Mini Merlion Times

THE MERLI N TIMES

Spirit Week is a week where the SSM community are encouraged to up according to a different theme each day!

dress

IIMAGINATION MAGINATION UNLEASH YOUR

SSM's Spirit Week

By Paige Lim & Mbella Chua

Forthenextday,itwas

OnMonday,itwas

Music Monday

whereeveryonecandressupas their favourite music artist. Some people used wigs, erasable hair

colour, and high heels to jazz up their outfits. From rappers to K-Pop singers,MeghanTrainorandevenBLACKPINK!Picturesweretakenof thecreativecostumestoremembertheday.

Twin Tuesday

,wherepeopledressed upidentically!Peoplecouldevendressupasagroupofthreeorfour too,oracrossdifferentlevels.Thoughsomewerenotexactlythesame, theywereverysimilar.Forexample,somestudentsworethesame colours,sameshirtorshoes,andmanymore.

To boost everyone’s spirits in the middle of the week, people could dress up as their favourite characteroranimalinLet’sPlayWednesday! Onestudentputona costumeandtried to shock their friends, but of course apologised after. Everyone had a good laugh and it was a fun experiencetoshowcasetheircreativitythroughfashionableoutfits!

Let’s Play Wednesday!

Tourist Thursday Funky Friday!

TheweekendedonahighnotewithTouristThursday. andFunkyFriday! SSMwasfilled withcreativeandcolourfuloutfitsonthesedaysaseveryonegotdressupliketheywereonvacation, orwithcrazypatterns.Theirimaginationreallygotthechancetorunwild.

Light It Up With Primary 1

Martina Isidro & Jessica Snyder

Throughoutourlives,weuselightformanythings,likeplayinggamesandreading.What'safunway tounderstandthis?Howaboutascavengerhunt scavenger hunt!

Recently, the Primary 1 students went on an exciting adventure, all in the name of learning about light. With their trusty flashlights, they searched every nook and cranny of their classroom in the dark. The students were taskedtosearchforobjectsofdifferentshapesandcoloursinonlyundera few minutes! This activity was not just about learning, but also gave everyoneachancetohavefunandworktogethertofindhiddentreasures. hidden treasures.

This science experiment lit up the young minds of the Primary 1 students, showingthemtheamazing ndhowithelpsuseveryday.

Takeasneakpeek atwhathappens nextafterlearning aboutlight throughthis comicstripby JefferyofP4B!

PRIMARY 2'S 3RS:

Reduce, Reuse RR BB TTI I C C SS!!

By Olivia Chu

Afewweeksago,thePrimary2classeshadafunRoboticsactivityaspartoftheirArtclass.Theyused differentkindsof tocreateuniquerobots.OnePrimary2-Astudentsaid, recycled materials

Science, Maths, and Coding classes.

Theylearntmanyimportantthingsaboutrobotslikehowtheywere made,howtheymove,andevenhowtheyareprogrammed.Another important lesson they learnt during their exercise was how robots are important to us and our future as well. Robotics activities are a great way for kids to apply what they have learnt in their Science,Maths, and Coding classes. Making robots can help them become more creative and develop their problem-solving skills. Exploring the world of robotics is also important because it introduces kids to technology and engineering, which are great careersinthefuture

will

AsBillGatesoncesaid,boticsandothercombinationswill make the world pretty fantastic compar Robotsplayabiggerroleinourworldinthefuture.That iswhyitisveryimportantforkidstolearnallaboutthem.

“It was FUN because I was able to make MY OWN ROBOT.”

"Robotics and other combinations

make the world pretty fantastic compared with today."

P3's LOOK

into the of a What Is A Pupa?

LIFE MEALWORM

By Adrika Sinha

Everwonderedifawormwouldgrow bigger withouteating?

BIGGER

CURIOUS

Life Cycle

The kidsofPrimary3exploredifthiswas possiblesometimeinMarchthroughProjectMealworm. Theytookcareofamealwormandkeptthiswormina circularboxforaperiodoftime.Thisexperimentwas connectedtotheirtopicinclass“The ofAnimals”.

brownish - black

P3 students reported that the original length of the wormwas3centimetreswith skin. In just a few days of the experiment, it grew to a lengthof

5 centimeters

!Thiswasfascinatingfor the class because the worm was not even fed. After stayinglikeawormforacoupleofdays,itturnedintoa pupa.

Apupaisthestageofa beforetheyhatch,soit’slikethe stageinbetweenawormand a butterfly.

butterfly

Themealwormeventuallytransformed intoa andthenewheight wasalreadyaround .

6 centimetres beetle wonderful

The experience was very enjoyable for the entire class and a cnsnssjsjsj project! The students got to see the incredible transformations from a tiny worm to a beautiful creature. Project Mealworm truly broughtthe magic of right into the Primary 3 classroom and was absolutely awesome.

nature

"LET'S PERFORM" "LET'S PERFORM"

T H E P 4 W A Y

By Maia Lopez & Miguel Lauchengco

For Primary 4’s little project for their topic, Let's Perform,theydidachoralverseofapoemcalled,

by Harold M. Naputo.

Firstthingsfirst,theteachertaughttheP4studentsallofthe linesofthepoem.Thestudentsneededtomastertheirlines first,ofcourse!TeacherBellealsoshowedthemwherethey wouldbepositionedduringtheirperformance,aswellasthe solos duos trios andquartet choirlinesforthose solos duos trios and quartet

After polishing the basics and memorising lines, nowwastimetoaddsome actions! Thestudents also had to learn their actions by heart. Although some managed to catch onto the moves quickly, others took a bit more time. However, they all got there in the end. Lastly, Teacher Belle taught the studentshowtoexitthestagegracefully.

ACTIONS!

With a few more rehearsals, and perfecting every detail, it was finally performance day! The other classbecametheiraudience,andeveryonehadanenjoyabletime.Studentsfounditfunputtingona show,especiallywiththeactionsthatbroughtthepoemtolife!

“We Are Reading”

WHEN ART IMITATES LIFE WHEN ART IMITATES LIFE LINGDIORAMASP5'SDAZZ

By Jessica Snyder

HABITATS

icy

Primary 5A and 5B students recently had their creativity put to the test as they explored different habitats. through art. After learning about how animals and plants adapt to their environment, thestudentscreatedmini-worldscalleddioramas!Fromthehabitats of polar bears and penguins in the icy Arctic, to colourful sea creatures, and even friendly farm animals like cows. It was like a playgroundforimaginationandlearning!

Thebestpart?Theirdioramasweremadeentirelyoutofrecycledmaterials,makingitaneco-friendly project!TeacherMarlaalsogavethemsand,stones,andclaytomaketheirsceneslookevenmore realistic.

"It was fun and memorable because we all made a unique diorama showing how animals survive in their habitat"

Afteralltheirhardwork,thestudentsorganisedtheirveryown Sciencemuseum!Theyinvitedtheirschoolmatesandteachers to share the joy of their amazing creations and hear the fascinating stories behind them. Beaming with pride for their projects, everyone presented their dioramas with confidence. This activity not only allowed them to learn about the adaptation of living creatures, but they also discovered the magicoftheirowncreativity.

-Steven Lam, P5B

NOW SHOWING

Take on the P6's P6's

RAMAYANA

By Caleb Co

TheRamayana play was based on an ancient Indian story that follows a king on a quest to rescuehisbelovedwife.The wasperformedbythePrimary6studentsaroundDecember, 2022.

play

Some of the roles included the , played by Gavin, Justin as Rama, and Bharata as Stanley. Additionally, LakshmanawasplayedbyGael,Rama’sstepmother’shelper was played by Kate, and Bianca had Rama’s stepmother as her role. Sita, Ravana, and Hanumad were portrayed by Siddhi,Michael,andDonaldrespectively.Thesearejustafew charactersplayedbythe Primary6students.

King

BRILLIANT

Duringtheplaypractices,TeacherMarlawouldguidethe students with comments and suggestions on how to deliver an even better performance. Upon interviewing someoftheactorsinvolvedintheplay, thereweremany .Justinfeltquitenervousabout his role, while on the other hand, Aidan said he enjoyed himselfduringtheplay.

MIXED EMOTIONS

Despiteallofthehighsandlowsfacedduringthepreparationstoputonanamazingshow,theentire experienceoftheplaywasfunandhilariousforPrimary6.Theplaywasmorethanjustanenjoyable experience,ithadmanyimportantlessonsthatstudentscantakewiththemtoo!

PRIMARY'S COLLECTIONS CREAT VE

By DublynTy

TheArtGalleryisacollaborativeartprojecttocloseoffthesecondtermbythetalentedPrimary1to Primary6students.TheeventwashostedbythePrimaryandLowerSecondaryArtteacher,Teacher Argel.Hetookthebestartworkfromeachstudentoutofseveralonestheyhaddonethroughoutthe termandframeditforotherstoadmire.

Each student presented their artwork by giving a short speech about their big idea, how they managed their time, and the materials they used for the artwork. During Artclass,thestudentswouldspendtheirtime preparing the gallery to showcase to their audience.Afewteacherswerealsoinvitedto stopbytotakealookateveryone’sspeeches andmasterpieces!

With the successful creation of this gallery being importantforeveryone,allstudentsmadesureto put their best foot forward. Teacher Argel arranged the tables and chairs in a plaza-like formation with an open side for the audience to appreciatetheartworkwell.Nothingonthetable toruintheneatandtidyset-up’onlythestudents andtheirartworkswereseen.

Thisartgallerywasagreatwaytoshowcasethestudents’hardworkandtalent.Tocommemorate thisspecialevent,afewartpieceswereevenputupoutsideeachclassroom.

JustlikeinTerm2,thisartgallerywillbefollowedbytheTerm3ArtGallery which will showcase a fresh set of creative creations that more people shouldlookforwardto!

Hall of FAME

BY MEGAN SHANELLE SHI (P1)

BY HINGMAN XU (P5)

BY HUA

BY LEAH SHI QI WANG (P2)

BY Heena MOORJANI (P3)

Takes on

TAKING TESTS

Takingtestsseems

By Myer Gan

orjusthard,buttherearealsoadvantagestodoingso.Today,I willbewritingabouttheadvantagesanddisadvantagesoftests.

tsarethattheyhelpusstudyandlearnmore.We ofasubject,andteachers can evaluate what we do not understand. That way, they know what we still need to work on and can help us to make sense of the topic more. As we learn new things, we will be able to understand harder questions.

stressful deeper understanding big challenge

Whenwetakeatest,ourbrainseesitasifwe arefacinga ,likeasuperhero fighting a villain! This causes us to feel stressed, and our brains can get a little confused. It makes us forget things we have learnt and it would be harder to remember new information. It is as if our memory machineistakingabreak!

REVIEWING TIME

Thedisadvantageoftestsisthatitcausesmanystudentstostresswhich may prevent them from reviewing properly or processing information smoothly.Most of the time,we cram our intoa single day and do not really remember a lot. Sometimes before a test, somestudentsevenaskforafewminutestoreviewandflipthroughtheir books.Theproblemis,nothingisprocessedbythebrain.

in conclusion,

therearesomeadvantagesand disadvantagesoftakingtests.Somepeople thinktestsaresuperhelpful,whileothers maynotbebigfans.Itisokaytohave differentopinionsbecauseweareall unique,whatisimportantisthatwe continuetofindwaystolearn!

WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

PAPER

FLUTTER - MAGAZINE BUTTERFLY

You will need:

2 Old Magazine Pages

Pipe Cleaner Scissors

Remember to ask for help from an adult when handling scissors

Fold the paper diagonally & ensure that the sides line up

Cut off the excess to form a square as your top wing

Unfold your square and fold the paper accordion/fanstyle -- Make sure the folds are thin enough!

Take your 2nd paper and fold it in half length-wise

Cut the corners so that they are round

Fold this accordion/fan-style too to make your bottom wing!

Place both papers together and wrap the pipe cleaner around the middle tightly.

TA-DA! You have a butterfly

WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

AIRPIN - CLOTHESPIN AIRPLANE

On the tip of the clothespin, glue one stick on both sides

Cut another stick in half to act as the tail end of the plane

Glue the cut stick to one side of the clothespin at the end

Use the other half of the cut-out stick and glue it vertically onto the tail end

You will need:

Popsicle/ Craft sticks

Large clothespins

Glue

Scissors

Secure all the pieces in place with more glue if you would like to. VOILA! A little eco-friendly airplane!

word hunter

DOT TO DOT

fabulous frame

going round TEST YOUR W I T S W I T S

&round

Find your way out through the twists and turns of the maze below!

You can even compete with your friends to see who will reach the end the fastest!

Can you find our friend Waldo in the cover art?

BE THE 1ST TO SEND YOUR ANSWERS TO:

merliontimes@singaporeschoolmanila.com.ph TO WIN A PRIZE!

THE MT EDITORIAL BOARD THE MT EDITORIAL BOARD

Meet the Editors behind the Merlion Times Newsletter

Meet the Editors behind the Merlion Times Newsletter

JESSICA SNYDER (EDITOR-IN-CHIEF), LIANA WU (MANAGING EDITOR), VANESSA WONG & YVIE GO (ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE EDITORS)

ABIGAIL CO (SENIOR NEWS EDITOR), AANVI BAGGA & CHARLY LAM (JUNIOR NEWS EDITORS)

CHESCA LAUCHENGCO (SENIOR SPECIAL FEATURES EDITOR), ELLE SY & MARTINA ISIDRO (JUNIOR SPECIAL FEATURES EDITORS)

CHARINA ANGGALA (SENIOR LAYOUT EDITOR), SIMYUNG SIOW & LAYLA GO (JUNIOR LAYOUT EDITORS)

CONTRIBUTORS

OUR MISSION

We strive to promote school spirit & camaraderie across the community through the newsletter

articles

PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

Myer Gan, Primary 4

MyerreallylikesScienceand learning about Space. Her favourite fact is that the Earth weighs 6 and 27 zero grams. She also enjoys Art andreading.

COVER ART

Ja i N ll Primary 5

ADRIKA SINHA (P5B) P3 Classroom Highlight

MAIA LOPEZ (P4B) P4 Classroom Highlight

OLIVIA CHU (P4A)

MIGUEL LAUCHENGCO (P4B) CALEB CO (P4A) DUBLYN TY (P5B)

PAIGE LIM (P4B) MBELLA CHUA (P4B)

JEFFREY VETONIO (P4B)

Classroom Highlight Primary's Creative Collections

Light Experiment Art