YMCA International or ESF WKS?

bleushow

Hi my kid got offers from:

1) ESF WKS
- cat 2 without siblings, priority to inteview in esf P1, but bad comments regarding admin, staff/principal attitude and P1 acceptance rate, I even saw their helpers talked to kids in cantonese at school, and K1-K2 only
2) YMCA Internatinal
- no primary school and weak chinese but very good staff and prinipal and very few chinese kids there, high English standard and K1-K3
3) Creative Primary School Kindergarten
- primary school through train (IB candidate school but with about 1/2 subjects taught in chinese), the kindy and primary school got very good comments in providing free learning environment and the kindy class is structured with 1hr can, 1 hr pth, 1 hr english and emphasized on the uniquness of each kid and brain base learning, but I'm afraid she will be weak in both english and chinese after cause only 1 hr each.
4) Baptist U Kindergarten
- primary school through train (english primary school), the kinder also gets good comments in providing free learning environment but then very week english.

My target is ESF primary or DSS/Private school with strong English and Chi.  I am tempted to put her in ESF wks to enjoy the priority in P1 interview (we are cat 2 without siblings)  but then I saw so much bad comments in WKS  and ESF doesn't have K3, if my kid doesn't get admitted, I will have to switch to other not so good IS or very expensive ones. But then if none of those IS schools take us, I will have to switch her to a K3 school to wait for esf and prepare for the DSS and private school interviews.

Hence, I am thinking if it is better to put her in YMCA Int  Or Creative Primary school kindergarten then try esf and DSS and private school in K2.  But then both options will make us lose the priority in interview.

I am really sooo puzzled.  Any esf or YMCA parents here to give advice?   Is the priority really that important that worth to "waste" the critical learning period by putting her in a relatively bad kindy?  Or in fact ESF WKS is not that bad? Thanks a million.

lottieclee

原帖由 bleushow 於 10-4-6 09:31 發表
Hi my kid got offers from:

1) ESF WKS
- cat 2 without siblings, priority to inteview in esf P1, but bad comments regarding admin, staff/principal attitude and P1 acceptance rate, I even saw their he ...

I would pick the school you are most comfortable with.  My personal opinion is that ESF WKS is not that good of a kindergarten.  But... if you are really really determined to get into ESF primary/ RC or DC, then in your situation, the priority interview is EXTREMELY important.  

Out of the 4 schools you listed.  I think YMCA is best, but you would really have to find another IS path and stick with DSS plan if you are going there.  I would tell you, with the large number of kids born in 2007, you have close to no chance of getting into and ESF primary school.

tomnice

After the school visit, I gave up my offer from WKS ESF.

bleushow

Dear Lottieclee

Thanks so much for your advice.  I am so tempted to take the YMCA or Creative option while reading along, but cooled off when you mentioned that there is no hope to get in any esf school if my 2007 kid is not in an esf kindy...oh...what a headache...
Dear Tomnice

May I know what cools you off after the school visit?  Does it mean you let go the esf path? Thanks much.

winwin3

my sons studying in at ymca, quite good so far, but over half of his classmales are cantonese.

greg

Do u mind to tell how much school fee for YMCA at K1?

bleushow

For YMCA's school fee.  For K1 it's abot 4800 (sorry I'm not sure about the exact amount) and for K2-K3, half day, it's the same, full day, it's about 8xxx a month.

Dear vvnppo, yes, I agree that YMCA has very good teachers and hardware.  May i ask what's your identified school path for your kid?  Thanks.

greg

Thanks Bleushow,,.. my son has got an offer from YMCA too,, I'm seriously thinking now.. If my son is goona study there, I will stick with DSS and  apply CCKG at K2.

bleushow

Hi, just want to share some info I got from the head teacher of YMCA Int'l Kinder:

my question to her:
May I ask if all your students applied for ESF primary got a chance for interview this year?  

Her answer:
2 students have 2nd interviews in May, 1 was offered RC after passing for KJS but put on wait list.  2 failed. All others (30) passed.

I understand the above answer has some vague areas but I decided not to ask her further because it's already a good favour from her to "entertain" this trouble mom!

Hope that the above is useful to you!   

CSJ安樂窩

I think there is a very important questions you have to ask, the question is the ratio of Cat. 1 and Cat. 2? Also, the all 30 passed, passed what? got offer from ESF primary?

I am not trying to worry you but I think you have to be more aware of the Cat.  system in ESF cos' it really means everything to the non-ESF kinder kids and Cat. 2 HK kids.  Good luck.

原帖由 bleushow 於 10-4-13 19:52 發表
Hi, just want to share some info I got from the head teacher of YMCA Int'l Kinder:

my question to her:
May I ask if all your students applied for ESF primary got a chance for interview this year?   ...

[ 本帖最後由 CSJ安樂窩 於 10-4-13 20:43 編輯 ]

greg

Yes, I'm also curious, you'd said only 2 students have 2nd interview but came out 30 students passed??  May I know passed what??

bleushow

hi thanks for the reminders.  you're right, i've this doubt in mind too.  may be most of the 30 are cat 1 kids!

as for my interpretation of her answers, i think the 30 means those got the esf primary offer.

tamm

原帖由 bleushow 於 10-4-14 01:02 發表
hi thanks for the reminders.  you're right, i've this doubt in mind too.  may be most of the 30 are cat 1 kids!

as for my interpretation of her answers, i think the 30 means those got the esf primary ...

YMCA has quite a lot of Cat 1 kids, India, Japanese, Korea, etc.  Even for Chinese, I saw some of the parents speak purely English to the kids and so I think they may be considered as Cat 1 too.

For Cat 2 kids, it is just like other non-ESF kinder, it depends on all your luck this year whether you get selected for interview.  I know a number of CAt 2 kids are going to CAIS next year.

If you are Cat 2 and really wants to go to ESF, YMCA is not a good choice.  However, if you are looking for qualify education, I think YMCA may be the school you are looking for.

Of course, being well educated but not receiving offer to the dream school is desperate.

My kid is the Cat 2 as I don't want to make a claim that she only speaks English (cause she is not - I have friend who made the claim and successfully be classified as Cat 1).  She did not get any interview offer in the first round for ESF nor RC.  

The good thing about YMCA is that they have K3 and thus you can buy another year if the kid cannot get into ESF.  

I saw a kid going to YMCA in the morning and ESF in the afternoon.  I guess the parent want the intereview priority as well as the education.

Hope the above help

bleushow

原帖由 tamm 於 10-4-14 09:19 發表


YMCA has quite a lot of Cat 1 kids, India, Japanese, Korea, etc.  Even for Chinese, I saw some of the parents speak purely English to the kids and so I think they may be considered as Cat 1 too.

Fo ...

Thank you so much for your detailed opinion.  In fact, at this stage my girl only speaks English but I am also puzzling if i should teach her cantonese, afterall, she's living in HK right now.  I am confident that she can pick up cantonese fairly quickly (before the age of 6, of course, the earlier the better).  But if i do so before the Primary interview, she will be categorize as Cat 2 and dropped the prioprity in ESF interview.  

But if i don't, and if she failed in ESF interview, it will be extremely hard for her to adapt to the DSS/Private school path without speaking good Cantonese (at least, hard to get through some schools' interview).  Am...but I understand that some english medium DSS/private schools do accept english as the interview language....ar...i better check one by one amongst those in my target lists.   Sorry...talking to myself!!  But writing it out helps me to organize my thoughts and points

tamm

原帖由 bleushow 於 10-4-14 11:05 發表


Thank you so much for your detailed opinion.  In fact, at this stage my girl only speaks English but I am also puzzling if i should teach her cantonese, afterall, she's living in HK right now.  I am ...

Will you consider other IS?  I have seen the English writing posted on CKY, just for example, but honestly I think there is still a long way for them to catch up if you compare it with the work from IS students.  Of course, their Chinese is at a high level.

CSJ安樂窩

Tamm,
Did your friend who 'claimed' to be Cat. 1 got through? cos I know a case where the kid claimed to be Cat. 1 but he was 'tested' during the interview and confirmed he could speak simple Cantonese.  The result? He was 'disqualified'.  

I guess it depends on the school you are applying, i.e. popular or not, as some school might not do such a test.  But with the increasing demand of places!! I think the chance of being tested is higher and the risk is not worth it if ESF is your target.

原帖由 bleushow 於 10-4-14 11:05 發表


Thank you so much for your detailed opinion.  In fact, at this stage my girl only speaks English but I am also puzzling if i should teach her cantonese, afterall, she's living in HK right now.  I am ...

tamm

原帖由 CSJ安樂窩 於 10-4-14 12:16 發表
Tamm,
Did your friend who 'claimed' to be Cat. 1 got through? cos I know a case where the kid claimed to be Cat. 1 but he was 'tested' during the interview and confirmed he could speak simple Cantones ...

Yes - they did. but one of the parents was borne overseas and holding an overseas passport.   My friend said that he knew some people holding China passport ,who can speak Cantonese, cause they are from Guangzhou, have been put under Cat. 1

bleushow

原帖由 tamm 於 10-4-14 11:14 發表


Will you consider other IS?  I have seen the English writing posted on CKY, just for example, but honestly I think there is still a long way for them to catch up if you compare it with the work from ...

Tamn

Yes, I'd consider other IS but ESF is of high priority cause I am so attracted to their IB program and good "value for money" education system.