Nexus International School

[Hannieroo]

Mandarin is every day and in addition to pe they do a lot of physical activity and the learning itself is fairly mobile so they don't leave school all ants in their pants and they don't get bored.

From what I can gather there are very few local children in the international system, I think the MOE discourages it but I may be wrong. Lot and lots of other nationalities though.

Good luck with it all. It's a mammoth task.

[x9200]

Singapore citizens need a special permit from MOE to be admitted to International Schools.

[seznewton]

Gok and Xanthe13..wondering if you have decided to go with Nexus. Am filling in the application form now, but am still apprehensive for the unknown having seen the school empty as during school break

[Veronica VanE]

Hi Sez..... Check out the YouTube links I posted earlier in the thread .... Also on the NISS website you can see photos of the two Primary School productions The Jungle Book (Y3-6) and Mini Beast Madness (preschool) - the kids, parents and teachers pulled both productions together in a very short time..... The link to the mini beast pics is https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 594&type=1

These links all gives a flavour of the school at its busiest .... The kids have a blast.... And the parents are allowed to join in!

All the best and I hope to be able to welcome you to Nexus in August....

Veronica vanE

[xanthe13]

Hi Sez
Really interesting to read all the latest posts.
We have not applied for Nexus yet but it is still a likely option. We are on the waiting list at another school and I guess we have been kind of hoping that one would come up! Need to make a decision soon as time is moving on - have you decided to go ahead with it?

[seznewton]

Hi Xanthe13. Yes, we decided to go ahead with Nexus... Our other choice was Avondale Grammar but the reviews are very mixed and the more people I talked to the more concerns there were, and it wasn't the right calendar year for us. Now we have applied for Nexus we may need to change where we were going to live, as I'm keen to be close to the school...will depend on my commute to work also. Nexus said the Principal is on leave at the moment (summer break) so it may be a little while before we hear back. Hows your decision making going? When are you moving there?

[gok]

Hi everyone

Sorry I haven't been on this in a while between internet trouble and organising the move I haven't been near the computer. Anyway we did decide to apply for Nexus and my daughter will start in K2 in August. I still haven't seen the school but listening to the reviews here and having been in contact with the admin staff I am very happy with the decision. Hope that plays out!!

I just wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to respond to me. Also thanks for the thoughts re preschool which is next on my hit list!!

See you all soon

[Hannieroo]

You'll love it.

Just as an FYI, the school shirts shrink slightly so go for slightly bigger than smaller and they do initially bleed a bit so stick in a colour catcher sheet. Also, in addition to regular uniform you will need a lunch bag, a snack bag, flip flops and a swimming bag. Easier to bring than buy, I have not found a swimming bag here.

I think k2 was renamed as year 1. I think. That's our class, anyway. Nice little bunch of kids.

Good luck with your move.

[Veronica VanE]

Good tips from Hannieroo.... flip flops pf course are NOT for school! Singapore is very casual and people tend to wear flip flops a lot of the time - you may wonder why until you experience the first torrential (but brief) downpour! If you have not yet left your home country try and pick up plain navy/black swim wear (one piece for girls). They are not sold in the Uniform Shop and they are quite tricky to source in a hurry!

ATB for the move and we look forward to joining you all in your new adventure ....

[mecatron]

Hi everyone

Sorry I haven't been on this in a while between internet trouble and organising the move I haven't been near the computer. Anyway we did decide to apply for Nexus and my daughter will start in K2 in August. I still haven't seen the school but listening to the reviews here and having been in contact with the admin staff I am very happy with the decision. Hope that plays out!!

I just wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to respond to me. Also thanks for the thoughts re preschool which is next on my hit list!!

See you all soon

Hello gok. We just arrived in Singapore a couple of weeks ago. After visiting a number of schools, we have decided to send our daughter to Nexus as well. She will also be staring in K2 from August 12. Looking forward to her first day of school and seeing other parents at the Nexus Parents group!!

Cheers.

[Hannieroo]

5 sleeps! Yay!

[Veronica VanE]

Aw! I want to be in year 1! Looking forward to meeting y'all on Monday. I shall be loitering around the library and NPG Room. Off to paint my nails in Nexus colours .....

[Ker]

Hi,
I can highly recommend Nexus International School.
This is our third year at Nexus and it is growing from strength to strength. There is a great 'buzz' about the campus and students always seem to be engaged in exciting activities both inside and outside their homerooms.
Both my daughters love school and have made some fantastic friends along the way. They adore the teaching staff and always have lots of positive stories to tell about their school day.
The Nexus community is very friendly and welcoming!
The campus is large and is surrounded by trees and green playing fields.

[bizzybee]

Hi everyone, I am also considering Nexus for my twins. I have done extensive research trying to find the right school, and like all of you, I wanted a small school environment, nothing like the giants UWC/OFS/SAS. I have visited ISS and quite like it, and I have a school visit with Nexus scheduled for this Friday.

My twins are currently attending a Montessori (they are turning 3 soon), and I want them to complete the Montessori education for 3 years before moving to 'big school'. I am already checking out schools now (yes, I'm a very anxious mom!) for them to attend 3 years from now (they should be in K2 then).

Veronica, I wanted to check on what is the grading system in the primary school. Nexus follows IB PYP right? Do they have exams and such? I like the whole IB education concept and I am not a big fan of rote learning. But I know this is going to sound contradictory, but I do also prefer if the kids have major exams where they have work and study hard for and work towards acing the exams. A bit old school you might say, but I feel it teaches the kids that to achieve something, they need to put in effort and work hard and not take it for granted that they will progress even though they play a fool in school. and from my time, I used to remember s******g my pants when there was a big exam looming ahead and Ineeded to work hard or else I will fail/not progress a level. so what I am asking is, do you think IB school has this kind of premises to give some healthy pressure to the kids? thanks in advance!!

[Veronica VanE]

Hi bizzybee,
I am pleased you are coming to visit in a couple of days’ time. It is probably better if the school explains the rationale behind the pedagogy. I do not speak for the school, I am just a parent. It would be fair to say though that Nexus is not into exams for 6 year olds. However they do equip the learners for exams nearly 10 years later when it becomes necessary. In the meantime the kids learn a lot and are able to articulate what they learn. They understand what they have learned and they understand it in depth. An example is the Year 6 Exhibition which is a project all the Learners participate in. When the time comes, parents, the rest of the school and pupils from other schools visit. When we visit the Exhibitions of other schools, however, we may witness some slick presentations but if you actually ask a student a question they are stumped because you have veered off the “scriptâ€Â