Jack & Jill (J&J) International, Pt 2

Firstly, I apologize for the long hiatus. I appreciate all of you who made it to this blog in contacting me and thanks for your e-mails, text messages and comments on this blog.
I'm unable to update the post about J&J but I respond to every one of the comments and e-mails that I have received thus far. It's easier for me that way as updating a post requires some time.
I welcome your comments and e-mails!

This, part 2 of J&J, is about my personal observation and personal experience, some are from the other parents with children in J&J International thus far.
Please scroll down and go through the first part if you can and then come back to this post.



TEACHERS & FOLLOW-UP SYSTEM
- Most of their teachers, if not all, are caring towards the students and are loving.

- There are students who are 'slow', autistic and have down syndrome. I'm really not sure if this is the school to be with conditions as such because they're not specialized and trained in handling them.
Maybe the school has plans to set up a unit for special learners in the new future. I hope they do because I have faith that the management has the resources to do this.

- One of the daycare teachers who are currently with the school is not liked by all the toddlers, in fact, she's feared. My child had told me that the said teacher hits him. I have had a few other parents who have unpleasant experiences with her. She tends to be defensive, stand-off-ish and you could classify her as being rude.
The principal says it's just possibly the way she speaks that the children fear her. Yes, It's true. nobody likes to be talked to harshly. Not you, not me, not the children. I have brought up the matter about that teacher hitting my child. I was told by the principal later that she has confronted that said teacher.

- Not all of the teachers speak proper English. Some may have a better command of English language than others buuuut... I don't get why they have to talk- down to the kids or speak as if the children shouldn't learn to use proper words and proper sentences. I have major problems about this. I am spending a lotta time correcting my child which I think I shouldn't have to. It's a pet-peeve.
"I cut that already"
"Shame shame..." (A possibility of picking this up from another kid but I have heard 2 teachers doing this. Shame on them.
"You want this or not?"
This is so common among schools in Malaysia and maybe it isn't so in private schools and true international schools.

- I would prefer them to speak in a language or dialect they're most proficient in with the children if that's what they're more comfortable with. I would think that people will express themselves better too if they spoke in a language that they're familiar with.

- The first parent-teacher meet for me went well. Not the one after that. It was the end of the year and it was disorganized. I had to bear with not having a proper session with the class teacher about my child's progress, I wasn't shown the worksheets and workbooks, I wasn't told what to expect when my child moves on to another class in the following year.

- There's very little co-operation in terms of the parent and teachers in working together. I would expect more feedback about my child's progress but I do get that every half yearly. The frustrating thing about this is the class teachers and assistants aren't necessary the ones who would stay back for daycare. So, there's no follow-up from the earlier part of the day to the evenings ie, if I had wanted to know if my child passed motion, how is the progress of potty training, if there was anything I should know about from the morning or afternoon.
I would like for the teacher's to know the presence of the parent/ parents and vice-versa.

- There was a biter in my child's class and there were several incidences.
I wasn't informed right away. I usually don't get informed right away if something like a fall, a fight, or any incidences as such happens. I have brought this up to with the principal. I can understand that some parents are easier about these things than others. This is again, is a personal thing.


ACTIVITIES: 
- The school takes the initiative to organize field trips like the children's theaters and the parks, Kidzania, etc. Not often, possibly twice a year but they do it.

-  School holiday camps (extra activities during the school holidays) that run for 3-4 days depending on the choice of activity you sign up for and it's on average RM150 per course.
If you wish not to sign up, then it's the usual daycare should your child be put for full day that is.
There might be a possibility of  going for more than 1 type of course if the holidays are longer than a week.

- There's no sports day. Not an issue for me personally.

- More outdoor time would be perfect when the weather permits. (Also not an issue for me.)

- There used to be water-play once a week and it's been more than half a year since the last water-play. There's pros and cons in having water-play, I suppose. To me, hygiene is priority in this aspect.

- I haven't had a chance to see or find out what are the activities they do with the kids that encourage social skills and interaction. I have seen the children playing together, be it masak-masak, building blocks, (very rarely) sand-play,  music and movement and the usual groups of kids running around together in the classrooms. I will find out more when I can.

- The school's first concert was awesome. The rehearsals months leading towards the concert were as frequent as twice then much later, thrice a week in the morning on the designated days.
Most of the teachers were a natural when it came to performing with the children. The costumes costed RM150 per set and a note was sent out to all the parents about payment for that, also what to prepare the children with for the day of the concert. The payment for the concert is not included in the fees that you pay in January/ June. It is a separate cost.
Speaking of which, gone are the days where concert costumes are tailor-made. In my days, they were made to fit.
The concert was very well organized. Kudos to the teachers, the principal and the children for the fantastic effort. The there guest speakers and presenters that made the school looked good.


MEALS: 
- If you expect well-balanced meals for your child, it's not gonna happen in this school.
I was told prior to enrollment, that balanced meals are provided along with simple and basic fruits like apples and bananas. It didn't seem like it.
The Principal defended this issue that I brought up and I had further asked why are the children given stick biscuits and crackers in the morning....and said that it's mid-morning snacks.
I don't have ample time in the morning to prepare and wait for my child to finish his breakfast in the morning before we leave the house. So woe is me.
The best I can do is prepare breakfast to be had at school.
So, this depends on the individual, and if you're willing or able to prepare a lunchbox daily.
You are still expected to pay the fees for meals even if you do so diligently.
I hope to see changes about this in 2014. Diet plays an important role in children's well-being.


TIMING:
- If you think it will be tough to commit to picking up your child by 6:30pm to 6:45pm, please keep looking. I have experienced teachers calling me to rush me to get my child by a certain time.
I'm pointing this out because I was told by the Principal before I decided in this school that 7pm to 7:15 would be the last call to get my child.
With the traffic in Jalan Gasing alone, do plan ahead. On most days, the traffic in the neighborhood is bearable.


ENVIRONMENT/ SAFETY:
- One of the things that attracted me about this school was its very spacious classrooms.
The school is going through some changes currently. But, I will report back and explain why.

-  There's often a security guard at the front between the driveway and hall. So, if your child gets there after 9am, the guard will take the child into his/ her classroom.

- Last year-end (Dec), when only the daycare was running, I noticed there was only 1 teacher every evening in the daycare room. Should someone needs to be brought to the restroom, who is there to watch the kids. Provided a parent so happens to be there to pick up his/ her child to watch the rest of the kids, then that's OK. Who bears the responsibility should any mishap happen if the solo teacher is away from the room? This isn't hypothetical, is all I'm saying.


DISCIPLINARY METHODS:
- I am till now, unsure what the school does in regards to disciplining the children.
I remember I was told earlier on that they don't practice time-out. Not for the kids 3 years old and below. I have seen and heard teachers warning the kids that they'll be sent to the principal's office if they weren't obedient. I have seen on a few occasions, kids being put in a corner.
I am not saying that I oppose time-out. I am trying to say that I have no clear indication about what methods the school use in terms of disciplining the children.


RELIGIOUS TEACHINGS: 
- This is a church based school. Yes, it is and there's no denying about that.
That's another strong reason for my child to be in this school. On Friday mornings, there's a mini Sunday school in the hall where an a teacher will be assigned to chair the session.
That involves a short bible story, Christian songs, and prize giving to a student from every class for 'best behavior/ best helper'.

- I notice that there's no Friday morning assemblies in the month of December.

- The non-Christians or anyone who are not keen in having their children join in the assembly would usually get to school at about 9am or so, after that's done.

- The children are encouraged to pray, also give thanks before meal times. Of late, they stopped praying in the name of Jesus. Depending on how you look at it, everyone has different views.
In this case, it is my responsibility to educate my child about our faith and it's my role as a parent to remind my child to pray in the name of Jesus quietly.

TRANSPORTERS TO FERRY CHILDREN:
- The school has a list of transporters and there are 2 of them that I would advise against in using.

1) Uncle Lee 019 615 5058 - Puay Chai, Mont Kiara, J & J (Champagne Avanza, quite run down).
He wasn't decent towards me and yes, very dodgy. He charged a bomb and after a month or so, decided to discontinue the service out of the blue. That was actually a good thing.  I have informed the principal about this and his name is still in the list so here it is, I am informing you guys.

2) Vasanthi 018 250 4570 - Sri Sentosa (also lives there), PJ Old town, Assunta, Taman Desa, B'sar
This lady turned out to be very rude and foul-mouthed. She was kind and very friendly in the first month and she had admittedly said she needed the money for her children's tuition fees yada yada.
And then she had too many commitments like ferrying her own kids, nephews, mother, mother-in-law, has last-minute baking orders, go to the market, this that... took her stress out on me when I chose to close one eye. She became unbearable when my son fell ill and I called to ask if she was OK to fetch my son home from school at an earlier dismissal time when she goes to the school to get the other boy. She lectured me for sending my son to school when he has a cough, that the school was irresponsible for not sending my child to the hospital, that I treated her as a personal driver. So she quit. Just like that. After all the apologies to her and trying to get her to calm down and be more objective. Her ego was unbearable. I haven't deleted her messages to me afterward.
I shall stop here. You get the idea. I won't waste any of my time and yours going on about Vasanthi.

- Please, anyone who knows anymore reliable transporters, do drop the info in the comment box.
This would be extremely helpful for working parents or anyone who needs help with transportation.

On this matter of transportation, I strongly think the school should hire their own busses and vans.
Like Kuen Cheng, like HELP International School, like some other International Schools do.
Factor that into the school fees.
The school pays the bus driver, the parents pay the school. End of story.
It's legit and it provides jobs to people who really need it.


On other matters.....
There are some things that I am able to 'close an eye' to, like, when something goes missing.
A container, a few food containers, a water bottle, a bottle of 50 ringgit worth of body lotion, etc.
I found it so time consuming to keep asking the people at the school over and over if they had found this and that. So, 'close an eye'.

I prefer to focus on the well being of my child.

As the school is in fact fairly new, (although they boast about the school being established for decades) the teachers, the principal, the management team and the board of director are newly on board.... there's much to be organized, much to improve on. What makes them forgivable and annoying at the same time is that the principal's PR skills are superb.

J&J International has expanded and has a homeschooling centre with IGCSE syllabus.
They are operating for primary students in January 2014.
The bungalow beside the current premise that is in Pantai Baptist Church that was suppose to house the primary students is now becoming the school for the toddlers/ kindy.
Basically, there's a swap.
The bungalow isn't ready at this point in time. I just hope that the new premise will be good if not better for the toddlers. Currently, the toddlers are being placed in temp classrooms until the bungalow is ready.

The only outdoor compound I see that the children will get is the park in Taman Jaya which is right opposite the bungalow, like a stone's throw away. The LRT track is partially right above the roof!
On this. the details are still fuzzy so I can't say anything more than what I have just said.

I suppose there will be a part 3 on J&J then, huh?

Some of you have asked anxiously which school did I end up enrolling my child to and if I regret the decision I made. I wish to make it clear that I have high hopes for J&J to do better because it seems like the new team is in place. Furthermore, I feel that I still have a little bit of time to test out this school.
2014 is the year for J&J to really push the envelope, the way I see it.