TK Annual Road Run 2014 !

~ Article contributed by Candy

On my ride to the Stadium MRT station, I saw a number of TK students.  They were excited and chatting with their friends happily... And I told myself "today's gonna be a memorable day for me."  

While strolling to the meeting point at Tanjong Rhu Place after exiting Stadium MRT, I saw another group of TK students in front of me.  Their hands occupied with carrier bags full of food and again chatting and giggling happily with their friends as they walked. Oh, did I forget to mention that a student was actually pushing a stroller loaded with nothing but food?

From a distance, you could feel the vibrant atmosphere at the meeting point. I could not hide my excitement when I saw many familiar faces upon reaching the meeting point.  A number of TK parents were in their sports attire, just like me, and were ready to join the school leaders, teachers, staff, students and alumni in the TK Annual Road Run 2014!

After the assembly, the students were told to do some warm up exercises.  1-2-3-4 , 1-2-3-4.... 15 minutes later, the run began. First to go were the competitive runners, followed by the S.P.A. (staff, parents and alumni) with the rest of the students. 

Serious runners dashed from the starting line upon flag off, leaving behind the students who were obviously there just to enjoy the company of their friends.  Some parents were also seen strolling and taking photos while enjoying the magnificent scenery. Whether they were runners or strollers, you could see them giving off words of encouragement to other runners passing by them.  The Red Cross Youth members, some staff and some students could be seen at various points ready to help those participants in need. The finishing line was crowded with S.P.A and students cheering for those approaching the finishing line.   Satisfaction and sense of accomplishment were on the faces on those who completed the run. 

After the race, it was party time with food, music and live performances by students. As Teacher's Day was just a day away, students were also seen expressing their gratitude to their teachers with flowers, gifts and cards.   The whole atmosphere was lively and everyone was having such great fun.  Time usually flies when you were enjoying yourselves and thus, the event ended at around 11 am with the prize presentation ceremony for the top runners.  

To all S.P.A and students, I am sure you have all enjoyed the event as much as I have.  See you again at TK Annual Run 2015, S.P.A and students!  

2014 TKSS Racial Harmony Day

~ Article contributed by Roza

TK celebrated its annual Racial Harmony Day on 23^rd July 2014.  This marked my 6^th year celebrating this event with the awesome TK family! It has always been the greatest pleasure working with PSG members from the different ethnic groups.

Through the years, food has always been the highlight for every Racial Harmony Day Celebrations so this year, TK's Racial Harmony Day’s theme was simply - “Food"!

Unlike previous years where we actually turned the COE room into a mini ethnic museum, this time round the three teams consisting of the Chinese, Indian & Malay were split up in different rooms, working hand in hand with teachers to show-case & impart first-hand knowledge on food.... well, we basically gave a cooking class to the students!

Our PSG Racial Harmony Team had so much fun interacting with the students.  From moulding the Chinese "Mooncake", shaping the "Modak" (a traditional Indian coconut sweet) to folding the "Lepat Pisang" (Malay steamed banana kueh) and frying the "Lempeng" (Malay banana pancake).  The participation and accomplished looks on the students' faces were just priceless!!

Apart from sampling the food, students were given a chance to take home the treats they made. Overall, it has been yet another successful and fulfilling event by TK PSG.  Kudos to the awesome Racial Harmony Team, and here's to many more enjoyable events to come!!

Till we see you again, here's a link to a video for you Voice of Harmony - The Orange Ribbon Song .... ENJOY ! 

 

2014 Sec 4 Nite Study – 1st Fundraising

~ Article contributed by Harris Raihana

The Nite Study Fundraising was held on 29^th April 2014 at the School Canteen with overwhelming response from both the Teachers and Students !

Also see our past successful endeavours for the 2013 TK graduates!

(please click the links below)

2013 'Dinners for Sec 4 Night Study Sessions' - 8 nights

2013 'O' Level Refreshment - Stand By You

2013 'Thank You Letter' from the Sec 4 Student Representative

First and foremost on behalf of our PSG, our sincere thanks to the School and the Staff for their support towards our Fundraising Efforts for our Graduating Students; and  of course our Awesome Team of  Boulangerie Chefs who came together to make this 1^st Fundraising A Success!

The Team of 11 parents-turned-chef baking and preparing 300 croissant sandwiches and specially made 200 crepes filled with Nutella and Bananas and Cream which were snapped up very fast.   We had to turn away disappointed students when we ran out of crepes.  In order not to disappoint the students, we improvised and also filled the croissants with Nutella to satisfy their cravings which also proved to be popular!

While The Chefs were busy baking and selling, the students were also encouraged to pen their words of encouragements to the Graduating Students, on the Specially Ordered PSG Banner which was laid out beside our Booth!   The Banner is now on display in the school Hall!  The Baking Team bonded during our brainstorming sessions with food sampling to come up with new ideas of food items which our kids LOVE.   

Our efforts proved to be a success, and we too became more professional in our techniques and came ready for the large stream of students in a short time, eager to try our specially prepared food.  We came fully equipped with Ovens and Hot Plates to serve them warm and freshly made food!  The Funds raised will be channelled towards the Nite Study Programme sometime in August/September 2014. 

Our Team of Specialty Chefs will definitely be back for another Fundraising in Support of Our Dear Graduating Students!   Once again A Big Thank You to Our Chefs of the Day – Dhupinder, Jumaliah, Kalpana, Merry, Hidayati, Roza,  Poh Choo, Divisha, Amanda and Geetika!  The TEAM of Boulangerie Chefs made it all possible and most importantly we had a good time bonding with our TK family! 

We'll Be Back in August !!!

TK Sports Day 2014 – A roaring success

~ Article contributed by Hidayati

We will, we will rock you ...

PSG Team Supporters

Tanjong Katong Secondary School held its annual Sports Day at Bishan Stadium on 15th April 2014. The stands were a sea of colors from the various house colors. Students were also helping one another apply war paint on each other’s faces and hair spraying each other’s hairs with various colors to add to the vibrancy.

The respective houses of Tagore, Rutherford, Einstein and Da Vinci also had the spectators cheering with their own individual mascots! Though the competitive spirit was strong before and during each event, all the participants were thoroughly cheered on during each race.                                 

My highlight was the Staff-Parent-Alumni Race where PSG fielded two teams. It was a tight race to the finish and one of our teams emerged victorious.  It was a wonderful experience hearing and seeing students cheer on their favourite  teacher too. In spite of the afternoon sun and heat hitting the stadium and running here and there during the event, I felt that TK Sports Day 2014 was very enjoyable for everyone. I hope that the competitive spirit among TKsians burns strong for many years to come.

We did it !

2014 TKSS International Friendship Week

~ Article contributed by Kalpana K

31^st March to 4^th April 2014 was celebrated as the International Friendship Week at TKSS as part of a series of events planned to celebrate Racial Harmony. The weeklong celebration saw our international students from Indonesia, Korea, Myanmar, Nepal and Philippines showcasing the unique culture and tradition of their countries to fellow schoolmates through various posters and presentations.

The Finale to the event was the International Food Festival on 4^th April 2014.  The parents from these countries put in great effort and hard work to generously present food samples to the students. The atmosphere that day was exciting and memorable. The parents not only prepared the food, they also decorated their stalls with handicrafts and souvenirs from their countries and wore traditional attire, which so added to the vibrancy of the event. With music rocking the place the school canteen had literally been transformed to a multi-cultural food festival.  In alphabetical order let me give you a glimpse of the delicacies presented to the students and the feedback from the various team members.

The Indonesian Team found the idea of the Food Festival Finale very interesting. They felt that it was indeed hard work but in the end well worth the effort they had put in. Their food ‘centre piece’ was amazing and they kindly presented it to the teachers at the end of the event.

The Korean team took hard work to prepare their traditional food as all dishes were handmade and time consuming but overall the parents were very pleased to see that students knew about the dishes as they had seen them in Korean dramas.  The music from their stall added a festive air to the entire event.

The team from Myanmar dressed in traditional attire decorated their stall with handicrafts from Myanmar giving us a glimpse of their rich culture. The team members were very happy and excited to be a part of their very first event in the school and greatly enjoyed interacting with the students.  

The Nepali team in traditional attire and jewelry were a lovely sight to see. Their decoration of the stall with artifacts and currency from their country and posters displaying their natural great heritage was amazing. The team was proud and excited to be a part of the event and enjoyed seeing the presentations of the other countries. 

And lastly I would like to make a special mention of the Philippines team, run by a small team, but it presented brilliantly with a big spread of assorted delicious deserts that were well appreciated by all.  The beautiful traditional Filipino gown was also another highlight of the event.

Overall the experience of being a part of the International Friendship Week finale was fun filled and exciting. The air of festivity was amazing.  On behalf of PSG, I think special thanks is in order to the school team who never fail to amaze us with the considerable thought they always give to make this learning journey interesting and memorable for our children.  And most importantly, I like to thank all parent volunteers who helped on the day, and a very special ‘Thank you” will go to our international parents for their generous contribution, enthusiastic participation and strong support to make this event happen successfully!!

The Indonesian Team: Nasi Tumpeng, Kunyit Asem, The Botol, Kue Lapis Legit and Kerupuk.

The Korean Team: Gim-bab, Ddeog-bogg-yi, Jab Chae and Gim chi

The Myanmar Team: Myanmar Banana Cake, Yellow glutinous rice, Myanmar Pan Cake, and Mont Lone Yay Paw (Glutinous Rice Balls)

The Nepali Team: Sel Roti, Aloo Dum, Momo and Keer.

The Philippines Team: Brazo de Mercedes, Puto, Kutsinta, Pichi Pichi and Cassava Cake

School Principal Mdm Haslinda joining and supporting our parent volunteers for this wonderful and lovely event!

2014 TK 1 Nite - A Student's Message Dedicated to TK PSG

Muhammad Rais Raiyan (Sec 4D), President of the TK Student Council 2013 gave a heartwarming speech regarding his view on TK PSG at 2014 TK 1 Nite:

“Before we begin, let me share with you some of my experiences that I had with the lovely parents of TK PSG.  

Racial Harmony Day, 2012. I was a participant for the TK Amazing Race and was joined by a fellow parent from the TK PSG, Mdm Hidayati.  At first, we were reluctant to start a conversation with her. But after a while, we slowly broke the ice and discovered more about PSG’s involvement in TK. We learnt that on that same day too, other fellow parents from TK PSG had set up beautiful booths, to share with students’ knowledge and skills, from the different ethnic cultures and traditions.

Through the conversations we had, at the end of the day I concluded that, “TK PSG is made up of warm hearted and dedicated parents." And then a year later, I had a similar experience.

For students taking Higher Mother Tongue language, we sit for our “O” level Mother Tongue papers at Sec 3. After the first paper, as I made my way to the canteen, a TK PSG parent approached me and offered me 2 buns of bread and a cup of soya bean milk. I was grateful. Amidst the stress of the examination, it was comforting to know that we are cared for. The kind gesture really made my day and helped my friends and I feel even more pumped up for the next paper.

Later on, I learnt from my Sec 4 seniors then, that every year, TK PSG has also been supporting the Sec 4 Evening Study programme, by providing dinner for Sec 4 students studying in school. All this was possible from the fund-raising projects PSG carry out.

After that day, I made an amendment to my previous statement. “TK PSG is made up of warm hearted and dedicated parents who help make TK feel like home.  On behalf of all TKsians, from the bottom of my heart, Thank You Parents for making TK feel like home."”

2014 TK1 Nite - The Classroom Bonding Segment

~ Article contributed by Shalu Matani

The main objective of the classroom segment was to encourage bonding and a participative culture of communication between the parents of Secondary One.  The TKSS Parent Support Group took this initiative during the TK1 Nite to link and create connections and relationships between the Secondary One parents of each class.  This platform was created with the inclusion of the classroom segment which gave the Sec1 parents several opportunities to share and contribute their thoughts and opinions. It was efficiently facilitated by the PSG parent volunteer teams.  In fact the notion of proactively engaging all the Secondary One parents during the classroom segment, when they assembled together had crossed the minds of several PSG Leaders.

This inspiration turned to reality during the TK1 Nite held on 22nd February 2014 with 14 PSG leaders mobilised in pairs over seven Sec1 classes. It was the first time in the history of TKSS that a fully structured classroom segment of 45 minutes had been planned. There was excitement in the air, palpitation in the heart and a general feeling of enthusiasm as each pair of PSG leaders welcomed the Secondary One parents into their respective divisions. 

In order to get the conversations flowing, the evening kick-started with “Innovative Introductions” wherein parents were asked to creatively introduce themselves by attaching an adjective that best described their personality preferable with the same alphabet as their name. The option of using adjectives with alternative alphabets was also given.  The general consensus from the PSG leaders was that although a few parents were slightly shy at the start they soon warmed up and there were plenty of creative names brought to light such as Joyful Joshua, Sweet Serene, Handy Hadira and even Handsome Ophir.

The next ice breaker was “Greet and Meet” especially aimed towards parents mingling and socializing with each other in a casual and relaxed environment. In order to successfully facilitate this segment, PSG had prepared and distributed a questionnaire to all parents which required them to exchange familiar information related to their child’s classmate such as CCA choices, living vicinity and name of primary school.   This seemed to be the most enjoyable session with parents talking, laughing and making memorable connections. Some even exchanged mobile numbers and suggestions were to set up whatsapp groups for future communication and connectivity.

Finally in the “Post Compliments” segment parents were requested to take post it paper from the PSG leaders and write compliments, greetings and words of encouragement for their child and leave it under their respective tabletops. Most parents seemed very pleased with this initiative. Some PSG leaders also had the opportunity to share their personal experiences with the parents in order to give them reassurance.

Sharing from the teacher

Class 1F had all students enrolled from the DSA option. Here PSG organised a talk given by a couple where the father was an ex-TKKSian and two of their children had enrolled with the school on the basis of DSA. Both parents gave their perspective and tips for parents to assist their child in delicately balancing time for academic work and sports training. This was an extremely successful interaction with several parents having their queries answered. 

On behalf of PSG we would like to thank all the Secondary One parents for their active, energetic and vivacious participation. We hope that the classroom segment has provided real opportunities for everyone to meet and connect “parent” to “parent” resulting in valuable friendships.   

With this the PSG wishes everyone – “All the best till we meet again for TK1 Nite 2015 !!”