from the principal’s desk · anna berjalan ke kantin sekolah sambil memikirkan makanan yang akan...

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“A New Beginning”, this is the theme we have for our newsletter for Townsville Primary School this quarter. As we start a new year of school in 2020, we naturally also look back to the year that has just passed to evaluate and assess the many things we have done. This process follows a cycle like the many routines we have in our daily lives. What we know about cycles is that the end of one phase, is the beginning of another. For example a typical learning cycle consist of Plan – Do – Review – Reflect – Repeat.

In Townsville Primary School, our students will have come across the articulation of a 4-step approach to learning. We have adopted Polya’s method of problem solving which suggest the following phases; 1. Understand the problem (Understand)2. Make a plan (Plan)3. Carry out the plan (Do)4. Look back at your work (Check)

Anything that we do, anything that is new to us, can seem daunting, frightening or alarming. The less we know about it, the more daunting, frightening or worrisome it will be to us. On the other hand, as we understand more, we tend not to fret and can focus our energies to solve the problem or crisis in a calmer state of mind. In a Harvard Business Review article by Keith Rollag , the author spoke about how many who were new to their jobs and were found to be more satisfied, and more committed, to their

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK

new organisations had a common trait. They asked more questions. Those that had a better understanding of the new or novel situation that they found themselves in, tended to be more successful and happier at what they did. So the question to us will be “Can we cultivate the habit of asking good and relevant questions in our children?”

At Townsville Primary School, we embed opportunities for our children to experience asking good questions. We endeavour to provide them with a repertoire of skills and techniques that they can master and we require our students to be active and participative learners. We will find that the school encourages our students to learn the 5Ws and 1H of asking questions. Essentially Who, What, When, Where, Why and How.

We can all play our part to be active learners, help our students learn how to be leading their own learning too. We can be role models to help them as we end our day with good questions like “How was your day in school?”, “What is one thing you learnt that made you happy today?”, “How many people did you help today?”, What are you most happy about your performance today?”. We are sure that you can come up with many more questions. Thank you for being part of the Townsville Community and we shall do our best to nurture our Townsville students to be people of character, healthy patriotic citizens and creative independent thinkers equipped with 21st century skills.

The school celebrated Chinese New Year 2020 on 24th January. Prior to that, students displayed great teamwork as they put up beautiful decorations in their classes to welcome the festive season.

During the celebration, the students learnt about the origins of Chinese New Year via videos and quizzes. The audience were deeply mesmerised by the elegant performance put up by our Chinese dancers. Of course, the highlight of the celebration was the performance by the lion dance troupe. Everyone was thrilled as they watched them display their skillful stunts and intricate manoeuvres.

DANCING INTOTHE NEW YEAR

Proud parents and guardians joined us in had our �rst edition of Townsville Celebrates 2019/2020, to recognise and celebrate the success of our Townsvillites, both in academic and non-academic endeavours. Lower primary students received recognitions such as the Best PAL, Team Player, Young Musician and Young Artist Awards. Upper primary students were accorded recognitions such as Sports Boy/Girl, Young Linguist, Young Scientist and Young Mathematician Awards. We hope this will spur and motivate our Townsvillites to become Leaders of Character, Learners for Life.

LET US CELEBRATE!

CCA ORIENTATION,DEVELOPING OUR PASSION

The CCA orientation 2020 was organised for the Primary 3 and Primary 4 students during Orientation Week to help students have a better understanding of what Townsville CCAs have to o�er. At the CCA booths, our CCA student leaders and Volunteer Adult Leaders, promoted their CCAs and shared their experiences with their peers. Participants were also given the chance to experience activities conducted during CCA sessions.

The commemoration of Total Defence Day this year was even more meaningful as we implemented a Wipe-Down routine to get students to clean the table surface after their meals in the school canteen. Through this routine, we hope to encourage students to be socially responsible and considerate towards others who will use the table after them. We also hope that they will appreciate the aunties and uncles helping to clean the canteen after they have had their meals.

LET’SCLEAN UP!

Starting the next phase of their journey in a primary school setting can be a daunting experience for our Primary 1 students. To help them ease into the new environment, our Primary 4 and 6 students con�dently played the roles of buddies to our newly-minted Townvillites. With the accompaniment and guidance of their buddies for �ve consecutive days, the Primary 1 students grew in con�dence and independence as they navigated around the school. The buddy system has certainly helped to strengthen our Primary 1 Townvillites’ independence and adaptability as they manage the rigour of a brand new school system. Welcome to the big Townsville family!

Our students commemorated Total Defence Day on 13th February with an empathetic yet optimistic outlook on the current situation that Singapore is in. They have learnt how everyone has a critical and indispensable part to play for Total Defence in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. Students completed a ‘Soaper 5’ artwork and shared with their family members the importance of social responsibility, playing their part in total defence both in school and at home.

SUPERHEROME

THANK YOUBUDDIES

Using games to engage our students in the process of active learning is one of the strategies adopted by the mathematics department. Fun with Math @ Recess is a bi-termly programme where students get to play games carefully selected by the teachers. It gives students the opportunity to build self-con�dence and a positive attitude towards Mathematics.

With the help of our Parent Volunteers, our students get to pit their numeracy skills against one another through games like “Slides and Stairs” and “Odd and Even Number Jenga”. These provide fun learning experiences for our students to apply their Mathematical concepts and knowledge.

FUN WITH MATHS

YOUNG ARTISTS AT WORK!

THE SCIENTIST IN US!

Our young artists were busy at work. During the three days of orientation in Term 1, they came down during their recesses to give our Young Passionate Artists Wall a new look.

Taking turns to don aprons, they painted the walls and brightened them up, giving the walls a fresh coat of vibrance. The students had fun exploring a variety of tools such as sponges, paint rollers and brushes to add colours and textures to their masterpiece. They did a fantastic job of rejuvenating the Young Passionate Artists Wall.

The Science Week was organized by the Science Department to spark interest in Science. It provides opportunities for students to explore and construct knowledge through their hands-on experiences.

The students leaders who were trained in managing the stations were also given a platform to share their passion and enthusiasm with their peers.

Through the Science Week, the students shared their Scienti�c thinking and found joy in learning in a fun-�lled way.

《这件事让我明白了对人要有礼貌》

一个乌云密布的早晨，天空下着蒙蒙细雨。我正要去巴刹，帮妈妈买菜。我走到巴士站，等了一会儿巴士就来了。我坐上巴士后，看到一个白发苍苍的老人摇摇晃晃的，拿着拐杖，慢吞吞地走上了巴士。这时，奇怪的一幕发生了。巴士上有的人闭上眼，假装睡觉；有的人突然拿出书，看了起来；还有的人盯着手机看，一动不动。没有人愿意给老人让位。只见老人四处张望了一下，见没有空位，叹了一口气，握紧了扶手。我看到了这个情景，立刻站了起来，大叫道：“喂，老头，坐这里！”没想到老人看了我一眼，没有动。他是不是耳朵聋了，听不见啊？我提高音量，喊了起来：“老头，快点儿过来啊！我把位子让给你啦！” 我以为一定能当众得到老人的表扬，但是事情和我想的并不一样。老人不但没有称赞我，连看也不看我一眼，站在那里皱着眉头，一言不发。我心想这老头到底有没有听到我叫他啊？眼看车上的人都盯着我，我心里一急，走到他面前大声地问他：“老头！你耳朵有毛病啊！没听到我给你让座吗？快点儿过来啊！”老头的额头皱成了一个王字形，狠狠地瞪了我一眼。我正不知如何是好时，一个七八岁的小男孩站了起来，对老人说：“老爷爷，请您坐我的位子吧。”这一次老人居然没有拒绝，面带微笑地对小男孩说：“好孩子，谢谢你。”说完，老人就坐在了小男孩的位子上。看到这一幕，我惊呆了，真是想不通这个老头儿为什么对我的好意不理不睬。我心里好像着了火，忍不住走上前，问：“喂！老头！我们俩都是让座位，为什么你不坐我的位子，却坐这个小男孩的位子？”老人终于抬起头，看着我说：“你一口一个‘喂’，一口一个‘老头’，是在跟我说话吗？你这么没礼貌，我用不着你的帮助。” 我听了，满脸通红，恨不得找个地洞钻进去，感觉巴士上所有的人都在看我似的。我低下了头，避开了老人的目光。这时，老人语重心长地对我说：“小朋友，你乐于助人，这很好。可是，你如果不能尊重别人的话，别人也不会接受你的帮助。只有你学会尊重别人，别人才会尊重你。” 听了老人的话，我点了点头。这次的事给我上了宝贵的一课，让我明白了对人要有礼貌。

林自豪 Primary 6

《爱护眼睛》

小明很爱看故事书，每天都会花很多时间阅读。可是，他有一个坏习惯，就是喜欢躺在床上看书。

每天，妈妈都会对小明说：“小明，不要躺在床上看书！你应该坐姿端正，这样才不会得近视。”可是，小明总把妈妈的话当成耳边风。

有一天，当小明上课时，老师要小明读白板上的字。可是小明发现，白板上的字很模糊，看不清楚。到了休息时间，他拿出心爱的故事书来读。读着读着，所有的字糊成一团，怎么都看不清楚。这时，他心里开始感到焦急了！

放学后，小明把事情的经过告诉了妈妈。妈妈一听，大惊失色。她立刻带小明去眼镜店，让店里的验光师检查小明的眼睛。不一会儿，结果出来了。验光师告诉妈妈，小明得了近视。平时看书，都要佩戴眼镜才能看得清楚。

于是，妈妈无奈地给小明配了一副眼镜。从那天起，小明无时无刻都要带着眼镜，才能把东西看清楚。眼镜也成为了小明最大的负担。无论任何时候，他都要带着它才行。

俗话说，“不听老人言，吃亏在眼前。”现在的小明感到非常后悔。可是，后悔已经太迟了。

郑凯奕Primary 5

GEMS OF TOWNSVILLEGEMS of Townsville is a platform where students can display their �air and artistic abilities in language and art. These also highlight their ability to work as individuals or with their peers. Through these pieces of work, students have shown that they take pride in their work, giving their best in every learning opportunity provided for them.

“Ring…!” Loceng sekolah berbunyi, menandakan waktu rehat sudah bermula. Salina dan Anna berjalan ke kantin sekolah sambil memikirkan makanan yang akan disiapkan Makcik Lima pada hari itu. Semasa dia sedang beratur di gerai Makcik Lima, kedengaran suara riuh rendah murid-murid di kantin sekolah. Kelihatan beberapa jenis makanan yang telah disiapkan oleh Mak Lima. Teredia juga makanan kegemaran Salina iaitu Mi Soto.

“Makcik, Mi Soto semangkuk!” pinta Salina.

Salina mencari kawan karibnya itu sambil berjalan ke arah tempat duduk. Anna tidak kelihatan di tempat duduk dimana mereka selalu duduk. Salina terpinga-pinga memikirkan ke mana Anna telah pergi.

“Slurrp,” Salina menghirup sisa-sisa sup dan matanya masih terus mencuba mencari Anna. Akhirnya, dia ternampak Anna sedang duduk di sebuah bangku berdekatan taman eko sekolah. Anna kelihatan sugul. Anna kemudian memberitahu Salina tentang masalahnya. Anna memberitahu Salina bahawa ibu bapanya baharu sahaja diberhentikan kerja. Keluarga Anna menghadapi masalah kewangan . Dia berasa segan untuk memeberitahu sesiapapun tentang keadaan keluarganya. Anna memohon kepada Salina supaya menyimpan rahasinya dan tidak memberitahu sesiapa.

Setelah beberapa hari berlalu, Salina masih memikirkan keadaan Anna. Dia amat bersimpati dengan kesusahan yang dialami kawan karibnya itu. Salina sedar masalah Anna telah menjejas pembelajaran Anna.

“Kasihan Anna. Mungkin dia lapar,” bisik hati kecil Salina. Sudah beberapa hari Anna tidak makan pada waktu rehat. Keinginan Salina untuk membantu sahabat karibnya itu semakin meluap-luap.

Salina nekad. Dia membuat keputusan untuk memberitahu Cikgu Adi tentang keadaan Anna. Dia menghampiri Cikgu Adi yang sedang bertugas di kantin lalu memberitahunya tentang keadaan Anna. Tanpa disangka-sangka, Anna berada di situ. Dia dapat mendengar perbualan Salina dan Cikgu Adi. Anna kecewa. Hatinya hancur. Rasa sedih dan marah bercampur di dalam hatinya. Salina telah mungkir janji. Dia telah memberitahu Cikgu Adi tentang masalahnya.

Sejak hari itu dia sudah tidak mempedulikan Salina. Dia enggan berbual dengannya. Salina berasa keliru dan meminta penjelasan daripada Anna,

“ Kamu telah mengkhianati kepercayaan saya dan memungkiri janji kamu!” Anna berkata dengan marah. Dia memalingkan mukanya lalu beredar dari tempat itu.

Pada keesokan harinya, Cikgu Adi berjumpa Salina dan Anna. Dia menjelaskan kepada Anna niat kawan baiknya untuk membanyu Anna untuk mengatasi masalahnya. Usaha Salina mendapat perhatian pihak sekolah. Pihak sekolah akan memberikan pertolongan dari segi kewangan supaya Annadapat membeli makanan pada waktu rehat dan juga membeli keperluan sekolah.Anna terharu di atas usaha Salina. Dia meminta maaf kepada Salina kerana telah memearahinya tanpa usul periksa. Semenjak hari itu, persahabatan Salina dan Anna semakin akran sehingga hari ini. � � ��



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4 Loyalty

Primary 4


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மற�கேவ ��யா� .

Sadhana 5 Loyalty Primary 5


Losing Something

“Pull harder!” yelled John. He and Patricia were among the �nalists from Townsville Primary School competing in the Annual Tug-of-War Competition organised by and held at Teck Ghee Community Centre. They were classmates in Primary Four which meant that they were competing in the upper primary division. Townsville had not won the Tug-of War Challenge Trophy for �ve years in a row now, so they were determined to win. “John! You’re pulling too hard!” screamed Patricia. Too late. The rope snapped and John fell heavily on his elbows and knees. John had been so lost in thought that he was not aware of how hard he was pulling.John looked to his right and saw the teacher referee blow the whistle to stop the game. And when he looked to his left, he saw the boy from the opposite team stand up slowly and start limping towards him. “Are you okay?” the boy asked, grimacing with pain.

“Yeah, I’m �ne. My name’s John, by the way,” John answered and asked, “That was a hard pull. You seem hurt.”

“My name’s Kevin. I think I’ve twisted my ankle and it’s beginning to swell,” replied the boy.Kevin helped John stand up and both of them looked in the direction of Patricia and the girl from the opposite team.

“Who’s that?” both Kevin and John asked each other simultaneously. Then almost immediately, they burst out laughing. “Her name’s Patricia,” John answered. “Her name’s Amanda,” Kevin answered. They began to wonder what was going to happen.

At that moment, a voice boomed over the Public Address system. “We are going to have a re-match for the Primary Four level. Participants involved please rest and get ready in twenty minutes.” While preparing for the re-match, John and Patricia noticed to their utter dismay that they were not playing against Kevin but a bigger and stronger boy who had replaced him. That boy looked as if he could crush them like bugs! Needless to say, John and Patricia tried but failed to win the tug-of-war competition. They were devastated since they had trained very hard for it. Townsville was defeated in the other levels as well. Everyone was disappointed but proud to have done their best. Also, they showed good sportsmanship by shaking hands with the competitors from other schools even though they had lost. They vowed to train harder than ever to win the next year’s trophy.

Matias FaigaoPrimary 4


A Fearful Incident

“Oh my! Tim, you are running such a high fever!’’ Mum exclaimed as I lay in bed and groaned. I had been sick for almost a whole week and there was still no sign of my fever, which had stayed stubbornly above 39 degrees Celsius, subsiding. I jumped up in fright when Mum told me I had to go to the clinic for an injection. I protested but my mother’s mind was made up. Finally, I could only lie back and admit defeat. I have always harboured a deep fear for injections; thoughts of a long, sharp needle piercing my skin were su�cient to give me nightmares.

After washing up, I set o� for the clinic with my mother. “Can’t I stay at home for a few more days and see if the fever subsides?” “No. You heard me, we are not wasting another day.” my mother said �rmly. We reached the clinic and I froze in terror when the nurse announced that I had to take not one but TWO injections! Could my day go any worse? I wondered. TWO injections – one was for curing the fever and the other was for a vaccination. I was in a state of panic. “Wasn't one injection enough? Now, I would have to go through all the pain and agony twice!” I thought bitterly. As I waited for the doctor, horrible thoughts came to my mind. I imagined myself screaming in pain and bleeding from the arm. By the time the doctor called me in, my legs felt like jelly and cold sweat ran in rivulets down my forehead and back.

I entered the room.

Silence. Absolute silence.

The needles in the room seemed to laugh menacingly at me. The room felt like hell as if all the things inside the room seemed to welcome me with mad laughter. The doctor, who seemed to be the devil himself, told me to relax and sit down. I obeyed, numb with fear as my heart pounded. Before the doctor was going to inject me with with the needle, I closed my eyes and whispered a silent prayer for the ordeal to be over. And…

Nothing happened.

Time seemed to have come to a standstill. After a few seconds, the doctor said, “Done!” I opened my eyes, surprised to feel no pain. The second injection went as smoothly as the �rst one. Just like that, it was all over. I was speechless.

Making our way home, I felt amazed that the injection session had gone so smoothly. I was a little embarrassed as I felt like I had made a big fuss over nothing. I learned that life was like a bus and that we will be travelling on a bumpy road sometimes. We need to be brave and face our fears and obstacles. Sometimes, our fears are not as scary as they seem.

Zhang ZiluPrimary 5


This project is inspired by Singapore artist, Tang Da Wu’s radical way of expressing a social problem. Students, working in groups, explored a relatively new medium and technique, spray painting. Merging the two aspects, they created a vibrant poster to illustrate their intention and working as one to create their art project. Primary 5 Honesty

Inspired by local artist, Georgette Chen, students created a self-portrait of themselves. They displayed their creative �air and thinking minds to create an expressive portrait of themselves. Primary 1 Resilience

Students tried their hands on drawing their self-portrait. This is a good assignment to demonstrate their acute sense of observation. Primary 6 Care

from the principal’s desk · anna berjalan ke kantin sekolah sambil memikirkan makanan yang akan...

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