AY23/24 T1B Wk 10

The Perse Post Academic Year 2023/2024 Term 1b Week 10

❖ Introduction from The Principal

❖ Calendar

❖ Walky Talky Tuesdays

❖ Houses

❖ Key Stage news

❖ Reminders

❖ Subject Weekly Content

❖ Updates from Perse Parents Association

❖ Art and Design

❖ Academic Year Book

❖ Physical Education

❖ Parent guidance for online safety and social safeguarding

❖ Science

❖ Important contact information including Safeguarding update

❖ Inspirational Insights ❖ Music ❖ Chinese

Introduction from the Deputy Principal; Roger Teng

In this newsletter, I wanted to take a moment to discuss a topic that I believe is of utmost importance for the growth and development of our young students - empowerment.

As parents, we have the profound responsibility to support and empower our children, helping them build a strong foundation for their future. Empowerment, in the context of education, refers to equipping students with the necessary skills, knowledge, and mindset to take charge of their own learning journey and make positive choices for themselves.

We can collectively work towards empowering our students by encouraging independence, nurturing critical thinking, promoting goal setting, fostering a growth mindset, and cultivating effective communication.

By collectively embracing these strategies, we can create a nurturing environment that empowers our students to become confident, independent learners. Let us work hand in hand, as parents and educators, to inspire their potential and help them realize their dreams.

Our School, Our Community , In action!

'Walky Talky Tuesday's' – come and join Gillian Belcher & Arabella Lambe from 8.30am - 9.30am.

A chance for a chat amongst parents and a walk around the surrounding areas last week we had a wonderful walk to the look out point at the quarry.

We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday.

We are keeping this as a weekly event, so do join us! If you have any questions, please email Arabella: arabella.lambe@perse.edu.sg.

Key Stage One (Year 1-3) During this week’s assembly, we focussed on the school value of Endeavour. We talked about what it means to us, we explored a book that shared on how Endeavour looks like in our day-to-day lives, and explored some possible strategies that we could practise whenever we encounter challenges.

Click HERE to read the book!

Year 3.1 co-wrote a poem about ‘Endeavour’ which includes their own thoughts about what Endeavour encompasses and performed it during the KS1 assembly. Click HERE to watch them in action during KS1 Assembly or use the following link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TNzk6l51Wbs6__a0hhqWUWuOPeIQtJRv/view?u sp=drive_link Endeavour Phrases to practise: • I will try my best!

• I can do this!

• I’m not going to give up!

• I’m going to learn from this!

• I’m going to shake it all off and try again!

Key Stage 2 (Year 4-5) News On Tuesday afternoon form time, our Year 4 pupils engaged themselves in the discussion on the concept of community, drawing connections to celebrating Halloween as a community and in an inclusive way. Pupils learned about how each and everyone could belong to different communities, but, we come together to support and enrich each other’s lives. The most delightful part was the creating of their mocktails using rose syrups and gummy worms and toasting to one another!

Our pupils were encouraged to brainstorm ways they could contribute to their community, whether it’s school, local neighbourhood, or even the broader global community. They discussed and explored on a range of possibilities for making a positive impact on the people around them.

Key Stage 3 (Year 6-8) news.

This week Key stage 3 were treated to a wonderful Halloween assembly from Maira and Daphne in Year 6. They told us the history of Halloween and how the trick and treating we know today came about. They finished their assembly with a fun quiz!

We have also talked about all the opportunities that are coming up for them in the coming weeks, opportunities to get involved in the school community through presenting assemblies, organising Halloween parties, swimming galas, leadership opportunities as well as the up and coming Mental Health Warrior training that KS3 are participating in next week!

Whilst Mrs Burke is on maternity leave Mrs Belcher will be continuing her role as Head of KS3, form tutors will still be the first point of contact for any questions that you may have.

Weekly Subjects Content and Term 1B Curriculum Letters Please find below the Subject Weekly Content for Week 10.

Weekly subject content

Please find below the link to Term 1B Curriculum Letters.

Term 1B Curriculum Letter

ART & DESIGN Year 5 are drawing the details of feathers and creating textures, tones and highlights using multimedia. Pupils were able to surprise themselves with the variety of perspectives they createdWell done!

Science The Cambridge Syllabus for Science lays out key scientific skills for each year group and we meet these with regular practical, skills-based tasks as part of our weekly lessons. Having focused on balanced and unbalanced diets and the delivery of nutrients, year 8 had a skills lesson this week testing small food samples for starch. This practical task requires methodical, careful work, observation, inference and fine motor skills. It supports the main focus of our KS3 scheme of work: to make sure that our students will be iGCSE ready by the end of the key stage. To meet this focus, all practical work introduces and practices the important skills that will be required to be successful in KS4. Using not only the scientific method but also the scientific equipment carefully and successfully.

Physical Education A Splashing Success at Perse School House Swim Gala 2023!

This week, our talented Year 5 to Year 8 students made waves at the Perse School House Swim Gala, creating unforgettable moments in the pool.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our incredible swim coaches and dedicated teachers for organizing this event.

Your hard work and support were instrumental in making this gala a resounding success.

To our amazing students, you swam your hearts out, displaying remarkable skill and sportsmanship. Your dedication and determination were truly inspiring!

Let's continue to foster a culture of excellence, both in the pool and beyond!

PE Schedule for Term 1 : Years 1 to 4 at Turf City

PE Schedule for Term 1: Years 5 to 8 at Temasek Club

Inspirational Insights line up We are very pleased to announce our Inspirational Insights line up so far; ❖ The Infinite Possibilities of Science- 23rd November, Megan McBee (KS3) ❖ The Potential Opportunities in Aviation for youth and the future development- 15th November , Preetwant Singh (KS2) ❖ The Future of Property Development - 9th November , Julian Sedgwick (KS3) ❖ Broadcast TV Journalism- 7th December- Bulvinder Sidhu (KS2 and 3) ❖ Medical Science and Saving pre Term Babies- TBC- Matthew Kemp (Ks2/3) ❖ Future of Healthcare: Which professions would be demanded? - TBC- Anna Kudriavtceva (KS3 and Parents) Thank you to all our volunteer guest speakers so far, you can still enrol to provide to parents and students your Inspirational Insight for next term or term 3 on the following page.

"Inspirational Insights".

Thank you to those of you who have reached out to guest speakers on our behalf and even volunteered yourselves!

We are continuing to add to our schedule so if you missed this last week or have had time to think about what you can offer to our life-long learners programme, please do fill in

Inspirational Insights registration form

Inspirational Insights line up

• Megan McBee - Senior Scientific Director, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) • Grew up in Enumclaw, Washington, USA (~2 hours drive from Seattle) • Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from MIT • PhD in Biological Engineering from MIT • Started working with SMART in 2007 via MIT; on and off since • 3 years at a biotech start-up in Singapore • Scientific Director for Antimicrobial Resistance research program in SMART • Co-founder of a diagnostics start-up (Thrixen) in Singapore • Providing her Inspirational Insight into

”The Infinite possibilities of science" To Key Stage 3 23rd November

Spotlight on people in our community

The Perse School would like to congratulate Mr and Mrs Burke on the arrival of their first child, Mary Burke!

Spotlight on people in our community Hi everyone! My name is Nadia, and I am the school nurse at The Perse! I manage the first aid room and attend to unwell students and staff in the school community.

With a passion for Nursing, I am here to provide healthcare services, support and care to our school community. Other than that, I ensure that our school has a safe and healthy learning environment. I love having the sense of satisfaction and being fulfilled after a day of healing and treating and making everyone’s day a little bit better!

Other than treating sick people, I am actively involved in Malay Performing Arts such as Malay Dance and Dikir Barat. I also volunteer in the animal shelter and engage myself with our furry friends. To a healthy and exciting school year ahead!

The Other Clinic service opportunity at The Perse School, Singapore The Perse School, Singapore is pleased to announce a collaboration with The Other Clinic (TOC) to provide counselling and psychological services to students on the school premises.

Dr Ronina Stevens, Director and Clinical Psychologist, and Lynne Atherton, Counsellor, will be holding an informal, introductory session for parents at 8.30am on Wednesday 8 November 2023 to explain the support TOC can offer to our students and to provide further information about their clinic. Please see the next page for Lynee Atherton's biography.

TOC offers high quality psychological services in Singapore and internationally. They are an open and friendly team of counsellors and psychologists, experienced in supporting mental wellness across the age span (children, adolescents and adults), and catering to a broad range of mental health and de velopmental issues. They have long-established partnerships with various international schools in Singapore and across Southeast Asia and work closely with teachers and hea lth professionals to promote the well-being of their clients.

For further information please see the TOC website: https://theotherclinic.sg/about-us/ Counselling services at The Perse School will be provided by Lynne Atherton and parents will be able to book sessions for the ir children on Wednesday mornings from 8th November 2023 onwards by contacting Diana or Janice on hello@theotherclinic.sg or on +65 8809 0659.

Please note that whilst this is a collaboration for premises; the service, guidance and advice given to families is through T he Other Clinic and has no affiliation to The Perse School, Singapore. It has been agreed that concurrent appointments will be arranged where possible on a rotational basis to e nable long term academic studies to be uninterrupted.

Lynne works with children, adolescents and adults to empower them to make meaningful changes to their lives and to help them to develop life skills to manage future challenges. She works collaboratively with her clients to develop a strong, trusting relationship from which to explore their issues. She is naturally warm and calm and her counselling approach is non-judgmental, empathetic and transparent.

Lynne supports clients with a range of mental health issues, including anxiety (social anxiety and OCD), depression, self-esteem, emotional regulation, behavioural issues, anger management, traumatic experiences, transitional difficulties, relationship issues, grief/ loss and school refusal. She works with neurodiverse individuals and supports them and their families. She also runs group and individual therapy for children and young adolescents to develop emotional literacy and social thinking skills.

Lynne’s therapeutic approach draws on evidence-based interventions, including cognitive behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and is tailored to meet her client’s needs. She collaborates with other health professionals and school counsellors/teachers, where necessary, to help her clients achieve their goals.

Lynne previously practised as a lawyer, helping clients to successfully resolve their legal issues through litigation, arbitration and mediation. As a result, she understands the demands and stresses of corporate life, career transition and burnout and has worked in diverse environments with people from a wide range of cultural and religious backgrounds.

Originally from the UK, Lynne has been living in Singapore since 2013, with her husband and two daughters. She understands that relationships, expat life and finding a work/life balance can, at times, be challenging. Lynne believes in the benefits of sport to promote positive mental health and the therapeutic power of nature; she volunteers as a netball coach for girls aged 6 – 14 years and has led treks for a local trekking club. She is passionate about inspiring and motivating her clients to achieve new goals and to realise their full potential.

School Events calendar As the new school calendar format takes shape and actions around an online version through a group platform are in process, we are pleased to present December's calendar this week as it is a very busy month of celebrations and key events. It was highlighted that parents would like to be explicitly told which events they are able to join in with and so please find the following page highlighting events where it is NOT for parents and a Parent Event column.

As mentioned last week, please find December's events on the next page.

December 2023

Year 1

1st December 'Materials Matter' Local Park Free

11th December KS 1 Christmas Drama School KS1 Parents are welcome

12th December PTC Christmas Bazaar during the day.

Not for parents this time, thank you

13th December Carols by the tree starts at 10.45 11.30 School Finish Special guest appearance...

Parents welcome

Year 2

11th December KS 1 Christmas Drama School KS1 Parents are welcome

12th December PTC Christmas Bazaar during the day.

Not for parents this time, thank you

13th December Carols by the tree starts at 10.45 11.30 School Finish Special guest appearance...

Year 3

11th December KS 1 Christmas Drama School KS2 Parents are welcome

12th December PTC Christmas Bazaar during the day.

Not for parents this time, thank you

13th December Carols by the tree starts at 10.45 11.30 School Finish Special guest appearance...

Year 4

11th December KS 2 & 3 Christmas Recital School KS2 Parents are welcome

12th December PTC Christmas Bazaar during the day.

Not for parents this time, thank you

13th December Carols by the tree starts at 10.45 11.30 School Finish Special guest appearance...

Year 5

11th December

12th December

13th December

What ar e you going to r ead next?

Our new Scholastic Book Club is up and running!

Please place your order online by November 10th.

Go to https://world-schools.scholastic.co.uk/the-perseschool-singapore/digital-book-club

Music This week, the Year 3 and 4 students had a surprise visit from Mr Cameron for a bass guitar master class. The students had the opportunity to explore the parts of the bass guitar and basic bass guitar techniques. The students also explored notation reading with the keyboard, xylophone and simple tabs reading on the ukulele. Ms. Sara

Music Term 1 – Star Time Assembly sign-up.

Year Group Assembly

Date and Time

Year 1, 2 and 3

14/11/23 (Tuesday) 8.30am-9.00am

Year 4 and 5

15/11/23 (Wednesday) 8.30am-9.00am

Year 6, 7 and 8

16/11/23 (Thursday) 8.30am-9.00am

The Star Time Assembly is a termly recital platform for students who have instrumental music, drama and dance lessons to perform to an audience during school assembly. It also gives them the opportunity to strive towards a performing art goal.Performers who signed up for the assembly will be performing their items in the MPH during their year group assembly.

If your child has a song/drama/dance routine that they have worked on with their music/dance tutor (it would be advisable to discuss with your child’s tutor to ensure that your child is prepared for the performance ) and would like to participate in this term’s Star Time, kindly email to sara.ngooi@perse.edu.sg with the details below; 1.Child’s Name: 2.Class: 3.Instrument: There will be a digital piano, basic drum set , acoustic/electric guitar, violin and microphone (kind note for singers to select songs with appropriate lyrics) available upon request.

4. Song Title: 5. Backing music track if applicable: ( youtube link or music file with play time)

Performers will have to introduce himself/herself as well as the title of the song they will be singing/playing/acting/dancing to before the performance and take a bow or say a thank you after the performance. Kindly rehearse with your child at home. The dateline for the sign up is by Friday 10 th November 2023 (6pm). Kind note that this is a student only event, however, videos and photos of the assembly will be shared via Perse Post to parents after the event.

Thank you very much for your continued support and I am very much looking forward to the performances.

Ms. Sara

CHINESE Mastering Chinese Characters with Determination and Confidence The importance of writing and recognizing Chinese characters cannot be understated in the journey of Chinese language learning. While reading texts and developing conversational skill are valuable components, mastering the art of writing and recognizing the characters is equally crucial.

To reinforce characters recognition and writing in the classroom, we employ various activities to ensure that pupils are challenged and engaged.

Some of the activities include characters dictation, character puzzles, pair-writing, spot the mistake, characters bingo as well as technology integration. These activities allow pupils to find joy in their ability to recognise, write and understand Chinese characters, contributing to their overall language proficiency and cultural appreciation.

Upcoming events

The Diwali/Deepavali Celebration, also known as The Festival of Lights is one of the major cultural festivals in Singapore. We will be having a Diwali/Deepavali celebration day for the students in school on 10th November 2023. To welcome this colourful festival of lights, the students will be having a form time activity of Rangoli Art and Henna Design. There will also be a student led school assembly where students will learn about the meaning and festivity behind the Diwali/Deepavali celebration with a cultural walk featuring traditional Sarees, Muruku maker, Diya and food items (not to be consumed) as well as an exciting skit , Dandiya dance, Utsava dance as well as a special Diwali fashion show (class best dressed winners). To win exciting house points on our celebration day , don't forget to dress in your best Diwali/colourful outfit.

Ms. Sara, Miss Gowri and Mr. Tiui.

Houses

Barbarians 2241

Foresters 3045

Corinthians 2972

Nomads 2966

Reminders Students are able to come into school from 8.00am to see friends before going to registration.

On a Tuesday and Thursday students and parents are welcome to support our Live Music in the Atrium Attendance: Please ensure that students are attending school daily from 8.30 registration to 3.30, if your child needs to be absent please inform the class teacher and student services.

Hats: Please can you remind your child to bring hats into school for play.

Due to the recent notice on suspected headlice, we cannot provide spare hats.

Snack and Lunch: Please remind children to not bring sweets or Nut based products into school.

Updates from The Perse Parent's Association

Watch this space next week for updates on exciting new events going on from our PPA! We are lucky to have a wonderful team of PPA members (Perse Parent Association).

If you would like to become a member, please contact our Head of PPA Sumbal Waqas, she and our other members would love to grow our team.

Sumbal's email is: sumbal.waqas237@gmail.com

@persesingapore

@theperseschoolsingapore

@theperseschoolsingapore

Academic Year 22/23 Yearbook

We are very excited to announce that our 2022/23 Yearbook is finally here and available to purchase as a hard copy or free of charge here as a soft copy.

If you would like to purchase a hard copy as memorabilia, please email our Student Services team: student.services@perse.edu.sg. The cost is $25 per book.

Please click on the link below to take a look: https://bit.ly/theperseschoolsg_yearbook_ay22-23

Important information There are two days set for parental communication of whole school information. These days are set to Tuesday and Friday at 16.00. The purpose of this is to ensure efficiency of key information and clarity for your parent inboxes! ...

For classroom information, 'lost lunch boxes' and key updates/events which will help teachers and your child please contact the classroom teacher directly via email. ...

For an appointment with the Principal, please use admin2theprincipal@perse.edu.sg so that a convenient time can be allocated to ensure we can give you the full attention which it deserves.

Please may I ask that student issues are firstly communicated with the form tutor and key stage tutor to ensure full pastoral care before 'escalating' to the Principal , Deputy Principal or Assistant Headteacher.

As educators we have regular communication channels to share appropriate information. ...

Please find our parent handbook by clicking on the link Parent Handbook

Contact Information Phone No.: +65 6971 8210 Admissions: student.services@perse.edu.sg General Queries: questions@perse.edu.sg Safeguarding: safeguarding@perse.edu.sg