The Voice Vol 16

The Voice of Tanglin Trust School

Vol 16 01/2014

MCI (P) 039/07/2013

Feature: Growing Up Digital Spotlight: Ascent To Everest Base Camp Senior School: Curiosity, Humility, Community

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Welcome

Welcome to edition 16 of The Voice. I hope that the content is informative and interesting to all community members.

The online version is accessible through issuu.com and (call me an optimist) I have visions of it being read by a number of family members at the same time on different platforms!

The mention of families is very appropriate in the context of our school. What happens in school may be very different from what happens in family life but the relationships, stresses and joys can be similar. You will see from this edition that, across the student body, teaching staff and support staff, we have a number of members of our community from the same families. This is one of the benefits and privileges of an ‘all age’ school. To see your brother, sister, mum or dad during the day can be very reassuring.

The pace of development in technology appears to be unrelenting. No sooner have you mastered the basics on your latest device, than you discover a new model that does more and does it faster!

Some observations, including plenty from students, about the implications of ‘growing up digital’ are shared herein.

We always encourage our students to find out about inspiring people. Technology makes this very doable. However, where we can, we take students to or bring inspirational people in to school to meet face to face with staff and students. So

Contents

04 06 09 10

Staff News The Beautiful Game Spotlight on Clare Anderson-Au Sibling Support

Feature Growing Up Digital

Alumni The Alumni Grant

Spotlight Ascent to Everest Base Camp

12 14 16 18

Our World Taking the TEAM Approach

Infant School Learning Beyond the Classroom

Junior School Recognising Achievement

Senior School Curiosity, Humility, Community

far this year, we have welcomed several high profile visitors to all three sections of the school. Read about some of these fascinating encounters in the Senior School on page 20.

I am very committed to participation in sport and the arts across school. There are numerous benefits to enriching life with these activities. Even though we are only part way through the year, there are far too many special occasions and achievements to report on them all. We feature just some of them in this edition to illustrate their place in our curriculum.

The lure of the challenge is often the reason we do things. A famous climber was asked why he chose to make a very dangerous climb to a peak. His response was, “because it’s there.”

Everest ‘is there’ and, last term, some of our students took on the ascent to Base Camp. Listening to the students who went, it was clearly a once in a lifetime experience. Read the report on page 10.

I am always pleased to have the opportunity to acknowledge the role of the PTA in our community and to thank them for all they do. Funds they raise during their events across the school support our development and often allow us to provide facilities or opportunities earlier than anticipated.

You have no doubt noticed the new Kitchen Studio, sponsored by the PTA,

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Please enjoy this learning walk through the school.

Peter Derby-Crook Chief Executive Officer

Sixth Form Finding Inspiration

Showcase Art • Drama •Music

Sport & Activities Term 1 Highlights

PTA A Look Back at Term 1

Tanglin Trust School Singapore has a long tradition of providing British-based learning with an international perspective. At Tanglin we strive to make every individual feel valued, happy and successful. Responsibility, enthusiasm and participation are actively encouraged and integrity is prized. Working together in a safe, caring yet stimulating environment, we set high expectations whilst offering strong support, resulting in a community of lifelong learners who can contribute with confidence to our world.

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Student Services Love and Logic Parenting comes to Tanglin

Creative Writing A Selection of Infant, Junior & Senior Writing

Book Reviews Infant, Junior, Senior & Parent Reviews

Roving Reporters & The Last Word

‘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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You will notice that in this edition, for the first time, we have included advertisements. As a school, we are mindful of the rising costs of living in Singapore and this is one of a number of initiatives coming from our development team to take pressure off our operating budget which is funded by school fee income. Thank you to AAM Advisory, British Airways, China Collection and the independent buying arm of Savills, Prime Purchase for supporting our school community through their advertising spend. Funds raised are to be used to offset the cost of production of this and a number of other school publications and, importantly, to support upcoming arts and sports tournaments

Tanglin Mission Statement

Editors: Katherine Massey & Ali Fairhurst Design & Layout: Matthew Durant Contributors: Students, Staff and PTA Photography: The Communications Team & other contributors Printer: Oz Print Services

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opposite the Junior School Office. We have been delighted by the demand to use it. Budding MasterChefs are enjoying developing their culinary skills. With the help of the PTA, we have also been able to build a Science Lab in the Junior School and a wonderful new Early Years playground in the Infant School.

Staff News 04

The Beautiful Game by Giles Jacobson, Maths Teacher and Assistant Head of Creativity Action Service (CAS) In April last year, I travelled to Sierra Leone to spend 11 days working in Sierra Leone’s only professional football academy which was set up by the Craig Bellamy Foundation (CBF) on a not-for-profit basis to offer children the opportunity to reach their true potential by nurturing their sporting and academic excellence.

Sierra Leone is the world’s eighth poorest nation and only an estimated one-third of teenagers attend secondary school.

CBF aims to empower through one of the nation’s passions – football. Each August, five year scholarships for the academy are awarded to children aged 11 to 13 who are selected from an extensive national recruitment process. The academy aims to create a stable and positive environment to encourage development in three core areas – athletic, academic and personal.

boys will make a living out of the game, they have superb first touches and close control – at least as good as the best semi-pros I have played with. They also display absolute passion for football. After the training sessions, they would coax me into goal; often we would only just make it in time for the evening meal!

The residential academy is in Tombo, Sierra Leone’s largest fishing village, and is surrounded by lush green mountains overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The eight acre site boasts the country’s best fullsize grass football pitch, classrooms, an office, a dining area and a dormitory.

during lessons and was delighted to have witnessed a couple of ‘light bulb moments’.

I spent most of my time teaching in maths or science classes. The classrooms are basic: donated chairs and desks, a small whiteboard with marker pens and a shelf with a few books and space for student folders and exercise books. Similar to our own students, the boys were polite and eager to learn. I had a lot of fun

The busiest time of day for me was always the evening study session and students would try to book me for these sessions. The thirst for knowledge from every student was phenomenal - they really wanted to make the most of every opportunity and would push me to go further into the concepts they were studying.

After watching the first football training session, I realised I no longer have a chance to make it as a footballer!

Although the reality is that few of these

Weekends are a lot of fun at the academy.

Saturdays are usually all about relaxing; 3.00pm is the time to be in the satellite TV arena which shows every football match currently being played. Weekends are also when the boys are permitted access to their mobile phones. They use this time to charge phones, knowing that the diesel generator is only on each evening for about four hours.

CBF also runs a Youth Development League. Fifty-six clubs from all around the country have youth teams in the league.

It costs only S$2,000 for one team to have kit, transport, balls, drinking water and oranges on match days, and pay the coach stipends for a whole year. Sierra Leoneans are football crazy and CBF is using this innate passion to help generate knowledge and empower the people. The visit was an incredible experience for me personally and professionally. If you would like to find out more about CBF, please email giles.jacobson@tts.edu.sg or visit http://www.craigbellamyfoundation.org/.

Spotlight on Clare Anderson-Au, Assistant Headteacher, Senior School

Whilst in Hong Kong, Clare was selected to be a member of the country’s national Dragon Boat Team and has paddled in competitions all over the world, including in Hawaii, Australia and Asia. A natural sportswoman, Clare also played for the Hong Kong Football Club. So far, her time in Singapore has been spent getting to grips with a new job, a new school and making sure her family is settled. However, she has enjoyed some of the great trail running in Singapore and has started cycling.

When asked about her role at Tanglin, Clare said, “I am looking forward to really getting to know the students. I want to find out what makes them tick and how they fit into the community here. They were a little reticent at first but are gradually becoming more chatty.”

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Clare Anderson-Au joined Tanglin in August this year as Assistant Headteacher in the Senior School with responsibility for care, guidance and support for students in Years 7 to 10. Clare has been teaching for 17 years in total, the last 13 of which have been for the English Schools Foundation in Hong Kong. Originally from the North-east of England, she left the UK in search of adventure and new experiences.

A highlight of Term 1 for Clare was seeing the whole school come together for Our World Day which she thought was “a fantastic experience for everyone involved.”

Clare is a strong believer in team building and sees opportunities to develop this through the Senior School house system. She is also excited about going on some of the Outdoor Education Programmes.

Clare has two children, a son who is 18 months old and a daughter in Reception at Tanglin. She met her husband, Andrew, during her Dragon Boating times; he was also a member of the team. Andrew is Hong Kong Chinese so Clare is having the fascinating experience of being part of a dual culture family.

Sibling Support Tanglin is a family orientated school and we typically think of this in the context of student siblings. However, we also have several sets of siblings working in our Operations Department.

Housekeeping Assistants Low Mei Chan and Low Fong Chan enjoy working in the same team. Fong Chan tells us, “I started working here in 2009. It’s a good place to work and when a vacancy came up, I encouraged my sister to apply.”

James Lee and Lee Chan Tuck work as facilities technicians and enjoy sharing the experience of work, learning from each other and having lunch together! Finally, you may see a family resemblance between brother Osa Adnan, who is in the Operations Support Team, and sister Ha Asinah in the Housekeeping Team!

Feature

Growing Up Digital 06

by John Ridley, Director of Learning

The youth of today are growing up digital. As adults we are continuously ‘wowed’ by developments in technology, whether in a work context – making it easier to collaborate with colleagues, connect with clients, find and process information; or at home – keeping in touch with family and friends no matter how far away, banking and shopping online, organising and sharing the family photos.

Our children are growing up in this world.

They use technology in school and socially that we have only just become familiar with ourselves and, in many cases, that we have not yet discovered.

Whilst this gives them many positive advantages, it also presents major challenges for parents and teachers.

How do we educate children when we are novices too? How do we encourage them to take advantage of all the positives that come with fast, reliable access to the internet, whilst protecting them from the risks? In October last year, we welcomed Robyn Treyvaud, an acknowledged expert in digital literacy, to Tanglin. Robyn worked with parents, teachers and

students to help us tackle some of the challenges with greater confidence.

Robyn is the founder of Cyber Safe Kids (Australia) and has a wealth of experience in the field of digital literacy. She has worked with local education authorities and individual schools in Australia and across Asia. Robyn believes strongly in the need for partnership between schools, parents and students in addressing issues relating to the use of digital media and in managing risks. This is one area where it is very hard to draw a line between home and school and it was good to see a number of interested parents attending the various workshops on offer.

A recurring message that came across very clearly to both staff and student groups was that it is unrealistic to try and shield our young people from everything ‘out there’. Of course we can, and do, take steps to protect children from inappropriate media content, both at school and at home but we also have to accept that the generations that have ‘grown up digital’ will not be able to avoid having an online presence of some kind and that older children will be exploring a range of media as they search for information, whether related to schoolwork or not. As adults, we can guide young people towards safe and responsible use of the internet, and

At Tanglin, we define digital literacy as “having the attitudes and skills to use technology critically, safely, responsibly and respectfully in our world.”

Information literacy requires inquiry skills, digital literacy and critical thinking skills. These skills are relevant at all year groups and across all subjects. As students have access to more and more information from a variety of sources, the ability to select, organise and evaluate that information is increasingly important. educate them about their digital footprint which could have either a positive or negative influence on their futures. So what was the main advice given to parents? This can be summed up as follows: • • •

Be informed Talk with your child Model safe and responsible behaviours yourself

Being informed does not mean staying one step ahead of your children. It is not a competition and, as they get older, they will pick things up far faster than you.

However, it does mean taking an interest in what activities your children participate in online and finding out as much as you can about what is involved. Robyn pointed out that often the best place to get that information is from the children themselves which leads to the opportunity to talk with them.

Note that the emphasis is on talking ‘with’ rather than talking ‘to’ your children; the aim is to establish a good relationship so that you can both talk about concerns without being judged. Children learn a great deal from their parents, especially at a young age, by watching and copying. If you want to introduce any house rules for the use of technology in the home, it can be very effective if the adults are seen to follow those rules as well. These points were reinforced strongly by groups of students who worked with Robyn during the week and later presented to parents and younger students.

In specially tailored workshops with Robyn, our Junior School Computer Managers were able to discuss cybersafety issues and to come up with practical and sensible advice to pass on to their peers and younger students. Robyn was very impressed by the maturity shown by the children in completing the workshops and said, “I found working with the Junior School students affirming in that they understand some but not all of the challenges about what it means to grow up digital. They are very receptive to advice and information to help them navigate their online experiences and to share their knowledge and understanding with other children.”

Asking student ‘experts’ to work with other children is a very powerful technique for getting important messages across. The advice is given in child friendly language and draws on the personal experiences of students who have grown up in very similar environments. On the right are some of the messages that our Junior students wanted to pass on.

“If you lie about your age then you can end up speaking to someone older in an adult situation which we need to avoid …so please don’t lie.”

“Bullies can be cowardly online because they feel like that they have a protective shield.”

“Parents need to support us and discuss things with us if we make a mistake such as being tempted to look at something we shouldn’t, because then we will learn not to do it again.”

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Digital literacy is an important part of the wider concept of information literacy which has been identified as a whole school area of focus this year. Information literacy means simply “knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in a principled manner.”

08 In the Senior School, student leaders from the We Are Your Voice (WAYV) team also attended workshops. Following some input from Robyn, they worked in groups to consider their own experiences and carry out some further research to prepare them to give presentations and act as facilitators in two parent workshops.

After a day of focused activity, Steve Morgan, Head of Technology for Learning, commented that this had been one of the best days of learning that he has seen in his eight years at Tanglin: “This was authentic, enquiry based learning, with genuine engagement from all the students involved.”

The students showed impressive levels of confidence and maturity during the

parent workshops. Parents of students in Years 11, 12 and 13 were particularly interested to hear about the experiences of our oldest students who have learned strategies for dealing with the risks, temptations and distractions of internet use through their teenage years. The following introduction that the students wrote to their presentation gives a summary of their balanced views: “Growing up essentially involves our search for an identity which is central to us. Today, much of our identity is dictated by our online profiles, whether it’s through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter – we are growing up the digital way. In a school like Tanglin, where most of us are third culture kids, this makes the process of finding our identity a lot more vital.

But, when does our quest to maintain our online persona affect our real lives, hindering our social interactions because we are too involved in our online lives to focus on the physical relationships around us? And, are we being genuine about who we really are? A lot of the time, who we are online differs greatly from who we are in real life.

Social sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn help us stay connected and build networks in which we can thrive and better our social interactions. We can be more open about who we are on large networks such as Facebook or Twitter, which can help us increase our confidence.”

All the student leaders emphasised that they want to be able to talk with parents about the challenges and dilemmas that they face. The final word, and some food for thought, should perhaps go to the WAYV team, “…beyond a point, parents cannot protect their child from the dangers of internet use, even if they can manage the time they spend on it. What is important is that parents talk with their children, to come up with safe and efficient ways in which they can use the internet without hindering their social and academic life.”

Alumni

The Alumni Grant Last summer, I was delighted to be awarded an Alumni Grant to travel to Yorkshire in the UK to compete in the European Flowboarding Championships. For the many people who have never heard of this, flowboarding is an extreme board sport that can be done at Wave House on Sentosa. I have been flowboarding for just over three years, competing at all levels from local junior competitions to world championships.

Twenty-five percent of the funds I needed for the trip came from my two sponsors, Sanguis Inc. and Flying Frenchman Flowboards. I then used money I had saved from my part time job as a lifeguard on Sentosa’s beaches to raise another 25%. This made up half of the trip’s costs and the Alumni Grant matched this to give me all the funds I needed.

The European Flowboarding Championships were held at the end of August in an area of Yorkshire called Castleford. The competition was held over the course of one day and attracted competitors from all over Europe. I had one heat early on in the day which I won and so proceeded straight on to the finals. I was very happy with my performance in the finals and was delighted to receive first place for the professional female division.

The first place prize that I won was an all expenses paid trip to the World Championships in Arizona, USA in October. This trip was incredible and I managed to make it to the finals, placing fourth overall. News of the results of both of these competitions spread to my university which, in response, has put me on an athlete bursary programme. I can’t thank the Alumni Grant programme enough for this opportunity; the two trips were the highlight of my summer.

The Alumni Grant is a matching grant awarded, within 12 months of graduation, to Tanglin graduates who satisfy the requisite criteria. To find out more about the Alumni Grant, contact our Alumni Manager, Mrs Nellie Rogers at alumni@tts.edu.sg or visit the website at alumni.tts.edu.sg.

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by Leanna Crowley, Alumni, Class of 2013

Spotlight

Ascent to Everest Base Camp 10

by Shriya Vishwanathan, Year 8.8

Last term, 19 students set off from Tanglin with the exciting aim of reaching Everest Base Camp. Mount Everest, or Chomolungma as it is also known, is the highest mountain in the world at 8,848 metres above sea level, quite a difference from the highest point in Singapore which is Bukit Timah at 163 metres! The challenging return trek from Lukla to Base Camp at 5,135 metres took 12 days; at 5,000m the air contains just 50% of the available oxygen compared with Singapore. I caught up with some of the students who went on the trek to find out more.

Why did you want to go to Everest?

Sophie Brown, Year 11.5 (SB): I wanted to go for the experience of the trek and for the sense of achievement when we, as a team, reached the goal of Everest Base Camp. Although I didn’t make it to the top, the rest of the group did and I am proud of that achievement for them.

Ellen Deely, Year 11.5 (ED): I went to Everest as not only did it seem an amazing experience but I wanted to challenge myself outside the classroom.

Harvey Gardner, Year 13.10 (HG): It really isn’t an opportunity that arises very often and I loved the escape, leaving the bustling city and getting away from all the noise and light pollution – it was pretty magical.

What was the best thing?

SB: The evenings. Even though we were exhausted after a long day of trekking, we all had loads of fun playing cards.

ED: When I got to Everest Base Camp.

Throughout the hiking there were times that I doubted myself but when I reached my goal I was overcome with a great feeling of accomplishment.

HG: Every night before going to bed, a couple of mates and I would step outside and just look up. Not only is the landscape breathtaking but the stars there are one of a kind. I miss it!

Were there any problems? How did you overcome them?

SB: I suffered from altitude sickness quite early on in the trip and I only made it through thanks to the constant support of my group and our trek leaders. I ended up being evacuated by helicopter, which

was really scary! They put me on oxygen for three hours after a panic attack and then air lifted me out. I remember seeing the route that we had all climbed and although part of me was sad that it had all gone to waste, I then realised that it was showing just how far we had all come.

HG: To be honest I can’t think of a single one, it’s the challenge this sort of trip presents that makes it what it is. Any difficulties just made it that much more rewarding.

11 What did you learn about yourself and others?

SB: I learnt that on trips that involve high intensity conditions people work better together as a group. Everyone was really supportive of each other and it was really great to see that.

ED: I think one of the most important things I learnt about myself was that if you really are passionate about doing something, you can.

HG: I learnt that I’m not as mentally tough as I would like to think! The hours of walking (sometimes eight or nine a day) started to get to me after the first week or so. But, on a plus note, walking through those sorts of places, where people barely have enough to support themselves let alone a family, really puts into perspective how good we have it over here in Singapore.

How did you feel when you reached Base Camp?

ED: I had a lot of things going through my mind; it made me think of the bigger picture. In school, we generally stress over such small things but when you accomplish something like this, you realise how miniscule all those things really are.

HG: I was over the moon. The trek leaders kept telling us not to focus on reaching Base Camp but to just appreciate where we were and what we were overcoming on our journey up. That

said, I couldn’t help feeling like my trip was finally complete once we got there.

What is your favourite memory of the trip?

SB: I have several great memories but two of my favourites were the day we reached the snow line at Pheriche and the first time we saw Everest. Everyone was so happy and excited and it was a really great atmosphere.

ED: My favourite memory was definitely reaching Base Camp.

HG: I loved the flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. If you happen to know how the airport in Lukla is set out, you’ll realise why! Not only had I never been in a

position to appreciate just how beautifully vast our planet is, but the landing was really quite something.

Our World Taking the TEAM Approach as Together Everyone Achieves More

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by Angela Dawson Assistant Headteacher, Infant School

Tanglin’s push to become a more environmentally friendly school involves everyone, from Eco-Monitors in the Infant School to the Green Team in the Junior School and the Tanglin Goes Greener (TaGG) group in the Senior School.

Going Green in the Garden City Through decades of planning and cultivation, Singapore has earned the name of the Garden City and has recently been recognised as being a destination for environmental tourism. The government is showing increased interest in spreading the word on environmental sustainability and Singapore is beginning to realise it has a huge role to play both locally and internationally.

This year, the country hosted the global showpiece for Earth Hour, where, for the first time, the public was encouraged to play an active role in powering the event through a kinetic dance out. The global campaign this year to educate children about nature and bio-diversity took on a special meaning as 2013 marked 50 years of ‘greening’ Singapore. Children from 237 schools in the country, including Tanglin, planted more than 630 Green Wave trees.

As part of Tanglin’s Our World ethos, we continue to promote sustainability through every aspect of our planning and decision-making including the way we deliver our curriculum, to raise environmental awareness and interact with others within school and beyond.

Since 2007, we have examined the school’s carbon footprint and energy efficiency in detail and all members of the school community are encouraged to use resources wisely – reduce consumption, reuse materials and recycle.

The Challenges The biggest user of energy in school is the air-conditioning system. Whilst we need to cool the buildings to be comfortable, we also need to educate students and staff about the impact on energy usage of setting thermostats too low and leaving air con running in an empty room. To address this, we introduced PAL (PC, Air Con and Lights). Being a PAL to the environment

involves everyone; within the Infant School, Eco-Monitors regularly patrol classrooms and carry out spot checks in different parts of the school. They have regular meetings with CEO Mr Derby-Crook to report their findings on their eco-walks – a job they take very seriously.

The Eco-Schools Bronze Award Tanglin was recently awarded the EcoSchools Bronze Award. Eco-Schools is an international award programme that guides schools on their sustainable journey, providing a framework to help embed these principles into the heart of school life. The award followed the implementation of recommendations set out in an audit of our current environmental awareness and practice. The audit was carried out by a whole school Eco Group comprising students, teachers and support staff from all three sections of the school as well as members of the Management and Operations teams.

The cross campus Eco Group will now be working on implementing our action plan as we go for the Silver Award, and ultimately the prestigious Green Flag.

Fluorescent and low energy bulbs are used in most places across the school and light control sensors have been placed in busy public areas.

TaGG recently completed a vertical garden project which qualified for Green Mark Gold through a scheme that encourages energy efficient features to be incorporated in new buildings.

In Year 7, PSHCE sessions are designed to introduce reflection time for students about the environment that they live in.

This is followed up with a project where home energy usage across the form group is measured across a five month period.

Students studying Environmental Systems and Societies in the Senior School regularly have hands on experience and chances to see how practical solutions are found to everyday problems. One Year 12 group recently worked with a local ranger from Bali Barat National Park.

The group then took part in a variety of sustainable projects including visiting an underwater bio-rock project.

World Environment Day is a regular event within the Infant School. Varied projects have included a Friends of the Forest Day, where activities reinforced the important message that quality of life is linked directly to the health of forests and their eco-systems. Across the school children were engaged in a range of creative activities focused on the importance of ‘Reusing, Reducing and Recycling’ materials.

Waste Wednesday involved Junior and Senior children looking at how much recyclable material is generated on an average day. The results led to some eye catching new bins being placed around the school to encourage everyone to recycle.

For Beyond Earth Hour – Take the Challenge, teachers across the three schools set ‘I Will If You Will’ challenges for their classes. For example, Nursery 6 will turn off the class computer for the whole week if parents say ‘no’ to plastic shopping bags.

Eco top tips are regularly circulated on the electronic screens around the school. For example, THINK before you EAT to SAVE our environment and buy locally grown fruit and vegetables from wet markets instead of individually wrapped air flown items from large supermarkets.

In addition to supporting Earth Hour, in November last year we took part in Switch Off Fortnight. Both initiatives saw significant savings of electricity. Going forward, the challenge is how to take the changes in behaviour that we apply during these one off events and make them into habits that we incorporate into our everyday lives.

If you are interested in finding out more about Tanglin’s eco initiatives, please contact John Ridley, Director of Learning at john.ridley@tts.edu.sg

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What energy-saving and eco-friendly initiatives are in place across the school?

Infant School

Learning Beyond the Classroom 14

by Geraldine Chandran, Headteacher, Infant School

Active learning is a fundamental principle of our infant curriculum and there is no better way to achieve this than by providing the children with first hand, real life experiences that often act as a catalyst for new learning or complement ongoing learning. Opportunities for learning beyond the classroom are provided in all infant year groups and what follows will hopefully give you a flavour of the wonderful range of experiences our children have had during Term 1 in the Infant School.

Nursery

The first adventure beyond the classroom for Nursery children is to Labrador Park. One of the challenges for our eager young learners is beginning their journey by travelling on a bus. As their first school field trip, this is an exciting time to be with their new Nursery friends, building relationships through their shared experiences.

Once at Labrador Park out in the wider world, the children begin to explore the environment using their senses, looking for things as diverse as a tiny ant to a giant banyan tree! As they begin to develop their Learner Profile attributes, children are encouraged to be thoughtful inquirers, approaching new experiences with enthusiasm and a thirst for knowledge. Following on from the visit, children are given opportunities to build upon their learning through a range of classroom activities. Each year, exciting new ideas have been developed including leaf printing, making ants with junk modelling and beautiful memory trees.

Later in the school year, the Nursery children visit the Chinese Gardens, travelling by bus and train – an exciting adventure! The children experience handling money and buying their own ticket with their carefully counted out dollars and cents.

Reception

In Term 1, the children in Reception get to compare two shopping locations, Ghim Moh Wet Market and Cold Storage at One North. The purpose of this visit is to compare two contrasting shopping venues and find out about the jobs which people do within each place. Children are encouraged to observe print and technology, looking at things like the size of the print, print supported by pictures, the use of colour to attract people’s interest and the use of lower case and upper case letters. Phonics skills and picture cues are also put to good use when trying to read a label. Back at school the children create their own wet markets and supermarkets and role play using language related to weight, money and number. They also write shopping lists and read and write signs in their shops.

Later in the year the children visit the Singapore Zoo. On all our Outdoor Education programmes the children are encouraged to demonstrate some of the Learner Profile attributes, in particular, being risk takers, communicators, open-minded, reflective, inquirers and knowledgeable.

Year 1

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During Term 1, the children enjoy an exciting field trip to West Coast Park.

They put their geographical skills to good use in following a map to find the hidden treasure. Teachers are looking to see not only that the children can follow a route using a map but, more importantly, that they have an experience that adds relevance and depth to the curriculum being delivered in school.

Being the first person to reach the next clue on the treasure hunt, leading their group and telling their parents where they need to go next, all provide valuable opportunities for the children to develop their sense of leadership, communication and collaboration. After the treasure is discovered, team activities such as parachute and ball games are organised.

This group interaction helps the teachers to develop their relationships with the children early on in the term.

Back at school, the children create their own 2D maps and 3D models of the park and direct toys around routes they create, using lots of geographical language.

From a science perspective, the children are encouraged to think about their senses and take time to focus on what they can see, hear, smell, taste and touch whilst at the park. In English, the children produce wonderful poems linked to these sensory experiences.

Later in the year, the children visit the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden, part of the Botanical Gardens, where they experience the wonder of nature and have a memorable learning experience which is used as a stimulus for the children’s learning in science.

Year 2

Outdoor Education in Year 2 plays a key role in supporting learning, helping the children to consolidate key skills and concepts taught in the classroom. In Term 1, the children visit Bollywood Veggies as part of their topic Extraordinary Lives. The visit offers the children real life opportunities to use scientific vocabulary and to explore plants and animals in their natural setting, learning about all of the parts of a plant and which animals live within a specific habitat. The visit also helps the children to further develop the Learner Profile qualities, which permeate all that we do in Year 2, by encouraging them to inquire about the world around them. The children show that they are able to co-operate and work together and care for plants and animals.

In Term 2, the children visit the Images of Singapore museum as part of their topic Magnificent Minds. This visit allows the children to find out about the history of Singapore and to learn more about how the thoughts and ideas of Sir Stamford Raffles contributed to present day Singapore.

Junior School

Recognising Achievement 16

by Clair Harrington-Wilcox, Deputy Headteacher, Junior School and members of the Junior Curriculum team Recognising our children’s achievement throughout the curriculum is an important part of life in the Junior School. We have introduced a variety of new challenges and opportunities over the last couple of years to enable more children to fully realise their potential and spark their natural interest. At the end of last term, in a special Achievement Assembly, we shared with the community the successes of some of these more recent endeavours.

History by Martin Stevens, Project Leader, Historian Award Last year, saw the launch of the inaugural Historian of the Year Awards for the Junior School. This year, the search was on even earlier! All four Junior year groups have had the opportunity to get involved in a weekly History Quiz. The children formed themselves into teams, came up with a team name and answered questions of varying degrees of difficulty. It has been great to see some children returning week after week to participate. Each year group had a winning team which was acknowledged at our special Achievement Assembly.

The Arts by Theresa Chapman, Head of Junior Drama We are delighted to have introduced the Arts Awards into the Junior School and congratulate the students who successfully achieved their Arts Award Discover and Arts Award Explore certificates. The Arts Award Scheme encourages children to discover the arts, find out about artists and their work and share their experiences with others. Children who completed this award participated in the collaboration with Scottish Opera earlier this year.

The Explore Award is accredited as an Entry Level 3 qualification where children collect their arts experiences in an arts log, recording what they find and enjoy.

Children completed this award through participating in the International School Theatre Association (ISTA) primary schools festival hosted at Tanglin.

“Participating in the Arts Award was really fun.

My favourite part was where we did an actual performance for all our parents because I loved showing them everything I had learned at the ISTA festival.” Sydney Wright Year 6.3

PE by Chris Rawlings, Head of Primary PE In recognition of outstanding effort, progress, leadership skills and performance in the PE curriculum, we awarded a total of 128 ‘Paws’ in Term 1. We would like to congratulate our children and acknowledge their superb commitment. In addition, the gymnastics team excelled themselves in last term’s FOBISIA and PRIME competitions with the following results: 3 Team Silver and 3 Team Bronze medals, along with 3 Gold, 9 Silver and 8 Bronze medals for Individual Girls and 6 Gold, 8 Silver and 5 Bronze medals for Individual Boys.

Chinese by Chun Ting Hsu, Head of Primary Chinese A group of nine children from the Chinese as an Additional Language (CAL) group participated in the Singapore Chinese International Competition at River Valley High School last term.

They performed brilliantly with an average score of 36 out of 40 and also presented their fantastic Chinese GongFu dance with fans and sticks in the Talent Show.

Fei chang hao!

Over the next two terms, we are looking forward to sharing the further successes of those who enter the following competitions and events and take advantage of some of the rich opportunities available: The Readers Cup in both English and Chinese; public speaking in Chinese; our junior artists working with Artists-in-Residence; budding dramatists taking part in the Primary ISTA Festival; mathematical challenges; Tanglin ‘Scientists in Motion’; and a continual array of musical and sporting endeavours. We look forward to recognising some of the achievements of our talented children in future Achievement Assemblies.

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Music by Fiona Knight Lucas Head of Junior Music The Junior Music Department was delighted to recognise our Music Captains, who have assisted with the smooth running of the music department, and 40 children who have taken a risk and performed as soloists in lunchtime recitals and assemblies. We were also thrilled to acknowledge the 36 children who have received the first Music Awards to learn a woodwind or brass instrument, supported by the TTS Foundation, and students who have achieved exceptionally high marks in their ABRSM music examinations.

Senior School

Curiosity, Humility, Community 18

by Neil Turrell, Headteacher, Senior School

Last term, we formally introduced the concepts of curiosity, humility and community to students in the Senior School as themes that, after much reflection and discussion, it was felt embodied the now well-developed ethos of the Senior School. There are many opportunities for students to develop a sense and genuine understanding of these values throughout their time in the Senior School. Read on to see just some examples from last term.

Curiosity

Languages Week in the Senior School last term was designed to give students a chance not just to practise their linguistic skills, but to exercise their natural curiosity about the culture and customs of other countries. Activities throughout the week included French poetry readings, lunchtime karaoke in any language other than English, a mufti day to celebrate cultural diversity, themed assemblies and calligraphy. A diverse blend of food

was served in the canteen all week and students tested their own culinary skills, MasterChef style, in the teaching kitchen, experimenting with the flavours of Spain, Germany, China and France.

Similarly, Science Week gave students many opportunities to explore how Science can be applied in the real world and how the urge to explore leads to scientific progress. With a theme of ‘Mission to Mars’, biology, chemistry,

physics and environmental systems students from Year 12 worked on a collaborative research enterprise.

Other students took part in some lively competitions and animated experiments, and there were lunchtime lectures and visits to iFly and Rolls Royce. The week culminated in a Science Fair that showcased projects, displays and activities drawn from the work carried out in the various events and lessons during the week.

19 Humility

Community

Sacha Jackman, Year 12.5, works with Beyond Social Services (BSS) and has this to say about her experience; “Every Wednesday, we leave school at 2.15pm to work with the children at BSS. This organisation helps disadvantaged children to get back into the school system and one of our main aims is to help the children out with their learning.

Every week, I see the same kids there and I have got to know the children and their individual personalities very well.

In each session, the children bring their homework and we help them in the areas they are struggling with. If we get through their work quickly, we often play games together afterwards. We have found that over the months, our bond with the children has become stronger and we have established friendships with them that have changed both of us and made us more aware of other cultures.�

Another excellent House event in the Senior School was the Christmas Charity Fun Run to raise money for the Philippines Disaster Fund. In high spirits and wearing Santa hats, reindeer antlers or snowflake socks, staff and students set off on a 3km course at Kent Ridge Park.

In spite of the heat and hills, the Heads of Houses and House Captains proved their fitness by completing the course several times, supported by volunteers who came along to marshal and provide refreshments.

One of the ways we encourage our students to develop a perspective on their place in the world is through the service element of our Creativity Action Service (CAS) Programme. We work with several local organisations to build meaningful and useful links within the community.

Fostering a strong sense of community is one of the defining features of Tanglin and, last term, this was evident on Senior House Day. House Days are an opportunity for students across all ages in the Senior School to work together in a positive, friendly atmosphere to build relationships, confidence and a sense of belonging. The range of activities this year included human fusball, three-legged football and the making of mascots, shakers, hats and whistles for a Brazilianthemed parade to round the day off. It was a delight to see the cohesive spirit and level of collaboration across different age groups.

In the Senior School, we strive to create a culture where curiosity is nurtured and where student success is driven by genuine engagement with learning. We feel it is important that our students gain a sense of humility through exposure to a diversity of natural phenomena and human experience, leading them to want to make a difference, to act creatively and to think critically. We aim for every individual to be respected, known and cared for within our community.

Sixth Form

Finding Inspiration 20

by Julie Barlow, Assistant Headteacher, Senior School, Head of Pastoral Care, Guidance and Support (Upper School)

Term 1 of each academic year for our Sixth Formers is a catalyst to look ahead. As Year 12 students settle into more flexible routines and embrace new opportunities, they must also start to consider seriously what to do after Sixth Form. In Year 13, decisions have to be made and the focus for the majority in the first term of the year is on submitting applications for higher education.

There is a huge amount of information, support and guidance in place to help with the decision making process. Part of the process is for students to understand their skills and personal qualities, their potential and to identify what makes them feel fulfilled – essentially the point where natural talent meets personal passion. The sources of inspiration for this insight can be widespread. Throughout the year, we welcome fascinating speakers from all walks of life who we hope will enrich our students’ understanding of life beyond education and help them to find their own path in life. Below is a taster of just some of the lectures our students attended and the guests who visited the Sixth Form last term.

Professor A C Grayling

by Tim Baark, Year 12.8 In October, we had the privilege of hosting the celebrated philosopher, Professor A C Grayling. Notable for having penned numerous books regarding philosophy and for the recent creation of his new university, the New College of the Humanities, Professor Grayling was in Singapore to attend the Singapore Writers Festival. His talk at Tanglin discussed the importance of the humanities. With the fascinating nature of his ideas and captivating oratory style, his talk was riveting and the Sixth Form was full of students eager to hear him speak.

Professor Grayling discussed how the need for an understanding of the humanities was universal, applying not only to the individual, although he did stress this as well, but also to society. He stated that a well-rounded and sophisticated society could not exist without the humanities and the understanding of human endeavour which comes across in the study of them.

At the end of the talk, Tanglin students were eager to ask Grayling for insight into his views regarding various issues relating to the talk.

It was an absolute honour to hear Professor Grayling speak and the truth of this can be seen in the effect his presence had on the students. It led many to ponder their outlook on life and their choices moving forward.

Professor Robert Merton

Sir Paul Nurse by Shenya Dhinagaran, Year 13.5

biology associated with the cell cycle but the lessons learnt from his research experiences.

In October, a group of A Level and IB students visited Nanyang Technological University to attend a lecture on the cell cycle. The guest speaker was the worldrenowned Nobel Prize laureate, Sir Paul Nurse who gave a generic overview about the importance of a controlled cell cycle before giving specific anecdotes about his genetic approach to investigation.

We were pleased that all the scientific language did not sound foreign to our ears. However, the most valuable information for us was not the intricate

Being a group of budding scientists, we were particularly keen to learn about scientific research after university. What appeared unusual to many of us was the fact that he spoke of achievements in his research in terms of months and years instead of hours and days. This gave us an idea of the time consuming nature of the vocation.

Professor Nurse was a witty speaker and shared his wisdom generously. He stated that “Science is the pursuit of truth” and

spoke about academic honesty when his results did not replicate the findings he expected. Instead of tweaking the results, he repeated his research before finally accepting that he must have been working on a flawed hypothesis.

His journey through professional science has clearly been one of experiencing many highs with a number of successful discoveries and quite a few lows when the hurdles seemed too high to clear.

Hearing them all from the man himself was a fantastic experience. We were all very grateful for the opportunity and look forward to attending more lectures by outstanding scientists in the future.

Mark Ormrod Humility, resilience and triumph over adversity – just a few considerations that passed through the minds of many of our Senior School students who attended a presentation by former Royal Marine Mark Ormrod. In one heart-stopping moment, Mark’s life was brutally shattered when he stepped on a landmine on Christmas Eve, 2007 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The injuries he sustained resulted in a double amputation of his legs above the knee and the amputation of his right arm above the elbow.

Mark shared with students how he dealt with going from being a 24-year-old elite Royal Marine Commando to being a 24-year-old disabled person. He also shared his many achievements since his injury which include learning to use prosthetic limbs; running across America from New York to Los Angles for charity; driving a car; swimming with his prosthetics; cycling the coastline of the UK to raise funds for military charities; getting married and becoming a father.

The mixed bag of emotions – shock, admiration and humour – were almost tangible as Mark laced his presentation with fact, inspirational comment and laughter. His candour made many reflect again on their own problems, worries and priorities. Here are some comments from our students and some of the staff who heard Mark speak:

“Outstanding... made me really think about my own life.”

“Utterly inspiring – he showed us that no matter what the challenge, we can rise to it.”

“He taught me that no matter what happens you should never give up.” “...he still managed to do a lot of hard things that even people with all their limbs would find really hard.”

“What he has done is truly amazing; he has inspired me to really pursue my dreams.”

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Economics and Business Studies Sixth Form students had the exceptional experience of meeting Professor Robert Merton last term. Currently resident scientist at Dimensional Fund Advisers, Professor Merton developed a next generation integrated pension management solution system that addresses deficiencies associated with traditional plans. In 1997, he received the Alfred Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Professor Merton talked to the students about his own career pathway, the significance of economics in society and things to bear in mind when choosing what to study at university. Amongst other things, he advised our students to stay open-minded about their choices and reminded them that many successful people change jobs and areas of interest before settling on an area of expertise.

Showcase: Art • Dance • Drama • Music

Art 22

Exciting Art Across the Curriculum

by Peter Hinckley, Head of Primary Art and Design

Throughout the Junior and Infant Schools, the children enjoy a wide range of exciting art activities carefully integrated into other areas of the curriculum but without diluting the essential focus of skills progression and development in different media and techniques.

Stepping into the Infant School, children experience a vivid, exciting and dynamic integration of art across the whole curriculum. Using a wealth of 2D and 3D media, techniques and environments, imaginative creativity is nurtured. For example, in Year 1, the children produced superb observational drawings of their favourite toys, linked to their focus of Toys, Then and Now. In Year 2, within the theme of Thailand, the children learned about Thai elephants and developed their observational and fine motor skills in drawing.

The approach of inspiring through integrating art continues in the Junior School. Year 3 sees a focus on printing skills within the topic of India, with the children designing, making and printing their own prints based on their observational sketches of Peacock feathers.

In Year 4’s thematic focus on Ancient China, the students researched the Terracotta Army. The children thoroughly enjoyed crafting a warrior in clay, learning the technique of sculpting and hollowing out clay to create a figurine.

In Year 5, progressive skills in representing tonal variations were incorporated into paintings of mountains linked to the theme Into Thin Air. In Year 6, an integration of ICT and art enabled students to study the work of Andy Warhol through creating their own Andy Warhol images using digital graphics programs.

Showcase: Art • Dance • Drama • Music

Drama “Drama is not about playing games and doing everything with your friends. It’s about finding new friends and learning to play with them.”

Manav Virmoni and Max Grobman, Year 4.2

The development and understanding of ensemble skills is at the core of everything we do in Junior and Senior drama.

These ensemble skills include: commitment; communication; concentration; co-operation; integration; listening; organisation; planning; taking risks; and trusting others.

These skills are the basis of every drama lesson - the tools of the trade – where all students work and create with others. In drama, working in an ensemble allows students to grow and be nurtured in a supportive environment. Drama is not only about polished performance skills but about the creative process of working with others and the ability to work through consensus and differences or obstacles to achieve a goal.

“Drama really makes our class work as one.

Drama is the only subject where I don’t worry what others think of me, I can be myself, because I trust others.” Grace Conlan, Year 7.1

“Working on concentration skills through drama has helped me improve my focus in other lessons.”

Isabella Li, Year 9.2

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Ensemble Skills in Drama

by Ian Peirson, Head of Senior Drama and Theresa Chapman, Head of Junior Drama

Showcase: Art • Dance • Drama • Music

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Music Infant Music Update by Delphine Hastwell, Head of Infant Music

Junior Music Update by Fiona Knight Lucas, Head of Junior Music

Senior Music Update by Helen Owain, Head of Senior Music

Last term, Year 2 lunchtime activities started including a choir of nearly 70 members, three recorder clubs and an infant string group which also includes Year 1 children. Playing together in a large group, Year 1 learned songs about their bodies and played a variety of percussion instruments. They also looked at music linked to toys and listened to different types of classical music. Music and movement was the focus for Nursery and Reception who used ribbons and scarves in lessons and class sessions.

We have had a very busy start to the year in the Junior Music Department! A highlight of the term was the Year 4 Concert ‘Walking on a Chinese Wall’, featuring all Year 4 children in a wonderful display of talent including performances on the violin, ukulele, xylophone and angklung as well as some fantastic dance and incredibly uplifting singing. The children

Music is going from strength to strength in the Senior School with exciting developments both in and out of the classroom. Senior music ensembles are flourishing with more students involved than ever before and the recent Senior Ensembles Concert in October showcased the excellent standards.

All infant children worked hard to prepare for their Christmas events. Nursery had a lovely sing-along and Reception entertained parents with Christmas songs during Open Mornings. Year 1 joined Year 2 children in performing at the PTA Christmas Fair and Year 2 put on a fabulous Christmas concert to get everyone in a festive mood.

delighted us all with their enthusiasm and talent. With record numbers of children in our ensembles this year, we have been treated to some wonderful performances in assemblies and events throughout the term. Many students have also demonstrated excellent skills in solo performances in our ever popular lunchtime recitals and open mic events.

Our aim is to provide all students with the opportunity to perform in an ensemble, regardless of instrument or level of experience and it has been pleasing to see many seniors taking advantage of this. Classroom music is also proving to be very popular and our practice based curriculum in Years 7 to 9 is encouraging students to develop their performing and composing skills, also giving them the confidence and ability to succeed at music for the rest of their school career.

Sport & Activities Term 1 Highlights

Cross country is not just running in the mud! Over the last 18 months, new life has been injected into our cross country programme and it has grown from a small recreational CCA to a highly competitive and extremely successful team of over 100 students.

Both the Junior and Senior teams (Juniors pictured below) have over 50 runners who train twice a week and take part in regular cross country meets all over Singapore. This increased popularity means we now have to trial within PE lessons for places in the team. Key events last term included the ACSIS Junior Cross Country Championships at Tampines Bike Park, which saw 16 international schools from Singapore and over 800 children compete. Our runners’ commitment to intense training paid dividends, with outstanding results not to mention great team spirit. At senior level, Tanglin hosted eight international schools and over 100 students from the region in the SEASAC Cross Country Tournament over two days. Many thanks to PE staff Chris Rawlings, Maria Moylan and Mark Scoular for their hard work and dedication in making the cross country programme so successful. And well done to all our cross country runners!

U15 Girls Touch Rugby, Brisbane by Claire Devine, Coach Inspirational is the only way to describe the efforts of this exceptional group of young women. The competition was fierce and, at times, flawless but this determined and focused team ploughed on and proved that, as long as you communicate and work together, anything is possible.

Twelve of the Tanglin team scored, with the remaining two proving their skills in defence.The standards of Touch Rugby at Tanglin are rising exponentially and we should be proud of each and every player’s achievements. Special mention should go to Captain Bronte Sykes, Y11.8 and Vice Captain Hollie Byles, Y11.3 for their leadership and focus.

Top scorer of the tour went to Charlotte Phillipson, Y10.7 with the final touchdown created from a superb and determined sprint by a spritely Grace Burton, Y10.5, who erased last year’s quarter finalists, offloading the ball in the last second to score the touch down.

Brisbane is always an incredible experience for the girls as we get to see a different level of play rarely shared in Singapore. Everyone benefited and the team was a credit to the school.

“Having the opportunity to attend this type of tournament is a great experience for us all. Throughout the competition, we showed determination, focus, teamwork and fair play in keeping with the Tanglin spirit. Go Tanglin!” Hollie Byles, Year 11.3

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Cross Country by Colin Morris, Director of Sport and Activities

Swimming Update by David Hailey, Director of Aquatics Feeding Frenzy

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The final weekend of last term saw an excited TTS Merlions team return to Patana School, Bangkok for the annual Feeding Frenzy swim meet. This year’s team included swimmers from Years 5 to 10 and it was great to see the age barriers broken down almost instantly as the team bonded over Christmas carols on the outward journey. The event attracted a record 16 schools from around South East Asia and nearly 600 swimmers over the three days.

The Merlions had worked extremely hard in training leading up to the event and our 37 swimmers were eager to get into the pool. The first session saw five Merlions swimmers competing in distance events, each swim resulting in a personal best. In the final swim of the day, Ayushi Chandaria, Y11.6 secured the Kenyan national record for the 400 IM. Saturday saw all the Merlions competing in a variety of 100m and 200m events. By lunchtime, we had accumulated no less than 83 personal bests and 20 medals.

The spirit of the Merlions, already at an all time high, was further fuelled by the achievements of the afternoon. By the close of play on Saturday we had achieved a fantastic haul of medals and 155 personal bests.

The final day of the competition saw 50m sprints and relays. The Merlions were unphased by the efforts of the weekend and, with some exceptional swimming, a further 125 personal bests were achieved, accompanied by 24 Golds, 28 Silvers and 33 Bronzes. Katie Mullan, Y8.5 finished overall age group runner up, whilst team mate Ayushi Chandaria finished in top position in the senior girls.

An exciting and enjoyable weekend saw the TTS Merlions finish in record positions; 6th in the boys, 3rd in the girls and 4th overall. I was extremely proud of how the swimmers remained focused throughout an extremely tough fixture and pleased to see how the older swimmers took the younger Merlions under their wing.

Introducing the Mercubs A new exciting addition to the Merlions swimming programme this year saw the introduction of the Year 3 Mercubs. The squad, some of whom are pictured below, has 60 swimmers.

Focusing on developing strokes and basic competitive skills prior to Merlion selection, it has been a great success. The Year 3 swimmers have been extremely enthusiastic and, as a result, we are now looking at a very competitive group that will no doubt strengthen the younger squads in the TTS Merlions.

Meet the TTJS News Team We are a team of children from the Junior School and we love writing and finding out about all the fun things that are going on! Every week, we meet after school for a CCA and write about things that are happening in the Junior School.

Being in TTJS News is not just about writing, we also take photographs and enjoy designing pages for our articles. Pret-a-Portrait showed us how to use a big camera and we found out all about different computer applications when we helped the Communications Team set this page up, which was really fun.

Golf at Tanglin by Alex Clark, Year 12.2 It has been a great joy to be one of Tanglin’s golf students. I have had the opportunity to play in golf tournaments since Year 8, including the annual SEASAC international golf tournament on four occasions. Over the last year, Tanglin golf has grown significantly and now there is a clear and direct pathway for participation in competitive golf from as early as Year 3.

Tanglin golf has been very fortunate to have Richard Harries as our golf pro at Champions Golf, who has helped to grow the golf programme. He currently runs two sessions a week for the Golf Academy and one session a week for the more experienced golfers in school. His sessions are always fun.

Last term, Tanglin took eight boys and four girls to represent the school at the SEASAC tournament in Yangon. Later in the academic year, the school will be entering the FOBISIA Golf Competition in Malaysia. Earlier at the Charity Golf Tournament, golfers from the Tanglin community raised over $5,000 for Riding for the Disabled.

Thank you to Richard Harries, Mr Turrell, Mr McKellar and Mr Morris who have all been instrumental in raising the profile of golf at Tanglin.

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There could be news about sports, special events or visitors – we even produce a cool weekly quiz! The TTJS News is on Firefly in the Lucky Dip section. We are thinking about printing a newspaper which will be given out to each class and will be in the Junior Library.

PTA 28

A Look Back at Term 1 The start of last term saw a new PTA Committee of 16, with eight of those committee members new to Tanglin - lots of things to learn with plenty of new ideas and enthusiasm.

Collectively, we aim to continue the tradition of the PTA to organise events and to help create links between school and home, as well as between parents within the community.

Term 1 was very busy and we valued your support enormously in making all our events a success – thank you!

music to the often eclectic tastes of the Junior children. Pizza, juice, a dance floor and lots of energy is always a winning combination!

At the beginning of term, we attended the Orientation Day to support the school with the sales of uniform to new students and their parents. We also hosted a new Teachers Tea and two New Parents Welcome Coffee Mornings. It was lovely to meet the new members of our community to answer questions about school life and to, hopefully, get rid of some inevitable anxieties.

With new Junior and Senior VicePresidents this year, the Parent Year Group (PYG) meetings were a first for a few of us. Over the years, there have been several new initiatives and focus groups that have been set up as a direct result of these meetings so they are very valuable to the school and the parents.

Please keep your comments coming.

Our first Quiz Night of the year was in October. Parents and Staff battled out round after round of questions, over glass after glass of wine! The result: a winning table of Senior School teachers, over $3,000 raised for the Royal British Legion and great fun had by all.

The discos are always hugely anticipated by the Junior children, particularly in Year 3 as it is their first one. Thank you to our fabulous resident DJ who adapts the

It was wonderful to see PTA fundraising put to excellent use with the opening of the new Kitchen Studio. Science was also high on the agenda for the Junior School.

In order to fast track plans to introduce a Science Lab so that the students can benefit from it this year, the PTA voted to help fund the project.

Term 1 ended on a high with the fabulously festive Christmas Fair. What a great event to organise and what an enormous amount of satisfaction and accomplishment we all felt once it

was over. Thank you for all the positive feedback, the Committee is so glad you enjoyed it. Many thanks also to those who helped with the preparations – the sense of community spirit was wonderful.

Many of the external vendors commented that the community was warm, generous and inclusive. They felt welcomed and enjoyed themselves immensely. We hope you feel that way too.

Caroline Bittar PTA President

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Student Services

Love and Logic Parenting comes to Tanglin 30

by the Counselling Team: Claire Holmes, Paula Huggins and Valerie Hoglan

The Counselling Team is passionate about supporting parents and helping them navigate the challenges of parenthood. The Virtues Parenting Course has been running for the past three years and our counsellors have trained over 300 parents in this approach. It has been a dream for our counsellors to bring Love and Logic to Tanglin and this year they launched the Becoming a Love and Logic Parent Course across the whole school.

The first course was in the Infant School, with 32 parents in attendance. Our counsellors were excited to have the opportunity to share the Love and Logic programme with so many parents from the Infant School. The team enjoyed sharing the participants’ parenting journey, empowering families with the tools to become more effective in building responsibility in their children and fostering loving relationships.

The Love and Logic approach gives participants new ideas and perspectives on their parenting. It helps parents to find balance and explores the development of practical skills that build relationships and connections whilst still encouraging the development of resilience, respect and responsibility in children. The aim is for parents to evolve over time to be in alignment with a consultancy style of parenting, guiding their children from the side lines, encouraging and supporting but holding clear expectations and boundaries. Love and Logic also provides a sometimes much needed opportunity to put some fun back into parenting.

The course at Tanglin is delivered in a series of four sessions, each two and half hours in duration. The facilitators guide parents through the seven modules that the Love and Logic programme offers.

The modules very much build on each other, taking the participants further and deeper into the Love and Logic principles with practical strategies that can be put to use immediately. Some snippets of the Love and Logic core principles are listed below: • •

Control is shared by offering choices Let natural consequences and empathy do the teaching

• • • • • • •

elay the consequences if you are D not sure what to do Use thinking words and enforceable statements, turning your words into gold!

Use one-liners to avoid conflict Guide children to solve their own problems Set boundaries without using anger, lectures or threats Be a consultant parent Always put the focus on the relationship

As you can see from these ideas, the Love and Logic model helps parents to figure out how much control to share with a child, when to let them solve their own dilemmas and how to deliver empathy effectively. The combination of hope, humour and empathy nourishes the adult/child relationship, aiding parents to communicate without causing power

struggles or escalating confrontation.

It highlights how parents can maintain respect and dignity for themselves and their children at the same time as putting effective boundaries in place without using punitive measures. Love and Logic encourages parents to model effective problem-solving and decision-making skills that prepare children for the real world, helping children develop resilience, a strong self-concept and a belief that “I can do it too.”

“I have found the enforceable statements just like magic! I hope that I didn’t look too shocked when they worked!” Parent

31 If you would like to find out more, our Parenting Collection has a full range of Love and Logic books and CDs targeted at various ages and stages that are available for loan. Please approach our friendly librarians if you are interested in any of these resources. There are also

many useful online resources available at http://www.loveandlogic.com/.

The Counselling Team will be running courses for parents of Junior and Senior School children throughout the remainder of this academic year. The Junior course will be delivered in Term 2 and the Senior

course in Term 3. If you would like to develop some new practical skills to meet the challenges of parenting your children don’t miss this workshop series. Please keep an eye on the Passion for Parenting section of the TTS Portal for information on how to sign up!

Love and Logic Parenting was developed by experienced American educators Jim Fay and psychiatrist Dr Foster W. Cline in 1977. Since that time it has been used by parents around the world who are looking to apply research-based positive solutions to tricky parenting challenges. The Love and Logic model is designed to make parenting fun and rewarding, instead of stressful and chaotic.

Creative Writing 32

Can I Write an Acrostic Poem…

Santa was creeping because the children were sleeping.

Now the kids are asleep, Santa can’t make a single peep.

Oh what a sight in the sparkling night!

What can you see? A Christmas tree fills me with glee.

by Ayden Arora, Year 2.3

Snowflakes shimmering through the sky in the beautiful clouds all high.

Tinsel sparkling and shining, and no children are whining.

All presents decorated with holly so beautiful and jolly.

Reindeer zooming through the light in the shimmering, enchanted sparkling night.

by Maya Sopon, Year 2.3

Elegant elves being oh so very active and oh so reactive.

Likeable elves as cute as a child but they are quite wild!

Very many elves, oh so cute in their green and red stripy suits.

Elves are eating while Santa’s creeping.

Santa’s sleigh zooming late, waiting for the elves to eat cake.

by William O’Brien, Year 2.3

Artwork by Daisy Green, Year 12.10

Calm ruler, Brave fighter, Strong warrior, Fast thinker, Great listener, Weapon stealer, Peace bringer, Dumpling eater, Tea drinker, War winner, Confident speaker, Polite Emperor, Food chomper, Kind racer.

by Baruch Akwaboah, Year 4.1

Can I Use Descriptive Detail?

Richard seemed paralysed. He couldn’t move. Quickly coming to his senses, he darted nimbly through the crowd and into a shophouse. Inside it was musty. Dust lay thick on every surface and golden light filtered through the slits of the boarded windows. The whole shophouse was eerily quiet. Richard crept cautiously through the abandoned shop. Looking out of a window, the first signs of devastation met his eyes.

Terracotta tiles, shards of glass and woodwork lay smashed and strewn across the street. Half destroyed buildings dribbled grey ghosts of smoke into the sky. Twisted, the frame of the rickshaw lay tossed in a gutter. The smoking wreckage of a car and the leafless trees all came together to form a hellish, apocalyptic world. Trudging through the wreckage, his mind was reeling with what had happened, when he heard boots marching on the cobblestones. Around the corner came another company of Japanese troops.

by Jamie Blacklock, Year 6.8

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Lui Bang

Travel Journal Extract I sat in front of my small tent on a small portable stool and watched the golden streaks of sun peaking over the mountain tops, flooding light into the valley below; the rays of the sun reflected off the small river winding through the feet of the hills and mountains. I saw small fish leaping in and out of the water and rabbits running around in the fields playing happily in the cool morning sun. The birds were flying low over the trees and singing from their perches in the branches above. I looked round and, to my surprise, saw a deer on the shallow slope behind my tent. Its great antlers looked truly magnificent and its silver stripe on its back dazzled in the sun. By the time I’d finished looking at the beautiful scenery my bacon was done so I found a plate and scraped the bacon on to it along with the eggs and began to eat.

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Dominic Martin, Year 10.7

There Is Still Life In This Old Boy my grandfather is eighty-five. he wears white cotton clothes at home, comfortable, clean, and they match the few strands of white hair that adorn his head. he drinks tea, lots of it around six cups a day, and he reads and thinks and writes, but, as he says, “with no intention of publication.” he has spindly arms, and spindly legs, dusted with a light coat of hair, but his belly insists upon taking the spotlight, as if to say, there is still life in this old boy. my grandfather is not an ostentatious man. he doesn’t take up a lot of room, and the size of his head does not hint at the sheer magnitude of the mind inside. my grandfather has taught me many things, both directly and indirectly: you can be lonely even when you aren’t alone, it is easier to forgive than it is to forget, and in the absence of love, one must learn to compromise, and in the absence of compromise, one must learn to love.

by Mallika Sriram, Year 13.4

Artwork by Sama Zahir, Year 13.10

Senior School Library Book Reviews Most Popular Books Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9) • Gone by Michael Grant • Smile by Raina Telgemeier • After by Morris Gleitzman Key Stages 4 and 5 (Years 10 to 13) • The Fault in Our Stars by John Green • The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky • We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Man vs Beast by Robert Muchamore On first appearance James Adams seems like a normal teenager. However, it soon becomes apparent this is far from the truth. James Adams is a highly qualified secret agent who works for a secret organisation, Cherub. Every day, thousands of animals die needlessly in laboratory experiments which provokes people who are opposed to vivisection to commit extreme acts of violence in an attempt to prevent such experiments. Other people are convinced that such experiments are vital to medical advances. James and his younger sister Lauren must decide which side to support.

I liked this book because it is amusing and incredibly interesting. I couldn’t put this book down as it was so appealing to me. Many of my friends have enjoyed it too.

Huw Jones, Year 7.3

The Road by Cormac McCarthy The Road shows a world where the majority of the population has been destroyed after an apocalyptic disaster. It portrays both despair and hardship but also courage and hope. These later elements are conveyed through the main characters – a man and his young son – and through their relationship.

The story opens with a barren wasteland of a world that has been devastated by nuclear warfare. During these hard times the survivors are scrambling for food and water, as well as other resources. After such a horrible and catastrophic event, it is hard to imagine how anyone could have hope or try to rebuild their lives. The father is trying to create a future for his son and is willing to do anything for it. Throughout the story he protects his son in many ways and attempts to build up their destroyed lives. He tries to make his son knowledgeable and give him great survival tips. After he realises he is dying, he teaches his son how to aim and shoot people who are attacking them and how to hunt and make fires.

Throughout the story, clouds of ash linger, giving a sense that everyone has given up with life and is waiting to die. Yet, there is still hope and a sense of humanity as the father and son trust each other.

Ethan Sherry, Year 9.8

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Book Reviews

Junior School Library Book Reviews Top 5 Most Popular Books • • • • •

Alice-Miranda in Paris by Jacqueline Harvey Viking Vik Series by Shoo Rayner Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams

My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell

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My Family and Other Animals is a true and hilarious story of Gerald Durrell’s five year stay on the Greek Island of Corfu. Gerald and his family travel around Corfu, meeting many funny characters along the way. Gerald is a naturalist-in-waiting and leads the reader on many exciting adventures throughout the book. We meet George, Spiro, Kralefksy, Peter, the Belgian Counsel and many other amusing characters. The family moves villas twice as they try to manage all their guests, providing us with hilarious arguments, wonderful setting descriptions and lots of new troubles to manage. They leave Corfu with more animals than they planned: Widdle and Puke, Gerald’s dogs; Alecko, the gull; The Magenpies, the two magpies; Dodo and her puppy; and other various insects or plants that Gerald has collected.

I thought this book was the best I have read for some time. I would recommend the book to Year 6 students, as it is not an easy read, nor one that can be read without needing to think carefully. This book is a delightful example of an autobiography and one of the few aimed at children.

Grace Sandys, Year 6.7

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott This is the story of Nicholas Flamel, twins Josh and Sophie Newman and other characters that once lived. I think this book is amazingly written and very exciting.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves magic and adventures. This book takes lots of stories, legends and people from history and brings them all together in one fantastic story. Actually, this is the first of six books. It all starts in a book shop where Josh is working for Nick Fleming (Nicholas Flamel) when a man called John Dee attacks the shop and steals the Codex, the most powerful book in the world. From here on, Josh and Sophie find out that vampires and other creatures that they thought were not real actually exist – and some of them are even friendly! Sophie and Josh also find that they have magical powers and many connections to the past but their powers have to be awakened first, which is exciting but dangerous for them.

Max Fairhurst, Year 6.5

Infant School Library Book Reviews Top 5 Most Popular Books • • • • •

The Singing Mermaid by Julia Donaldson The Lego Book The Twelve Singapore Days of Christmas by Antonija Gros The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle Katie and the Dinosaurs by James Mayhew

My favourite books are from the Angelina Ballerina series. I like them because they are very interesting and I like the parts when Angelina is naughty!

Hannah Dewhurst, Year 2.7 I love cookery books because I like to eat and cook! I would like to be a chef when I grow up but I would like to have many other jobs as well. My mum and I borrow cookery books a lot because we both love cooking.

Eliot Atkinson, Year 2.7 I like Rainbow Magic books because I love reading stories about fairies. The book I enjoyed most is called ‘Elizabeth the Jubilee Fairy’. This story is about Queen Elizabeth II who has a big celebration; only in the story she is a fairy.

Bella Addington-Smith, Year 2.7

Parent Book Reviews Top 5 Most Popular Books • • • • •

aising Boys: Why Boys Are Different – And How To Help Them Become Happy And Well-Balanced Men by Steve Biddulph R Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds by David C Pollock and Ruth E Van Reken How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlisch Love & Logic Magic for Early Childhood: Practical Parenting from Birth to Six Years by Jim Fay and Charles Fay Kids’ Healthy Lunchbox: Over 50 Delicious And Nutritious Lunchbox Ideas For Children Of All Ages by Cara Hobday

In 2007, Matt Ivester started a site called JuicyCampus. What was effectively a hybrid of Facebook and Ask FM, inviting students to share gossip from around the university campus expecting it to be fun for everyone concerned, was headed in only one direction. You can imagine the results: racism, homophobia, deeply personal insults spread far and wide. Complaints and official investigations followed, and the site eventually closed down shortly after the financial crisis in 2009.

Matt took these and other experiences and created a guide for navigating the waters of the internet aimed at university students. He subsequently updated it for high school audiences as digital devices and life online moved down the age range. The result is this book, Lol…OMG!.

This is a very easy book to read but at the same time it contains some powerful messages. The dozen or so chapters cover a wide range of well-known topics including use and abuse of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as well as cyberbullying.

It is written from a US perspective, and hence the (true) stories used to illustrate the book are a little culture-specific, but the lessons learned are universally applicable.

The text goes beyond frightening the reader with things that could happen online to a practical series of tools and recommendations for managing your online reputation.

It helps all of us to maintain an online presence which we are in control of and encourages positive digital citizenship. The pace of development of digital tools and software is, of course, extremely rapid. This means that some newer sites or Apps are missing from the discussion.

It does, however, cover most of the big sites such as Twitter and Facebook and has a very good discussion about reputation management which should be very thoughtprovoking for students preparing themselves to enter university or even work. It also provides a platform for parents and students to discuss things with a common vocabulary.

Whether it is smartphones, tablets or PCs, whether we are looking at a video on YouTube or revising on student websites, composing music or reading e-books, technology has arrived in our lives and won’t be going away. What we can control is our reaction to it. This book is a great introduction to managing our online profile and helping us understand the consequences of our actions on ourselves and on others.

by Andrew Allison, Parent

The Parenting Collection of books is split between all school libraries and is rotated each term to offer variety to library visitors. If you are interested in borrowing these or any of our other parenting resources, or becoming a Tanglin Library member, please contact any of the library staff.

If you would like to write a book review for the next edition of The Voice, please email communications@tts.edu.sg

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Lol…OMG! What Every Student Needs To Know About Online Reputation Management, Digital Citizenship and Cyberbullying by Matt Ivester

Roving Reporters

In the Studio with Roo Pigott 38

by Charlotte Beard, Year 11.8 Last term I, along with several other students, had the amazing experience of working with professional music producer Roo Pigott. Roo is a UK based music producer and studio engineer who has worked internationally with many bands and record labels. He has almost 20 years’ experience working with bands across multiple genres and styles.

I aim to pursue a career as a recording artist and performer in the music industry once I finish school. I have been singing and songwriting since I was six-years-old but have never felt ready to record my own songs until now. When the opportunity came up for me to have a full day with a professional who could not only record my music but have creative influence as well, there was no doubt that I was going to take it.

As soon as Roo greeted me with his Northern accent, I instantly felt at home as I am from the North of England as well. Being in the studio can be nerve-wracking, especially when you are recording original compositions but I felt completely at ease the whole time. We started by recording each of the instrumentals for my songs which I played on the piano. This took a couple of hours because we did this for six tracks.

Once the piano instrumentals were done, I sang the lyrics that went with them. When we were happy with the basic tracks, we were then able to experiment with percussion and Roo was happy to have Nico Wood-Olivan, also from Year 11, come in to the studio and add in some guitar parts. By the end of the day we had all six tracks completed. I was so pleased with the sound we had achieved.

Since the recording, I have been in contact with Roo via email and he has, amazingly, put me in contact with a composer in Los Angeles who has written for Happy Feet 2, Ice Age 4, Frankenweenie and various songs for Disney. Roo wanted me to get some more advice on how to experiment and progress with my composition. He also sent my SoundCloud link to some of his contacts in the music industry who have given positive feedback on my music.

Due to this opportunity, I have received over 3,000 plays on my SoundCloud and have been able to share my music with people who can support me in striving for the career I dream to have. I am so grateful that the school offered such an amazing opportunity.

“This was the most amazing experience for music fanatics and now I can say to my friends, I’ve recorded my own song!” Minty Kunzer, Year 7.5

“The recording session was fun, productive and a once in a lifetime experience – Roo was absolutely wonderful!”

Camille Hillion, Year 11.6

“To make a professionally produced song with instruments is quite an achievement and I would like to say a massive thank you to Roo.” Kabir Shrikent, Year 7.1

“Four hours in the studio seemed to really fly by, I was really pleased with the result and I would love to experience it again.” Hana Kumar, Year 11.4

The Last Word

Committing to Excellence Inspection is an immensely valuable process that underpins Tanglin Trust School’s aspirational culture. The UK government’s new British Schools Overseas inspection is based on the Independent Schools Inspection framework and allows parents to make a direct comparison between Tanglin and the UK independent sector. This enables Tanglin to benchmark itself against the very best in British education and provides external validation of our standards.

It also enables the school to identify next steps to raise the bar higher.

External inspection is complemented by rigorous self-evaluation within the three schools. This is equally important as it enables ongoing monitoring of standards and tracks school improvement between inspection visits. As part of this commitment to excellence, several school leaders within Tanglin are trained as UK Ofsted inspectors. Their training and experience ensures the accuracy and rigour of the judgments being made within school. It also helps keep the

school well informed about developments in education.

In the Senior School, Deputy Headteacher Chris Allen is a lead inspector, while Assistant Headteacher Rob Randall completes his training this year. In the Junior School, both myself and Clair HarringtonWilcox (Deputy Headteacher) are inspectors. Paula Craigie, who is currently Deputy Headteacher but will take over as Head of the Infant School in August, is

also an experienced inspector. Also in the Infant School, Angela Dawson (Assistant Headteacher) completes her training this year. In addition, Craig Davis, Director of the IB Diploma Programme in the Sixth Form is an inspector for IB schools.

Hannah Coulstock (Y5.6) and Scarlett Dickinson (Y 5.8) from the TTJS News team interviewed some of our inspectors to find out more. Here are some of the comments they gathered:

“I have done over 20 inspections and it has been an invaluable experience. As well as maintaining an insight into the UK education system, it allows Tanglin to keep up-to-date with current initiatives which help inform our development plans. From a personal perspective, being an inspector makes me realise how fortunate we are at Tanglin to have such great facilities, an incredibly supportive parent community and fantastic students who are keen and willing to learn.” Chris Allen

“On a recent inspection in a challenging area, when greeted by the ‘power’ in the school (the School Secretary!), I was told that Ofsted inspectors are as popular as traffic wardens. Joking aside, being an inspector is one of the most beneficial professional development experiences I have ever had being both enormously challenging and rewarding. At the forefront of every inspector’s mind is the drive to improve children’s life chances and experiences.” Clair Harrington-Wilcox

“I have been inspecting primary schools in the UK for over six years and hugely enjoy the privilege of observing hundreds of lessons, meeting a whole range of professionals and helping improve the quality of education for all. The schools I inspect find it a daunting experience, as do we when we are inspected and under close scrutiny. However, as one experienced inspector advised on my very first inspection, the overall aim is to do good as you go and think always of the children.” Paula Craigie

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by David Ingram, Headteacher, Junior School

Britain – nothing plain in sight Now flying 14 times a week from Singapore to London Heathrow Terminal 5, the home of British Airways.

For more information visit ba.com

1. TEA Also English for water. 2. STONEHENGE Was it druids, greeks or aliens? Its history shrouded in mystery makes it so appealing. 3. ROYAL GUARD We dare you to make a royal guard laugh. 4. PHONE BOOTH Once used for phone calls. Now used for photoshoots. 5. RIVER THAMES All that London rain has to go somewhere! 6. DOUBLE-DECKER BUS Hop on, hop off! You have not seen London till you have been on top. 7. NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM Like an antique shop. Only nothing is for sale. 8. ABBEY ROAD Home of UK’s most frequently stolen street sign. 9. PUB Museums of the neighbourhood. 10. FISH & CHIPS Today’s catch in yesterday’s paper. 11. PIE The best thing to put in an English pie is your teeth. 12. OXFORD STREET You have been there in Monopoly. Now see the real thing. 13. BIG BEN The bell in the grandfather of grandfather clocks. 14. BUCKINGHAM PALACE One prince still up for grabs.

15. WEMBLEY STADIUM A cathedral of football and music. 16. THE TUBE Mind the Gap! 17. 30 ST MARY AXE Or the gherkin, as Londoners like to call it.

Showhome 20 Malcolm Road, Singapore 308259 Open Mon to Sat 10am -- 5pm, Sun 12pm -- 5pm, after hours by appointment Warehouse Showroom 159 Sin Ming Road, Lobby 2 #05-07A Amtech Building, Singapore 575625 Open by appointment Telephone +65 6235 1905 or +65 9787 8556 Email anne@chinacollection.com.sg

w w w.chinacollection.com.sg

THERE’S NO SPACE LIKE HOME As the independent buying arm of Savills, Prime Purchase specialises in finding the very best properties in the UK for our clients – no matter how exacting the requirements.

When you are over 6,000 miles from home, we save you time and frustration by tracking down precisely the distinctive space you seek – from London townhouse or pied-à-terre to country estate or investment property.

We will be visiting Singapore from Wednesday 19th to Saturday 22nd March and would be delighted to discuss your immediate or longer term UK property requirements. To make a strictly confidential appointment, please email ldubec@prime-purchase.com

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