CEDAR PRIMARY SCHOOL 15 Cedar Ave, Singapore 349700

Tel: 6288 5633 Fax: 62830113

E-mail: cedar_ps@moe.edu.sg

www.cedarpri.moe.edu.sg

School Vision: Joyful Learners, Responsible Citizens, Creative Leaders in a Connected Community

School Values: Kindness, Integrity, Resilience, Responsibility, Creativity

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Ref No.: CPS/2020/03/006

2 Sept 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians

TERM 4 COMMUNIQUÉ

The end of each term is a time for reflection; to think through what we have done so that we can improve and do better. As a parent myself, one aspect I believe worth reflecting on is how we have helped to develop our children’s character. In the current uncertain times amidst a pandemic, a person’s character strength can help him or her to navigate the changes and challenges; and be resilient in spite of difficulties. The following are 4 parenting strategies for promoting character in children that we can adopt:

Modelling: Being the character we want to see in our children. We should strive to role model the values

we want to inculcate in our children through our words and actions, especially in the way we treat others

because children learn much from observing us.

Induction: Justifying praise or reprimand by focusing on the consequences of our children’s behaviour on someone else’s feelings. Through this, we help our children to develop empathy and build social skills.

Nurturance: Care for and about our children. We should strive to build relationships with our children to understand their needs and respond when we are needed. Be P.S.L.E. - Parents who Show Love and Encouragement because a caring home environment is the foundation for building good character.

Demandingness: Setting and supporting high expectations for our children. We need to have high expectations for our children’s behaviour and require that they live up to these expectations, which should be developmentally appropriate and realistic based on our children’s abilities.

The first letter of each of these parenting strategies form the word “MIND”. So, let us be MINDful parents and educators.

With Teachers’ Day just round the corner, we have reminded your child/ward that a simple handmade card/ craft with words of gratitude will be enough to show their appreciation to teachers. Please help us to reinforce the message to your child/ward that the best way to thank their teachers is really through their enthusiasm and effort in learning, the good character they display and the collaborative spirit they build with their classmates every single day!

In Cedar Primary School, we also celebrate EAS (Executive and Administrative Staff) Appreciation Day on the last day of term 3. Please also encourage your child/ ward to express their gratitude to our office staff, our school attendants, our librarian, our lab technician, our digital engineer, our security guards and our cleaners for working very hard to create a safe and secure environment amidst the rapidly changing COVID-19 pandemic situation.

Finally, I wish you and your family a joyful and restful September break!

Yours faithfully

Mr Chua Choon Hock

Principal

School Values: Kindness, Integrity, Resilience, Responsibility, Creativity

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I. Administrative Matters a) Safe Management Measures in School In the coming term 4, we would like parents and students to continue with us in practising

the Safe Management Measures of preventing the spread of Covid-19 in school by:

1. Staying Away when Unwell: Students are reminded to remain at home if they are feeling unwell. HQO/SHN/LOA/AA policies are also in place to protect everyone in school.

2. Wipe Down Routines: All students are to wipe down their desk areas and common/shared equipment each time they need to move to a different classroom/venue.

3. Wearing of masks/shields properly: Students are to wear face masks as they are effective in prevention of droplets distribution from sneezing, coughing and speaking if worn properly.

4. Ensuring personal hygiene at all times: Students should not touch their eyes and mouths with their hands, and should ensure their hands are washed regularly, before and after meals.

5. Monitoring their temperature: Students to take their temperatures twice a day in school with the supervision of our teachers to monitor their well-being.

6. Keeping a safe distance: Students are to keep a safe distance of at least 1 metre from their fellow students when there is a crowd. Students are to avoid areas where there is a crowd whenever possible

b) Traffic Situation in the Morning on School days

We have experienced an increase in vehicular traffic with more parents driving their children to school when term 3 started. With similar increase in Cedar Girls’ Secondary School, this results in traffic congestion along Cedar Avenue during the peak reporting time from 0710hrs to 0740hrs on school days. We have notified LTA about this issue and we are looking into solutions with LTA, PA and Cedar Girls’ School. In the interim, we urge all parents who are driving their children to have patience when they have to wait their turn to drop off their children in the morning. As everyone on the roads nearby during that period would most likely be parents sending their children to school, please treat everyone with civility and kindness.

c) Minimum Age for Riding E-Scooter While riding e-scooters on the cycling paths are still allowed, there will be a requirement for riders to be of a minimum age by 1 August 2020. Please refer to Annex 1 for the details.

II. School-Wide Events and Programmes

a) Children’s Day Celebration 2020

This year, we will be celebrating Children’s Day on 8 October 2020 (Thursday) and it will be a full school day. 9 October 2020 (Friday) will be a school holiday.

School Values: Kindness, Integrity, Resilience, Responsibility, Creativity

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The programme on 8 October are as follows: 7.30 am - 12.00 pm : Lessons as reflected in the Timetable 12.00 pm - 1.00 pm : Virtual Children’s Day Concert 1.00 pm - 1.30 pm : Class Time with Form Teachers and Snack Break 1.30 pm onwards : Dismissal

b) Digital Delivery of CCAs (eCCA)

The conduct of CCAs will resume in the form of eCCA. Following the national posture, Primary schools will resume these face-to-face CCA activities at a later date to allow more time to assess the progress of the older students, and for primary schools to further adjust to the safe management measures required for the younger students. More information on the resumption of CCAs in schools can be found in the link below: https://www.moe.gov.sg/faqs-covid-19-infection Your child/ward will be receiving the Term 4 eCCA Schedule for your child’s/ward’s CCA by Term 4 Week 1.

c) Cyber Wellness Update As our students are spending more time on the internet to complete their Home-Based Learning (HBL), Cyber Wellness education is becoming even more relevant and important than ever. Though activities have been limited during Cyber Wellness Week in term 3, we continued to engage students through CCE lessons, recess activities, informative posters around school, and our recently concluded Cyber Wellness Mascot and Poster Design Competition. We would like to thank all the students who have participated in the 2020 CPS Cyber Wellness Mascot and Poster Design competition. We would also like to thank all parents and guardians for the strong and continuous support for our students to stay safe and kind online. Please refer to Annex 2 for more details regarding the Competition.

III. Level Events and Programmes a) P3 to P5 End-of-Year Assessment

A separate letter pertaining to P3 to P5 End-of-Year Assessment will be issued to parents in Term 4.

School Values: Kindness, Integrity, Resilience, Responsibility, Creativity

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IV. Cedar Primary School Calendar of Events

a) Term 4 Calendar of Events

Date/Day Events Remarks

18 Sep, Fri PSLE Listening Comprehension Only P6 students report to school

18 Sep, Fri Big Heart SCC Closure Closed for 1 day

29 Sep, Tue P3-P5 SA2 (EL Paper 1)

30 Sep, Wed P3-P5 SA2 (MT Paper 1)

1 Oct, Thu PSLE (EL)

2 Oct, Fri PSLE (MA)

5 Oct, Mon PSLE (MT)

6 Oct, Tue PSLE (SC)

7 Oct, Wed PSLE (HMT)

8 Oct, Thu Children’s Day Celebration Full School Day

9 Oct, Fri Children’s Day School Holiday

12-13 Oct, Mon-Tue

P4 Oral Exams Conducted within curriculum hours

14-15 Oct P5 EL Oral Exams Day 1 and 2 (EL/MT) Conducted in the afternoon

19 Oct - 22 Oct, Mon- Thu

PSLE Marking Exercise HBL days for P1-P5 students

26 Oct, Mon P3-P5 SA2 (EL/MT Listening Comprehension)

29 Oct, Thu P3-P5 SA2 (EL)

30 Oct, Fri P3-P5 SA2 (MA)

2 Nov, Mon P3-P5 SA2 (MT)

3 Nov, Tue P3-P5 SA2 (SC)

4 Nov, Wed P3-P5 SA2 (HMT)

16 Nov, Mon Deepavali Observed School Holiday

17 Nov, Tue SDT Awards Presentation

School Values: Kindness, Integrity, Resilience, Responsibility, Creativity

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18 Nov, Wed P6 Graduation Day

19 Nov, Thu SDT Awards Presentation

20 Nov, Fri Celebrating Hopes and Dreams 2020

20 Nov, Fri P1 Orientation for 2021

23 Nov-31 Dec School Holidays

25 Nov, Wed – 27 Nov, Fri 2020

The PSLE results will be released tentatively between Wednesday, 25 November and Friday, 27 November 2020

1 Jan, Fri, 2021 New Year’s Day Public Holiday

4 Jan Start of Term 1, 2021

END

b) Policy on Photography and Videography at School Events

We would like to inform you that photograph(s) and video image(s) of you and/or your

child/ward may be captured at our school activities and events. We may use and publish

such photographs and/or video recordings in school publications, website, social media

channels, and other official school communication channels.

School Values: Kindness, Integrity, Resilience, Responsibility, Creativity

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Annex 1: Changes to minimum age for riding on e-scooters

School Values: Kindness, Integrity, Resilience, Responsibility, Creativity

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Annex 2: Cyber Wellness Mascot and Poster Design Competition

For the Cyber Wellness Mascot and Poster Design Competition, we received a total of 233 submissions from all levels. Many of these submissions demonstrate a good understanding and awareness of the fundamentals of responsible behaviour online. The submissions also showcase our students’ efforts in conveying the positive cyber wellness messages to their peers and their artistic talents in the design of their posters and mascots. 40 winners from across the levels have been chosen by the cyber wellness team and the art teachers. The announcement of winners will be made in the first week of Term 4. Certificates and prizes will be presented to our winners after the announcement. The winning posters and mascots designs of the winners will be displayed in school for all to view during term 4. All students are encouraged to vote for their favourite mascot design. The mascot that has the most number of votes will become the Cyber Wellness Mascot of Cedar Primary and will be used for our future Cyber Wellness programmes and activities.

END