Vote for Minyi!

Hi children,

Do you remember the voting segment of the PESA Storytelling Competition I mentioned when Minyi first joined the competition?

It's out on the PESA website. You can click here to view clips of her and other contestants' performances online. After that, scroll down to the bottom section of the page to vote for Minyi (No. 23) and Joseff Danielle (No. 8), who has taken part in the Speech Competition in the Upper Primary Category, as “Audience’s Favourite Speaker”. This poll will end at midnight of 23rd September 2009. The contestant with the highest votes will be crowned "Audience's Favourite Speaker" during the Awards Ceremony on 24 September 2009.

Joseff Danielle came in 3rd in the Finals. Do view her clip. She's from Philippines and is very articulate. You may pick up a learning point or two from her speech.

An Outdoor Lesson

Yesterday, the children had an outdoor Science lesson at our school garden with Mdm Juliana.

They were required to look for leaves and describe their shapes and edges correctly.

Mdm Juliana briefing the children

"Look at the edge of the leaf ..." Some plants in the school garden

The industrious children

The school gardener, Uncle Timothy, imparting his practical knowledge to the children

The worksheet
The chart used by the children to classify the leaves

Some sculptures found in our Garden

Singapore Amazing Flying Machine Competition 2010

DSO National Laboratories and the Science Centre are organising a competition 'Singapore Amazing Flying Machine Competition 2010'.

Primary School students (Primary 3 onwards) are encouraged to take part in Category A (Paper Plane).

The aim is to fold paper planes to achieve the longest flight endurance, perform loops and achieve precision flight.

Judging criteria:

• Endurance – For the team whose flying machine has the longest flying endurance on the competition field.
• Precision – For the team whose flying machine has the most precise (accurate) landing based on the mission.
• Acrobatics – For the team whose flying machine has accumulated the highest scores based on the mission.
• Creativity – For the team that shows the most innovative and original design in their flying machine.
• Aesthetic – For the team that shows the best looking flying machine.
• Best Presentation Award – For the team that best exhibit creativity, fluency, confidence and flair in the presentation of their team's work.

Children are encouraged to form teams of 2 or 3 to take part in the competition.

There is a registration fee of $50. However, an early bird discount of 20% will be given to those who register for the competition before 12th September.

Prizes are highly attractive! It's a Play Station Portable (PSP) x 3 Cash Prize of $300 per team!

The details are found in the link above. Do have a look. You can find a video showcasing 'The Paper Airplane Guy' under the tab 'Competition Categories'. It boasts to show you amazing paper planes that will make you say “WOW!”

Go ahead. Take a look!

Clarifying an issue: Files

A parent has given me the feedback that files should not be brought home considering their weight.

I would like to clarify that the files are meant for revision.

Considering the needs of the majority of the students, I feel that I need to return the files to the students so that they may revise for the CAs and SAs. However, I need the students to bring the files back to school on a daily basis while they are holding onto the files, as I would be using worksheets and practice papers for revision purposes and students are required to file the worksheets and papers periodically. From my experience, students who do not bring their files to school tend to lose their worksheets after school if I return them their worksheets.

If there's any parent who feels that files are not needed for any reason, especially when CA or SA is approaching, do write me a note stating that you would like the files to be kept in school. I've nothing against this wish and will be happy to assist you in lightening the weight of your child's schoolbag.

No more temperature-taking!

Good news, children and parents alike!

As of today, we will cease (stop) taking temperature.

No more twice-a-week temperature-taking!

MOE has issued a circular saying that the spread of H1N1 is well-contained or controlled in schools and the number of students getting infected with H1N1 in schools is relatively small.

So you may leave your thermometers at home now! :)

SA2 Dates

A parent has enquired about the dates for SA2 exams, so here goes:

7 - 8 Oct 09 - English Oral Exam
9, 12 - 13 Oct 09 - Mother Tongue Oral Exam
14 Oct 09 - English Paper 1
15 Oct 09 - Mother Tongue Paper 1
26 Oct 09 - English Paper 2
27 Oct 09 - Maths
28 Oct 09 - Mother Tongue Paper 2
29 Oct 09 - Science
2 Nov - Health Ed and Social Studies

This week's homework

Homework for the long weekend:

1) Science Tests Book pp 99 - 117
2) Comprehension Booklet Worksheets 5 - 9 (1 worksheet per day)

My Favourite Game 4

Nope. Show N Tell has not died a natural death. We're still at it albeit not on an as-frequent basis as this term is packed with holidays and events. We make sure we are at the right pace to finish up the syllabus and revision before we add in the frills.

We had Sabrina for Show N Tell yesterday.

Many children were curious to know how the game, 'Smart Driver', was played and were forthcoming with their questions.

A Seahorse

Just for fun, I showed the children a dead seahorse I picked up when I was walking down the street one day.

It's interesting how quickly the children were able to identify the creature ie. "A real seahorse???""A dead seahorse???" followed with the "Wow!!!" compared to a few adults I've showed it to. Most of them didn't recognise the creature as a seahorse immediately, some asked what it was, and if they did recognise, they doubted that it was real.

I thought it shows just how simple and pure-hearted, and thus clear-minded, children are. They tell it like it is and take it as it is - a very precious quality in human beings which is often lost when we grow up.

Be yourselves and keep it that way, children.

Rest in peace, Seahorse.

Today's Homework

Homework for the weekend include:

1. Spelling Corrections
2. Comprehension Booklet - Worksheet 1 and 2 only
3. Stellar Worksheet Unit 13 - Designing a Strange-Food Restaurant Menu
Please remember that this menu is an unusual one ie. 'snailburger', 'skeletonporridge'.
4. Science 'True' or 'False' Worksheet

They may seem a load, but rest assured that they are manageable and quite easy to do. You may want to spread the homework out over the weekend and not cram them all in one day.

5. Please ask your parent to indicate that they have seen the English file and Spelling book by signing on them.

We do not have a pre-prepared content page for Science file yet, so signing off on the Science file is not necessary. However, please let your parents have a look at the file as well so that they may know what you've done in class.

Thermometer

Dear children,

Please bring your thermometer to school every first and last day of the week ie. Monday and Friday. We're still taking temperature due to H1N1 concerns.

Interactive Science Clips

Hi children,

This is the link that I used for Properties of Materials. Remember the experiment about how strong a material is? You burst out laughing when the glass broke. Yes, this is it.

This link has many other interactive clips that you may want to try out on your own.

Have fun!

National Day 09 Pictures

A sea of red

Our children

(For some reason, the picture is not rotated when I post it up)

Teachers who are in red ...

Mr Zaccheus with David and Wilmer

Children in the hall watching a puppet show

Jin En decided that his fingernails are more interesting than the show

The big heart and map of Singapore pieced together by our students using the collage method

Preparing to sing 'What do you see?'Sophia and Ze Kang, our friends from 3 Persistence, looking good and cute

That's all, folks!

PESA Storytelling Competition Update

Today, Min Yi went for her Semi Final Round of Storytelling Competition. The competition was keen and she, despite putting in good effort, did not make it to the Finals.

Nevertheless, it has been a fruitful journey for her, as well as for me, being my first time in training a child for a storytelling competition.

It was a good exposure and experience to watch children from other schools telling stories. The standard of storytelling was indeed very high. The children had to vary their tone, pitch and pace as they impersonated different characters and resumed their role of storytellers at different times. Some stories were amusing and tickled the funny bone of the audience. One of the stories was a sad one and the audience could feel the sadness and guilt of the storyteller for putting through her teddy bear through various pains by not taking good care of her teddy bear.

Some pictures to share:

Before we started on the journey

Min Yi and her mother
Other storytellers:

A beautiful peacock in waiting ...

'A woman's wit'

The audience

Min Yi the witch-and-Gretel rolled into one

Min Yi and her supporters

Min Yi and her parents

Min Yi and me

Min Yi, Ms Chia and me

The supporters among the audience during the break

Going home ... "Smile, Jennifer!"

It has been a rewarding, albeit arduous, journey as we prepared for the PESA Competition. A lot of time and effort was committed to brush up the pronunciation of words, coming up with actions and gestures for the lines, refining the actions and the impersonation of various characters and varying the tone and pace of the storytelling. On many occasions, we had to rack our brains to think of how to make the characters come across as really evil, sad, shocked or puzzled etc. We deliberated on the props, facial expressions, the kind of voices the characters would use, right down to how Min Yi's eyes should look.

I'm quite glad of the outcome. Like I said in my earlier post about the Competition, it is already a feat for Min Yi to enter the Semi Final, given that she does not have as much support as the other PESA competitors in terms of the environment. She has come a long way to where she is. From someone who is not a natural when it comes to dramatisation, Min Yi has indeed put forth her best in the Competition.

I will say it one more time - Well done, Min Yi!