A Publication of CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace 4 Chestnut Drive Singapore Issue 43 May 2016

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1 the Niche Website: A Publication of CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace 4 Chestnut Drive Singapore Issue 43 May 2016 Principal s Message t CHIJ Our Lady Queen of Peace, we cherish our rich history of more than 162 years where the first IJ school in Singapore was founded in 1854 by the Sisters of the Infant Jesus. Today, keeping to the school s motto Simple in Virtue, Steadfast in Duty, our IJ girls are reminded to live upright lives of personal virtue and to contribute their talents in bettering the lives of others around them. Being a Christ-centred school, we firmly believe in the importance of a holistic education that extends beyond the confines of the classroom. We want our pupils to excel not only academically but also physically, socially, emotionally and mentally with strong character and leadership qualities. CHIJ OLQP is a learning environment where every staff believes that all pupils can achieve high levels of learning. Every staff is committed in nurturing each and every child to help them maximize their potential to be young confident ladies who have moral character and genuine love for learning, leading and serving God and others. As a staff, we will continue to dedicate ourselves to Professional Learning Community initiatives directed towards improving student achievement and school culture. As a school, we will continue to promote the Virtues Project in shaping the character of our students. We are indeed heartened to share how our students have grown in this journey and demonstrated the virtues learnt. Last year, a group of Sparkling Angels initiated a Cleaner s Day to show their appreciation to all the school cleaners displaying their virtue of thankfulness. This year, our students initiated the Love Your Pet, Love Our Environment campaign to show their virtues of love, care, respect and consideration for the environment we live in. They will be presenting their project at the Sports & Environment Symposium on 26 May The language of virtues has certainly helped our students become more purposeful individuals. We look forward to engaging our pupils further and providing opportunities for them to grow and champion. This year, we are happy to announce that our school will be embarking on its PERI upgrading project to provide better facilities to support teaching and learning opportunities for our students. This project will commence on 30 May Indeed, we have been blessed with wonderful students, dedicated staff, supportive parents and partners and God s grace! We look forward to the strong continued support as we journey towards our school s vision, Learner, Leader, Lady. Always remembering to be Simple in Virtue, Steadfast in Duty Mrs Tan-Lim Kim Gek Principal A

2 Highlights Animated Drama Club members marvelled the crowd with their enthusiasm and creative dance moves. Our Brownies greeting Guest-of-Honour, Mrs Julia Woo. Our Top PSLE Student, Mandy Ngoh Wan Ning, delivering her valedictorian speech. Honours Day 2O16 Celebrating Achievements with Pupils and Stakeholders beautiful rendition of our school song filled the hall in A the evening of 1 April. Our school spiritedly celebrated Honours Day 2016 and the event featured our achievements and successes for Sister Joan and Vice Principal Mdm Reddy admiring handmade works of art by our pupils. The happy occasion was graced by Guest-of-Honour, Mrs Julia Woo, Superintendent, West 8, Schools Division, MOE. Both academic and Colours Awards were given out to deserving students. In our Principal, Mrs Tan s speech, she recapped the highlights from the last academic year and affirmed the efforts of our girls and staff. She shared meaningful and ongoing projects that we collaborate with our partners, in addition to the key plans for the school s upcoming PERI Upgrading. An exciting and memorable part of Honours Day 2016 was the concert performance put together by our Junior Tap Dancers, Drama Club and the Choir. The Tap Dancers showed off their dance moves by performing the number Fried Rice Paradise, written by local composer, Mr Dick Lee. Our Mother Mathilde recipient, Arthena Anushka Thenpandiyan. The Mother Mathilde Award is a holistic achievement award accorded to an all-rounded Primary 6 pupil who displays character traits of Mother Mathilde. Congratulations to all our deserving prize recipients! The Drama Club showcased their musical talents and entertained the crowd with the popular tune Under the Sea from the movie The Little Mermaid. Our talented Choir girls captivated the audience with their melodious voices as they sang Night of the Rainbow. Our students presenting to our guests with confidence. Mrs Tan shared the highlights of the last academic year. 2 The audience was captivated by the melodious voices of our choir members.

3 Highlights North West Outstanding School Partners Award This year, our school received the North West Outstanding School Partners Gold Award. This award is given to show recognition to outstanding school partners who have been most supportive in contributing and building a caring and healthy North West Community. North West CDC Outstanding All-Rounder Student Awards Congratulations to our P6 girls who have been conferred the North West CDC Outstanding All Rounder Student Awards! They have excelled in their studies, CCAs and are serving the community. Caryn Chew Yun Xin (6H) attained the highest award at the CDC Level. She is our Assistant Head Prefect, and the Captain of our Senior Netball Team. Caryn Chew Ellka Khoh Elka Khoh (6H) is awarded the OARS Award at School Level. She has been exemplary in the discharge of her responsibilities as the Head Prefect and she is an inspiration to the entire student body. Koo Min Seo (6H) is awarded the OARS Award at School Level. As a prefect, Min Seo has been faithful in serving the student body. Congratulations to Caryn, Ellka and Min Seo once again! Koo Min Seo P3 Breakfast with Daughters On 12 and 13 April 2016, our Primary 3 pupils had the opportunity to bond with their parents over breakfast in the school canteen. A variety of nutritious breakfast items were prepared by the parents. Under the coordination of the Parent Support Group (PSG), the Breakfast with Daughters event was a huge success! The spread of sumptuous breakfast items, the large turnout of parents and the smiling faces of our Primary 3 pupils were a testament to the event s success. Posing for a picture after a hearty breakfast. Parents spending quality time with their daughters. Girls displaying the virtue of patience when queuing for food. 3

4 Highlights At our IJ Olympics Carnival, our parents active involvement played a big part in forging stronger bonds amongst pupils, teachers and parents alike. IJ Olympic Carnival 2016 Our annual games day is a special day during which a combination of skills, honed over the months, is showcased. Lower Primary girls displayed their agility in novelty games, while the Upper Primary girls showcased their talents in competitive sports. At every IJ Olympics event, we pledge to care for the environment. This year, once again, the ECO flag reminds everyone of the importance of conserving the environment so that we can continue to enjoy fresh air and pleasant outdoor landscapes for sports and games. Our very own IJ Olympics Torch which our Netball Senior Team Captain handed to our Principal Mrs Tan to mark the opening of the games. Medals await our winners! The P2 girls in Jumpy Ball. Captain s Ball Challenge for the P4 girls. P1 game: Ice Cream Exchange. The P1 girls in Let s Get Across. 4 The P5 girls in the Frisbee Challenge.

5 IP Department English Department EL Week finale. All s well ends well. English Language Week cum International Friendship Day (4 April to 8 April) The annual English Language Week swung by again this April, embracing the theme Speaking the Language of Friendship! Pupils were engaged in fun-filled activities to deepen the love for the English Language. The department s mascot, Miss Wise, kicked off the opening together with an animated storytelling segment by our Moo-O Merit Award winners. Word Hunters in action! A Friendship Dessert created by Primary 4 Love. The whole week saw mass participation by pupils in the Haiku Writing Challenge, Tongue Twister Competition and Word Search Puzzles. Our P5 pupils had the opportunity to witness a Speech Competition and rooted excitedly for their friends who represented their classes. Interesting level activities such as creating Friendship Desserts, writing limericks and postcards were conducted during English periods. P4s making Ice Longan Friendship Dessert. The highlight of the week was the CHIJ Young Poets and Storytellers Competition. Lower Primary contestants recited poems on friendship while Upper Primary contestants impressed the audience with their original skits and expressive acting skills. The pupils had a wonderful time watching the performances! Emcees clad in international costumes introducing to the audience the closing ceremony items. During the finale, our spontaneous girls paired up with teachers to model their international costumes from different countries. The English Language Week-cum-International Friendship Day not only ignited the love and passion for English Language, but also instilled in them the virtue of friendliness. Enthusiastic participants working on the tongue twisters. This year, we selected 15 pupils from Primary 4 to 6 to represent the school at the Preliminary Round of the National Spelling Championship These pupils were shortlisted after a Spelling Bee competition was held in school in January. This round of the competition was held on 26 March 2016 at Suntec Convention Centre where a pen-and-paper test was administered to shortlist pupils for the Zonal round. Although our pupils were not selected for the Zonal round, they persevered and did their best during the Preliminary round. Moo-O Awards 2016 Our school was one of the forty schools which took part in the Moo-O Reading Competition this year. Three Primary 3 pupils (Ciara Khurana Hiruan from 3 Faith, Kiera Baptista and Uthayabarath Ethalya, both from 3 Hope) represented the school. The girls had a lot of fun acting out the different roles in the story and enjoyed doing the recording. They won the Merit Award and did the school proud. Well done girls! 5

6 IP Department English Department Young Authors Scheme Workshop W8 Cluster EL Programme Last year, two of our Primary 4 pupils were given the opportunity to attend the Young Authors Scheme (YAS) workshop organised by our W8 Cluster EL ILC. They are Joeann Khor Wei En and Angelina Kerk Ern Gi from 5 Hope. Joeann with her YAS publication True Sisters. During those six sessions, they picked up creative writing strategies and worked with pupils from our cluster schools to craft interesting stories. At the end of the workshop, both Joeann and Angelina published their own books. We are proud to announce that they have been shortlisted for the Young Author Award 2016! Angelina with her YAS publication The Dog-Warming Tale. Honing Our Girls Debating Skills Our pioneer team of debaters have gone through rigid rounds of training during the Junior Lexis: The ACJC Debate Masterclass for Primary Schools 2016, and Raffles Institution Debating 101 Programme in Term 1. They mastered the strategy of debating, consisting of motions, substantives, rebuttals and style of speech. They are undergoing more sessions of structured training under Mrs Joyce Lee in the upcoming terms. They will be equipped with debating skills and be fully prepared for their first tournament coming up in September. Our motivated girls are ready to show their virtues of perseverance and excellence in this journey! 6 We met CHIJ Kellock during a friendly debate spar! Our girls focusing during the training session. Nicole engaging the audience with her speech.

7 IP Department Mathematics Department Math Alive! TThe Math Alive! Corner springs into life during recess for pupils to take part in. Pupils are invited to play board games or card games that will pique their interest in Mathematics as they learn in a fun and engaging way. The Math Alive! student leaders patiently demonstrate to their peers how to play the different games. The virtues of cooperation and responsibility are being practised during the activities. Math Exploration Week 2016 Learning the concept of money. The Math Exploration Week provided our pupils the opportunity to learn Mathematics beyond the boundaries of their classrooms. Pupils collaborate with one another and apply their Mathematical knowledge to solve daily life problems. Measuring the number of papers needed to cover the door. Learning with geometric shapes. Placing the cubes according to the given criteria. Science Department Love your Pet, Love our Environment Love your pet, Love our Environment is a collaboration between our school and Chestnut Neighbourhood Committee. It is a simple yet meaningful project to advocate responsible pet ownership within our community. Our students bring reusable plastic bags from home and fold them into neat triangles. Our Environmental Science Club pupils replenish the containers on a weekly basis. Pet owners around the estate use these plastic bags to pick up their pets waste. There are six such signs with clear, perforated containers placed around the Chestnut Estate. Topping up one of the six containers with plastic bags. 7 Mission accomplished!

8 IP Department 舞蹈团跟着节奏轻快的乐曲 翩翩起舞 C hine e p ar D e s tment 极了 蹈团员的街舞表演精彩 Mr Reap以及他的舞 赢得了观众热烈的掌声 农历新年庆祝活动2016 辞旧岁三羊开泰 迎新春六猴送安 我校于2016年2月5日举行了华人新年庆祝会 这场一年一度的庆祝 会是由我校师生同台献艺的 庆祝会的节目多姿多彩 有话剧表 演 舞蹈 走秀 喜剧表演和歌唱表演等 让这个会场充满欢声笑 语 表演者个个才华洋溢 赢得台下阵阵欢呼 踢踏舞舞蹈团呈现了精彩的表演 为庆祝会掀开序幕 中文协会的同学们 呈献了话剧表演 猴 王和大西瓜 引起了哄堂大笑 年 的喜剧表演 华文老师为大家呈献的 孙悟空拜 潮 向了高 气氛推 会场的 将整个 epartment D l i Tam 8

9 IP Department Malay Department Aktiviti Memasak di Cooking Palace Pada 15 April yang lalu, murid-murid darjah 2 yang mengambil Bahasa Melayu, telah mempelajari cara-cara untuk membuat lempeng pisang, iaitu sejenis kuih tradisional Melayu dengan berpandukan resipi yang terdapat di dalam buku teks Cekap. Murid-murid harus mengikut langkah-langkah yang diberikan di dalam resipi itu dengan teliti. Setelah berjaya membuat lempeng pisang itu, murid-murid telah diberikan kebebasan untuk mengubah resepi mereka dengan menggantikan pisang kepada bahan-bahan lain yang mereka gemari seperti cip coklat, beri biru, strawberi dan sebagainya. Aktiviti memasak ini telah berjaya memupuk nilainilai murni dalam diri mereka seperti bekerjasama, kebersihan dan kreativiti selain memberikan murid-murid peluang mempelajari sesuatu secara amali. ICT Department 2016 March Holiday Workshop During the March holidays, the ICT Department conducted a Photoshop Workshop for Primary 2 and 3 students. Conducted by our ICT Trainer, Mr Zul, the students used editing features of the Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 software such as Magic Wand Tool, Gradient Tool and Layering. They created colourful images comprising a variety of background images. The workshop proved to be an insightful ICT experience for our girls! Our ICT Trainer, Mr Zul conducting the workshop for the P2 and P3 students. Our students deeply engrossed in creating their colourful drawing. Thank you buddies! When will the panda ever wake up? Learning Journeys Learning Journey to Singapore Science Centre In Term 1, our Primary 2 pupils visited Singapore Science Centre for their learning journey in conjunction with the STELLAR big book The Underground Dance. Pupils learnt how sounds travel. They also learnt how high and low pitch sounds are produced. At the end of the lesson, our pupils went home with their own craft a pan flute! P1 and P6 Wildlife Buddies Programme to River Safari This February, all Primary 1 pupils embarked on a learning journey to the River Safari to learn more about animals and the environment. They were guided by their P6 Wildlife buddies in completing a River Safari Trail booklet during the trail. The P6 Wildlife buddies displayed virtues of patience and enthusiasm when playing the role of teachers. They shared information on various animals located at the iconic river stops. The highlight of the trail was the Giant Panda Forest where pupils met giant pandas, Kai Kai and Jia Jia. What an exciting and enriching journey it was for them! Can you hear me? 9

10 Character & Citizenship Education Ms Yang Hui explaining the Shanghai/Suzhou trip to a pupil who was watching the video prepared by the overseas schools for our pupils. I-GIVE Exhibition Day 2016 Every year, our I-GIVE Programme provides our P5 pupils the opportunity to travel overseas. In 2015, three overseas learning journeys (OLJs) were organised. They included the Cultural Immersion OLJ to Shanghai/Suzhou, the Cultural Exchange OLJ to Penang and the Sports and Cultural Immersion OLJ to Hong Kong (for P4 and P5 Netballers and Softball members). Mdm Pek, teacher-in-charge of the overseas learning journey to Shanghai/Suzhou, giving some instructions to the pupils while they set up their station. The scrapbooks created by the pupils who participated in the Shanghai/Suzhou trip were both interesting and informative. The pupils shared their overseas learning experiences with their peers during the 2016 I-GIVE Exhibition Day. Here are some of the highlights of the day s event. Mdm Pek and pupils at their station posing for a group photo. The netballers showcased learning experiences in Hong Kong. They were engaged in friendly matches with local and international schools. The netballers also visited the Museum for Climate Change at the Hong Kong Chinese University to raise environmental awareness. Teachers and pupils were given the opportunity to visit an e-farm situated in a rural part of Hong Kong. The farm owners gave an introduction on their commitment to the environment and farming practices. Ms Yeo Yan Yan, Year Head of P1 & P2 and teacher-incharge of Netball, posing with presenters of the overseas learning trip to Hong Kong at their learning station. From 21 to 24 November 2015, 18 Primary 5 pupils went on a Cultural Exchange Overseas Learning Journey to Penang. They visited many places of interest, including Convent Light Street, Peranakan Mansion, Chew Jetty, the State Museum and more. The commentaries by the local guide enriched these visits. Pupils also visited a local school SKJ(C) Perempuan China Primary School, where they conducted activities demonstrating virtues they have learned. Through these meaningful activities, their confidence at cross cultural exchanges was boosted. 10 Mdm Tinawati (teacher-in-charge) and P5 pupils setting up the laptops and photos display of the trip to Penang, Malaysia. During recess time, pupils crowded around the learning stations and observed all the exhibits that were being displayed.

11 Character & Citizenship Education Character Lives In My Behaviour (CLIMB) Total Defence Day is commemorated annually. It involves each individual s effort to uphold our five pillars of defence. In line with this, the CLIMB Department organised a two-day Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) Carnival in Term 1. The Character Development, National Education, Values in Action and CCE teams involved pupils in various game stations during recess. Pupils applied their understanding of the five pillars of Total Defence and practised virtues at various stations. This is in the hope that they will apply these virtues in their everyday life. Our CCE Mentor displayed joyfulness in assisting her schoolmate to complete matching the Eeyore s tail on that wall. Enthusiastic pupils completed their station games and redeemed their gifts. Friends showing teamwork to list the five pillars of Total Defence. Keep it up, girls! National Education Committee SG5O: The Future of Us Exhibition On 4 February, our P4 to P6 prefects went for a learning journey to SG50: The Future of Us Exhibition at Gardens by the Bay. The exhibition was part of our golden jubilee celebration to provide a glimpse of what Singapore was like in 1965, 2015 and in the next 50 years. They were first greeted by three panels of installations which featured news headlines from the past, present and future. At the Theatre of Generations, the girls watched a 360 degree dome projection of a short film on how four story characters in 2030 were inspired by their grandparents in 1965 to create a better Singapore. The Symphony of the City exhibition explored the endless possibilities of how our infrastructure and way of life could evolve in the future. The thought-provoking and interactive exhibit invited discussion among our pupils. Pupils watched a film about visions of our future Singapore. The girls finally wrote their dreams and wishes for Singapore through the tablets provided. They were all thrilled to see them projected on a 360 degree dome projection. Student leaders captured memories of their trip on camera. 11

12 Staff Updates Lo Hei -cum-potluck Gathering What is a good way to usher in the Year of Monkey? With a traditional Lo Hei and potluck, of course! We were blessed with lively conversations and laughter over a sumptuous meal with our dear friends on 17 February, spreading the festive joy with one another. May we have many good years to come! Sparkling eyes and wide smiles abound as our administrative staff enjoyed themselves! Let s bond and have fun! SWC I@Ease Explore-Eat-Shop@ Downtown Line 2 Bond! Enjoy! Rejuvenate! I@EASE Activity to Downtown Line 2 With so many exciting activities and great eateries that are offered near the stations of Downtown Line 2, the staff explored the vicinity and enjoyed the company of one another over sumptuous tea on 13 April. New Births Congratulations Marriages Mr and Mrs Alan Quek Mr and Mrs Chua Song Wei Anjali (Daughter of Mdm Mythili Perakasa) Thio Kai Jun Anselm (Son of Mrs Monica Thio) Mr and Mrs Andrew Chia Mr and Mrs Fadli New Staff Promotees Promotee: June 2015 Mdm Saniah bte Sulaiman Miss Cecilia Tan Mrs Chong-Teo Le Geak Promotee: October 2015 Mdm Kong Su- Mei Monica 12 Mdm Kamisah Rahim (Librarian) Miss Nur Arifah Bte Adnan Mrs Tina Chan (Teacher Aide) Promotees: April 2016 Mdm Lydia Natasya Binte Samsudin Mdm Xiao Yuan Mdm Ng Su Chern Mdm Tan Hui Ting Miss Yeo Yan Yan Miss Cecilia Tan Li Hua Mdm Kalaiselvi D/O Krishna Samy