Switching from ESF to DSS/Local

[shwetakhanna]

But have you actually checked how many kds from int'l/ESF kindys are able to get admission in DSS schools? We also wanted to send out daughter to DSS schhool, so we tried to get her into the Kindy that follows the same curriculum (St. catherine's / kentville, york, etc) but she could not get thruough, and now she will be joining K1 at ESF in coming sept. And AFAIK its very difficult for kids to adapt to the local system if they are gng to intl/ESF in regards to the level of chinese, bcoz intl/ ESF schools have a very little chinese or almost no chinese curriculum. And local kindys are bilingual where kids learn chinese everyday.

A few of our friends applied for admission in DSS schools (DBS, st. pauls) after kindy at ESF, but could not get through the chinese part of the interview. The standards of chinese were too high for and ESF kid, and the same we expect for our LO also.

Do let us know how it goes for you, as even we are very much interested in sending our daughter to a DSS school (our prfeneces are Maryknoll and DGS) but had given up once we could not manage a place at the local kindy.

 

[bbong]

I am a non-local mom with a son studying in local kindergarten. He will attend DBS (DSS local boys school) next fall. I also have a older child at international school.

Regardless of whether your child is from a local or international kindy, getting into a good DSS school is VERY competitive and they interview 2500 kids for 150 spots. Local schools expect strong music, excellent academics and sports. For example, my son plays Grade 3 music, competes in Math Olympiads, Mandarin Speech competitions, etc. Crazy, I know but that's the local system.

My opinion is that if you're on the fence about whether to go local or international, you should stay international. It requires so much dedication and hard work to make your child prepared for the local system, especially if you're not Chinese. I am quite relaxed but many of my local friends spend their whole weekend attending one competition or another.

The application and interview process is also very time-consuming and requires a lot of work. You will need to create a portfolio (around 10 pages) listing your child's accomplishments and awards. Then, you will need to line up and spend hours submitting the applications to the schools. Most of my local friends apply to 10 schools and on average get 2 acceptances.

If you're serious about local school, prepare your child for local school at K1, otherwise, it will be difficult to adapt. Not just due to the Chinese but also the culture and the discipline. When we attended school interviews, I could distinguish the international students because they just couldn't sit still.

Good luck!

 

[howardcoombs]

Regardless of whether your child is from a local or international kindy, getting into a good DSS school is VERY competitive and they interview 2500 kids for 150 spots. Local schools expect strong music, excellent academics and sports. For example, my son plays Grade 3 music, competes in Math Olympiads, Mandarin Speech competitions, etc. Crazy, I know but that's the local system.

My opinion is that if you're on the fence about whether to go local or international, you should stay international. It requires so much dedication and hard work to make your child prepared for the local system, especially if you're not Chinese. I am quite relaxed but many of my local friends spend their whole weekend attending one competition or another.

Getting into a good school is hard. Whether its DSS or International does not matter; all good schools are oversubscribed and all of them have entrance criteria that need to be met. One should also remember that there are many many choices and not all kids are suited to go into the very competitive environment of top academic schools.

As for Chinese medium being hard : that one I agree with 100%. Its not an easy choice and its actually harder on the parent than the kids. But the end result is worth it.

HC

 

[Roger]

My son has been in the local system all the way and he is functionally trilingual (but then his parents speak English and Mandarin). The main issues are: homework support. If you don't know Chinese, then the best thing to do is get a tutor. My son uses one when needed (near exam time) for $100 per 1 1/2 hour session. Maintaining relationship with the school is also important as notices are given in Chinese. Many teachers speak good English however and are likely to be helpful. If you have any other questions, please come back

 

[charade]

What a rude and alienating comment! Davidliu was only pointing out a possible school option not offering to teach anyone's kid English. How is the quality of his English relevant?

Sincere apologies for the off-topic but i just wanted/had to comment how awful davidliu448's overall English level is, for a britishbornchinese. A sight for sore eyes...