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Celebrations / Events

Hand-in-Hand

Achievements

Highlights

Newsbytes

Joy in Learning, Pure in Act Term 3 2015

Vice Principal’s Message

A newsletter of Evergreen Primary School

Dear Parents / Guardian and Pupils,

Term 3 has been an exciting term with a series of events to celebrate SG50

with the nation. To remind us of the importance of respecting one

another, we commemorated Racial Harmony Day with the theme

‘Harmony in Our Hands’. All pupils were reminded that they play an

important role in building harmony in our society. Recess activities were

held to promote inter-racial understanding. The whole school also

participated in the Orange Ribbon Project to support the movement in

helping to promote racial harmony.

We ‘Dare to Innovate’ and celebrated SG50 National Day with a difference

at Evergreen. We invited 50 grandparents and our pioneer educators,

brought back the Great Singapore Workout, set up the Singapore

Dream@Evergreen art exhibition, created an art button Montage of

Singapore and built our future with the SG50 Lego sets. It was a day of

‘Cherishing the Past, Celebrating the Present, Creating the Future’. We

hope our pupils will be inspired to strive for their best and contribute

actively to the building of SG100.

While our Netball girls continued to do us proud at the National Primary

Schools Netball Tournament, our Art Club members have also achieved

commendable results at the SYF Art Exhibition and N5 Cluster Art

Competition. They will also be conducting workshops at the Woodlands

Regional Library to share their passion in Art with the younger children.

Congratulations to all pupils who have done well in various competitions.


Term 3 2015

We would not be able to achieve all these without the committed teachers and

supportive parents. Let us continue to work together to provide a great learning

experience for all our pupils in Evergreen Primary.

Here’s wishing all teachers a Happy Teachers’ Day! To the P6 pupils, work hard and

give your best in the upcoming PSLE! For the rest of the pupils, enjoy your holidays!

Mrs Pearlyn Wai

Vice-Principal (Academic)

Vice Principal’s Message


Term 3 2015

(A) CCA

1. National Primary Schools Netball Tournament 2015

The school would like to congratulate the netball senior and junior teams on their excellent performance in the National Primary Schools Netball Tournament this year. Both teams made it to the Top 8. Kudos to the pupils for their hard work!

2. Singapore Youth Festival Art Exhibition 2015

The SYF 2015 Art Exhibition is organised to celebrate the artist in every child and to showcase creative ideas, aspirations and the hard work put into the artistic expressions of pupils.

The Art Club pupils did the school proud when two out of three of their artworks were specially

selected to be displayed at the SYF Exhibition at Raffles City Shopping Centre. These artworks were

entitled ‘Rooted to Singapore’ (Category A) and ‘Mudflat to Metropolis’ (Category C). The opening

ceremony of this exhibition was launched by our Director-General of Education, Mr Wong Siew Hoong

on 9 July 2015. The 20 Art Club pupils who created these artworks were also awarded the Certificate

of Recognition by the SYF committee. The exhibition was opened to the public from 10 July to 19 July

2015. Congratulations to the pupils for a job well done!

3. N5 Cluster Art Competition Four of our Art club pupils participated in the N5 Cluster Art Competition at Si Ling Secondary School on 11 August 2015. Although the competition was stiff, these pupils emerged as winners in the following categories:

Lower Primary Category

Name Class Award

Miasara Binte Mohamad Norfitri 3 Care 1st

Lim Xin Ying 3 Care 2nd

Upper Primary Category

Name Class Award

Yeo Wan Lin 5 Care 2nd

Jeileeana Glehsa Magbato Alog 5 Care 3rd

We would like to congratulate them for their effort and perseverance!

Achievements


(B) Academic

1. Singapore Mathematical Olympiad Sixteen P6 pupils participated in the Singapore Mathematical Olympiad for Primary Schools 2015 (SMOPS 2015) organised by Hwa Chong Institution on 11 April. We are pleased to announce that the following pupils have attained the following award:

Name Class Award Yap Hao Yang 6 Care Silver

Tang Jing Lun 6 Care Bronze Wong Yuen Sum Sophia 6 Care Bronze

Chia Bing Xuan 6 Care Bronze

2. Raffles Science Olympiad (RSO) 2015

Five pupils from 5 Care represented the school in the Raffles Science Olympiad (RSO) 2015 Preliminary Round which was held on 18 April 2015. The RSO aims to provide an opportunity for bright young pupils to develop scientific attitudes, skills and values in Science, including creative thinking, critical thinking, integrity and objectivity. Arivezhagan Sudhan, Rithikha Ranganathan, Wang Jiayun Keane and Tay Kai Han received certificates of participation. Lee Jia Ni was among the top 10% of participants from the Preliminary Round who qualified for a Junior Experiential Science programme and the Final Round during the June vacation. Out of the 39 finalists, 11 attained the Gold Award and Lee Jia Ni was one of the proud winners. Congratulations to all the pupils for their achievement!

3. 14th Elementz Science Project Competition and Exhibition

The annual Elementz Science Project Competition is an event which generates interest in scientific study through investigative-type projects. The theme for this year is Shaping Our Future with Science. This year, our school sent two teams for the competition held at Anderson Secondary School in July 2015. Out of the 48 primary school teams that participated, our 2 teams clinched 1 Gold award and 1 Bronze award. Kudos to these pupils for their hard work and effort!

Primary 4 Team

Team Members Project Title Award Teacher Mentor

Derek Zhang (4 Care) Wong Li Heng (4 Care) Ong Zi Yan (4 Care) Liow Shang Yu (4 Faith)

Zooming Our Way with Solar Gold Mdm Nurhida

Primary 5 Team

Team Members Project Title Award Teacher Mentor

Johanne Gabriel Pelayo Lumuaug (5 Hope) Lew Yu Hong, Ryo (5 Hope) Bryant Chong Jia Wei (5 Hope)

Power Up, Solar Car!

Bronze Ms Khalisah

Term 3 2015


4. Malay Language Journalism Competition

About 50 pupils from primary schools islandwide participated in a competition organised by Berita Harian during the June holidays. The competition, themed as ‘Exploring the Alive Museum’, aimed to expose pupils to the world of journalism. Pupils had the opportunity to experience the work of a reporter as they completed the tasks assigned. These tasks included interviewing the public before writing a newspaper report. The team from our school came in second. Congratulations to these pupils for a job well done!

5. Malay Language Nyidra Competition Our school participated in a singing-cum-drama competition organised by Yusof Ishak Secondary School. The competition was organised in conjunction with the Malay Language Month. The school would like to commend these pupils for their excellent work and courage shown during the performance.

6. Malay Language Creative Writing Competition Our school participated in a creative writing competition organised by Pusat Bahasa Nusa. The pupils put together their creative and writing skills to come up with well-written stories. Kudos to these pupils for their hard work!

Name Class

Nur Kaisah Bte Abdul Kadir 6 Care

Ameerah Binte Mohd Shahrin 6 Care

Nur Farah Atiqah Bte Suandi 6 Charity

Name Class Award

Md. Taqriz 4 Hope 2nd position

Farisha Natasha 4 Faith 1st position & Best Actor Award

Name Class Award

Khairul Hadif 3 Joy Silver Award

Farisha Natasha 4 Faith Silver Award

Ameena 4 Care Gold Award

Term 3 2015



Term 3 2015

To commemorate SG 50, the NE committee together with the PE department brought back the Great Singapore Workout for the National Day Celebration on 6 August 2015. It was a fitness routine under the National Healthy Lifestyle Programme launched on 3 October 1993 by then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong at the old National Stadium. Back then, the 15-minute workout at Padang actually went into the Guinness Book of Records for the largest mass aerobic session at one location featuring a crowd of 26 107 people. With that spirit in mind, the pupils had been practising hard during their PE lessons to execute the steps to the tune of the iconic song.

The Great

Singapore

Workout

Primary 3

Swim Safer

Programme

Our school hosted a group of 30 students, 5 teachers and the principal from Hangzhou Renmin Primary School in July. The 4-day exchange program started with a special welcoming ceremony led by Mr Amirul and his pupils with a Kompang performance. Different cultural activities were planned for the Hangzhou pupils and teachers so as to provide them with the opportunity to learn more about our diverse cultures and customs. The P5 buddies were extremely excited to catch up with their China counterparts whom they have made friends with during the immersion program in May. A group of P4 students had the opportunity to interact with the Hangzhou students in their classrooms during curriculum time. The home visit provided the group with an authentic experience of living in Singapore’s HDB flat. The programme ended with a farewell ceremony whereby students from both schools showcased their talents. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by both principals and it was agreed that the partnership will continue from 2016 to 2018.

In order to inculcate a love for Mathematics, the Mathematics Department conducted a series of Math activities for the Primary 1 to Primary 4 pupils. It was conducted in Term 3, Week 4. During the Math Week, the Math Warriors from each class held sandwich boards which displayed different questions for pupils of different levels to answer. As they walked around in the canteen during recess, they encouraged their schoolmates to participate. The questions were largely made of brainteasers based on concepts that pupils have learnt. Thus, the questions were presented in a fun but challenging way. Upon checking that the answers given were correct, the Math Warriors then proceeded to give out tokens to the pupils. Overall, the pupils found the activities fun and engaging.

Math

Week

Hangzhou

Exchange

Programme

In July, the Tamil department organised Tamil Amutham, a Tamil Literary Competition, as part of the Mother Tongue Fortnight week. Pupils from all levels took part in the competition and showcased their talents and ability to speak in Tamil. Parents graced this event and provided encouragement for the pupils.

Tamil

Amutham


Term 3 2015


A group of selected Primary 5 pupils taking the Tamil Language as their Mother Tongue went on a Learning Journey to Bangalore, India in June. The main objective of this learning journey was to create awareness amongst our pupils. They learned about the way of life and the values and beliefs of people from other countries. During this trip, pupils had the opportunity to visit Pragathi, the school where they experienced learning in a different context and made new friends. Pupils also enjoyed learning about the rich history and culture of Bangalore.

Official

Opening

of Sports

Hub

P5

NE Show

Our Primary 5 pupils went for the annual National Education Show on 25 July 2015. The objective of the show was to provide a positive NDP spectator experience for all Primary 5 pupils across the nation. The NDP theme this year is ‘Majulah Singapura’ which means ‘Onwards Singapore’. Donned in our specially designed red T-shirts, teachers and pupils made their way excitedly to The Padang, a historic venue, to celebrate Singapore’s Golden Jubilee. Upon arrival, pupils were immersed in the fun-filled activities organised by the NDP committee. Marking this momentous 50th birthday was a spectacular integrated show, combining traditional crowd favourites like the Parade and Ceremony, Aerial and Naval Displays and Mobile Column to bring together a mass display with song and dance. The show ended with a loud bang, with spectators looking in awe at the spectacular fireworks display.

Learning

Journey to

Bangalore,

India

On Sunday 26 July 2015, 80 pupils, staff and parents witnessed the opening of the Singapore Sports Hub. The official opening was woven into the ‘Youth Celebrate!’ programme signifying that our new national icon has been built for current and future generations of Singaporeans to use and enjoy. The Guest-of-Honour, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, officiated the opening. It was indeed a momentous event. Tay Kai Han from 5 Care contributed in the two aquatic record-setting feats; “SG 50 Youth Celebrate! Largest Floating Singapore Flag” and “Most Number of Laps Swum in One Hour”. Well done!

The Singapore

Dream@Evergreen

Art Exhibition and

The Lion Roar

workshop

at Woodlands

Regional Library

The Singapore Dream@Evergreen art exhibition portrayed our young artists’ aspirations and dreams for the future of Singapore. We hope to foster in our young children a strong sense of connectedness and belonging to Singapore. These artworks by our pupils will be displayed at the Woodlands Regional Library from 5 September to 13 September 2015. Our Art Club pupils will also be conducting an art workshop at the Woodlands Regional Library on 5 September 2015. Children aged 8 to 10 will be encouraged to create a simple lion art piece using mixed media techniques by incorporating everyday materials such as straws, fabric, toothpicks, pipe cleaners and other recycled materials. We hope that these children will learn to appreciate the green movement and how things can be recycled or repurposed to create beautiful artworks.


Term 3 2015


The theme for this year’s Racial Harmony Day (RHD) was Harmony in Our Hands. It has been 50 years since independence and we have been enjoying harmony through the years. The younger generation has a big role to play in determining if Singapore continues to enjoy harmony for years to come. The next lap is in the hands of the young, who must take ownership of building harmony in our society.

To commemorate this special day, an assembly talk, in collaboration with Language Fiesta, was conducted on 21 July 2015. A series of activities were also conducted for the pupils on 20 and 21 July 2015. Pupils had the opportunity to play with traditional Malay instruments such as the kompang, as well as to pick up some Chinese dancing skills from our Chinese dance members during recess. In addition, pupils also had lots of fun with Henna Drawing. The Orange Ribbon Movement activity ended the commemoration of Racial Harmony Day. The orange ribbon is a symbol of harmony, equality, freedom and universal brotherhood. Pupils put on their orange ribbons to pledge their commitment in maintaining racial harmony for the years to come.

The atmosphere over these few days was certainly one filled with nostalgia and excitement for many.

The English Department, in collaboration with the NE Department, organised the Language Fiesta and Racial Harmony Day from 20 to 24 July 2015. As in previous years, various activities were planned for all pupils across the levels, not forgetting the popular Language Fiesta video, an annual performance of short skits put up by our very own teachers. The lower primary pupils had an enjoyable time putting on their sandwich boards and asking their peers questions. The upper primary pupils participated in classroom-based activities, pitting themselves against their classmates. This year, two new activities were organised for the Primary 4 and Primary 5 pupils. The pupils competed in a spelling bee competition and on-the-spot story challenge respectively. Photos of the pupils participating in the various activities can be found in the school’s official Instagram account, @evergreenprimaryschool.

Language

Fiesta 2015

Racial

Harmony

Day

The Malay Language Department decided to take a new approach in organising the Hari Raya Aidilfitri concert this year. The whole concert was centred around a skit, which included performance items such as the Kompang (a musical instrument), a Malay Dance, a Dikir Barat performance and a dance item by the Malay/Muslim teachers from various departments. To end off the joyous concert, the school had a sing-a-long session as the finale. As this year’s theme was ‘Gotong-royong’, the concert was a group effort by the pupils and the teachers who made the concert a success.

Hari Raya

Concert


Term 3 2015


National Day

Celebration

The Golden Jubilee served as a timely reminder of the foundation of our continued existence, calling on Singaporeans to remember our roots, reflect on our achievements over the last 50 years and anticipate the future with optimism. To celebrate our nation’s 50th birthday, our school had planned a series of events and activities prior to and on 6 August 2015. The theme for the celebration was ‘Cherishing the Past, Celebrating the Present, Creating the Future’.

Cherishing Our Past Since 2014, the school has progressively done up our National Education (NE) Learning Walls to highlight the History of Singapore, Our Heritage, our Founding Fathers, Our Presidents and Prime Ministers. The school has designed a Heritage Trail@Artstar, where our pupils took a walk down memory lane to learn how olden Singapore was like and to appreciate and remember the contributions of our pioneer generation.

Celebrating Our Present The school invited our pioneer educators and 50 grandparents of our Primary 5 and Primary 6 pupils to join in our National Day Celebration on 6 August. Our guests participated in the Observance Ceremony in the morning before joining the students in The Great Singapore Workout. They were invited to view The Singapore Dream@Evergreen Art Exhibition at the ArtsFusion which captured the dreams and aspirations of our Primary 1 to 6 young artists. Some of the exhibits made our guests reminisce about the good times in the past during the trail. Our guests were then invited for a brunch session where their grandchildren presented them with handmade tokens to thank them for their contributions over the years. They had lots of fun taking candid polaroid shots with their grandchildren at our photo booth counter.

Creating Our Future One of the highlights of the celebration was the unveiling of the SG50 Montage Project, a button art montage put together by the teachers, students and non-teaching staff in Evergreen Primary school. Every member of the school came together to piece buttons of various shapes, sizes and colours in forming a map of Singapore. In doing so, we believe that everyone has a part to play in Singapore’s success and pledged to commit ourselves to build a brighter future together as one Singapore. In the classroom, students were excited to build the famous landmarks of Singapore with their Lego sets. Through this activity, they were able to appreciate Singapore’s heritage and recognize their role in sharing Singapore’s heritage with others.

We hope that through these activities, our pupils can reflect, participate and express what National Day, and most importantly, what being Singaporean mean to them.


Term 3 2015

BALANCING EXPECTATIONS

How do we as parents balance our expectations for our children while allowing them to pursue their own interests?

It is natural to have an "image" of what we want our child to become in future. Our education is directly related to this imagination, but when and how should we allow a child to develop his/her own preferences and attractions?

As parents, we know that we have prior experiences that guide us in knowing what is good for our children and in helping us to decide upon particular values we have and want to instill in our children. However, we have to also know that our child will have differences of opinion. Parents have to allow room for this and the exploration every child needs to find their talent and passion. It is helpful to come back to the following questions and try to answer them honestly: 1. Am I pushing this for my child's health?

2. Am I pushing this for my child's education and later career success in whatever career he/she may have?

3. Am I pushing this because it fits my image of my child or because it will help him/her with his/her own goals?

If we are pushing something because it fits with our image of our child as a success, we are probably in need of some reflective time. However, if we are pushing something for our child's own health (e.g. encouraging them to eat the greens instead of the neon-coloured corn product coated in sugar), then we are doing what we need to as parents. It is question Number 2 that gets a little trickier and needs the most thought. Wanting to expose our child to a wide variety of healthy experiences is a good thing. Wanting to narrow them into one activity alone and over-focusing on one thing runs the risk of pushing a child in an area that is not their interest at the exclusion of things that are their interests.

As an example, here are some points a parent may consider when dealing with the above issues:

My Goals: I want my child to be healthy, successful academically in a general way, find a passion, have athletic ability and activity to fall back on for health, be able to swim (for her safety on boats, docks and around pools), and have some sort of musical ability. My Child's Goals: My daughter just wants to have fun and do something that allows her to have time to "hang out with friends”.

Hand-in-Hand


Term 3 2015

What I Ask of My Child: In order to attain my goals for her while respecting most of her wishes, she is currently (at age seven) required to take swimming lessons until she proves she can move around in the water independently enough to get from one side of the pool to the other and know basic open water safety rules, take a class that teachers her a musical skill, and participate in a sport. By handling things this way, I feel I am attempting to give her skills that are important for her future well-being both physically and in possible career fields (As an example, learning how to work collaboratively and as part of a team is a good general skill that a child might learn while playing a team sport. It is also well established that there is a relationship between a child's activity levels and success in school). At the same time, I am not specifying exactly the activity itself - she gets to choose that. I played the piano for eleven years as well as the flute for about five - if she chose drums, or the guitar, or the saxophone, or stuck with the vocal lessons, she would still be meeting my goals while exploring her interest).

For the sport, swimming would count, but she chooses to also do Tai Kwon Do and is considering trying soccer. For music, she has taken voice classes in the past, but recently chose to switch to piano.

I have to be careful about - It easy to get a plate that is too full, so I often have to ask my daughter to give something up in order to try the next new thing. It is a constant balancing act. It also sometimes comes into contradiction with teaching commitment, tenacity and perseverance. When she wants to quit because something is hard, I won't let her. When she wants to quit something because it just isn't a passion for her - then, I don't see the point in forcing her to continue (unless it is something required for school like writing, or something I require her to do because the skill is important, like swimming). In the case of swimming, I have been absolutely up front about why she needs to be able to swim and given her an "out" or a goal to shoot for, that when reached, the choice becomes hers whether to stay or quit.

If parents approach things with this kind of a philosophy (but pointed at the things that are most important to you) you also have to have a good relationship with your child where your child is comfortable discussing his/her hopes, dreams, desires and goals with you.

Adapted from responses of “Iian” and “Balanced Mama” at http://parenting.stackexchange.com

A Great Resource to Help Families Communicate as well as think through things like this The methods covered in "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families" and "The Seven Habits of Happy Kids" could help parents to identify what their goals are and to communicate and discuss those goals while keep everything in balance.

http://parenting.stackexchange.com/

http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/0307440850


Term 3 2015

Newsbytes

Special Interview with our Operations Managers (OMs) : Mr Majeed & Mr Gulam

Q1) Describe briefly a typical day of work at school.

Mr Majeed & Mr Gulam: OMs work on two shifts: (a) the early shift (7a.m.-4p.m.) & (b) the late shift (9.30a.m.-6.30p.m.). We have to oversee operational needs (eg logistics, security) as well as estate management matters (eg breakdowns, servicing). Our job scope also includes handling disciplinary issues among pupils and ensuring their safety. Occasionally, there may also be projects that the school requires us to work on (eg getting quotations, arranging booking of venues for teachers’ needs).

Q2) What do you enjoy about your profession?

Mr Majeed: Basically, I enjoy meeting and helping others (eg staff, pupils, vendors, and the public). It gives me great satisfaction whenever I am able to make at least 3 people happy during each tour of duty by successfully solving their problems. That would certainly make my day! Mr Gulam: I enjoy meeting and getting to know the pupils. It is a joy to watch them as they grow and progress to secondary school. Even after the pupils have graduated from primary school, they would sometimes return to this school to meet the staff.

Q3) What changes would you like to see in the pupils of Evergreen?

Mr Majeed: Hopefully they will take more responsibility in helping to keep the school environment clean. The school is like their ‘second home’, so they should play their part in ensuring that the classrooms and toilets are not dirty. The cleaners can only do so much, but ultimately it’s the users who are capable of making the school a much better place. Mr Gulam: Pupils should take more responsibility in maintaining the cleanliness of the classrooms, washrooms and other venues in the school premises. They should also be more aware of their surroundings and be responsible for their own safety. For example, even when the lightning alert is turned on, I sometimes notice pupils walking across the parade square.


Newsbytes

Term 3 2015

WELCOME! FAREWELL…

We would like to extend a warm welcome to the following teachers who have just joined Evergreen Primary School:

Miss Eliza Tan

Miss Esther Goh

We bid farewell to the following staff who will be going to NIE for their training. We wish them every success in their future endeavours:

Miss Vikneshwari

Mdm Ong Xi Jun

Miss Angela Huang

Thanking Our Partners

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all the Parent Volunteers who had helped out during the Racial Harmony Day and Language Fiesta. We would also like to thank those who have helped during our SG50 National Day Celebrations. We look forward to your continued support.

We would like to congratulate Mr Samy Lim (Year Head, P5/P6) and Mr Melvin Chua Ee Song (School Advisory Committee member) for being conferred the Commendation Medal and Public Service Star BBM respectively by his Excellency, President of Singapore on our National Day 2015.

Congratulations!

Vice Principal’s Message Parents... · Team Members Project Title Award Teacher Mentor Johanne...

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