We went for the orientation. First, we were asked to queue according to the classes. All students who obtained straight As in UPSR were allocated one class. The queue here was short. We were given several forms to fill up and return, including one on my boy's dental records. We paid our school fees about RM80 which included his tie and school badges.
Then the students were taken by the prefects to their respective classes for briefing by their class teachers and to sit for a Maths diagnostic test. The parents were sent to the Hall for briefing by the Headmaster, the head of PIBG, the Counselling teacher, The Co-Curiculum master and the Student Affairs master.
The Headmaster's voice was soft and he was not good at positioning the microphone near his mouth, so his speech was not effective. Luckily, he had summarised his speech in his powerpoint presentation so we did get the gist of what was said. The PIBG guy spoke clearly and kept his speech short. The Student Affairs guy was loud and spoke as if he was addressing a group of children and not parents. Please never underestimate the intelligence of parents. We take note of everything. But he was firm in his stand on discipline. The Counselling teacher had a word of advise to parents which was watch for changes in our child's behaviour after 6 months of entering Form 1. From her experience, this is when they establish friends and form gangs - and if he happens to fall in the wrong group, it spells disaster for everyone. Another Counselling teacher advised parents not to forget to hug and kiss our boys especially as they near puberty. The Co-Curiculum guy gave a lengthy speech but I lost him quite early in his speech as it was too detailed and the timing of the activities' schedule was just too many to fathom.
The school had also invited some of their famous clubs to do practice sessions so we got to hear and see the band play, the wushu boys' actions and the cadet corps screams'. Well I suppose every school want to showcase their best to parents. At this time, one elderly parent actually asked me what was the point of joining the band. She has a point actually but I guessed the presence of the band did create a positive uplifting vibrancy. And it is more about acquiring a skill and discipline.
Finally we went to the bookshop to get the exercise books. My son was given all his Pinjaman books too. Some were in bad condition. Some were okay. I plan to plastic wrap all.
The good news ?
(1) This is supposed to be one of the most sought after schools - so I suppose my boy is in the right place. We were actually reminded of this, as they said for every student they expel, there are 10 waiting to get in.
(2) The HM said that Maths and Science will be taught in English - that is a relief.
(3) Most of the kids speak English so my boy should be able to fit in.
(4) There are plenty of choices for Uniformed Bodies, Clubs and Societies, Sports and Martial Arts activities' to choose from.
(5) The Ministry had introduced Community Service into the Co-Curriculum this year.
(6) The classrooms are spacious and ceilings high so ventilation is good.
(7) The canteen has several food stalls and price is cheap.
(8) Most parents speak English including the Malays.
The bad news ?
(1) Parking is a nightmare and so, we have to figure out how to sort out the transportation as we go.
(2) My son still misses his old school so he is still holding himself back a little.
(3) The co-curricular activities are compulsory - so he has to select one from each category (1) Uniformed Bodies (2) Clubs/Societies (3) Sports (4) Community Service. These activities start at 10am throughout the week, so although technically he is in the afternoon session, he has to come in early almost every other day to attend these activities. We still don't know how we are going to manage this as school buses/vans only stick to the school hours.
(4) The school lacks trees in its compound so the main assembly area is left open and hot.
(5) Although there is a slightly better mix of races here, you can still count the number of Chinese students, which is something my son has to get used to.
Well, that's about it on the orientation. When I asked him how was his classmates, he said they were only interested in talking about football, which is the one sport he doesn't like.
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