MMI @ katong shopping centre

hi jamie and smallbell,
seimpi class very fast... immediately teach abt keyboard,teaches e 2 and 3 black keys, teaches where is e note "C", and how to recognise high and low pitch, and e notes values (semibreve, dotted minim, minim, crotchet).... i really have to fully concentrate on e class then come back to teach Zhaohui. they give 1 activity book, 1 piano book and 3 CDs so we can actually revised wat she teaches at home.
now i'm only using e toy keyboard tat we bought for Zhaohui when he is young, havent buy a new one but i think after a few session have to get a really keyboard liao.

Jamie,
kindermusik wont teach keyboard one... only music n playing with some instruments whereas i heard from my hubby SiZhen's class also teaches something tat ZH learns... n also got dancing etc...
Wat i feel after attending e 1st lesson is, if u are looking for playing keyboard, piano etc then should go for seimpi but if u r only looking for music class tat is for enjoyment then kindermusik is alrite. My sister n a good friend's daughter both attend yamaha and as compared seimpi we find tat seimpi is really very practical, they dont really play other instruments although we do sing a few songs during e lesson but e more impt part which me n hubby wants was Zhaohui to be able to play piano faster was met.

Smallbell,
u spent $120 for cleaning only!!! tat;s very exp... then how abt e toothache...e dentist tell u e next visit isit?? cos normally pedodontist(kids dentist) do not want to scared e child so they will do simple things like teaching them brush teeth, polish their teeth in e 1st visit then after a few visit then will do e filling of cavities... but by then u will have already spent a lot...
Anyway so paiseh to tell u all my Zhaohui also got lots of cavities becos he sleep with milk bottle on
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and i send him to do e fillings at HPB which is my headquarter and he is being treated by my deputy director :p but he will struggle when he reach there so usually we will need to hold him to do e fillings....e fillings at HPB cost $9 for s'pore citizen, actually this morning he also got appointment but i cancel it becos both Zh n me is having flu and cough now so i didnt let ZH attend sch since monday.... tomolo he wont be going too... When is Patrick celebrating his brithday in school??
 


hi small bell, jamie
today he attend only half a day. Daddy brought him there. Crying koala bear. Played a bit only. They had water play today. Daddy said he struggled when they try to bathe him. From then, cling on to him n doesn't want to join the class. Hopes tomorrow will be better.

from what my hubby told me abt their teachersn environment, a bit unsure of my decision to put him there. will see how things go.
 
elaine
i think seimpi is out for me lah, their lessons sound very cheem leh. but i think it suits ZH since u want him to seriously play the piano fast.
did ZH cry when he do the filling? i think chloe will scream man! i really dread thinking when the day comes.
kinder U: they having Welcome day every sat for this mth fr 10am-1pm. do give them a call at 6100 6345 if u really keen. i think its worth taking a look. fr the flyer, their classrooms & gym area looks very good & colourful.

bbethan
does my 1st skool has trial period? actually for a start, u may consider putting your boy for just 2hrs, at least let him get a feel of school life & new environment. then gradually increase the hrs. this is what shaws suggested when chloe started school on monday. but in the end chloe still stay thru out coz her form teacher feels she is doing very well. i stayed with her for abt 1hr before i disappeared but hang ard the vicinity incase i'm needed back. she is enjoying herself & looking forward to school this morning. so i only stayed for half hr today. i'm really happy but hope its just not 5mins of enthusiasm. there's going to be a school excusion this mid mth for her to watch a play, i'm tagging along of coz!!
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but not sure if she can sit still for 45mins!!
 
jamie
good to know yr girl is adapting well. maybe my boy is still not ready. he can't speak, can't feed himself n not toilet trained. the teachers there don't seem to hv the time to pay more attention on him. so i think may be difficult for him. haiz... now quite lost what to do. luckily this morning he didn't fuss when going out with hubby. told hubby to observe 1 more day today. most probably will pull him out n look for a smaller teacher-student ratio center. since haven't pay anything yet. think shd be quite ok bah.
 
hi babyethan,
every child is different la... my boy dont really know how to talk, cant feed himself or toilet trained and he cries for almost 3-4 months every morning, and initial part he cries almost throughout e whole day for abt 2-3wks... cant remember clearly liao... but now he loves to go school and wanted to bring his meimei with him too....
maybe u want to try leaving him there alone without e father, cos i didnt accompany my boy at all during e 1st few days if not he will cling to me but every morning when i pass him to e teachers he will cry non stop but e teachers will try to distract him. I really applause to those teachers at MMI who really can help to coax him. if u feel comfortable with e teachers in ur boy current CC then maybe u can leave them to coax him cos usually if parent are around the teacher will leave e parent to do e job.
 
hi jamie,
Kinder U fees sound very reasonable and so many classes included. Think this cc will be direct competitor with the mindchamps cc. Think chloe can adapt to this new school very fast. How about the school bus trip? is she ok?

hi elaine,
the dentist said not toothache, only one of the molar growing so he felt feverish and painful. I think normal dentist is ok but afraid that he will struggle and cry. What is HPB? can outsiders also go visit? Patrick will be celebrating this friday, there is national day celebration in the morning. Hope Zhaohui can attend.

hi babyethan,
beginning part is like that, just give him more time and he will stop clinging onto your hubby.
 
bbethan
the beginning is always like tat, its normal to cry, moreover your boy only 18mths, dont expect too much fr him. chloe also cried when she was in MMI. thumbs up for the teachers there, as they are very helpful & patient & able to coax her. i agree with elaine, usually when the parents are ard, the teachers will just let them handle. i know its heart breaking but just hv to start somewhere & let the teachers handle your boy. children behaves differently when their parents are not around. but then again if u really dont feel comfortable or unhappy with the teachers then just change school. but to be fair, u shd let your boy try for at least a mth to see if he adapts well.

smallbell
yeah my hubby also feels the fees are attractive coz it also includes enrichment classes. definitely competing with mindchamps lah haha....
i'm surprised chloe adapts so well, probably its her 2nd time so she knows wat to expect. the school also helps to toilet train so i didnt put her on pull-ups, so far so good. she's happy & hyperactive since she started school on monday. we hv withdraw her fr school bus coz bought a 2nd hand car, collecting this few days. so meantime, will drop off my hubby to work then send chloe to school.
 
hi smallbell,
HPB -health promotion board, there is a school dental clinic at level 4, e clinic is for children up to 19yrs old but for those school going children(pri 1 to sec 5) they have to get a referral letter by e school dental clinic then can go there for treatment but for patrick since he is not primary one yet u just have to call them for appt dont need letter.
this friday celebrating ah... so nice so will u be in school too?? hopefully Zhaohui can recover by then cos he cough badly at nite so this morning i didnt let him go school...
so wat's patrick favourite cartoon character??

jamie,
u bought a car ah... tat's very good at least is safer to send chloe to send and fetch her urself.
 
elaine
ya i rather send chloe to & fr school then she take bus. save time also, otherwise she may be exhausted due to long journey.
 
elaine, jamie, small bell
Yup... i know they need sometime to adjust. Poor boy cried today again but not as bad as yesterday. TOday when he came back, his voice has turned hoarse from all the crying. Can sense his insecurity. Was so tired until he knocked out himself while lying on the bed with us.

Anyway, we decide to withdraw. Principal one kind attitude. N his class got one "bully". Will have to relook around again. Probably will go down to Ripples to take a look tmrw. Anyone heard or got comments on Globalkids @ Crescent Rd or Nurturing Cottage @ Mountbatten?
 
bbethan
aiyo poor boy, must be tough for him these few days.

do check it out at ripples, definitely teacher student ratio is much smaller & fees are affordable.

i didnt check out globalkids at crescent rd coz when i pass by their centre, it looks very small so i give it a miss. but i think they hv moved to a new premises which if u drive pass mountbatten road, u can see it. looks abit bigger compare to their old premises at crescent. one of the mummies staying near our place has put her girl there, think shd be not bad coz she started her gal half day & now she's in full day liao.

the nurture cottage - i didnt visit the centre but did enquire abt their fees which is $650 for half day before subsidy. coz by then i already decided to put chloe at shaws.
 
hi bbethan,
since e principal not good then better withdrawn ur boy fast.... no point sending him there since u dont like e place.
when u go down to look at those school bring ur boy along n let him see e place n u can also see how e teachers react to him... some very good n friendly ones will ask e students in e class to say hello.... but just bear in mind now since ur boy already so scared of school he might feel very insecure no matter which sch u are going to bring him but dont worry in this way u can also see how e principal n teacher react to his behaviour.
 
bbethan
i agree with elaine, if u dont like the teachers/principal & the place, no point staying there.
u can also check out the kinder U since they having open house every sat for this month.
 
hi jamie,
great that your car is coming, will be much easier too. Can also bring your boy out shopping during the day time.

hi elaine,
thanks for the HPB info, when patrick overcome the fear of dentist, will bring him there. Do they happen to see adults as well? now normal dentist also charge quite alot for filling and other services. His favourite character is still thomas.

hi babyethan,
are you back to work yet or still on maternity leave? in this case, do switch cc quickly.
 
smallbell
yup, collecting car this afternoon. but definitely not bringing my boy for shopping!! he's such a terror & kept wanting to run ard, how to shop?? haha... will probably bring him to kindermusik. tot wait till chloe settle down 1st but since she's settling in pretty well so will bring my boy soon.
thomas is also one of my boy's fav character
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bbethan
if u not in hurry to search for cc, shaws having open house next mth.
 
hi jamie,
can take him for other class during weekdays while waiting for chloe to finish school. Will you put him into cc soon or will wait till he is older? I watched thomas cartoon and is very boring, lots of very complicated talking and some movement of the trains mouth, not much expression compare to other cartoon. Wonder why so popular with kids.
 
smallbell
my boy naps ard 12.30pm before chloe reach home so i usually wont bring him out in the morning, normally after his nap lor. i plan to send him next year after he turns 2 or 2.5yrs old.

same here, the thomas cartoon really boring. so much talking which i dont find it interesting. my boy loves the song though, really dont understand y so popular among the kids!
 
small bell
still on maternity leave. going back to work early sep. so i'm kind of urgently looking for some place to let him settle in fast.

jamie, small bell
today we went to Ripples and Nurturing Cottage. Agree that their fees are quite affordable. Place quite similar to CH @ Wareham. In fact their playground seems more interesting. But too bad we reached there at 5pm n we couldnt see the classroom activities. place was already cleaned up n nicely tidied up. Only concern is the class will reach it's max of 12 by next mth if he joins.

Quite like Nuturing cottage. their fees for full day after subsidy is $600. compound rather big n clean. we saw the classes n had a long talk with the person in charge. she gave us the confidence t put our child in. N she even suggest that we bring our boy next wk every day to let him get use to the compound first before officially joining them as we can only let him join on 17/8 as they hv a new student this wk.

Shaws don't have any vacancies now.

Didn't manage to go to Globalkids cos the lady i spoke to can only make it on Sat to show us around. i didn't know they have moved cos i thought still at crescent rd.

small bell, u r right... in a way, my boy seems a bit traumatised by the 2 days. he was still ok when we reach the place n he was a bit excited when he saw the playground. the moment we want to take out his shoes at the entrance, he resisted. when we walk into the classes, he also n pulled me back. think i'm going to have a hard time to settle him in.
 
hi jamie,
ic. He can join chloe and will be easier if you send them to school together. would you still be getting a maid?

hi babyethan,
sounds like nuturing cottage is not bad. Do give a try then. This is normal that your boy acted resistance. He is still not used to school environment yet. Just give a try, once he made friends there, know the teachers and environment, will be easier.
 
small bell
yes... i hope he will react better this time. got to get over the separation anxiety hurdle first. i think he has no prob mixing around once he stops crying based on what we observed so far.
 
bbethan
nurture cottage is not bad, the lady i correspond with is nice & helpful too. she suggested visit in the morning so at least u can see their daily activities. they are part of pats schoolhouse so i think shd be pretty good. so your boy starting 17/8?

smallbell
i'm not getting maid liao, i guess things will be much easier when both of them go to school together.
 
jamie
will be working out our finances. Most likely shd be joining them. As suggested, probably will ask my MIL to look after baby, then i bring him in morning to play play around.
 
bbethan
it will be good to stay with him during the 1st few days. at least he's assured, afterall its a new environment, he needs time to get used & settle down.

smallbell
no leh, i will put my boy half day morning till he's N2 then probably change to full day, all the way to K2. only when both of them in full day then i hv more free time
biggrin.gif
 
Hello Mummies,

I was just reading through your postings and decided to call Kinder U as i am also looking for a childcare for my gal.

This new school actually took over the premises of EastGate Mindchamps. Indeed, i was there to view the premises when Mindchamps was in operation, they have a very impressive interior but the only downside is that it's fully air-con and there is no outdoor. My hubby prefers a school with outdoor so that the child will not be cooped up in the aircon premises for long hours...

However, i was very surprised that in order to view the school - Kinder U, i will need to bring my daughter's birth cert and my NRIC to verify that i am a genuine parent. It's so strange....i have been to view quite a few reputable childcares and this is the one and only school that demands such a criteria.....I am not at all impressed with such regulation. :-(
There is no trust at all right from the beginning.....
 
hi shinebride,
welcome here
happy.gif

wow... so mindchamps close down liao... tat's very fast.
never heard of such arrangement.... only go to view e sch also must bring birth cert n ic... tat's interesting..... 1st time hearing tat. really no trust at all.... if e sch is good after viewing parents will sure sign up.. if e sch is no good no matter how many ppl view no 1 will send their children there...
so r u going to view in e end??
 
Hi Elaine,

Thank you :)

Yes, i tried calling but no contact number for Eastgate then i called the Toa Payoh branch and they just transfer me to the other Mindchamps centre@ Tumbeling centre which is just across the road in Katong....when i enquire further then they told me , it's closed already....very fast, they started only in April and closed down liao....when i was there around June, they had about 6 students..of different ages.

True, i totally agree with u. If your school is good, i will definitely sign. Nope, i have decided not to view it already. I just dun like the feel of not being trusted as a parent....how to enrol my child when there is not mutual understanding and trust right from the beginning.... :p

Will you be viewing though? I read that you consider putting ZH into the school? By the way, which childcare is ZH currently in now? :)
 
hi shinebride,
wont be changing sch for ZH la... he is in MMI Katong... u should go there to take a look. very clean school, e teachers are very friendly too.
 
hi jamie,
yes, i got the thomas cake. Some students went home already, could be due to the long weekend so they left early. Some goody bags left over and the teacher asked me if i want to take back. But i left behind for those students who did not attend. My mom made some jelly and the kids love it. I wanted to make balloon dogs but could not find my balloon pump.
sad.gif


hi shinebride,
thanks for sharing your feedback on KinderU. Wow, they are so strict with the viewing. Mindchamps closed already? heard from my neighbour that they had difficulty surviving due to the high cost and low students enrolment rate. Where do you stay and how old is your child?

hi elaine,
when ZH celebrating b'day in school?
 
Hi Elaine,

Thanks! Yes have been to MMI Katong. Veri nice but hubby prefers one with an outdoor so no choice....went to The Odyssey @ Arthur Road and my daughter love the premises so considering to enrol her there.

Hi Small Bell, yes, i was surprised as well..i live in Frankel Area near Siglap region and my daughter is 3 years old.
:), What about Patrick? I read that he just celebrated his birthday in school.
 
kao_welcome.gif
shinebride!

my gal also loves the odyssey!! but really cant afford to put her there. if she's my only child i would!
biggrin.gif


my gal was in MMI a few mths ago, same class as elaine's son ZH. i hv since withdraw her coz she kept falling sick after she's there so decide to put her in a non aircon school. she's currently at shaws & she loves it! really looking forward to school everyday
happy.gif

so when is your gal starting at odyssey?

smallbell
did patrick enjoyed himself? i'm sure the kids enjoyed themselves even without the balloons.
 
hi shinebride,
how much is the cost for Odyssey? can check if they have trial class and let her try out. would be good to choose a cc that your gal loves. Patrick just turned 4 yrs.

hi jamie,
yes, he still enjoyed himself and was quite shy when giving out goody bags to his friends.
happy.gif
 
hi smallbell,
Zh will be celebrating on 20Aug.
BTW thanks for the extra goody bag tat u have given to ZH.... i guess is for SiZhen rite... but ZH says both is his... heheheeee

ladies...
AirAsia having sale now.... i'm considering to book e ticket to phuket or bangkok for next june holidays but my friend ask me to go KL then transfer flight to perth... very cheap also... but troublesomme leh... especially with 2 kids...
 
hi elaine,
you are welcome. Actually i didn't know about the goody bags. ZH went to ask teacher vern if he could take one more for meimei. Then teacher came to ask me. After he asked, other students overheard and wanted to take for their siblings as well. Teacher also jokes saying that she wants to take for her own brother.
happy.gif


my mom wanted to go chiang mai thailand via air asia as well. But need to transfer at bangkok. I checked the pricing for her, really cheap. But only worry is the stop over at bangkok airport, if she can find her way to the transfer flight. By next year june, don't think you will need to bring strollers for the kids right? should not be too difficult if transfer at KL. At least KL is definitely easier compare to bangkok airport.
 
Thanks Jamie! :)

yes, i was impressed with The Odyssey. They have 3 teachers in every classroom and every classroom that we went, we are greeted and hand shake by every teacher. My gal loves the spacious playground....haha!Have been to several schools and finally managed to settle her in one of her choice....Phew!I wanted to view Shaws but was informed that no more vacancies so no choice....yah, children tend to fall sick more often when they are enrolled into the childcare environment.... my gal was sick almost every month when she first entered another school so i withdraw her eventually. Now we decided it's time to settle her in again and the pedi gave green light....although she encourages half day school will be better....haha! starting in sept

smallbell, odyssey charges full day @ $1200 after subsidy... inclusive of enrichment programmes.

I would opt for Perth as well. Bangkok is indeed not friendly for children. It's more of a shopping paradise so kind of hassle to bring them along....Perth has farm stay and the pace is very slow...so more relaxing.... depending on what are you looking for ?
 
shinebride
yes we were really impressed with odyssey too. as they hv moved to their new premises, so everything looks good & new, including the playground!
my gal is exactly like yours, so hv to withdraw her due to health reasons. most of the schools are actually filled up, we finally put her at shaws braddell coz mountbatten is also full too!
 
hi shinebride,
your gal will start off with full day or half day at odyssey?

hi jamie,
how's chloe adapting at shaw?
 
smallbell
chloe is enjoying herself & looking forward to school everyday! infact she missed going to school over the long weekend
biggrin.gif
all the teachers are amazed & glad that she settled so well. i hv received their weekly class update thru email last week & i'm impressed coz its pretty detailed & pics attached (something like MMI facebook) to let parents know what the kids learnt & will learn in the coming week. thumbs up for that!
 
smallbell
yeah she surprised me too! i think she enjoys going to shaws coz last time when she was in MMI, sometimes she will tell me she doesnt want to go to school
sad.gif
 
jamie
so nice to hear Chloe adapting so well. I went past Shaws at Mountbatten this week. Wow...their playground is so impressive. Too bad they dun have vacany now. If not, will consider them.
 
bbethan
chloe loves their outdoor playground. at shaws, students usually arrive 15mins earlier so they can play outdoor before starting class at 9am.

so hv u brought your boy to familarise the environment at the nurture cottage? since he's starting next week liao.
 
jamie
think all children are attracted to playground.

I bought my boy from wed to fri for abt 2hrs each day. glad that on 3rd day, he didn't resist going in to the school. But still cry a bit here n there when in the class. but behaviour is definitely different if i'm not around. we are going to drop him there tomorrow liao. already prepared for him to cry the whole day.
 


bbethan
its normal for kids to cry esp when parents are around. once parents are not ard, they behave differently. u starting your boy whole day? tot u may like to start with half day for him to get used to school life before going full day.
 
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