apsn katong school: 900 new upper changi road singapore 467354 · 3 apsn katong school: 900 new...

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1 APSN Katong School: 900 New Upper Changi Road Singapore 467354 Tel: 64458027 Website: www.apsn.org.sg e-mail: [email protected] 27 June 2011 Dear Parents/ Guardians INTRODUCTION Welcome back to term 3 of the school year. We hope that your child/ward has been able to rest and recharge during the holiday break. This will be another busy term and your child/ward may be involved in many activities. As we begin the new term, we would like to update you on recent developments/ highlights while sharing with you important matters and key activities that will be taking place under the school‟s 3 strategic thrusts. SOME DEVELOPMENTS/ HIGHLIGHTS (TERM 2) Fund Raising - We want to convey our heartfelt thanks to you, for your unfailing support of all our fund raising efforts. With you and your children‟s help, we raised a total amount of $3400 through the donation cards for Children‟s Charities Association. The fund raised goes a long way in supporting the physically, mentally and socially disadvantaged children in our society. We would also like to thank you for supporting our jumble sale to raise funds in aid of the victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami on 8 April 2011. Within a day, we raised a total of $2541.55 of funds which was donated through Singapore Red Cross. Together, we have touched hearts, lifted spirits and made a difference by rallying for a noble cause. Our Achievement in Sports It gives me great pleasure to share the achievements of our CCA- Swimming. It was indeed a glorious moment when Katong School clinched the Best Participating School award, Best Performing School award, and was the Overall Champion in the 2 nd National Special Schools Swimming Championship. It was no mean feat for our students who were considered underdogs as they wrested the challenge trophy eventually from a strong field of 98 swimmers, double the number of competitors who participated in 2010. Congratulations to the teachers-in-charge, Mrs Sarah, Mrs Teresa Lee, Mr Jose Samar and Mdm Mimi Chong, who have encouraged our students to train hard and believe in themselves. In the 2 nd National Special Schools Track & Field Championship 2011, our student Muhammad Nuh Ismail Bin Abdullah from Level 1 turned in a credible performance, becoming 1 st in the Boys (Junior) 60m Dash and 3 rd in the Boys (Junior) 100m Dash events. We commend our students for their passion, commitment, spirit of excellence and motivation that made it possible for their achievement. Mathematics Trail on 16 May - The students of Katong School participated in a customised Maths Trail at the Jurong Bird Park. It was organised by the Mathematics Department with the intention to provide an interesting outdoor learning experience for students. Students were organised in groups according to the modules they were doing to work on five differentiated Trail Booklets (2 for primary and 3 for secondary), specially prepared to cater to the learning needs of our students. Once again, we would like to express our gratitude to the volunteers from Volkswagon and Audi Group Singapore (VAGSG) for sponsoring this event. We thank them for their time, generosity and donations, and look forward to their continued support. Parent-Teacher Conference (PTC) 23-24 May We seek this opportunity to thank parents/guardians who have turned up for the PTC. The attendance rates for the parents of primary and secondary students are 82% and 88% respectively. The school is encouraged by your support and we believe that your partnership will enable us to better support your child/ward in his/her learning journey. We look forward to even better attendance rates at the next PTC in Nov 2011.

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APSN Katong School: 900 New Upper Changi Road Singapore 467354 Tel: 64458027 Website: www.apsn.org.sg e-mail: [email protected]

27 June 2011 Dear Parents/ Guardians INTRODUCTION Welcome back to term 3 of the school year. We hope that your child/ward has been able to rest and recharge during the holiday break. This will be another busy term and your child/ward may be involved in many activities. As we begin the new term, we would like to update you on recent developments/ highlights while sharing with you important matters and key activities that will be taking place under the school‟s 3 strategic thrusts. SOME DEVELOPMENTS/ HIGHLIGHTS (TERM 2) Fund Raising - We want to convey our heartfelt thanks to you, for your unfailing support of all our fund raising efforts. With you and your children‟s help, we raised a total amount of $3400 through the donation cards for Children‟s Charities Association. The fund raised goes a long way in supporting the physically, mentally and socially disadvantaged children in our society. We would also like to thank you for supporting our jumble sale to raise funds in aid of the victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami on 8 April 2011. Within a day, we raised a total of $2541.55 of funds which was donated through Singapore Red Cross. Together, we have touched hearts, lifted spirits and made a difference by rallying for a noble cause. Our Achievement in Sports – It gives me great pleasure to share the achievements of our CCA- Swimming. It was indeed a glorious moment when Katong School clinched the Best Participating School award, Best Performing School award, and was the Overall Champion in the 2nd National Special Schools Swimming Championship. It was no mean feat for our students who were considered underdogs as they wrested the challenge trophy eventually from a strong field of 98 swimmers, double the number of competitors who participated in 2010. Congratulations to the teachers-in-charge, Mrs Sarah, Mrs Teresa Lee, Mr Jose Samar and Mdm Mimi Chong, who have encouraged our students to train hard and believe in themselves. In the 2nd National Special Schools Track & Field Championship 2011, our student Muhammad Nuh Ismail Bin Abdullah from Level 1 turned in a credible performance, becoming 1st in the Boys (Junior) 60m Dash and 3rd in the Boys (Junior) 100m Dash events. We commend our students for their passion, commitment, spirit of excellence and motivation that made it possible for their achievement. Mathematics Trail on 16 May - The students of Katong School participated in a customised Maths Trail at the Jurong Bird Park. It was organised by the Mathematics Department with the intention to provide an interesting outdoor learning experience for students. Students were organised in groups according to the modules they were doing to work on five differentiated Trail Booklets (2 for primary and 3 for secondary), specially prepared to cater to the learning needs of our students. Once again, we would like to express our gratitude to the volunteers from Volkswagon and Audi Group

Singapore (VAGSG) for sponsoring this event. We thank them for their time, generosity and donations, and look forward to their continued support. Parent-Teacher Conference (PTC) 23-24 May – We seek this opportunity to thank parents/guardians who have turned up for the PTC. The attendance rates for the parents of primary and secondary students are 82% and 88% respectively. The school is encouraged by your support and we believe that your partnership will enable us to better support your child/ward in his/her learning journey. We look forward to even better attendance rates at the next PTC in Nov 2011.

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APSN Katong School: 900 New Upper Changi Road Singapore 467354 Tel: 64458027 Website: www.apsn.org.sg e-mail: [email protected]

STRATEGIC THRUST 1 – QUALITY TEACHING AND LEARNING Vocational Education - Three of our level 4 students attended work experience at Herbalife and Cheers in term 2, and more students will be engaged in work experience in semester 2. We appeal to you to support your child/ward when s/he is selected to participate in work experience. We are also glad to inform you that our hotel mock-up bed room has been successfully completed with Fairmount and Swissotel Singapore sponsoring all the furniture. In semester 2, our level 3 students will be able to begin their vocational training on hospitality and housekeeping. In the pipeline, NTUC FairPrice Foundation will be assisting us to set up a FairPrice retail training room, equipped with supermarket products and shelves for merchandising and display to support our retail curriculum for level 4 students. We look forward to having a „Katong NTUC‟ in the school. School Experience at Delta Senior School (DSS) On 19 and 20 July 2011, selected Level 4 and 5 students will be visiting DSS. The key objective is to familiarize the students with the vocational training programmes offered at Delta to enable a smoother transition in 2012. The students will be able to get some hands-on experience in the Food and Beverage, Janitorial, Horticulture and Hospitality services. Speech Language Therapy – We have successfully recruited a qualified and experienced speech therapist, Ms Suzie Kehoe from United Kingdom to serve our students for three days a week – Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We welcome Ms Suzie to the Katong family. Mathematics Continual Assessment 2 Students will sit for Mathematics Test as part of Continual Assessment 2 according to the schedule below:

Target Students Period Test Format

Grade 1 to 6 Students Week 7 – 8 Aug to 12 Aug Paper and Pencil

Level 1 to 5 students Week 5 – 25 to 29 July Paper and Pen

Week 10 – 29 Aug to 1 Sept Performance Task

More details will be provided by your child‟s/ward‟s Mathematics teacher at a later date. Collection of $10 for Purchase of Paper – We will be collecting $10 from every student to defray the cost of paper to support the printing of worksheets for your child/ward for semester 2. Kindly pay the money to your child‟s/ward‟s form teacher by 1 July, Friday. STRATEGIC THRUST 2 – PASSIONATE LEARNING COMMUNITY Physical Education (PE) Lessons in Semester 2 – The students have enjoyed and learned much about swimming in term 1 and 2. With effect from term 3, the school will be conducting PE lessons to cultivate in students the habit of exercising and to enjoy a variety of sports and games. PE also emphasizes on character building, encouraging students to develop the spirit of fair play in their games. It is hoped that students would learn more about sportsmanship in their PE lessons. A large focus is also placed on that of safety concerns. Through PE, students are educated to recognize dangers of sports and games, and to demonstrate awareness of safety consideration for themselves and for others around them. Katong Bulletin 2011 – The Katong Bulletin continues to inform key activities/events designed for you and your child/ward. We would like to highlight the following activities scheduled in term 3 to you.

a) Youth Day Celebration (1 July) – This year, Katong School celebrate Youth Day in a different approach. We encourage our youth to contribute to the society through recycling efforts, as aligned to our school mission “Aspire to Achieve, Ready to Serve”. Our students collected

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APSN Katong School: 900 New Upper Changi Road Singapore 467354 Tel: 64458027 Website: www.apsn.org.sg e-mail: [email protected]

old newspapers and magazines from the neighbourhood on 23 and 24 May, in exchange for food items to be donated to the Lions Home for The Elders. Thus in this year Youth Day Celebration, we commend our youths‟ effort by encouraging them to share their experiences in this unique charity journey.

b) Racial Harmony (RH) Day (21 July) – This year, the theme is „Joint HOpes, Shared MEmories‟. To commemorate RH Day, students will come in their ethnic costumes and get to sample different ethnic food. They will also get to play traditional games as part of the celebration. The objective is to bring about a greater awareness that we are responsible for the future of our homeland and that, in building the community we want Singapore to be, we have to be united and embrace the diversity among our different cultures.

c) Sports Day (29 July) – This year, Sports Day will be held in Bedok View Secondary School (BVSS) Indoor Sports Hall from 7.30am to 12.30pm. Through this, we hope to promote a healthy lifestyle through sports participation by providing opportunities for our students to be engaged in team sports as well as individual games. We look forward to your support on that day.

d) National Day Celebration (8 Aug) – This year, the theme is „Majulah! The Singapore Spirit‟. The school will celebrate National Day on 8 Aug. School hours will be from 8 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. All students will report to school in the morning. Students will return to school only on 11 Aug, as 10 Aug will be a school holiday. Students will take part in the Observance Ceremony and watch exciting performances by their schoolmates.

e) Teachers‟ Day Celebration (1 Sept) and Teachers‟ Day School Holiday (2 Sept) – This

year, we will be celebrating Teachers‟ Day on 1 Sept (unlike previous years which was usually on 31 Aug) with a lunch cum personal effectiveness workshop for the staff organised by the school, and a concert put up by the students for all staff. In order for the whole staff to gather for lunch, students in the morning session will be dismissed one hour earlier, at 11.45 a.m. and students in the afternoon session will report one hour later, at 1.45 p.m. Should you wish to show your appreciation through a performance item or contribution of food items, please contact the school or the teacher-in-charge Mrs Quek Soke Wai. Please note that your child/ward will not need to attend lessons on 2 Sept, which has been scheduled as Teachers‟ Day school holiday.

f) Primary Level Camp (3 Sept) and Secondary Level Camp (5-7 Sept) – The school will be organising camps for both primary and secondary students during the September school holidays. The objectives are to expose our students to outdoor activities and communal living, as well as to encourage our students to live out the school values as they participate in team activities.

STRATEGIC THRUST 3 – EFFECTIVE SCHOOL STRUCTURES AND PROCESSES

MOE Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) – As announced in the FY 2011 Committee of Supply Debate in March 2011, MOE in partnership with the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) will introduce a Special Education (SPED) Financial Assistance Scheme to students from lower-income families in the Special Education schools, to subsidise their school fees, uniforms, textbooks and examination fees. Eligibility criteria are as follows:

Student is a Singapore Citizen and meets one of the following conditions: (a) The family's Gross Household Income does not exceed $1,500 per month for families with 1

or 2 children, and $1,800 per month for families with 3 or more children; or

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APSN Katong School: 900 New Upper Changi Road Singapore 467354 Tel: 64458027 Website: www.apsn.org.sg e-mail: [email protected]

(b) The family receives social welfare aid under the Ministry of Community, Youth and Sports Public Assistance Scheme (MCYS PAS) and the head of household has an official registration pass for social welfare aid.

Families who meet the above eligibility criteria may apply for support through our social worker, Ms Agnes Koh. Recovery of Under-Utilised SingTel Payphone SingTel has informed us that the payphone service offered to our students has not been a significant contribution to their revenue, and losses were incurred. This usage has been low because more of our students own and switch to using hand phones nowadays. As the cost of maintaining phones has increased over the years, SingTel has recovered the payphone on 17 Jun 2011. Should your child/ward need to contact you urgently, and does not own a hand phone, please ask your child/ward to approach the general office to use the phone. We will be glad to assist. Temperature-Taking Exercise – The school will be conducting temperature-taking exercise when school reopens as part of emergency preparedness exercise. We would also like to remind parents/guardians that if your child/ward is unwell, he/she should see a doctor and rest at home until certified fit to return to school. Do keep the school informed of the reasons of your child‟s/ward‟s absence.

School Security - We continue to seek your understanding not to enter the school building while sending/ fetching your child/ward. During dismissal time, kindly wait at the porch/car park area and our teachers will escort your children/ward out of the school building systematically. Thank you for your support and cooperation. Together, we will provide a healthy and safe environment for all in our school.

CONCLUSION I look forward to working with you to provide quality school experience for your child/ward in Katong School. Thank you for your trust. The Mandarin and Malay versions of this letter will be available on our school website – Bulletin Page. Yours sincerely,

____________________ Mrs Choo Swee Gek Principal/ Katong School