Parents Get into the Thick of Things
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Parents played timekeepers at the finishing line during the school's Sports Day.
From individual tutoring and counselling, to fun school events and even family-oriented Co-Curricular Activities, there’s a little bit of something for everyone; we’re not referring to teachers or school counsellors, but parents, and the many avenues they have to get to know our school better!
Ask one of our parents from Princess Elizabeth Primary School why she is actively involved in our parent support group activities, and her answer is simple: “I’m a homemaker and I achieve a sense of satisfaction knowing that I am contributing to society. My child has a better attitude towards school when he sees me involved in these activities, and I’ve also made a network of new friends from different races and backgrounds.”
These benefits and more have enabled us to consistently rope more parents into our programmes.
: A puppet-making workshop conducted by a parent for other parents and pupils.
Take counselling, for instance. Pop into our School Family Education Centre and you’ll find that it’s run by our parent volunteers, including two who are qualified educators and counsellors. They provide services such as counselling for pupils, and workshops and talks on life skills for pupils, parents and teachers. The Centre also extends Before-After School Care to pupils who need extra emotional support to help them with their problems.
As the Centre co-ordinator, parent volunteer Mrs Veron Sim, has observed, “Through these activities, parents develop a closer connection to the school. They see that the school is not just looking after their children, but helping to look after their needs as parents too.”
During the first week of school, parents act as teacher assistants in Pri 1 classes, helping new pupils adjust to school life.
Parents also volunteer in a wide range of our school-based academic programmes. Depending on what areas they are comfortable with, parents participate in Support-Me English and Mathematics, Reading Moms for English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil, and the Chinese Reading Club. Some parents also tutor pupils in English and Mathematics every week, chipping in to give weaker pupils the one-on-one attention they need.
All these programmes are helmed by the 3-PIE (Princess Parents as Partners In Education) committee. It works closely with our school leaders to come up with programmes that best complement the school’s broader learning objectives. Our Principal Mrs Mary Ngiam is very grateful for the parents’ dedication. “We’ve managed to forge closer links with parents and the parent volunteers have greatly enriched the school through their active participation. Their contributions have also helped the school achieve the Outstanding Character Development and Partners Award - we owe them a big thank-you!”
: Parents helping to set up the Gardening Club.
Looking ahead, the 3-PIE committee wants to do more, for example, by having career talks for graduating Pri 6 pupils. The group hopes to reach out to the community as well. It has started to work with the school to organise visits to charity homes such as St Luke’s Hospital for the Elderly. Parent volunteers also assist patients’ families through the hospital’s CareConnect@SLH, a resource centre on caregiving for the elderly.
Lively ideas, a wide gamut of activities and, most importantly, the hearty support of the parents themselves - with all that in place, parent support groups can really make a difference in the kind of education that their children enjoy.
Contributed by:
Mrs Ngui Poh Eng
Vice-Principal
Princess Elizabeth Primary School