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.

Children's Day 2009

This year's Children's Day celebrations once again demonstrated the wonderful involvment of our parents. Notwithstanding the lack of funds, our CCEs responded so warmly to the call for donations to sponsor ice-cream and popcorn treats for the SACPS girls. Some parents even replied with notes of encouragement and support.

So on 30 Sept 09, spread across the AM and PM recesses, a group of CCEs (mobilised with very short notice) became ice-cream and pop-corn distributors to our excitable girls. Their excitement was fanned by the PA announcements of this treat awaiting them. In fact, when the ice-cream freezer was delivered the day before, the PM recess girls immediately swarmed around it, trying to visualise their treats. Given the anticipation, the CCE distributors promptly form an assembly-line to give out ice-cream cups, then give out scoops, then stamp hands, then scoop popcorn and finally to give out the popcorn cups. Some CCEs doubled up as traffic-controllers to direct eager girls into the line that snaked from the linkway to almost the hopscotch area. We frantically worked at the 'assembly-line' to ensure that all the 1500 girls had their treats in the quickest way possible.

Despite the frenzy, the CCEs actually enjoyed ourseleves. The camaraderie was natural as we started off by sharing who are girls are. Soon, there were common topics of conversation. Everyone simply jumped in and take on all the necessary tasks including, buying lollies for ice-cream-allergic girls to sweeping the popcorn-littered floor. All these efforts were well worth it when we saw the girls licking their ice-cream and munching their popcorn in delight. Many even asked for seconds. Maybe, next year...

A million thanks to our CCE donors and helpers for giving this Children's Day a very sweeeeeet ending.

PSLE Mass 2009

The chapel was brimming with anticipation as the Primary 6 Catholic students streamed in for the PSLE Mass on 6 August 2009. Organized by the Praying Parents, guided by the school Chaplain Sister Janet and supported by the Catholic teachers and choir, the Mass was designed to uplift our Primary 6 girls in their preparation for the upcoming PSLE.

Fr Simon Pereira, the celebrant of the Mass, did just that. In his typical candour, Fr Simon started the Mass by reminding the girls to first remove all anger and discord so as to be right with God. Only then would they be able to draw near to Him with their petitions. Fr Simon then shared his formula for exam success. Backed by true-life stories of other students (including ex-Canossian ones), this sure-work formula is to:
1. Visualise – To see in one’s mind and to write out one’s goal for the exam. State it clearly and specifically, e.g. ‘To score 4 As’. In this way, we programme our thoughts and actions to meet that goal.
2. Actualise – Direct all efforts to meet the visualised goal. God helps those who are faithful.
3. “Prayer-ise” – Prayer is most essential. We are working with God and for God in the exams. When we pray, we will rise above all the stress and frustrations of the preparations. The most powerful prayer is none other than the ‘Our Father’ and then followed by ‘Hail Mary’ and ‘Glory Be’.

Before the dismissal, Fr Simon blessed the girls by laying his hand on each of them.
An exam-prayer bookmark was distributed to every student to encourage them to pray.

Behind the scenes, the core group of Praying Parents had been hard at work to design and print the prayer bookmarks, produce the Mass booklet, liaise with Fr Simon, rehearse the songs and even repair the organ pedal. On the day itself we were involved in leading the Mass, playing the organ, ushering the girls and distributing the booklets and prayer book-marks. This being the first Mass organized by the Praying Parents, we were constantly checking, double-checking and triple-checking if everything was in order. Thank God for the guidance of Sister Janet and the teachers who coordinated with the girls to do the readings, presentation of gifts and singing! Committing the Mass to our Lord in prayer, we knew it had to be God who would run the show. Indeed, it was heartening to see how spontaneously and fervently the girls responded during the Mass. We pray that whatever touch the girls had received from the Spirit, at the Mass, will carry them through their PSLE.

Mini-Cakes Sale for Parents' Day (7 May 09)

1000 mini-cakes were snapped up by our girls as their Mothers' and Fathers' Day gifts. To ensure that both parents are acknowledged, the CCEs came up with the idea of a Parents'Day sale. Cute mini-cakes, bearing "I Love You, Mum" and "I Love You, Dad" wording and various images, were sold on 7 May over the AM and PM recesses. Free cards were given to the girls for them to express their appreciation in words...something that last beyond the eaten cake. Notwithstanding the SA fever on that day, our girls enthusiastically contributed to the sell-out. In total, $300 was raised for the School's building fund!

Behind the scenes, much work went into sourcing for a suitable bakery (it had to be Halal-certified, NEA-licensed, look good, taste good and affordable), taking stock of the cakes, setting up the 'stall' and conducting the sale. Many thanks to Tony for securing the cakes and adding the special touch (with the cards). Thanks also to Michelle for enlisting our CCEs to help with the sale. Thanks to the 8 CCEs who sold the cakes and the thankful spitit to our girls. Thanks to all who contributed to this effort. More importantly, you have helped to keep the CCE tradition of an annual Mothers/Fathers' Day event at SACPS.

SACPS Carolina Bear

Good news! Our very own SACPS bear - affectionately nicknamed Carolina - is coming to us very soon in May 2009.
This cute cuddly bear is dressed in the SACPS uniform and comes with a pretty blue ribbon on its head. The bear is yours for only $20.
Carolina will make a good friend for every child.
Take her home today while stocks last!

P1 Orientation 2008

The CCE Exco set up a booth on 12 Nov for the P1 Orientation 2008 and recruited many new parents into the loop. Parents were also invited to sign up for the complimentary parents' workshop on 2 Jan 2009.
CCEs also sold Big Hearts Cookies on that day.

Thank You to All Parent Helpers at the Big Hearts Concert

A big thank you to all parent helpers who helped out at the school's Big Hearts Concert. A number of parents were there to lend their support and assistance in make-up,costumes and helping the teachers and instructors to look after the performing groups.

Teachers' Day Celebrations

The CCE Exco organised a Teachers' Day Concert on 29 Aug. Auditions were done prior to the event. The girls certainly put up a wonderful show for their teachers.
Thanks to all parents and volunteers who came to help us for the day !

Student Exchange Programme to China

39 students and 4 teachers went to China for a Student Exchange programme from 18 May to 26 May 2008.
They had a wonderful learning journey. A special blog was created and described their entire journey and learning experience. You may visit it at : sacps.multiply.com
2 teachers were also there for a staff attachment programme.
Here are some photos of the girls & staff.