Report Card Day

Last weekend both our boys had their dreaded report card day at school. Ian’s session was especially exciting for us, as it was his first ever Parent Teacher meet. Aiden on the other hand has had this numerous times, and truthfully I don’t get much from his class teachers in public school - which is quite frustrating really. For example if the class teacher teaches a particular subject then he or she can dive in on how Aiden can improve, but that’s about it. Very rarely the class teacher knows much about his performance in other subjects, other than from the grades listed in the result slip. I remember back when I was in Seri Puteri, the subject teachers were on standby (in the school hall) to clarify specific concerns. I wonder why they don’t do that anymore.

So anyway, as expected I didn’t get much from Aiden’s class teacher, other than the usual fact that he lacks focus in class and needs to improve on his Malay (what else is new). His results; Alhamdulillah string of A’s for English and Maths, two more marks to an A for Science, and a B for BM Pemahaman (wowwww). Unfortunately his BM Penulisan dragged him down significantly. Which was frustrating for me cos we had practiced the essay “Aku Sebuah Basikal” a couple of times but in the exam he went and embarked on a completely different essay question instead. *pulls hair in frustration*

Kiasu Mummy was first in line. Ian kept me company while Aiden was still at Friday prayers with his Daddy.

Thankfully I bumped into his Malay teacher, and as expected memang Aiden banyak main in class and due to his lack of focus, selalu tak sempat copy things from the whiteboard nor finish his homework. *stress* I guess I can’t really blame him - if he doesn’t understand the language, memang concentration pun akan ke laut lah. Masuk telinga kanan, keluar telinga kiri. *sigh* So, in a nutshell, more BM practice needed for Aiden! But anyhow, I’m still a proud Mummy. Due to the pregnancy I did not prep his as well as I usually did for his past exams, so I still believe his results are quite commendable given the situation.

Next up, Ian! We teased him mercilessly the day before his report card day, asking whether he behaved in class and whether his teacher was going to say good things about him or not. *chuckles* But I shouldn’t have worried at all, because his class teacher gave him an absolutely glowing report! Hubby and I were both quite shocked! Honestly, we know that Ian is quite the opposite of Aiden; he listens to instructions and is a bit more reserved when in the company of others. He even recognized alphabets before we enrolled him in school. But we certainly didn’t expect such great feedback! Ian’s teacher even expressed that she was impressed with his development and progress especially since he wasn't enrolled in any schools prior to this one. Even his motor skills and social skills are at par with those who have been in school since they were 3 or 4. I guess there really wasn’t much harm done by us deciding to refrain from sending him to school too early; my helper’s ‘homeschool’ was just as effective! *giggles*

Cheeky boy decided that he loves all subject, except for music!

Other than that, we received feedback that Ian loves writing, mixes well with others (walaupun dia lambat sikit warm up and he has a certain chosen clique that he plays with) but barely speaks Malay (sebijik macam Aiden). He participates and even volunteers in class (wowwww). His ustazah said that he shared in class about his solat experience whilst his swimming coach said that his confidence level in the water has improved significantly - now dah boleh blow bubbles from the surface but is still hesitant about putting his head underwater.

Super proud of you my boy!

English memang takde masalah lah, especially writing. Interestingly, he loves numbers too! Just like Aiden. (Confirm anak-anak engineer!)

Full marks for "cooperates with teachers"! Well, this one I've never seen with Aiden, ever!

My only request to his class teacher was for her to coax Ian into trying out the food at school. Yer lah, sampai bila nak makan Oreo, ChocoTeddy or KokoKrunch for breakfast kan! Even she agreed that Ian is such a picky eater! But she shared that once, Ian out of nowhere agreed to try porridge and the teacher got so excited about it! *chuckles* If I were in her shoes, I would have been excited too!!! For the record, Ian still doesn’t eat rice or noodles. He lives on biscuit/cookies, bread, cereal, milk, macaroni cheese and his absolute favorite - roti canai. *smacks head in dismay*

That wraps up the boys’ mid year performance. On the same note, I’m scheduled for my own mid year performance review with my boss next week. Wish me luck!

Happy New Year 2018!

Thought I should pen this down before I start clocking in to the office. Planning to take this entire week off, but preparing myself in case work calls!

Why a week off? Because the dreaded day has finally arrived; despite his many many pleas of "I don't want school", Ian finally headed for his first day at kindergarten.

Excited face, pre-waterworks.

I tried so many psycho tricks, from taking him shopping for new stationery, getting him to help me with labeling his books, to asking him what food he wants to put in each lunch box. I guess it finally worked because yesterday he proclaimed, "I want to go to school!"

I was ecstatic but really, very wary about the proclamation. Put him to bed early hence he didn't have an issue waking up this morning. He got dressed excitedly and ate his cereal breakfast without a fuss. Got into school and walked him into the classroom. Sat him down, told him that we'll be waiting outside, kissed him goodbye and walked out. Thankfully his class had a glass window by the side so I was able to peer inside to see.

As expected, the waterworks started almost immediately. No wailing or anything like that, but just really sad tears rolling down his cheeks. Sampai tersedu sedu, his head jerking with every sedu motion. OMG my heart broke into a million pieces. Tears welled up into my own eyes!! I felt like scooping him into my arms and running out of the door. #ohthedrama

Hubby was no help. He wanted to get breakfast. Keras hati sungguh! (And people say I'm the garang one hmmpphh) After a while, I saw a teacher holding Ian's hand and walking him and his friends to the sink to wash their hands for morning break. Finally I mustered up the strength to pull myself away from the window and allowed Hubby to drag me to breakfast.

Real Kids mummies, reunited for breakfast!

Sharp at 10am (school ended early the first day), we picked him up. His first words? "Just now I cried but after that I didn't cry!" Phewwww he must have stopped crying then. Lega! Coaxed him to tell us more about his day at school, and even managed to record it on my phone. Interestingly, he ended his story with "I don't want to go to school." *chuckles* Wish me luck with tomorrow!!! Met up with his teacher who reassured us that he stopped crying, made some friends, and even asked his friends to call him Iskandar! Hahaha that last one was quite a shocker!

Well done baby boy, for your first day of school!

Anyway, enough airtime for Ian. Aiden had his first day of school today too. Tapi anak bujang nie memang tak payah worry. He knows his way around school already. Maklum lah, dah jadi senior sessi petang! But since it's our yearly ritual to send him to school on his first day, Hubby and I made it a point to walk him in, and stayed with him in line until it was his turn to walk to class.

Otai sangat senior nie, sampai tie pun tak nak pakai. *giggles*

Standard 3 already! Time certainly flies.

Gave him a kiss on the cheek before he went to sit with his friends, and he actually wiped it off! Ish ish ish. Ok lah, so mum's kisses are no longer allowed in the school compound. You're growing up too fast, Aiden! This year, his class is all the way at the top most floor (yet again), but he specifically requested for a non-trolley bag. I hope he can cope with the weight of his books. *sigh* Other than that, he looked really happy to be back with familiar faces and friends.

Ended the day with a pizza dinner as a reward for an awesome first day at school for the boys.

Phewww Hubby, we survived the first day of school!

Real Kids Plus vs Bahtera Ilmu Fee Structure 2018

And so it's that time of the year again, when parents scramble to look for the best kindergartens for their children. I've been getting so many daily hits on my prior blogpost - Real Kids Plus vs Bahtera Ilmu Fee Structure 2015, that it drove me to write this blogpost! (You can see on my sidebar, how that blogpost is steadily climbing upwards on my most popular posts.)

In this blogpost, I share the same considerations that I made for Ian (who's just turning 4 at the end of this month, but going into a 5 year old class next year!) and compare the top two kindergartens in my list for the Bukit Jelutong area.

The comparison chart below replicates the fees I depicted in my prior post (here) for 2014 and 2015, but now updated to include 2018, so that you get a feel on the fees increase per year. 

Note that the figures below add up to the ANNUAL total (hence the total you need to pay for the whole YEAR.) If you are looking for how much you will need to pay to book a spot for your child in the respective school (bulk payment in December), check the snapshots of the school fees below.

Notes:

• Real Kids Plus require a refundable security deposit of RM1000. This is not included in the list above as it is refundable upon when the child leaves the school with sufficient notification.
• Uniform and sportswear are assumed the same for both kindergarten; 2 pairs of uniform and 1 pair of sportswear.
• Bahtera Ilmu charges additional (fee not stated hence not in above) for field trips. However, this is already included in the Real Kids Plus fees.
• Miscellaneous fees such as graduation and class photographs, ceremony fees etc. are not included in the above.
• Disclaimer: Information is accurate at time of writing. But do let me know if my numbers are incorrect. (Engineers make silly math mistakes too, you know!)

It is quite obvious from the above that the annual total for Real Kids Plus is always more than Bahtera Ilmu. However, if you were to divide that into 12 months for a per month average, in 2018 the difference has dropped to ~RM196 (versus ~RM 230 in 2015).

Anyway, if you are sending your child to kindergarten for the first time, please do not get a shock at these numbers. I know that feeling... how can kindergarten be as expensive as a semester in a local university??? *weeps together with you* Don't worry, government primary schools are cheap. Unless you are planning to send your child to a private/international school... *weeps with you again*

Lastly, here are the hard copies of the Real Kids Plus and Bahtera Ilmu 2018 fee structure for your reference.

Real Kids Plus 2018 fee structure - half day.

Real Kids Plus 2018 fee structure - full day.

Bahtera Ilmu 2018 fee structure - half day.

No surprises for guessing where Ian is going. He's going to his big brother's alma mater, of course!

Proud Milestones

Yesterday was certainly a day to be remembered. Truthfully, it was not one that I looked forward to. I dreaded it long before it arrived, yet I knew I just had to embrace and accept it. Yes, yes... It was Ian's first day at kindergarten.

Ian is certainly the baby of the family. He gets away with practically anything! He loves hugs and snuggles, giving and receiving kisses, long cuddles, and speaks with the cutest pelat. I definitely wasn't ready to let go of my little baby. I wanted to keep him home all the time! (Also, since Aiden goes to afternoon school, it didn't seem right to send his baby brother to school in the morning and separate them into two different schedules.)

Unfortunately, my maid is going home for Eid holidays. Remember my whole saga of being a maid-less mum? Well hello, round two! The thing about having good help is to also remember to appreciate them. And my way of appreciating her is to allow her to balik kampung. It would be good for her to spend time with her family during Eid. But the consequence of her absence.... *sigh* Seriously, I cannot bear the thought of leaving Ian crying at day care again. Hence the early introduction to the kindergarten, so he can hopefully get familiarized with the teachers.

First official photo with his kindergarten uniform.

Aiden was super excited about his baby brother going to kindergarten. He wanted to walk Ian to school! I guess it must have been a huge thing for Aiden, walking Ian to his old school, cos as soon as he woke up, the first thing he asked was whether we had sent Ian to school.

Ian was somewhat excited too. He kept pointing to his kindergarten uniform and his socks, and even agreed to pose for pictures. The uniform was a bit too big for him, but he still looked super cute wearing it. Oh, it felt just like yesterday that I brought him home from the hospital. And fast forward to today, he's already starting on a new phase in his life. I am sooooo proud of Ian for making it to this gigantic milestone.

Ian, is that a peace sign, or a loser sign? *giggles*

Waving goodbye excitedly.

Making himself comfortable in class. He wanted to draw like everyone else, so he kept saying "Draw!"

Barely two hours later, my maternal instinct decided that it was time to check up on him. Based on my previous experience, he's usually not too comfortable with strangers. As expected, I found him in a pool of tears. The teachers reported that he cried for me. *sigh* It's okay Ian... baby steps yea?

Tears running down his cheek.

On the other hand, Aiden scored his own milestone too yesterday. He has successfully fasted full day since the start of Ramadhan, hence yesterday was his tenth consecutive puasa and tarawih! Hubby and I are both extremely proud of his achievement and his persistence. So proud, that we decided to reward him with an early duit raya.  (Aiden actually has a different end game in mind; he wants us to download Minecraft on the iPad if he fasts the full 30 days.)

However, getting him to day 10 had its own ups and downs. Coaxing him to eat during sahur was an agonizing affair; my maid had to resort to suap him just to get him to eat. He would get so cranky after school, he would whine "Mummy... I want to eat", again and again and again. Sometimes my patience would run thin, that I would tell him to just break his fast. But never once did he take me up on the offer. And for that, Hubby and I both mutually agreed that if he gets to day 30, he truly deserves the coveted Minecraft.

The two boys in matching jubah.

Getting ready for tarawih.

Aiden's Graduation Dinner

Two more sleeps before we leave for our 10th anniversary trip. But I simply must recap Aiden's graduation before we leave. So here goes!

Unlike most other kindergartens, Aiden's kindergarten does not conduct their graduation after the concert. It is done in a separate formal black tie sit down dinner, just for the six year olds and their parents. And unlike any other dinners, this dinner is hosted by the Parents Support Group also known as the Graduation Dinner committee.

When I received the call from the principal, inviting me to join the committee, I said yes without much hesitation. Maybe because I did not expect it to be much work. Perhaps some meetings and minor organization. I even dragged Dayang into the whole thing. Little did I know that we were going to be solely responsible for the dinner. The school handles the logistics (event run, performance, dinner and venue) but everything extra has to be by the committee.

To start, we had plenty of ideas, but zero money to work with. Hence we ran a sponsorship drive. Dayang and I drafted a sponsorship appeal letter and the school made sure it was circulated to all the graduating students. The following week, I met with the rest of the committee for the first time. It was also the day we received our first sponsorship cheque. We were delirious with happiness! Soon, some parents started approaching us to sponsor baked goods, so I hatched the idea of running a bake sale. We circulated pre-order forms and ran the sale for 4 days. I met with so many enthusiastic parents then - some wanted to buy cupcakes for their child's entire class, some gave contributions without even a cupcake in return. You can read more about the bake sale preparation here. Alhamdulillah, it was a major success!

With the money in hand, we started working on mementos for graduating class. First priority was the year book. I mean, do you still remember your kindergarten friends? Well with the yearbook, you now can! Other than that, the budget went to personalized souvenirs, table mementos, hall decorations and clown entertainment.

Money well spent - yearbook, personalized tumbler and personalized (kids' handwriting) ceramic coinbox.

We also approached corporations and community establishments for sponsorship in kind. I personally approached Hilton, Jumpstreet, Beebop Circus, with positive results. Other than that, we got Legoland, JKids, Good Virtue, Lam Soon and Young Scientist to sponsor vouchers and products for our goody bags and lucky draws.

The day before the graduation dinner, the committee got to work packing the goody bags. I had to leave midway to fulfill a facial appointment that I had pre-booked. But I barely slept a wink during the facial. I was stressing about... giving a speech. Yup! As chairman of the committee, I had to also give a speech; to thank the teachers, parents and sponsors who had a hand in making the night a success.

Goody bag packing! Check out the mountain of boxes!!!

A sample of the kids' goody bags.

Goodies in the adult goody bag. Can you spot the Lingam chili sauce? :P

82 goody bags - siappppp. And the checklist, handwritten on a box flap. *chuckles*

Can you spot Aiden's handwritten name (in orange) and his future dream job?

We finished packing the goody bags way past 8pm. I rushed home, continued baking for my cousin's wedding (told you it was a chaotic week) then started working on my speech well past midnight. The next day, woke up bright and early to head to the graduation venue for hall decorations. Rushed to the wedding venue to setup the dessert table. Rushed home (why am I always rushing!!) for a quick shower then headed to a friend's house for makeup. Picked up Hubby and Aiden and went to OU to do my hair. Arrived at the Royal Club with just a few minutes to spare. And then suddenly we were ushered in, and tadaaaa it was time for my speech. (The entire day was such a rush that I didn't even have time to panic!)

The graduation committee.

Thank you sponsors!

Theme for the night was Hollywood - hence the walk of fame idea; laminated handprints that was placed alongside the red carpet.

Table mementos - programme book, personalized bookmark and a short bio about each child. 

It was certainly an honour and a privilege to stand on stage and give a speech on behalf of the committee.  

Giving away a lucky draw item to a lucky parent.

After the speech and the lucky draw were done, I was finally able to relax and enjoy the night. The awesome teachers really went all out with the beautiful hall decorations and performances.

The kids' performances kicked off with the valedictorian giving a speech (yes, valedictorian)! There were at least 5 performances by the kids, and a couple additional others courtesy of talented teachers and parents. Throughout the night, Aiden was involved in the angklung musical performance and choral speaking ("My mummy makes yummy macaroni! Mmmmm!"). In between performances, parents were free to walk around and mingle. All the attendees were definitely dressed to kill, so almost everyone would readily pose for pictures.

Hot mummies!

Aiden and the angklung gang.

They played 3 songs that night.

Choral speaking. Certainly brings back memories of school!

That expression!

After all the performances were done, it was time for the graduation ceremony. The kids were all dressed up in red graduation robes, complete with mortar and even a white rose for Mummy! They lined up on the red carpet according to class, and as a surprise, one parent was invited to stand alongside their child and escort them to the stage.

The perks of being named with the letter A - first in class therefore best photo opportunity! Posing with Aiden's class teacher.

Receiving his scroll from the principal.

Congratulations Periwinkle grads!

Mummies posing with their white roses, while waiting for the graduation ceremony to end.

After the graduation ceremony ended, we were given another surprise. All of the kids, in their graduation robes, held a lighted star and walked into the hall. They started singing Wiz Khalifa's See You Again. It was such a touching performance.

See you again, friends!

After the dinner ended, Aiden was finally released to us!

This was an idea I found off Pinterest. Sourced for the smiley face 'head' and balloon 'body', and then all I had to do was show the Pinterest picture to the school and then tadaaaaaa, it materialized! So much respect for the Real Kids teachers!

Group selfie! (Kesiannnn Ian kat rumah!)

The Real Kids gang.

Plus spouses and kiddos.

Kecik kecik pun dah pandai selfie guna monopod!

Aiden was sooooo happy when he opened the goody bag and found a Captain America Lego pack. He excitedly exclaimed, "Mummy, now I can complete my Avengers collection!" (Apparently Captain America was the last one missing to complete the collection.)

Last year's committee chairman, who is also a very talented baker; showing off her fondant cake creation.

Us with the school management team; the backbone of the graduation dinner.

The boys couldn't resist a photo with Sanjeev, the school guard. Sorry boys, you've got a longggg way to go for those biceps.

Last parent to leave - as I had to dismantle the hall decorations and balloon standee.

Way past midnight - Aiden and Danya with Teacher Michelle, the school principal.

Well done Aiden! You did very well in your performances and your graduation ceremony. I hope the effort I put into the graduation dinner made it into a memorable evening for you and your friends. I'll end with an excerpt of my speech:

As the saying goes, “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” Congratulations Real Kids Class of 2015. I wish all the graduating students the best of luck in their new year at their new school. Thank you.