YMCA St. Margaret’s Student Care Centre Newsletter (July 2015 – December 2015)
Welcome back everyone! We would like to wish everyone a great start to Year 2016 and a fulfilling year ahead! Since we opened our doors to St. Margaret’s Primary School girls in September 1997, we experienced overwhelming response for our 2016 Primary One enrolment – testament of the dedication and services provided by our teachers. Back by popular demand, the Centre continues its weekly Speech & Drama programme (in collaboration with Periwinkle) for the students with the aim of empowering them with the fundamentals and skills in articulation, vocal projection and love for the English Language.
SEP & DEC HOLIDAY PROGRAMMES...... During the September & December school holidays, the students had a fun-filled time at celebrating mid-autumn festival, watching meaningful movies, visiting iconic educational places such as west coast park, watching inspiring competitions in the Asian Paralympics 2015, learning kitchen hygiene and trying hands on preparing food in Y Junior Master Chef workshop, played fantastic games in the School Chaplaincy Activities, and enjoyed learning programmes in Samsung Digital Art Programme.
West Coast Park With the theme “Play centre in the west”, the western portion of West Coast Park has been transformed into a haven for Park visitors who enjoy challenging and adventurous activities. Standing at the centre core of area 3 is the Adventure Play Area that caters to people of different age groups. This is the heart and most active zone of West Coast Park.
Students having fun in the park 1
Let’s see who’ll be the first reaching the top!
School Chaplaincy Activity During this character-enriching activity, the students had fun and character-building games such as hook the candy, make the sleigh using candies, draw and guess, Bingo, story-telling, and singing of songs with the guidance from both the school chapel in St. Margaret’s Primary School and our YMCA staffs. During the tea-break the students also had delicious ice-cream and breads.
Staffs from the school chapel were briefing the students
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Students discussing over their group work
Asean Paralympics 2015 As a befitting of a major year for Singapore sports, December 2015 will see Singapore hosting the 8th ASEAN Para Games. It is history in the making as it will be the first time Singapore hosts the ASEAN Para Games and a multi-sports event for the persons with disabilities of this scale.
Students were very much encouraged by the wheelchair basketball players
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Samsung Digital Art Programme This year SMSCC students were invited to the Samsung Digital Art Programme. The Samsung staff had introduced their new technology and techniques to the students and the students had a hands-on session to try out the Samsung new products while understanding the importance of technology in our daily life. Many beautiful art pieces were produced along the enriching programme.
Upper primary students with their finished art pieces
YMCA ENRICHMENT PROGRAMME AND CENTRE PROGRAMMES......
My Fun Crayon Our foundational level art programme creates a fun learning environment for students to enjoy art experiences. Each week, the pupils learn basic elements of art to draw and compose their works of art. They will also acquire skills in colour rendering using the crayon medium to create vibrant and aesthetically pleasing works. ; This art programme aims to nurture the children’s creativity and self-confidence by encouraging them to use art to express their ideas. All their artworks will be displayed in the classroom to encourage the exchange of ideas as well as to inculcate in children to value and respect one another’s ideas and creations.
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Teacher Dawn from YMCA Art School was introducing new painting skills to our students
Our centre teacher Ms Este guiding the upper primary students
Our centre teacher Mrs Siew with top students under her guidance
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Fun With Chinese Our centre had carried on with this programme that the students had learnt Chinese idioms through activities and games. The students were impressed by idiom cartoon videos and able to memorise the meaning and story behind the idioms. Furthermore, the students had practised their understanding through activities such as role-play, making sentences and sharing their own story based on the idioms.
P1 teacher leading the students on learning Chinese songs
P5 studnets competing on drawing out the story behind Chinese idioms
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P3 students having fun with roleplay
Y Junior Master Chef This is one of our 2015 enrichment activities which consist of 5 lessons. The best way to get children eating healthily is by making food fun. This enrichment programme which was conducted by our inhouse facilitators had received overwhelming responses from the students. Facilitators would showcase a particular recipe and the students will be taught to prepare the dish. These dishes may be featured when the young ‘chefs’ ‘bring a buddy’ to a cooking boot camp during the school holidays. The students were learning how to eat healthily while having fun making food in their own styles. Just imagine, multi-fruit salad, chocolate-dipped marshmallow, chocolate truffles~ Hmm, yummy!
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Students learning food hygiene attentively
Our fruit salad is so tasty!
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Children’s Day Celebration (08/Oct)
Students presented in the storytelling competition receiving presents
Students enyoing themselves with the games designed by our teachers
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Students guiding each other
YMCA Junior Entrepreneurs’ Programme (YJEP) st
In support of the MOE initiatives in developing 21 century competencies in students by helping students to develop the necessary knowledge, skills and values for living and working as adult st rd entrepreneurs in the 21 century, our centre had organized the 3 Charity Bazaar in the school in 13 & 14 October. Through this initiative programme, we hope to help the students develop the values such as care and social awareness by getting them to contribute to the betterment of the community and take an active part in improving the lives of others around them. 100% of the profits raised through this Charity Bazaar will be donated to the school to help the needy students. This would serve as an encouragement to the students to know that the entrepreneurship skills which they learnt through this programme are being used for a meaningful cause. Items on sale include handmade items felt card holders, hair bands with pom-pom, flower, origami picture frames and handmade soaps, priced $2 - $3. In total we had raised $932.56 for the school by end of this programme. We would like to thank the school and parents for their understanding and support. Thank you!
Students making flower hairband
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Students making greeting card
Students making soap
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Our final products!
On sale!
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Our student representatives Jun Han and Kaelyn passing the fund to the school principal Ms Pang
YMCA Storytelling Competition 2015 The SMSCC students had gone through the learning process to participate in the third YMCA storytelling competition 2015. Four of our students were participated in this competition and had been shortlisted for the semi-finals of the competition and presented their wonderful stories to the audience in the YMCA hall. 18 students had also performed a dance at the event.
Students shortlisted in the competition
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Students performing during the event
What a meaningful day!
Teachers’ Day Celebration
Students presenting for teachers
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National Day Celebration
Everyone enjoying themselves singing our national anthem in the event!
Stay tuned for more exciting activities and news in coming 2016~!!!
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