43rd Annual Track & Field Meet 10 March 2011

Under the hot and blistering sun, the P3-P6 girls came together for the 43rd Annual Track & Field Meet on Thursday 10 March 2011.

The competitors for the day lived up to the athlete's pledge they took at the opening of the meet and sportsmanship was the name of the game throughout the morning. Girls who were not competing gave their all by cheering for their respective houses and friends.

The highlight of the morning was the Parents Race - its was heartening to see so many parents coming forward to take part in it and this thrilled the girls.

Equally thrilling was the Teachers Race which got many girls up on their feet cheering the teachers who were representing their houses.

Congratulations to all participants of the meet and thank you parents, your presence today @ Bedok Stadium meant a lot to your daughters!

Check out the slideshow on the right :-)

MOE ExCEL Fest 2011

MOE ExCEL Fest is an annual event that celebrates and shares exciting and innovative practices in schools. It is also a platform for parents and members of the public to find out more about the latest developments in our education landscape. MOE ExCEL Fest 2011 will be open to the public on 2 April 2011 (Saturday) at the Suntec International Convention & Exhibition Centre.

The theme for ExCEL Fest 2011, Different Pathways to Success: Strong Fundamentals, Future Learnings, turns the spotlight on the diverse pathways in Singapore’s education landscape. The diversity of opportunities caters to children with different needs and abilities. Through these opportunities, we aim to nurture our children to realise their fullest potential, to equip them with knowledge and skills to face future challenges, and to prepare them with the foundation for lifelong learning.

Visit the MOE PAVILION and schools’ EXHIBITION BOOTHS to gain insights into different types of schools and education choices and find out more about what they can offer your child.

Attend SHARING SESSIONS and SEMINARS to learn more about topics chosen specially for parents. Highlights include:

- Changes to the primary education landscape and how they will affect your child

- Different education choices and routes available and how they can help to maximise your child’s talents

- Cultivating soft-skills for the future – how to develop skills that are essential for your child to succeed in the 21st Century

Sharing Sessions and Seminars on 2 April are now open for registration!

Limited seats are available.

Registration is on a first-come-first-served basis.

Don’t wait, register now at www.excelfest.com

Workshop on Guided Reading Skills for Parents

The Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL) and CDAC (Chinese Development Assistance Council) is organizing a workshop on reading Chinese picture books for pupils, parents and parent volunteers. Admission is FREE. Details as follows:

Date: Saturday 12 March 2011
Time: 1pm to 4.30pm
Venue: Hall at CDAC (65 Tanjong Katong Road, Singapore 436957)

(If your child is currently in Primary 2 or 3, you may wish to enroll her for the guided reading activities on that day)

Parents who are interested to join this workshop, you may contact Ms Xu Yishi (CDAC) directly at 66035532 or email yishi@cdac.org.sg

Closing Date: 9 March 2011

CCE Recognition Award for Year 2010

This happy group of CCEs was recognised by the school for their active volunteerism in school events in 2010 during the Canossian Saints Day celebration on 25 February 2011.

Mrs Corinna Foo and the Exco members would like to thank all CCEs for volunteering their time and energy in 2010 and we look forward to your continued support and more CCEs coming forward in 2011!

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.

SFE Parenting Talk fo Parents - Motivating Your Child To Excel

After an enjoyable year-end holidays and the recent festivities, its time for our girls to get down to some serious work! How do we motivate our children in the coming months as they come face to face with tests and exams?

The School Family Life Centre is organising a talk "Motivating Your Child To Excel" to help parents rediscover your children and equip parents with the tools to develop and enhance your childrens' strength:

Date: Friday 4 March 2011

Time: 6.30 - 9.00pm

Venue: Performing Arts Room 2, SACPS Level 1

Speaker: Mr Johnny Ong

Fee: $5/pax, $8/couple

The flyer with details of the talk and speaker has been distributed to the girls and copy of it is here for your easy reference

Those interested in attending the workshop, please return the reply slip with cash payment to the General Office by 23 February 2011.

parenTHINK Forum 2011

The release of Amy Chua's recent book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, has sparked debate on the acceptable limits of discipline, with many criticising her harsh disciplinarian tactics as abusive. The recent furore serves as a timely reminder of a pertinent issue in parenting - what exactly is the difference between discipline and abuse and where should one draw the line.

Raffles Institution's Community Advocates is pleased to invite parents of SACPS to parenTHINK, a forum organised by students from the CCA with support from the Singapore Children's Society to promote discussion and understanding on the highly contagious issue of discipline.

Details of the Forum as follows:

Date: Saturday 26 March 2011

Time: 8.15am to 11.00am

Venue: Raffles Institution (Years 5&6) Performing Arts Centre

Registration is free and a morning tea is provided.

The forum will see a brief introduction on the topic by the students, followed by an expert panel discussion featuring notable experts such as Dr Daniel Fung, Senior Consultant and Chief of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; Mr Alex Lee, Member of the Panel of Advisers, Juvenile Court; Child Protection Officers from MCYS and Research Officers from the Singapore Children's Society.

Please log on to http://parenTHINK.comuf.com/ for further details and to register.

SACPS parents who will be attending this workshop, please email you name, daughter's name & class to the SFE Co-ordinator at sacps.sfe@yahoo.com.sg

Canossian School Holds 1st Mass @ Temporary Site

Following is a report in The Catholic News 13 February 2011 Vol 61 No 33 by Paula Png:

Students and staff of St Anthony’s Canossian Primary School celebrated their first Mass at the school’s holding site at Bedok North Road, having moved from Bedok North Avenue 4 late last year.

The temporary move was part of the Education Ministry’s plans to improve and upgrade the facilities of the old building. The Jan 10 Mass, celebrated by Father Johnson Fernandez, marked the beginning of the new school year as well as a new chapter in the school’s history. Joining the school community in prayer were the Canossian Sisters and Ms Grace Tan, principal of Canossa Convent Primary school.

The celebration concluded with a teachers’ dedication prayer and a students’ commitment prayer, in which both educators and pupils asked for God’s blessings and strength to stay committed to their endeavours through the new academic year.

“As I looked around the hall at the eager faces of the little girls, I wondered what is going on in their minds and hearts at such school Masses,” commented Sr Cecily Pavri, supervisor of the Canossian schools.

“Some appear to be mildly present, others fidget restlessly but at those moments in the liturgy when they were invited to be still and pray, it amazed me at how angelically deep into prayer they were.”

She added, “I firmly believe that a Catholic school is privileged to structure such strong moments of connecting with the divine into the school programme. It is imperative that we nurture the inner anchors of our children so that all other curricula can rest strong on this God foundation.”

The school community expects to return to its refurbished building in 2013.

School Family Education - MCYS Jan 2011 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 January 2011 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

CCE Exco

The CCE Exco is a core team of parents who supports the school in planning and organising events or programmes which involve parents. The team also liases with other CCEs to promote parent involvement in school activities.

Following is the updated organisational chart of the CCE Exco:

Hello P1 Parents!

Welcome all new P1 parents!

The year ahead will be an exciting one as you begin a memorable journey with your girls as they embark on their primary school life.

Many of you have signed up to be in the loop during the orientation on 4 January 2011 and we thank you for your quick response. For those who were undecided 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 to let us know.

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 parent workshop!