Get your 2014 booklist ready and head off to the National Book Store Warehouse Sale at the 4th floor of their Quezon Avenue branch. Sale starts at 10am tomorrow, January 15, and will end on Sunday, January 19.
Grade School Search: UPIS Admissions Test
January 10, 2014 by
After publishing the post on Diliman Prep’s Entrance Exam, a few moms from school asked me also about the UPIS Admissions Test. Only 100 students will be admitted into the Kinder program of the basic education unit of UP Diliman. Of these 60 would be children of UP Personnel. Admissions will be based on rank in a mental-ability test. Getting in is a long shot with only 40 slots available to children of non-UP personnel but there’s no harm in trying, right?
Quick Facts About UPIS
- UPIS is the only basic education unit in the UP System that offers both primary and secondary education.
- It is “committed to educate students who shall develop their optimum potentials and who shall be proud of their culture and national identity.”
- Its curriculum is divided into four core programs: Integrated Basic Skills Development and Socialization Program (K to Grade 2), General Academic Program (Grade 3 – 11), Electives and Work Program (Grade 10 – 11), Tracking Program (Grade 10 – 12).
- From Kinder to Grade 2, only one teacher handles all the subjects. From Grade 3 onward, different teachers handle different subjects.
- As early as Grade 8, students already enrol in electives (Journalism, Practical Law, Creative Drama, Painting, Environmental Science, etcetera) of their choice.
- Before they finish K-12, they go through a Specialization Program where they are trained in specialized media, science, or practical arts.
- The medium of instruction from Kinder to Grade 4 is FILIPINO; except for English, Music, and Arts.
- From Grades 5 onward, the medium of instruction for CA English, Music, Arts, Math, and Science is ENGLISH. Social Studies, CA Filipino, Practical Arts, Health, and Physical Education are taught in FILIPINO.
Feedback from Other Parents
Browsing the net for feedback, I came across an article by Bettinna Carlos which gives a wonderful insight of a student’s life in UPIS. In some forums, parents express reservations because of the lack of textbooks in UPIS and the medium of instruction. However, technology has placed information at the tips of our fingers so I see no real problem in having just modules instead of textbooks. Another concern raised is the school being non-sectarian.
UPIS Admissions Test Schedule, Requirements and Feedback
Schedule of Filing Forms and UPKAT Test
- January 20-31, 2014(Mon-Fri): Issuance of Kindergarten Admission Test Forms
- February 4-14, 2014(Tue-Fri): Filing of KAT Forms (Submission of UPKAT forms follow a schedule based on surnames. Check the exact day of filing your child’s application.)
- April 2, 2014(Wed): Kindergarten Admissions Test
- May 2, 2014(Fri): Release of KAT Results
Requirements for Filing of Application Forms
- Applicants must be 5 ½ – 6 ½ years old by the time of enrolment
- Two (2) 1 ½ x 1 ½ identical photos
- NSO Birth Certificate (original and photocopy)
- One (1) long, white letter envelope with postal stamp and with the following info written: applicant’s name, applicant’s parent/guardian, complete address with zip code
- Testing fee of P 500
Feedback
I do not personally know anyone whose child has taken the UPKAT so these feedback are all from various parenting forum.
- The test is administered in Filipino. There are some though that say children will be asked which language they are comfortable with and given the appropriate test form. Still, it is best to review your child in Filipino before the test.
- Children will be asked to choose between a room with toys and a room with books. Choosing the room with books supposedly shows readiness for school.
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The written test is similar to an activity book. Activities include color by numbers, matching objects, sorting objects by characteristic or function, reading, and math.
- After the written exam, children will be asked to interact with each other through play.
- There will also be an interview where the child will be asked about basic personal information and other usual interview topics.
Again, these information are from various forums and have not been validated.
Tuition Fees
From what I heard, students pay a little over five thousand pesos (P 5,000) per semester. That’s about 12,000 for one school year. One of my mommy friends told me that the tuition was P2,500 per semester. So that’s P 5,000 per school year.
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Disclosure: I am not connected with UPIS. All information above are from the UPIS website. For further inquiries about the UPIS Admissions Test, email [email protected] or visit their website at http://www.upis.upd.edu.ph.
Grade School Search: Diliman Preparatory School
January 9, 2014 by
Our eldest Jade will be turning six next school year so our quest for big school has started mid of last year. Since we wanted both kids to be in the same school, we narrowed down our choices to co-ed schools that offered kindergarten to high school classes. First on our list is the Diliman Preparatory School. It’s a bit far from our house but I like their curriculum specifically their Science program. I mean, they offer Robotics in grade school – how cool is that! They also balance academics with extra-curricular activities for holistic development. They encourage their students to excel in academics and to hone their talents through various sports, music, and arts program offered after classes.
Quick Facts About Diliman Preparatory School
- Diliman Prep is a coeducational private school that offers kindergarten, elementary, and high school courses (K to 12).
- It was founded in 1969 by a group of educators from the University of the Philippines. Now, former senator Nikki Coseteng serves as DPS President.
- The main campus is located along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. They have another campus located along Mindanao Avenue also in Quezon City.
- It has a swimming pool, two Gyms, AVR, Auditorium, and libraries among its modern learning facilities.
- The school is committed to draw out the genius in every child.
Feedback from Other Parents
I also browsed the net for feedback from other parents. Although there were many who boast of the school’s thrust on academic excellence and holistic development, there were also some who find the demands of the school too stressful for their children. Among the complaints I read were that kids always had too much homework and that school hours were very long especially for the young children.
Entrance Examination: Requirements and Feedback
Schedule of Entrance Examination/Assessment is on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8-11am and 1-4pm. You only need to bring 4pcs 1×1 ID picture, NSO Birth Certificate(original & photocopy), and Report Card(original & photocopy). Foreign applicants need photocopies of their passport and visa. Examination fees are P600 for Filipinos and P750 for foreigners. When we submitted the requirements last December, we were informed that the kids could have their tests on the same day.
Feedback on Grade 1 Entrance Exam. Jade took the test for incoming Grade 1 students and was just given her test paper and instructions then left to answer on her own inside a cubicle. She was also given instructions to call out when she needed help with the test but basically had to answer the questions without help. This is probably why they asked us first if she was already proficient in reading and writing prior to accepting our application form. After the test, they asked us to wait a few minutes for the result. Jade passed with a score of 82%. We were also showed the test paper where I noted that some of the topics have not been tackled in their current school yet. The Math part already included two-digit addition and subtraction with and without re-grouping. There were also a couple of word problems. Jade had the lowest score in Filipino where she was tasked to read a story (Pagbasa) and answer questions to check her comprehension. She was able to read the story but was unable to understand it due to her limited Filipino vocabulary. She made up for low scores in these two areas with outstanding scores in Grammar, Reading Comprehension, and Science.
Feedback on Prep Entrance Exam. Jakei’s exam for Prep was guided by a teacher. It took only about 30-45 minutes to finish the assessment and we were also given the result just a few minutes after. He also passed with a score of 83%. Like his sister, he had the lowest score in Filipino where he failed to answer two sections. One required him to write the unang katinig/patinig and the other to write the unang patinig. Good thing he was able to read the Filipino word list though. He also fared low in Math for being unable to answer the addition and subtraction problems. Science involved determining whether an item was living and non-living. They have not tackled these lessons in school yet. Like his sister also, he passed mainly because he was already a proficient reader and did well in Language and Reading.
Interview with the Principal. After receiving the results, we were asked to proceed to the Principal’s office for a short interview. Of course, this mom eavesdropped while the kids were being interviewed. 😛 I heard the Principal asking Jakei why he wanted to go to Diliman Prep, to which he answered, “I like robots! I want to learn how to make them.” Both kids were asked about their current school, friends, hobbies, and family. After the kids’ interview, the Principal congratulated us for having smart kids and told us the school would be glad to have them.
Diliman Preparatory School is really on top of our list but we’re still considering a few other schools. Though we love the curriculum, distance is another factor we have to consider. With light traffic, it takes 30 minutes to drive from our home to the school. With heavy early morning traffic, it might take us twice as long.
Tuition Fees
Annual tuition fees this school year is P 63,761 for Grade 1 and P 61,967 for Prep. They also have semi-annual, quarterly, and monthly modes of payment. The monthly mode requires down payment of 30K+ and monthly payments of 4K+. They do offer sibling discounts for the 3rd and 4th children.
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Disclosure: I am not connected with Diliman Preparatory School in any way. All information above comes from their website and brochures, from various forums in the net, and from personal experience. For more inquiries, please call the school’s admission office at 931-0731 loc 850.
If life gives you lemons…
October 2, 2013 by
Childhood memories are the stuff of dreams; riding bicycles around the neighborhood, building forts, and pocketing a cool 3 bucks from an afternoon peddling lemonade to friends and neighbors.
Image courtesy of graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Lemonade stands for many were the first innocent taste of capitalism – “if I make it, they will buy it and i will have money for candy and toys”. It’s a simple and faultless equation in which children exhibited productivity and were rewarded for their efforts (and made some tasty soft drinks to boot).
Today’s children are coming of age in a very different time. Gone are the days of a free local market as regulatory oversight has found it’s way from Wall street to your street and it’s the children who are feeling the pinch.
Ambitious lemonade kingpins (of the under 10 age group) in Wisconsin, Iowa and Georgia have experienced an onslaught of neighborhood stand closings thanks to the zealous work of local police forces.
Three girls in Georgia were shut down recently by police after discovering that the girls were raising money for a trip to a waterpark. The police informed the girls that in order to realize their water park dreams they would need to shut down their stand and reopen when they had the appropriate business license, peddler’s permit and a food permit to operate the stand legally.
The costs incurred from these respective registrations work out to roughly $180 per year. While the exact costs of the water park excursion are unknown at present, this writer feels confident that the total cost of the day out would not come remotely close to this figure, even with multiple helpings of cotton candy and churros.
Image from www.mysnoopystreetfair.com
Fortunately, there are those still fighting for the cause – Lemonade Freedom Day was celebrated on August 10th this year and saw people across the States defiantly setting up their lemonade stands. And why not? The joy of a lemonade stand is multi-faceted; from the inception of the idea, to mixing the delicious drink in a jug, to painting a meticulous sign and collecting quarters for a float.
Though the need for permits makes it difficult for law-abiding parents to join in with the Lemonade Freedom movement all year-round, it’s definitely still an issue that needs debating, and not just for nostalgic reasons. Children should always be supported in their money-making pursuits; it encourages their determination, ambition and independence and if you can’t make lemonade out of life’s lemons, it’s a very sad state of affairs indeed.
Image courtesy of dusky / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Five Reasons Why You Should be a Childcare Worker
September 30, 2013 by
Being a childcare worker is an extremely rewarding career. If you love kids, going to work will no longer feel like a chore, and will become something you look forward to. Making a difference in the lives of children, and seeing their faces light up in excitement will brighten your life. For a creative and nurturing person, childcare is the perfect career.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
You’re Making a Difference
By working in childcare, you’re truly making a difference in children’s lives. By playing with them and encouraging them, you will inspire them to learn and grow. Working in childcare gives you the opportunity to have a positive impact on a person’s life. Those children will be grateful for your kindness towards them, and remember it for the rest of their lives.
You can be Creative
It may not seem like a particularly artistic job, but by working in childcare you have the opportunity to be creative. Organising activities for children takes a great amount of creativity. By providing them with artistic activities, you’re influencing them to be passionate about art. We all have to start somewhere. By promoting creative activities within childcare, you may just inspire the next Picasso.
Image courtesy of papaija2008 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Flexible yet Surprising
Working in childcare is both flexible, yet surprising. You will be working on a regular routine, beginning when parents drop their children off and leave for work, and ending once they’ve finished. Like going to school, you will become used to the routine, and won’t have to worry about working late or overtime. However, childcare can also be very surprising. Working with children means that you will never become bored. Each day will be a new adventure, both for you and for the children. Working in this industry gives you the opportunity to undertake a steady work routine, while being surprised along the way.
Image courtesy of Jomphong / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Communicating with Children
If you’re the type who loves children, you will adore every part of working in childcare. There’s nothing quite like watching them laugh and smile in excitement, or helping to teach them something new. Working in childcare gives you the opportunity to change a child’s life, and chances are you will enjoy your time just as much as they do. By committing to the job, you will have the chance to provide them with a positive experience, activities and valuable learning experiences.
It’s Easy to Find Work
By gaining a qualification in childcare, you’re sure to find work anywhere around the country. Childcare is a universal need, and jobs are certain to be around for a long time. Working in childcare gives you the support of knowing that you will never be out of a job.
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Working in childcare is the perfect career for someone who loves children. Your days will be brighter, and so will the children’s. By putting your creativity and organisational skills to use, you will be providing children with important and valuable experiences. There’s nothing like a childcare worker who loves their job. If you’re passionate, take the steps towards gaining a childcare qualification. How much does a certificate 3 in childcare cost? Prices will vary depending on your local institution. But be assured that working within the childcare industry is priceless experience.
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