Thursday, May 21, 2009

Sekolah Seri Cahaya...International School.


After ding dongs for a few months, decided to sent my gal to CEC international - preschool @ Sekolah Seri Cahaya. I guess this is the best decision at this point of time....
Bits about this school.. we signed up during their open day and get a RM500 discount for the registration fees... phew ~~
(a)What is Sekolah Seri Cahaya?
Sekolah Seri Cahaya is a private education institution that is modeled after its sister school, Sekolah Seri Suria in Hulu Langat which has a track record of more than 20 years in education.
(b)Why should I send my children to Sekolah Seri Cahaya?
Sekolah Seri Cahaya is one of the few schools that trained students to go beyond academic focus and excel in other important practical areas like communication skills, extra-curricular activities and music. In this ever-changing environment, being good academically is no longer the only pre-requisite for employment and success. It is the ability to practice good character, having strong communication and leadership skills that will distinguished an individual from others.
(c)What kind of curriculum is used in Sekolah Seri Cahaya?
It is a requirement for any private institution to adopt the Ministry of Education's national school curriculum, that is, the Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Rendah (KBSR) and the Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Menengah (KBSM). Our students sit for the government examinations, namely the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), the Peperiksaan Menengah Rendah (PMR) and the Sijil Pendidikan Malaysia (SPM).
However, the factor that makes Sekolah Seri Cahaya stands out is our R.E.A.L. Curriculum, which stands for Result Enhancing through Active Learning. Using this concept, 'lessons' are brought outside the classroom environment and not confined to getting straight 'As' only. Besides that, we offer additional subjects like ICT, music, speech & drama and others to enhance our student's learning process.
(d)Are there any differences between Sekolah Seri Cahaya and Government Smart Schools?
Yes, there are a few differences. Firstly, Sekolah Seri Cahaya offers more skill enhancement subjects such as ICT and instrumental music program. We also offer a comprehensive education pathway from kindergarten level to secondary level. Our kindergarten program is using the CEC Real Kids curriculum, which has already been established for more than 20 years. Thirdly, our facilities are complete with fully air-conditioned classroom, state-of-the-art multi-purpose hall, custom made ICT lab and many more.
(e)What is the difference between Sekolah Seri Cahaya and other private schools?
Sekolah Seri Cahaya has six uniqueness that are crucial for any private education institution to be the best.
We have our own REAL Curriculum which is based on an insistence to change our schools from a 'teaching environment' into a 'learning environment'. At REAL, "how" your child learns is more important than "what" your child learns.
We adopt the Character First! Curriculum where each student will be trained to learned and practice character qualities through appropriate stories, projects, object lessons, research assignments, poetry, art, music, handiwork, games, and discussion topics that can be woven into other activities of the school day. Furthermore a Mentor-Mentee System is in placed where the older students are given the opportunity to coach and mentor their younger counterparts. This system builds the character of responsibility, humility and generosity.
We have very good discipline, proven through our track record of having zero gangsterism, zero truancy and zero vandalism
We are a middle-sized school where a "community environment" exists to avoid problems faced by very big school where the students become just "another face" and gets lost in the crowd. Principals and teachers know the students by face and name.
We provide international exposure through our annual Student Exchange Program and the inter-cultural mixture with students from our REAL International School.
Security is a top priority as our gates are locked all the time and only cars with stickers are allowed. Furthermore, each student will carry a security pass with them at all times and parents are not allowed in the school during school hours.
(f)How will Sekolah Seri Cahaya be different in terms of school culture?
As Sekolah Seri Cahaya and REAL International School shares the same facilities and is within the same vicinity, a great cultural influence and learning will take place as students from both schools are expose to each other's culture and values.
(g)When are school fees due?
All fees must be paid upon enrolment.
(h)Are fees all-inclusive?
Camps and some extra curricular activities are pay as you go. Some secondary subjects have consumable expenses (such as woodwork) or additional expenses for mandatory field trips. This will vary depending on the subjects a student chooses to take, particularly in the secondary school. However parents and care givers are given notice in advance so these expenses can be adequately planned for.
Do you offer any discounts?
Discounts are only given to the younger sibling regardless of the date of joining the school and are only applicable to the tuition fees.
(i) Does Sekolah Seri Cahaya offer Kindergarten or Preschool?
Yes, we have a pre-school section that is run by our sister company, REAL Kids. It develops its own curriculum based on the REAL Concept. Currently, REAL Kids have 32 centers in Malaysia and 1 center in China.
(j) Does Sekolah Seri Cahaya offer the subjects that my child needs?
Not only we follow the government syllabus of KBSR and KBSM, we also offer other valuable subjects that enhance the skills of the students such as our specialized ICT training and customized music program.
(k)Will my child receive extra help, if needed, with their studies?
Our curriculum includes FREE tuition and compulsory remedial classes.
(l)What pastoral support is there for my child?
Sekolah Seri Cahaya emphasizes on pastoral support through our specially trained pastoral care staffs. We also have a Mentor-Mentee System where the older students are given the opportunity to coach and mentor their younger counterparts. This system builds the character of responsibility, humility and generosity.
Students are also encouraged to seek assistance from whomever they feel most comfortable.
(m)Does Sekolah Seri Cahaya provide large, nutritious meals to cater for growing students?
We are very particular with the selection of our canteen operator and nutritious meals are our main priority. We conduct very rigorous interview and review on canteen operators.
(n)What are your student class sizes?
Maximum class size for all levels is 26 students per class.
(o)What can you tell us about your extra curricular activities?
We offer many extra curricular activities or ECA for students to choose. Inline with our R.E.A.L. concept, we strongly believe that students must also excel in other areas besides studies. Therefore, we consistently trained our students in ECA activities to perform or compete in competitions.

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Children's education...

Recently, my elder dotter reached the age to attend kindy. I was searching aroung together with my hubby to look for a suitable kindy for her. Then, this experience alert me into something... MONEY...to get the children start from Young( may be at birth) till... University (at least)...
While owing a paper qualification is becoming increasingly common, the cost of acquiring it has skyrocketed over the years. Parents have to start saving for our children's education at birth, if not, how are we gotta cope with all the inflation and etc..worse now is the economic downturn....
It's only a simple issue of going to KINDY.. and it triggers me to MONEY issues... and further education planning for the next 20 years down the road !! Am i too paranoid or it's really a facts ??
Then i read from an article about children's education planning. What's the first few consideration that we have to start with ??
1st - decide on the level of education you wanted to provide your kids with;
2nd- the location of the university and the duration of the course; and lastly of course
3rd - look at your own financial capacity to help you decide what you can afford.
Wow... i told my hubby that we really got to have some serious thinking about this issues.. of course we wanted our children to have the highest education level possible ( for the 1st step); then 2nd step.. not sure which location of Uni yet as we still do not know what's our children's interest and their capacity..but , i guess whatever the courses is, minimum they gotta be in Uni for at least 2-3 yrs. which might costs us about RM200k now, but factored in the inflation rate at 5%, it might need to have amassed RM500k by the time they turn 18. (for me , i need to x 2 for all the costs as i have 2 children .. sigh ~~)
I guess the only solution is i better start early to invest in some educational plan or somewhat.. we have to definetely cut down our weekend luxury from now on for us to make it happen for them...:P