YMCA SCC@ PUNGGOL WATERWAY NEWSLETTER J A N - J U N 2 0 1 7 A Very Happy & Blessed New Year to parents and students, old and new! The arrival of 2017 heralds a new beginning for all of us. Some are embarking on an incredible journey into primary school life for the first time, while others are learning completely new topics in school. Experiencing something new can be daunting for both parents and children alike, but fret not. The YMCA family is here for you! How can we help children to learn and grow? By engaging them in many interesting educational activities, of course! Read on to learn about some of the events and enrichment activities that students at our Punggol Waterway student care centre participated in during the first half of 2017!
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YMCA SCC@ PUNGGOL WATERWAY NEWSLETTER J A N – J U N 2 0 1 7
Want your children to be more observant of his surroundings, and to have better hand-eye coordination? Teaching them to draw and colour is a GREAT way to develop these skills!
For this Term 1 enrichment, we first reviewed previous skills such as drawing basic shapes. Subsequently, they learnt more advanced methods such as creating different colour effects by varying their strength and crayon strokes, choosing complementary colours, observing areas of light and shadow on an object and blending colours. During each lesson, students were guided to draw objects using new skills introduced during the class. They were also encouraged to incorporate previously learnt methods into their art piece in order to reinforce what they have learnt. The students made progress through every lesson and it was encouraging to see their beautiful art pieces at the end of each lesson. Page | 2
YMCA SCC@ PUNGGOL WATERWAY NEWSLETTER J A N - J U N 2 0 1 7
The Lunar New Year was fast approaching and students at PWSCC worked to bring some festive atmosphere to the centre!
Using recycled bottles and leftover red packets, students created artworks to decorate the centre with. By the end of the session, the students produced cheery and colourful art pieces that were put up in celebration of the Lunar New Year.
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The March holiday is here! After weeks of revision, homework and studying for spelling, the students could finally take a break from their hectic school-term schedule. Page | 3
YMCA SCC@ PUNGGOL WATERWAY NEWSLETTER J A N – J U N 2 0 1 7 On the 14th of March, students of PWSCC went on their first outing of the year to KidsSTOP, the Children’s Science Centre with Ms Grace, Ms Christine and Ms Cheung. With the chance to explore 22 different stations, students were able to learn about a variety of topics from Archaeology and Biology to Geography and Zoology. The colourful and engaging presentation style of the venue is perfect for our students to learn as many of them are kinaesthetic and visual learners.
Every year, students at YMCA student care centres undertake the Junior Entrepreneurship Program (JEP) to learn important soft skills and raise money for the less fortunate.
This year, we focused on Reducing, Reusing and Recycling materials in order to reduce harmful impact on the earth. With the help of PWSCC teachers, students used old and recycled materials such as clothing, tissue holders, yoghurt cups and old boxes to create a range of colourful and usable Items for sale. At the end of the programme, PWSCC was awarded 3rd place for the Best Sales Award. Page | 4
YMCA SCC@ PUNGGOL WATERWAY NEWSLETTER J A N – J U N 2 0 1 7
: As Term 2 began, students at the centre commenced a fun yet challenging activity: Sport Stacking.
Sport stacking, also known as speed stacking is a sport which can be played individually or as a team. Participants need to arrange and stack specially-designed cups in pre-determined sequences within a time limit. The activity is recognised world-wide as a sport, and has been shown to help improve motor skills, dexterity and hand-eye coordination in participants. When played with a group, it can also teach students team-work, observation skills and coordination as teammates work together to perform a complicated sequence.
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YMCA SCC@ PUNGGOL WATERWAY NEWSLETTER J A N – J U N 2 0 1 7
When asked if they liked eating pizza, the response to this question was a loud and enthusiastic “YES!” from the children. This time, our junior chefs visited the largest pizza restaurant in the country – Pizza Hut! They had the chance to watch the process of pizza making! At the end of the kitchen tour, they got to enjoy a hearty meal of Hawaiian Pizza, honey wings and drinks. In line with our theme, “Bread of the World”, children learnt about the different types of bread, with hands on activity-- to spread and cut their own bread!
Look at all the smiles on the children’s faces! This time, the children visited Playeum, and had shown their creativity through the activities. Page | 6
YMCA SCC@ PUNGGOL WATERWAY NEWSLETTER J A N – J U N 2 0 1 7 Playeum is a Children's Centre for Creativity where families and children can play, create and be inspired together. The children had the chance to make use of simple recyclables such as toilet rolls, plastic bottles and cardboard, and transform them into amazing art pieces.
In our very own PW CafĂŠ, our junior master chefs are at it again! This time, they are making their very own buttered cupcake with icing.
The children had a new experience learning more about cupcakes as well as the various steps to baking cupcakes. They were introduced a yummy recipe, and managed to bring the yummy cupcakes home! Page | 7
YMCA SCC@ PUNGGOL WATERWAY NEWSLETTER J A N – J U N 2 0 1 7
At the outing to Qian Hu Fish Farm, the children went to visit their underwater friends! There, they saw hundreds of species and millions of fishes, and were introduced to many unique fishes. The children learnt about the history of different fishes as well as where they came from. The outing was very fruitful and enjoyable!
The children also got the chance to catch fishes at the farm’s Longkang Fishing! The children had a lot of fun and many of them became fishing experts at the end of the session. At the end of the day, they even got to bring their catch home as pets!
As we look forward to the next half of 2017, our PWSCC team of teachers hope to bring more fun and enriching experiences to the students. The following activities will be coming up in the next half of the year: • • • •
Story-telling Competition Holiday Cooking Sessions Holiday Outings Holiday Workshops
Do look forward to the exciting events in the next issue of our newsletter! ☺ Page | 8