The Voice 18

The Voice of Tanglin Trust School

Vol 18 10/2014

MCI (P) 094/07/2014

Feature: Instrumental Music at Tanglin Spotlight: Singing Playgrounds Senior School: Global Citizenship

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Welcome

Being at school isn’t just to do with learning about life, it is life. It’s a significant part of everyone’s life and every single day of it is important. I am aware that there are schools in Asia where learning is totally focused on ‘the end result’, whatever the cost.

The daily lives of young people are inconsequential against the backdrop of subject study and examination preparation. In some cases, the daily challenge is extended by parents who insist that external tutors are employed in the evenings and at weekends. For months before the examinations, whole families are stressed and anxious with parents supplementing the preparation themselves wherever possible. I do admit that even here the lead up to I/ GCSEs, the IB and A Levels can be very intense indeed. However, I am referring to children as young as ten or eleven. As I write this piece in my office, there are 2,760 children/students from the age of three to eighteen engaging in an incredible mix of learning. This day, today, is very important in the lives of each of them. It is not simply

Contents

04

Staff News

12

Our World

06

Feature

14

Infant School

09

Alumni

16

Junior School

10

Spotlight

18

Senior School & Sixth Form

Spotlight on Paula Craigie Stepping Forward My Passion for Blogging Dragon Boat Gold Medallist!

Instrumental Music at Tanglin

Revisiting Sarawak

Singing Playgrounds

CAS in the Community

Supporting Change

Public Speaking and the Art of Listening

Global Citizenship

a preparation for something in the future. Today should be interesting, challenging and certainly enjoyable in some way for each of them.

I hope this edition of The Voice provides you with a good sample of the range of activities being undertaken by our children. I hope you see youthful faces engaged in and passionate about what they are doing. Teachers inspiring their classes and creating opportunities for collaboration and inclusion in their learning. Activities that illustrate and explain what the world is about whilst at the same time raise even more questions to be investigated and answered. Physical activity that is challenging and fun, participation in and appreciation for the Arts … I am getting excited just writing about it! Looking through The Voice, I can understand why there is such a buzz each and every day at Tanglin!

the moment they are living in. It is very easy to be negative or to look for things to complain about instead of focusing on our good fortune. Our Mindfulness programme is gradually developing with each school finding out how their children can benefit from taking control of their minds, even if it is only for a few minutes a day!

Please enjoy this brief look through the window of our school.

Peter Derby-Crook Chief Executive Officer

Tanglin Mission Statement Tanglin Trust School Singapore has hasaalong longtradition traditionofofproviding providing British-based British-based learning learning withwith an aninternational internationalperspective. perspective.AtAt Tanglin we strive to make every individual feel valued, happy and andsuccessful. successful.Responsibility, Responsibility, enthusiasm enthusiasm andand participation participaare tionactively are actively encouraged encouraged and and integrity integrity is is prized. prized.

Working Working together in a safe, caring yet stimulating environment, we set high highexpectations expectationswhilst whilstoffering offering strong strong support, support, resulting resulting in ain acommunity communityofoflifelong lifelonglearners learners whowho cancan contribute contribute withwith conficonfidence dence to to ourour world. world.

Amid the challenge and busyness, we try to show our students how to take ‘time out’. How to stop and appreciate

22

Showcase

35

Book Reviews

25

Sport & Activities

37

PTA

30

Student Services

38

Roving Reporters & The Last Word

Theory of Knowledge: A Framework for Learning

Art • Dance • Drama • Music

SEASAC Overview Sports Awards TTS Gymnastics Community Golf Championship Summer Fun at Tanglin

Coping with Exam Stress

A Selection of Infant, Junior & Senior Writing

Infant, Junior & Senior Reviews

PTA Welcome to New Parents

‘The Voice’ herein refers to ‘The Voice of Tanglin Trust School’ All students’ year groups referenced in this issue are accurate at time of print.

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Creative Writing

Editor: Ali Fairhurst, Louise Colbridge Design & Layout: Jay Valentine Contributors: Students, Staff and PTA Photography: The Communications Team & other contributors Printer: Oz Print Services

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Senior School & Sixth Form

Staff News 04

Spotlight on Paula Craigie, Head of Infant School Paula Craigie joined Tanglin ten years ago after leaving the UK to work as Head of Year 3 at Garden International School in Kuala Lumpur, where she spent two years before moving to Singapore.

At Tanglin, she was Head of Year 1 until August 2004 and then Deputy Headteacher of Infant School until June 2014.

Paula took over as Head of Infant School this August and she talked to us about her plans in her new role.

“It’s very exciting and a real privilege to be leading the team at such a successful school. I would like to continue the legacy that Geraldine Chandran has left, whilst enhancing the learning environments, particularly the Technology Hubs in Key Stage 1 (KS1 - Years 1 & 2). The playground will be alive with music as we introduce instruments sponsored by the PTA and the Singing Leaders.

And the House System in KS1 will be developed to encourage the children’s

sense of team spirit and friendship groups that reflect our pastoral ethos.

I’m looking forward to the year ahead especially being part of Tanglin’s 90th year celebrations and strengthening partnerships with staff and parents.”

With two small boys, Dylan in Year 2 and Edward in Nursery, and the added responsibility of being an Ofsted inspector, Paula says she has to be “extremely organised” to keep everything running smoothly. Her commitment and

Stepping Forward by John Ridley, Director of Learning I signed up for a beginner’s course in Salsa in 2012, following a New Year’s resolution to learn to dance. Since then I have continued to attend a weekly class and although I often feel like the slowest student in the group, I am making respectable progress - at least those beginner moves are now ingrained in my muscle memory.

I love the Latin music and it’s a great activity to take my mind off school work mid-week; my mindfulness

loyalty to the school keep her focused whilst the support of her husband enables her to successfully juggle her work-life balance.

A keen diver, Paula has travelled extensively within Asia and is longing for the day when her two sons can do their PADI Bubblemaker course and they can dive as a family. For now though, they are regulars at Legoland Malaysia and can often be found relaxing at the Pirate Suite at the Legoland Hotel.

moment. It is also a good thing for me as a teacher, to attend a class which is completely out of my area of expertise. I have a professional interest in the way that I make progress through a combination of explanation and encouragement from the instructor - and a lot of practise!

The classes that I’ve taken so far are very much focused on social dancing rather than performance (although we did do one ‘recital’ which I think was meant for parents to come along to).

It’s been a good way to meet people outside of my normal circle and I certainly aim to keep it up.

I started blogging when I was about 11 years old and launched my own website in 2012, around the same time as I started working at Tanglin. I’ve always had a passion for writing and spent most of my youth blogging about the ups and downs of growing up. It wasn’t long before I started writing music reviews and other entertainment related articles for an international entertainment website.

‘live’ music sessions and interviews with musicians and celebrities.

We’ve interviewed a range of celebrities including Lawson, Boys Like Girls, Tonight Alive, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Anberlin and Before You

After about 3 years I decided to launch my own website www.luvthelife.com.

We interview musicians, celebrities and inspirational people. My entire team of journalists are a group of very passionate and talented individuals. We also have a section where we produce short films,

Dragon Boat Gold Medallist! Clare Anderson-Au, Assistant Headteacher, Senior School Not only is Clare Assistant Headteacher of the Senior School and mum to two young children, she is also a goldmedal winning paddler! Clare has been dragon boat racing for 10 years and has paddled in competitions all over the world including Hawaii, Europe and Asia. Clare recently travelled to Ravenna in Italy as part of the SPC (Singapore Paddle Club) Women’s and Mixed Teams to compete in the biggest club crew dragon boat race in the world. SPC was the only club crew from Singapore, up against approximately 6,000 paddlers.

After months of dedicated training, Clare’s team won gold in the 500m race. Asked how she manages to fit in training for such an important race whilst juggling work and motherhood, Clare says that, “Organisation is the key. I timetable all of my family’s activities including downtime!”

Dragon boating is very close to Clare’s heart. Clare lived in Hong

Exit, to name a few. I think the biggest achievement for us is the reach we have achieved in the short span of two years.

We get about 2,000-3,000 readers a week, which I’m extremely happy with.

I love knowing people are reading and appreciating our work.

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My Passion for Blogging

by Jaaziel Job, Assistant Library Officer

Kong for a long time, the home of dragon boating, and also met her husband through dragon boating.

Clare says it is important everyone has something outside of work to focus on and enjoy. “I love getting to know so many different people from different walks of life. I have many great friends that I would never have had the opportunity to meet otherwise. I’m really competitive too so I love the team aspect and the screaming and shouting we do to support each other!”

Feature

Instrumental Music at Tanglin 06

by John Ridley, Director of Learning

Each week in the last academic year, over 400 students were given nearly 500 individual instrumental music lessons in 15 different instruments by our team of visiting music tutors.

Tanglin is proud of the range and depth of our instrumental music programme and our tutors’ experience, not only in teaching but also in performance.

Learning an instrument can be hugely rewarding and stimulates the acquisition of transferable skills such as listening, concentration and aural memory. It also encourages creativity, risk-taking and sensitivity. The sense of achievement that children experience when they have mastered a piece of music or a particular technique will be all the greater for the hours of disciplined, purposeful practice which has preceded it. In this way, our young musicians are learning the power of perseverance.

Tanglin as an Examination Centre Tanglin acts as an examination centre for ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) and Trinity Hall examinations. The majority of students learning an instrument at Tanglin enter for graded examinations which give them appropriate targets as they develop their skills. Each grade achieved reflects a huge amount of effort on the part of the students and they should all be proud of their progress. It was particularly pleasing that recently two students, Miki

“Playing an instrument is such a fantastic way to learn and meet new people. It also opens up amazing opportunities.” Laura Coe, Year 11

Yoneyama in Year 10 and Yuna Kumar (Alumni), were selected to play in a high achievers concert after receiving some of the top marks in Singapore in their December grade examinations.

We interviewed Laura Coe in Year 11 who recently entered for Grade 7 Flute: “I have been playing the flute for over eight years and I started playing in Year 2. When I have an upcoming exam I make sure that I practise every night for about an hour. My favourite piece of flute music is called Fujiko by Andy Scott. At Tanglin, I play in the Senior Jazz Band, Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra; each of the ensembles is unique and so fun to play in. Music is so open to individual interpretation and it really helps me to relax and unwind. I would highly recommend it.”

Showcasing Talent Junior School musicians have the chance to show off their talent by auditioning for the Junior Young Musicians Concert which is usually held in Term 3 every year. Both the audition process and the concert itself are a fantastic opportunity for children to showcase their talent by performing a piece that they have been working on in instrumental lessons in a professional and supportive environment.

Also towards the end of the school year, over 40 students from the Junior and Senior Schools who have voice lessons in school, performed in an evening recital for their friends and family. Evelyn Ang who has been teaching ‘Voice’ at Tanglin for three years explained, “I organise occasional evening recitals for my students because I find that the process of preparing to perform at an event helps students grow and learn not just about their voices and the music but also within themselves. Based on my experience,

every student tends to feel more positive about their talent and who they are after each performance. Also, to have students across all year groups coming together to support one another in making the recital happen is, I believe, a really valuable experience. What can be better than having close friends and family come together to enjoy an evening of wonderful music-making?”

Ensembles and School Performances Developing individual skills in a musical instrument is rewarding in itself but when musicians join together and perform in an ensemble the resulting sound is much greater than the sum of the parts. The music departments in each of our schools have worked hard to provide a range of opportunities for our developing musicians to practise and perform together.

In the Infant School, Year 2 lunchtime activities include a choir of nearly 70

“Music is not just about an individual, it is about a community – it brings people together.” Evelyn Ang

Ensemble groups from across the whole school are often asked to perform at assemblies and school events but the highlights throughout the year are the Ensembles Concerts. Infant, Junior and Senior Ensembles Concerts showcase all of the CCA groups in impressive and highly entertaining celebrations of music.

07

children, three recorder clubs, a ukulele club and an infant strings group. Junior School music Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs) offer the chance to join a choir, a junior strings group, junior wind band or percussion for fun, as well as a rock band and boys singing group. There are also beginner groups for violin and wind instruments to cater for those who have only recently started learning. With 14 different CCA ensembles in the Senior School, it is no surprise to see record numbers of students participating.

Students who enjoy singing or playing an orchestral instrument at any level can join the Senior Choir or Orchestra, while the Senior Chamber Choir and Chamber Orchestra offer an opportunity for advanced students to perform more challenging pieces. Similarly, the Jazz Band and Guitar Group are open to all levels of ability, and the Senior Jazz Band and Senior Guitar Ensemble cater for more experienced musicians.

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“Learning to sing can be quite similar to learning other instruments in a sense that we have to learn how to care for our instrument, understand its nature and what it can do. One big difference is that our instrument, the voice, unlike other instruments, is a hidden one. Learning how to sing can be quite challenging at times as singers have to learn how to ‘play’ an instrument they can’t really see but can only feel. It requires quite a bit of imagination and sensory skills at times!”

Evelyn Ang, Tanglin Voice Tutor of your fingers on the saxophone and on the chart - that’s all there is to it! I practise at home in my room but my family is used to it, as I play the drums as well.

It is important to practise because the phrase “practise makes perfect” is true!

My favourite music to play is ‘Hot Cross Buns’ because it uses B, A and G, which are the first notes I learned and it was the first song I managed to play off-by-heart. I also performed it to my class which made it extra special!” It will be great to see Ollie and the other Music Award students in the Senior School Orchestra in a few years time!

Music Awards and Growing the Programme Over the last few years, the Junior School music team has developed the curriculum to include opportunities for all students to experience learning an instrument.

Children in Year 4 play the violin for a block of their curriculum music lessons, while children in Year 5 are given the chance to try a wind or brass instrument.

Last year for the first time, Year 4 children who had already been learning the violin were given the opportunity of trying the cello, under the tutelage of recent Tanglin

graduate Haymisha Francis. Also for the first time last year, we have been able to offer Music Awards, supported by the TTS Foundation, which recognise Year 5 children who showed particular promise in the wind and brass programme. The Music Award recipients are entitled to subsidised lessons if they choose to enrol in the instrumental programme to develop their talent.

We spoke to Ollie Blakey in Year 6 who was a recent award recipient and has been having 1:1 lessons in the saxophone: “Learning is hard when you first start but then the fun never stops.

You just need to remember the positions

Music Beyond Tanglin As well as the range of opportunities for collaboration and performance within Tanglin, our students in the Junior and Senior Schools are regularly invited to take part in events across the region. Music has a particularly high profile within the FOBISIA schools and Term 1 last year saw groups of Senior students attending a jazz festival in Brunei and a music festival in Bangkok. In March, a group of Junior students attended the FOBISIA Primary Performing Arts Carnival in Kuala Lumpur.

The chance to collaborate with students from other international schools and to experience a little of the local culture of the hosting country gives our young musicians a tremendous experience that they will remember for many years to come.

From individuals striving over their daily practice at home, to international collaborations with large orchestras and choirs, and to the audiences listening to the performances, music provides a unique mix of personal challenge, enjoyment and satisfaction for the participants and pleasure for the whole community. Music at Tanglin is flourishing and we are proud that our musicians and music staff continue to raise the bar.

Alumni

Revisiting Sarawak Very few of us get the opportunity to relive our school days but when I was offered the opportunity to accompany Year 6 to Sarawak as a helper with Mr Stevens’ class Y6.2, I jumped at the chance. I last visited Sarawak in 1992 as a Tanglin student in P6GD, Mr Davidson’s class. This time I was just as excited but a little apprehensive about seeing what I remembered from my initial adventure.

There were lots of differences. My 11-year-old self had the opportunity to do lots of swimming; in the river at the Iban longhouse (something even the local children are no longer allowed to do); in the waterfall at the recreation park; and at the Hilton Hotel pool - now the numbers of children are too large on the visit for it to be safe without trained lifeguards. While Year 6 2013 followed a guided tour, Year 6 1992 had wandered freely around the Sarawak Cultural Village buying all manner of random souvenirs: bamboo flutes, beaded rings and other Sarawak knick-knacks.

But, so much was still familiar and nothing more so than the expressions on the faces of Mr Stevens’ students as they saw the beautiful orang-utans roaming freely at the Semengoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, or as they struggled up the hill to the plateau at Bako National Park and as they boated down the river towards the longhouse. The programme is still very much as it always was – a valuable opportunity for students to spend a week away from home having amazing experiences, that will stay with them for two decades at least! The beauty and adventure of Sarawak remains and the excitement and amazement of Year 6 Tanglin students lives on. Long may the programme continue!

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by Anna Dunn, English Specialist, Senior School

Spotlight

Singing Playgrounds 10

by Delphine Hastwell, Head of Infant Music

Tanglin was alive with even more singing than usual last term as we welcomed leading UK choir and early music ensemble Ex Cathedra to Tanglin. Schools and community projects are at the heart of the group’s work and expert vocal tutors worked with our students over two days to introduce them to their highly acclaimed Singing Playgrounds project.

Singing Playgrounds gives children the opportunity to learn new songs and games and make new friends. Groups of students from all three schools were trained as singing leaders to share, adapt and create singing games for their fellow students. Not only did the children have an incredible amount of fun with the Singing Playgrounds team, the initiative also helps to develop creative thinking skills, build confidence and empathy and encourage students of all ages to work together.

One of the benefits of this initiative is the longevity of the project; the learning remains with the singing leaders to pass on to younger students and their peers. Since the initial training sessions last term, we regularly see and hear students sharing creative singing and music games in the playground. Senior

students visit the Early Years students each week and the Junior and Infant singing leaders and children meet during playtimes weekly too.

As well as training singing leaders across the school, the singers from Ex Cathedra led some energetic assemblies in the Infant School and a wonderful ‘mummy and me’ singing workshop with the Nursery children and their parents. Ex Cathedra also played a big part in Junior House Day especially at the grand finale Big Sing in the Berrick Performance Hall.

It was an absolute delight to hear and see the children so engaged in such an uplifting experience.

“It was such a fun day and I really loved singing the songs at playtime with my friends and the younger children” Jessica, Year 2.

11 “I liked making friends with the big girls, hearing them sing and watching them dance.�

Darcey, Year 2

Our World

CAS in the Community 12

by Year 13 students: Amy Hall, Megan Burton, Ishaan Thakran and Olivia Stevens

One of the primary objectives of the CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) programme is to provide opportunities for Tanglin students to operate independently and develop a sense of personal responsibility. As part of the Wednesday Sixth Form CAS programme, students volunteer at different local organisations on a weekly basis. The tasks students carry out are varied but they all require a sense of dedication and a willingness to take on very different challenges than those normally associated with the more usual academic classroom.

CAS is a compulsory component for all A Level and IB students. The programme requires completion of eight elements; two Creative, two Action, two Service and two other activities. Students are given the opportunity to tailor their CAS experience to fit their interests and contribute to their lives outside of school.

The Genesis School provides education for children with different learning disabilities. Every Wednesday afternoon I work with the younger children at the school, teaching them new skills or just simply playing games with them.

play-dough to create scenes like being in the playground or playing with a toy, which really uses his creative imagination.

I am also able to spend one-on-one time outside of the classroom with another girl. We practise colouring, drawing and speaking skills. The one-on-one attention really helps her achieve her best.

In my class, there is a boy who I have been working with to develop his creative imagination. For example, during Deepavali, we used glitter to decorate stencils on to lamps. We have also used

I believe our involvement at Genesis not only helps develop the children’s confidence and social skills but also teaches us how to make the most out of the experiences we are given.

by Amy Hall, Year 13.3

The CAS programme allows Sixth Form students to learn new skills and experience new activities.

There is an opportunity to join teams and meet new people and also to move outside of comfort zones. Students are required to plan, record, and reflect upon each CAS activity. Enjoyable and challenging, CAS is intended to offer a balance to academic study.

by Megan Burton, Year 13.4 As part of CAS I go to The Rainbow Centre, which is a school for children with mental disabilities. I help children in the hydrotherapy pool and also at snack time.

It’s nice to be able to talk to the children and I think over time they have gradually become more communicative with me which I’m really happy about. We also get to do tactile play, which is quite interesting because there are some things that some of the children absolutely refuse to touch or play with even though I see them as just everyday objects.

Whilst volunteering at The Rainbow Centre, I’ve become more confident; if you want to interact with the children, you need to be the one to make the effort.

I’ve also learned to be more patient and open-minded as some of the children have to deal with different circumstances to what I’m used to and it took me some time to learn how to manage that.

I learned how brave people are; some of the children I help with are obviously terrified of doing things like swimming, but they get in the pool and you can tell that they are trying really hard. I have learned many different communication techniques. All children are very different and you therefore have to act differently towards each one.

was the independence that I encouraged, and the liberty to experiment that worked so effectively. I found it allowed me to really develop a new sense of perspective.

I’ve learnt through CAS to listen; ask what is wrong and talk to the children.

A friendly approach always outweighs the authoritarian approach. After all, how can we make these kids forget their ‘difficulties’ if we emphasise them by scolding and patronising.

To do this, I have to groom her and tack her up and then warm her up in the arena. At the beginning of the lesson, the riders arrive and are helped to mount the horses; I have a young autistic girl. During the lesson, the horses are led around the arena where games are played, each with a different focus. Some games will focus on getting the children to be more vocal whereas others will focus on hand-to-eye coordination. Once the lesson is finished, the rider is helped to dismount and is encouraged to stroke the horse before they leave. After this, it is up to me to take my horse back to her stall and un-tack her, wash her down and put all of her tack away. Finally, we have a short debrief to monitor the rider’s progress and the horse’s behaviour.

During my time at RDA I have managed to develop my own communication skills and I have become better at working in a team. Moreover, I have seen the young girl I work with become more vocal and more attentive in lessons, which makes me feel as though I have helped her to achieve something.

by Olivia Stevens, Year 13.4

by Ishaan Thakran, Year 13.7 I am currently working with the BSS (Beyond Social Services) group that visits Tanglin every Wednesday. It consists of children who have ‘difficulties’ either socially or academically. But ever since I began working with them I’ve believed that ‘difficulties’ isn’t a fair label. I would argue that they are unique and fascinating.

Every week we plan different activities, ranging from art to football. Many of the children struggle with ‘conventional learning’ such as sitting down and listening. However, if we give them the opportunity to explore activities and learn on their own terms they often surprise us.

The very uniqueness of these kids is their outstanding creativity. I attempted to teach a group of boys quick beats on the drum kit that I have been playing for over six years. Some of them picked it up faster than I did when I was their age.

Even though this was in full compliance with what we were supposed to do; it

One of my CAS activities is helping at Riding for the Disabled (RDA). During my time there, I have been responsible for getting the horse ready for the lesson.

The most striking thing that I have seen whilst helping out at RDA is how selfless and hardworking some individuals can be on a continuous and voluntary basis, with the only aim being to aid someone who would perhaps not have these opportunities otherwise.

The Genesis School for Special Education is a private school for children with special learning needs. Tanglin Sixth Form students develop valuable relationships by spending one-on-one time with the students.

Beyond Social Services gives Tanglin students the experience of building relationships with underprivileged students in the local community.

Through The Rainbow Centre, students learn ways to help enhance the quality of life for children with special needs.

Riding for the Disabled Association of Singapore provides therapeutic horse riding lessons to children and adults with disabilities. Students develop a sense of responsibility and teamwork and improve their communication skills.

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• Creativity – arts and other experiences that involve creative thinking.

• Action – physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle.

• Service – an unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit.

Infant School

Supporting Change 14

by the Infant School Heads of Year: Victoria Thomas, Sonya Stevens, Fiona Westwell and Jane Johnstone (2006-2014) Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) flows through the children’s day from the first greeting of friends on the bus to the final bang of a school bag as it hits the hallway at home. Never are the key skills that are developed in PSHCE more at the forefront of everyone’s minds than during Term 3 when the themes of transition and change dominate.

Pre-school to Nursery to Reception Nursery encompasses lots of change. At the beginning of the year, we welcome pre-schoolers who are experiencing the very first day of school at Tanglin; at the end of the year we are focused on preparing the children for a full day of fun and learning in Reception.

to orientation meetings to find out more about the Nursery day and to meet class teachers on an individual basis.

We want to ensure that our youngest children adapt to their new environment quickly and happily. Last term we ran our usual Nursery Taster sessions where children and parents visited to see classrooms and the playground, met teachers and Teaching and Learning Assistants, and said hello to some new friends, including ‘Tanglin Ted’! We aim for these sessions to be exciting and reassuring for the children, and informative and supportive for parents. Just before the start of this term, parents were invited

“The Nursery Taster session was a wonderful way for the children to see their new learning environment and meet their new Teacher and the Learning Assistants. The friendly atmosphere and engaging resources meant the children were all captivated and soon making new friends. A quick stop to the uniform shop afterwards and my son is now ready and eagerly awaiting the new school year in August!” Parent A year in Nursery passes very quickly, with the children growing and changing daily! Last term, we started preparing the Nursery children for their move to Reception, beginning with class visits for story sessions and play. The children enjoyed comparing the Nursery and Reception environments, commenting on things that were reassuringly similar and on some exciting new areas. The Reception Animal Concert provided an excellent opportunity to discuss which

animal will be their class mascot in Reception. The anticipation was tangible; some wanted to be a crocodile on a skateboard, others a tiger with fantastic dance moves! The children met their new teachers at an assembly and during a final visit to Reception before the holidays.

The prospect of new routines and the class mascot animals added to the excitement, as did the thought of staying at school for lunch!

Reception to Year 1 The time in Reception is a real milestone for many children in both their physical and emotional development. By Term 3 most children are really ready to move to Year 1 and throw themselves into the challenges ahead. The Early Years curriculum is a fantastic foundation for the move and the Tanglin Learner Profile attributes are used to smooth the transition.

Last term, everyone was a risk-taker when they took their first walk through Year 1. Student Council members talked to the Reception children about what

Year 1 is all about; there were lots of questions! Each class visited Year 1 for story time so they could see that the classrooms were the same and lots of the learning displayed around the room was similar. One of the most exciting occasions was during playtime when the children were invited to the Green Deck, a mysterious expanse they had previously only heard about - the running track was a firm favourite!

Year 1 to Year 2

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As the children undertake their learning journey through Year 1, they experience an ever changing environment. At the start of the year we build on the excellent Early Years practice and continue to work

Year 2 to Year 3 The transition process for Year 2 children marks a significant milestone as they leave the security and familiarity of the Infant School to move onwards and upwards to ‘big’ school. As with every year, we worked very hard to prepare this year’s current Year 3 children for the move.

in small groups. Over time this evolves and the children take part in more teacher directed activities including whole class lessons. We never completely lose child initiated learning through play but the activities become more structured and the children begin to carry out many activities independently. The gradual change helps to prepare the children for Year 2 and equips them with the skills they need for the future.

Last term, when the children first visited Year 2 they commented on the lack of ‘toys’ without realising they have been using less in Year 1 too! They were, however, reassured by the familiarity of the unit and could see that the ICT suite is in exactly the same place. The Year 2 teachers highlighted all the exciting activities ahead; the volcano from the Islands of Fire was a big attraction. We also talked to the children about the Year 2 Friday activities which piqued lots of curiosity. Opportunities to share hopes and fears in Circle Times complemented these visits and we are delighted that the transition has been a smooth one.

The children enjoyed an abundance of opportunities to become ‘experts’ in Year 3 before the holidays in order to allay potential fears. They met with key staff members, had an assembly in the year group, borrowed books from the Junior Library, participated in a tour of the school with a current member of Year 3 and perhaps, most excitingly of all, ate in the Junior canteen! They were very excited to find out that they will be going on an overnight trip to the zoo!

The Year 2 teachers talked to the students in some detail about the similarities and differences between Infants and Juniors; common concerns usually include friendships and getting

lost. In Year 3, significant time is devoted to getting to know new classmates at the start of the year and friendships are closely monitored as the year unfolds.

The teachers support the children in finding their way to new classes for as long as is needed until very gradually the children demonstrate their independence and go it alone. Playtimes are carefully supervised; all children are encouraged to play outside for the first half term. Each class decides on a suitable meeting spot in case they can’t find one of their friends.

Gradually, more play spaces are offered as the term progresses. The Year 3s also benefit from a buddy system with the Year 6s, which gives them a real sense of confidence, knowing that they have an older student looking out for them.

Excitement and nerves are an inevitable part of any big change and are feelings that most people can identify with.

Thanks to a carefully organised transition programme, the Year 2 children were well-prepared and keen to make the most of the opportunities that lie in wait for them as Tanglin Juniors.

Junior School Public Speaking and the Art of Listening

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by Clair Harrington-Wilcox, Deputy Headteacher, Junior School

The ability to articulate thoughts coherently and persuasively is a key characteristic of being a successful communicator and an accomplished public speaker. For our children - the communicators of the future – expertise in these areas will be essential in all aspects of their lives. To support the development of these skills, the Junior School has increased the opportunities for speaking and listening across all areas of school life. Leading assemblies, reading poetry at open mic sessions, contributing during Circle Time and engaging in discussions with visiting authors or speakers are all part of a normal school week in the Juniors. Last term, however, saw two slightly more formal occasions to enhance speaking and listening skills: English Speaking Board (ESB) assessments and Speak Up.

Exceptional ESB

by Laura Boyle, Year 5 teacher Founded in 1953 the English Speaking Board is a national awarding body offering a full range of progressive qualifications focused on communication skills. The ESB programme was introduced at Tanglin two years ago as an integral part of the Year 3 curriculum. It was so successful and made such a positive impact on the children that last year we extended it to Years 4, 5 and 6.

Students practise and reflect on the skills needed for the assessment throughout the year until these behaviours become natural for them when presenting and participating in group discussions. Ask any Junior School student and they will tell you how important it is to remember PIPES: Projection, Inflection, Pacing/ Pausing, Eye contact and Stance.

The formal assessment by an external examiner is in four areas: presenting, where students give a short speech in a

“I didn’t fully appreciate the benefit of ESB in the curriculum until I volunteered to help the children practise their presentations.

It was uplifting to see so many children speak with passion, earnestness and, often humour, on topics that were educational and sometimes touching.

Especially heartening was my daughter’s comment that it was so much fun.” Parent

topic of their choice; speaking by heart, where they learn and recite a poem; reading aloud, where they choose a passage from a favourite book; and listening and responding, where the assessor evaluates their contribution to their assessment group.

Annabel Arbuthnott (Alumni) explains more about the assessment: “I felt relieved when I saw the examiner in the ESB room as she was lovely. Personally, the presentation was the most challenging part for me but once I got the right visual props to help me with my talk, it was really fun and easy. I recited a poem about homework which was lots of fun and the book I had chosen really showed off my personality.”

Last term, 547 students sat the assessment. It was wonderful to see so many children confidently sharing their experiences and the assessors were extremely impressed. The results were outstanding: with 100% of students awarded a Merit Plus or higher, and 65% gaining a Distinction.

Speak Up by Matt Hastwell, Year 6 Learning Support teacher

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To complement ESB and to give students more opportunities to practise public speaking, last term saw the introduction of Speak Up, a Junior House public speaking competition. Students spoke with real passion and commitment on a whole range of subjects. Students were encouraged to talk about people they admired or global issues they considered important. Just some of the topics our 46 entrants chose were: ‘what will the world be like when I leave school?’, ‘saving water’ and ‘superheroes, real and fiction’.

The competition was judged by members of the Toastmasters Club; one of the judges commented after the competition, “I was awed by the young talents at your school. I gained invaluable lessons from their courage and conviction of messages. They are true inspirations.”

Well done to all the students who put themselves forward for Speak Up and particular congratulations to the winners for Years 5 and 6: Matthew Romero (Y6.4) for his speech on food wastage, Hannah Coulstock (Y6.7) for her speech on why parents should teach their children to be free thinkers, Grace Sandys (Alumni) for her speech on believing in yourself, and Varun Venkatesh (Y7.2) for his speech on the impact of technology on developing minds. The judges felt, “they gave us clear, powerful messages to take home. Not only were they confident in their deliveries, their command of the language, good articulation, vocal variety and audience rapport were all felt.”

The competition was so successful we decided to run a further round to identify keynote speakers for the Year 6 Graduation Assembly. The topic entrants had to speak on was ‘change’.

At the assembly, Felix Knight (Y7.5), Varun Venkatesh (Y7.2) and Sareena Austin (Y7.8) charmed the audience with their varied interpretations on what change meant to them.

“I was so impressed by the Year 6 speakers.

They were wise, witty and accomplished – no mean feat in front of an audience of parents, teachers and their peers in the Berrick Performance Hall!

They were an absolute delight and I genuinely felt I was seeing young leaders in the making.”

Parent

Senior School & Sixth Form Global Citizenship 18

by Rob Gulston, Head of History and Government and Politics and Giles Jacobsen, Maths Teacher and Assistant Head of CAS Whilst our academic traditions and approach to teaching are firmly grounded in a Britishbased approach to learning, there are many aspects of school and daily life that have a more global focus. At every opportunity, we encourage our students to look beyond their immediate academic work to the world around them and to consider their place as global citizens. Read on to find out more about just two recent initiatives our Senior students were involved in.

Considering Globalisation For the second year in a row, the Humanities Department recently welcomed a group of Danish students for a workshop on the positive and negative effects of globalisation in Singapore.

This year we were also very privileged to welcome Jorgen Moller (former Danish State Secretary and Ambassador to Singapore) who gave a thoughtprovoking and challenging talk about globalisation. An author of several books on the topic, Mr Moller used his wisdom and wide experience to challenge our students to the task of taking on the management of the 21st century whilst balancing the considerations of globalisation with humanitarianism. This gave us plenty of food for thought to take back into the classroom.

In the morning session, we held a workshop where our Danish guests and Tanglin Sixth Formers debated the positives and negatives of globalisation in Singapore. Our Politics students led the way with presentations on the issues of economic growth alongside the cultural considerations of creating a national identity and dealing with foreign influence.

After all this highbrow economic, geographical and political gravitas, there was a football match. Whilst the debating was dominated by Tanglin students, the football redressed the imbalance with Denmark running out 5-3 winners. Many thanks to Julie Barlow, Assistant Headteacher, Senior School for supporting this event; we look forward to next year’s discussion and a chance to redress the football scores!

“I took part in the cultural debate, and I was surprised to learn that the changes to Singapore’s culture, as a result of globalisation, are not so uncommon throughout the world. We couldn’t come to the conclusion as to whether globalisation has overall had a positive or a negative effect on Singapore, however we all agreed that its benefits have certainly come with a price.” Olivia Wells, Year 13.12

First formed in 2003, the Global Issues Network (GIN) is an international network of schools and universities that work together to inform, inspire, and equip everyone to act on twenty problems that our world faces today.

GIN conferences empower students and teachers through awareness campaigns, workshops focused on specific issues, keynote speakers, interaction with NGO leaders and industrial entrepreneurs, along with direct service learning – all fundamental principles which sit well with our CAS programme.

Inspired by their experience of attending several regional GIN conferences, students from international schools in Singapore decided they wanted to apply the GIN philosophy at a local level and GINSING was born. Earlier this year, Tanglin hosted 130 delegates from eight local junior colleges, polytechnics and international schools for the first Singapore conference, GINSING 2014: Engineering Change. GINSING 2014 had the simple aim to educate and empower those aged 14 to 19 to change the world.

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Engineering Change: GINSING 2014 Our 13 Tanglin delegates spent the conference learning about and developing solutions for nine of 20 key global issues which had been identified. Group discussions were interspersed with presentations from three very prominent and inspirational guest speakers, Michael Brosowski (the founder of Blue Dragon, Vietnam), Sylvia Lee (the founder of EmancipAsia) and Christopher Schrader (the 21-year-old founder of Running to Stop the Traffik).

Some local NGOs and charities were also present.

All GINSING 2014 delegates have now formed a network and are committed to taking action in addressing global issues in our local context; to engineer actions and solutions that will create positive changes in Singapore and contribute to the well-being of our society and ecosystem. With the formation of a Tanglin Trust School GIN club next academic year, more of our immediate community can join this valuable movement.

Theory of Knowledge (TOK): A Framework for Learning

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by the TOK Team: Craig Davis (2008-2014), Simon Hatton-Burke, Chris Coates, Julie Barlow and Clare Anderson-Au Term 3 of every academic year sees Year 12 IB students tackling one of the distinguishing features of their two year diploma course: TOK presentations. Together with the Extended Essay and Creativity Action Service (CAS) components, TOK is widely acknowledged as providing the ‘cement’ that makes the Diploma a coherent and integrated qualification.

The underlying aim of TOK is to equip students with the capacity to take responsibility for their own learning, encourage them to engage meaningfully in real world situations and to assertively state points of view at every opportunity.

TOK requires students to connect issues and ideas covered in traditional subjects as a starting point for discussion and interrogation. As well as being intellectually rigorous, TOK also encourages students to draw on cultural experience and knowledge from outside the school environment. The TOK classroom, therefore, very often features an engaging integration of debate, technology, multimedia and experiential learning.

Just some of the topics covered during the most recent TOK presentations were: • Putin has recently determined that obscene language should be

eradicated from theatre, film and TV in Russia. How do we determine what is socially acceptable? Can language be harmful?

• Can we expect an unbiased treatment of Oscar Pistorius in his trial because of his celebrity status? To what extent can judgements be unbiased?

• Failure – why we need to fail to experience development. An evaluation based on computer gaming and education.

• Some four-year-olds in California are now learning computer coding before reading. What is education for? An examination of what and why we learn?

Georgina Atkinson (Y13.10) gives a student’s perspective on the TOK presentation, explaining, “I chose to look at art because it ties in with philosophy. I was particularly interested in the different methods used to determine the value

The Learning Outcome of art including moral value, self value and aesthetic value. I also looked at how different art forms are regarded such as performance art, propaganda art and cave art. TOK is very challenging as it offers a different way of thinking where truth is constantly questioned, much like philosophy. It’s definitely beneficial as it manages to connect knowledge across disciplines and encourages us to question facts that we had previously taken for granted.”

Preparing and delivering the TOK presentations is only a part of the process and, during the final year of their course, students must craft a substantial essay which can be up to 1,600 words. Where the TOK presentation assesses the ability of the student to apply TOK thinking to a real-life situation, the TOK essay takes a more conceptual starting point and invites students to consider the factors that influence our willingness to accept or reject information as knowledge.

Head of Spanish Alex Bosch explains, “In one of our most recent Spanish Art evenings, we tackled what is one of the most controversial topics in Spain: bullfighting. The Spanish Department established a link with one of our most experienced members of the TOK teaching team, Chris Coates. Using Mr Coates’ experience of teaching TOK and, in particular, how to maximise a genuine and meaningful engagement with knowledge, we embedded a TOK approach into the evening. At the event, Year 12 TOK students talked about the cultural constructs behind bullfighting, the chauvinist idea of the bull and the link between tradition and bullfighting in

Interdisciplinary by nature and with an open-ended, question-based structure, TOK is less about learning a specific body of knowledge than inquiring into the process of knowing. The critical thinking skills it fosters are vital for university success. Julie Barlow, a member of the TOK teaching team and Assistant Headteacher in the Senior School, comments, “It is now widely acknowledged that the skills TOK develops in students make a significant difference to academic confidence at university. From a personal point of view, TOK is a delight to teach as we watch the students become an active rather than a passive receiver of knowledge.”

TOK Events TOK is, in part, about laying a foundation for life-long learning that extends beyond the school experience. One of the ways we encourage this is to organise themed evenings for students, parents and staff to showcase learning and increase understanding. These events are a regular feature of life at Tanglin, and as the IB programme has developed and the community has become more accustomed to the expectations of the course, as well as the various facets of the Tanglin Learner Profile, elements of the TOK approach have been included in these occasions. For example, in the regular Spanish Art evenings, which started in 2008, more controversial artists have been selected as the focus.

The information and ideas presented during these evenings are now more comprehensive, empowering the audience to engage in more substantial debate.

The IB offers a broad, balanced programme of study across six subjects; three at higher level and three at standard level, which must include a language and a science. Students must also write an Extended Essay, follow a critical thinking course called Theory of Knowledge and must participate in the school’s Creativity Action Service Programme.

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Spain and the changes modernisation has brought to the practice. The understanding of the topic went well beyond facts and figures to flourish into an open and lively conversation about the role of this fiesta in the 21st century, national stereotypes and cultural appropriation. The rich cultural and nationality background of the Tanglin community was the perfect trigger for this discussion. However, the most significant success for us as educators was that our Year 10 and 11 students who attended also got involved and put forward mature and insightful arguments.”

Showcase: Art • Dance • Drama • Music

Art 22

Untitled, the Summer Art Exhibition 2014

by Debbie Coulson, Head of Senior Art

Untitled hosted an impressive collection of work by our GCSE, AS and A2 Art students. As always, it was a delight to see the quality, complexity and variety of work produced after a sustained period of preparation. One of the exciting parts of the process as a teacher is the not knowing where any one student will ultimately end up. The journey is taught and steered, but not controlled. As our visiting moderator remarked, an exhibition such as this is surely a celebration of both independent learning and risk-taking at its best, both qualities that extend well beyond subject specific boundaries.

Inspired by a visit to Singapore Art Museum earlier this year, Untitled was a way of encouraging visitors to engage with different and less figurative pieces of work. Students from the Junior School through to parents engaged with the titling of specific pieces. Some chose to title work based purely on a reaction to colour, shape and form; others had clearly looked at the supporting work and the suggested titles were derived from a greater understanding of starting points.

Both approaches are, of course, valid and it was great to see people considering a personal response. Below are photos of the pieces of work which provoked a particularly strong response, together with suggested titles.

“I Can - because it shows that the piece is about cans and that you should never give up on anything you want. I can do it!”

“Many Cans, One Story - all the cans together are an inspiration and show that the world can become one.”

“Beautiful Blood because it’s very gory but elegant and sophisticated.”

“Loves Final Days it looks like a picnic and the deep red makes it look like Valentine’s Day.”

Showcase: Art • Dance • Drama • Music

Drama

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The Selfish Giant and a Greek Performance by Theresa Chapman, Head of Drama, Junior School Year 3 enjoyed sharing their performances of The Selfish Giant with their parents in term 3.

Drama in Year 3 introduces children to the idea of working in an ensemble and developing their own ideas through collaboration with their peers. The children worked on the script and were able to develop their own dialogue for the role through their drama workshops leading up to the performance.

Year 5 accepted the challenge of performing Greek theatre to complement their curriculum work on the Greeks.

Working as a Greek chorus, applying the skills learnt in Drama and through ESB, the children were able to transport the audience to the mythical worlds of Medusa and Theseus. The script was expertly adapted by Year 5 class teacher Ed Hassall and directed by Theresa Chapman.

Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9) Production: Cloud Busting (Helen Blakeman)

by Paul Lucas, Drama Teacher, Senior School This year’s Key Stage 3 Production of Cloud Busting was a fantastic result of hours of hard work, loads of creative energy and tons of fun! The cast did their very best to create interesting characters and realistic scenes in the context of bullying; not only how damaging bullying can be but also what young people can do about it. The talented cast were supported by a technical crew of Key Stage 3 students running lights and sound to create an amazing, professional performance. Overall, the high level of theatre, personal bonding and learning by all the students involved was top-notch and it was wonderful to experience.

Los Tres Cochinitos ‘Three Little Pigs’

by Kieran Burgess, Project Leader, Drama Year 7 & 8 students in the Spanish Drama CCA worked really hard to learn their lines entirely in Spanish, before adding in movement, vocal expression and gesture to perform this adaptation of ‘The Three Little Pigs’. This team comprising of Axel Ackermann, Miki Shikanai, Amber Hastings and Roshni Vachhani did a great job of not only pronouncing the Spanish correctly, but also of comprehending what they were saying with conviction and believability.

Showcase: Art • Dance • Drama • Music

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Music

Infant Music Update

by Delphine Hastwell, Head of Music (Infant)

Junior Music Update

by Fiona Knight Lucas, Head of Music (Junior)

Term 3 in Infant Music started with the Year 2 Ensembles Assembly which celebrated the success of both soloists and groups of musicians throughout the year group.

Term 3 was an extremely busy and exciting term for Junior Music with many performances and events throughout.

Every child had a chance to perform as we sung several whole year group pieces including our newly introduced school song. The Choir showcased the singing from the school with numbers including one with harmonies in two parts. The soloists included many talented students performing on a variety of instruments including drums, violins, piano and the trumpet. The Recorder group also had a chance to shine and perform too. The middle of the term saw the Fantastic Reception Animal Concert which had a special theme of Mrs Chandran’s leaving party. All the children sung together and did some amazing dancing and playing on a variety of percussion instruments.

Junior Young Musicians in Concert Twenty four of our talented musicians from across the Junior School demonstrated a very high level of skill and musicianship as they performed as soloists on their musical instruments. It was a treat to see and hear the obvious dedication and commitment that the children give their musical study.

The final musical performance of the term came from the Ukulele groups who had a special assembly for parents. The various groups played and listened to the Ukuladies group which consisted of teachers, parents and members of the local community who came in to perform the upbeat numbers for the children including the infamous ‘Let it Go’.

Term 3 ended with a “Sound of Music” themed goodbye assembly. There were several musical numbers including DoRe-Mi both as a whole school song and as a flashmob by the teachers. We ended with ‘So Long Farewel” for Mrs Chandran which children from Reception to Year 13 sang together. There was not a dry eye in the house!

Senior Music Update

by Helen Owain, Head of Music (Senior)

Junior Ensembles Concert The Junior Ensembles excelled themselves this year as 180 children relished the opportunity to share the results of their hard work with their family and friends in their superb end of year concert. The Junior School students demonstrated their talents in a wide variety of ensembles from gamelan to choir, orchestra to rock band. There were exquisite performances from our instrumental ensembles as well as uplifting singing from the choirs, culminating in a rousing finale with all the performers singing and playing together.

Thank you to all the children for the wonderful energy and enthusiasm that you bring to music in the Junior School through assembly performances, lunch time recitals and our impromptu Open Mic sessions!

While most of the school begins to wind down during the Summer term, it is always an eventful time in the Senior Music department. Our ensembles were busy right up until the last day with performances at the PTA Summer Fair, the Summer Art Exhibition, the Senior Ensembles Concert and End of Term assemblies. Far from showing any signs of fatigue at the end of an extremely demanding year, our musicians delivered their usual dynamic and polished performances. The audience at the Senior Ensembles Concert was particularly appreciative of the diversity and quality of music, and one retired school inspector who attended said that it was by far the best of the hundreds of school concerts he had attended during his career!

Sports & Activities SEASAC Overview

Despite recent changes to the SEASAC format, 2013-14 was easily our most successful year since joining the league in 2007. We achieved more medals than ever before and for the first time saw our teams champion in Boys Football and Girls Touch. Well done to Tanglin Boys Tennis who were promoted to Division 1.

There are a number of criteria we have to fulfil, including both performance and participation, in order to maintain our membership within this prestigious conference. SEASAC is the pinnacle for our elite performers and our students again this year showed their usual high level of skill, dedication and enthusiasm.

Since SEASAC split their membership into a two tier league system, we have increased our participation to all 23 sports within the SEASAC conference. This gave us an opportunity to introduce new sports including volleyball and softball. Despite this being our first season in these developing sports, we medalled in more events than we have ever done before.

To complement Tanglin’s phenomenal sporting achievements, our academic participation was also a huge success.

SEASAC’s academic events include the MUN (Model United Nations) Conference which this year was held at UWC East and the SEASAC Arts Festival which was hosted at Tanglin. Both events gave our students the opportunity to extend their academic experiences outside of the classroom. Rob Le Grice, Head of Arts Faculty, managed and ran the SEASAC Arts Festival and was highly impressed with the talent, enthusiasm and creativity of the students involved.

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by Colin Morris, Director of Sports and Activities

Looking Forward

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Whilst we have increased our participation in SEASAC, our commitment to all three sporting conferences is on-going and we will maintain our presence in the Athletic Conference of Singapore International Schools (ACSIS) and the Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA) to ensure sports participation for students of all abilities. During Term 1, both our Junior and Senior Football teams will be heading to Phuket to represent Tanglin in the biggest football tournament in South East Asia.

SEASAC Season 1 will be an exciting start to the sporting year with Tanglin Girls and Boys Football playing on home turf. The

Boys will be fighting hard to retain the trophy and the Girls will be hoping to go one better than last year and achieve Gold.

In November Tanglin is hosting the SEASAC Golf tournament at Bintan Lagoon. It is the first time the tournament has been played in Singapore and we will welcome 130 SEASAC golfers from across the region for a weekend of Championship golf.

We also look forward to hosting the prestigious U15 FOBISIA Games in November this year. Bringing together six of the biggest international schools in Asia, the Games are the showpiece sporting festival for Athletics, Football and Basketball.

27 Sports Awards This year’s Sports Awards were a resounding success with the most attendees and awards ever given out.

After changing the format from previous years to ensure that there were awards for Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9) and awards for Key Stage 4 (Years 10-13) on the same evening, it allowed us to celebrate all sport in the Senior School.

The Key Stage 3 awards were headed up by Ethan Vail and Maddie Wright, Lead Boy and Lead Girl for Year 9 (2013-14). The Senior Sports Prefects Jamie Thuillier and Ian Magee presented the Key Stage 4 event. To lead such an event in front of 400 people was an amazing achievement. Everyone enjoyed a fantastic evening celebrating Tanglin’s most successful year competing in SEASAC and FOBISIA events.

Our students dedicate hours to training, with fixtures and play all over South East Asia. The Sports Awards allow us to recognise these students and celebrate their achievements.

This year’s Award Winners were: Key Stage 3 Sportswomen of the Year

Alex Tomkins

Key Stage 3 Sportswomen Runner-Up

Mackenzie Maughan

Key Stage 3 Sportswomen Runner-Up

Gabriella Gebara

Key Stage 3 Sportsman of the Year

Toby Merritt

Key Stage 3 Sportsman Runner-Up

Dan Coughlin

Key Stage 3 Sportsman Runner-Up

Jacob Tait

Key Stage 4 Sportsmanship Award (Male)

Alex Clark

Key Stage 4 Sportsmanship Award (Female)

Michaela Young

Key Stage 4 Sportswomen of the Year

Hayley Rowcliffe

Key Stage 4 Sportswomen Runner-Up

Sophie Arbuthnott

Key Stage 4 Sportswomen Runner-Up

Millie Grosvenor

Key Stage 4 Sportsman of the Year

Oscar Phillipson

Key Stage 4 Sportsman Runner-Up

Jack Byles

Key Stage 4 Sportsman Runner-Up

Ewan Armstrong

Some Competition Highlights: FOBISIA 2014 Boys Level 2 Team Silver medalists Boys Level 1 & 3 Team Bronze medalists Jesse Collins 1st place all-around champion Hugo Massey 2nd place all-around winner Kit Stephenson 3rd place all-around winner Carlin Barlow 2nd place all-around winner Girls Level 1, 2 & 3 Team Silver medalists Hannah Coughlan 2nd place all-around winner

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TTS Gymnastics by Rosanna Trigg, Gym With Me The TTS Gymnastics programme run by Gym With Me has seen a great year of gymnastics both recreationally and competitively in 2013-2014. In just one year with our new coaching staff the recreational programmes have gone from strength to strength with over 270 students participating in gymnastics at the school. The TTS competitive girls and boys teams have taken the competition season by storm, competing in 6 local and international competitions in Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. The boys’ level 1-3 teams have collected over 70 individual apparatus and all-around medals in addition to 10 team titles, whilst the TTS girls’ level 1-4 teams have won a total of 90 individual apparatus and all-around medals in addition to 8 team titles.

We are consistently ranking in the top 3 teams in the South East Asian region of international schools and clubs and look forward to the team’s achievements for the upcoming year.

TTS 2014 Community Golf Championship by Christian Christensen, Year 13.2 The first TTS Community Golf Championship was an exciting experience for all the students who play golf as well as their parents.

It was also a fun social event and gave a chance for all the students from Year 4 to Year 12 to mix and socialise. The tournament took place in Bintan, Indonesia. When we arrived we got driven straight to the golf course where we had lunch and were kindly welcomed by Mr Turrell. After a good lunch we were changed and ready to play.

On the first day we played the Jack Nicklaus course and on the second day we played the Ian Baker-Finch course, which was slightly more challenging for most of us. The format of play was stroke-play and there were two students and two parents in each team. After our round of golf we all headed back to our hotel rooms and later in the evening Alex Clark, one of the students, had arranged a BBQ for all the participants.

It was a fun evening for everyone involved and the food was great.

It was nice seeing students

communicating between year groups and being able to talk and laugh together regardless of age. It was also nice to see parents and teachers getting along.

The next day we got up early in the morning to play the second round of golf. The competition was tight between the many talented students as the scores were very similar. Half way through the round we had to stop the play for everyone’s safety because of lightning. As we all retreated from the course there was a prepared lunch waiting for us. Everyone was unhappy

Caitlin Braybrook 3rd place all-around winner SEASAC 2014 Boys Level 2 & 3 Team Bronze medalists Boys Level 1 & 2 Seniors Team Silver medalists Jesse Collins 2nd place all-around winner Hugo Massey 1st place all-around champion Max Salamon 3rd place all-around winner Carlin Barlow 3rd place all-around winner Girls Level 3 Team Gold medalists Keira Hunt 1st place all-around champion

with the sudden weather change and we waited desperately for the rain and lightning to disappear so we could finish our round of golf. Luckily we were able to return to the golf course but with a fight against time to reach the clubhouse before it got dark. We finished off the tournament with dinner and an awards ceremony where prizes were handed out for many achievements - from the longest drive to closest to the pin. The winner of the main tournament was Ben Yap. The longest drive winner was Christian Christensen and the closest to the pin prize was won by James Lawton.

Summer Fun at Tanglin This summer saw the launch of Tanglin’s Holiday Programme. Children aged 7 – 11 were able to take part in an action packed week at the school, which was run by Tanglin teachers.

There were 77 children who took part in the Holiday Programme and 10 members of staff as well as a school nurse. The majority of children taking part were Tanglin students from Year 2 to Year 6. We were also delighted to welcome a number of students who were due to start Tanglin in August 2014 and some waitlisted children. For these children in particular it was a good introduction to life in the Junior School. The activities were based in the Year 3 units however they also used the school pool, rock climbing wall, sports facilities and play spaces.

The activities were based on the themes of Creativity, Action and Inquiry. The children were put into groups with their peers and took part in a carousel of activities including cooking, photography, scientific investigation, Chinese painting, working with clay, rock climbing, musical theatre and dance. This gave their children the opportunity to have fun in a safe and

Dazzling Dance

Dynamic Drama

Out of this World Orienteering and Camping Skills

Sensational Science Fantastic Football and Super Sports

Cool Cooking

“My two children had such a great time and will definitely be signing up again for the next Holiday Programme.

As working parents we can not leave Singapore after school finishes, so the Holiday Programme is a perfect option for our family.” Parent “It was incredibly exciting to be involved in shaping Tanglin’s first Holiday Programme. The team of staff who stepped up to take part represented Infant, Junior and Senior staff. They were testament to the high standards of teaching across the school as they came together across their disciplines to create a week with diverse activities which challenged the children yet had them in their comfort zones. In addition it was tremendous fun. I look forward to seeing the Holiday Programme as a Tanglin fixture.” Philippa Hatton, Holiday Programme Director supportive environment. The children worked in small groups but they also had the opportunity for some larger group activities such as a flash mob and even a water fight! At the end of the week the children took home a reflection document celebrating the activities that they had taken part in during the week.

Showcasing the school and building a new income stream were the two key business objectives for establishing a Holiday Programme. Alongside these two objectives we wanted the programme to offer a service to working families or those staying in Singapore for the summer. Feedback from the children, parents and the staff team was extremely positive with themes coming out supporting the variety of activities and the tremendous staff effort that went into a very successful programme.

One student summed up the Programme by saying: ‘It was awesome!’ Watch out for details of the 2015 Holiday Programme on the TTS Portal.

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by Cecilia Handel, Director of Development

Student Services

Coping With Exam Stress 30

by Valerie Hoglan, School Counsellor

Year 11 can be a stressful time for students and many seek advice from the School Counselling Department to help them handle their worries about their I/GCSEs. It is important that students feel confident in their ability to handle stress and, for this reason, we are introducing an Anxiety Reduction pilot scheme to our Year 11 cohort, starting in Term 1. This initiative has grown out of a desire to take a proactive approach to help students handle the challenges of I/GCSEs with grace and resilience. The Counselling Department, in collaboration with PSHCE, Form Tutors and external providers will be using ‘Mindfulness’ as a theme to help focus their support.

School Counsellors Paula Huggins and Valerie Hoglan will be introducing practical information from the Test Edge HeartMath curriculum to help the students understand the connection between emotional management, optimal health and performance. Year 11 Form Tutors will begin delivery of weekly exercises from the Test Edge HeartMath Curriculum to help students track and build healthy habits that support wellness (eating every three hours, sleeping 8+ hours a night and exercising). As part of the programme, Year 11 students will be introduced to regular practices of mindful breathing using state-of-the-art software developed by HeartMath: emWave which has been used by the Counselling Department over the last two years with good results.

How does it work? Using a pulse sensor plugged into a USB port and clipped onto your ear, emWavePro collects pulse data and translates the information into user-friendly graphics displayed on your computer screen. With training, students will learn how to consciously regulate their heart rhythm using techniques to build resilience, promote focus, mental clarity

Fact: Did you know?

60 to 90 seconds of Mindful breathing four times a day creates the same reduction in the stress hormone cortisol in the body as 60 minutes of meditation.

and emotional balance. Year 11 students will get to individually practise creating this state, with ‘in the moment’ feedback from the emWave Pro software installed in the Senior School IT lab.

Training will help students uncover how body systems affect one another and how specific breathing and focused activities can help them achieve an optimal state in which the heart, mind and emotions are operating in sync. In over 20 years of research into the science of the body and emotional regulation, The Institute of HeartMath has found that people achieve 20% higher results in both academic and athletic pursuits when they can sustain this smooth or “coherent” heart rhythm.

Heart rhythms when subject is stressed.

Heart rhythms when subject is feeling a positive emotion. www.heartmath.org

31 The combination of cultivating an emotional state of appreciation, deep regular breathing and focused attention helps the students reset stress responses (such as test anxiety). As mindfulness and calm focused attention is felt and

As part of the Year 11 curriculum, Dr Steven Tucker, MD, FACP, FAMS, a Singaporebased expert in General Medicine and Wellness, delivered a presentation to students about Stress and Stress Management. Dr Tucker then came back to Tanglin in September as part of the ‘Passion for Parenting’ programme with an overview of Stress Management specifically for parents of Senior School students. You can read more about Dr Tucker’s medical practice at www.

TuckerMedical.com.

experienced differently by each individual, this tool helps make achievement of a mindful state a measurable and tangible experience for each student.

Even the most capable students can be hampered by pressure to perform and some of these students may do much better in a classroom assignment than they do in an exam due to feeling stressed. It is common for students to feedback to counsellors or teachers expressing disappointment over “freezing or shutting down” during an exam; emWave teaches us how to hit the reset button on our nervous system and get the brain working again. “Several of the students I worked with individually reported great success with the breathing techniques and were able to take their

next tests with ease and achieve higher results”.

“In our busy and unpredictable lives, the ability to intentionally create a calm focused heart and mind is an essential skill for reaching our full potential and provides freedom from living reactively.

This ability is an essential component of wellness.” Valerie Hoglan, School Counsellor.

“Now whenever I start to tense up in an exam or for any other reason I try to use the breathing I learned with the emWave and Heartmath. For the first time in Senior School my exam results matched my high level grades in my class work because I did not freeze.” Graduate of class of 2014.

Creative Writing 32

Love There is no best person, we are all the same and we all love each other.

What would it be like with no love?

Love is like a building and you have to build it up, Love is as free as a bird, Love is like an angel flying up to the sky Love is so strong it could knock you off your feet like a hammer, Love is like your strength, Love is strong like a brick wall that you can’t break.

by Tom Meadows, Year 3.3

Can I Write a Description?

I thought this world was amazing, there was a little house by a waterfall, the house was made of candy floss and icing with sugar. I saw a flying horsefly and one hundred fireflies lighting up the beautiful woods. There was a maze. I thought it would be quite fun so quickly I went through the whole maze.

I saw a powerful wizard with a grey beard who was mean and was about to take me away but suddenly there was a storm so the wizard was gone. I was very curious but then a beautiful rainbow was here again. So I crept back through the tunnel and was back home.

by Sophia Smalley, Y3.7

The following piece was selected by the Junior School for submission to the FOBISIA Short Story Competition 2014, primary category.

Magic. What comes to mind when I say magic? Wands, wizards, Harry Potter? I am going to narrate a tale that has true magic. My name is Tyler Blue and this is my Magical Story.

I wanted to adopt a child – a child who would fill my emptiness and fill my life with joy. As I put my foot down in the room, many children looked up at me expectantly, hoping that they would find a permanent home with a loving family. They were all bundled into one single room that was dimly lit, with a fading light bulb and bunk beds packed in the centre.

The mattresses were flat and looked uncomfortable; the blankets coarse and worn out. Please take me home!

I can’t survive like this any longer - there was a mute appeal in their eyes. A girl wrapped her arms around my legs. When she nuzzled her head against my legs and then turned up to look at me, I felt so strong a tug in my heart that my eyes started tearing up. She was small, delicate and thin; however her beautiful blue eyes had a mixture of hope and vulnerability.

This child was the right child! I turned back to see the other kids, all looking disappointed and sad, however I kept moving on with a sense of guilt that I had nothing to offer them. Pain struck my heart.

However my joy was short-lived.

Rhianne was gone in no time, falling prey to lung cancer. “Daddy, am I dying?” She croaked with all her effort. I cradled her in my arms as tears escaped from my eyes.

Her body was skinny and when I embraced her she fell through my arms. “I will go to heaven and we will meet there.” These were her last words. I hugged her again and again not wanting to let her go, but her soul had drifted away from the lifeless body that lay in my arms. My

life fell apart like shards of glass. I never went to work and eventually got sacked. I could not pay my bills and my rent; I was homeless as well as hopeless, drifting aimlessly on the streets.

One day, on a shop window, there was a notice from a school asking for teachers to teach children with disabilities. I applied for the job. As I waited for my turn to be interviewed, people looked at me strangely; unkempt and unwashed.

The interviewers asked why I wanted to become a teacher and I said that kids light a magic spark in me, all my troubles vanish as if by magic when I am with them. I told them about Rhianne and that I wanted to see her in all other kids. They hired me, despite the fact that I looked shocking.

On my first day at work, I walked into the classroom. My heart lit up. There was magic all around me, kids were playing with each other and each one of them had a smile spread across their faces. It was like a room full of many Rhiannes – unbelieving and magical!

To me this is magic. Not something that is merely fanciful and imaginative, but something that transforms your entire perspective. Something that is borne out of love and care for others. Happiness and resilience is magic. Being able to overcome darkest moments in your life is magic.

We can make magic by living in the moment, and it is in us! Do you still believe magic is in wands, wizards and Harry Potter? Think again! Create the magic!

by Shreya Reddy, Year 7.6

33

My Magical Story

The following extract was from the overall winner of the FOBISIA Short Story Competition 2014, secondary category. The judges commented, “James Bruce’s DYSLEXIA shows us the vivid and acutely-observed inner world of a teenager dismissed by others as stupid because of his or her struggles with reading. James has used various typographical tricks to show the difficulty his character has with the written world, and this puts us, the reader, into the position of his narrator, faced with the printed word. And the story’s strength is that if written conventionally it would read just as powerfully, with the poignant ending of the narrator retreating into the “sanctuary” where he no longer feels inadequate.” You can read the full story by looking on www.fobisia.

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org/Short-Story-Competition.

Dyslɘxia I leaf the station, alone, ɔoming up from the undərground lien and noww the sun is shinning thɹough the departing clouds. I start walking to my house, the fiual strech of the jernɘey. The rain is falling all around, as I fell the heet from the sun radiating, the warmf against my dripping face. I plase one foot in front off the othər as I wɒlk, balanɔing along teh narɹow beam of a pavemɘnt, careful not to slip and fall into the chaƨm below. I watch a squiɹɹel as it runs al ong a branɔh of a ʍinter tree and di^es into a hOle, to escaqe the rain, to find a ɔomforting sanctuary. I sea my house at the ənd of the strɘət, a small cottɒge, with smoke ɔoming from a broʍn chimney, a greeu gardɘn with a flourbed on the side adn a read door with a freƨƨly painted look. I stadn outside the dor and hear frienbly laughter and conversayshun onn the

otherƨide, the sownd of items brayking and banging, with exɔitement. I unlocʞ the door with my ʞeys, push againstthesplinteringbroʍnbody and enter. I run strait to my room and slam the dor to shut ont the shouting going on downƨtairs, and I juƨt think.

I sit on my bed, alone, as I fink about what I bid today, apout the seas I swam acroƨƨ, about the jnugles I rode through and the chaƨm I traverƨƨed. I think abuot all the conversations

I had with the vast divercity of people I tlaked to, helping to ƨtop arguments, helqing to makethingsclear for others. I do my homɘʍork with my friends. Me talk about how everyone elƨe is ʍrong and that I am the won that is rite, that I can read, I cau spell, just not the weigh

everyone else cane. We talk about how vat does not matter, how everyone shood be able to see that it is haɹd for me, but they cannot nad to them that dose not matter. I finish my hoɯework, a bunch of ɯirroɹ words, backʍards lettres and jumdleb up terms. I have bean told I can not do much better. My freinds have left, sow I am alone again, bak into the cupboaɹd they went.

I put my booʞs away and get into ped; it is ɘasiər that way. I lie, alone, and think. Draem. I dream. I draem about about what it would be lik, to be abel to read, to ʍrite, under stand, freɘly, with no hindɘrance, no headɒches, frustɹation, just a booʞ and i, or a qen. I ɔover my ears and here the sound of classiɔal music, as the noiƨes from downstairƨ get loudɘrandlouderandloube r andloudɘrandlouderandloudər, eveɹy crash synchronisəd with the baɘt of the piauo, keeping in tiɯe to my thoughts about sɔhool and so I sleep. So I tri to sleep. I ƨleep, eveutnally, to teh sound of the piano, looking at the ƨtars out of the window, watɔhing them dancing to that same ƨound, that saɯe beat, that ƨame rhythm. I am in my sanctuary, now, where I do not make mistakes, where my friends are, where my journeys are, where my school and life are not. I can write. I can read. Here, I am no longer dyslexic.

by James Bruce, Year 13.4

Senior School Library Book Reviews Most Popular Books Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9) • Uglies by Scott Westerfeld • Sister, Missing by Sophie McKenzie • The Book Thief by Markus Zusak • The Sniper by James Riordan • An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo Key Stages 4 & 5 (Years 10 to 13) • Plague by Michael Grant • The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness • Killing Mr Griffin by Lois Duncan • Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer • Child X by Lee Weatherly

Noble Conflict by Malorie Blackman Noble Conflict is a brilliantly and creatively written book by Malorie Blackman. Based around the life of Guardian Kaspar Wilding, an 18-year-old boy, it is a pretty good read for young adults. Rather like Divergent by Veronica Roth, it shows the struggle of a young person, finding his way through the world, uncovering the life and lies of the people around him. Like all Malorie Blackman books, Noble Conflict, has a really strong message. Typical to dystopian books, it is set in the future, with a very different history. If not written as carefully as by Malorie Blackman, it could be fairly overwhelming and make the book hard to follow. It is a pretty mature novel, and perhaps a bit gory. However, it is a great read for anyone (Year 8 onwards only!) looking for a dark and complex read, slightly heavy, but definitely worth your while.

Pia Tiwari, Year 9.4

Darcy Burdock by Laura Dockrill Darcy Burdock is a funny, curious little girl who tells us a lot about things that happen to her and how it affects her and her way of looking at the world. She notices a lot of things and is really creative. At times she imagines herself as characters she made up herself like Angrosaurus Rex or even a mermalade. She really wants to be an author when she grows up, so she also puts in many of her stories. Every time something happens to her, she will turn her thoughts into a story for the reader. These compliment the flow of the book and do not distract the reader because the stories are equally funny and endearing. One of the nicest things is that she is very observant so all her descriptions of people she meets and knows and life are pretty realistic. The whole book is pretty funny, but towards the end, she talks about how things grow and change, thus we should never be sad about the way something happened. It is a light read and great for a change. It may seem like a young read, but it can be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

Aboli Datey, Year 9.4

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Book Reviews

Junior School Library Book Reviews Top Books Voted into the Reader’s Cup Competition • Binny for Short by Hilary McKay • The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams • Genius Ideas (mostly) by Liz Pichon • Alice-Miranda in Paris by Jacqueline Harvey • Weasels by Elys Dolan

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Toad Heaven by Morris Gleitzman This book is about toads that are trying to find the national park because the national park allows animals to live there without being harmed. The main character is called Limpy and he is trying to save all his cane toad friends but Limpy was captured by a crazy scientist who gave him an injection. The scientist’s dog told Limpy he had been injected with germs that can kill his family so Limpy tries to stay away from them. It is a good story because it is easy to understand and it is funny. It has interesting words in the book and it has a lot of suspense.

Angus Wood, Year 7.3

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart The Mysterious Benedict Society is about four children called Reynie, Sticky, Kate and Constance who become secret agents for Mr Benedict and go on many different adventures together. I really liked this book because the adventures were very exciting and the author uses very good descriptive language.

Destiny Lim, Year 7.3

Infant School Library Book Reviews Top 5 Most Popular Books

• What Does It Mean to be Safe by Rana DiOrio • Singing Mermaid by Julia Donaldson • The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo Willems • Book of Brilliant Bugs by Dorland Kingsley • Where’s Wally

My favourite books are about ballet. I like reading stories and information books about dancing because I learn ballet after school. When I grow up I want to be a ballerina!

Lara Cannock, Year 1.5 I have lots of favourite books, but ‘The Cat In the Hat’ is my all-time favourite one! I love the pictures, especially the cat drawings.

Felix Collis, Year 1.5 My favourite books are Lego ones. I love Lego books because I play Lego at home with my two brothers and one sister. My brothers read Lego stories after school or whenever I ask them to!

Shayde Eyles, Year 1.5

PTA

PTA Welcome to New Parents

by Caroline Bittar, PTA President

Here at Tanglin we are very lucky that the PTA (Parent Teacher Association) has a fantastic working relationship with the school community. The PTA is a group of mums and a dad who see real importance in keeping our community engaged. Our main purpose is to be a channel of open communication between parents and teachers on all matters affecting the well-being of the school and the welfare and development of the students. We attend the Parent Year Group (PYG) meetings for all three schools and work in partnership with class, year group and PYG representatives to discuss general issues that parents might have.

Changes to the curriculum, food services and facilities have taken place this year as a result of these meetings. In a school as big as Tanglin it is important to know where to go to be heard. The PTA is your voice and we encourage you to become part of the PYG process by sending your comments and engaging with us. Our email address can be found below.

We also arrange social events to raise money for projects at Tanglin and our biggest community event of the year is

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A warm welcome to all new parents who have children joining Tanglin this year. For those of you returning after the summer break, welcome back! the Summer Fete. This year’s Football Fiesta World Cup theme saw some great football being played throughout the day and the Salon catered for World Cup fans, painting faces, nails and hair in country themed colours. There was a great variety of food and as usual, the homemade cakes donated by parents were amazing. The fair must be the only place in Singapore where you can buy books for a dollar! It is an enormous job to take all the books and toy donations and get them ready for the fair. Thank you to everyone who made it possible, to all the parents and children who volunteered to help and also the sponsors, some of who have been supporting these events

for many years. The fair represents the essence of the PTA, an event which gets the whole community together, playing, eating, singing, dancing and catching up with each other. Our daily lives are all so incredibly hectic with all the commitments we have, it’s great to have these events which bring us all together.

In order to recognise their contribution to the school campus, we hosted a tea on Operations Appreciation Day to thank the Operations team who work tirelessly to keep everything running smoothly at the school. On behalf of the community, thank you!

Social events will keep us in touch with one another and the PYG meetings keep the parents engaged with the school.

There are so many ways to be involved.

Please get in touch if you would like to know more. Our email address is: ptaoff@tts.edu.sg

Roving Reporters Getting to know the Head Girl and Boy

by Shriya Vishwanathan, Year 9.8

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What does the Head Girl/Boy actually do?

Simone: A head girl is expected to be a role model to students and a representative of the school.

a 3-minute speech to Years 11, 12 and 13. Finally we had an interview with Ms Barlow, Mr Turrell and Mr Derby-Crook.

All great fun, whilst being somewhat nerve racking and slightly X factor-esque.

Why did you apply?

Adam: The rest of the lead team and I act as go-betweens for the students and the head staff. I’m also anticipating speaking in assemblies and helping to coordinate the Year 13 panto, which both suit me as I’m a bit of a drama queen!

What did you have to do to get the role?

Simone: Applying was a process of different rounds where you had to gain enough votes to make it through to the next stage. It was a brilliant and gripping process that gave everyone who applied more experience in how to present themselves to others.

Adam: We had three rounds; the first was writing a letter of application to the outgoing head team, the second was

Simone: I applied because I have an avid desire to lead. Having seen many head girls before me be so successful and iconic, I wanted to emulate this and have the same experience they did. For most of my life I have found that I naturally tend to lead and found it logical to challenge myself and take it to the next level.

Adam: I was slightly apprehensive at first as I didn’t think I would get anywhere with it, but I asked myself whether I would regret it if I didn’t apply and I suppose the answer was yes.

There are a lot of people in the Head Team - why so many?

Simone: There are high expectations for us achieving great things. Therefore we are able to spread the workload which makes it easier to be successful.

Adam: We are representing a large student body so the size of the team is ideal. It is big enough to allow members with different skill sets and small enough group to ensure that everyone gets their say.

What plans do you have for this year?

Simone: This year coming is Tanglin’s 90th anniversary so the team will be very busy. Adam and I will also be looking to develop ways in which the school can integrate more.

Adam: I like the idea of trying to build on the Sixth Form tutoring for younger students. Sixth Formers who have within the last one or two years achieved A*’s and A’s in subjects in which younger students are struggling seem like the perfect support for these students.

What advice would you have for anyone interested in being on the Head Team?

Simone: Take advantage of all of the opportunities offered to you by the school. Any little bit of leadership experience you can get is beneficial.

Try to get to know as many people from different aspects of the school as possible. And finally, be humble and confident in your own abilities. There’s never a greater obstacle to success than yourself - get to know yourself better so you can present yourself successfully to others.

Adam: Try to get experience in both leading and non-leading roles in teams.

This is how I determined what type of leader I felt I would, and still do, aspire to be. I got this through CCF and sports mainly but these roles exist everywhere.

Don’t let any premonitions of failure stop you.

The Last Word We Are All Lifelong Learners As a learning organisation, there is an expectation that all staff engage in professional development to enhance knowledge and hone skills. At Tanglin, we believe that everyone has the capacity to get better at their job and, in line with our mission statement, we actively encourage staff to engage in lifelong learning.

This process starts with Review and Development (R&D) where we ask staff to reflect on their practice in the context of UK national standards; this enables each individual to identify areas of strength and areas for further improvement. Staff meet with their line manager to outline specific objectives and work on these over the year.

This year, when we launched R&D for Teaching and Learning Assistants (TLAs), we decided to trial the use of learning journals to encourage professional reflection. A great deal of research has been conducted into developing reflective practice and it is widely believed that writing a journal encourages independent learning and facilitates a deeper, more personalised experience and a more productive outcome. With this in mind, the Continuing Professional Development team worked closely with the Infant School Assistant Heads of Year (AHOY) to implement this, with Jen Ticehurst (Reception AHOY) devising an agreed format for the journals.

All of the personal objectives of the TLAs focus on how they can improve student learning. For example, some TLAs are developing their questioning techniques to ensure all children are appropriately challenged, while others are increasing their understanding of the teaching of phonics across the year groups or enhancing their ICT skills to support children’s learning. In order to achieve these objectives, an emphasis has been placed on experiential learning from observing other colleagues across the school. Following observations the TLAs have been encouraged to write an account of the experience and then reflect on what they have learnt and how they will use this to enhance their own practice and techniques.

Earlier this year, the first of the mid-term reviews took place where AHOYs met with each of the TLAs to talk about their progress so far. The learning journals were impressive and showed many learning opportunities such as work shadowing and peer observation along with annotated photographs to show how progress was achieved. The reflections on these experiences clearly showed how the TLAs had linked this new learning to their role in their classroom and the children in their care, demonstrating high levels of accountability for their own learning and development. We are delighted that this approach to professional reflection has been so successful and will be expanding the use of learning journals to other areas of the school.

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by Lisa Cannell, Director of Continuing Professional Development

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Alex Urquhart +65 8118 4770 aurquhart@prime-purchase.com

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95 Portsdown Road, Singapore 139299 www.tts.edu.sg Tel: 6778 0771 Fax: 6777 5862 Email: communications@tts.edu.sg