TKSS Parents Support Group

Cyber Wellness 2012

2012-02-23T21:56:00.007+08:00

This was the third time which I attended cyber wellness workshop in TKSS. The content was kept up to date. Besides gaming, this year included social media perils. It was an eye opener that the trend of kids engaged with computer for non-academic purpose was getting higher and could be worrisome for parents. The library was at full house with parent participants. One of the points which I took away from this workshop was to remind my children to be more wise about social media and also to understand the possible pitfall of silly posting. The workshop aimed to equip the parents with the knowledge to guide their children and appropriately manage the situation before it becomes a strain on the family.

Posted by Hei Tong (PSG member)

CCA day

2012-01-29T10:56:00.009+08:00

It was CCA day. Parents brought their children along to help understand the purpose, benefits and participation requirement/ options. Holistic education and leadership development are opportunities not to be missed. After briefing by the Principal and head of CCA, parents accompanied their child to stream through the labyrinth of displays put together by the students of various CCA groups.
At regular intervals, CCA groups performed on the parade square. Precision drills, hip-hop, marches, live band music and first aid demo were eye catching and interesting.

Seniors manning the display booth of various CCAs were on hand to brief the parents and secondary one students and guided them through interactive activities. The confidence of the seniors do give parents a sense of excitement to think their child would, in due time, be molded likewise if the child engages and grow with the CCA.
PSG volunteers were on hand to help ease the visiting parents with their personal experience of managing their child through 4 years of CCA and the joy of discovering the leadership growth and maturity CCA brought.
PSG volunteers were also using the occasion to connect with the new PSG members once more (all parents of TKSS students are automatically PSG members). Response from visiting parents was good to the activities planned by signing up for events at the PSG counter. The events opened for registration were TK1 Nite and parenting seminar “Dim Sum for the Family”. The cheerfulness among the PSG volunteers was a clear display of friendship developed across ethnicity through participation in PSG activities. The PSG volunteers are driven by a common goal … to partner with the school in engaging parents for the benefit of the students. The next four years will be a new and exciting journey for the sec one students and their parents.

Welcome to TKSS.

Reaching out to New Parent

2012-01-07T23:30:00.005+08:00

The new cohort of students came to register for 2011 secondary one in TKSS. Parent support group were organized and on hand to simultaneously welcome the new parents who were accompanying their child. The preparation work were put into effect with well thought through brochures and stationaries to help in enagaging the parents. Partnership between the school and parents is forged through engagement, participation and involvement. TK1 Nite is one of the major events for sec 1 parents. Principal and Heads of Departments leverage TK 1 nite to give finer points on collaboration for the benefit of the student.
PSG committee is also organizing a parenting seminar for the benefit of all PSG members to learn more about managing parent-teen conflict. Dr John Ng has been arranged to speak on this topic. He is well sought after for his renowned "Dim Sum For the Family" seminar. 20 copies of his book relating to the seminar will be given to 20 lucky participants. Seminar is to be held on 25 Feb, 2:00 to 4:30pm, TKSS library. This event is supported by school and School Family Education (SFE).

Welcome to the new academic year 2012

2011-12-14T22:58:00.002+08:00

Welcome to the parents of sec 1 TKSS students, 2012. The year ahead will be a new phase for your son and yourself, as parents (especially if the child is the eldest of your children). Holistic education is the aim of TKSS. Students will have opportunities presented to them for development. Parents play a crucial role in providing support and encouragement for the child to grow and excel in secondary school education.
PSG (Parent Support Group) aim to strength the partnership of parents with the school for the development of our child. PSG organises activities for parents to engage with the school as well as programs on parenting. We hope you will participate in these activities. For parents with a strong sense of volunteerism, PSG and TKSS school management will welcome any help we can get. From tending to libraries to working on projects. If your profession can offer students education opportunities, do approach the school. When participating, you can form your parents network and make friends along the way. Do scroll through the previous blog postings to get a flavour of the PSG activities.
You can contact the school office or PSG committee members to get involved.
Welcome to an exciting 2012.
Hei Tong,
Vice Chair and blog adminstrator of PSG Committee.

Under One Roof... Racial Harmony Day in TK

2011-09-05T00:34:00.006+08:00

Writtern by : NORLIA EMBONG

Photo by : CLIFF HEW & MEGA

Congratulation to Public Service Star Award receipent

2011-08-31T22:53:00.003+08:00

The picture below was taken from The Straits Times dated 29 Aug 2011. We are fortunate to have him in our School Advisory Committee. Congrtaulations !!!

TK Bazaar 26 May 2011

2011-05-27T18:37:00.003+08:00

Dear Bazaar Team,

It was heart warming to see the great response from teachers and students at our stall. I was so shocked that the 100 cupcakes were wiped out within the first hours of business. The curry chicken was just left with gravy and the Bundung sold to the every last drop. $400+ for two

hours work is amazing, may be we should consider to open a permanent store in school uh, haha.....

It was wonderful to see one and all in high spirit yesterday.Well done team! With regards...Sebastian

===============

Dear Parents,

Thank you so much for being part of this wonderful cause. Appreciate all the time and effort put in.

Warm regards,

Jasma

======================================

Dear All,

To those of you who were present today at the TK Charity Bazaar – Thank You so much for such a vibrant support. We sold our TK Cupcakes for less than an hour! Excellent work indeed. The Chicken Curry and Bandung were just as good. We sold to the very last drop and yet through word of mouth many came back to ask for more..more..more. We told them come back next year please!! For the surrogate buyers Thank You so much for adopting the Cup Cakes. And last but the least, Thank You to those who were involved indirectly too …..like poster making ( Smrita ) and etc…etc. It is always a pleasure working around those who gives their best.

A Special Thanks to:

1. Maisie for her Rose Syrup Adventure

2. Emily for her enduring spirit

3. Cliff & Sebastian for being the str

ong pillars

4. Poh Choo the everlasting support

Yin the Curry Lady

6. Alena for being there when we need you

Best Regards, Norsiah Reja

Sports Day ... PSG runner

2011-05-27T18:13:00.005+08:00

TK Sports Day is always a special, exciting day, oh...and I dont mean just for the kids. For me and some of the parents that compete in the highlight of the day's event, the inaugural 4x100m relay parents vs teachers vs TK alumni race, it is something we have been looking forward to all year. Last year the parents team came in 3rd. The teachers and alumni were too quick for us (there were rumours of steroid abuse by the winning team and runnerup teams but hey lets not get into that....). This year the parents are going for GOLD! Perhaps we are a tad competitive but it is all in the name of fun and a good laugh.

I started the day by "talking up" our imminent victory to everyone at my office that would listen. I posted on my facebook and twitter that I told my son, Shaun to warn his teachers to say hello to the guy in the red adidas shirt at the start line because once the gun goes off, all they will see is my back :)

To generate some extra spice in the race, I wore Shaun's house shirt "Tagore" and got the Tagore cheer squad to really cheer on the "uncles" in the race! Everyone was having so much fun and it was building up to a heady crescendo fueled by testosterone and adrenalin.

When the race was about to start, we got down to serious business. Because the parents team looked too formidable (ahem...), the judges decided to mix up the teams. My team had 2 parents and 2 teachers. Once the gun went off, we forgot we were unfit, 40 something, office bound corporate soldiers and turned into racing cheetahs. To add to the excitement, there were a few spills and thrills, people falling over, batons dropped. At the end of the race, we were all smiling, congratulating each other and back slapping each other like we just ran in the REAL Olympics! and yes, my team did win gold!

The serendipity of being part of the TK Sports Day is the reaction from my son. He was happy to see his "papa" participating and being part of his school's event, he received numerous questions from his mates ("is that your dad?" followed by "when did he escape from the zoo/circus.." good on them to have a sense of humour :). I also got a chance to meet and be-friend some of Shaun's mates. So lots of good things that came out of this event.

You can bet your house on it that I will be back next year! Will I see you at the start line?

Steven Pang

Parents' comment on Sports Day

2011-05-27T17:57:00.013+08:00

Dear Everyone in PSG,

Thanks for your support today at the stadium. It was not easy for some of us to take leave and made other arrangements so that we could be there to be part of the school and to give support to our

children.

It was a great time of jokes and laughters, catching up with friends and making new ones. As we were all seated so close to each other today, we were really a "force" to be reckoned with. I'm very sure that everyone at the stadium knew who we were and were very proud of us for making the trip.

Thanks again and for those who could not make it today due to work or other commitments, please don't feel bad, we hope to see you at the coming events.... With regards, Sebastian

===============

It was indeed a great event! Thanks for all the efforts in making this such a fun event, both my wife and I enjoyed it so much especially when we won the "Gold" medal of the 4x100, I'm so proud of myself :-)

Cliff

It's time for F3 (Fun, Food & Friendship) chill-out in July ! Join our F3 Committee today!

2011-04-26T00:12:00.006+08:00

Parenting Seminar - 26 Mar 2011

2011-04-08T16:53:00.007+08:00

Synopsis: SESSION 1: FUNNY BONES FOR A HAPPY FAMILY, by Mr. Nicholas Choo This is a workshop that encourages parents to look on the brighter side of their family life. It is presented in a humourous way, yet the facts of the matter are relevant and truthful. It helps them to enjoy light moments together rather than being so stressed up with the everyday cares of life. A series of anecdotes and life humour are shared to help the family look out for the lighter side of life that they could miss so easily. It covers a wide variety of areas including husband and wife relationships plus parents and children relationships. There are funny video clips to spice up the whole presentation. Humourous tales and paradoxical stories of life are all packaged into one continuous and entertaining journey.

Synopsis: SESSION 2: BUILDING BRIDGES WITH YOUR TEENS, by Mrs Alice Lee-Have you tried relating to your teenagers the way your parents related to you when you were a teenager? Was the outcome something that you had expected or desired? Building bridges with our teenagers is about a relationship. A relationship that seeks to communicate. A relationship that says, ‘let’s talk. I’m here for you.’ A relationship that wants the best for our teenagers. For parents who are serious about building bridges with their teenagers, it is important for us to understand the changing needs and development of our teenagers in this 21st century.

Some comments from parents:

+ Enjoyed both talks but should have longer time for session 1.

+ The talk is very good and informative. I would strongly encourage parents to attend. I benefitted alot from the workshop. I am thankful and hope it will help my relationship with my 16 years old son. Worthwhile attending.

+ Thank you PSG for bringing the two speakers, it is so motivating.

+ Suggest to offer discount when a couple attend.

+ I am glad that I have attended the workshops.

+ Very knowledgeable, very good and useful.

+ Very good workshop.

TK1Nite Photoblog

2011-04-08T15:46:00.009+08:00

Welcome to TK one nite. Organised by Parents for Parents.

Students were assigned with the role as guides to the guests. They are not as fluent as professional tour guides but their response is very much candid and from a student's standpoint.

Labouratories were part of the tour. Some experiments apparatus were set up to give parents of the new challenge secondary school would bring.

Parents leaving a note of encouragement on the aspiration poster drawn by their child mounted on the table.

Parents were briefed by Head of Departments on the key differences which Sec 1 student face in terms of subject learning. Advise were also given to parents in ways to help their child handle the new challenges through their daily interaction with the children e.g discussion of current affairs.

Parents from the same class (child's) forming their network. Form teachers were also on hand to give more insights into the cirriculum. The atmosphere was informal... over a sit down dinner.

At the end of the successful event, the PSG organising committee did a "jump" shot to celebrate the teamwork.

CCA recruitment Drive 2011, Jan

2011-04-05T00:10:00.005+08:00

On this day, usually the first Saturday of School term, all CCA were out in force to show their acitvities, programs and achievement... for recuits. CCAs took turn to take center stage to perform. Parents were with children to browse through the CCA stands to guide them through the selection of CCA.

PSG is familiar with the anxiety of the students and were on hand to interact with the parents to share experience of some of the CCA. PSG also took the opportunity to interact with the parents and encourage them to register for parenting program or TK One Night.

Behind the scene: There was a work committee to organise the PSG portion of the CCA Recruitment day. This type of volunteer work brought out the public spirit of these parents. Through this project, bonds were build, friends were made... and work gets done in a happy manner i.e. helping parents of new students to settle in quickly into the new phase of their lives with a strong start.

2011 Lunar New Year Celebration

2011-04-04T23:56:00.005+08:00

Students putting up a good show to bring up the festive mood of Lunar New Year.

Parents and senior citizens were invited to share the joy and also appreciate the spirit of the youths who put together a magnificant show despite their busy school curriculum.

Lion Dance is a very invigorating way to bring out the festive joy. It was a highly anticipated part of the program.

TK PSG thank the school for inviting the parents and also structured the event such that our students contributed or appreciated the traditional activities to keep the culture. It also gave variety to the students' life beyond academics.

PSG

Year End Bazaar

2010-11-22T17:48:00.004+08:00

The Bazaar was done right after the Exam to give the school a carnival like atmosphere. Attached are photos of the event where parents took part to run some activities in support of the school's management team. Parent volunteers sold books, food and conducted art-and-craft live demonstration. The volunteers were a resource and you can tell that their effort put in. New friends were made and relationships were strengthened among PSG members too.

Racial Harmony Day - 21 July 2010

2010-08-25T18:37:00.078+08:00

What does Racial Harmony Day mean to you?
For the parent volunteers of TK Racial Harmony Day Celebration, it is literally the day to share the message of racial harmony with the students through their dedication, teamwork and friendship.
This is the 4th year that the parents have facilitated the Know-Do-Be sessions of the Racial Harmony Day Celebration. Their fruit of labour was very well-received by TK students and the guest students from the international schools. "Kampong Game - Those were the Days" and "Souplicious Harmony" were the titles of the two sessions.
Here are the reports from the PSG Committee members, Norlia and Smrita.

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Kampong Games - Those were the Days

Once again “Racial Harmony Day” is here! This year it falls on 21 July 2010. This is definitely an eye-opener for many. It offers a platform for students to explore the cultural dynamism of different nationalities, races and religions. "Kampong Games - Those were the Days” is our team's theme for this year’s RH Day.
Our students learnt to play the kampong games like, congkak, capteh, biji saga, pick-up stick, five stones, kite, hopscotch, marble,
paper doll, chess, ludo, etc., and the most beautiful part was playing on our traditional mat (tikar mengkuang).
This mat is made of screw pine leaves (Pandanus odoratissimus). It is a huge pandan-like plant that grows along the back of mangroves and also in the local jungles. The fruits can be eaten, and leaves may be used for weaving. Mengkuang weaving is usually practiced by womenfolk in the rural kampong areas.
The process requires patience, skill and dedication. Those were the days where all the village boys and girls would gather and sit on this special mat to play their indoor games.

Besides browsing through the showcase of all the kampong games, the students got a hands-on experience of the games, playing together with their friends and the parent volunteers. It was indeed a very good way of interacting and bonding with each other.
There were lots of posters showing different games played around the world. The students got to see and read the beautiful posters done by our parent volunteers.
We even collected all the dry palm leaves to decorate the room just to signify the traditional kampong houses.

We had a good time bringing back those memories of playing during our younger days and the student had a very good experience in playing those games too. At the end of the day, they were not only able to experience playing Kampong games but they learnt to have patience, build good relationships and good sportsmanship and most importantly they have a good feeling of the good old times compared to today where most children are communicating via computer and play at the computer unlike those days where we played and met together all the time.

We ended the session with Norsiah giving a quiz and reflection of the events. Each student received a packet of five stones which was packed nicely, hand-made by our parent volunteers.

We all had a good time and see you again next year!!

Written by Norlia
Photos by Alena
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Souplicious Harmony

Our team’s title for the Know-Do-Be session this year was “Souplicious Harmony”. What a delicious way to know the differences and the similarities of different cultures! Students from the Global Indian International School and the Indonesian International School were also invited to partake in the ‘learn-as-you-eat’ session.
Soup and sweets stalls were put up; a small presentation was prepared on the ingredients that went into the soups and sweets; and all of this was followed by a quiz to find out if the students took away more than soup-filled stomachs from the event!

The Myanmar stall had an offering of chicken soup with vermicelli, bean curd, black fungus and lotus flower. Spicy and flavourful! Yum!

And the Chinese-Indonesian Chicken Delight – it was a real delight! With the stock made of carrots and potatoes, garnished with fried shallot and seasoned with some of the most flavourful herbs of Asia, it was just what the cook had ordered.

There was the Malay chicken soup. And then the Thai chicken soup – lip smacking stuff! Why not when the ingredients included things like lemongrass, galangal, finely chopped lemon leaves, and hot, hot, hot Thai red chillies! The quickly emptying pots were testimony to the successful coming together of these ingredients into a delicious soup.

The Indian stall also had a chicken soup, giving credence to the almost universal acceptance of chicken as a meat of choice in the cuisine of the 5 cultures although each with a taste uniquely its own. And the Indian chicken soup was marked by the flavours and aromas of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper and star anise.

Along with the various chicken soups, the students also enjoyed the dessert - Ondeh Ondeh and the similar sweet rice dumplings from various cultures such as Chinese Tang Yuan and Mon-Lone-Ye-Paw from Myanmar, as well as Rava Laddu, Indian semolina sweets.

Soup and sweets tasting was the kickoff event to let the kids get a taste of things to come (please excuse the pun but it was irresistible). It was followed by the presentation on the medicinal properties of the herbs that went into the soups, then the quiz to ensure that the head had an equal opportunity to participate in the event and take something away from it. And since all of this was thirst and hunger-provoking, the children were let free to improve their understanding of different cultures through a sampling of their soups and sweets.

Personally, I found the day quite exhilarating – I am a mother and I just enjoy seeing kids eat good, wholesome food and learn a little bit about the country and the people from where it originated while they are at it.

I am already looking forward to the next Racial Harmony Day – perhaps an exhibition of old photographs from the childhood days of the teachers and the parents to show the different places and the environments in which they grew up.

Written by Smrita
Photos by Emily & Roger

Racial Harmony Day: Amazing Race

2010-08-17T21:48:00.013+08:00

Bee Chin volunteered her time to help tend to the amazing race. She contributed the article on the event. The race is part of the Know-Do-Be activities planned for the students to appreciate the diversity of Singapore.
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Amazing Race – Racial Harmony Day, 21 Jul 2010, Wednesday

One of the activities of this year’s Racial Harmony Day at TKSS is the Amazing Race. Similar to its TV namesake the Amazing Race, participants have to get to various points, in this instance within the neighbourhood of TKSS. Unlike the TV show however, no teams will be eliminated.
Students who have signed up for this activity were formed into groups. At each designated location, they have to perform a task before they can move on to the next location. These criteria are again not new to many of us who are fans of the TV reality show Amazing Race.
What I find really amazing (no pun intended) is how the planning committee has so carefully and succinctly planned the locations around the race(ial) theme to give full effect to the intent of a race as well as addressing the intent of the racial harmony day.
The locations that the participants have to criss-cross are an Indian temple close to Katong,
a Chinese temple in Joo Chiat, a mosque near Paya Lebar MRT,
the Eurasian Community Club not far from TKSS and
the Katong Antique House.

I am sure the participants are now more aware of the rich cultural heritage that surrounds TKSS. Credit to the planning committe for such a well thought out activity.

National Education Learning Journey - 25 May 2010

2010-06-14T00:30:00.004+08:00

Everyone was a little anxious in the early morning on the 25th May. It was the first time. All the students from Sec1 to 3 were to go on the National Education Learning Journey on that day. Each of them had been given a choice of venues. Each group consisted of the students from different classes and levels. 25 buses would come and go at the staggared timing. 50 adults - 25 teachers/staff and 25 parent volunteers - were required to accompany them.

But there were many happy faces at the end of the programme. The students seemed to be more attentive this year than the previous year when they went to the preselected venues. Many thanks to everyone involved, the parent volunteers in particular. School wouldn't have been able to proceed with many other matters of the day if 50 teachers and staff had had to go with the students.

Ms. Loretta Lee and Mrs. Kelly Tay were among them. They accompanied 80 students to Farmart Centre. Here's the report by Loretta with the photos by Kelly.

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Visiting the Farmart Centre on 25 May

The Farmart Centre actually has a total of forty-three shops selling goods or products related with farm or nature, like fishes and pets etc. During the TK Learning Journey, we only visited one shop: Uncle William’s shop located at #39-40.

The tour was organised by William, the owner of the Quail Farm. William brought the whole group (group three, thirty-five students & group four, twenty-eight students) to a big classroom and gave us a “bird lesson”. Uncle William gave us a very informative and humorous talk about the quail.

If you are given one quail, do you know how to tell whether is female of male? Looking at their butt? Actually, there is another other way to tell: if the chest feather is brown, it is a male; if there are black polka dots, then it is a female. Simple and easy, right? However, if the quail is all white in colour, what should we do? Left with no choice, we would then have to see their derrière : if the anus is an “o” shape, then it is a male; if it is like a horizontal line, then it is a female.

We also learnt that the life cycle of a quail from egg to adult quail is only forty-five days . The baby quail can start to walk, and even look for food two hours later. The adult quail can lay one egg every day after it turns forty-five days old. Thus this makes it a highly-productive farm business.
Uncle William also taught us how to say ‘quail’ and ‘quail egg’ in five different languages : English, Mandarin , Malay, Tamil & Japanese, and then I taught him in Cantonese!! Also, the quail belongs to the poultry family.

He used a “Phua Chu Kang” way of speaking to talk to the students, so it was humorous and at the same time easy to remember the information.

He also gave out prizes to students , teachers & parents who could answer his questions after the talk. Both Kelly & myself won 4 Guinea Fowl eggs. I shared 2 with Mdm Saedah, TK staff in charge of group three.
Uncle William had also asked the students to go for the questions hunt. They had tried their best to answer and about twelve students won the prize. Other than that, each student got four eggs as souvenir.
Overall, the trip was a fun & enjoyable .

Written by Loretta
Photos by Kelly

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Coffee Talk & Sharing - 24 May 2010

2010-06-12T23:00:00.000+08:00

One parent lamented on the Sunday Times Lifestyle page recently, "My teenage daughter is very materialistic, forgetful, rude, leaves her things on the floor when she comes back from school, procrastinates on homework ..."
I smiled, "I'm not alone."
If he/she was a TK parent, I would have invited him/her to our "Coffee Talk & Sharing" session.

In TK, "Coffee Talk & Sharing" started 3 years ago as one of the School Family Education programmes under Ministry of Community, Youth and Sports.
It's an informal sharing session on a topic related to parenting or marriage in a small group of about 10.

The topic of the day was, "Accepting your teens for who they are". Sounds familiar, but it's not easy. Honestly, there are times I wish my kids to be a little more A- attentive, B- brave, C- compassionate, D- diligent ... But must I lower my expectations? Are they living up to their potential? How can I accept them and still instill in them morals, values, ambition and drive?

A TK parent, Ms. Loretta Lee volunteered to facilitate the session. Loretta is a working mother of two girls in Sec2 and 4. She's been a Class Rep and an active volunteer in various programmes such as the Learning Journey.

She began to talk about her experience in keeping a good relationship and open communication with her daughters. Everyone agreed on the importance of good communication in parenting. That's the first step to understand and accept a child for who he/she is.

But discipline is important too. The traditional authoritarian approach seems to backfire with today's teenagers. "Taking a privilege away seems to work," a parent suggested. Another parent shared a mistake she made, "Yes, it works, but be careful. Once I took away my son's handphone to discipline him, then realised I needed to call him on the next day!"

The SFE Coordinator, Mega introduced two articles on the same topic, and a few related books.
Loretta followed up, "I give my girls space to be themselves. But at the same time, I ask them to put themselves in my shoes sometimes. A mutual understanding builds a relationship."

The one-and-a-half-hour session was a meaningful break from a daily routine, like an oasis for a parenting journey. It certainly empowered the participants. Thank you, Loretta!

Come join in the next "Coffee Talk & Sharing" which is on the way! Contact us at tksspsg@gmail.com.

Preparing for Racial Harmony Day

2010-06-07T17:51:00.016+08:00

It started like the season's greetings to old friends. "It's been a long time. How are you?" The e-mail was sent on the first day of April. "Let's have a meeting for Racial Harmony Day!" Of course, no one took it as a joke. In fact, it was the time for serious business.

Racial Harmony Day falls on Wednesday the 21st July this year. TK parents have been involved in the various activities of it.
One of them is called KDB, or Know-Do-Be sessions. These are the workshops conducted by every department of TK and PSG. There are more than 15 different workshops for the students to choose from.

The PSG team consists of the parent volunteers and some of the committee members of the various races. Many of the participants have been doing this for a few years, and naturally friendship grows in true racial harmony.

This year, the team will conduct two sessions, "Souplicious Harmony" and "Kampong Games - Those were the Days". The "Soup" group had the second meeting on the 24th May. The members cooked the chicken soups of various Asian origins, such as of India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand. We tasted each and every
soup, which had distinctive flavour and ingredients.

At the actual KDB session of "Souplicious Harmony", there will be even more varieties! The students will not just taste the soups, but learn the facts about these ingredients, such as some of their medicinal properties, anecdotes or cultural significance, as well as the recipes.

The teacher in charge, Mrs. Chen droped by to give us useful information and support.
With such warm collaboration, we strive to work even harder to nourish TK's soul.

Come join us to promote racial harmony!
We have a few vacancies in another activity, "TK Amazing Race". The duty is to supervise the participating students who go through a trail in the Katong neighbourhood to experience the heritage and culture of different races. Contact us at tksspsg@gmail.com.

Parenting Seminar 2010 ...( 27 Mar 2010)

2010-05-18T21:44:00.012+08:00

Million thanks to TK PSG & TKSS for their initiative in organising the recent parenting seminar held last weekend. This was indeed our very first parenting seminar session. We were overwhelmed by the invited speakers and the topics presented were relevant.

Our favourite speaker was Mdm Foo Kum Fong, a math specialist. She spoke of the importance of us as parents being the tutor to our children. She emphasized that parents should be well equipped with the school curriculum so that we will be able to assist our children.

I took her advise and made effort to re-learn the Maths topics, finding ways to put things in simpler and interesting way for my son. However i have to admit that i have to rely on the numerous assessment books with model answers. It was indeed a fruitful.

But one thing I learn is that parents should not be too kiasu and pressure the kids to excel in Maths. What is more important is to create a conducive environment for them to like Maths and make them understand that the subject is very much relevant in our everyday life.

Learning Maths can be fun and this is a challenge - that we parents must try to create such fun experience.

One take away that I got from the workshop was that every child is different, and their ability, aspirations and views of life are not one similar with another child. Hence, parents must guide their kids based on their unique characteristics and abilities.

Perhaps in the future such workshops can be organised together with the students so they and their parents can learn together as a family. This is good for family bonding and shared aspirations.

Cheers!

Siti Alawiya

Sec 1F parent

Learning Journeys: A call for volunteers

2010-04-26T20:39:00.002+08:00

Parents, if you are interested in volunteering for school activities, this is an opportunity which you may like to consider. The Learning Journey is an event to bring students out of the classroom to learn. It will be held on 25 May, 7 am to 2 pm for all levels. Volunteer parents can assist the teachers to look after students. Like the student, parent volunteers can also learn from the event. Places for this year includes Changi War museum, fish farm, Discovery centre.

Inform your class rep or email/comment to this blog if you are interested.

Regards

Sports Day

2010-04-17T13:45:00.018+08:00

The sky cleared after an early afternoon shower. Students came to Bedok Stadium for Sports Day. Teachers and invited parents came. Parents can bear witness to their child’s effort in attaining sporting excellence.
Sebastian, the Sports Day PSG IC had earlier contacted parents who wanted to participate in the 4x100m. The names came from returned forms and more came through the class rep system. While the day wore on and more parents came, Sebastian invited parents to participate. Parents sporting accepted the challenge. PSG Parents formed 3 teams to race with teachers and alumni. During the interval, the band put up a marvelous display. This was a glimpse of the preparation for the coming band competition. After the interval, you can see in the photographs that the PSG teams were serious. They took time out to do some stretching before the race.
While waiting to be ready at the starting line in the PSG race, the first staccato stanza from my TK literature poem (33 years ago) flashed through.
Breathless….
”Heart aches,
lungs pant.
The thin air,
sorry scant”

Bang! off we go. Children were cheering. In a jiffy, the race has ended. The fastest PSG team came in third. The adult race was the last event for the day.
The intense effort during the few seconds made us

appreciate the nature of competitive racing. This will be an added topic for dinner talk with my children. Besides having more common ground and appreciation for my children, the Sports day did pull parents together and new acquaintances were made. TK also offered parents the opportunity to feel young again… through racing. Looking forward to next year’s Sports Day.

TK1Nite

2010-04-01T20:53:00.020+08:00

“Hello, please come this way for TK1Nite registration.” Parents were met by friendly registration ladies (PSG volunteers) when they arrived for the TK1 Nite. From there, councilors guided the participants to the library and lab tours.

One of the highlights of the tour was a visit to the classroom where their children have prepared a table top artwork to express themselves. Parents, Alwi and Ram left a note of encouragement on their child’s desk for encouragement. Other parents did likewise, sitting at the students’ desk to have a feel of the surrounding.

The Principal and subject teachers gave a short talk to the parents to help the transition of child from primary to secondary school. The parents proceeded to the hall and had dinner. Parents are organised to seat with parents of the same class and teacher. The occassion was well used by parents to network with each other and share common experiences. Teachers also took the opportunity to explain some aspects of the class and give candid early feedback on the class.

Behind the scene, we have PSG committee and class reps working in harmony with the school management for this major parent event. PSG members took care of items including early planning, print and visual materials, dinner/caterer sourcing.
On the morning of the event day, Takako went to buy flowers and met PSG helpers to prepare for the flower decoration for each dining table. Roger the cameramen captured an artistic shot of Roy in the flower arrangement session. You can see Rinku in the picture preparation serving enriched water to the flowers.

In the afternoon at about 3pm, with tables set up by the school, the registration ladies took position with the list of participants. Student Councilors were on hand to be tour guides for the day.
At the end of the event, PSG members came together to give Mega a farewell “jump” shot for 7 her seven wonderful years in PSG committee.

PSG committee is really a fun bunch. Through such volunteer work, we get opportunity to contribute, make more friends and enrich our quality of life.

TKSS school management team has done a lot to help develop our children and emphasized the importance of parents as stakeholder. TK1 Nite was a key school and PSG collaborated event for the parents. Thank you to TKSS staff and the parents who came.

Parenting Seminar

2010-02-12T00:11:00.002+08:00

Hi Parents,

The much anticipated parenting seminar will be held on Saturday, 27 March 2010 in TKSS from 2.00pm to 6.00pm and cost to parents will be at S$20 per person (refreshment will be provided).

This year topics will be an exciting one and include a topic on Mathematics, details as follow:-

Topic 1: Responding to the educational challenges of the 21^st century. Be a SURE (Supportive, Understanding, Role-modeling & Empathizing) parents.

Speaker: Dr. Ho Boon Tiong PhD, Consultant Educationist, Class Point Consulting.

... 6 years developing curriculum for the gifted and was a professor of science teacher education at NIE for the last 8 years.

Topic 2: Engaging Parents to provide support in the learning of mathematics

... how parents can be actively involved and provide support in their child’s education, specifically in the learning of Mathematics in TK. In addition, ideas on the stimulation of interest and curiosity in the learning of Mathematics through the use of games and activities would be shared.

Speaker: Mdm Foo Kum Fong

... served as Master Teacher in Mathematics in the East Zone, providing leadership in the teaching and learning of Mathematics across schools in the zone.

Topic 3: Unleash the Potential within Your Child – How to Create a Conducive Home Environment & Help Your Child Learn Most Effectively

Speaker: Mr. Alvin Poh, Founder of Learning Champ.com

... inspired many parents to believe in their children’s potential and help them to become the best they can be.

Please register at TKSS general office. All payment should be in cash or cash cheque.

Safri Sujadi
TK PSG Chairman

Cyber Wellness Workshop - 23 January 2010

2010-01-30T23:11:00.014+08:00

Bringing up well-balanced teenagers is an uphill task, and more so with the presence of internet. It's not simple to guide them to use it wisely when there are always some new platforms, trends, and dangerous pitfalls. TKSS has been tackling this issue by organizing workshops for the students as well as the parents, collaborating with Touch Cyber Wellness & Sports. TK parents learned the latest in the workshop on Saturday 23rd January. Jaslin and Emily, both the mothers of the Sec1 students share their experience here.

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I am glad that TKSS has arranged for this workshop as it gives us (as parents) a better understanding of what computer games are all about and why some kids can be so badly addicted to it.
Though my 2 kids are not obsessed with computer games (and that's because I impose restrictions on their usage), I feel that I am able to connect with them better after the workshop and we do discuss about MMOG, etc. I realise that not all computer games are bad for kids, so long as our kids are able to instil some self-discipline on themselves. I am never keen in those aquarium or farming in the Facebook. After hearing from Mr Poh (the speaker for the workshop) that these can be a good way to bond with the children, I asked my kids to teach me how to go about planting/harvesting, etc. It has definitely strengthened the relationship and bonding between us, which is so essential especially as they turn into
teenagers. I would like to thank TKSS for arranging this workshop for parents.

Jaslin Lau

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The Cyber Wellness Seminar was very informative and useful for me. My children are growing up in this technology-savvy age and I must admit, they are better versed than I am in this area (be it computer or hand phone!). I have been a homemaker for quite a number of years now; I know I need to keep abreast of what’s going on especially in the computer world. Most of our kids are not spared of computer usage especially computer gaming. In fact, every spare time they have, they want to play computer games. Computer gaming has become an integral part of their lives! For the first time I heard of the term MMOG. MMOG stands for Massively Multi-player Online Games (e.g. Maple Story). They are highly interactive and addictive! Many gamers get absorbed in “living their virtual characters and immersing themselves in a fantasy world” that they cannot stop playing. There is also the social networking aspect like Facebook. Kids in this generation do not use emails, they chat online or blog! This seminar has opened my eye to see what my children are exposed to, what kind of games are available to them online and the possible danger these activities pose to them. Through this seminar, I learn how to better manage my children’s cyber gaming activity and to take an interest in what they do when they are in front of the screen. A good way to know what our children post on their accounts (say Facebook), invite them to be our friends in our accounts (do it when they still want to be your friend and when they still think you are cool☺). This seminar definitely gives me a better understanding of what goes on in the Cyber gaming world and why my children always say, “5 more minutes please”.

Emily Low

Passionate Parents: Friends through PSG

2010-01-10T14:47:00.007+08:00

If you happened to be in a MRT station recently, you may have noticed the poster. It put across a simple message of neighbourliness to enhance your life. Ladies in the picture: Mega Siew, Sunitha Raman, and at the second row: Takako Iino, Kartar Kaur, Ivy Chan. They are from five different countries. Their common link... Tanjong Katong Sec Sch. Their children studied in the same school. As parents, they wanted to give something back to the school. They volunteered their valuable time to be active members of PSG. Through participation, they got to know each other and their friendship blossomed. Now they are best of friends for life.

For the new PSG members, do let us know if you want to be an active PSG member. The PSG committee contacts are on the right column of the blog page. :-)

Welcome: New PSG members

2009-12-30T20:09:00.003+08:00

Dear Parents,

As we enter into another new year. I would like to reflect on Y2009. The economic crisis that hit the whole world and made worst with the onslaught of the H1N1 virus has made TK PSG re-schedule some of its activities. However, TK PSG had a very good year with support from Parents and TKSS, from a wonderful and successful TK1 Nite to the colorful Racial Harmony exhibits set up by TK parents.

Many thanks not only to TK PSG Main Committee but parents and TKSS staff support, all the activities held was a success.

Looking forward to Y2010 and new parents in the fold, I believe TK PSG will once again look at a fruitful year. This is made possible because TKSS is blessed with supportive and motivated parents.

TK PSG, welcomes new parents and students to TKSS family. We sincerely hope to interact with all of you not only during the annual TK 1 Nite but activities that has been lined up throughout Y2010.

Feel free to contact us and join TK PSG in delivering our objectives for Y2010. We certainly need all the support from every TK parents.

Thank you

Safri Sujadi
Chairman, TK Parent Support Group

Sec3 Learning Journey - 27th October

2009-11-20T14:17:00.071+08:00

TK has various Post-exam activities. The Learning Journey is one of them. The Sec3 students enjoyed visiting the places such as The Singapore Mint, museums, and the facilities of AVA on the 27th October. These visits out of school require watchful eyes of adults (20 students / 1 adult) to ensure well-being of the students. 9 TK parents rendered help. The PSG Secretary, Roy and a parent, Amini were among them. They accompanied with Sec3H and J to visit the Agrotechnology Parks. Here’s Roy’s photo journal.
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TK Learning journey on 27 Oct 2009. (oops...got wrong month on the date stamping)
The first stop at Lim Chu Kang’s AVA Auditorium.

The second stop at Qian Hu Fish Farm.

Canteen break for the students who didn’t eat breakfast while waiting for the farm personnel to conduct the tour.

Students enjoying the ornamental fish on display.

This stingray is too expensive for BBQ at a Price tag of $2000.
The more expensive ones are at $10,000 per item!

The price of one stingray above.

The 6 breeding ponds for arrowanas.

Tour inside the Fish Quarantine area before sending to pet shops and exporting overseas.
The number of fishes are counted by hand and packed into plastics bags filled with oxygen and water before shipping out.

These baby terrapins are so cute,

it makes you want to bring some home.
And one of the girls eventually bought one home.
The baby terrapins are not bred locally, they are imported.

Next stop at a local vegetable farm, Kok Fah Technology Farm.

One of the first attractions, a talking bird... And the students were amused by it.

This is the talking bird that caught everyone’s attention...

Onward with the farm tour.

I think this is a long bean plant.

The farm’s very own water supply for their plants.
Rain water is collected for watering the plants and vegetables.

A demo on how to cut an aloe vera leaf for consumption.
“Make sure you don’t touch the sap, it may cause itch on your skin”

Look at the concentration this student has.
“Is that a ......?
Ok, it’s the slime from the aloe vera.”
The student later received a bottle of cold Honey Aloe Vera drink.
Some say it’s good, others say it tastes different... from soft drinks of course.
I enjoyed it of course.

Some schools did some projects here to grow orchids using recycled stuffs. We saw an unwanted plastic shoe, a ‘Croc’ in exact, recycled into a pot for a baby orchid plant. What an ingenious way to get rid of old shoes so you can buy more shoes besides giving them to the garang guni man.

The last stop at the Orchid Farm. Students sitting inside the air-conditioned auditorium for a presentation.
Some advertising for them, “This place can be used for company D&D and functions” as told by the staff.

So cool and nice to relax.

Some are dozing off already.

The place where the orchids are cut and trimmed, ouch.

The production area, some of the orchid flowers are cut and packed for Singapore Airlines passengers... First Class travellers only.
Orchids used to be very expensive in the past. Only very rich people can afford to buy them.
Now you get them free with a First Class air ticket.

Economy class please buy them here.

The cold room for keeping the flowers fresh.

Anybody wants to go in to try the coldness and stay fresh?

A close up of the many potted orchid for sale ... what’s the name of this hybrid? Orchid usually have very long name.

Do you know you can name one after yourself if you discovered a new species?

This is the outdoor scenery, where the orchid plants are grown.

The dark netting above protects the plants from the strong sunlight and pests as well.

“Don’t stray away too far,

otherwise we go back without you!”

“OK we come back....what a waste... I thought we can pluck some flowers for my mummy.”
Do you know how long it takes you to grow a seedling into a mature plant with orchid flowers?
2 years, that all. Think it’s easy?

There are two types of orchids: terrestrial orchids and epiphytes. Terrestrial orchids, such as Cymbidium, grow on the ground, while epiphytes establish themselves on trees.
The hybrids are grown by taking 2 flowers from different species...decide who will be the male and the female. They are asexual, you know.
Fertilise the female flowers....wait for the successful fertilisation......collect the ovary capsules pods from the dried female flower....collect the almost microscpic seeds from the pods before they are dispersed and blown away......Germinate the seeds in special nutrient containing gel....collect seedlings and put in a fertilised bedding.....Transfer to individual small pots....Transfer to individual bigger pots....
One pot for only one plant... no wonder so many pots are needed .... and don’t forget to water them with nutrients water....some orchids don’t grow in soil, so you need to feed them directly through their roots.

By the way, how big can an orchid or vanda plant grow?
This particular one in the picture can weight up to 2000 kgs when fully grown.... this one is only a young plant.
The world’s smallest orchid plant is so small that you need a magnifying glass to see it’s flowers.

If you don’t believe, ask the staff.

“Let me show you how to create a new orchid hybrid.”

When I say you can name the new species after yourself, do you think I’m joking? It’s real!
Some orchids flowers can give off nice fragrance too.
Chocolate flavour, vanilla flavour, just to name a few that I can remember.

No joke, your vanilla ice cream comes in cheap package and some comes in expensive package. The expensive ones like the Turkish Ice cream comes from you know where?
Vanilla orchid of course.

Sorry, the flower has a real name besides calling it vanilla orchid for short and it’s very long also, (Dondurma - salepli dondurma) I think. It also means testicles.
This breed of orchid flower is harvested for cancer treatment in Chinese Traditional medicine and it’s very expensive also. Remember it takes 2 years to grow a new plant before it starts to flower, and the plant only flowers a few times a year.

Written by Roy

Food from the Heart

2009-10-05T22:43:00.001+08:00

www.foodheart.org, tel:62597176.

Sec 3H conducted a Food Drive, in collaboration with Food From The Heart (FFTH). FFTH is a non-profit organisation that started in 2003, by collecting unsold bread from bakeries and hotels and, channelling them to needy families. The Food Drive started on 16th September and students of 3H manned the collection booth in the Canteen. Subsequently it was extended to 2nd October and, the TK Library served as collection point. Thank you Madam Faridah Ikhwan for putting up with mess of cans and bags of food!

TK parents as usual, donated generously. Canned food as well as general food items

such as rice, sugar, oil, instant noodles,

beverage and biscuits were collected. Some parents donated cash, which was used to purchase basic food

items. Our biggest doner for this event was Teo Bao Long Aaron (2D) and his parents Mr. Teo

Kian Huat and Mdm Cheng May Audrey who donated 33 packets of 5Kg rice and 10 bottles of 2Kg Canola oil! A big Thank You to them, to

Mega, who rallied the parents towards this cause and, to all the people who donated and helped out! It would not have succeeded without each one of you!

Volunteers from the FFTH collected the food packets on Monday, to be later distributed to needy individuals and families. Job well done!

The spirit of giving is alive in TK!

Article written by Sunitha

Night sessions to remember...

2009-10-03T16:58:00.000+08:00

Conscientious Sec 4 Students are spending time in the library to prepare for the GCE 'O' Level exams. The school has kept the library open into the night to support requests from the students to provide the space for their revisions. The PSG was on hand to give a further boost to these hardworking students by providing what parents have always done..., love and care through beverages and food.

The GCE 'O' Level Exam is a major event for a 16-year-old. These teenagers are now mature enough to understand importance of the exam and they are putting in more effort to prepare for it than ever before.

The PSG wishes all TKSS Sec 4 students well for the upcoming GCE 'O' Level exam.

The food and refreshments were donated from caring parents. There were parents who contributed by providing the logistics and they were also on site to keep an eye on the students.

...... Till this day, I still remember how seriously I had to study 30 years ago. It still gives me the shudders thinking about it. Having a conducive environment is always a plus point for students to prepare for exams.

GCE 'O' student self study support

2009-08-26T21:39:00.000+08:00

21 August 2009

Dear Secondary 4 Parents,

Re: SUPPORT FOR OUR SECONDARY FOUR STUDENTS

The school has opened its library to the Secondary 4 students for self-study in preparation for the upcoming GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations from17th August 2009. Interested students may stay until 9.00 pm on Mondays to Thursdays. (For more information, please refer to the letter from the School dated 12th August 2009 re: Opening of School Premises for Self-Study)

In order to encourage the students in their endeavour to achieve good ‘O’ Level results and to show our support for them, the Parent Support Group has initiated a project to supply fruit and hot drinks to the students every evening. We are also looking into the possibility of providing a light snack on a regular basis.

This project has been carried out for the last two years. The students from the previous batches were very appreciative and the feedback received was encouraging. With your help, we hope to be as successful this year as we have been in the last two years.

We would like to cordially invite you to participate in this project through cash donations. If you are keen to support this project, please contact PSG Main Committee member, Mrs Mega Siew at Tel: 97413498 or e-mail her at amysw@singnet.com.sg. Alternatively, you may wish to give your contribution, either cash or a cash cheque, directly to Mrs Farid Lee in the General Office. Please indicate Secondary 4 Self-Study Programme on the envelope.

We look forward to your strong support as we work hand-in-hand to make this project a success.

Warm Regards

Safri Sujadi

Chairman, TK PSG

Racial Harmony Day: Amazing Race

2009-08-26T00:29:00.000+08:00

Article contributed by Mdm. Vanessa Lim who's son is in Sec1. - 22 Jul 09

TK celebrated the Racial Harmony Day with a variety of programmes on the 22nd July. Although the duration of the event was shortened and there was no mass assembly due to the outbreak of H1N1, the spirit was high. This year, about 20 parents in total took part in the event, facilitating 2 sessions of KDB (Know, Do, Be) titled "Fuzion Fest" and "Fabrix", as well as supervising "Amazing Race" to help promote the importance of racial harmony.

The amazing race was held within the school compound instead of outside school (see below the original planned route) due to the rain. The 'last minute' arrangements kept the teachers busy by allocating 4 different checkpoints for 4 different cultural groups namely Eurasian, Hindis, Muslims and Peranakans. Students were having fun checking out each group's differences through 'question and Answer' , 'Crossword Puzzle' and identifying the food displayed. The original planned routes - The amazing race was supposed to be carried out along the 4 check points namely
1) Masjid Khalid Mosque at Onon Road;
2) Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple (Joo Chiat Road);
3) Peranakan House (Koon Seng Road); and
4) Eurasian Community House (Koon Seng road).02 July 2008

Racial Harmony Day: Fabrix

2009-08-22T17:20:00.000+08:00

Fabrix Fashion on the Runway (Article contributed by Mdm. Norsiah Rejab)

This year the RHD was celebrated on a much lighter note due to the H1N1. As always, the PSG was again invited to put up Know-Do-Be sessions. After many discussions, we decided to work on two separate stations; Fabrix Fashion On
The Runway and Fuzion Fest. I feel privileged to coordinate the efforts of the Fabrix Fashion team.

Preparation was made weeks before the actual day and all of us at Fabrix put our heads and hearts together during the planning stage. Though it was a daunting task for some of us who had to juggle work and RHD preparations, it all paid off on the 22/7/09 when all our hard work was applauded by one and all at TK.

Our theme on “Connecting to culture: Embrace the Fabric” was well received by the TK Community especially our students. They understood that what we wear defines who we are and what we value as an individual. Indeed, garments are our second skin (the students were thrilled to know that!). Even sociologists agree that many aspects of our culture are expressed through the clothes we put on everyday.

The world of fashion is assimilated. Fashion goes around the world. Fashion also connects people of different races and this facilitates community bonding. With that in mind, we emptied our wardrobes for the most glamorous outfits to showcase our traditional costumes. We wanted our students to feel connected to our multi-racial heritage. We wanted our ‘thrilled’ audience to realise that fashion does connect the ‘them’ and ‘us’ for community bonding.

We showcased authentic costumes of different heritage. We also played with the idea of a fashion fusion.” Why Fusion?” you may ask. Even with time constraints, we saw the need to be creative and innovative. We wanted to show that even when we use non-traditional fabrics, the essence of traditional costume remains. As a result, we had a phenomenal showcase of static display and catwalk. One example is the cheongsam called the New China Chic which is a cross between Eastern and Western cultures. Thus, it can be worn by the Chinese and other races too.

The pupils also participated in a short quiz on the “Windows of Opportunities” where they had to open little windows and talk about the word written inside. Words like ’food’, ‘sports’, ‘games’ and ‘leisure’ were written to test the pupils’ knowledge. Tokens were given for their participation. At the end of our presentation, we gave them potpourri made from different types of traditional fabrics.

Last but not least, I would like to thank all parents for their concerted effort enthusiasm and teamwork to make this year’s RHD another myriad of success.

Well done, PSG.

(Posted by Norsiah.)

Racial Harmony Day: Fuzion Fest '09

2009-08-09T11:11:00.000+08:00

Article contributed by Alena Yap. Alena has a daughter in Sec 3.

For Racial Harmony Day this year, our parent support group put together a fusion activity called “Fuzion Fest”. Fuzion Fest comprises four exhibition booths displaying information and artefacts of four main cultural groups of Singapore, namely, the Chinese, the Malays, the Indians and the Eurasians. Students and guests viewed the exhibits and were encouraged to ask questions.

Students viewing the artefacts at the Chinese booth

Playing a traditional game at the Malay booth

Explaining Indian traditions at the Indian booth

Students browsing at the Eurasian booth

There was also a fusion food tasting activity. Students and guests were excited to taste the four types of curries typical of each cultural group. Curry, which is a common dish found in all four groups, show a fusion of culture in the use of common ingredients such as herbs and spices. Yet each curry is unique in its own right.

Excited students sampling different curries

Parents serving the curry portions to the students

This was followed by a quiz session which not only tested students’ knowledge of the different cultures but also helped expand on this knowledge with additional information about commonalities and differences among the four cultural groups. The top two winning groups received gift packs representative of cultural fusion as well – Chinese brown rice crackers, Indonesian batik coin purse, Indian muruku and Danish cookies.

Suzanna hosting the quiz session

There were nine of us from different races and countries (Singapore, India, Indonesia and Japan)who were involved in this event. Many of us met for the first time and became friends immediately. Because of the H1N1 crisis, we were not able to meet in school. Instead, we met in the homes of two hospitable parents to plan and discuss the event. Fusion of culture began even before the actual Fuzion Fest! At each meeting, there was fun and laughter as we share knowledge of one another’s culture and, not least, the sumptuous food (thanks to the hosts and generous others). We assembled in the COE Room the day before the event to prepare the displays and do the final touches.
Now that the event is over, we are all relieved and feel a great sense of achievement and satisfaction. One of the parents, Rinku who is from India, reflected that the preparation of the charts became a great family bonding time for her as her family members chipped in to help.

Rinku with her husband, daughter and sister-in-law

For me, the late nights and the hours that I have spent doing my research and making the charts has been most meaningful as I learnt a lot about the Eurasian culture. Last but not least, the new friends that I have met over this period have made my time very worthwhile. In fact, our group has bonded so well that after the debrief session, we are even planning for a get-together lunch at someone’s home!

You may view more photos on: http://picasaweb.google.com/alenayap/FuzionFestAtTKSS?authkey=Gv1sRgCIPAwu-fnov8Sg#

Alena has a daughter in Sec 3

In the spirit of things: Passion Parent

2009-07-06T22:25:00.000+08:00

Choon Yok Tak, father of Choon Hui Xun(3F)
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Through my engagement with the parents, I was fortunate to meet some interesting people. Persons with immense passion stood out. These persons will go to great length, focus on the things which they like to do and DO IT. Some of these parents have given inspiration to their children and TK students. Hence when the committee comes across such people, we will like to feature them and hope that those among us draw the same kind of positive inspiration. I have posted the person on the right side for you to have a chat or contact them if you have similar interest.

Since this is the month of Asian Youth Games, I will start the ball rolling with a sportsman. He is passionate about running. In the recent Sundown Marathon, at the age of 48, he ran 84km in 8 hours 44 minutes. Running such a race is not a simple feat. Endurance, focus and will power are important elements, only acheived through disciplining himself and having a spartanly-fit physical condition from years and miles of practice. He is keen in running. In the last 2 years of TK Sports Day, he was there to represent the parents. He is also a volunteer PSG class representative. His sincerity makes him personable. Anyone wants running tips for the upcoming Ultra Marathon?...

Regards

Asian Youth Games

2009-07-06T21:31:00.001+08:00

29 July, TKSS school compund.
Celeste with her parents.

Sec 1 Learning Journey: Singapore Discovery Centre

2009-06-15T22:37:00.000+08:00

– 27 May 2008 (Wednesday)

Written by Khoo Lick Chye

It was one of those weekdays, a usual daily schedule for some people but certainly not to the group of Secondary 1 students from TKSS. It is especially more so for me; my first time to help out as a Parent Support Volunteer. It started enthusiastically when I signed up for the program but it slowly became a dilemma. What happen if I am being assigned to my daughter’s class; would I embarrass her in front of her friends? Luckily, it turned out to be an unnecessary over-concern because I am actually facing a new generation of young men and ladies who are more outspoken. They get well along with their form teacher, from the way I see how they interact with one another. It is on this moment that I know my beloved and timid daughter will be in the good hands of TKSS.

The theme is about Learning Journey and the first thing that they should learn in life is that it is wonderfully unpredictable – the whole itinerary program that was given to us early in the morning was entirely not relevant; we followed a totally different program. Fortunately, the organiser replaced with another equally interesting program - the importance of strong friendships. The young friends that I have made along the journey may not have fully understood the implication of the exhibits; but for an old-man like me, it means:
Peace has to start with sincere Friendships; and
Friendships will prolong more Peace to mankind.

The guys and gals were treated to a start of knowing ASEAN, a community of ten countries or rather eleven (including East Timor). Questions were thrown to the floor but they were well answered; they are just too easy for these TKSS students. Next, the group proceeded to the EU (European Union) sector; teachers and students were encouraged to put their friendships ribbons onto a wall full of other ribbons. By the way, how many of us really understood the design of the EU icon? It symbolise “Looking-In, Looking Out” for each other, pretty meaningful and definitely a piece of art, if you don’t believe me look closer the next time. Next, the group proceeded to the UN (United Nation) exhibit which is a small room where 80 over people (two classes) were squeezed inside, well what better way to described being “United” to each other. If you asked me how many countries are there in UN, honestly I don’t really know and especially we keep hearing new countries that we never heard before, just like the recent 2008 Olympic held in Beijing. Anyway, who really care when we are talking about globalization, we are ONE big happy family, right?
The next event was probably the most important for all, including teachers and parents – the TEA BREAK time. Students are best customers; they queued diligently and faithfully give their parent’s “hard-earned” money to the stall owners in exchange for food and drinks. For once, I was utterly wrong that F&B stalls are struggling under this economic crisis.
After my well deserved COFFEE break which I must have every morning; we were ushered to a big lecture hall where the organizer flashed some very quick facts on some lesser known ASEAN countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia. She then very swiftly called for class representatives to come to the stage to participate in a quiz competition. Here again, you would see very classic class unity; some names seem to be the favourite among the students. As the quiz began, you would again witness the heart-warming class unity; the students stared hard to their classmates for answers and they were generously given. The height of the quiz is the 2nd part where more students were called upon to help their fellow classmates on the stage. There were pushes and rush to get the right pictures but the organizer handled the situation pretty well and professionally; she must have done these thousands times. Gees, those questions were tough even for people like me who used to travel to these countries quite frequently. For the students who got the answers right, kudos to them, I am sure their mum and dad are proud of their knowledge.
The last part of the learning journey is to do – Indonesia Wayang (malay word for shadow show) Making! Students were organized quickly into small groups; okay not so quickly because some of them were die-hard buddies that cannot be separated to join a different group. Students were taught how to make the Wayang. The activities must be quite interesting because the teachers were busy making (or supervising the making) of the Wayang. Students who have completed their Wayang earlier are becoming restless; one of them even pasted a tape over her mouth, I guessed she was trying to discipline herself not to disturb other people at works. Anyway, we can’t blame these youngsters, I was once like them who have endless energy to burn – sign, those are the days. The activities ended with some students being “arrowed” to perform the typical Indonesia favourite Wayang act – sort of similar to Shrek, the movie – loves, hero and bad guys. Lots of laughing and playful acts not only from the students who are performing but also from those who are not performing (audience), they certainly have a good time.
The learning journey ended at 12pm and the group headed back to TKSS. As for me, it was an interesting outing which I think it is also a learning journey for me. Back to work, sign off.

Beach Cleaning ... written by Michelle Hong

2009-06-08T23:38:00.000+08:00

It was a beautiful morning. After a 30 minutes walk, the Sec1 students finally reached the beach.
However, the beach was not as clean as it looked.

Bright yellow trash bags and gloves were distributed to the students. Each class was assigned to clean up certain section of the beaches. The teachers briefed the students on what are they supposed to do and were also reminded not to go too near to the water.
The students began picking up litter on the beach and throwing them into the yellow trash bags. All the students helped to clean up the beach even under the sun! The PSG also joined in the fun.

After one hour, the sandy beach looked cleaner and the yellow trash bags were full. The students had loads of fun and laughed when they found strange looking rubbish.
The Sec 1 students were doing a great job. Time to walk back to the school and guessed what, Sec 1G class who are at the other side of the beach managed to see our President Mr Nathan exercising at the beach. The students were so excited and some of them managed to take photos with the President.
Of course, the PSG enjoyed themselves as well. We have a great exercise and at the same time helping up the environment.

Acknowledgement: Article contributed by Ms. Michelle Hong who has a son in sec3. She is one of the most regular volunteer parents.

Event announcement: Bazaar and school workshop for parents

2009-05-25T23:04:00.001+08:00

1) TK CHARITY BAZAAR, Thursday, 28th May 2009, 8.30 to 11.00 am
We sincerely invite you to the school bazaar on 28th May 2009 (Thursday), 8.30 to 11.00 a.m. There will be students who set up counters to sell food, beverages and games. The profit they make from their entrepreneurship talent will be directed to 3 charities. Let us participate and support the students' effort. Still in the same spirit, PSG together with ART CLUB and SFE will have a booth (inside the library) for jewellery making. We will use the opportunity to teach the students to make earrings of their own creation. They will only need to pay a minimum cost. Their happiness will be doubled as they will design their own earrings and contribute to charity. We will give 100% of what we earn to charity! .2) SFE (School Family Eductation) WORKSHOP, 28th May 2009, 12.00 to 1.00 pm
(Limited to max of 30 participants only)
Title : Establishing the ABCs - a talk on character development in TK
Speaker : Mdm So Mun Yee (Vice Principal)
Hours : 12 noon to 1pm
Venue : Will be confirmed later (MRL or COE Room)
Synopsis :
The school was awarded the Outstanding Award in Character Development by MOE in 2008. The talk will give parents a brief idea of how TK develop character in students. The talk will cover the following areas:
overview of Character Development in TK
sharing and skit by a group of Sec 1 students on what they have learnt in their enrichment programme
2 strategies in building character - outdoor activities & use of current affairs
Kindly accept our invitation and let us know of your availability by sending your reply to Mega Siew at amysw@singnet.com.sg or sms to 97413498 by May 24th (Sunday).

Engaging Parents Through PSG Activities & Networking

2009-04-28T23:22:00.000+08:00

17 Apr 09. Saturday afternoon 2pm. TKSS library was seated withParents of TK students from all levels. This workshop was made available
to class reps as the primary audience and other passionate parents who have key voice from the grassroots.
Class reps, being the direct person-to-person connection to the PSGpopulation are engaged in this meeting to work towards supporting TKSSin the holistic development of the students and to prmote PSG and SFE programmes.
Mr Lee, the school principal, gave the participants a crisp update ofthe School’s initiatives and affairs. The session was littered withcandid questions and spontaneous responses. The issues and questionsbrought up by parents were frank, direct and current. The principalwas able to put the parents at ease when replying to the questions byproviding them with insights into how the school handled the issuesraised.A well-timed networking tea break came next. Parents continued on someof the topics with one another while others were able to make newacquaintances and renew old ones over coffee, tea and good fingerfood.Next, there were a series of presenters who talked about coming eventswhich parents can participate in. The audience was on hand to givesuggestions on the content of the events. In some cases, theyvolunteered to be a member of the organizing committees.My topic came next….blogging. Through blogging, we share experiencesand information. This is to improve ourselves as parent-stakeholdersand also at a personal level with regards to volunteerism. Parents whoparticipated in the school’s activities are encouraged to write abouttheir positive experience to attract other parents to play an active role.

Posting on the blog is easy. Simply sendthe article to the class reps or any of the committee members for itto be posted on the blog.At the end of the meeting, as an observer, I felt information wereflowing both ways… parents were engaged.

Sports Day

2009-04-24T22:14:00.000+08:00

The stands were filled.

Students were cheering loudly for their house. Yes, it is Sports Day for TKSS. The event was held at Bedok Stadium on 17th April 09, a Friday afternoon. I was one of the many parents who was there. Parents were there to cheer for their children as well. Students raced under various sports houses. There was a mass race to encourage student participation.

The teenage runners are a fast lot. The crowd whistled and cheered. Rashvinder was an excited parent when she stood up and cheered for her son who was running the 3rd leg of the 4x100m relay. She was beaming with pride when she said with finger pointing… “the runner is my son!”. Her unabated delight reflects the common parental feeling among us when we are there to witness our child’s participation.

Some made it a family affair. Khairul’s wife and child are in the grandstand to watch the proceedings. Khairul also participated in the end-of-day event. We watched the races and also took time out to interact with teachers and fellow parents.

It was a pleasant surprise to have the cheering competition towards the end of the program. The students were confident, highly energetic and having fun. They were creative and coordinated. It reminded me that they are more grown up and capable than my lagged impression of kids.

Among the parents, quite a few have made the trip and have notified me in advance of their interests to take part in the PSG-Staff race. Amarjit was lucky to be in Singapore to be able to make it for the race too. Jimmy and Christina are husband and wife who signed up for one of the teams. The PSG-Staff relay event involves dexterity with ping pong in spoon for the first 4 members followed by sprint for the next 4. This was organized to have maximum participation and interaction among staff members, PSG and Alumini.

On your mark, Get set, Bang! The starter’s gun was fired by the school’s principal. The first set of runners bolted down 50m gingerly holding a spoon with a ping pong in it. While waiting for their turn, the rest of the relay team members were cheering with enthusiasm. Ms Liz, a teacher was running fast to her students’ delight. Ms Lena Poh, Humanities HOD was also in the fray. Yoke Yin, Norlia, Veronica, Michael, Doris, Yoon Tak, Rashvinder, Mega were parents who took part in the race as well. Meanwhile, Nora and I were busily clicking away to capture the wonderful moments with the camera.

Parents came away with shared experience of the TKSS Sports Day to be cherished in future. I made new friends along the way. Having seen so many people running in the race events, I felt the urge to do some running too. Run for Health, Run for Fun, Run for Life. Okay, got to run.

Title: Mad Dogs

The starting horn blares,
As loud as a tiger roars.
I bolted down the lane
In a flash, like lightning.
My legs pumped like pistons,
My heart pounded like a drum.
My competitors ran like MAD DOGS
Relentlessly, hot on my heels.
Up the hill and down the road,
I started gasping like a fish out of water.
The finishing line didn’t seem any nearer,
As the mad dogs drew closer.
My legs turned wobbly like jelly.
Painful stitches sharp as daggers
Stabbed me above my belly,
As a few competitors overtook me.
Instinctively I responded,
Like an angry bull being poked and prodded.
Sprinting as fast as a hare,
My aches and pains I no longer cared.
The last few metres seemed infinite.
I surged forward furiously.
Everyone did the same,
Like piranhas on a feeding frenzy.
The crowd roared like thunder,
As my chest hit the finishing tape.
My spirits soared high.
I was so happy. Like an eagle, I felt like I could fly.

Poem by a TKSS Sec 1 Student

Sec 3 Science Learning Journey

2009-03-23T22:16:00.000+08:00

Mdm Kelly Tan, a PSG member, volunteered to help the Science Learning Journey school event by assisting the teacher to supervise the sec 3 students. She took a half-day-off to take part in the Sec3 Learning Journey on 10/03. She has two daughters in TK (Sec1 & 3). Through her participation, she has also learnt more about flora and fauna from the Hort Park visit. The following article and pictures are her contribution to describe her experience in the event. I thank Kelly for her blog posting and share the joy of participation as a PSG.

Learning Journey: Hort Park
As part of the Sec 3 Science Learning Journey, educational trips were organized to the following places such as the Tuas Incinerator Plant, the Perfume Factory and the HortPark, among others.

On 10 March 2009, I tagged along as a Parent Volunteer with 31 Sec 3 students to HortPark, together with Mrs Tey. At HortPark, we were split into 2 groups. The Guide for my Group, Mr Vickers, spent the next one hour enlightening us with his wide knowledge of the plants grown there. Another Guide took on the other group together with Mrs Tey.
HortPark, the gardening hub, is a one-stop gardening hub that brings together gardening-related recreational, educational research and retail activities under one big canopy in a park setting. It is a knowledge hub for plants and gardening and provides the platform for the industry to share best practices and showcase garden designs, products and services. This 23-hectare regional park in south-western Singapore is also a park connector, connecting Telok Blangah Hill Park to Kent Ridge Park.
HortPark, official opening in April 2008, is Southeast Asia's first one-stop gardening and lifestyle hub. It is developed at a cost of $13 million. Students were seriously at work as shown in the picture.
There are the Gold section where the plants grown there consist mainly of golden or yellow leaves, which give the impression that the place is golden in the background.

There is also the Silver section where the undersides of the leaves are silvery. We are shown the “Prayer Plants” where the big leaves of such plants will fold up in the evening, to resemble the hands in prayers. There is also a plant with leaves that gives out fishy smell on the fingers when rubbed.

Mr Vickers then showed us a plant which gives out a pungent and fishy smell on our fingers when we rubbed our fingers on the leaves.

We also came across the “Recycled Section” where the plants are grown in recycled items such as bottles, containers, boots, bathtub and even toilet bowls. It shows that all one needs is to be imaginative and the one’s garden will turn out interesting and eye-catching.

Then there is the “Herbs and Spices” section where you can find medicinal plants and spices like those one uses to cook curry and laksa with.

Imported flowers and plants which can survive only in temperate countries were housed in the $7 million prototype glasshouses. The high cost was apparently due to the special drainage underneath the glasshouses and the special glass panels which absorbs the external heat. These glasshouses even incorporate special window binders which will roll down automatically accordingly to the temperature in the glasshouse so as to shade the plants and flowers from the heat.

Lastly, we were shown the various and creative ways of beautify one’s home with the indoor plants, which shows that one can live in greenery even in high-rise living.

The excursion was certainly eye-opening and enlightening, especially if the tour is guided by an experienced staff from HortPark. The children were eager learners and all went well. They were safely back in school at the end of the day.

It is definitely worth going if one has not been there!

Posted by Kelly Tan, PSG

TK1 Nite 2009 - A special night for Parents

2009-02-24T00:49:00.001+08:00

At 4pm, many parents were ready to start the school tour. Members of the Parents Support Group were on hand to quickly register the participants.
In groups of ten, parents were led by student councillors to view various school facilities. Student project work like filtration and distillation systems were on display in the science lab.
After the lab and DnT workshop tours, parents were led to their child's classroom to have an appreciation of the child's study environment. Most parents took the opportunity to write notes of encouragement on their child's decorated desk tops.
Class reps of sec 1C had a great start. They took the opportunity to introduce themselves and their roles to the parents. Lolita is one the 1C class reps whom I've met. She certainly showed alot of earnest.

Before dinner commenced, Principal and Heads of department spent some time to brief the parents on the school and how parents can help their child transition into the rigor of sec 1 education in TK.
Parents got to know each other while dining. Contacts were exchanged and parenting experiences shared. I was fortunate to be able to share some of the experiences of the volunteers and brief parents on participation opportunities. Mr Armajit Singh, whose son is in Sec 1D, will be keen to participate in the sports day relay event. His wife has also express keen interest to get active in PSG work. Another parent, Hemila, is definitely considering some form of involvement and was seeking some guidance from PSG member, Sunitha. Besides these parents, I am confident that there are more parents who are just as keen.

This year, the PSG committee received valuable donations from parents to support its activities. All your donations will be put to good use, to benefit the TK students!
The PSG committee would like to thank all the parents who have shown their support. We have enjoyed the company of parents who attended the TK1 Nite and we hope you, the parents, felt the same. Your participation will help to foster good partnership with the school's teaching staff. There were parents who understood the school's needs and have registered their desire to volunteer their services or participate in future events. Parents can also volunteer or register their participation by contacting your class reps or write an email to the PSG committee listed in this blog. Thank you for a wonderful evening with us.

TK ROAD RUN

2009-02-23T21:00:00.000+08:00

Flag off by SAC Chairman, Mr. Sim

Checking out the prizes

Some of the supportive Parents

"With a huff and a puff...away they go...but we're not talking about the big, bad wolf blowing down the three little pigs' house here! It's the annual TK road run that has again drawn the full participation of the students & staff at TK, not forgetting our ardent parents supporters too. It was a triumphant day for the top runners who were justly rewarded for their stamina and perseverance with their much deserved trophies. and a tiring but a great workout for all others who had participated. Kudos to the organising committee for a great job well done!"

Roger

Cyber Wellness course for parents

2009-01-27T21:31:00.000+08:00

PSG volunteers were organized and ready to welcome the participants for the Cyber Wellness seminar on 17th Jan 09.

•Participants received handouts and a booklet (otherwise to be purchased at $6 from bookstores). You can checkout http://www.planetcrush.org/
•"...definitely a recommended guide for all parents - easy-to-read, comprehensive and relevant. It contains useful references and websites for readers..."- Mdm So Mun Yee Vice Principal, Tanjong Katong Secondary Shool

•Mei Mei, Deepu and Mega registered the participants as they streamed into the library for the seminar.
•In my own words, Cyber Wellness is about how to have your child’s interaction with the computer world be meaningful without letting it spiral out of control, into harm’s way.

•The speaker is from CRUSH, an external organisation that specializes in this area for school going children.
•This is the second time which I had attended this seminar after a year's gap. It is still an eye-opener for me as the materials are updated. I wasn’t aware that kids could purchase “cherry” stored value cards from convenience stores readily. With these cards they could gain access to some sites which could be quite objectionable.
•I was reminded that while our children may be physically away from the computer but mentally their minds could be still be wondering within cyber fantasies even when eating, doing their homework or attending classes. The course shared insights on the fundamentals into the issue from a child’s perspective and gave tips on how to manage the issue as parents.

•Tea break was provided and timed well. Parent spoke to one another to get a feel of the situation other parents are facing and exchanged points on how they are handling the situations. This was quite an icebreaker. During the chats, I found an expectation from parents to know if there are settings or software to block access to harmful sites. This can be easily done under “Tools-> Internet options-> Security” which allows you to set blocks, etc. The course is about equiping parents with more effective tools by understanding the psychology of the issue and develop practical ways to manage it.

•I came away wiser despite having attended the talk a year ago. I am again motivated to get my child to find alternative hobbies to strike a better balance with Cyber space.

CCA Day

2009-01-19T18:54:00.000+08:00

CCA day got many students exploring the stands/stalls for a glimpse of the various groups and clubs. The band was there to promote their activity and providing a carnival atmosphere to the event with their blend of music pieces.

As usual, the PSG was there to stay in touch with parents through such an occassion. PSG members was there to get to know the parents, offer their views and experience on CCA as parents for parents. PSG was also there to promot the Cyber Wellness workshop and TK1 nite. There were questions on why the TK1 night starts at 4 pm. Here is why.... upon arrival, parents will start their tour to the school's facility to let them understand the environment their child will learn in. The facilities and labs will give parents a better understanding of the work the child will have to handle. The most interesting part of the tour has to be the classroom visit (your child's). Parents will have to do something there (I will keep this a mystery for those parents who are attending). There will be a segment whereby the school principal and his staff members will brief parents on some key elements which secondary one in TK differs from primary 6. These briefing will help parents to manage their child better with regards to the schoolwork.

Along with the event sign up activities, PSG put T-shirts on sale. This time round, display board was put up to let parents know that the T-shirt sale do carry a purpose of supporting the PSG Character award. Let me elaborate.

Annually, PSG set aside monetary awards to give recognition to students. The nominees for the award comes from the teachers and PSG will be part of the final committee to select the winner. The nominees are students who exhibit exceptional qualities in their character.

Picture of PSG members after the event. The bond among the PSG volunteers is a great indication of the friendship that exists.

I will be attending the Cyber Wellness workshop and will let you know more about the event in my next posting.

Sec 1 Registration - Time to meet the parents

2008-12-22T18:17:00.000+08:00

8:ooam was already a hive of activities for the PSG volunteers preparing to receive the parents of the sec 1 registration.

The smiling faces of these yellow-shirt volunteers speaks volumes to give a warm welcome to the visiting parents.

Parents were a brief write-up about PSG.
Time was set aside for parents to understand their role and opportunity to participate as stakeholders.

Safri, Chairman of the PSG, did have a captive audience as he guided the sec 1 parents through the activities of the year.

Parents workshop on Mentoring Teens in the Internet age is of significant relevance to the challenges faced by parents in dealing with the issue of Internet discipline and its appropriate use.

Immediately emphasis was for parents to attend the TK1 nite to have the opportunity for parents of the same class to network and help with the child's progress in school with information sharing.

There were encouraging response to the above 2 mentioned events and PSG volunteers were on hand to help register interested parties. Alan and Peck Khoon were to busy to notice the photo shot taken of them.

New PSG members are already at ease with PSG volunteer Veronica and were exchanging information. We will be more than happy if some of these goodwill will translate into more parent- participation to partner the school.

Siew Hoon is our excellent mandarin speaking PSG member besides Doris Teo. Both ladies are conversant in English as well. Hence, for parents who want to get your message across with mandarin, you are in good hands.

Malay and Indian PSG members will also be able to connect well in mother tongue with the PSG committee thru Safri, Sarifah, Mega, Sunitha, Rashvender, etc

Don't forget the date! TK1 Nite 21 Feb (Sat). If you have missed the registration, please seek us out through the contact in this blog. We will attend to you and will be more than happy to have you with us on that day.

This is Ginger. Parent of a child in sec 1G. We thank parents like her to be able to volunteer help to others in her PSG role.

As for me, I have a child in Sec 3 by start of next year and a second child in sec 1 when school re-opens. So, you should be seeing me around for some time. I am incidentally a old boy from TK, graduated in 1978. TK runs in my family.
Hope to see the new faces in the coming year. Your particpation is valuable to the school and an inspiration to other parents.

Games Carnival 2008

2008-10-17T21:16:00.000+08:00

It is Games Carnival day. Students were back from examinations and were ready to let their hair down to enjoy the event.

Students participating in the games represented their houses. The houses with the most points would be the champion for the Games Carnival.

Intense competitions took place at various venues in the school.

Boys and girls from all levels took part in indoor games such badminton and table tennis.

There was also a computer quiz held in the computer lab where students pitted their IT and gaming skills against each other.

Outdoor games such as netball, basketball and soccer were also played.

Students having fun and games right after the exams.

Parents showed their support by bringing curry chicken and hot dog for charity sales to add to the atmosphere.

Parents and students worked together to set up and run the stalls.

Students, teachers and staff patronised the stalls to grab a bite after their games or while watching them.

By noon, food and drinks were already sold out!

The parent volunteers who has helped immensely were Norhayati, Michelle, Tan Siew Hoon, Sylvia and Evelyn.

Will like to take this opportunity to thank them for their generousity in giving their time and effort to make the Games Carnival a success.

Posted by: Ng Hei Tong

School awards from MOE.

2008-10-03T16:56:00.000+08:00

Dear PSG Members,

I am pleased to inform that in this year's MOE Work Plan Seminar which was held yesterday, TK was awarded the following:
1. Band 2 for GCE 'O' Level Performance
2. Sustained Achievement Award (SAA) for Physical Fitness
3. SAA for Aesthetics
4. SAA for Uniformed Groups
5. SAA for Academic Value-addness

TK has also been awarded the Outstanding Development Award for Character Development. In addition, at a separate Awards Ceremony to be held in Nov this year, TK will also be receiving the Achievement Award for Sports and Development Award for National Education. Much credit goes to all TK staff for their efforts in going the extra mile for the students and school. I would also like to thank all PSG members for all your support and assistance in enhancing the quality of the education offering that TK provides. The awards are an affirmation of the solid work put in by the staff, students and stakeholders. However, we at TK believe that the awards are means to an end, not ends in themselves. Our goal and passion are not in the awards per se but the positive changes and benefits that working for the awards will bring. Thank you once again for your help and support as we walk this journey together to provide a most memorable education experience for our children.

Best regards, Yan Kheng

GCE study support by parents

2008-09-24T18:43:00.000+08:00

Dear Parents, SUPPORT FOR OUR SEC FOUR STUDENTS

As you may be aware, the school will open its facilities to Sec 4 students for self-study for the upcoming GCE 'O' Level Examinations from 22 Sep to 16 Oct. Interested students may stay until 9.30 pm on Mondays to Thursdays.

To encourage the students in their endeavour to achieve good 'O' Level results and to show our support for them, the Parent Support Group has initiated a project to supply fruit and hot drinks to the children every evening. We are also trying to provide a light snack on a regular basis.

We tried this out for the first time last year. The children were very appreciative and the feedback was encouraging. With your help, we hope to be as successful this year.

We would like to invite you to participate in this project. You could

1. help prepare or deliver some snack/supper (between 6 and 6.30 pm) and / or

2. make a cash contribution to defray the cost of food supplies

If you are keen to support this project, please contact PSG Committee member, Mdm Rashvender Kaur at Tel: 97821847 / 63829174 or e-mail her at rashu@singnet.com.sg .

This would be truly appreciated! We look forward to your involvement to give our Sec 4s the best possible show of support!

Thank you in advance.

Warm Regards

Safri SujadiChairman, TK PSG