Going Beyond The PSLE Exams - Part 2

The following was published in The Catholic News December 16, 2012, Vol 62, No 25

Dance, choir, taekwando for this all-rounder

She took part in taekwondo, Chinese dance and choir in her school, and has guitar, piano and ballet lessons outside of school. She even found time to act in the musical Annie this year.

And when the PSLE results were released, all-rounder Erika Goh scored A* for Maths and Science and A for English and Chinese.

The St Anthony’s Canossian Primary School student said she does her best to manage her time well, making use of every spare moment to either focus on her studies or get some rest in between activities.

“You shouldn’t get stressed out with the PSLE,” said the Catholic girl, adding that students should “take it as a positive thing. It’s like any exam”.

She said she would sleep at about 11pm after finishing her homework. However, she slept earlier during the exams upon the advice of her parents, “so that I won’t get a mental block”.

Her teachers also helped her and her schoolmates “by giving extra lessons after school and by telling motivational stories and offering support”, she said.

Erika’s schedule of activities would certainly tire out many students her age.

The student, who was appointed prefect in Primary Five, is a member of the Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir and practises with them for four hours every Saturday.

She and her schoolmates participated in the 2012 Singapore Youth Festival in Chinese dance and Choir. “The Chinese dance rehearsals were very rigorous” right before the competition, she said.

In June, she went for the auditions for the musical Annie and was accepted. “From July onwards there were lots of rehearsals for the performance in August,” she said, adding that “it was a great experience to meet new friends and I had fun”.

Erika received her school’s Magdalenian award for her academic achievement and for being an all-rounded student.

She attends novena devotions at Novena Church. She and her family are parishioners of the Church of the Holy Trinity.

Going Beyond The PSLE Exams - Part 1

The following was published in The Catholic News December 16, 2012, Vol 62, No 25

Juggling studies, family duties and sport

Ruby Heramis received the Bakhita award from her school, St Anthony’s Canossian Primary, for being an all rounded student and rising against the challenges of life to achieve excellence.

She comes from a family of six children and, being second in the family, has the responsibility of helping her mother look after her two younger brothers aged three and five.

“When I’m at home I have to feed my baby brothers and also make sure that they take naps in the afternoons,” said Ruby. “When my siblings are asleep ... I study and do my homework.”

Nevertheless, “I’m very happy to help out at home and be a role model to my younger siblings,” she said.

Ruby, who was selected to be captain of the school netball team this year, scored an A for English, B for Maths and Science, and a Grade 4 for Chinese.

She does not have tuition.

“Being the captain of the team means that I have to be responsible for the younger ones and other team mates,” she said.

Her Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) commitment saw her juggling twice-a-week practices with studies and home commitments.

Ruby recalled that during the PSLE exams, her older brother Ryan helped cover her duties at home. She said he inspires her as he also did well in his PSLE two years ago and received awards.

She said her school has taught her to be “charitable, humble and forgiving”, qualities she attributes to a Catholic education.

Ruby says she has chosen St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School for her secondary education.

Children's Day 2012 - 4 October 2012

What an exciting day 4 October 2012 was for the girls as Children’s Day was celebrated in school. In addition to the concert put up by the teachers, the girls were given a slightly longer recess to enjoy the many treats prepared by the CCEs.

CCEs distributed Panda Ice Creams and tins of Pringles Potato Chips to the girls. There was also lucky dip and it was a sure win as each girl walked away with items such as stationery, stickers and hair accessories. Long queues formed at the Henna and Tattoo Stations and the CCEs manning these stations worked tirelessly on their crafts for the girls. There was also a Music station which played the latest hits which the girls could sing along and a hot favourite was the Gangnam Style which girls and even some teachers joined in for a mass dance. 

Check out the pictures of the day here

Mrs Corinna Foo and the CCE Exco would like to thank the parents who have answered our call and generously donated cash & items to make the event possible. Thanks also to all the CCEs who helped out during the AM & PM sessions - you were great in taking on the assigned roles so that we could ensure all 1350 girls had their share of goodies in the quickest and orderly mann

Children's Day 2012

As a gesture of our love for the pupils of SACPS, we are planning our annual Children's Day treat. We are hoping to organise a day of treats and activities at school on 4 October 2012.

To make this delighful experience possible, we are inviting parents to contribute the following items to be given away as a gift/gift packs:

1) Stationery

2) Hair accessories

3) Stickers

We are also hoping to purchase some snacks for the girls. We are appealing to parents to donate to the purchase of the snacks. This donation can be of any amount. Your generosity will determine the the treats that we can offer to the girls.

For Token Donation:

All items should be new and unused, any quantity will be acceptable.  Please put your items in a plastic bag, label the bag "Children's Day 2012"with your daughter's name and class and submit it to General Office by 10 September 2012.

For Cash Donation:

Kindly give your donations in the form of cash or cheque make payable to "SACP Development Fund".

Please write "Children's Day Donation" with your daughter's name and class and submit it to General Office by 10 September 2012.

We look forward to your kind generosity. Together, we can make this Children’s Day a memorable one for our girls!

Homecoming

SACPS will be returning to its campus located at 1602 Bedok North Avenue 4 in January 2013 and will be functioning as a single-session school. Details on the school hours will be furnished soon.
Check out our new school here!

St Anthony’s Canossian Primary and Secondary Schools - In The News!

The following article was published in The Catholic News - 3 June 2012 Vol. 62 No. 11

Students at St Anthony’s Canossian Primary and Secondary Schools can look forward to better facilities and more educational resources when they start the school term next year.

Both institutions are presently undergoing PRIME, the Education Ministry’s Programme for Rebuilding and Improving Existing Schools, and are now at different temporary locations. 

The schools are expected to move into their new buildings, at their original site in Bedok North Avenue 4, at the end of the year. 

The upgraded St Anthony’s Canossian Primary School will have five levels of bigger classrooms. 

There will be a total of five blocks which include a chapel, an indoor sports hall, a multi-purpose hall, a double-storey library, a dance studio, a band room and an outdoor experiential learning trail. 

Pupils will also enjoy more sheltered playing areas and physical education lessons on a synthetic field. 

 “Our newly upgraded school will further enhance the learning experience of our pupils. More special rooms will also ensure teachers can carry out lessons in a much more conducive environment,” said the principal, Mrs Eugenie Tan. 

Resources and facilities in the pipeline for St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School include two dance studios, two music studios, a black box theatre and two rehearsal rooms. 

These are to support the school in its niche area in the performing arts. The school’s Performing Arts Education Programme (PAE) is offered to all students in lower secondary as a core curriculum to develop the critical, creative and empathetic capacities of the girls. 

The school also introduced its O Level Music Programme in 2012 and the O Level Drama Programme in 2006 to create more opportunities for students with various artistic talents to develop their potential. 

Another programme, the Foundress Signature Programme, aims to stretch students’ talents in the school’s various academies, namely the Language Arts Academy, The Maths and Science Academy and The Leadership Academy. Students identified with exceptional talent in a particular area will be invited to join the programme. 

The school is also the only Catholic secondary school that offers a comprehensive inclusive curriculum for hearing-impaired students endorsed by the Ministry of Education. These students take part in the full life of the school and are active in a wide range of co-curricular activities such as the concert and angklung bands, dance and the Digital Media Club. 

“We consider it a privilege to be given the chance to journey with all God’s children as they discover how good they can really be!” said principal Melanie Martens. 

St Anthony’s Canossian Primary and Secondary Schools will hold a fundraising gala dinner on June 30 at Marina Mandarin Hotel. Proceeds will go to the schools’ upgrading projects. 

For enquiries, contact Ms Cecilia Nathen at 6449 0616 or email prime@canossian.edu.sg. Details of the dinner can also be found on the schools’ websites.

Parenting Seminar 2012 - Transition to Secondary One

Parenting Seminar 2012 - Transitition to Secondary One is back! This Seminar will provide parents with the information to prepare their children for secondary school.

The Seminar is very popular and early registration is highly encouraged. Please proceed to register directly with the organiser as per indicated above, kindly cc your email to sacps_sfe@yahoo.com.sg for SFE activity record purposes.

SFE April Parenting Workshop - 20 April 2012

Calling all parents! Come join the SFE April School Family Education (SFE) sexuality talk for parents - The Birds & The Bees!

Details as follows:
Date: 20 April 2012 (Friday)
Time: 7.00pm - 9.00pm
Venue: SACPS Performing Art Room 2
Fee: $5/person, $8/couple
Speaker: Mrs Michelle Soliano-Lew (Family Life Society)

More information of the workshop & speaker can be found here.
Deadline is Thursday 5 April 2012 - please submit reply slip with payment to the school's General Office.

See you @ the workshop!

CCE Appreciation Ceremony

CCEs were recognised by the school for their volunteerism in school events in 2011 during the Canossian Saints Day celebration on 1 March 2012

Mrs Corinna Foo and the Exco members would like to thank all CCEs for volunteering their time and energy in 2011 and we look forward to your continued support and more CCEs coming forward in 2012!

Do look out for our email blast for help! If you are yet to be in the loop and wish to be included, please email to cce.sacps@yahoo.com.sg indicating your name, contact number, daughter's name and class.

Check out the photos here!

Essential Parenting By MCYS

Essential Parenting, a free quarterly e-newsletter that gives parents easy access to parenting resources, articles and programmes has been launched! It is a parent education initiative by the Family Education Department, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. Log on to: www.essentialparenting.sg

Parents can also join the Essential Parenting Facebook Fanpage for weekly parenting tips and updates on the latest parenting programmes as well as parenting videos that provide parents with useful tips on how to handle day-to-day parenting situations.

Those who sign up for Essential Parenting by 15 February will stand a chance to treat their family to a 5-star hotel stay in Sentosa.

Hello P1 Parents!

A warm welcome to all new P1 Parents!

It is definitely an exciting moment for you as you begin a memorable journey with your girls as they embark on their primary school life.

Thank you for visiting the CCE & SFE Booths on 3 January 2012. For those who have returned the completed CCE registration forms, we appreciate your quick response. For those who were undecided then and would now like to sign up, you can fill up the form given and ask you daughter to hand it to her form teacher. Alternatively, you may email us at cce.sacps@yahoo.com.sg with your name, daughter's name, class and do let us know if there is any specific areas that you would like to volunteer.
All contact details will be added to our database and you would receive email blasts in due course.

In the meantime, do read through the blog to see what we have been up to the last few years and do check in on the blog on regular basis to keep abreast of what is happening.

See you soon @ a CCE event or @ a SFE workshop!