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.

website :http://www.sericahaya.edu.my/aboutus-faq.html

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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

Solving children's sleeping problems

Does your child have difficulty falling asleep ? My younger dotter, Katelynn does have this problem.. which makes us really headache..She wakes repeatedly during the night and start looking for her nanny(kakak), which we dun really encourage the nanny to come and comfort her as we dun want her to be too attached to the nanny.We were tired, frustrated and often angry.
We have had lots of advice on how to handle the situation from friends and relatives. "Let her cry; you're just spoiling her" we were told, or " that's just a phasel; wait until she outgrows it.".. We really dont's want to wait but begin to wonder if we really have to, since despite all out efforts, the sleep problem still persists. Then, FINALLY.. one day.. Brandon and I decided to be "no mercy anymore" and we gotta have to do it !!.

We decided to start on a Friday night ( as saturday and sunday we dun need to work),I bring Katelynn to guest room to sleep with me, to prevent her from waking up Aerwen at night.
The clock strike 3am... here she comes again !! She started to cry with her eyes closed and shouting for her nanny. I did not ignore her for the start but start patting her/ comfort her that kakak(the nanny) was not around and only mummy is here... She refused to listen and start crying again until my maid came down, wanted to hug her.. Luckily , Katelynn did not see her kakak, i quickly asked the maid to go into her room and said i dun need her help .... she cried for 30 minutes and then.. stop for a while and cried again.. until i bring out a Twilight turtle for her.. she seem to calm down a bit...looking @ the sparkling little stars on the wall.... ok.. it seem to be a good investment.. hahaa... then.. the 1st night passed with the help of the Twilight turtle.

2nd night (saturday), she started her nightmare again and cry for her kakak, as usual. However, this time, the Twilight Turtle is not working on her, she still continue to cry even when i switch on the Twilight thingy until i really fed -up. Leave her alone, and let her cried... she stopped after 1/2 hrs, i guess she was tired.. and 2nd night..passed...

3rd night...she did wake up and scream a bit.. but stop, after i told her that mummy is here. she saw me sleeping beside her, she got back to sleep again... phew ~~ what a weekend for me...

But i felt very pround of myself for able to "handle" this "project" becoz i was always being known as "the weak"est" one at home " and never able to solve any issue regarding my two previous... kekee. I AM A PROUD MUMMY..

I guess the morale of the story is that, we really have to be persistent/firm when solving the child's behaviour issue. We gotta let them know that what's the correct way of doing something..

Cameron Highlands..

How to get to Cameron Highlands

Cameron Highlands is about 60 kilometres form Tapah, a town on the Kuala Lumpur - Ipoh Highway accessible by road and rail.From Tapah, the two way road winds its way up through fascinating jungle scenery. The ascent is gradual with only the drop in temperature to indicate how high you are. The flora of the tropics undergo a subtle and pleasant change with tumbling waterfalls, gurgling mountain streams, giant tropical trees rising majestically towards the sky, bamboo forest and hillside villages belonging to the Semai, members of the Semoi group of "Orang Asli". The drive up will take about one and the half hours to Tanah Rata.New Simpang Pulai Highway There is a new route to Cameron Highlands and that is the new Simpang Pulai highway. This route is less winding but please be aware that there are a few sharp bends at some stretches. If you are heading from Kuala Lumpur , skip the Tapah toll exit and proceed to Simpang Pulai exit, which is about 90KM from Tapah exit. From Simpang Pulai, follow some signboards which will guide you to the new Simpang Pulai highway.

ACCOMODATION - one of the hotel that we stayed - GOOD QUALITY -NICE VIEW.. only thing is that.. the furniture a bit outdated and look old.. other facilities was ok..
Equatorial Cameron Highlands
Perched at 1,628 meters above sea level, surrounded by majestic mountains and gentle undulating valleys, Equatorial Cameron Highlands is the only resort situated at the highest accessible point of highlands. Spread over 13 acres, the Tudor styled resort offers 141 attractive, self-contained low rise apartment suites and 268 superior rooms, deluxe rooms and suites in the hotel tower that offer breathtaking views of the highland landscapes.The Resort is famously known for its capability in hosting events from company incentive trips to conventions and seminars. Besides the Resort's extensive recreational facilities and vast grounds, where telematches and scavenger hunts can be carried out; the Resort will also arrange trips to the "Orang Asli" settlement.