Dream School

I called up my dream school for my girls yesterday to enquire about PV for Pum Pum. I decided to be kiasu and call early because I was late in calling for Ying Ying - I called only in Jan 2010 when she was in K1. Turned out PV application was already closed in Dec 2009 and the school was not accepting any more.

This time round, the PV wasn't closed BUT the clerk told me all PV applicants have to stay within 1km! This is because the number of PV applications normally surpassed the number of vacancies they have to offer. So they decided to put a limit and only take in those who are staying within 1km. The clerk also said PV does not automatically mean a guaranteed place - last year, there were 2 parents who stayed within 1km and had PV but failed to ballot for a place under both Phase 2B and 2C! *Nightmare*

Looks like I am only left with one method to get in now: Transfer.

During the last parent-teacher meeting with Ying Ying's teachers in January, they said she was so academically advanced that she might just be a gifted child. Her laoshi has taught in the preschool for more than a decade and so far, she said there was only one boy just like her - he was later selected to be in gifted stream.

That gave me some hope. I called the dream school again a couple of months ago to find out if they do make an exception for bright students but again the answer was no. But the kind lady told me to wait till end of P2 to apply for transfer with the end-of-year result slip. This is because each class size from P3 onwards will go up from 30 to 40 students. This means they can take in another 10 students x 5 classes = 50! BUT on the condition the student's command of Chinese must be very good. And they give priority to students coming from other IJ schools - maybe because their standards are similiar.

One might ask: why didn't we consider moving house?

Of course we did. After learning the the PV was closed for Ying Ying's year, we scouted around and eventually narrrowed down to one particular 5-rm unit just opposite the school. Though it was not 100% perfect (due to its common corridor layout), it was located on the highest level and the view was great. After much hesitation, we reluctantly agreed to a ridiculous COV of 80k. But guess what - someone else won with a COV of 85k!! Someone even more desperate than us! It was a mixture of disappointment yet relief for us. Relieved because we almost (but didn't) foolishly sacrifice our 80k - just think of how much we can do with that amount! After that episode, we decided not to move house anymore.

Someone asked me what's so good about the dream school. (She was an old girl but chose not to enrol her daughter in the school because they stay far away.) I told her affiliation - it takes a big pressure out of PSLE knowing there is something to fall back on. Ying Ying may not need help with affiliation but Pum Pum does since she is not as academically inclined. Ideally, we would like the girls to move up to the same secondary school so that Ying Ying can continue to keep a lookout for Pum Pum. Though there are a few other affiliated schools in Singapore, the dream school is the nearest to my place. Guess it is human nature - things we cannot gain easily seem to become more desirable... :p

Now the thing is, should I continue my pursuit of the dream school by enrolling Ying Ying in an IJ school or settle in a nearby neighbourhood school first but risk a chance of a successful transfer later on? So confused, so perplexed....Haiz! @_@