Done with Term 2
Sean and Ryan are done with Term 2 of K2 and pre-nursery respectively!
My helper helped to snap some pics of them on their last day of school. They have finally cottoned on to the idea of holidays (sleeping in, staying up later) so they were super happy. The nerves from Ryan's first day of school seem so foreign now!
We met up with both Sean and Ryan's teachers in school to see how the boys were getting along. We actually brought both of them for the Parent-Teachers Meeting because I thought it would be good for them to see us have a chat with their teachers since we hardly ever do as working parents!
Ryan's teachers were very excited to meet us and first thing they said to us was, 'Actually you don't have to be here at all. Ryan is such a bright and good boy!'
Ryan is doing remarkably well in school. His teachers said that he is very responsible and attentive in class. He is very bright and mature for his age - probably because he is a February kid.
Right now, they are learning the small alphabets and numbers (which he knows already). He is also learning phonics though I don't think he truly knows how to apply them yet.
He learns very quickly and usually has already grasped the lesson before it is taught (because my mum does a lot of work with him at home). He can also recognize simple words like 'big’ and 'small' and certain Chinese characters.
I was surprised he could actually read simple books, mostly from memory. I don't recall Sean learning how to read at that young age in school!
He loves to sing - though only when he is in the mood - and can remember the lyrics of all the songs even though he may not always understand what he is saying.
The biggest breakthrough: he refused to speak a word of Mandarin before he started school but now he is so much more willing to speak the language. It is not his strong suit - he speaks in a very sing-song voice and he doesn't understand us a lot of times but at least he is not averse to Mandarin anymore. (I should also credit Berries enrichment classes that he has been attending since the start of the year.)
He talks about his friends a lot. I asked who his closer friends are and his teachers said he is like the big brother in class and he looks after all the younger kids. He looks out for them, carries their bags, he doesn’t retaliate when they snatch toys from him, he lets them use his cubby hole, etc. They adore him. Haha, so funny to hear!
I asked if he was ever difficult or unreasonable in school - because he can be very bossy at home and bullies his little brother sometimes - but it seems his teachers think very highly of him and cannot imagine him ever being difficult!
There is one blip on his perfect record though: Ryan is very resistant to new experiences. He actually refused to join in gym classes for 12 weeks. He threw the most ridiculous tantrums about wearing his PE t-shirt in the mornings for months. I didn't realise how bad it was until his teacher called me up to tell me about he has been sitting out of gym and asked if I wanted to stop the payment for next term.
It took a few weeks of cajoling, bribing and threats on both his teachers and my part before he finally joined the final gym lesson of the term. And guess what, he did just fine. His teacher was so happy she called me to tell me about it. Well, that's my Mr Stubborn for you!
I suspect he has been sitting out for swimming lessons too. But that's been put on hold because of the outbreak of HFMD so we will revisit it next term.
Ryan actually tells me a lot about what goes on in school - unlike Sean - so none of this was all that surprising to me. Still, it's interesting to hear what he is like outside of home :)
Our dear Sean is in his last year of kindergarten. I was quite eager to speak to his teachers because I have never even met them before!
Sean is doing alright in school. He is apparently very quiet and is not the sort who will not volunteer information unless he is spoken too. Gone is the boisterous ants-in-pants kid that he used to be. I too have noticed he seems a lot more withdrawn and extremely self-conscious now - I was a bit worried about him but then I remember I was like that as a kid too!
Generally, he can keep up with what is being taught in class - he can read rather well and can write short stories. They are learning about letter blends and doing a bit of spelling and dictation in class.
The class learnt about China last term so he has been telling me about the cities in China, sharing products made in China, trying out different types of tea and learnt about pandas. I also saw the beautiful collage of a paper fan that he made with his group.
He is very good in Math - he loves nothing more than setting himself long addition and subtraction sums to do so I think he may actually be quite bored in Math class!
His Chinese teacher was quite eager to speak to us - because she says his command of Mandarin is rather abysmal. She asked us to read more Chinese stories with him at home and said it is important to nurture an appreciation for the language at this young age. Sigh. Seems like Berries is not enough for him. I really need to step it up at home, though my grasp of Chinese is really mediocre too!
All in, Sean is doing alright in school. I am not worried about him academically but more because he can be such a blur sotong!
We have been slowly prepping him for P1 next year - reminding him not to dawdle so much, teaching him how to count money, letting him take care of his own belongings, shower and dress himself, etc.
He has really matured in the last year - he can hold conversations with us and is rather sensible. He always has his nose in a book - sometimes I am not sure if he understands all that he reads but he never asks us for help. He is generally quite a good big brother - though Ryan and him still fight a lot (he is super sweet to Jordan). He likes to draw things and write notes everywhere and 'invent' things like paper guns and LEGO computers.
I think the remaining half of the year will go by very quickly - with P1 registration, his 6th birthday and rehearsals for graduation concert. I hope he enjoys his time with his teachers and friends.
Ah, my little boy is growing up so fast!
My helper helped to snap some pics of them on their last day of school. They have finally cottoned on to the idea of holidays (sleeping in, staying up later) so they were super happy. The nerves from Ryan's first day of school seem so foreign now!
We met up with both Sean and Ryan's teachers in school to see how the boys were getting along. We actually brought both of them for the Parent-Teachers Meeting because I thought it would be good for them to see us have a chat with their teachers since we hardly ever do as working parents!
Ryan's teachers were very excited to meet us and first thing they said to us was, 'Actually you don't have to be here at all. Ryan is such a bright and good boy!'
Ryan is doing remarkably well in school. His teachers said that he is very responsible and attentive in class. He is very bright and mature for his age - probably because he is a February kid.
Right now, they are learning the small alphabets and numbers (which he knows already). He is also learning phonics though I don't think he truly knows how to apply them yet.
He learns very quickly and usually has already grasped the lesson before it is taught (because my mum does a lot of work with him at home). He can also recognize simple words like 'big’ and 'small' and certain Chinese characters.
I was surprised he could actually read simple books, mostly from memory. I don't recall Sean learning how to read at that young age in school!
He loves to sing - though only when he is in the mood - and can remember the lyrics of all the songs even though he may not always understand what he is saying.
The biggest breakthrough: he refused to speak a word of Mandarin before he started school but now he is so much more willing to speak the language. It is not his strong suit - he speaks in a very sing-song voice and he doesn't understand us a lot of times but at least he is not averse to Mandarin anymore. (I should also credit Berries enrichment classes that he has been attending since the start of the year.)
He talks about his friends a lot. I asked who his closer friends are and his teachers said he is like the big brother in class and he looks after all the younger kids. He looks out for them, carries their bags, he doesn’t retaliate when they snatch toys from him, he lets them use his cubby hole, etc. They adore him. Haha, so funny to hear!
I asked if he was ever difficult or unreasonable in school - because he can be very bossy at home and bullies his little brother sometimes - but it seems his teachers think very highly of him and cannot imagine him ever being difficult!
There is one blip on his perfect record though: Ryan is very resistant to new experiences. He actually refused to join in gym classes for 12 weeks. He threw the most ridiculous tantrums about wearing his PE t-shirt in the mornings for months. I didn't realise how bad it was until his teacher called me up to tell me about he has been sitting out of gym and asked if I wanted to stop the payment for next term.
It took a few weeks of cajoling, bribing and threats on both his teachers and my part before he finally joined the final gym lesson of the term. And guess what, he did just fine. His teacher was so happy she called me to tell me about it. Well, that's my Mr Stubborn for you!
I suspect he has been sitting out for swimming lessons too. But that's been put on hold because of the outbreak of HFMD so we will revisit it next term.
Ryan actually tells me a lot about what goes on in school - unlike Sean - so none of this was all that surprising to me. Still, it's interesting to hear what he is like outside of home :)
Our dear Sean is in his last year of kindergarten. I was quite eager to speak to his teachers because I have never even met them before!
Sean is doing alright in school. He is apparently very quiet and is not the sort who will not volunteer information unless he is spoken too. Gone is the boisterous ants-in-pants kid that he used to be. I too have noticed he seems a lot more withdrawn and extremely self-conscious now - I was a bit worried about him but then I remember I was like that as a kid too!
Generally, he can keep up with what is being taught in class - he can read rather well and can write short stories. They are learning about letter blends and doing a bit of spelling and dictation in class.
The class learnt about China last term so he has been telling me about the cities in China, sharing products made in China, trying out different types of tea and learnt about pandas. I also saw the beautiful collage of a paper fan that he made with his group.
He is very good in Math - he loves nothing more than setting himself long addition and subtraction sums to do so I think he may actually be quite bored in Math class!
His Chinese teacher was quite eager to speak to us - because she says his command of Mandarin is rather abysmal. She asked us to read more Chinese stories with him at home and said it is important to nurture an appreciation for the language at this young age. Sigh. Seems like Berries is not enough for him. I really need to step it up at home, though my grasp of Chinese is really mediocre too!
All in, Sean is doing alright in school. I am not worried about him academically but more because he can be such a blur sotong!
We have been slowly prepping him for P1 next year - reminding him not to dawdle so much, teaching him how to count money, letting him take care of his own belongings, shower and dress himself, etc.
He has really matured in the last year - he can hold conversations with us and is rather sensible. He always has his nose in a book - sometimes I am not sure if he understands all that he reads but he never asks us for help. He is generally quite a good big brother - though Ryan and him still fight a lot (he is super sweet to Jordan). He likes to draw things and write notes everywhere and 'invent' things like paper guns and LEGO computers.
I think the remaining half of the year will go by very quickly - with P1 registration, his 6th birthday and rehearsals for graduation concert. I hope he enjoys his time with his teachers and friends.
Ah, my little boy is growing up so fast!