studying in Toronto - Canada

uki

[size=medium]有興趣入黎分享下

Wymom,

其實有好多親朋响度, 但我冇俾亞女住响佢地度,
因為自己以前都曾經試過照顧兩個親戚仔(16歲)
除咗責任大, 真係吃力不討好...
因為佢地係香港讀唔掂先去(父母以為去到會自然讀到)
唉! 結果係點諗都諗到la...

gd.11 先去讀都唔算太遲,
我比較著重佢心智及德育方面發展,
因為我地唔响佢身邊, 所以要佢有一定成熟, 獨立..等
而且對自己及對家庭有承担, 負責任
否則去到咁遠, 不論有冇親朋戚友, 甚至寄宿
都唔知後果如何, 我地响嗰邊住咗廿年,
眼見唔少例子, 都係浪費青春,
而家响香港仲有一個細女,
但好明顯呢個唔同大女, 冇咁主動, 較懶散
所以可能gd.11都唔會俾佢走住
因此我認為要視乎小朋友本身性格, 來決定要走的路

WYmom 寫道:
Uki,

Thanks a lot. Is your daughter studying there alone? Will it be too late to go back by G11? I am thinking of sending my daughter back by G9...

I like Unionville very much too. I still go back to visit my relatives once in a few years. My daughters enjoy playing summer camps there very much.

WYmom

Thanks, uki.  I also know a girl moved to Toronto to study G11 in boarding school for 2 years (she graduated from a famous elite school in HK), though she has relatives there, she can't make it (enter U) after 2 years.  Her parents have to send her back!

So just wonder if your daughter can study there by herself at G11 without parents around.

I also have a younger girl studying at kinder only.  If send the elder one to study high school alone, I am very worried, if go with her, then the smaller one cannot have a good Chinese learning environment...   

Besides, is your daughter's school satisfactory?  A lot of people said that public schools are not very good now, if want to enter good Us, it is better to study in private schools.   Is this true?

io

uki 寫道:
[size=medium]有興趣入黎分享下

Wymom,

其實有好多親朋响度, 但我冇俾亞女住响佢地度,
因為自己以前都曾經試過照顧兩個親戚仔(16歲)
除咗責任大, 真係吃力不討好...
因為佢地係香港讀唔掂先去(父母以為去到會自然讀到)
唉! 結果係點諗都諗到la...

gd.11 先去讀都唔算太遲,
我比較著重佢心智及德育方面發展,
因為我地唔响佢身邊, 所以要佢有一定成熟, 獨立..等
而且對自己及對家庭有承担, 負責任
否則去到咁遠, 不論有冇親朋戚友, 甚至寄宿
都唔知後果如何, 我地响嗰邊住咗廿年,
眼見唔少例子, 都係浪費青春,
而家响香港仲有一個細女,
但好明顯呢個唔同大女, 冇咁主動, 較懶散
所以可能gd.11都唔會俾佢走住
因此我認為要視乎小朋友本身性格, 來決定要走的路

[quote]WYmom 寫道:
Uki,

Thanks a lot. Is your daughter studying there alone? Will it be too late to go back by G11? I am thinking of sending my daughter back by G9...

I like Unionville very much too. I still go back to visit my relatives once in a few years. My daughters enjoy playing summer camps there very much.

[/quote]
    
非常同意你ga講法,出國讀書最緊要睇小朋友本身,同時除左學術方面而德育行為方面緊加重要,有d家長唔知係咪睇得電視劇集多讀唔掂先出去讀,一定緊加唔掂

emily06

uki,

I have similar questions as WYMom.

I would like to know how are the public schools now in Toronto. In my time, they were really great. But a lot of my friends are sending their children to private schools. Is that really necessary? Or it is merely a trend among some circles of friends?

And where does your daughter live now? And do you have to appoint a legal gardian for her?

My husband and I are in the middle of thinking what we should do. There were 2 options in our minds: (1) we all go back together, but this means we need to give up everything in Hong Kong, (2) I go with the children, and my husband stays in Hong Kong.

This has been bothering us for a while. Hope you and WYMom can share your views.

Emily

G-Ma

我自己覺得grade 11過去係幾適合既時間
1. 係香港可以讀到中四, 中文程度應該有番咁上下
2. 已經16歲, 心智都較成熟
3. 16歲好似唔需要監護人
4. grade 11仲有兩至三年時間比佢適應好先入u

我自己當年都係grade 11過去, 當其時既公立學校都好唔錯, 入u 唔係好難. 我地以前住夠兩年就唔駛考tofel.  宜家好似要住夠5年先可以唔駛考tofel. 以前tofel要600分, 但宜家個計分方法都好似唔同左(我見到要213分??), 有無人知宜家u of t 既收生要求係點?

WYmom

emily06,

Ha, our situations are really similar...I am also thinking about your option 2... but it is dangerous to leave the husband here alone!!  I have a friend doing the same and just after one year, she has to fly back to fix ... but unfortunately still has to divorce at the end.  

So maybe train the kids to be more mature and independent so that they can take care of themselves to study aboard on their own later.  

chungmingbaby

Hi dear all parents,

We have spent two weeks in last August to do some research in primary and secondary schools for my F.4 daughter and P. 5 son.  I have brought back a book called 2006 Ontario School Yearbook (2006/5/30 Canada明報附送).  The schools are ranked by the EQAQ results (like our BCA in HK) for P. 6, P. 9 on English and Maths.  It has some other information on private schools too.  I can copy some of the pages for you should you wish.

For all the information that I gathered, we will send our daughter to a public school because for high school education – public school offers better resources (of course, there are plenty of good private schools which will offer the same but we have to pay).  So if she can get into one of the good public schools (such as Unionville High, Richmond Hill High), that will be fine.  Most friends suggest the best year to go back is Grade 10.  Then the children can have one year to get used to the new environment and then Grade 11/12 are the two years which prepare them to enter into universities.  

For my son, he will be in Grade 6 next year.  I will put him into a private school because I guess he will need more attention from teachers for his first year in Toronto and by the time he finishes Grade 8, he might go back to the public school stream.

Dear Uki,

I understand that for public schools, we need to reside in the neighborhood.  Will they allow you to 跨區 if the school has seat available?  For example, my brother lives in Richmond Hill and I want to enroll into Unionville High, otherwise I might need to go back early to rent a house in Unionville.  Can you give me some advice please?

Thanks.
Chungmingbaby

uki

WYmom , emily06,

我完全明白你地ge顧慮, 正如當初我考慮ge野一模一樣

首先, 我相公唔贊成分開, 佢認為小朋友前途重要
但唔等於咁快要分散家庭, 所以兩夫婦必須要一起
待子女長大些才放洋, 加上呢個年代唔可以唔學中文
佢亦唔想毫無保障下, 貿然回流加拿大, 這是重要決定

我兩個小朋友相差六年,
未帶大女去之前幾年, 我地開始做輔導工作 :
必須考會考, 要佢知道壓力無處不在,
我地唔會俾佢為咗逃避會考而提前赴加
仲要佢有好成績, 原中學取錄, 否則留低repeat
目的係要佢盡力, 唔好諗住有後著就放鬆
因為如果响hk都讀唔掂, 過到去都一樣唔掂,
因為嗰邊high school要求自律自學
嗰邊學生成績一d都唔弱

卒之亞女總算不負所望, 會考後才去
還有佢屬於細女(Nov born),
我要佢讀gd 11(即多讀一年)
(有好多人認為我呢個決定, 浪費女兒時間, 但我並不這樣想)
因為讀gd 12 的話, 9月開學後,
10月便要揀U, 2月interview, 我覺得實在太倉促
連當地環境都未適應, 試問如何揀大學?
自己心智未成熟, 又如何選修科目?
我和女兒分析過後, 她亦同意了,
因此她將於明年9月才入u, 這年半以來, 她得到很多體會
學校, 義工, 教會, part-time...等等,
除了我的朋友, 她認識多了朋友, 人亦長大了成熟了
我認為這個狀態是最美好的, 她知道自己將要面對甚麼
並非由父母安排的, 她會為自己選擇道路, 學懂珍惜
這些才是最重要, 才是我們一直想她擁有的東西

我真的不希望她成為"高分低能"的一份子

WYmom

uki, thanks a lot for your sharing which is very helpful.  Agree with you very much.  Hope I can also train my girl to be like that.

Chungmingbaby,

Your info. is very useful.  So are you going to stay in Canada with your 2 kids then?  

And, is it easy to get into the 2 high schools you mentioned?  Is it necessary to pass an interview or test?  Or can get a place (if available) by just walking in ?

Thanks.

emily06

uki,

Thanks for sharing your. That is really helpful.

One more question. Where is your daughter living now? Is she staying with a relative?

lycheema

Dear chungmingbaby

Do you have any information (name and location etc) of good private high schools in Toronto?

Thanks a lot.

lycheema

chungmingbaby 寫道:
Hi dear all parents,

We have spent two weeks in last August to do some research in primary and secondary schools for my F.4 daughter and P. 5 son.  I have brought back a book called 2006 Ontario School Yearbook (2006/5/30 Canada明報附送).  The schools are ranked by the EQAQ results (like our BCA in HK) for P. 6, P. 9 on English and Maths.  It has some other information on private schools too.  I can copy some of the pages for you should you wish.

For all the information that I gathered, we will send our daughter to a public school because for high school education – public school offers better resources (of course, there are plenty of good private schools which will offer the same but we have to pay).  So if she can get into one of the good public schools (such as Unionville High, Richmond Hill High), that will be fine.  Most friends suggest the best year to go back is Grade 10.  Then the children can have one year to get used to the new environment and then Grade 11/12 are the two years which prepare them to enter into universities.  

For my son, he will be in Grade 6 next year.  I will put him into a private school because I guess he will need more attention from teachers for his first year in Toronto and by the time he finishes Grade 8, he might go back to the public school stream.

Dear Uki,

I understand that for public schools, we need to reside in the neighborhood.  Will they allow you to 跨區 if the school has seat available?  For example, my brother lives in Richmond Hill and I want to enroll into Unionville High, otherwise I might need to go back early to rent a house in Unionville.  Can you give me some advice please?

Thanks.
Chungmingbaby

uki

chungmingbaby,

大女住 kennedy & bur oak 好近學校
聽聞學校係今年整個
york region>>http://www.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/ 排名第6,
成績算唔錯, (呢間係一間只有幾年ge新校,係紀念
前總理杜魯多而命名的http://www.trudeau.hs.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/)
明年仲會有校服, 加拿大除了私校,
有校服public school 都是不簡單的學校,
我本來打算去education broad 做完assessment後,
便可以去學校報到, 然後再申請轉去unionville high的,
但去到學校後, 我好鍾意, 連亞女都唔想轉, 所以取消動作...
佢之前好想轉去unionville high修藝術
原因係我有位畫家朋友(很出名的)
為咗俾個仔可以入unionville high修音樂(音樂資優)
特意從溫哥華移居至附近, 真係現代版孟母三遷
其實我要報佢地址好容易  
但我覺得實在太多太多香港人,
而我朋友個仔係native english所以冇乜所謂
但相應我女會比較難pick up english  

uki

emily06,

亞女住 Markham, Kennedy & Bur Oak
我係好轉折之下由朋友ge朋友ge朋友介紹租屋的
(咁樣唔駛咁倚賴親戚, 間接又有人照顧 )
算係homestay, 包食住,
另外有個朋友幫我做佢guardian,
我响lawyer度做晒文件直接授權, 因未夠18
(但文件唔需要俾edu board or學校睇)
只係以備不時之需, 但最好証明係一起居住

我舊年整個過程都係盲摸摸, 冇人話俾我知要點做...
我老公又冇一起過去, 我一個人帶住兩個女, 唯有見招拆招..
因為我地十幾年前離開canada時冇申報non-resident,
所以有好多野担心...tax, health card, sin card......etc.
亦唔想將壓力加於女兒身上, 遇到不如意, 不順利時
半夜喊了不知多少次......

而我亦冇需要俾board and school知道我會離開, 獨留女兒
今個月亞女剛剛18歲, 總算鬆一口氣

emily06 寫道:
uki,

Thanks for sharing your. That is really helpful.

One more question. Where is your daughter living now? Is she staying with a relative?

chungmingbaby

Dear Lycheema,

Because we have decided to put my daughter into public schools, so I did not do too much research on private schools.  But I have some four pages of schools info that I can fax you.  Please pm your fax no. if you want to have.  Also, I heard from my friends that for girls, Havergal College, Holy Trinity, St. Clements are good and for boys, of course it is UCC Canada.

Dear Wymom,

Yes, our family will move back together.  Initially we had two options – one is to put my daughter into a boarding school and we stay in HK.  But since my husband and me agree that children will have a better education in Canada, so we decided to take our younger son back there as well.  It has been a nightmare for me and my son when we have to revise the homework everyday in HK.

As far as I know, there are no interview or test given by the individual public schools but children need to go to the Education Board to do an assessment to decide if they require to take the ESL class.  I am not sure if those schools are easy to get in.  I have emailed these two schools last month and both said please contact them once we reside into the region !  I guess Richmond Hill High would be easier than Unionville High.

Dear Uki,

You are right, UH has 95% Chinese so I am still 15/16.  But the Art Yorks Program at UH will suit my daughter because she has practiced ballet for 10 years and I want her to go on with it if she wants to.  Happy for you that your daughter settles well in her school.   I hope my children will be the same too.

uki

York Region Education Board 做ge assessment 會test英及數,
再與你一同分析適合讀gd幾, 並不是適合讀邊間,
其實你報地址, 每一個area只有一間high school
(可以去>>here  school > secondary > school boundaries  )
check下分佈情況, 有埋map 好清楚架,
當你決定申報呢個地址, 做完assessment 就會即時
收到一個密封folder, 交到有關學校
上面有學校名及地址, 你必須按地址上的學校報到(你事後要轉另計)

chungmingbaby 寫道:
Dear Wymom,

Yes, our family will move back together.  Initially we had two options – one is to put my daughter into a boarding school and we stay in HK.  But since my husband and me agree that children will have a better education in Canada, so we decided to take our younger son back there as well.  It has been a nightmare for me and my son when we have to revise the homework everyday in HK.

As far as I know, there are no interview or test given by the individual public schools but children need to go to the Education Board to do an assessment to decide if they require to take the ESL class. I am not sure if those schools are easy to get in. I have emailed these two schools last month and both said please contact them once we reside into the region ! I guess Richmond Hill High would be easier than Unionville High

chungmingbaby

Hi Uki,

請問你喺幾月帶個女過去架？

如你所說，要做 assessment 先報学校，我咪要早d 返去囉！原打算明年七月等他們完成一個学期先走，但七月的 d 學校放暑假，係咪要等九月開學才可報學校？

WaWaMom

Uki,

You are a great mother! To us, our kids are our treasure!

May I ask whether your daugther studied at a traditional schools in HK?

As some people told me not to study in traditional school as it will supress the thinking of our daughter.  Headache??? So, would like you to share a bit if you don't mind.

I really want my kids Chinese level can be up to certain standard before bringing them back to Canada. So, properly has to wait till my son graduate from primary school at least.

Also, may I ask if our kids study in Canada and parents are still working in HK, do we have to pay Canadian tax???

For us, if we go back, definitely the whole family will go. However, I do agree that sometimes reality may not allow us to do the way we want.

lycheema

Dear Uki

You are so brave, I hope I can be as tough as you.   I really understand the difficulties being alone without relatives and friends in Canada.

lycheema

emily06

chungmingbaby 寫道:
I have some four pages of schools info

Do you mind sending me the information too.
I have sent you a PM with my fax number.

uki

chungmingbaby,

因為要等埋細女考完試同結業禮, 否則會早d去
我舊年係七月尾過去, 會考未放榜,
佢大約考成點, 已經心裏有數,
10 Aug 放榜後, 佢daddy去學校取result
然後email 去canada俾我, 因為搵學校時都要用到
點知就係你所講, d學校全部放晒假
call school board 問有關入學資料,
然後make 定 appointment
(但assessment就要23/8先做到, 學校office 29/8才開始工作, 6/9開學 )
總之乜都做唔到, 於是去咗好幾間private school 攞料
連oakville 都去埋, 另外toronto downtown嗰幾間名名名名校都參觀咗   
又要搵d 會計師ar, 律師之類問野
探晒d親戚朋友之後, 索性同兩個女出埠周圍去玩,
玩咗個幾星期, 要好好珍惜同亞女一齊
因為呢個女真係好生性ga, 佢講咗呢兩年都唔會返hk架
佢話唔想好似旅行咁, 一年返幾次喎, 佢唔想嘥我地d錢
等佢搞好晒入u 既野先會返, 所以july 07先會見到佢

所以我好羡慕你地可以成家人一齊返過去