July to December 2016 Dear Parents/Guardian, Greetings from the staff of TNSCC! We are excited to share with you the many interesting experiences that your child has journeyed with us. We provide you with a snapshot featuring the exciting programmes specially organised for our students from July to December 2016.
The children loved learning about the different sports, athletes, rules and the history of the games. The Olympic Games also provided an opportunity for them to discuss and embrace diversity as we showed appreciation and respect by looking up the medal tally of other countries. We also learnt about their flags and their countries’ geographic aspects. The children were intrigued to learn about Rio and where it is placed in Brazil and some of their cultural practices that were expressed during the opening ceremony.
Students sketching out a series of their favourite moments in Rio 2016.
We hosted our annual Young Entrepreneurs’ Day to continue our fundraising efforts to raise money for Tao Nan School Students’ Pocket Money Fund. As in the past celebrations, we encouraged the children to show love and care for the people around them especially the needy, by taking part in fund raising activities.
Young entrepreneurs striving it big in Singapore.
The children always have a lot of expectations for Children’s Day Celebration. We, the teachers, braced ourselves with a delightfully varied program, all set to go an extra mile. The celebration witnessed enthusiastic participation from both children and teachers. We were sure everyone enjoyed their day and felt rejuvenated.
The fun was doubled as they participated enthusiastically in the games at Heart Community.
The centre was abuzz with a many activities which were organised to celebrate the day.
The teachers at YMCA try to make it extra special for every child on this very special day.
We hope you like the gifts.
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On behalf of all the teachers, we would like to thank the parents for the token of appreciation from the children and parents. We recognise that we might spend more time with the children on any given day than the parents and that is an honor we do not take lightly. We are grateful to our parents for letting us play such an important role in the life of the children.
It was wonderful to have the Alumni come back to visit the Centre.
Teachers were encouraged to create differentiated learning between lower and upper primary classes. Y Crayon provides children with the foundational knowledge of art theory in the elements of Art and equips them with basic colour rendering skills. The children work on a different theme each week including ‘Cupcakes’, ‘Ice-cream’ and ‘Lovebirds’.
Through the foundational programme, we aim to nurture the children into confident learners who can freely express their ideas and passion in life creatively through art. We also hope to instil values such as responsibility and compassion to nurture children into caring individuals in society. Using crayon as a medium, the children look at the world from the perspectives of different artists, learn about their artistic intentions and proceed to create artworks which convey their dreams and aspirations through the artist’s signature art style. 2
In all that the teachers do at Heart Community each week, they are committed to develop children with good character through their Christian-based character building programme. Whilst it is great to have good results, we believe that character building is even more important; as what Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has put it: “It takes a far greater effort in search of a person with integrity than a person who can do the work”.
Many parents have the assumption that bowling is only suitable for teenagers and adults but judging by the laughter and enthusiasm we witnessed, we could not be more wrong – the children find the game irresistible!
The gutter is also an ingenious way to stimulate the children’s interest in bowling and enhance the enjoyment of the game. The students were seated down to enjoy a gaming session.
We were pleased to have a group of students from our local Singapore Polytechnic to conduct a Character Building Programme which will help the children to cultivate the right set of values and attitude while growing up. This is done through engagement of their planned activities. The programme emphasised on the following traits: Responsibility and Perseverance.
The children’s first bowling experience was made so much more enjoyable with the company of their friends. They were very well-behaved; waited for their turn patiently and encouraged one another along. They were also sporting – no one threw a fit when they were trailing or did badly.
Just play, have fun and enjoy the game! 3
The little chefs had opportunities to learn interesting facts about pasta/pizza, and the different equipment and utensils in the kitchen. After all the fun, the children got to dig in to their delicious creations!
In conjunction with the recent PokĂŠmon craze, the children also learnt the dye clay technique to mix their own colours and made their very own PokĂŠmon.
The children learnt basic clay art skills to mould into the shape they desired, and then brought home the completed PokĂŠmon clay products. Hands on experience in flattening the dough and shaping it to make pizza
Not forgetting our all-time favourite, Kids Amaze! They all had an enjoyable time exploring the playground with multiple play decks and slides.
Preparing to apply topping and cheese to their own pizza in their favourite arrangement Children having a funtastic time at Kidz Amaze.
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The playground also includes many pieces of inclusive play equipment that encourage children of different ability to play together. The children had their breakfast at Mcdonald’s @ East Coast Park before proceeding to the playground.
The children did not let the sun dampen their fun; not when there was an endless array of colourful play structures waiting for them to jump on. They were determined to explore every inch of this barrel of fun: Marine Cove East Coast Park.
It’s hard not to love East Coast Park, whether you are a child or an adult, especially now with the addition of the free mega playground. It was also a perfect opportunity for the teachers to have new memories at their once favourite hangout.
Children sat and pushed themselves forward on the roller belt. 5
This holiday season, the children decorated the centre with some fun and easy Christmas crafts. The children loved adorning the tree with handmade ornaments, and dressing up the notice board with paper cut out snowflakes. There is certainly no better Christmas tree than a handmade one.
It has indeed been a very busy, but very fulfilling six months. A lot has happened and our students are constantly growing physically and mentally. We at YMCA wish to help them grow in the best possible way and to the fullest of their capabilities. Once again, we thank all the students and parents for their continuous support. We hope to continue providing our children with the best service possible and look forward to working with our parents through the New Year. On behalf of all the teachers and management, I would like to wish all families A blessed and Joyful 2017!
YMCA Student Care Centre @ Tao Nan 49 Marine Crescent Singapore 449761 Tel: 6244 0681
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