First Day of School 2011

School will re-open on Tuesday 4 January 2011!

Details for the first day of school can here found here.

In addition, please take note the information on access to the school and gates operation as outlined here.

Till we meet next week, here's wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!

SACPS Moves to Holding Site

Following is a report in the Catholic News, issue vol 60 no. 24, by Paula Png:

Students and staff of St. Anthony's Canossian Primary School at Bedok North Avenue 4 found it hard to keep emotions in check when the school closed its doors for the last time on Nov 16.

The event marked the closing of a chapter in the school's history here as lessons will now be conducted in a temporary holding site at Bedok North Road for the next two years. The building will be refurbished as part of the Education Ministry's plans to improve and upgrade its facilities.

The Nov 16 ceremony began with a commemoration of the history of the school, which used to function at Middle Road.

A bell and a key brought from the Middle Road campus were presented to Mrs Eugenie Tan, the principal, as a symbolic representation of the school's heritage.

Mrs Tan then received a candle signifying Jesus Christ, to whom the school will continue to look for guidance as it starts a new chapter of its history.

Leading the Canossian family in prayer, the school's chaplain Sr Janet Wang gave thanks to God for his blessings on the Canossian schools through the decades.

Emotions ran high as the prefects, representing the school population, proceeded to close the classroom doors on the second floor as a symbol of the end of an era.

As the choir led the school in the song, We Shall Go Out With Joy, the staff, the Canossian Sisters and the Primary Six students set off for the temporary holding site together.

The ceremonial walk, the school's first step into its new future as one big Canossian family, was followed by a flag-raising ceremony and paraliturgy at the holding site.

The school community is expected to return to its refurbished building in 2013.

COMPASS (Community and Parents in Support of Schools) - Part 2

The second report of the annual COMPASS Convention which was held on 16th October 2010 at Singapore Polytechnic where the focus was on the role of parents in the 21st century can be found here

COMPASS (Community and Parents in Support of Schools) - Part 1

Since 1998, COMPASS (Community and Parents in Support of Schools) has been actively encouraging parents and the community to work together with schools to help children learn better.

The annual COMPASS Convention was held on 16th October 2010 at Singapore Polytechnic and this year's focus was on the role of parents in the 21st century.

The first of two reports on the Convention can be found here.

Children's Day - 30 September 2010

Children’s Day was celebrated in school on 30 September 2010 and once again, we could count on the invaluable support of the CCEs to create a fun & exciting day for the girls.

Besides being rewarded with a slightly longer recess whereby CCEs distributed a cup of Matkool Ice Cream & a small can of Pringles Potato Chips to each girl, there was also a surprise lucky dip in store for them. It was a sure win as each girl walked away with items such as stuff toys, stickers, paper bags amongst others that were generously donated. The ice creams were especially a refreshing treat on a hot day for the P1 to P3 girls as they were having their Games Day activities. The girls were extremely excited over the lucky dip – there were squeaks of joy as some picked up what they were eyeing and for those who did not, they were equally delighted and some even went on a swapping spree with their friends!

It was a heart-warming sight to see the girls enjoying their ice cream and muching on their potato chips....ah the innocence of childhood and how the simple things in life make their day.

Thank you to all the CCEs who made it all happen both at the AM & PM recesses....you were great in taking up all the necessary roles so that we could ensure all 1500 girls had their share of goodies in the quickest & orderly manner.

Do check out the slideshow on the right.

SFE Workshop For Parents - Cyberwellness

There is no denying that the internet has become very much part of our life. With the year end school holidays coming soon, the internet would definitely be a source of entertainment for our children. In view of this, the School Family Life Centre is organising a Cyberwellness talk to better equip parents with the understanding and the potential dangers of the World Wide Web.

Details of the talk as follows:

Date: Saturday 30 October 2010

Time: 9am - 12 pm

Venue: Magdalenian Centre Level 1 SACPS.

Fee: $5/person or $8/couple.

More information of the talk can be found here.

Please return the reply slip with payment to the General Office by 20 October 2010.

School Family Education - MCYS September E-Newsletter

The School Family Education (SFE) Programme is another family life education effort by Family Education Department, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS).

The SFE e-newsletter aims to provide updated information on SFE and other family life education programmes and happenings. In each issue, a short article on parenting issues will also be shared.

The September 2010 issue can be found here

MCYS would like to hear from you on how they can make this e-newsletter and the SFE programme better. If you have any suggestions or feedback or wish to contribute to the e-newsletter, please contact mcys_sfe@mcys.gov.sg

School Family Education

The School Family Education Centre (SFEC) is opened every Thursday from 10am-3pm. The Centre is located just next to the school's General Office.

Besides brochures and booklets from MCYS, there is also a resource library catered to staff and parents of the school. Books and audio visual items are available for loan for a period of 2 weeks.

Following are some of the resources available

Do pop into the Centre to check out the full range of resources!

Mid-Autumn Festival - 18 September 2010

Together with Fengshan CC, the school will be organising a Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration on Saturday 18 September 2010 from 6.30pm - 9.30pm @ Blk 93 Amphitheater (opposite the school).

Highlights include Chinese Dance performance, mooncake making demonstration and a flea market. The school will be setting up a booth selling items such as books & clothes. Proceeds of the sale will go towards the School Building Fund.

Do come down and join in for a night of festivities with the family!

SFE Workshop For Parents - Effective Discipline

Disciplining a child is one of the most important roles of a parent and also one of the most difficult. To help parents tackle the challenges, the School Family Education Centre has invited Dr Agnes Tan to provide some tips on effective and positve discipline.

Details of the talk is as follows:

Date: Friday 13 August 2010

Time: 7.00 - 10.00 pm

Venue: Magdalenian Centre, SACPS Level 1

Fee: $5/person, $8/couple (Cash Payment Only)

More information can be found here

Deadline to register: Tuesday 3 August 2010

(Reply Slip + Payment to be handed over to the General Office)

SFE Parent-Child Bonding Activity - Roller Blading - 17 July 2010

The heavy downpour in the morning did not deter the spirit of 17 pairs of parent & child. They turned up eagerly in school awaiting the new challenge ahead of them.

The activity had to be carried out indoors in the canteen and despite the space constraint, the parents and girls had an enriching time learning a new activity together. For the parents, it was a humbling experience as they put themselves in the childrens' shoes learning a new skill. For the children, it was definitely a tickle to see their parents fumble. After a 2 hour long session, there was definitely a sense of accomplishment for all as they managed to learn the basics of roller blading and were happily gliding around the canteen.

Thank you to all parents who took the time out to engage in such a meaningful activity with your children and we will see you at the next SFE programme.

Do check out the slide show on the right!

School Family Education - Parent Facilitator Training

Applications are now open for the Parent Facilitator Training Modules 1 & 2.

The 40-hour training for parent volunteers will empower them to facilitate the running of SFE programmes and be mentors to other parents.

Details & Application for Module 1 can be found here

Details & Application for Module 2 can be found here

If you have any enquiries or clarifications regarding the Parent Facilitator Training Programme, please contact Ms Veronica Ng at 9452 2847 or Ms Helen Lim at 9783 9386, or email: cafeprogramme@gmail.com

Parents from SACPS who are interested to sign up for the training course, please submit the application form to Ms Margarette Taylor via the School's General Office.

Read-A-Thon Book Carnival - 2 July 2010

What a day 2 July was for SACPS - a Book Carnival marked the end of the Read-A-Thon fund raiser of 2010 and it was a day of festivity for the girls.

For both sessions, level activities were carried out for the day and with a slightly longer 45 minutes recess break, the girls were able to enjoy the mini fair put up by the CCEs. The girls truly enjoyed themselves by snapping up foodstuffs such brownies, gingerbread, muffins, chocolate marshmellows & sweets, hair accessories and stationery. The highlight for the day was the special teachers performance of The Big Bad Monster and The Three Not-So-Little Pigs in the hall.

It was a fun-filled day for the girls and we could not have done it without the 2 groups of CCEs - one group who so generously heeded our call for item donations for the event and took the time to drop the items off in school during the school holidays; and the other group are the CCEs who volunteered their precious time and energy to help out during the event. Sincere appreciation from Ms Annie Foo, Mrs Corinna Foo and the Exco members and we look forward to your future support.

Check out the slideshow on the right!

SFE Parent-Child Bonding Activity

Another Parent-Child Bonding activity organised by the School Family Education Centre to look forward to!

For parents who wish to have a morning of fun with your daughters, come join us on Saturday 17 July 2010 8.30am - 11.30am where we will learn to roller blade together.

Venue: SACPS (Field behind the Netball Court)

Fee: $25/pair (1 parent & 1 child from SACPS)

Copy of the flyer is found here.

Closing date - Tuesday 5 July 2010

Please submit completed form and money to the General Office.

Do register early as the session is only limited to 30 pairs.

Singapore Parenting Congess 2010

Singapore Parenting Congress returns this year focusing on parenting issues and concerns that are close to your heart.

Organised by Mediacorp and supported by MCYS, the Congress provides a platform for parents and educators to learn parenting skills from renowned speakers and foster stronger parent-child relationships. Seminars will be conducted in four languages.

Date: Saturday 17 July 2010 & Sunday 18 July 2010

Venue: NTUC Auditorium

More information of the Congress can be found here.

Tickets are available from SISTIC.

Parents from SACPS who are attending the Congress, kindly retain your ticket stubs and send them to our SFE Co-ordinator Ms Margarette Taylor with your name, contact details, daughter's name and class via the School's General Office.

SFE Parent-Child Bonding Trip to Kukp 15 May 2010

A group of 62 parents & children went for a 1 day bonding trip to Kukup on 15 May 2010. The trip was organised by our SFE Co-ordinator Margarette Taylor with Family Life Society.

We left the school at 630am and after crossing the Second Link and breakfast at Gelang Patah, we jumped straight into the string of exciting activities that were lined up for the day - batik painting, a visit to the pewter factory, lunch @ the kelong followed by a visit to the kelong.

What would a trip to Johore Bahru be without some shopping! The group spent about 1.5hrs at Tebrau City getting some good bargains. After a sumptuous dinner, it was home sweet home after an exhausting but no doubt enjoyable and enriching day for all.

Here are some of the comments from parents who have joined us for the trip:

Kelly Anne Soh - We like the batik painting and kelong trip.

Juliana Jahja - I had a wonderful time spending the day with my daugther. Job well done, thanks a bunch!

Noraini Bte Jayani - It was an eye opener for my child to see the life of the fishing villagers in Kukup and had our first experience at batik painting.

Roland & Priscilla Seet - Well Done! The guide was excellent - speaks well and very knowledgeable

Lily Wong - The trip was very good for family bonding and my child had gained some knowledge from the trip.

Check out the photo slideshow on the right!

Look out for future family bonding activities and we hope more families will come join us!

Read-a-thon 2010 – A School Building Fund Project

Our School fund raiser this year is a Read-a-thon to be held from 14 May to 2 July 2010. This project brings students together with their families and friends to encourage reading and build literacy skills. The school will be conducting various exciiting activities for the students. Students may read books of different genres in any language and take part in a storytelling competition, quizzes and book reviews. The project will end with a Book Carnival Day on 2 July 2010.

Below are the acitivities that the school will be conducting for this event:

14 May 2010 - Read-a-thon Cards and Letters

20-25 May 2010 - Book Fair

26 May 2010 - Library Road Show

28 June 2010 - Return Read-a-thon Cards

28-29 June 2010 - Mass Book Borrowing - NLB

30 June 2010 - Storytelling by a Special Guest @ Le Stage (Recess)

1 July 2010 - Skit/Storytelling by School Librarians (Assembly)

2 July 2010 - Book Carnival Day (Level Acitivities)

6 July 2010 - Storytelling Competition @ Le Stage (Recess)

7-8 July 2010 - Book Fair (Recess)

Your support will not only help to encourage our children to read widely and develop a lasting love of reading but also aid the school in our Programme for Rebuilding and Improving Existing Schools (PRIME) to carry out upgrading works on our current site and provide the much needed facilities to support an all-rounded education.

"The Armour of Love" - Sunday 23May 2010

The above talk is organised by Family Life Society with its affiliate Worldwide Marriage Encounter Singapore.

The objective of the talk is to help married couples recognise that love is not just a feeling that comes and goes, but love is a conscious effort to make a decision that will benefit your spousal and family relationship; love is to be life-giving to your loved ones.

More details of the talk as well as registration details can be found here.

Mother's Day Flower Sale 2010

With Mother's Day round the corner, the School held a Mother's Day Flower Sale on Thursday 29 April 2010. Proceeds from the sale go to the School Building Fund.

This flower is the fruit of labour of a few CCEs who spent several hours hand making them. Simple as it looks, it nevertheless wowed the girls. The sale was overwhelming during the am and pm recesses.

Thank you girls for showing your love for mum and we are sorry we had to turn away many of you as the flowers were snapped up very quickly.

Thank you to all CCEs who turn up to support the School in this activity!

DadsforLife Conference 2010

DadsforLife is holding their inaugural conference in May! The conference is part of an exciting line-up of events to celebrate Fatherhood.

Renowned international and local speakers will be there to share their journeys of fatherhood and experiences of transformational relationships with their children.

Full details of the Conference can be found here

Fathers of SACPS girls who will be attending this conference, kindly provide your name, contact details, daughter's class and tickets stubs to the SFE Co-ordinator, Ms Margarette Taylor, via the School General Office no later than 2 weeks after the conference.

Family Bonding 1 Day Trip to Kukup, JB

Come mid May, the exams will be over and it will be time for fun! What better way than to come join in a Family Bonding 1 Day Trip to Kukup, JB organised by the School Family Education Centre on Saturday 15 May 2010.

Full details of the trip can be found here.

Deadline to submit reply slips would be Friday 30 April 2010.
Do book your places early as its only limited to 80 pax!

How To Beat Exam Stress

With the exams round the corner, the likelihood of both parents & girls being stressed out is very high. Hence, the School Family Life Centre will be inviting Mr Jason Ng, a speaker with the Family Life Society, to give a talk entitled How To Beat Exam Stress. The talk is to help empower parents with the skills and mindsets to help their children cope with exams and reduce their stress effectively.

Details of the talk as follows:

Date: 30 April 2010 (Friday)

Time: 7.30-9.30pm

Venue: Magdalenian Centre, SACPS Level 1

Fee: $5/per person, $8/couple

(Cash Payment Only)

More information of the workshop & speaker can be found on the invite which will be given to all girls. Reply (with payment) is to be returned to the General Office. Deadline is Friday 23 April 2010. Limited space available, do register early to avoid disappointment.

Alternatively, a copy of the invite is attached here

Talk For Parents - Transition to Secondary One

The above talk is organised by Centre for Advancement of Family Education Pte Ltd (CAFE), and supported by Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and Ministry of Education (MOE).

Date: Saturday 22 May 2010
Time: 2.00pm - 5.30pm (Registration starts at 1.30pm)
Venue: Victory Hall, 743 Hersing Hub, Level 8, Toa Payoh Lorong 5 (nearest MRT: Toa Payoh)
Fee: $5.00 per person
Closing Date: 15 May 2010

More details of the talk can be found here - http://fcd.ecitizen.gov.sg/NR/rdonlyres/7F61AE86-0DAD-474A-BB53-C75F86D0C295/0/Parentingseminar2010Flyer.pdf

As the response of this talk is overwhelming every year, the school has managed purchased 10 tickets. The first 10 to email the school's SFE Co-ordinator, Ms Margarette Taylor at sacps_sfe@yahoo.com.sg will be able purchase the tickets direct from the school.

Otherwise, tickets can be purchased direct from the organiser - ticketing contact can be found in the above flyer as well.

School Family Education @ SACPS

SACPS strongly believes in working in partnership with parents to provide the best education for our pupils. As the adult role models in our childrens' life, the school sees the importance of bonding as a family in order to build stronger relationship with our children. Year on year, the School Family Education Centre (SFEC) has organised programmes to cater to these needs.

Upcoming events are as follows:

30 April 2010 - Talk for Parents: Help you Child Beat Exam Stress
15 May 2010 - Family Bonding Trip to Kukup
25 May 2010 - Tea Time Talk cum Jewellery Making session for Parents

More information on the above programmes will be annouced in due course. Do note that a nominal fee is usually charged to cover operating course.

To help us in our role as parents, the SFEC has a collection of family education resources such as books and DVDs. The SFE Centre located on the 1st level, next to the General Office, is open every Tuesday from 9am to 2pm and parents are welcome to come by to utilise or borrow these resources.

Free Seminar for Parents

Actionpreneur Pte Ltd is conducting the following seminar that ensures your child applies what they learn.

Do You Think Your Child Can Actually Achieve Better Result In School But They Are Not?
(This workshop is suitable for children from age 9 - 17)

Do you realize that your child has the potential to excel in school, but they did not?
Do you realize that your child is smart but they could not do well in exam?
If your child is smart and has the potential, then why they are not achieving a remarkable result?
What can be the reasons?

Unless you discover the reasons for their underachiever’s performance, you could not help them at all.

There are many factors contributing to a child's inability to perform well in school.
Sending your child to tuition may not be the only solution. Tuition may not address the issues that your child is facing. It is like giving panadol to a cough patient, he is not going to be cured.
Your child may face some other issues that is not academic related, but can affect them academically.

So how are you going to help your child? What are some of the issues that you child may be facing that is affecting their results in school?

We would like to invite you to this FREE Youth Success Seminar to find out:

- Why does MY child lack the motivation to study?
- 5 steps to help MY child get better result in school.
- Why some study strategies does not work for MY child
- How to raise MY child’s confidence level.
- How to help MY child to study more effectively.
- How can MY child acquire positive attitude in life.

SMS to 9637 2267 NOW to reserve your seat or send an email to info@actionpreneur.com

Register NOW to secure your seats early. (Limited to 30 seats ONLY)
You may bring your children to the seminar.

Dates:3rd April or 4th April 2010
Time:3pm to 5pm
Venue: 10 Winstedt Road, Block B #01-12 Trainers Resource Centre
(5 mins walk from Newton Food Centre. Next to ACS Junior)
Map: Click link for direction http://www.streetdirectory.com/asia_travel/travel/travel_id_1/travel_site_21032/5/
Nearest MRT station: Newton MRT

An Invitation - Fathers@School and Dads For Life Website Launch

The Dads for Life movement was launched in November 2009 as a community movement to inspire fathers to be good influencers in their childrens' lives.

The Fathers@Schools programmes, to be launched on 1 April 2010, is intended to support the objectives of the movement by providing a focal point to promote fathers involvement in their childrens education and to mobilise and support fathers to be role models to their children and to be more active in their childrens lives. Participating schools receive $2000 funding annually to support the development of father-focused activities in schools.

Parent representatives from the school are invited to the launch where more information about the movement and the Fathers@Schools programmes will be shared.



Alternatively, for more information on Fathers@Schools, as well as the Dads for Life Movement, can be found @ www.dadsforlife.sg.

Lenten Reflection

This is a special invite to all Catholic parents of P4 to P6 girls.
The school with the support of the Praying Parents is organising the above event on Friday 12 March 2010, 6.00-8.00pm.
The evening's program details are as follows:

1) 6.00-7.00pm - Parents Session
Faith Formation by Sr Janet Wang, Head of SACPS Chaplaincy Team
Topic: Greatest Love
Venue: Chapel

2) 7.00-8.00 pm - Parents & Children Session
Stations of the Cross
Venue: Festival Court

Non-Catholic parents are welcome to join in the sessions if they wish to participate.
We look forward to seeing you!

CCE Recognition

Every year, CCEs who have contributed on a regular basis are recognised for their voluntary services to the school during the Canossian Saints Day celebration.

Receiving their awards on 26 February 2010 during the am session celebration were Michelle Khoo, Devy Suleiman and Charles Wee from the CCE Exco.


(L-R) Ms Helen Hong (VP), Charles Wee, Mrs Eugenie Tan (P), Devy Suleiman

Another group of parents who received their awards during the pm session celebration were the ladies from the Praying Parents - Sylvia Ng, Sheila Tan, Karen Misson, Priscilla Seet, Julie Ngiam and Caroline de Silva.


(L-R) Sylvia Ng,Sheila Tan,Karen Misson,Priscilla Seet,Julie Ngiam,Caroline de Silva, Theresa Yong

Congratulations to all recipients!

Its Not Just About The Birds & The Bees!

School Family Education (SFE) is one of the recommendations of Family Matters!

SFE adopts a holistic family learning model – equipping parents with effective parenting skills and training them to be parent facilitators, helping school staff to enhance their family life, and providing students with life skills training.

The parent-child relationship has much impact on the child’s academic achievements and positive attitudes/ behaviour, regardless of socio-economic status, ethnic/ racial background or parents’ education level.

More information of SFE can be found at www.sfe.org.sg

St Anthony's Cannosian Primary School has joined the SFE since 2006 and SFE programmes have been well received by parents, students and staff.

We begin 2010 with a workshop for parents - Its Not Just About The Birds & The Bees
Details as follows:

Date: 20 February 2010 (Saturday)
Time: 10.00am - 12.00pm
Venue: Magdalenian Centre, SACPS Level 1
Fee: $5/person, $8 for 2 parents
Speaker: Ms Michelle Soliano-Lew (Family Life Society)

More information of the workshop & speaker can be found on the invite which will be given to all girls. Reply (with payment) is to be returned to the General Office. Deadline is Wednesday 10 February 2010. Limited space available, do register early to avoid disappointment.

Alternatively, a copy of the invite is attached here.

We look forward to seeing you!

Praying Parents - 27 January 2010

The Praying Parents group was formed with the quest to grow as one united family with Jesus as focus. The group aims to nurture, sustain, support and help one another to bring up Godly and well-rounded children.It started off as a group of parents coming together to pray but they have since evolved to include the catholic girls of the school for the prayer sessions.

27 Jan 2010 saw the 1st session for the P3 & P4 girls.

As the girls entered the chapel, they were each given a "Jesus Loves You" heart-shaped card and on each card, there was a quotation from the bible.
Sister Janet Wang, Head of Chaplaincy Team, opened the session by welcoming the girls.
A core member of the group, Julie, led in the session along with her husband.
Following the opening hymn, there was a scripture reading and a short reflection on it. Thereafter the girls prayed for themselves, their families and friends. They also remembered the the victims of the recent Haiti earthquake & Ethiopian plane crash.
An offering of prayers written by some of the girls were offered to the Lord as well as a decade of the Rosary was also dedicated to Mother Mary.

The session ended with a thanksgiving prayer read by a group of girls. There was also an activity for the girls to bring back - they were given another "Jesus Loves You" card and this time they were encouraged to write a short note on the card and they were free to give the cards to their loved ones or even to those whom they find difficult to love.

A big kudos to the core members of the group who have worked hard to make the session a meaningful one for the girls especially in producing the materials such as PowerPoint slides to make it easier for the girls to participate. It was heartening to see other parents who turned up to lend their support. There were some who took time off from work while others came by during their lunch time! We hope more parents would come to join their girls for future sessions. Do keep a look out at the monthly Parents Connection where details of Praying Parents sessions will be announced.

Photos of the session can be viewed here.