Sure every school does have some% of "smart" students especially IS like HLYIS. What she means is that some parents (including herself) do feel that the syllabus is "easy" and therefore the "so so"students  (which she believes is majority)even failed the ESF interview test. As a mother of course I will consider every comments of a target school. May be, I just mentioned the negative points that caused you to think that "I comment this school via a single example" but this is not the case. As mentioned, I do like HLYIS in some areas but the comments from my anut, to me, is so important that finally I cross it out from my list.
Anyway, thanks for your valuable comments!

ashleymama

Dear CAAmum,

[which in turn logically means the academic level at HLYIS should be higher than the other school that your aunt's daughter has changed to]

Not trying to "correct" you but HLYIS is a primary school and the school she is going to (KGV) is a secondary school. so the academic level of a primary school won't be higher than a secondary school.

CAAmum

Dear Ashleymama

Actually I do not mean to argue with you. The fact is that my kid is studying there. But I am also very worried about his development at HLYIS. It seems to me the teachers there really care about the children and the class size is small, which I consider good points of HLYIS. In addition, now they have chinese (putonghua) lessons every day.

However, HLYIS has no secondary school. So I am very very worried whether my kid will get admission to other int'l school when he finishes primary school, or the only choice is sending him overseas. As I have no means to compare, I just want to know how big your sample size is when you said the academic level of HLYIS is not good.  If HLYIS is really not good, I will try hard enough to find another school for my kid.

joenkm

Dear all,

No, no, no, I am sure you are not arguing with Ashleymama and she is all along not arguing, we just help each other.

To me, the academic results based on my observation and the number of existing students, I would say it is good in HLYIS. If it is not good then parents will not spend time and dime on the school, just run away. HLYIS is not cheap afterall.

Academic results is important indeed. But I do believe the school can help to build up the student interpersonality, integrity.. etc which I think is also important.

For the secondary school matter. No worry about it, as the market is growing bigger, the number of S1 are getting bigger, liked KGV has 2 additional S1 recently. And there are so many options you can choose liked Rennaissan, ICS, CAIS, ESF and many others.

ashleymama

Dear CAAmun,
Sorry for any hard feelings caused to you as I really just wanna express what I know to other moms. I have  no means to say that HLYIS is no good, as you said, it will be unfair to the school. However, as a mother who are carefully planning the path for my kid, I really put most of my time and efforts to "look for" school that is "good" (but i won't really know unless my girl is in, so what i depend on is the "words of mouth" from existing parents). I have limited choice since I live in NT and HLYIS/JIS in Tai Po area will be the nearest schools for us.
My aunt is also a "carefully planning" mother, she doesn't wholly satisfied with HLYIS. Due to your question, I ask her and she said, the teachers are good, school environment and facilities are good, location is good (live in same area) but just the "syllabus" is kind of "easy". She had regular meetings with other moms and this is what the same comment of all. Some of the parents transferred their kids to other IS and my aunt didn't do so because: 1) she keeps on self-teaching her girl to keep up the highest standard 2) target school (SJS) has no vacancy 3) don't want to travel few hours to other school in other area; In regards of the %, she says no exact rate but just notice not many students accepted by ESF secondary schools, so compare to other IS without secondary school, such as JIS, the acceptance rate is lower so she believes the reason is strictly about academic result.
Should you kids are smart enough and you are confidence of them to pass the ESF entrance test after graduated from HLYIS, then may be no need to change school. By the way, you can ask the school for exact rate of acceptance to  ESF secondary schools.
regards,
Ashleymama

solo

ashleymama,

My son is "gifted" too...he has developed early literacy and numeracy (such as recognizing and managing alphabets in less than 2, reciting many classical Tang's poems in Putonghua when 2, counting from 1 to 100 in both ascending and reverse order about that time, reciting whole pages of the Little Minister and Miss stories at the age less than 3, multiplication table before entering primary school, excellent phonics and reading, etc.) plus gift in music such as perfect pitch, etc.  He is also at ease with computer and has grasped all the techniques in logging in and out, switching on and off, picking favourite PC software and doing graphics since 3.  But still we decided to let him study in HLY for a number of reasons: 1. to let me learn happily in an uncoerced environment which I think will benefit him for life long; 2. to protect him from becoming a guinea-pig of the so-called education reform in the local system; 3. to protect him from the kind of (sick) culture that is unfortunately shared by the mainstream in which parents and teachers have so many unrealistic expectations in the name of the benefit of our next generation but in fact are doing no good to them at all; etc.
I like the HLY school motto: Learning to live and learn together.

Solo

   

ashleymama 寫道:
Dear CAAmum,
same to me! I started reading late (also local school). I think every school has pros and cons. You logical thinking is right but everything has exceptions. I think my aunt's daughter is a very special case as she is a gifted child. I wonder how many students can skip normal semester in ESF schools like her case. Let me quote my own girl: she can "read" english books at 2 and now she is four but her english standard is already at p6 level. ...

ashleymama

Dear solo,
Thanks for your valuable advise! My girl is quite similar to your son expect the maths things. So you teach him multiplication table / Tang's poems at the age of 2 ?! It's amazing! But it seems like you are having some kind of "unrealistic expectation" towards your son, too. Anyway, as I said before, a smart child will be doing fine at wherever. Of course you don't have to worry about it.
Suzanne

solo

Dear Suzanne,

We just set up a small reading corner with some books, games and CD Roms at home.  We play different kinds of music and poems at random.  That's it.  Kids are free to use these things, without being coerced.  They can pick and do whatever they like.  We just provide the opportunity of exposure to different things that we think are interesting and valuable in life. If they are interested in something, let them explore further.  We provide them guidance.  The only expectation is that the kid can find enjoyment and ultimately his/ her own self in all these.
The developmental path of every kid differs so widely.  At one point, he/she may appear to be "gifted" but at the other further point may just appear as "normal" or "lagging behind".  There is a set of educational-psychological criteria about what make a "gifted" child but as I understand assessment won't be accurate until the kid has come of age (say at 7 or 8).  I don't think my son is really  gifted.  He just showed some advanced development at some points.  All we want is just that our kids are happy and have a healthy personality.  These are so precious!

solo

ps. multiplication table at 6, not 2 or 3.  He has a electronic math game which is his favourite.

dinner

Dear all,
How about Nature Education Kindergarden?Is it good to go to primary school?
Thanks!