The Voice 20 by Tanglin Trust School

The Voice of Tanglin Trust School

Vol 20 05/2015

MCI (P) 094/07/2014

Spotlight: Tanglin Celebrates 90 Years Junior School: Inspiring Through Science Student Services: Health Promotion at School

Welcome

How wonderful that the pilgrimage made by a group of our staff and students to the Cameron Highlands discovered our founding Head’s grave and headstone in our 90th year. Read on to find out more and to catch up on the rest of our T90 celebrations to date, including how we produced 3,500 cupcakes with the T90 logo on each one! Did you know we have Science Ambassadors in the Junior School? The new Junior Science Lab (sponsored by the PTA), has inspired young girls and boys to develop their curiosity and to question the obvious on pages 16 and 17. In March we were proud to host the regional round of the 2014/15 World Scholar’s Cup in our school. This opportunity for our children to pitch themselves in debate against other students is both challenging and exhilarating. The article on page 19 shares the highlights of the event and discloses how successful our students were.

Contents

Staff News

Our World

Feature

Infant School

Alumni

Junior School

Spotlight

Senior School

Introducing Andrew Atkinson World Record-Breaking Catch Passion for Literature Doctor in the House!

Celebrating T90

Where Are You Now?

Tanglin’s 90 Birthday Party th

TTS Foundation Update

90 Through the Eyes of the Infant School

Inspiring through Science

A Wild Week in Thailand World Scholar’s Cup

Students and parents alike think long and hard about appropriate courses and subjects in the Senior School that might lead to the best university placements and subsequently to a chosen career. I am pleased to see that the developing Careers programme that we run to inspire and inform our students and parents features in this edition.

Tanglin Mission Statement 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.

Read on to find out all this and much more through this window into our dynamic and exciting school.

Peter Derby-Crook Chief Executive Officer

Proud sponsors of Tanglin’s 90th Anniversary celebrations: Platinum

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Showcase

Creative Writing

Sport & Activities

Book Reviews

PTA

The Last Word

Art • Dance • Drama • Music

Sporting Round Up

A Roaring Term 2!

Health Promotion at School

A Selection of Infant, Junior & Senior Writing

Infant, Junior, Senior & Parent Reviews

An Update on the Gateway Building Project

‘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.

Student Services

University and Careers Guidance Update

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

Sixth Form

Staff News Introducing Andrew Atkinson, Assistant Headteacher, Senior School

World RecordBreaking Catch Ian Farr was five when he caught ‘the bug’ for fishing and was fishing competitively by the time he was 10. “Fishing for me has always been the best way to ‘escape’ from the stresses of day to day life,” Ian explains. On a recent trip to the world famous Gillhams Fishing Resort in Krabi, Ian caught a Siamese carp which weighed 140lbs – beating the current world record!

Andrew Atkinson, Assistant Headteacher in the Senior School, joined Tanglin in August 2014. Since his arrival, Andrew has been impressed by the range of outdoor education opportunities available to students. He recently returned from Gopeng with Year 8 and commented that, “The promise of a week of high adventure, exhilarating outdoor activities and character building challenges, all with the excellent company of Year 8, certainly didn’t disappoint!” Outdoor education, Andrew says, is a chance for students to take risks and try something different, which is, “The best way to learn about oneself and one’s own strengths and abilities.” From white-water rafting in Malaysia to collaborating with new friends on a community project in Cambodia, working together in new environments outside of the classroom is a powerful way of developing other key attributes in students, including: teamwork, problem solving in new contexts; developing stronger relationships with peers and teachers; and connecting with the world around them. Andrew teaches Geography to Years 7, 8 and 9 and part of his role as Assistant Head is responsibility for ensuring that his colleagues are sharing best practice and continually developing their professional skills. “Tanglin recruits some of the best teachers from around the world and

part of my job is to provide them with opportunities to learn from each other.” He adds, “In a very busy school where there are lots of distractions, learning remains right at the top of the agenda. For example, we have a wonderful series of teacher workshops throughout the year, where staff volunteer to run sessions for the benefit of their colleagues.” Before moving to Tanglin, Andrew taught in London, Ecuador, Argentina and at other international schools in Singapore. Although initially daunted by the size of Tanglin, Andrew says, “I knew from Vicky, my wife, that it was an incredibly positive and friendly place to be and I’ve certainly found that to be true. I have seen that Tanglin enjoys all the benefits of being a big school in terms of facilities, expertise and curriculum opportunities, but manages to feel like a small school in terms of community, pastoral care and strong relationships.”

Nicknamed ‘The Warrior’, Ian’s record-breaking fish took a gruelling 45 minutes to land. He said, “Even though it is arguably the most famous carp in the world, I know there are bigger ones in there. My next target is the monstrous Gillhams 190lb carp which so far has eluded everyone!” Asked why he loves fishing, Ian replied, “I love the calmness and tranquillity. I also thrive on the challenge of outsmarting some of the bigger and wiser fish in the lakes by experimenting with a variety of tactics and bait presentations. Following a capture and the obligatory photograph, I get a real adrenaline rush when I release the fish and it swims back to the murky depths of the lakebed.”

Infant School Teacher-Librarian Shares his Passion for Literature

Benjamin’s lectures provide students with a basic knowledge and understanding of children’s literature, by looking at the history, structure, value and development of literature from antiquity to the digital era. Benjamin is no stranger to understanding the information needs and requirements of children, and draws upon his experience at Tanglin to teach his students. Topics covered included an analysis of young children’s learning needs and the value of picture books, multiculturalism (and lack thereof), feminist and socio-

political literature, eBooks, poetry and rhyme, library services, censorship and young adult literature. Here at Tanglin, Benjamin works as a teacher-librarian. His love of children’s literature ranges from picture books to young adult fiction. “There is nothing quite like the feeling of opening a book – of embarking on a new adventure, of travelling to new worlds and of learning new things. To be able to share that special gift of literature with others is one of life’s great pleasures,” says Benjamin. “Being a teacher-librarian allows me to share the gift of reading by providing a safe oasis where children can escape into a world of literature.”

Benjamin Farr has recently joined the part-time teaching staff of Nanyang Technological University (NTU). During the summer of 2014, Benjamin was invited to lecture a masters-level subject on Children and Young Adults Sources and Services. This subject, part of the MSc in Information Studies degree, will resume again later this year.

“Teaching adults has been a new and exciting challenge with lots of knowledge sharing. Lecturing has been a wonderful opportunity which has allowed me to grow and develop in my understanding and appreciation of children’s literature.”

Junior School Doctor in the House! Sarah’s commitment and self-discipline is exemplary, a timely reminder for our Senior students of the reward of hard work and determination

Despite her busy role as a Year 4 class teacher and Head of Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) in the Junior School, Sarah Whyte has recently completed her Doctorate in Education after nine years of all-consuming study.

Sarah began her studies when she was in the UK working as a Year 1 teacher. Lectures took place after work from 4.00-6.00pm Monday to Thursday and assignments and assessments have been completed at the weekends and during holidays. “Managing my time when studying was pretty difficult because I didn’t have much spare time to use. I sacrificed a lot for a very long time, especially the writing up time which was around three years. Trips away and relaxing during holiday time were the main sacrifice. I needed that time to write the longer chapters that required a sustained amount of concentration.” She says, “It also meant missing out on pretty much all of my time with my friends here. When I did see them, it was for very limited periods as I had to spend most of my weekends working on my thesis.” Sarah’s thesis is called ‘Thinking about our feelings: a pedagogical innovation centred on the skills of emotional intelligence with Third Culture Kids’,

and she says the research has given her a huge amount of insight into the challenges faced by many of her students who, as ‘Third Culture Kids’, have had a very different experience to growing up than she did. The course was “pretty intense” and Sarah says she had to be organised and disciplined. “One top tip would be to prioritise. My teaching and curriculum role at Tanglin always took priority over my studies. The other thing that I tended to do was work at every available opportunity at home, even if it was for 10 minutes!” Although Sarah has been awarded her PhD, she has still not quite finished. The last stage is for her to attend a viva in the UK where she will need to defend her thesis and explain and justify her choices for every chapter. Sarah may then need to resubmit her thesis with the recommended changes! Sarah is still considering how she celebrates her success but for now she is enjoying having time to see her friends again.

Feature 06

Celebrating T90 T90 is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our heritage, celebrate our achievements, give back to the community and also to inspire our students to make a difference. Here is a roundup of how we have celebrated T90 this term. our past during T90 year, we decided that the trip would, in effect, be a walking pilgrimage to the building that used to be part of our school all those years ago. After two days of steep and uphill walking, a two hour bus ride up the winding mountain road took us all the way up to our destination, the old school building. There we enjoyed clean sheets, hot showers and an English cream tea by the open fireplace. After dinner that evening we presented a watercolour painting of our school to Mr Bala, the owner of the hotel, and we explained how pleased we were to see that Miss Griff’s legacy was still there for all to see. Tia O’Neil, Year 9, made the presentation. Tia’s mother attended Tanglin and her grandmother before that! T90 Launch In January, we hosted a ‘Thank You’ drinks reception at The Tanglin Club, to launch our 90th anniversary celebrations. The school was established by Anne Griffith-Jones OBE in 1925, in an attap hut in the grounds of The Tanglin Club and we were delighted to be welcomed back there to celebrate this momentous occasion. Almost 300 guests representing High Commissioners, parents, students, staff, Alumni, media and friends of Tanglin attended the event. It was a wonderful afternoon with musical performances by students and presentations by Josie Tulipano, General Manager of The Tanglin Club; Peter Derby-Crook, Tanglin CEO; and former British High Commissioner, Antony Phillipson. The launch was also an opportunity to showcase our special T90 video which tells the history of our school. If you haven’t already seen it, log onto the TTS website where you can watch the T90 video and view details of all the T90 events taking place this year.

Connecting With Our Past: Tanglin’s T90 Trek to the Cameron Highlands by Martin Foakes, Head of Outdoor Education In January, a team of 25 students from Year 9 to 12, plus seven intrepid members of staff, set off on the T90 trek – a two-day walk across the edge of the Cameron Highlands. In 1935 ‘Miss Griff’, who founded Tanglin School in Singapore in 1925, established a second school in the cooler climate of the Cameron Highlands. The old school was now a hotel and in the spirit of connecting with

On our final day we enjoyed the scenic road trip back down to Tapah Christian Cemetery in the foothills of the Highlands, where a small group of students quickly cleared the grass and weeds from Miss Griff’s grave. The headstone was in two pieces and it will obviously need further repairs, but at the end of our work it looked a lot better. We took it in turns to read the words that each of us had written to her, private messages of thanks and admiration. We wondered what Miss Griff would have thought about us, would she have recognised the same qualities and values that she held so dear? Would she have approved of our trip? I like to think she would have recognised that today’s Tanglin students are respectful and decent people who value hard work and diligence. I am invariably proud of the way our students present themselves on our trips and I think that Miss Griff would be too. And I think she would be very pleased to know that we went back to the Cameron Highlands to thank her for starting our school 90 years ago. Red and Gold Day To celebrate Chinese New Year and welcome the Year of the Goat, students and staff across the three schools donned their finest red and gold outfits and took part in Chinese cultural activities throughout the day. The Infant and Junior Schools collaborated to produce an assembly where performances of dancing, singing, martial arts and playing a traditional Chinese instrument stunned

“This trip was a fantastic chance for us to represent Tanglin as a community and reflect upon the 90 years it has had so far and the many years it has yet to come.” Laura Thompson (Y12.3) the audience. From Reception to Year 6, all of the students’ hard work paid off to produce a spell-binding show that not only showcased students’ talents but also their passion and enthusiasm for Chinese culture and language. Senior students were treated to a morning at a Chinese New Year fair where 16 stalls offering a taster of traditional games, crafts, Chinese New Year celebration activities and traditional snacks were on display. Students were able to take part in paper cutting, practise Chinese calligraphy, make dragon puppets and dress in traditional costumes. T90 Book Week by Su Foo, Library Officer This year’s Book Week in March was significant as it coincided with Tanglin’s 90th anniversary and everyone was eager to participate in the plethora of activities planned across the whole school. To celebrate books and reading, and to commemorate T90, each of our three libraries assembled, for borrowing, a collection of 90 books published each year from 1925. There were ‘Buddy Reading’ sessions which Andrew Lawson from Year 9 especially enjoyed, reading to his Junior buddy. Staff took on the role of ‘Mystery Readers’, sharing stories with different classes. The younger students had fun identifying staff from their baby photos

“Attending the Chinese New Year fair was an amazing experience and a great opportunity to immerse ourselves in the cultural festivities that surround us here in Singapore. The wide variety of activities offered gave us a taste of the traditional celebrations that are so popular at this time of year. 恭禧發財 (gong xi fa cai) everyone!” Georgia Rich (Y9.5)

via QR codes and finding out what their favourite books were when they were children. ‘Open Mic’ sessions were organised during lunch breaks for poetry and book readings, and classic movies were screened after school. Special guests were also invited to grace the occasion. Peter and Alison from Centre Stage School of the Arts delighted everyone with their riotous portrayal of ‘The Twits’ during assembly, and their energetic storytelling sessions were a hit with the younger students. We welcomed Justine Laismith, author of ‘The Magic Mixer’, who shared her exciting story with the Junior students. We were thrilled to have with us award-winning author and adventure film-maker Matt Dickinson who gave an inspiring talk to older students about his Everest experience. A firm favourite at Tanglin was of course Johnny Gillett, aka The Journey Man, who captivated his audience with his re-telling of legendary tales of explorers and lost cities from 90 years ago! It was a most enjoyable and memorable week made possible by the hard work and enthusiastic support of all staff, parents and children. And as ‘Willy Wonka’ (George Le-Men, Y1.4) put it, “I had fun!”

Tanglin Heroes for T90 In March, His Excellency, former British High Commissioner Antony Phillipson and Tanglin Trust School CEO Peter DerbyCrook hosted the ‘Tanglin Heroes’ event at Eden Hall. The themes for the T90 celebrations are ‘Community and Inspiration’ and these were both very much in evidence at the event, which recognised just a few of the heroes who, through projects or actions outside their job scope, or through volunteering within the community, have made a notable and positive impact on the school and in the community. Heroes ranged from those who have faithfully ensured the safety of the community every morning directing traffic or been instrumental in supporting charity work on behalf of the school, to those who have set up and manned lost property or been the infamous DJ for the school discos! Other groups that were recognised for their contribution to Tanglin were the BGIFC (British Guides in Foreign Countries) member groups, which hundreds of Tanglin students enjoy, as well as the PTA (Parent Teacher Association) for their tireless support, organising events and raising funds to fast track projects. CEO, Peter Derby-Crook commented, “Our whole community is made up of unsung heroes and there are teachers, support staff, operations staff, governors, parents and friends who give above and beyond to make Tanglin what it is.”

“I was surprised and thrilled to be nominated to receive a Tanglin Heroes award especially as there are so many heroes in Tanglin Trust School. I really enjoyed the ceremony at Eden Hall and it was wonderful to celebrate the occasion in such a special venue – I felt very honoured and thankful to be included.” Jacqui Nursey, Events Manager

The Tanglin Heroes are: Amber Dorey For giving of her time so generously, for being the mastermind behind the 3,500 cupcakes, for her support of MasterChef and the beautifully presented items she prepares to support theme days, always with the extra touch. Vivienne Eisenberg For being the driving force and catalyst for the creation of our lost property system, which benefits so many families across campus. From motivating other parents to volunteer their time and remaining nothing but positive amongst smelly socks and soggy snack bags, she has exemplified the Tanglin value of service to the community. Mhairi Aluthge-Donna For her on-going commitment to Caring For Cambodia, leading a number of trips with excellent organisational and leadership skills. Delphine and Matt Hastwell For their charitable work for Cambodia over the years from ‘Tone Tanglin’ and ‘Tanglin Aid’ to the Olympic themed calendar and numerous events at the Col Bar. Gill Henderson For managing lost property, labelling items, identifying owners, even taking items home to wash and doing all of this singlehandedly and with a smile on her face. Anna Lees For being the driving force behind the concept and setting up of the High

Commissioner Award and for her unwavering enthusiasm to motivate students and staff to give their time and energy to support this inspiring initiative. Caroline Leong Wai For organising numerous cross departmental events over the past 5 years, including the COO Cohesion lunch, even working when ill to ensure that the event and logistics run smoothly. Linde Morgan For managing and organising The Wessex Singers, rearranging music, encouraging talent, organising concerts and supporting local charities and organisations in Singapore. Jacqui Nursey For her commitment to Tanglin over the years in many capacities, from former president of the PTA to DJ Jacqui, supporting the school discos. Katie Sansom For being instrumental in making Caring for Cambodia such an important focus for Tanglin, leading numerous teacher trips to Siem Reap and for her on-going passion and commitment. Richard Seah Khiok Hai For being Tanglin’s Mr Fix It and for organising the Lion Dance every year, such an integral part of community life. Uncle Wong For having faithfully and diligently ensured the safety of our community every morning over such a long time, always with a smile and cheerful manner.

Alumni

Where are you now? To celebrate Tanglin’s history and find out more about what our school was like in the past, Year 6 students practised their English and letter writing skills by writing to over 200 Alumni. The Alumni were different ages and from different countries and many of them replied to the children to share their wonderful memories of Tanglin Trust School. As part of our birthday celebrations in March, the Year 6 students then paired up to prepare a presentation to the rest of their class about ‘their’ Alumni. The stories they presented were interesting and varied and gave insight into the history of our school and the diversity of our Alumni.

Dev Segarajasingam (Tanglin Prep/Tanglin Junior School, Class of 1993) sent these memories to Elizabeth Webster (Y6.5): What is your favourite/fondest memory of Tanglin/Singapore? I have always been grateful to have had the opportunity to attend Tanglin. We always had a very coherent class group and I recall many friends. The education was excellent and gave me the grounding to achieve anything I wished. There was a good balance between academics, music and sport. Prior to starting Tanglin I was very shy and introverted but on leaving I had confidence in myself. My excellent education at Tanglin allowed me to do very well at school, in fact I was top of my school in my final exams. I studied medicine at the University of Western Australia. I am currently Head of Department of Gastroenterology at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Western Australia. I do miss Singapore which was a very nice place to live at the time. Aside from the food I miss the tropical weather but I visit Singapore at least every one to two years still.

Pranay Lad (Y6.3) wrote to Neil Morrison OBE (Class of 1969) who is a retired Lieutenant Colonel and now volunteers as a Justice of the Peace in Scotland. Here is an extract of his reply: What is your favourite/fondest memory of Tanglin/Singapore? I loved Raeburn Park School (RPS) because it was such a happy and friendly school with really brilliant teachers, I learned a lot there. I remember that we had a system of stars and daggers that were awarded for our work and were stuck up on the wall against our names. We really wanted to get stars (they were not given out easily) and it was a great incentive to work hard. All our work was done in notebooks in pencil, no computers or iPads then. Playtime was always huge fun. I seem to remember that the school was in a big

old house with, it seemed, a huge garden that gave plenty of space to charge about. We had mass games of cowboys and indians or roundheads and cavaliers at playtime which I seem to remember either terrorised the girls or made them very cross with us boys for making such a racket. My best friend was a boy called Alastair Wallet who is in one of the sports day pictures and I have no Idea what happened to him. I have looked on LinkedIn and elsewhere with no luck. I must have done something right at RPS because I was made a House Captain (although I cannot remember which house as it was over 50 years ago) and I have always looked back on my days there fondly – which is why I recently joined the Alumni association.

by Nellie Rogers, Alumni Manager

Spotlight

Tanglin’s 90th Birthday Party 10

by Louise Colbridge, Internal Communications Manager

On Wednesday, 18 March staff and students across Tanglin came together for one of the biggest celebrations in the school’s history… Tanglin’s 90th birthday! Although special events are taking place throughout the year for T90, the birthday in March was the official date that the school started 90 years ago with just five students in The Tanglin Club. In preparation for the party day, Amber Dorey (Senior Teaching and Learning Assistant - Training Kitchen) orchestrated the baking and icing of 3,000 cupcakes with her team of Masterchef bakers! The Infant School were also responsible for baking hundreds of cupcakes; parent volunteers kindly gave their time to help bake the cupcakes in batches before they were frozen then defrosted, iced and ‘topped’ for the big day. Everyone across the three schools played their part in making Tanglin’s birthday party a huge success. There were a range of activities that took place in the lead up to the big day. Infant and Junior children made special T90 party hats, invitations were written and bunting was made and hung to decorate the classrooms. Junior students helped to ice birthday cupcakes

“We had a pretend birthday cake with 90 candles because it’s T90.” Jackson-Tyson Valentine (N5) “I liked the cupcakes at the party. I helped make them!” Neve Van Herk (R5)

“Decorating the cupcake was my favourite T90 activity” Hope Kenway (Y2.4) “I had so much fun playing party games with Year 13!” Bella Stephenson (Y2.4) and Senior students organised party games to play with younger students. On the day itself staff and students came dressed in Tanglin colours of red, white and blue and students brought in plates of party food to share with their friends. A huge birthday cake made of recycled materials and topped with 90 candles stood on top of the grassy mound in the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) playground and party music greeted the Infant students on their arrival. This really got everyone in the party mood and the children had fun posing for photographs alongside the enormous cake. Classrooms across the school were filled with fun and laughter as children enjoyed

11 party games such as musical chairs and pass the parcel organised by Senior students from Years 11, 12 and 13, who hosted parties for tutor groups in the Junior and Infant Schools. The Senior students did a fantastic job at organising fun and age-appropriate games and the younger students loved having their ‘big buddies’ join them for the fun.

“I enjoyed the carousel of activities in Year 4. We learned about the history of Tanglin, what it could be like in the future. We iced biscuits and created a T90 art mural as a year group. It was epic!” Clara Kelsey (Y4.8)

Mr Derby Crook led the whole school in a ‘happy birthday’ singalong across the tannoy system. Year Group units across the school then filled with staff and students as everyone came together to enjoy party food and the delicious T90 cupcakes.

“I loved sharing our games with the Seniors and learning new games from the Year 8’s and Year 11’s.” Joshua Brooks (Y4.8) A highlight for the Infant students (and any Nursery parents doing pick-up) was the big dance on the AstroTurf led by Angela Dawson, Delphine Hastwell, Benjamin Farr, Maggie Derby-Crook, Barbie Hale and Chloe Gilbert. The loud party music and energetic dance moves had all of the children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 (and their teachers!) dancing to the beat of the music. It was hot but everyone enjoyed the party atmosphere! It was a busy and memorable morning and we hope all of the students went home full of smiles and carrying their special T90 badge and commemorative fan.

Our World TTS Foundation Update 12

by Camille Biancotto, Communications Coordinator, Jo Osman, Deputy Headteacher of Infant School and students Tanglin has a history of bringing fantastic speakers to the school to work with, talk to and inspire our children and community. In T90 the TTS Foundation has enabled us to extend our inspirational visitor series by inviting even more professionals to the school such as the fabulous father and son musical duo, Ben and Tom Waters, Performance Poets Sarah and Phil Kaye and inspirational speakers Axe Rawlinson and Louise Clarke. These are just some of the exceptional enrichment opportunities the TTS Foundation has been able to provide for the community.

Ben Waters’ Inspirational Visit to Tanglin by Camille Biancotto, Communications Coordinator In February, Tanglin was thrilled to welcome musician Ben Waters and his son Tom, to the school. Ben, who is from the UK, is a well known pianist who has played alongside the Rolling Stones and Chuck Berry, amongst others. Ben was accompanied by his son, Tom Waters, who is also a very talented saxophonist. Ben’s achievement is particularly incredible as he taught himself how to play without attending a single music lesson. During his visit, Ben Waters led Junior and Senior students in a number

of workshops. Ben’s humility and approachability was particularly appreciated by the students and teachers. He shared his talent and mastery of piano in a very humble way. He made students very comfortable and encouraged them to improvise. The Wednesday evening concert was the high point. Around 200 people attended the performance staging Ben and Tom and four Year 10 bands. Ben’s Boogie Woogie infectious music roused a rhythm for all ages. His talent and big personality inspired and engaged everyone. “Ben conveyed a sense of ‘get up and give it go’ to the whole audience which was fantastic!” concluded Rob Le Grice.

“The idea behind Ben’s visit was to show students that anybody can enjoy playing and performing - it’s about having the guts to get up and do it.” Rob Le Grice, Head of Arts Faculty.

Parents who attended the workshop on the Tuesday afternoon may have not expected to be drawn into the proceedings quite so dramatically, but they stepped up courageously and let their inhibitions drop away. At the end of the session they took away a range of simple ideas to make story time at home an exciting adventure full of endless possibilities. Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye met Jas Singh (Y12.4), Catherine Chong (Y13.1) and Scarlet Leach-Smith (Y13.9) to talk about their spoken-word poetry. Are you comfortable with the idea of other people performing your spoken word poetry? Would you mind giving that right to someone else, to make it their own, with the knowledge that they might change the meaning? Sarah: Oh I hope they change it. What I would say is that I’m fine with people performing my poetry but what I don’t want them to do is perform it the way I perform it, because then they’re doing a weird impersonation, which is strange. What I would love them to do is take the words and own them in a way that makes them feel like they are their words. And perform it as if they were their own words. Do you think you can perform page poetry as well even if it wasn’t intended as a spoken word? Phil: When you are writing or creating a poem that is going to be a spoken word poem, the tools you are using are all performance based, you’re thinking about; How does this exist in my body? How is it going to sound coming out of my mouth? What am I going to be doing on stage? How am I going to be interacting with the audience? People like to make it a complex combat between page poetry and stage poetry but I don’t think it is: the tools are different. For page poetry you think about how it looks on a page, how it fits on a page, what the line breaks are doing, what those words in juxtaposition are doing. So I think that that’s really the difference. And when you’re translating one to the other it’s more like ‘okay, how can I use these tools for performance and craft them onto a poem meant for the page or vice versa?’

In your TED talk you mentioned one way to get started writing poetry is to make lists, are there any other kinds of ways you like to get started writing poetry? Sarah: We suggest lists because people have a lot of anxiety around poetry and if you say, “Okay, start writing a poem”, they freak out. But if you say, “Alright, just start writing a list of three things you know to be true,” it is a much more familiar and comfortable format and people don’t panic. So it’s just a way of freeing yourself up and allowing your brain to let loose and start generating thoughts and ideas. The other thing is that all people have moments in their day where they are struck by something. Whether it’s something that surprises you, excites you, upsets you, or whatever, there’s something that penetrates your emotion shield. When there’s a moment like that Phil and I try to keep track of it. It’s simply a record so that way when you sit down at the computer trying to write a poem you’re not staring at a blank screen like “QUICK INSPIRE ME NOW!”

UK Theatre Practitioner visits Infant School by Jo Osman, Deputy Headteacher of Infant School The Infant School was very fortunate to welcome the inspiring UK theatre practitioner, Louise Clark, in March.

Everest: A Lesson in Never Giving Up by Oscar Settle (Y12.8) Axe Rawlinson’s speech was absolutely inspiring. He explained how his first attempt at climbing Everest wasn’t successful and talked us through the challenge of being knocked back and how he overcame that. The idea of how he climbed Everest was mind-blowing, but the idea of having to try twice is just out of this world. All of us were so engaged in the speech. Axe asked us lots of questions and those who got the right answer were given a copy of his book (which is being passed around the year group for everyone to read). It was the most amazing speech I have ever listened to and just so motivating, encouraging us to travel and experience the world. Axe didn’t just talk about climbing mountains but also about the different cultures he has experienced. He explained the idea of starting small, from the smallest mountain, and increasing the altitudes as the years went on, eventually reaching the goal of Everest. Axe was just genuinely so inspiring. He is a great role model and I am so grateful that he gave up his Friday morning to talk to us.

An expert in engaging and expanding the imaginations of small children, Louise worked with students, teachers and parents on a wide range of storytelling conventions. These interactive stories encouraged us all to be creative collaborators, authors, risk-takers and even consider our principles, as we debated decisions made by the characters in each tale.

Infant School 90 Through the Eyes of the Infant School

by Infant Heads of Year, Victoria Thomas, Sonya Stevens, Fiona Westwell and Michelle Robertson

As an Infant School, we love celebrating special occasions and the launch of T90 has been no exception. Each Year Group has interpreted the concept of turning 90 in their own, childcentred and age appropriate way. It has been lots of fun and has created many lasting memories.

Reception In a break from the tradition of celebrating 100 days, the Reception children celebrated their 90 days at school as part of the T90 celebrations taking place this year. Each class had been patiently counting down from their first day at school to reach this momentous event… even if some of them thought this meant they were now going to Year 1! The children arrived at school dressed in numbers and patterns and spent the day involved in a variety of mathematical challenges. Each child made a 90 day hat with 90 fingerprints on, counted out 90 things to eat to take home and made very glamorous 90 day glasses. The children played SPLAT! on the computer, made lines of 90 cubes with the unifx and drew 90 smiles on a 90 square.

Nursery Turning four is a momentous occasion for every child in Nursery so being able to celebrate a 90th birthday is even better. The children confidently shared their birthday party ideas and suggested that cake, candles and party games should all be included in the birthday celebrations. The Nursery unit was decorated in Tanglin colours with balloons, paper chains, beautiful bunting and displays made by Nursery children and parent volunteers during the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) open mornings. T90 has been a fantastic opportunity to bring together our community with T90 themed activities led by parents including helping to bake hundreds of cupcakes that were shared out with staff and students on the birthday.

“We had Tanglin cakes and played pass the parcel. I got a Tanglin fan!” Isobel Cameron (N4)

The highlight for each class was following the special trail of numbers which led them out of Reception, right through Nursery, past the Nurse and as far as The Point! They made estimates on the way, guessing what number would be at the bottom of the stairway or around the corner until they discovered the treasure chest. Once there, they had to decipher a number clue and put the number into the lock to reveal the treasure, taking care not to disturb the genie.

We constructed a giant cake out of recycled material and topped it with 90 recycled candles, made by each child and a friend. As a Year Group we pretended to blow out all of these candles after singing happy birthday Tanglin! The idea of ‘a long time ago’ to Nursery children is quite tricky as some of them struggle with the concept of today, tomorrow and yesterday! We simplified this by using simple comparisons of school uniforms and stories of five children starting school together and arriving at school on a donkey. The latter really got their imaginations going!

“I collected 90 things from home and my mummy helped me. I had key rings, flowers, coins and stickers. It was for 90 days in school.” Olivia Panayiotou (R5) The passing of time, especially over many years, for Reception children is quite difficult to understand so this led to the central unit display for children to see a pictorial representation of how things have changed over time. The photos of activities are relevant to the children’s experiences and how these compare with photos of now. For example, how ‘coming to school’ transport has changed from a donkey ride to buses with open windows to air con buses and seatbelts and children who played outside in their underwear instead of the formalised PE kit that we have now. There are also pictures of those activities which have not changed over the years such as walking on stilts and playing in a sandpit. The display also highlights key staff who have worked in the Infant school for 40 years (Mrs Yau) and teachers who came to Tanglin as a child and now work in Reception (Miss Atkins). Year 1 The Year 1 concert was based upon the ‘Jolly Postman’ stories by Allan Ahlberg. The postman visits the different story book characters to deliver an invite to a party for Tanglin’s 90th birthday. In the last scene, the characters enjoyed the party and sang the specially commissioned T90 song. The children spent time in class reading, performing and writing traditional stories so the characters in the script are ones they focused upon in the first half term. Throughout the second half of term we learnt about the history of our school so our concert weaved together the two themes. Our ‘Celebrations’ topic started with a bang by watching a loud and colourful lion dance for Chinese New Year. The children thought about and discussed the many celebrations which happen throughout the year and drew pictures of their own ‘wow’ moments to create wonderful time lines.

“We liked singing all of the songs, especially the T90 song. It is a fun song and it is about our school.” Layla Mason and Verity Hall (Y1.7)

a passion for history and were able to demonstrate an enthusiastic engagement in learning, whilst developing their sense of curiosity about the past. Learning about the history of Singapore was a starting point for many children and this included a visit to the Images of Singapore Museum on Sentosa. Children thoroughly enjoyed finding out about Singapore from the 1800s to the current day.

Using T90 as a theme, the children focused on learning about the past and discussed what Tanglin might have been like. Our ‘old school’ role-play lent itself to lots of fantastic learning opportunities including getting to grips with writing on blackboards, counting with abacuses and even attempting the yo-yo! The children came up with different ideas about what they would like to learn and the teachers used these in their classrooms. Some classes were keen to find out what the school looked like and who the teachers were. Others used a transport focus, using the starting point of how children got to school.

Many classes then focused in on how Tanglin has changed over the last 90 years as part of our T90 themed activities. In one of the shared areas in the Year 2 unit, a role-play classroom from 90 years ago was set up for children to experience what it would have been like to be a child at Tanglin many years ago. Children thoroughly enjoyed being the ‘strict’ teacher, forcing others to learn to use the abacus and form their letters correctly using feather and ink! Children were very good at finding some of the differences and similarities between Tanglin now and back in 1925 and talking about why they existed.

Year 2 T90 was celebrated through the Magnificent Minds history-based topic in Year 2 classes. Children became true historians when learning about how and why life has changed. They all developed their sense of chronology and were able to communicate historically about life in the past. Many children developed

One class even created their own class museum, dedicated to life in Singapore and England. Children produced a book to help others learn about aspects of life in the past in either Singapore or the UK, such as schooling, transport, food and famous people (learning about people as diverse as Florence Nightingale, Lee Kuan Yew and Sir Stamford Raffles).

“I enjoyed learning about T90 because we could tell the difference between how Tanglin was then and how it is now.” Matty Burr (Y2.1)

It wasn’t just about the day though… there were lots of number activities based around 90 that continued throughout the week. The Reception Team were very grateful for the support from all the adults that helped to make the day flow perfectly.

Junior School

Inspiring through Science 16

by Andrea Hawthorne, Gifted and Talented Leader

With their sights firmly set upon fostering a legacy of young Science learners in the Junior School, the Year 6 members of the Science enrichment group have taken their first exciting steps towards leadership this term, as they qualified as Science Ambassadors. The Inspiration Fresh from the success of their inaugural Challenge Day event earlier in the term, the Year 6 scientists offered no shortage of ideas as to how they could harness the natural curiosity for learning that exists throughout our school to raise the profile of Science to yet greater heights.

The first idea that we wanted to bring to life was to open up the Science Lab to keen young scientists across the school during lunchtimes. This proposal was the brainwave of four Year 6 girls (Noor Mitchell, Hannah Coulstock, Hannah Griffiths and Michelle Guenther) all of whom were committed to inspiring in others the same love of learning through scientific discovery that they experienced themselves. The girls agreed that offering their fellow students the freedom to explore their own scientific questions was likely to prove an extremely popular break time activity.

Not content to leave lunchtime supervision solely to their teachers however, part two of their plan was for all those involved in the Year 6 enrichment group to train as Science Ambassadors so that they would be ‘on hand’ to aid the younger students with their investigations. Additionally, the girls suggested that once they were qualified, each Science Ambassador would earn the privilege of wearing an official lab coat: a garment which they planned to have made from whichever fabric emerged as the forerunner from the investigative element of their training programme. In order to be awarded funding for their lab coats, the girls were aware that they would need to deliver a convincing pitch to the Our World funding team in support of their proposal. The Journey towards Qualification On Monday, 9 March, their idea turned into reality as Miss Robinson and I welcomed 24 enthusiastic trainees into the Science lab. Once safely protected in their temporary (fingers crossed) lab coats, the group wasted no time in diving straight into their first challenge: becoming a safety officer. With ‘safety first’ a key priority, the practical activities undertaken by the scientists enabled them to demonstrate

“We thought that it was a good idea to open the lab because it will make children more eager to learn Science. This is because they can do the experiments they want which they can’t do in Science lessons.” Michelle Guenther (Y6.3)

their awareness and understanding of how a safe lab operates. As each member of the group achieved the required standard, they were invited to ‘brand’ their lab coat with their newly acquired title. A clear sign of their achievement, it was an invitation that was universally accepted!

“I enjoyed drawing on our lab coats throughout the day. I also liked planning our own experiment on the fabrics!” Veronica Rajadurai (Y6.7) Motivation remained high as the challenges continued, each apprentice Ambassador honing their skills as they progressed through the missions during the course of the day. From demonstrating their adept selection and confident use of scientific apparatus, to showcasing their creative approaches to scientific investigation, the students maintained a high bar in their journey towards qualification.

“I loved the part when we had to find out which lab coat was the best. We really put each of the four materials to the test!” Hannah Griffiths (Y6.7) “Throughout the day, the thing I enjoyed doing most was definitely experimenting with the lab coat material since we got to use a lot of equipment!” Ben Vail (Y6.5)

The future Now we have a team of qualified and willing Science Ambassadors at the ready, the final stage of the ‘Open Lab’ break time plan can swing into action, bringing the idea to fruition. Once we are underway, we look forward to seeing young scientists from across the Junior School coming along to have fun through exploring Science.

Finally, with all stages completed and after all the required standards had been successfully reached, the scientists turned their attention towards crafting a convincing ‘pitch’ in order to realise their goal of securing the funds for their Science Ambassador lab coats.

“I found the day very interesting because we explored aspects of science in fun, creative ways that we wouldn’t do in lessons.” Hannah Coulstock (Y6.7) Fittingly, it was a presentation created by two of the original group of visionaries that was selected and so on Tuesday, 17 March, it was a determined, if slightly nervous, Michelle Guenther and Hannah Griffiths who represented the newly established Year 6 Science Ambassadors in front of the Our World funding panel. The two delegates did the group proud, presenting a strong case for their lab coats and answering some probing questions with confidence.

“I thought that the Year 6 Science Day was really exciting! I really enjoyed working with different people.” Charlie Christensen (Y6.7) So what’s next? The group have plenty of ideas! What we can say is this: safe in the hands of such committed young people, the future of Science learning at Tanglin would appear to be a very bright one indeed.

We were all delighted when the news came through that they had been successful in their efforts, and we would like to extend our thanks to the Our World team for supporting the students in their project. The Our World fund is supported by TTS Foundation.

Senior School

A Wild Week in Thailand 18

by Luke Hensman, Head of Year 7

Whilst the title of the Year 7 trip might spark images of ‘Lord of the Flies’ to the uninitiated, ‘Wild Week’ was chosen to represent a clear break from the pressures and routines of Singapore life.Thailand’s biggest national park, Kaeng Krachan, provided the ideal environment for this. Like all Tanglin residential trips, we wanted to provide the time and space to facilitate greater face-to-face communication between students, and this necessitated a much needed reprieve from electronic devices and social media. You could be forgiven for thinking that severing the students from their beloved iPads would have left them lost and disorientated but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Shorn of their virtual lives, our Year 7 students embraced the opportunity to be kids again, to run and play and sit and talk with their friends, old and new alike.

“I really enjoyed it and the fact that the groups were split up gave us a chance to mix with new people and gain great new friendships.” Niamh Kinsella (Y7.8)

Each residential trip has a particular emphasis and we wanted to ensure that the Year 7 trip was distinct. ‘Wild Week’ maintains an educational component with a wildlife focus that had been at the heart of the previous Year 7 trip to Tioman. The visit to the Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand (WFFT) sparked curiosity and wonder as our students had the privilege to see exotic animals, such as the Gibbon and Slow Loris, up close and personal. The students also developed an appreciation of the impact of humans on nature, which ties in with our support for the World Wildlife Fund, one of the two Year 7 charities. The founder of WFFT,

“It was good to step away from electronics and become more sociable.” Megan Botha (Y7.8) Edwin, regaled the visitors with tall tales (and tails). The students’ favourite story involved Edwin calling his friend, the late Steve Irwin (AKA the Crocodile Hunter), to advise on how to catch a croc. Thankfully, Edwin’s croc-catching debut was not his last. The activities were an eclectic mix – an introduction to scuba; archery; orienteering; mountain-biking; lake kayaking; and Thai cooking. In the latter, staff were amazed at the culinary competence of their charges. MasterChef Tanglin, here we come! One night was spent camping and included a mindfulness session to focus and quiet all the busy minds before guided star-gazing, in which the major celestial patterns were explained. Staff and students alike were captivated and in awe of the clear vista made available in a haze-free sky. Wild Week provided an excellent stepping stone from the creature comforts of the Year 6 Sarawak trip and the personal challenges of the Year 8 excursion to Gopeng. The students embraced the opportunities in Thailand and are already looking forward to their next adventure as a Year Group in 2016. I would like to thank all the staff who accompanied the trip and also our partner organisation in Thailand, ‘The Wild Planet’.

World Scholar’s Cup by Emma Shleifer (Y12.6)

Each team debates three times on extremely varied subjects. Contrary to the more traditional debating competitions, no team is ever eliminated, as “it wouldn’t make sense for the teams that need the most experience to debate less than those who already have it.” (World Scholar’s Cup, 2012)

With over 12,000 entrants in 2014, the World Scholar’s Cup (WSC) has gathered much momentum since its founding in 2006. Its lively debate, opportunity to speak in front of audiences of hundreds and team orientated competition has captured the attention of many Tanglin students. In March, we were proud to host the regional round of WSC with 200 students from schools across Singapore including Nanyang Girls’ High School, Raffles Institution and National Junior College. Tanglin teams did well across the board but stood out in the debating event, taking 1st, 2nd and 4th place in the Senior division as well as many accolades in the Junior (U15) division. Although only 20-25% of teams qualify each year for the Global Round, all TTS teams have got through to the 2014/15 final in Kuala Lumpur. World Scholar’s Cup is about debating, competing and learning in a never-beforeseen manner. Not only does it expand your mind in so many ways, it first and foremost gives you an opportunity to individualise yourself and become more independent. All this whilst having the most fun possible! Sophie Tottman (Y12.11), describes WSC as an “international academic competition that never fails to satisfy my ceaseless curiosity about the world. I truly believe I’ve encountered some of the most brilliant minds this generation has to offer.” WSC was founded in 2006 by Daniel Berdichevsky. Although it is known as a competition, WSC is predominantly a chance for students from over 40 countries to spark and satisfy their curiosity of the world. As Berdichevsky puts it, it is a “joyful festival and celebration of learning.”

Sample motions, 2014 Resolved: That parents should have the right to implant GPS trackers in their children Resolved: That the prefect system is good for students Resolved: That the world needs more ninjas.

Collaborative writing

“WSC isn’t just a CCA (CoCurricular Activity) it is a way of life. A lifestyle that is described as exhausting, difficult and the most fun you can have in school hours.” Angus Jope (Y11.5)

Teams have 25 minutes to discuss and research three of six presented topics, which are answered individually in 45 minutes. Sample motions, 2014 Literature: Pi would make a great father Science: Alcohol should only be available with a doctor’s prescription The Arts: Parents should automatically receive copies of their children’s selfies History: James Bond would make a good spy in the real world.

Scholar’s Bowl Presenting six topic areas (Art, Science, Literature, History, Special Area, and Social Studies), the WSC tournament consists of four events: a team debate, a scholar’s bowl, a scholar’s challenge and collaborative writing. The tournament aims to promote individual, outside-thebox thinking and curiosity that will enable “students of all backgrounds to discover new strengths and practise new skills.” (World Scholar’s Cup “Values and Vision”, 2008) World Scholar’s Cup is about much more than just winning silverware. It is about entering a worldwide community of friends, brilliant minds and inextinguishable learning.

You could be as likely to watch a clip from the Hunger Games and analyse the impact of technology on District 12 as you are to be asked for a solution to a scenario related to economic globalisation.

Scholar’s Challenge In the Scholar’s Challenge, students are able to apply their knowledge of the world - and of the six topics - to answer a series of multiple-choice questions. According to one Tanglin scholar, “the questions are brilliant actually; it’s much more than regurgitating facts.”

World Scholar’s Cup Events Debate

Sixth Form University and Careers Guidance Update

by Zoë Williams, Head of Careers and Julie Barlow, Assistant Headteacher, Senior School

In August, we welcomed two new members to the Careers and University Guidance team. Zoe Williams, Head of Careers joins from Dubai and has particular expertise in US/Canadian, European and UK university applications with an emphasis on a range of interesting more minority courses. Hilary Tomkins joins us from New Zealand and is especially experienced in careers advice and psychometric profiling. Together with Amanda Harvey who has notable experience with Oxbridge and Medicine applications, we have a formidable team. The additional staff have allowed us to review our structures; and all tutor groups in Years 1113 now have a designated Careers and University Adviser. One of our main aims is to build relationships with students and their families so that we become familiar with their academic ability and their aspirations, strengths and personal skills. We have had a tremendously busy two terms, with a myriad of university visits, including lectures from accompanying professors as well as targeted workshops for Medics and Law students; information sessions on the different university systems and the University Roadshow with 31 visiting UK universities. As our Year 13 students finalise offers before the formal examination season begins, we are very encouraged with the quality and range of offers they are currently holding. The team offers bespoke counselling services and this year we have been able to include faculty based enrichment lectures for Senior students. We have welcomed many visiting professors who have discussed degrees in Chemical Engineering and Bio-Medicine to Classical Literature and Geographical Sustainability. We are often praised on our students’ strong engagement and focused questioning at these events. The opportunity for our students to meet and engage with academics who are specialists in their field is a great privilege and the students are keenly attending these events during their lunch time. Our students are now receiving offers from universities around the world and our Year 13’s hold 295 offers from prestigious Russell Group universities in the UK, and in addition offers from very popular universities such as Bath (18 offers) UEA (11 offers) and the Royal Veterinary School (3 offers). We believe this is due to a strong support network across the faculties for student applications from personal statement review, practice interview sessions and essay reviews. We have also seen an increase in scholarship awards with students being awarded

merit-based scholarships at universities such as Florida Institute of Technology, University of British Columbia, Westminster College and the University of Tampa. Other initiatives introduced this year include extending work experience from one day to three days, increased Careers Team involvement in Year 9 and Year 11 options decisions and the launch of

Naviance software (which helps match student strengths to post secondaryeducation goals) for Years 10 to 13. We will shortly be able to offer ‘Futurewise’ profiling to students from 16 years of age upwards, which is an online psychometric test currently used in the UK to help students with aptitude recognition and careers testing. You can now follow us and keep up to date with events via Twitter @uniguidancetts.

Spotlight on Equine Careers

There are a multitude of careers in the equine industry and a variety of ways to secure employment. People who work with horses do tend to have a background in them, either growing up on a farm, becoming a rider or having always felt an affinity with them. Working via a business route can often be a great way into the industry as stable managers, events organisers, show managers, insurance brokers, ranch/stable operators, sales, logistics and tourism are all strongly based on a sound understanding of business concepts. Other routes in require a high level of education and a degree in Veterinary Science, Physiotherapy or Equine Studies.

Summer research tips for Year 11s and 12s • Visit as many universities as you can in person. If you can’t get to them try virtual tours via websites or webinars. Many universities offer open days but if you miss these dates contact the admissions office, they are usually very happy to arrange ad hoc tours. • Make a personal spread sheet with criteria for universities which is relevant to you. Do you want a large or small campus? Urban or rural area? Is distance to an airport important? How many international students do they have? • Draft your personal statement – this may be re-written several times until you are happy with it. • If you are applying to the USA, read successful college essays to get a feel for the variety and depth. These are

very different to personal statements and will require you to be creative. • Update your CV. • Follow your favourite universities on Twitter. • Use the ‘UCAS Search’ and ‘Which’ guides to research your UK applications. • Work to the rule of 7 for finalising your USA college list: - 1x Dream - 2x Reach - 2x Match - 2x Safety/Reserve • Research available scholarships (Naviance can help you with this). Many of you will automatically be eligible for merit-based scholarships in North America but there are also a plethora of sports, music and faculty based awards available.

Year 12 student Olivia Rautiainen has a background with horses and is keen to pursue a degree in this field. She has been researching courses in the UK, France and the USA. With such a specialised field it is wise to start your research early and you may need to broaden your search away from one country. America has many specialised Equine degrees with opportunities to work on ranches as part of the degree course. Universities offering Equine Studies There are over 33 providers for Equine Studies in the UK ranging from full 3 & 4 year BSc or BA degrees to 1 & 2 year Foundation and HND courses. Aberystwyth University is a great example of an Equine Studies degree with stables on campus and you are encouraged to take your own horse if you have one.

Useful Websites: http://equ.equimax.com:8080/eq_cargame.htm - Careers game to find out which aspect of the equine industry you are suited to. http://www.theequinest.com/horse-jobs-and-careers/ - Dedicated website to caring, learning about and finding jobs with horses. http://www.horsejobs.ca/ - Canada’s number one equine employment site.

We have such a great mixture of student interests when it comes to university choices and decisions. A number of our students are actively engaged in equestrian pursuits and there are a variety of courses being created every year to tailor to specialisms.

Showcase: Art • Dance • Drama • Music

Music 22

One Voice: A Showcase of Talent From Across Our Three Schools by Louise Colbridge, Internal Communications Manager

One Voice opened with the energetic beat from the Samba band and I knew that this production would be a brilliant, entertaining showcase of talent from Tanglin staff, students and parents. With Richie Baxter (Senior Music Specialist) blowing his whistle to the beat of the band and the Senior students obviously enjoying the big stage, the celebration theme for this year’s concert was evident.

for ‘Hey Mr Miller’. The Infant School students were adorable and showed no signs of nerves during their fun and animated performance. The choir showcased their skill by performing beautiful two-part harmonies.

Vivaldi’s Gloria in Excelsis Deo was performed by the full company, who looked and sounded beautiful. The students’ poise and composure in the grand auditorium was second-to-none and the evening promised to entertain, uplift and bring a sense of pride and adoration for all of the students and staff involved, making teachers and parents proud.

You’ve Got a Friend directed by Barbie Hale (Infant Music Specialist) featured some lovely actions from the Infants who sounded pitch-perfect alongside Remi Francis’ beautiful guitar. It was a difficult ballad to accomplish.

Peter Derby-Cook made a cameo appearance with the Senior Jazz Band who accompanied the Infant Choir

Delphine Hastwell (Head of Infant Music) directed the Infant Choir and Strings, accompanied by Mrs Linde Morgan (Music Specialist), for a spine-tingling rendition of Light a Candle for Peace. It was the first time these two groups had performed together and it was clear that they had worked hard to master tricky harmonies in two parts. It was a touching performance and I suspect there were a few teary eyes in the audience.

After some fine-tuning of their instruments, the Junior Strings and Junior Wind Band combined for a joyous performance of Strauss’s ever-popular Blue Danube waltz. Kudos to the children for mastering a tricky score with resilience and dedication.

“We loved performing on the stage with the big children and having our own dressing room with lights around the mirrors.” Matilda Pearce (Y2.7)

23 In recognition of the fact that Singapore has been ‘home’ for Tanglin Trust School since 1925, the Senior Chamber Choir performed a stunning rendition of two traditional Singaporean songs as a tribute to this wonderful country. Although actually composed by a Taiwanese teacher, ‘Trishaw’ is a song that many local Singaporeans grew up singing. The arrangement alludes to Singaporean trishaw bells and horns, and also a famous Singaporean drama serial. ‘Clay Doll’ is a lullaby that has been sung to countless Singaporean children. The choir were lucky enough to have been given these two beautiful arrangements by the Singaporean composer, Albert Tay, and they were very grateful to him for providing them with the opportunity to learn some local music. The Senior Orchestra, directed by Will Hyland (Senior Music Specialist), gave their all to Alberto Ginastera’s famous Danza Final from the ballet Estancia. The performance was inspired by the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra from Venezuela which has produced some of the world’s top orchestral players from very violent and challenging backgrounds. Danza

“I loved how we were taken to an actual big grand stage with all the lights and decorations!” Saffron Martin (Y5.6)

Final was for many years the orchestra’s encore at concert halls around the world and the TTS Senior Orchestra worked with the same level of passion to put together their outstanding performance. Jai Ho, performed by the combined Choirs of the Junior School and featuring Senior students Tom McLaughlin and Matthew Gledhill on drums, was exhilarating and full of energy. The smiles on the performers’ faces clearly showed their enjoyment and the energy was infectious with much toe-tapping around the auditorium. The excellent Six of One and Wessex singers, featuring staff and students, performed a magical and dramatic One More Day from Les Miserables. The powerful voices and stage presence of the performers added a theatrical element

to the One Voice concert and was a fantastic showcase of the talent that exists within our community – not just from our students. Boys Aloud lightened the mood with a witty performance of If I Only Had a Brain. Choreographed dance moves and pitch-perfect voices showed Boys Aloud’s sense of humour along with their energy and love of performing. The full company of performers were welcomed back on stage to perform Bring on Tomorrow from the musical ‘Fame’. The finale showcased collective and individual talent with some very brave solo performances from Infant, Junior and Senior students. The lyrics were a fitting end to an evening of celebration and looking forward towards Tanglin’s next 90 years.

Showcase: Art • Dance • Drama • Music

Art 24

Old and New – a richer Art experience through traditional and modern techniques and materials by Peter Hinckley, Head of Art & Design (Primary)

One of the key objectives for Art across the Infant and Junior Schools is to provide a wide range of enjoyable, positively challenging practical experiences in Art through the exploration of a diverse range of materials and techniques. With our ever increasing digital world, it is vital that Art embraces the new technologies and materials. However, it is equally important that the children enjoy the diversity of Art that comes through working with both new and traditional materials and techniques. At Tanglin, the Art curriculum taps into a wide spectrum of media available to our students from iPad digital technology to more traditional ceramics and painting techniques. In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) of Nursery and Reception, the children experience a diverse ‘hands on’ experience using a wide range of materials including paper, fabrics, plastics and recycled materials. Art activities also incorporate more modern materials and techniques including digital photography and the use of iPads to create vivid images in a painterly style. Whilst large scale collaborative collage, modelling and painting artworks reinforce the value of using more traditional materials and methods as well as nurturing social and cooperative skills. A highlight of Art in the EYFS is the embracement of a multitude of materials and new and traditional techniques as a springboard to enthusiastically develop the children’s Art skills and foster creativity. The enrichment of an Art curriculum through a broad and balanced experience carries through into Year 1 and 2 where the children are provided with ample opportunity to explore digital media in partnership with drawing, printing and painting. More modernist approaches to using natural materials and styles are also

In Year 5 the children have thoroughly enjoyed a marriage of traditional and digital techniques in their study of Singapore buildings. Using the latest ground-breaking 3D printing technology and 3D doodler pens they have explored the elements of form, shape and line using computer applications to transfer their ideas into a finished 3D model. In addition to developing the children’s greater understanding of line, shape and tone, Year 5 students were taught the technique of 2 point perspective and the use of tonal variations with pencil work to render a 3D image on paper. explored through using artists such as Andy Goldsworthy and Keith Haring. A clear skills-based focus on colour theory including colour mixing in paint, grades of pencil in drawing and the effect of texture in 3D media helps to develop the children’s foundation skills which can then be applied to more innovative digital media. It’s exciting to see the enthusiastic response to new technologies, yet equally, other more traditional art techniques have secured their value. Children today, as of yesterday, love the tactile experience of painting, drawing and 3D media. For example, using the Year 3 trip to the zoo as a stimulus, the children created their own paper mache animal sculptures using a skeleton framework of newspaper. The direct hands on experience and tactile elements of this activity cannot be underemphasised in developing the children’s direct spatial awareness of form and shape and in the development of their modelling skills. Similarly, in Year 4 the elements of colour and texture are explored. However, rather than using the media of paint and pencil, this term the students used iPads to manipulate photographs to change the colour, pattern and texture of images. Again, this was paralleled with the more traditional techniques in their pastel study of Georgia O’Keeffe flowers to develop their skills in blending and effective use of colour.

Year 6’s Art this term has focused on the importance of developing art and design ideas through sketchbooks and mood boards that convey the students thought processes in their design work. The completed boards included annotations written using Word, printed images as well as completed acrylic paintings and paint mixing samples. The work was then exhibited in the Year 6 unit. Throughout Year 6 the integration of traditional and digital techniques have worked successfully from Andy Warhol inspired digital ‘paintings’ to more traditional techniques of silk screen printing and painting techniques such as colour washes, the impasto effect and under-painting.

Sports & Activities Tanglin has enjoyed another superb season of competitive school sports. This term, TTS students performed brilliantly in SEASAC. Our Gymnastics programme continues to grow from strength to strength and our Junior Inter House sport had another fantastic year. It has been a great start to 2015. Read on to find out more about our recent achievements.

SEASAC TTS Gym SEASAC Success The TTS Gymnastics team firmly cemented their stature on the gymnastics circuit at the SEASAC Championships in Bangkok, hosted by NIST School. Yet again our team of dedicated gymnasts produced some amazing results both individually and in team events and returned with a vast collection of medals. Well done!

Singapore Junior National Swimming Championships Term 2 is always extremely busy for the Merlions and this year was no exception, with a tournament or championship on almost every weekend. This term saw the team storm ahead at primary ACSIS, narrowly miss the top spot at middle ACSIS, produce fantastic results at SEASAC in Hong Kong and record numbers attended the Singapore swimming time trials and both the Junior and Senior National Championships. It was an excellent term that saw hundreds of personal bests improved and medals collected.

FOBISIA Gym The TTS Gymnastics Girls and Boys teams had a phenomenal weekend in Bangkok at the FOBISIA tournament. The Girls and Boys teams took home an impressive total of 78 individual and team event medals (30 gold, 27 silver and 21 bronze), in addition to 43 top-5 placings and 82 top-10 placings on various allaround and apparatus finals. In the team event the Junior Girls teams had a clean sweep, winning the Team Championship Gold trophies for levels 1, 2 and 3! Whilst the Level 4 Girls team won Silver and the Senior Girls Level 1 and 3 teams took the Bronze team trophies. The TTS Boys had an equally impressive weekend winning team bronze for Level 1 and team Silver for both Level 2 and 3.

Sporting Round-Up

SEASAC Basketball Girls Basketball, Bangkok by Millie Grosvenor (Y13.4) Although they didn’t return to Singapore with a first placed trophy, the TTS Girls Basketball team felt a win at heart. It was a nail biting final against UWC Dover with a strong defence from TTS. Unfortunately, UWC snuck ahead within the last 4 minutes and the game ended 56-44 to UWC. It was a memorable SEASAC which reflected the hard work and commitment of Coach Dino and all the players. A great way to end the season and the last SEASAC for some of the Girls! Boys Basketball by Jack Byles (Y13.10) After many years of determined effort and hard work through difficult times, Tanglin Senior Boys Basketball, perennial underdogs, finally came of age. After a tough ACSIS season, in which the team finished in 5th place, the Boys travelled to SEASAC battle hardened and ready for action. Playing for each other, meeting the challenges head on, dealing with injury setbacks, the Boys were incredibly supportive of each other and focused. After three days of high intensity basketball, TTS won the Division 2 Gold Medal with a 100% record. Winning SEASAC was a lovely way for a number of the boys who are leaving Tanglin this year to finish their ‘basketball careers’. We thank them for their efforts and dedication to TTS basketball. SEASAC Rugby A Team/U19 The final was an all Singapore affair with TTS playing their arch rivals UWCD on their home patch. By halftime Tanglin were up 15-0 with the UWCD team yet to enter the TTS half. The second half continued with a similar pattern with Tanglin running away with a 29-7 victory. Throughout the whole tournament TTS only conceded a single try while scoring over 35 tries themselves. B Team/U19 An incredible tournament with the Tanglin B team playing A teams from every school and recording some impressive wins. The squad was made up of a number of U16 players and a few stand-out performers in Year 12 and 13. If it hadn’t been for a couple of key injuries in the semi final victory, the boys would have lifted the plate trophy. Nonetheless, racking up nineteen tries in seven matches demonstrated their cutting edge and sheer talent.

SEASAC Tennis Boys Tennis, Bangkok Irvin Fung and Sean Brogan put in stellar performances in the 1st and 2nd seed Singles against RIS, both narrowly losing in a tiebreak. This left TTS 2-0 down and needing victories in all three remaining ties. Edward Greig got the ball rolling with an emphatic 8-0 win, and this was quickly followed up by James Troth and Tom Buckley winning their doubles encounter. Division 1 Tennis now rested on the shoulders of Sam Ng and Erik Hartman. They did not disappoint, winning in convincing fashion. The TTS Boys were ecstatic. Girls Tennis An amazing achievement for the Girls in Myanmar! Coming from no team last year to third place overall possibly TTS’ best ever Girls Tennis result. The Girls played a total of 35 matches and won 17 of them and many of these were 8-0 to TTS. Winning 4 out of 5 of these matches gave the Girls the medals they were hoping for.

Girls Touch/U19 The squad showed strength, discipline and a lot of team spirit throughout the tournament. After beating MKIS in a nail biting semi-final, TTS met UWC who attacked TTS with strength, formation and structure. TTS gave a good fight but unfortunately lost 3-0. Well done to all of the squad members who showed commitment and motivation on the pitch.

Boys Softball After two close defeats and a victory on the first day, two of the key players were affected by a stomach bug for the second day. Despite this, the team rallied together to beat ISY in a thrilling game. The performance was indicative of the squad’s determination and persistence in the face of adversity. Special mention needs to be made of Marcus Chung who travelled to the ground just hours after waking from his sick bed to bat brilliantly, and Matt Rickard who made the winning double play despite spending most of the morning very unwell. The Boys achieved a fine 6th place, an improvement from last year and one which qualifies the team for SEASAC Division 1 next year. SEASAC Badminton Girls Badminton TTS were able to field a team in this year’s SEASAC hosted by Alice Smith. A relatively young and inexperienced squad found the going tough but all teams achieved success at some stage throughout the tournament, winning exciting and hard fought games. Congratulations to all seven players. Boys Badminton During this year’s SEASAC tournament, the Boys improved with every game and after a tight group stage in which they won 2 and lost 3, TTS qualified for the semi-final in 4th place. In an exhilarating encounter, Tanglin boys came desperately close to beating the eventual winners, NIST - at 2 games each. After putting so much into the semi-final, the TTS boys were understandably tired going into their 3rd-4th play-off which they lost to host school, Alice Smith. It was a tremendous effort.

SEASAC U19 Cross Country, Kuala Lumpur The squad have worked hard this year and were rewarded with excellent results at the SEASAC Championships. Matt Rossiter won Gold in the Boys race, Ollie Reeves was just off a podium place in 4th position and a strong showing from the rest of the team produced a team Bronze medal. Jaz Heber Percy led the Girls team home in 7th and an overall 4th place for the team. The Girls relay team achieved 4th place with great performances by Simone Pang, Holly Craig and Millie Grosvenor in their final SEASAC Cross Country event. A brilliant team effort by the Boys meant that TTS took home both the Boys Individual Championship as well as the Relay Gold. U13 FOBISIA This year’s U13 FOBISIA was held at Garden International School in Kuala Lumpur and was a very eventful games for TTS. On a busy and focused first day, TTS students performed with great determination and were rewarded with a number of podium finishes, particularly on the track. Our students collected 20 individual Golds, 13 Silver and 9 Bronze medals. The TTS team won the Athletics event overall with quite a significant margin on Bangkok Patana School, the runners up. Our swimmers couldn’t quite match the exploits of the athletes, but still managed a few Bronze medals in an event that Garden, the host school, dominated. On Day 2 the skillful TTS Girls came third in the Football, after winning 2 games, losing 1 and drawing 2. Our Boys fought hard against a high standard of opposition in the Basketball and after beating both KLASS and Shrewsbury, they unfortunately lost to Patana in the final game to claim the Silver medal. On the final day, a rejuvenated TTS Boys team was unbeaten in the Football to comfortably take the Gold medal, while the Girls dominated the Basketball tournament and were worthy Gold medal winners. All in all the U13 FOBISIA Games this year was a very well organised event, with many TTS success stories - and it will be remembered for years to come by the TTS students, staff and parents alike. A huge congratulations to everyone who took part!

SEASAC Softball Girls Softball The Girls headed to SEASAC Softball in Bangkok determined that this was the year that they would finally win a game. The squad was almost entirely new from last year, with seasoned players Michaela, Charlotte, Megan and Elsa guiding the team with cool heads. They played their best Softball of the weekend against last year’s winners NIST before ending up playing for the Bowl on Sunday morning vs Garden International School. The Girls came out and batted hard to take a storming 20-0 lead. The game ended after just 3 innings with the Girls taking their first ever win at SEASAC 26-6. Congratulations!

T90 Infant Sports Days - Reception and Year 2 On Tuesday, 24 February, 192 excited Year 2 children crossed the AstroTurf to take up their start positions for the highlight of our sporting calendar, the Year 2 sports day! Children flexed their muscles to warm up for what was to be an exhausting morning of activity under a clear blue sky. Four classes started on a carousel of activities including long jump, 3 springs jump, the ball throw, an obstacle race, a three minute run and an old fashioned egg and spoon race. The remaining four classes headed onto the green deck for nail-biting action on the track with the Year 2 sprint races (which produced many photo finishes needing the judgesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; careful consideration!). On 30 and 31 March parents gathered once more, this time to see the young athletes from the Reception classes. They too completed a carousel of activities which included jumping, running, hurdling, crawling, battling with bean bags and once again an old fashioned egg and spoon race. Once the carousel was completed they went onto a dress up race and the grand finale cupcake race, completed by teams on tricycles. The children collected their pretend T90 cupcakes to take to a picnic and when all six were collected they raced to the picnic mats to pretend to enjoy their legocakes! On each day the children were encouraged by cheering parents as they challenged themselves in each activity. Winning was a bonus, but taking part was the most important achievement. Water was on hand for the essential water breaks (which the athletes certainly needed between events). The day finished with Tanglin rosettes being handed out by Ms Craigie to all the smiling participants. All in all, an exhausting but great time was had by all.

Murphy Cup Junior School House Football Tournament All of the children gave their very best during the games and it was great to see super sportsmanship through to the end when they shook hands and congratulated each other. All results from each Year Group were added together to decide the overall Murphy Cup Champions. Harimau were crowned victors, breaking the two year winning run of Beruang. Congratulations to all of the children for such a great effort and thank you to the staff and parents for the tremendous atmosphere during the tournament.

HOUSE

YEAR 3 POSITION

YEAR 4 POSITION

YEAR 5 POSITION

YEAR 6 POSITION

OVERALL POSITION

SINGA

BERUANG

ELANG

HARIMAU

PTA

A Roaring Term 2! by Caroline Bittar, PTA President

Term 2 started with a welcome coffee morning where we invited new parents and visiting grandparents and relatives. The event was very well attended and a great success.

The Junior Disco this term was for Year 4. We were lucky to have the excellent skills of resident DJ Jacqui Nursey who played some favourite hits for the children. Year 4 danced the hour away and kept their energy levels up with pizza and juice! Our biggest event this year was our Roaring ‘20’s Ball in celebration of the 90th anniversary of the school. Tickets sold out within hours of going on sale and the community was absolutely wonderful at getting into the 1920’s spirit. We are very grateful to the generosity of our sponsors who kept costs down and enabled us to provide a free flow champagne reception, free flow wines, beers and soft drinks, a 4-course meal, band and DJ entertainment. Sponsorship also ensured great raffle and door prizes as well as goody bags filled with treats.

There has been great generosity of spirit tied up in this event and on behalf of the PTA I’d like to thank the community for supporting us, and in particular the parents who gave so much of their time to making it a success. We are gearing up for our biggest community event of the year; the summer fete. Donations are already flooding in for the toy and book stalls, thank you to everyone who has already donated to us. We look forward to seeing you all there on Saturday, 23 May!

Student Services

Health Promotion at School 30

by Sarah Le Grice, Lead School Nurse

There is clear evidence to support the concept that lifestyle and habits established during childhood and adolescence influence a person’s health throughout their life. It is therefore important as a school that we focus not only on academic success but also create a school environment which focuses on our students’ health and wellbeing. At Tanglin, we strive to enhance the wellbeing of our community through initiatives across the school. As a School Health Team we not only deal with the day to day events of three busy Health Centres, but we also provide a link between education and health, utilising our experience and skills by providing guidance and support on a range of health related issues. As Registered Nurses we are in a prime position to do this as we have experience working with parents, children and adolescents. We can facilitate through a combination of efforts to raise awareness, change behaviour and create environments which support good health practices. Every time a student walks through our door it is an opportunity to educate. With the school’s mission statement in mind and guidance from UK Health policy documents such as, ‘You’re Welcome – Quality Criteria for Young People Friendly Health Services’ (Department of Health 2011) and ‘Health Child Programme from 5-19 years’ (Department of Health 2009), we are shaping our services to provide care which is child and youth friendly. The aim of this approach is to provide an environment where the student feels listened to but can also be empowered to take control of their own health, and change and improve habits which will lead to a healthy lifestyle in adulthood.

School Nurses are often the first port of call for students and parents who would like to chat about their concerns. It may be that we are able to help them ourselves or direct them to internal or external resources. It is very important for us to have an open door policy, giving students and parents support when they most need it. Health Education Health Education is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as ‘a multifactorial approach that covers teaching health knowledge and skills in the classroom, changing the social and physical environment of the school and creating links with the wider community.’ Stewart Brown (WHO March 2006). We work closely with the School Counsellors, the Pastoral Team and Personal Social Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) Department to ensure we are providing a service which meets our students’ needs. Each Health Centre focuses on raising awareness of issues

we feel are most relevant to students as they develop, whether it is sun awareness and ‘are you drinking enough?’ in Infants, to head lice in Juniors and ‘am I normal?’ in Seniors. All topics address areas of concern for students and can lead them to ask more questions and seek advice and help if needed. Often students who come to the Health Centres will present symptoms which we may attribute to a viral illness. Tummy aches or headaches may have other causes such as whether the student has eaten or drank enough throughout the day or exam stress or friendships issues may also affect them. If that is the case, we will take the opportunity to chat about whether they have enough fuel in their bodies to do all they want to and ensure they are hydrated, or talk about strategies that could help with stress. It might be they need more one-on-one help and that’s when we would discuss seeing one of our counsellors, or speaking to one of their teachers about workload.

31 PSHCE Our Health Education goes beyond the Health Centres and into the curriculum through the PSHCE programme. We help deliver the Health element of PSHCE, focusing on Sex and Relationships Education and Alcohol and Drugs in the Junior and Senior Schools and Sun Awareness, Hygiene and Bug Busting in the Infant School. By chatting to students, parents, the Heads of Year and other teachers we get a glimpse into what is relevant to young people today. Examples include fad dieting, smoking or risk taking such as experimenting with alcohol. We try and target the age groups when these concerns are likely to become an issue. Our open door policy encourages students to come and talk to us. We can meet on an individual basis especially in the Senior School where we work with students who have concerns relating to the teenage years. We are keen to encourage students to let us know what their worries are and we can then develop our services according to their needs. We are also happy to meet with parents to support them in helping and guiding their children through difficult and challenging times. Parents are welcome to drop into the Health Centre. Email address for our Health Centres can be found on the TTS Portal. Health @ Tanglin Portal If general advice is needed, the Health @ Tanglin pages on the TTS Portal provide lots of information including what to do if your child is unwell, our ‘bug busting’ method to deal with head lice, infectious diseases, vaccinations and bed wetting. We are continuously updating the pages

and new material is added on a regular basis. The Tips for Trips page is invaluable for those students who are taking part in residential trips around the region. Here you will find advice on vaccinations required including a printable information sheet which provides guidance for your GP when you go for a travel health consultation. The leaflet outlines all the details of the trip; which region, activities and vaccinations you may require, so the doctor is able to advise you on the correct immunisations. The TTS Portal is also used to raise awareness amongst the school community of circulating illnesses. If there are students with infectious illnesses such as chickenpox or head lice an alert will be posted on the front page of the TTS Portal with a link to advice about the condition. Of course, parents are always welcome to contact the Health Centre directly for support. Screening In August 2015 we are going to trial developmental checks in the Infant Health Centre starting with Visual Acuity tests. This is in line with UK Pre-School checks which are sometimes missed in an international setting. The aim of the exercise is to pick up vision issues at an early age, before it affects the student in the school setting. Health Promotion not only extends to students and their families but also to staff. Every September we welcome the Mammobus to school to carry out Mammograms for staff as part of our breast cancer awareness programme. A large group of staff also attend the Breast Cancer Foundation (BCF) Pink Walk each year. In November we encourage

the brave men of school to grow a moustache to promote awareness and raise funds for men’s cancer. The Health Centres always welcome staff to come in and check their blood pressure, weight and even blood sugar. As well as seeing one of our doctors who are here twice a week for our staff clinic, we also provide the opportunity for flu vaccinations, cervical cancer screening and vaccination advice. ‘There has never been a stronger focus on health and wellbeing of children and young people than there is today.’ Shribman S (2009) Department of Health. We therefore want to design the service we provide around the needs of our students; to guide and support them in making decisions about their health and wellbeing, enabling them to enjoy a healthy and happy future.

Creative Writing 32

How well can I describe a setting? Awestruck, Meena’s eyes feasted on the queenly alpine trees which seemed to pierce the clouds. The song of jovial birds echoed through the sunfilled forest. Oriel neighed in delight as he took in the aromatic air and began a gentle trot. Each aged pine had its own coat of lichen and moss giving the forest a dappled-green light, which rained down gracefully to rest on a forest flower. Motivated by the constant beauty, Meena shook off her grey weariness and began to stroke her steed’s inky mane. Immersed in her own joy, she didn’t notice the meandering pathway starting a steep ascent, until Oriel gave a neigh of apprehension. With a little gasp, Meena realised that they were slowly trudging through the thick snow, crunching their way up what looked like a snow-capped mountain which Nimro talked about. Soothingly, the girl patted the great beast; bringing the warmth of courage back. Pale, gnarled trees stretched out pathetically from the snow, so feeble that only several tattered, blackened leaves hung limply off the drooping branches. Bending forward until the mane of Oriel licked her cheeks, she felt the slow but sure hooves lift out of the slush and strike it once again. The rugged mountains before her were like great barriers to her goal. Still, the sun shined upon her and she soon appreciated the landscape. However, her courage waned as the weather worsened. Menacingly, black clouds rolled over the jagged peaks and Meena, still mounted upon faithful Oriel, began to feel icy blasts of wind stab into her cheeks. Snow circled around her in whirling clouds, making Oriel break off course and wander helplessly, giving neighs of terror. Lightning flashed out of unlikely corners and soon she felt like walking into a dragon’s mouth (as her home village would say) might have better results. Would the wind take pity on this little insignificant girl?

Background artwork by Shiv-Rani Mistry (Y13.11)

“Oriel! Faster, Oriel! We have to get through!” she cried, but the cold wind engulfed her pleading voice. Plunged into eternal-seeming darkness, Meena groped wildly in this black world. She was still mounted on her steed, but otherwise she had no knowing of where she was going. Murky red light streamed through Meena’s closed eyelids, and she was mounted on her ever-steady Oriel in a evil-smelling, mud-filled flat. Weeds tangled viciously round Oriel’s hooves. She gave a shudder each time Oriel slipped into the mud and carried down dark, moist grass. As Meena raised her weary head, she gazed, wondering at a dark, tower like silhouette. “Is this the dark tower?” She whispered to the boggy marsh. “Am I here so soon?” The still silent air seemed to agree.

Alexandra Isman (Y5.2 )

How well can I vary my sentence structure to create suspense?

Buzzing vigorously, the buttons on the Argo were lined on the control pod. There were so many buttons, it felt like each button represented each person in the world. Crackling continuously, the engine was working at 80%, almost at hyper drive speed. Apart from the rattling of the cargo and the laser guns, the Argo was uncomfortably silent.

She kicked at the snow in disappointment. Just as she turned away, the oaken door creaked open. Proud of what she accomplished, she strutted to the entrance. Before her was a shop. The shop. The one with her doll. Resisting the urge to run, she stepped inside. She was in a prison for dolls. They were littered everywhere. Scanning the room, she found the doll in the middle of the room. The doll’s eyes seemed to stare at her, as if drilling into her very soul, yet desperately. Not trying to harm her.

Days had past and Tom couldn’t find the enemy ship; the rest of the crew were searching in Zahan for the Alien’s hypersonic drive that would be used to charge the Argo. Tom struggled to walk to the control pod and realised why. Where his legs should have been, they had been replaced by snow pale bones which also had a device in them to turn him transparent/invisible. From the waist up, he was humid with sky-darting blue eyes and short trimmed blond hair making him look like mini superman. Standing out, a maroon leather cape draped over his shoulder. A black t-shirt, along with normal jeans was unusual to wear when about to fight. He grumbled as he stumbled across the hall. Naturally, he tapped in the code without looking, sort of showing off but it was pointless because no one was there but him. Most of the time, he stayed invisible from his friends because he liked hiding in the shadows. Elated, he could stroll around now, doing whatever he wanted. Comfortably he sat down in his chair, as his hands flew over the controls, which were silent now. Like a peaceful song, the engine hummed and whistled, making him relax. He realised he had dozed off and the Argo was swaying side to side. Almost at once, he set it to auto-drive. His moment was ruined by the enemy. As fast as he could he turned invisible. Unfortunately, there were a dozen of them, combing the area. Quickly, he leaped out of his chair like a tiger pumping into an enemy.

Slowly approaching her doll, she bumped into a toppled doll on a worn out velocipede. The creepy doll on a bike frantically pedalled. She turned it upright. It tried to escape but failed - the door closed just in time to trap it in. When she looked up, her doll disappeared. Again. She greedily scanned the room. Alma must have that doll. It was there. On the top shelf this time. Something wasn’t right. Something or someone was moving the dolls - dolls can’t move by themselves. Can they? Alma put a chair and stepped on it. This time, she wasn’t going to take her eyes of it. Realising she couldn’t grab the doll with mittens on, she took off the mittens on her right hand. Slowly and carefully, her hand moved toward the doll. Her finger came in contact with its nose. Fear surged through her. Her vision darkened… then became glassy - almost unreal. The sound of her heavy breathing filled the air around her. She was trapped. Inside the doll. Silence stretched out. Suddenly a new doll emerged from the stand. The next victim. The next prisoner. She could just imagine her parents searching every nook, every cranny for her. Day after day. Week after week. But they would never find her. Ever.

“Ow!” The man exclaimed, but regained his balance.

From the doll’s perspective:

“Look who we got here!”

I want to be free. I’m sick of this shop. A girl passed the door. My hopes of freedom were slim. Suddenly the door creaked open. She was looking for something. For me. But just to be sure, I leapt onto the top shelf when she wasn’t looking for me. The juvenile female clambered over a chair. She touched my nose.

Charlie Granell Griffths (Y6.2)

When I woke up, I was at her house. I looked down. I can move. I can breathe. I have a family. Who cares what happened to the girl. I am free.

Matthew Romero (Y6.4)

How well can I describe a science fiction setting and character?

Red, Furious and angry, Like the raged sun setting. Red is the colour of love, Red is the colour of anger, Red is in a wild fight. Red is as beautiful As a red rose. Red is fierce and Evil. Dangerously, It burns away. Honor Mcmyn (Y2.3)

Gold, Royal and shiny. Gold is a colour Filled with joyful sparkles. Gold fills your heart up with happiness. Gold is as bright as a star. When gold touches your cheek Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re happy almost forever. Siri Croxford (Y2.3)

Black, Erie and noxious, Like a starless cave in the twilight. Black is as vicious as a vampire, Crawling into your house, Plunging enormous piercing teeth Into your neck. Black sounds like someone Saying their last word. Black feels like a zombie crushing your lungs. Black is also melancholy, Like losing your best friend. Black is your foe not your friend. Zahran Nazir (Y2.3)

Background artwork by Aafreen Khan (Y13.12)

Senior School Library Book Reviews Most Popular Books

cid:image011.jpg@01D06AF5.0219C740

Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9) • The Giver by Lois Lowry • The Maze Runner by James Dashner • The Diary of Pelly D by LJ Adlington • The Foreshadowing by Marcus Sedgwick • When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead Key Stages 4 & 5 (Years 10 to 13) • Outland by Rhiannon Lassiter • Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood • Dicey’s Song by Cynthia Voigt • Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts • Floodtide by Clive Cussler

Wild Boy by Rob Lloyd Jones Wild Boy, a debut novel by Rob Lloyd Jones, is set in the Victorian era of freak shows. Wild Boy, the protagonist, has two characteristics which set him apart from the rest of the world: the first, he has uncanny deductive powers which he developed from a young age and the second, his body is covered in reddish brown hair. He is picked up by a freak show and travels around with them until one day he is accused of the murder of an eccentric old scientist. He then sets off across London to find the real culprit. The story moves at a fast pace, with an endearing Holmes-style sleuth and a circus acrobat as the two unlikely heroes. I would recommend this book to any one in KS3 or KS4 looking for an easy read in the style of a Sherlock Holmes novel. Dillon Lim (Y10.1)

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater Blue Sargent is the only non-psychic person in a family of psychics, and has grown up being told by her family that if she kisses her true love, he will die. So Blue has no intention of getting involved with any boys, especially not with boys from the local school, Aglionby Academy. However, when one of the boys comes for a psychic reading, Blue begins to be drawn into a world of supernatural phenomenon, and her crazy adventure begins. This book is a cover-to-cover ride of magic mixed with reality, with some really unexpected twists and a host of really interesting characters. I loved it from beginning to end and could not put it down. The Raven Boys is the first of a series of excellent fantasy books (The Raven Cycle), and I would recommend this book to anyone aged 14+ who likes fantasy stories. Charlotte Ford (Y10.5)

Book Reviews

Junior School Library Book Reviews Top Books Voted into the Reader’s Cup Competition • The Terrible Thing that Happened to Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne • The Twistrose Key by Tone Almhjell • The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech • Tom Gates is Absolutely Fantastic (at Some Things) by Liz Pichon • The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson

The Twistrose Key by Tone Almhjell We love the book as it is an enchanting story about a young girl called Lin whose pet rodent, Rufus, dies. They were true friends. One day Lin finds two keys that unlock a door to a secret land called Sylver where pets that have died come back to life. Little did she know that the land of Sylver has an entrance from the cellar in her house! When they die and go to the mythical land, the pets that were once loved by their owners grow to the same height and size as humans and they wear clothes! Lin is delighted to see Rufus but there is a terrible problem that they have to solve together. Both of us recommend this book to everyone. It is an amazing story which we hope you will enjoy reading! Rattan Bhatti (Y6.5) & Raghvir Bhatti (Y6.6)

Pea’s Book of Holidays by Susie Day Meet Pea, a funny girl who is determined to give her family the perfect holiday. As her mum is busy writing her new book, ‘Pirate Girls’, and her older sister Clover is away at acting school, Pea has to be the leader. She wants to go somewhere that mum can write in peace. Somewhere like a castle where mum can get “Enid Blyton inspiration fumes” but when a nasty accident happens, how will Pea be able to keep being strong and confident? I like the book because the story is interesting and it is about Enid Blyton and her books. Josephine Richards (Y4.2)

Infant School Library Book Reviews Top 5 Most Popular Books • The Book with No Pictures by BJ Novak • Do Not Open This Book by Michaela Muntean • The Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss • The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson • The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers “The Rainbow Fish because it’s nice. Mummy reads it to me. I like the pictures because they are beautiful. I also like the story very much.” Ella Dutt (R7) “I love Princess books. They are nice. I like all of these books because they have lovely pictures and are really good stories.” Myla-Rose Ratner (R2) “I love the story of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ because it has a happy ending. When I was in Australia dad bought the book for me which was the best present I ever received. I also like to borrow this book from the library too! We are lucky to have this book in the library!” Paddy Winston (Y1.5) “My favourite book is ‘Princess Mirror-Belle and the Dragon Pox’ by Julia Donaldson because the pictures are lovely. It’s a story about Ellen who has dots on her face and looks for someone to help her.” Cassidy Taylor (R2)

Parent Book Reviews

Parenting With Love and Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay

The book‘s main emphasis is on not just teaching children about responsibility but getting them to practice it. It highlights to the parent how they can use logic to raise self-confident and motivated children. By allowing your child to solve their own problems, they learn about taking responsibility. The book also gives you ideas on how to reduce power struggles and and avoid resorting to anger or threats. I really enjoyed the book and gained some useful tips on how to change the way I speak to my child. Some of the concepts are very simple, but I liked the book because it served as a reminder to give my child choices instead of telling them what to do. There is even a chapter on giving gifts which is so insightful. The first point made is: ‘If your child shows little appreciation for gifts, give less’. What a simple message! But something that we wouldn’t necessarily act on. It seems obvious after reading, that by showering an unappreciative or not pleasantly responsive child with gifts, we raise an ‘entitled brat!’ The book does have a very religious undertone, however the messages shared are not considered religious at all. I considered it quite a light read and would definitely recommend it to all parents. Even if you don’t agree with or follow the suggestions, I believe it is positive to read about how children perceive what we say to them! by Rabia Shah, 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

This book is a really interesting read. It’s written by Dr Foster Cline, a child and adult Psychiatrist and Jim Fay, one of America’s top educational consultants.

The Last Word An update on the Gateway Building project Over the next few months you will notice many changes to our school campus as we prepare for the development of the new Gateway Building. The new facilities will provide much-needed space for our students, staff and parent community including a new Senior School canteen, retail shop and family café for parents complete with a children’s play corner, a purpose-built soft play area for the Infant School, state-of-the-art media technology facilities, office and storage space for the PTA and a new space for gymnastics. We will also benefit from a large multi-purpose hall and a well-being area for staff and students.

Family café

Some changes have already started to take shape and you may have noticed that work has already begun on the temporary bus bay behind the Berrick Building. Before the end of term we will communicate all of these changes in more detail. Please be assured that many hours of planning have been devoted to ensure that these temporary arrangements are every bit as effective and safe as the present ones.

Level 2 Canteen

Infant play area

The most noticeable transformation will take place over the summer break when we plan to carry out the first phase of resurfacing the AstroTurf with an interim field. In order to provide much-needed space for full size football and rugby pitches, the existing turf will eventually be replaced by one large, continuous AstroTurf, to be completed in 2016. This will, unfortunately, mean the loss of the trees on the green deck. We have explored options to uproot and move the trees to another location on campus, however, the cost associated with this and the likelihood of the trees not surviving the move has made this option unviable. The felled trees will be used to create outdoor chairs for the community to enjoy. In July metal hoarding will be put up across the field between the Infant

Play area

School and Senior School in preparation for the construction of the Gateway Building. The walkway between the Infant and Senior Schools at Gate A and B will be demolished and the piling works will begin. We will adopt a bored piling method to minimise vibration and construction noise and our plan is to complete these piling works over the summer break. A key aspect of the Gateway Building is the adoption of environmental technologies and good industry practices. These features will improve our environment, enhance the quality of life for everyone who uses the building and also serve as a showcase for green and environmentally sustainable buildings. Our architects have proposed some fantastic ways in which our building can be more energy efficient; including using LED lighting and motion sensors to reduce power consumption, using green planting and architectural design to block out sunlight therefore using less energy to cool the space and a more efficient cooling system for all of the buildings. Log onto the TTS Portal and click on ‘School Building Project’ link to read regular updates.

by Peter Derby-Crook, Chief Executive Officer

ADVENTURE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

At Wearnes Leasing, your leasing journey will be a breeze.

Your lease with Wearnes comes with: Comprehensive insurance Personal Accident Insurance cover

We take care of the details for a hassle-free leasing experience: from road tax to insurance, roadside assistance, servicing and more, you can be assured that you’re well covered and in good hands.

Road tax Full maintenance & servicing 24-hour roadside assistance in Singapore & Malaysia Vehicle pick-up & delivery Replacement vehicle

So you can afford to be as adventurous as you like.

Tyres & battery replacement

Take your pick from: - Range Rover Evoque from $3,500/month - Range Rover Sport from $5,500/month Speak to our Wearnes Leasing Consultants today for your preferred solution. (+65) 6876 5063

wearnes.leasing@wearnes.com

BENTLEY

•

INFINITI

•

Wearnes Automotive Leasing

JAGUAR

www.wearnesleasing.com

•

LAND ROVER

•

RENAULT

Request for quote

•

45 Leng Kee Road, Singapore 159103 Limited units only. Terms and conditions apply. Specifications may vary from picture shown.

VOLVO

Passion Driven • Since 1906

Money can't buy you happiness, but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery. - Spike Milligan

Raising lively, curious and balanced children was never designed to be easy. Providing for their future can be just as hard. With timely advice and careful planning you can still provide the best education money can buy. We'll show you how. With over 100 years experience working with British Expatriates and over 35 years in Singapore, The Fry Group offers sensible advice on how to plan your future.

The Fry Group, 6 Battery Road #16-04/05 Singapore 049909. Tel: 6225 0825 Fax: 6225 4679 Email: david.pugh@thefrygroupsg.com, Website: www.thefrygroupsg.com Licenced by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Licence no. FA095023-5

Upgraded comfort in a more peaceful environment World Traveller Plus offers more of what you expect from British Airways. Inspired by classic British textiles and architectural structures, our premium economy cabin is quieter and more spacious than economy. With its bright environment and contemporary understated feel, our premium economy seats feature greater recline, larger flat entertainment screen, personal in-seat power supply and more, to make every trip that little bit more special. Book now at ba.com

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