Schoolbag.sg

Preparing Youths with Special Needs for the Working World

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:01:00 +0800

Metta School students go through an in-house baking program before they embark on external job attachments.

Until they reached Metta School, Azrin Bin Kamsani and Steven Jackson had little stability in his life. Steven was uprooted several times, moving across the continents from the Philippines to Japan to the United States, before settling down in Singapore. Azrin took a similarly circuitous route within Singapore, dropping out of school and living aimlessly for four years. It was only at Metta School that both young men gained a firm footing that enabled them to transition successfully to the next stage of their lives into the working world. Metta School provides special needs education to students with mild intellectual disability and autism. Recently it embarked on a two-year structured programme that offers nationally recognised vocational certification, under the Institute of Technical Education in the fields of baking, food preparation and housekeeping. Azrin and Steven are two of Metta's outstanding students from the program's pioneer batch.

Learning Chinese on the Go in Chinatown

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:01:00 +0800

Top prize winners Billy Aw and Alcalvie Leong from Anglican High School with their trail-enabled mobile phone at one of the hotspots.

A coolie, a rickshaw puller, a samsui woman and an opera singer - what do they have in common? Offhand, you'd probably say they're part of Singapore's history. Now, with the launch of a new Chinese-language learning trail through Chinatown, these historical figures have also become avatars - characters that students can take on and role play - as they embark on an interactive journey back in time. The Interactive Learning Trail in Chinatown is Singapore's first interactive, location-based, multi-player educational trail. It's developed around specially programmed mobile phones that students use to engage in activities to foster the learning of the Chinese language, at seven designated wireless-enabled hotspots in the neighbourhood. "The trail is a bit like The Amazing Race on TV, where contestants have to correctly complete various tasks before they are given the clue to the next location," explains Billy Aw, a Sec 2 student from Anglican High School. His schoolmate Alcalvie Leong chimes in, "At each location, there are a number of missions we can attempt. We have to plan our strategy and decide how many questions we want to answer at each location, in order to chalk up points and tokens, or quickly move on to the next location." The winning team is the one that accumulates the most points and tokens at the end of the game time.

Old Boys' Pride: Teaching at Their Alma Mater

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:01:00 +0800

Leading the Dragon Scouts is second nature for Mr Chan Hoong Leong (centre), who has served with the Scouts since he graduated from the school.

Gan Eng Seng School has come a long way since Mr Ang Ghim Chee and Mr Chan Hoong Leong were students there. Then, it was an all-boys school located at Raeburn Park. Today the school is situated at Henderson Road and it is a co-ed school with three academic streams. As for Mr Ang and Mr Chan, they are now teachers at their alma mater, having taught there for 12 and seven years respectively. Although they have witnessed many of the school's recent changes, they'll tell you that the heart of the school remains essentially the same.

Cooking up Meals and Solutions for the Elderly

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:01:00 +0800

Students in the Geriatric Care Programme have designed products such as this pill holder cum grinder to make life easier for the elderly.

Drop by East Spring Secondary School and you might find students fiddling with rather curious contraptions: a walking stick with a secret compartment for pills, an owl-like device that grind pills into powder, a trolley equipped with mysterious springs, and a reading table that can be transformed into a portable frame with wheels, lights and warning beeps. Toys for a new generation? Far from that - these gadgets are in fact inventions by Sec 3 students to make life safer and more convenient for the elderly. They were developed as part of an integrated programme in Geriatric Care, a multi-disciplinary curriculum in which students learn to develop practical solutions for the needs of the elderly based on lessons in Science, Design and Technology, Food and Nutrition, and Pastoral Care and Guidance.

Peirce Secondary knock Catholic High out of South Zone B Division basketball

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:01:00 +0800

CCAB, Friday, February 19, 2010 - Defending South Zone champions Catholic High crashed out of the South Zone B Division Basketball Championship after falling 49-59 to high-flying Peirce Secondary in the second round. Catholic High needed a win to have any hope of qualification from Group X after losing to Raffles Institution 61-52 in a previous match, but their opponents, who also beat RI on Wednesday, proved too strong for them. With the victory, the undefeated Peirce progress to the semi-final stage as winners of Group X while Raffles Institution, who finished second, are also through to the next round.

Jurong Secondary School emerge champions in West Zone B Division volleyball

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:01:00 +0800

Choa Chu Kang Sports Hall, Friday, February 19, 2010 - Jurong Secondary held off a persistent Nanyang Girls' High to emerge champions in the West Zone B Division Girls Volleyball Championship final. The game went to an exciting rubber set, which saw Nanyang fight back and almost cause an upset. Jurong eventually prevailed to win 2-1 (25-21, 18-25, 25-23). It was indeed sweet revenge for Jurong as they had narrowly lost to Nanyang in their earlier encounter at the group stage. The first point was won after a long rally, with Jurong mis-hitting on a receive. Both teams seemed to have trouble getting into the gear as safe hits saw long rallies ensue. However, Nanyang pulled off a quick one to lead 6-1, forcing Jurong to promptly call for a time out.

Canoe Polo Teams Dig Deep at NUS High

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:01:00 +0800

The five-aside game of canoe polo is fast, furious and not for the faint-hearted.

Okay, first of all, canoe polo? What? It's a sport, a high-energy combination of kayaking, basketball and water polo. It's played in a swimming pool 35 x 23 metres (i.e. slightly smaller than an Olympic-sized pool). What you need are single-seater canoes, double-"scooped" paddles, a ball, goalposts and nets, and two teams of five players and three substitutes. Then the game is on! Players navigate the water in their canoes, competing to score their highest number of goals. Depending on the competition format, a typical game may have a duration of five, seven or 10 minutes per half, with a short break in between. "The players also need to be kitted out in rash guards (athletic shirts worn for water sports), spray skirts (waterproof spray covers which prevent water from splashing into the canoe) and helmets," explains Singapore national canoe polo player Mr Loi Heng Fu. He coaches, among others, the only secondary school canoe polo teams in Singapore, at the NUS High School of Mathematics and Science. The school has three teams - two boys' and one girls', with 27 members in all - and they train at the NUS pool, up to five times a week in the lead-up to a competition.

Music Lessons to a Different Beat

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:01:00 +0800

Deyi Secondary School teaches Music course that emphasises the use of technology and a focus on contemporary hit songs.

If you think that music lessons in school are only about learning scores composed by long-departed composers with complicated-sounding names, then Deyi Secondary School's classroom for the new GCE Music subject for Normal (Technical) stream students will surprise you. Step inside and you won't see a single piano or a score sheet stand - only rows and rows of computers. That's not the only contemporary thing about the course. Students also get to work with some of their favourite chart-topping pop songs in class. While most of the students have no prior training in music, they do share one thing - a huge interest in it. The course is currently in its second year and has had no shortage of takers. "We even have two students who are so passionate about music that they are taking the course, even though it is outside of their curriculum time," says music teacher Ms Ng Hwei Sung.

Yio Chu Kang Primary School Goes Single Session

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:01:00 +0800

For families with children in different levels, going single session means that parents can bring them to school together.

Since the 1950s, Yio Chu Kang Primary School has operated in two sessions. But this year, it became a single session school. The school day now starts at 8 a.m., so that students can wake up later and have a decent breakfast. While the overall school day is about the same length, twice a week it runs until 3 p.m. to incorporate CCA time into the time-table. This gives even Pri 1 and 2 pupils the opportunity to enjoy CCA. The transition from double to single session was principal Mrs Teo Whye Choo's first major task when she took over the school in December last year. "There is a lot more synergy now with the single session. I personally enjoy seeing the whole school together and the pupils from different levels interacting together," she says of the changes so far. At the beginning of last year, the school began making preparations for the transition to single session. This included reducing slightly the intake of students and communicating to parents the impending change in curriculum time through briefings and letters. But most of the preparations took place behind the scenes, among staff who took on new and different roles.

National School Games Open in Sporting Style

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:01:00 +0800

A high-energy taekwondo display and a hard-fought softball match were the highlights of the National School Games opening ceremony on 1 February 2010 at Raffles Institution. For the first time in the 51-year history of the Schools National Championships, an opening ceremony was held to mark the occasion as well as the change of name to National School Games. Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Education, was the guest of honour and threw the opening pitch for the opening match of softball between Raffles Institution and Hwa Chong Institution. In her speech, she announced the setting up of Youth Sports Academies to provide centralised training for athletes who are in secondary school, junior college or the centralised institute. The first three academies to be set up in March 2010 are in badminton (Bedok View Secondary School), wushu (Meridian Junior College) and table tennis (MOE CCA branch). This photo essay brings you the highlights of the National School Games opening ceremony.

Gearing Up for Pri 1 (Part 2)

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:01:00 +0800

Principal Mrs Mary Ngiam (right) and MOE Parent Ambassador Ms Veron Sim (left) fielded questions from parents during the lively Q&A session.

On 30 January 2010, MOE held a seminar "Preparing Your Child for Primary School: A Parent Seminar", which drew over 500 parents. The two speakers were Mrs Mary Ngiam, Principal of Princess Elizabeth Primary School and Mrs Veron Sim, MOE Parent Ambassador. (You can read about their presentations in part 1 of this Schoolbag report.) After their presentations, the speakers fielded queries from parents in the audience regarding selection of schools, registration procedures and the educational framework set out for primary schools. Here are some of the questions that were posed during the Q&A session:

Gearing Up for Pri 1 (Part 1)

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:01:00 +0800

Mrs Mary Ngiam, principal of Princess Elizabeth Primary School, explained the framework for primary education to over 500 parents.

If you were one of the over 500 parents who came for the MOE parent seminar "Preparing Your Child for Primary School" on 30 January, you'd have been welcomed by an enthusiastic display of talent by the pupils of Princess Elizabeth Primary School. There were rousing performances by the symphonic band, Chinese orchestra, string ensemble, choir, harmonica band, Chinese, Malay and Indian dance groups and the wushu group - setting the tone for principal Mrs Mary Ngiam's introduction to primary school education as the years of discovery. "Children should have exposure to a wide range of activities in their formative years - both academic and non-academic," said Mrs Ngiam, the first speaker for the day. She went on to emphasise the broad, holistic approach to primary school education and highlighted the new Programme for Active Learning (PAL). When it is rolled out in all schools, it will provide more opportunities for children to develop skills and interests in sports, outdoor education, and the performing and visual arts. Beyond PAL, new engaging teaching methods will also mean more fun in and out of the classroom for the kids.

Making Pre-school Education Better

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:01:00 +0800

Carol puts up useful articles about parenting at her workspace, so that colleagues who drop by can pick up new information.

While Ms Carol Loi has held various positions in the ten years she has been working at MOE, you could say that it's in her current position that her work is having the most direct impact on her own family. Since July 2008 she has been the Senior Head for Pre-School Administration in MOE's Pre-School Education Branch - and during this time her daughters Nicole and Gillian have also been passing through pre-school. What does a Senior Head do? In Carol's case, she is part of a team that looks into strengthening the quality of pre-school administration. She manages financial schemes for kindergartens, including the administration of various professional development programmes for kindergarten teachers, and organises learning and sharing sessions for kindergarten principals and teachers. She also has a slew of administrative responsibilities under her belt, related to the media, event management, human resources, finance and procurement. All this might sound far removed from the day-to-day activities of a pre-school, but Carol's work has a trickle-down effect to how young children are taught and nurtured. For example, in November 2009 she led the team to organise the Kindergarten Learning Forum which for the first time was open to all 3,500 kindergarten principals and teachers, teacher trainers and stakeholders.

ITE beat NYP to move on to IVP men's floorball final

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:01:00 +0800

Republic Polytechnic, Friday, January 22, 2010 - The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) beat the Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) 2-2 (1-0 on penalties) to book their place in the final of the Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP) Floorball Championship. ITE scored first in the opening quarter to take the lead, only to see NYP draw level and then take the lead in the second quarter. ITE then found an equalizer in the last quarter as both teams fought it out to win the game in regular time. At times NYP looked like the team more likely to bring the game home but excellent defense by ITE brought the game to extra time. Neither of the teams managed to make the most out of the scoring opportunities presented to them in the five minutes of extra time, leading to a penalty shootout which was full of saves and misses to decide the winner. Eventually, the solitary goal by Syazni (ITE #25) won them the match and place in the final. ITE will face RP in the finals that will take place on Monday, January 25, at Republic Poly. This photo essay brings you the highlights of the game:

National Under-18 Cross-country Championship Results

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:01:00 +0800

Aldrich Lim in action during the 2009 POSB Run for Kids.

Bedok Reservoir, Saturday, January 23, 2010 - Aldrich Lim of Naval Base Secondary School defeated a strong field which included several top junior athletes to become Singapore's new Under-18 cross-country champion at the Singapore Athletic Association (SAA) Cross-Country Championships. He clocked a time of 17:40 min over the 5km long route and in doing so, Aldrich established himself as a strong contender for the B Division National Schools Championships, which will be held on March 24th.