Clementi Primary School Newsletter – Nov 2012 Issue 2

Copyright 2012 @ Clementi Primary School. All rights reserved.

1-4. Achievements 5. CCA 6-7. Immersion Programmes 8-9. Outdoor Learning-Camps10-11. Celebrations/LSP 12-13. Reading in CTP/Aesthetic 14. Healthy Lifestyle/Staff MattersContents:

principal’s foreword

It’s the end of another school year and a time for reflection…

At the recent MOE Workplan Seminar, Minister for Education, Mr Heng Swee Keat, presented four key thrusts for the Singapore education system, namely, ‘Every Student, An Engaged Learner’, ‘Every School, A Good School’, ‘Every Teacher, A Caring Educator’ and ‘Every Parent, A Supportive Partner’.

What is a Good School? Is Clementi Primary a Good School? A good school was defined as one that nurtures engaged learners, enables teachers to be caring educators and fosters supportive partnerships with parents and the community.

How have we fared thus far? It has been a very fruitful and meaningful journey for all of us at Clementi Primary. Our children have done us proud with their zest for learning, their desire to excel in whatever they do and their concern for their friends. They have consistently done well in various academic pursuits. We have also seen many fine achievements in non-academic areas this year. At the Singapore Youth Festival, three dance groups (Chinese, Malay and Indian), the school band and the choir won two Bronze and three Silver awards. Our sportsmen fared just as well, particularly in Rope Skipping and Taekwondo. We have received the MOE Sustained Achievement Award (Sports) 2012. This is in addition to the 3rd Sustained Achievement Award (Aesthetics) which we received last year.

In our pursuit to provide a holistic learning experience for all our children, we have relentlessly sought out new quests and opportunities. Our school curriculum has continued to be a vibrant and an exciting one for them, kindling their passion for learning and catering to their unique needs and abilities. Our children’s level of engagement at every school event has been simply remarkable.

Surely our teachers are caring educators. Our teachers are very passionate about what they do for our children. They have been instrumental in creating an enriching learning experience for the children and and they are most willing to go the extra mile to help them realise their potential. A close student-teacher relationship is fundamental for developing the best in our children and anchoring them in strong values. It was in this spirit that all our teachers joyfully embarked on a journey of ‘Transactional Analysis’, a scientific model of social psychology that teaches educators to manage their communication and relationships. They realised that this heightened awareness would enhance their interaction with our children and help build quality relationships.

We realise that all these efforts would not have been possible without our parents. Our parents have been very supportive of our school events such as Healthy Lifestyle Day, Racial Harmony Day, Mid-Autumn celebrations and the Recycling project, just to name a few. We have also fostered good partnerships with the community. A new initiative launched this year was an exhibition showcasing our pupils’ art pieces in the library at Clementi Mall. It was a product of our collaboration with the library.

I have only managed to provide snapshots of the year’s events. As you flip through the pages of this publication, I am sure you will arrive at an answer for the question I posed earlier: Is Clementi Primary a Good School?

Looking forward to another wonderful year in 2013….

“To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.” – Confucius

I would like to wish all pupils, staff and parents a happy holiday!

Best Wishes!

Mrs Chandler Jay SivaPrincipal

1achievements

SYF 2012 Chinese DanceThe Chinese Dance group attained the Silver award in the SYF dance competitions.

Twenty-five members of the Chinese Dance group gave their best and danced enthusiastically to the lively rhythm of the song 桃孔.

The dance depicts the celebration of a successful harvest season by the children of the Yao Tribe. The dance members, of whom

many are participating in a national competition for the first time, enjoyed themselves immensely whilst preparing for

the competition.

The Chinese Dance group would also like to thank the school and parents for their support. They hope to do even better in SYF 2014.

SYF 2012 Indian Dance After numerous gruelling dance practices that stretched from the December holidays last year to the March holidays this year, the Indian Dance group achieved a Silver award in this year`s SYF competition. The title of the dance was Maan Vaasanai, a folk dance depicting a celebration in a village. Congratulations to all our dancers!

SYF 2012 Malay Dance Nineteen pupils from our Malay Dance group competed in the

Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) dance competitions on 16 April 2012. Our committed pupils

began their rehearsals since the December holidays last year and

their efforts have paid off as they achieved a Silver award.

Congratulations pupils!

A group photo after the competition

Our dancers in attractive costumes posing with Karagams and KavadisOur dancers after their performanceat the University Cultural Centre

2 achievements

The cheerleaders of Clementi Primary School, also as known as ‘Unicorn’ and comprising of Primary 2 and 3 girls, took part in their first Cheer-O-Mania, a cheerleading competition organised by the Singapore Kindness Movement.

As the theme for this year was ‘Be Thankful’, the cheerleaders reflected on the various acts of kindness shown to them in their own lives and set out to motivate others to do likewise through their energetic dance moves and exuberant cheers.

The finals were held at United Square on Saturday 14 July. Despite being the youngest group in the competition, the girls put up a rousing performance and received a merit award after weeks of sheer hard work. The judges even made special mention of their cheerfulness and well-synchronised dance moves. You have done us proud, girls!

RoboticsCompetitionsOur Robotics teams participated in two competitions – Robo-Champion Challenge and National Junior Robotics Competition (NJRC) in Terms 2 and 3. Both competitions required our pupils to assemble, program and test their robots based on a given mission and a surprise mission that was announced to the pupils only on the day of the challenge. In addition, our pupils were required to conduct research based on a given theme and showcase their learning experience to a panel of judges.

In the Robo-Champion Challenge, the team, comprising Donovan Neo Jia Jie, Desmond Kwa Jun Liang and Lian Kah Seng, won the Judges Award due to their perseverance and outstanding team spirit demonstrated. In the NJRC, our team was among the top thirty percent, out of 125 participating teams.

Through these competitions, our pupils learnt both technical and soft skills as they worked through the challenges together. Besides enhancing their innovation, creativity and problem solving skills, they also learnt to manage their time between the demands of the competitions and their studies. It was truly a rewarding experience for all of them!

Plain English Speaking Award 2012Clementi Primary School has been fielding participants to represent the school in the YMCA Plain English Speaking Awards (PESA) since 2008 and this year is our best achievement yet. The competition is organised by the YMCA of Singapore, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the National Library Board and Speak Good English Movement. Participants are judged on their ability to convey a convincing message to the audience with sincerity, clarity and in appropriate language.

After numerous rounds of competition, Oli Winter from P6/9 beat the other contestants in this highly charged competition to clinch the 3rd prize in this prestigious national competition.

Cheer-O-Mania 2012

The Judges Award team members: (from left) Donovan, Desmond and Kah Seng from 6/9

Our own cheerleaders delighting

the crowd at United Square

Oli and his supportive fatherwho was present for allcompetition rounds

Wits andWords2012From February to April, a team of Primary 5 and 6 pupils worked hard to hone their debating skills to face their opponents in Wits and Words, the annual inter-school debate championship.

In the championship that saw more than 60 primary schools from across the nation participating, the team fought hard and lasted the three preliminary rounds to find themselves among the top eight teams in the quarter-finals.

Oli Winter (P6/9) emerged as one of the top ten speakers and was presented with a Good Speaker award at the prize-giving ceremony. Congratulations Oli for a job well done!

The debate team (from left) Tan Yih Reng (P5/7),Clayten How (P5/7), Oli Winter (P6/9), Angela Ang (P5/7) and Patel Dhairya (P5/7).

3achievements

Rope SkippingThe West Zone Rope Skipping competition was held on 20 and 21 March at Lakeside Primary School. Our rope skipping team attained top positions for various events in the competition: 4th position in 6 events, 3rd position in 5 events, 2nd position in 3 events and 1st position in 1 event. The pupils’ outstanding performance placed the team in the 4th position (overall) for the Junior Boys, the Junior Girls and the Senior Boys categories. Our pupils also attained the 3rd position (overall) for the Senior Girls category.

The team proceeded to the Nationals on 18 April and did our school proud.

Speed (Junior Boys) – 3rd Rico Tan Shao En (P4/3)

Speed Relay (Junior Boys) – 3rd Sean Lee Jia Wei (P5/4), Tan Ee Tai (P5/6), Rico Tan Shao En (P4/3), Teo Rong Xuan (P4/5) and Tey Wee Kiat (P3/3)

Pair Creative (Senior Girls) – 4th Jeslyn Yeo Kai Xuan (P6/9) and Viridis Ma QianYi (P6/9)

The Rope Skipping team would also like to thank all teachers and parents for their support during the competition periods.

More than 20 pupils from our school competed in the 2012 National Calligraphy and Penmanship Competition, which was jointly organised by the Chinese Calligraphy Society of Singapore and the Guan Yin Tang Buddhist Temple. Out of the hundreds of pupils who took part in the competition, four of our pupils, Yin Ying Cheng (P5/7), Zhu Zirui (P5/5), Li Yuan (P4/3) and Yang Yiran (P3/6), were shortlisted as finalists.

On 23 September, our pupils, led by Mr Du Guang, participated in a penmanship competition and received the Merit Award in the primary school category. Each of them won for themselves a $40 cheque. In addition, Ms Ng Mei Ling led another team of 8 pupils to participate in the 19th National Calligraphy Competition organised by Pei Tong Primary School on 21 September. Indeed, our pupils learnt a lot from the various competitions they participated in.

BadmintonUnder the skillful coaching of Mr Yeo Chua Long, the Senior Boys group made it to the second round of the Zonal competitions this year. Although it might seem to be only a small success, Mdm Chng, the teacher-in-charge of Badminton, nonetheless kept her promises to the boys and awarded each boy with a twenty-dollar voucher from the Popular Bookshop.

The team also participated in the NanHua QL Badminton Invitational 2012. A team in the doubles category for boys came in 3rd and another came in 4th. Their successes have motivated other badminton players to do better next year.

The Rope Skipping team with their teachers and coach

The Senior Boys team posing for a picture with Mdm Chng

Mr Du Guang with the pupils who won

the Merit Award (from left) Yang Yiran

P3/6, Zhu Zirui P5/5, Yin Ying Cheng P5/7

and Li Yuan P4/3

Our senior boys at NanHua QL Badminton Invitational 2012

2012 National Calligraphy and Penmanship Competition

Members of the Volcanic Rockz

carrying out their experiment

4 achievementsDestination Imagination 2102In a bid to expose our pupils to challenging situations in which they learn how to apply creative thinking, critical analysis, communication and collaboration skills, Clementi Primary School participated in Destination ImagiNation (DI) held in April this year for the first time, a shift from the Odyssey of the Mind (OM) competition in which our school had been taking part in for the last four years.

A total of five teams – one team from Primary 4/7 and four teams from Primary 6/9, represented the school for DI in three different challenges. We are pleased to share that our school clinched two Gold awards and a Bronze award in this highly contended event. After many laborious hours of preparation to satisfy the stringent requirements of the Challenges, the awards were truly a great encouragement for every team member involved.

In the challenge ‘Coming Attractions’, the P6 team which received the Gold award won the hearts of the judges with their ingenious props, special effects and original soundtracks as they competed with Rosyth School to present a movie trailer involving characters from two nations.

The remaining three P6 teams took part in the challenge ‘News to Me’ in which they created five-minute skits about the cause-and-effect relationship between two totally unrelated news stories. It was a tough challenge to tackle but with great teamwork and a well-improvised plot that tickled the judges, one of the teams received a well-deserved Bronze award for their efforts.

The youngest team on board, the P4 team who called themselves the ‘7 Sacred Souls’, took part in the ‘Project Outreach’ challenge and went on to compete in the Global Finals held in June at Tennessee, United States. The feisty team competed with 45 teams from various US states and countries with their project on promoting the recycling of plastic bottles and emerged 11th out of 30 positions.

The school recognises the hard work put in by all the five teams which represented the school and appreciates them for all the sacrifices made as well as the unwavering attitude displayed in spite of the challenges faced. Well done, DI teams!

The team that was voted the Most Popular Booth: (from left) Gladys, Angela, Elijah and Dhairya

The team which clinched the Gold award

for the ‘Coming Attractions’ challenge

7 Sacred Souls in the ‘Project Outreach’ challenge

W1 ClusterYoung Investigators CompetitionThe WI Young Investigators Competition is an annual science competition which aims to promote open inquiry among primary schools and to provide a platform for pupils to showcase their scientific work. The competition is organised by Henry Park Primary School and is open to all P5 pupils in the W1 Cluster.

Four pupils from P5/7 comprising Gladys Woo, Angela Ang, Elijah Han and Patel Dhairya Nayanbhai formed a team where they were required to carry out experimental investigations of a scientific question of their choice.

They called themselves the ‘Volcanic Rockz’ and their project title was ‘Magnitude of Volcano Eruption’. They wanted to explore why and how a volcano erupts and if there was a way to reduce the intensity of a volcano eruption. For the project, they conducted a thorough experimental investigation and came up with their own investigative question and hypothesis. They also developed an experimental design and collected data. Finally, they analysed the data and presented their findings to their peers.

The team members worked very hard on their project and though they did not win any of the team prizes, one of the team members, Dhairya, won the Most Eloquent Presenter award and our exhibition booth was voted as the Most Popular Booth.

They would like to thank their schoolmates from both P5/7 and P5/6 for supporting them during the exhibition on Friday 21 September.

5CCAOur Basketball Champions

Fresh from clinching the Silver award in the Singapore Youth Festival competition, our Chinese and Malay dance groups were invited by the Clementi Community Centre to perform at the Parents’ Day Lunch event on Sunday 24 June. Once again, our talented dancers showed their dedication by sacrificing the last week of the June holidays to rehearse for the event. They enjoyed themselves tremendously that day and put up two lively performances.

This year the Brownies Annual West Division Day was held at Greenridge Secondary School on Saturday 28 July. Brownies from Primary 3 and 4 participated in the event. The objective of the event was to create bonds between the brownies and guides from other schools and the theme was ‘We can save the planet’.

The girls learnt various ways of recycling and conserving resources through a series of competitions which included creating two musical instruments, making tote bags with an old T-shirt and competing in a jigsaw relay. At the end of the day, our girls won the first prize for two competitions, out of three. The girls also held a bowling competition for other brownies and guides. They had a very memorable and enriching experience.

A team of four English teachers, Miss Yvonne Boey, Mdm Evelyn Huang, Mdm Thila Dinesh and Mr Anthony Chua, was invited to share on the development of a reading culture in a local primary school on Saturday 26 May at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content. The team consulted Dr Chitra Shegar, Assistant Professor of the National Institute of Education (NIE), on her theoretical expertise in the area.

The two-day event was held at the Arts House and the teachers had the honour of sharing with pre-school and primary school teachers from Singapore as well as overseas delegates on how the school embarked on its journey to ignite the reading passion in our young sparks.

During the presentation, the teachers shared about the various activities which the school had planned to develop a reading culture in our school as well as the process of implementing these activities. They provided a detailed description of the theoretical framework adopted for developing a reading culture in the school. They also raised issues related to reading motivation and shared the strategies employed to increase pupils’ motivation to read. The participants were treated to video clips of storytelling sessions by our teachers during pre-assembly and recorded performances by our very own Clementians!

It was truly an enriching and rewarding experience for both the participants and the presentation team!

Our Brownies with their trophies

Our teachers and dancers posing for photos with Mr Arthur Fong, Member of Parliament for West Coast GRC

Dr Chitra with the team of presenters

On Tuesday 29 May, our school basketball team was invited to compete in the Primary School Invitational Sports Competition 2012 held at Queensway Secondary School. The boys played hard and beat two teams to reach the finals. The final game against the team from Radin Mas Primary School was a thrilling match that saw our boys overcoming a 24-point deficit to take the lead and win in the final moments of the game, emerging as the champions in the competition. Well done, boys!

Asian Festival of Children’s ContentBrownies Annual

Event 2012

Parents’ Day Lunch

6 immersion programMes

Picturesque PerthWinter had just begun when twenty Primary Five pupils landed on Perth on Thursday 24 May 2012. At eight degrees, the weather was chilly. Unperturbed by the cold, the pupils – accompanied by their Vice-Principal, Mrs Rosalind Wee, and three teachers, Miss Er Yen Ru, Mr Tan Wee Khiang and Mrs Jennifer Chan – quickly put on their thick jackets and filled their stomachs with a hearty breakfast at a Macdonald’s outlet. They had travelled to Perth in Western Australia to experience a different culture and to participate in nature-based learning on biodiversity conservation.

2012 Cultural Immersion and Educational Tour to China From 24 May to 30 May 2012, 20 Primary 5 pupils, led by our teachers, Mr Choo Chang Joon, Miss Ng Hui San and Miss Grace Khoo, participated in a seven-day cultural immersion and educational tour to Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou.

Besides visiting the cultural and historical sites, they also experienced life in a local school in Hangzhou. Our pupils relished the opportunity to interact with the local pupils and understand their culture better. Besides learning to be independent, the trip provided pupils with an authentic Chinese language learning environment and promoted the appreciation of the Chinese culture and values.

During the trip, our pupils were warmly welcomed by the pupils at Sawyers Valley Primary School where they attended a Physical Education lesson and picked up techniques in Australian football from their Australian counterparts. They also went to Perth Hills Centre for a full-day experiential learning programme where pupils investigated invertebrates in the forest and explored the water catchment area around Mundaring Weir.

In the two days before they left for home, the pupils went on a cruise along the Moore River which included a stop at a sand bar for some sand-boarding fun. The rest of their stay was spent at Orchard Glory Farm Resort where the pupils could explore the vast fields of the Chittering Valley.

The trip to Perth, the pupils agreed, gave them exposure to a different culture and allowed them to learn many things in the great outdoors. It was truly an experience not possible in the classroom.

A warm welcome from the school in Hangzhou, China

Attending lessons in the local school Sightseeing in China! So this is how silk is made!

7immersion programMes

Educational-cum-Community Involvement Programme (CIP)Trip to Sarawak Twenty-five P5 pupils went on an educational trip to Kuching for four days, from 28 to 31 May. The objectives of the trip were to develop self-confidence, independence, tolerance and responsibility, build friendships with the local people and appreciate the Malay culture in Sarawak.

The first day in Kuching was spent travelling around the city. The group also visited a pottery farm where each pupil had a chance to mould a clay pot from scratch! On the second day, the group spent most of their time at the Sarawak Cultural Village, where they visited the homes of different ethnic groups in Sarawak such as the Bidayuh, Iban and Melanau. They also attended a dance class, which featured the Bidayuh dance, and a craft lesson to make beaded rings.

Pupils carried out their CIP activites at Kampung Telaga Air, a local fishing village, on the third day. There, our pupils learnt their traditional welcome dance, played the kompang (a traditional musical instrument) and had their first attempt at making the traditional kuih baulu (a Malay traditional cake). As part of their CIP, our pupils helped to clean the park and made house visits to get to know the villagers better. At the end of that day, our pupils had a blast when they went fishing and caught crabs the ‘kampong’ way using hand-woven nets.

Bidding goodbye to Sarawak on the fourth day was not easy and our pupils left the beautiful country with many fond memories of the trip.

Enrichment programmes by theTamil Language departmentOn Wednesday 22 August, a news reporting workshop was conducted by Claritex International for our seventeen upper primary pupils. Our pupils not only learnt how to edit a news report given to them, but they also learnt how to be a good news reporter. They all enjoyed the workshop tremendously.

Two of our pupils, Kottaimuthu Sineka and Priyadarshini from P6/9, participated in a game show organised by Mediacorp’s Vasantham Channel. The game was called ‘Kilaadi’. Both Sineka and Priya participated actively in the game show and won attractive prizes.

For the very first time, the Tamil Language department embarked on an enrichment activity for Primary 1 pupils. Various activities and games such as ‘Charades’ and ‘Treasure Hunt’ were conducted for the pupils on Wednesday 29 August. The objective of the enrichment was to enhance the learning of Tamil Language and understand the Indian culture better.

In conjunction with the Mother Tongue Fortnight, Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre organised a Tamil Fest on Saturday 4 August. Twenty-one pupils from our school attended the festival and took part in a wide variety of activities and competitions. Jayachandran Deepsri won the 3rd prize in the Fancy Dress competition.

Twenty-two lower primary pupils participated in a drama course conducted by VVV Creative Theatre Pte Ltd during the June holidays. The objectives of the course were to build confidence in our pupils, to learn how to be independent and to develop speaking skills in the Tamil Language through drama activities. For the upper primary pupils, a Murasu Anjal workshop conducted by Grow Momentum (S) Pte Ltd was conducted on 28 and 29 May, with the objective of mastering their skills in typing and developing their internet browsing skills, both using the Tamil Language. Thirty pupils benefitted from the workshop.

Our pupils tying a jasmine garland

with the help of a facilitator

Pupils learning to project their voices

We are ready for an adventure!

8

ASPIRE Camp!As part of the Pupil Well-Being department’s initiative, some Primary 5 and 6 pupils went for the ASPIRE camp, a one-day character-building camp organised by the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association (SANA), on Friday 25 May at the Hougang Community Club. The pupils were taught how to make good choices in life and block out negative influences in order to become responsible pupils and good citizens. Pupils experienced various activities in eight-man tents in the activity rooms. They were also guided through a series of meaningful activities by youth mentors engaged by SANA. At the end of the camp, each pupil received a certificate of participation and a goodie bag.

Drama Camp!The Pupil Well-Being department organised another one-day camp on Saturday 2 June, with the help of some trainers from Centre Stage School of the Arts. The drama workshop, which focused on using dramatic and imaginative play to enhance concentration, sequencing and teamwork, saw pupils participating in engaging group activities such as role-play in order to understand different perspectives arising from a particular situation. After the workshop, teachers from the Pupil Well-Being department conducted an equally fun-filled session for the pupils – pizza making. Pupils put their listening skills to good use as they followed instructions attentively so as to bake scrumptious pizzas for themselves!

outdoor learning-camps

P4 Mother Tongue Languageand Cultural Day CampOn 14 and 15 May, the Mother Tongue Languages department held a Language and Cultural Day Camp for all Primary 4 pupils. The aims of the camp were to provide an environment for pupils to immerse themselves in the culture of their mother tongue and develop a deeper appreciation of their respective cultures through various hands-on activities conducted by external vendors. All the pupils enjoyed the activities.

The Chinese Language pupils were introduced to traditional activities such as bean art, kite-making, wrapping of glutinous rice dumplings and Chinese wushu.

The Malay Language pupils engaged in a friendly competition of ‘Dikir Barat’, a traditional sing-a-long performance with musical instruments such as the maracas, kompang, rebana and gong. The pupils also enjoyed making their own wau bulan (a moon-kite) which were decorated using crepe paper.

The Tamil Language pupils experienced how traditional games such as uri adital, pallanguli and kabadi were played. The activities were an eye-opening experience to many pupils as the games were not played in Singapore.

Practising our ‘Dikir Barat’ moves!

We are the young wushu warriors!

Pallanguli is fun!

We need to work as a team!

Practising turn-taking

Yummy! I cannot wait to eat them!

9outdoor learning-camps

Mission I’M PossibleTwenty-one Primary 4 and 5 pupils from the Hwa Chong Institution-British Petroleum (HCI-BP) Mentoring Club attended a two-day day camp at the premises of HCI from 30 to 31 May 2012.

Since the inception of the HCI-BP Mentoring Club in Clementi Primary School in 2010, the HCI mentors have been organising a yearly camp for their young charges. Titled ‘Mission I’M Possible’, this year’s camp aimed to inspire the participants from various organisations including West Coast Community Club, to give their best in everything they do in life. Undertaking the pseudo-personalities and guise of Marvel’s Avengers Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, Thor and Hawkeye, the 6 teams sought to ‘go to war’ as the members worked together to compete in various activities incorporating Science, film, craft and games to bring out the best in these young ones! The children even brought home their very own handmade lava lamps to show their families!

West Zone P5 Leadership Camp Our school was one of the eight schools selected for the West Zone Cluster 4 P5 Character Development Leadership Camp organised by West Zone Centre of Excellence. The camp, with the objectives of promoting leadership development, providing opportunities for student leaders to learn and developing social emotional competencies, was held at the Princess Elizabeth Primary School from 18 to 19 May.

The two-day, one-night camp was packed with exciting activities such as balloon sculpting, team-building games, rock climbing and abseiling. During the camp, pupils’ resilience and teamwork were put to the test when they had to wake up at 6am and share common toilet facilities. They also got to interact and learn from their peers from other schools. At the end of the camp, many pupils felt that the high element challenges helped them to confront their fears and the activities they participated in allowed them to pick up communication skills and develop resilience and confidence.

“My favourite part of the camp is the war games! I have learnt to work together with my team and aim higher. I am going to improve on my manners,” reflected a member of the Hawkeye team, Rui Geow from P4/3, on the camp.

After the first day of the camp, Hazril B Harun from P4/1 and team Captain America said that he felt very sad as his friends laughed at him when he had accidentally fallen down during one of the activities. Quickly picking himself up, Hazril said, “I will do better tomorrow!” Other camp participants agreed that they had learnt many things from the camp, piquing their interest in Science and having the conviction that team work, co-operation and encouragement from friends were important attributes to build up.

Jayakumar from P5/4 and team Thor reflected, “I learned to respect my mentor, encourage my friends and balance a can with my friends!”

Bright and cheerful in their orange camp t-shirts!

Our student leaders ready to take up the challenge of the high element activity

Campfire burning bright!Campers in high spirits,en-route to the premises at Hwa Chong Institution.

Earnest reflections by Iron Man camper, Hadi Chua, P4/1

10 CELEBRATIONS

NE Show 2012Every year, all Primary 5 pupils in Singapore are given the chance to go to the National Education (NE) Show, which is a preview of the year’s National Day Parade for school pupils. The theme this year was ‘Loving Singapore, Our Home’ and despite the scorching sun, 247 of our Primary 5 pupils turned up at the floating platform on Saturday 21 July. Our pupils were treated to an exciting show that started with traditional crowd favourites such as the marching contingents and the aerial flypast by nine fighter jets and ended with a colourful burst of fireworks set against the cityscape. Our pupils were all smiles when they left the show with fun packs containing items such as a Singapore scarf and a torchlight which can be used beyond the parade festivities.

Racial Harmony Day 2012Racial Harmony Day took on a different slant this year with the introduction of the trishaw ride. Pupils had fun taking turns to have a ride on the trishaw and some were even luckier to have been ferried by their own teachers. The playing of traditional games, food sampling and a longer recess break were all planned with the intention of getting pupils to mingle with friends from the other races. The school also collaborated with Clementi Town Secondary School to set up some games stations.

The celebrations culminated in a concert with various performances by pupils as well as teachers. Pupils were also reminded of the objectives of celebrating the special day. Our Parent Support Group had a great part to play in the success of this event and we would like to thank them for their effort and the money raised for the event.

Parents from our PSG declaring that Singaporeis 47 years old. Mr Choo ferrying two pupils on a trishaw

Go! Singapore!

Pupils waving their Singapore flags enthusiastically!

National Day Celebrations Weeks before National Day this year, the music department kicked off the National Day celebrations with sing-a-long sessions during the morning assembly period. As National Day drew closer, all pupils also recited the ‘Recollection’, a short recount of our nation’s history that challenges pupils not to take our current peace and prosperity for granted. Singapore flags were also put up all around the school to enliven the atmosphere in preparation for National Day.

On Wednesday 8 August, the school celebrated National Day with a vibrant and lively concert which included performances from all levels. Some Primary 1 pupils recited poems about Singapore. Some Primary 3 pupils played the chime bars to the song ‘Chan Mali Chan’. Primary 4 pupils sang the song Home, the National Day Parade theme song in 2004. Our cheerleaders from Primary 2 and 3 performed a Singapore cheer and led the rest of the school to cheer for Singapore. Our Parent Support Group (PSG) danced to a medley of four songs, generating much laughter. Pupils from P5/4 and P5/7 impressed the school with a song that was accompanied with simple hand actions. They also made use of items from the fun pack they received from the National Education (NE) show for their performance.

Finally, after a heart-warming mass sing-a-long session of National Day songs from the past to the present and in which the 2012 theme song ‘Love At First Light’ was sung more than once, everyone in the hall stood in attention and sang the National Anthem with renewed passion. It was truly an enjoyable and meaningful concert for all!

11CELEBRATIONS/LSP

Learning Support Programme for English and MathematicsLIVELY, SPECIAL, PRODUCTIVE - these three words describe an event organised as part of the Learning Support Programme (LSP) for English and Mathematics that took place on Thursday 17 May. More than 50 Primary 1 and 2 pupils gathered in the AVA Room to play fun and exciting language and mathematical games. These activities helped to reinforce literacy skills learnt during their lessons and develop mathematical thinking skills as well as creativity in the pupils.

The pupils were grouped into teams and these teams moved from one station to another, participating in activities like ‘The Reading Race’ and ‘The High Frequency Word Race’ , where the pupils have to read and spell words. The pupils enjoyed themselves in the games that involved mathematical concepts like addition and subtraction. They even got to play the game ‘Bingo’ on the iPad! There was also a station manned by the Special Needs department and they deserve special mention for developing pupils’ listening skills through an engaging activity.

Multi-Cultural Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration 2012Pupils and their families were invited to celebrate the multi-racial Mid-Autumn Festival on Thursday 4 October. The evening celebration started with a concert in the school hall. Pupils from the Chinese Language Club shared about how the Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated in different countries. There were cultural performances by the Chinese, Malay and Indian dance groups as well as a performance by the Rope Skipping team. The concert ended on a high note with the lion dance and the dragon dance performances.

After the concert, our pupils went for a walk while parading their colourful lanterns. Thereafter, the pupils and their families participated in a variety of activities such as the mooncake-making demonstration, lantern riddles, Chinese calligraphy and traditional Malay and Indian games. The celebration was a success. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to our School Advisory Committee, the Parents Support Group, our pupils and their families.

The event was altogether a LIVELY event and reflected the pupils’ true spirit of learning! It was SPECIAL as this is the first year that such an event has been organised in our school. It was also an opportunity to put the teaching resources, such as word cards and iPads, to PRODUCTIVE use.

Our Principal Mrs Siva, Vice-Principal Mrs Wee and members of the School Advisory Committee receiving a scroll from the lion dance troupe.

Hooray! Bingo Competition on the iPad!

The staff behind the event: (Back row from left) Mdm

Suraya, Miss Hafizah, Miss Nur Hidayati, Mrs Tan Sau Hoi, Miss Ng Jia Yi and Mrs Sedryln Si and the LSP/ LSM pupils (Absent from photo - Mdm Corina Koh)

Our cultural dance groups captivated the

audience with their wonderful dances and

colourful costumes.

Pupils enjoying ‘Five Stones’The highlight of the celebration was the dragon dance.

12

Author’s Talk forP5 and P6 pupils

READING in ctp/aestheticAuthor’s Talk

Clementians were really excited when local authors were invited to our school to share the stories that they had written. These authors also gave insights on

what went on behind the scenes of an author. The author’s talk was made more age and content-appropriate by having three different authors specifically for the P1-P2, P3-P4 and lastly, P5-P6 pupils. Many of our budding writers posted many questions during the session and the feedback gathered after the author’s talk was very heartening!

Clementi Storytelling Idol (C.SI.)The Clementi Storytelling Idol (C.S.I.) competition was held in our school for the very first time this year. Interested and brave storytellers auditioned and told their stories in front of a panel of judges. The videos of finalists telling

their stories were then uploaded onto our school learning portal and everyone in the school

had an opportunity to vote for their favourite C.S.I.!

Lights, Camera, Action! As part of the W1 Cluster Art Exhibition @ Clementi Public Library, our school conducted an animation workshop for members of the public on Friday 1 June during the June school holidays. The participants took a tour around our Artique Art Gallery where our Art teachers gave a short introduction of our school’s Art programmes and achievements. They were then led to the computer laboratory where lessons on animation were conducted. Our IT trainer, Miss Linda, together with our Art teachers guided them through the animation process using webcams, props and an animation software. Upon completion, each participant went home with a CD, which contained a copy of their animation work. It was definitely a fruitful day for all the participants!

Readermania CampWith the aim of encouraging more pupils to read and borrow books from our library, a Readermania camp was organised to reward the avid readers. From each class, the top three pupils who borrowed the most number of books from our school library entered a lucky draw. Twenty names were then drawn from the lucky draw box and these lucky winners were invited to join the camp. The twenty winners were each entitled to bring along a guest to the day camp which was held on Monday 3 September. The Library Amazing Race, movie screening, storytelling sessions and the character dress-up were some of the highlights of the camp. It was a fun-filled and ‘read-warding’ camp for the participants! Cluster Reading Festival

In a bid to promote a reading culture in the school, the W1 cluster schools comprising Clementi Primary School, Henry Park Primary School, Nan Hua Primary School, Qifa Primary School and Yuhua Primary School collaborated and organised

the inaugural Cluster Reading Festival 2012. The cluster schools showcased the various reading-related activities which they had implemented in their schools. Also, selected pupils from the cluster schools were invited to participate in the day-long event. Interesting exhibits and an array of interactive activities and educational programmes were displayed at the various booths to promote reading. Corporate partners like National Library Board and Scholastic were also present at the festival to share their expertise and resources with the participants and the schools.Lower Primary category:

5th– Shruti Datar (P2/8)Upper Primary category:

Champion–Nicole Lim (P4/7)

Pupils browsing books from Scholastic

Readermaniacs 2012!

Teams participating in the Library Amazing Race

Guiding the participants during the project

Storytelling Session by National Library Board

Lower Primary category: Champion James Steven Soe (P3/5)

Upper Primary cateogry: Champion - Annabelle Chan Pei En (P6/7)

13AESTHETIC

Rising to the MerlionChallenge!The recently-concluded June holidays proved to be a bustling one for our Brass Band members as they rode on the wave of momentum and continued working on new music right after the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Central Judging for Brass Bands in April.

One would expect that with the reconstruction of the Merlion, there would be some respite in the flow of eager tourists and locals alike trying to catch a glimpse of the enigmatic Merlion. However, the crowd proved unrelenting on Saturday 30 June, as our little ones lugged their brassy instruments and took centrestage, next to the Merlion, for an outdoor performance showcasing Brass Bands from both Primary and Secondary schools across the island in the aftermath of SYF. Our Clementi Brass Band members played their hearts out, alongside the Brass Band members from Casuarina Primary School, in their first collaboration.

Not only did they maintain their cool in their starched band uniforms, our pupils also got to enjoy a clear and uninhibited view of the emerging Marina skyline amidst the Navy and Air Force displays of military might during the rehearsals for the upcoming National Day Parade. What a treat on a seemingly leisurely Saturday afternoon!

We are the Brain Rackers! Twenty-four Primary 5 pupils from P5/6 and P5/7 competed in a game show for children, Brain Juice, this July. A Mediacorp Okto channel programme, Brain Juice, was conceptualised and filmed by Ochre Pictures. The four teams of six pupils, including a reserve, went through intense sessions of preparations and filming in the first three weeks of Term 3.

The Brain Rackers from P5/7 and the Brain Doctors from P5/6 battled through the 3 rounds of the intra-school episode, pitting not only their brain power on countries, capitals, flags, English, Science and Mathematics against each other, but also their physical endurance and mental strength to persevere and come up tops in these 3 arenas.

Brain Rackers’ Angela Ang, Isaac Tan, Patel Dhairya, Rachel Teo and Zhu Fangze, along with the support of Elliott Chng as reserve and their fellow supporters, emerged as the top Clementi Primary School team to take on three other schools in the semi-finals. While the Brain Rackers breezed their way to the top in the intra-school round, they were up against the ever-confident Red Bulls from Kong Hwa Primary School at the semi-finals, knocking them off their feet and swaying their confidence from the first round.

Nevertheless, the Brain Rackers stayed true to their team motto to strategise and stay calm in the face of adversity, making their way to the top 2 teams in the semi-finals. Although they lost the chance to enter the finals of the Brain Juice Season Two, the team acknowledged the strength of the Red Bulls over theirs and reflected on their performance at the semi-finals.

What a season of brain-racking and nerve-racking fun for these young ones!

Brain Juice Season Two is set to be screened in November. Watch out for it on Okto!

Under the baton of Mr. Goh Kim Seng at One Fullerton

After a gruelling morning of filming

at the Brain Juice semi-finals!

The Brain Rackers’ face-off at Round 3 of the semi-finals

All smiles after the performance at Merlion Park!

a touche design production @ 6659 1876

14 HEALTHY LIFESTYLE/STAFF Matters

Healthy LifestyleDay 2012 On Friday 31 August, our Primary 3 to 6 pupils participated in the annual Healthy Lifestyle Day which took place concurrently with the Lower Primary Sports Day.

A skit ‘Milk For Life’ conducted by HL Milk, which promoted the importance of staying fit and having sufficient calcium in the daily diet, kick started the event. The heavy rain that morning resulted in the cancelling of a games carnival. However, our pupils’ enthusiasm was not dampened as they were treated to a high-powered kickboxing session.

The pupils and teachers enjoyed themselves thoroughly and look forward to another dynamic Healthy Lifestyle Day in 2013.

Cyber wellness activitesTo promote safe and responsible use of the Internet as well as to develop healthy gaming habits, our school conducted several cyber wellness activities throughout the year. The P4 pupils took a tour in the Honour Intellectual Property adventure bus and the P2 to P6 pupils participated in a cyber wellness poster design competition. Our pupils also learnt about cyber wellness through two skits, ‘Bully Within’ and ‘Above the Influence’ , performed in school. Some pupils played Cyberonia, a cyber wellness game and completed activities in the Junior Cyber Wellness Achievement Programme. Through the programmes, many pupils learnt essential coping skills and developed greater discernment to evaluate what they read on the internet.

Pupils participating in Cyberonia

4th OLive CHARITY RUN 2012The OLive Charity Run is an annual sports event organised by the Ministry of Education Sports and Recreation Club. It aims to promote family bonding and healthy lifestyle among members. This year, the run was held on Saturday 15 September at the East Coast Park. Ms Ho Peng, Director-General of Education, was the guest of honour and she flagged off participants of the first running event at 7.45am.

Twenty-nine of our school staff participated in both the competitive and recreational events organised that day. Our colleagues had a fun time bonding together as they walked leisurely along the beach. Two of our teachers won the 33rd and 40th prize in the lucky draw.

Lower Primary Sports DayThe annual Lower Primary Sports Day was held on Friday 31 August. Our Primary 1 and 2 pupils thoroughly enjoyed themselves as they participated in the various events organised. The session began with the pupils reciting a pledge to uphold the spirit of sportsmanship. The pupils were then involved in a variety of telematch activities, which provided opportunities for fitness, co-operation, problem solving and fun! All the athletes were very proud to have represented their classes and performed to the best of their abilities. It was a memorable experience for all who took part and the school is proud of all their achievements.

The Highs and Lowsof Blood Pressure Almost half of our Primary 5 pupils ended Term 2 with a new experience – learning about the effects of having low and high blood pressure in a workshop conducted by an officer from the Health Promotion Board. Our pupils also

had the opportunity to measure the blood pressure of their peers, teachers and parent volunteers that day. In a bid to help spread the message of healthy living to more people and to encourage pupils to apply what they had learnt, each pupil was allowed to take a blood pressure machine home for the weekend. They were instructed to measure the blood pressure of their family members and record down the readings taken in a log. It was an enriching workshop for our pupils!

Our happy prize winners

Ensuring the arm band is in the correct position

Pupils and teachers enjoying the kicking and boxing!

Pupils enjoying the skit

We crossed the finishing line! Mission Accomplished!Muhammad Syahmi Bin Amranrazali (P2/8)