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

Parenting Seminar - 26 Mar 2011

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

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

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

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

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

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