SHAPING SPECIAL LIVES FOR SIGNIFICANCE NOV 2016 MCI(P) 041 / 09 / 2016

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

STAFF NEWS

We have almost come to the end of the term. It has been an eventful term with many rich learning activities for the pupils. As a nation, we have celebrated our 51st birthday and stood together once more as we bid farewell to our former Presi-dent, Mr S. R. Nathan.As the holiday approaches, it is with heartfelt warmth that we take an oppor-tunity to acknowledge the commitment of the students, parents/guardians, community and staff of Grace Orchard School. Together we focus on the learn-ing and well-being of our students. To walk through our hall, canteen and classrooms, one sees students intrigued by new concepts and actively learning new things, parents volunteering to help organise activities and staff working collaboratively to ensure everything from the organization of physical struc-tures to supervision of students during play time to instruction is optimized for student learning.

Thank you to everyone for supporting the school in putting up the drama production “Lights; Action!”. It was a full house for both shows and we thank God for the wonderful turn-out. Let’s continue to create platforms and opportunities to share the ‘No

Diff’ message – children with disability are no different from everyone else, we are all God’s creation, precious and valued in His sight. It strikes home how blessed we are to work at Grace Orchard School when students,

parents/guardians and staff all work together hand in hand to give the best education

experience possible to the students. On behalf of the administration and staff, we would like to wish all a

Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Mrs Lisa GohPrincipalGrace Orchard School

We warmly welcome Ms Wong Nana, Teaching Assistant (Contract) to the GOS family. (pictured right)

Our best wishes to Ms Tomita Kyoko, Teaching Assistant who has left GOS and we thank her for commitment and work for our students.

We congratulate Ms Lim Man Yi, June, Occupational Therapist on the birth of her baby and wish them good health and happiness.

Every 15 year-old student in Grace Orchard School (GOS) is given the opportunity to experience outdoor adventure camp-ing for 3 days and 2 nights. This year, the school engaged Outward Bound School Singapore (OBS) to conduct its 15 year-old milestone camp at Pulau Ubin. Students have to pass through stringent medical clearance before being accepted into this programme. In particular, students who have the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) require additional approval from parents and class teachers to support their acceptance into the programme. Gatchalian Reimiel Lapidario from the class of Victory 5, an ASD-integrated student, is the only student with ASD who passed through all the stringent criteria, and joined the OBS camp with 19 other students with Mild Intellectual Disability (MID) from 26 to 28 July 2016. Reimiel’s parents initially had much concerns about sending him for OBS camp. However with the assurance of his form teacher, Ms Cassandra Victor that she would be there with the students and take care of them as if they are her own, his parents entrusted him to her care and registered him for the camp. Fondly known as Ms Cassie, the students in Victory 5 have a good rapport with her. Ms Cassie regularly encourages them to look out for one another in class. This has had a positive effect for Reimiel as he is able to integrate well with the other MID students because he is intentionally included throughout his time in school. Whenever Reimiel strays from the class, one of his classmates will take the initiative to pull him back or inform Ms Cassie about it. Through this inclusion of Reimiel and caring for him, Victory 5 students have learnt to be more accom-modative and receptive towards others.

ARTWORK SHOWCASE: Ahmad Nor Imran Bin Nor Azhar (HOPE 1)

A POSITIVE OBS EXPERIENCE

During the OBS camp, his good buddies, Warren and Umairah, kept a watchful

lookout for him and guided him back when he strayed from the rest of the larger group. During his

time at the OBS camp, Reimiel learnt how to do rock-climbing, sleeping in a tent, and trekking in a forest. Of all the activities conducted during the camp, rock climbing proved to be the most challenging task for Reimiel. First and foremost, he had to overcome his own fear of heights. When he observed his peers overcoming their own fears of height and eventually successfully scaling the rock wall, Reimiel was determined to overcome his own fear as well so he volun-teered to be the next person to scale the rock wall. Reimiel possesses the “never give up” attitude and kept climbing upwards till he reached the top. Throughout his upward climb, he neither complained nor did he have a meltdown. He showed perseverance and a good control of his own emotions! While he might not have been able to articulate in words, his actions showed his determination to reach the top. Reimiel enjoys singing and many students and teachers in GOS have had the opportunity to hear him perform in school during Teachers’ Day concerts in the past. Ms Cassie observed that when he sings, it is an indication that he is happy and enjoying himself. Whenever given the opportunity, Reimiel loves to take the microphone and croons unreserv-edly to the song of the hour. One might think that the tough living conditions and physically challenging OBS camp would have muted the croon of Reimiel. On the contrary, his

mellow tenor voice resonated across the OBS campsite. He is seen to be singing while trekking and waiting around for his turn at the rock wall. He even comically woke his tent-mates in the middle of the night with his singing. Through this experience of participating in the OBS camp, Reimiel has grown stronger and he encourages others not to be deterred by the tough conditions. He encourages others to participate in the camp. He believes that just as the camp has made him stronger, it can make them

stronger too.

Written by Mrs Yvonne Ip-Ng Wai Keng, Head of Department, Character Citizenship Education & Pastoral Care

Reimiel possesses the “never give up”

attitude and kept climbing upwards

till he reached the top.

SCHOOL PROGRAMMESDaily Living Skills

Mock up Living Room Mock up Dining Room Mock up Bedroom

ARTWORK SHOWCASE: Jose Thomas Aaron (HOPE 1)

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

Making recommendation

Hanging shop sign No sale is too small for a dedicated cashier

Working together as a team

BANGKOK EDUCATIONAL & CULTURAL TOURWORK EXPERIENCE: Thrift Shop

The Daily Living Skills Room (DL Room) was set up in our school in July 2016. It consists of a mock-up living room and a bedroom.The purpose of the DL Room is to provide students with an authentic setting for them to learn basic household mainte-nance skills such as sweeping, mopping the floor, folding or

hanging of clothes on hangers, ironing of clothes, making bed and demonstrate safety awareness in the home.The room is also equipped with a projector and large white-board. Therefore, teachers will be able to conduct their entire daily living skills lesson effectively in the DL Room. Written by Ms Rachel Khoo, Training Instructor

“GO Thrift!’’ is a project started in 2016 by Grace Orchard School’s Vocational Education Department as part of our Work Experience Programme. The aim of the project is to provide our students with opportunities to experience work in the retail sector. During its pilot phase (March to May 2016), “GO Thrift!” was set up twice a week in the school canteen where it received enthusiastic support from both students and teachers. Student Retail Assistants were trained in basic customer service and cashiering, while also learning about professional conduct and personal management when at work.

In Term 3, with the kind partnership of Jurong Spring Com-munity Centre (JSCC), the shop operated every Monday from 11 July to 22 August, from 1.00pm to 3.00pm within the Community Centre’s premises. It was well received by the residents in the area, who supported and encouraged the students’ learning. The Work Experience attachment helped our students discover new strengths and interests, enabling them to form clearer goals for their futures.

Written by Ms Dorcas Ling, Job Coach

Parents of our first run of the Signposts programme

Signposts for Building Better Behaviour is a programme that helps families prevent or manage challenging behaviours of children aged 3 to 16 who have a developmental delay or an intellectual disability. Developed in Melbourne, Australia in 1998, the programme was introduced to Singapore in 2010. It now runs in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Singapore. Since its commencement here, more than 4000 families in Singapore have benefitted from attending this programme.

Signposts is designed to help parents to understand their children's challenging behaviours, develop strategies to manage the behaviours effectively and plan ahead to prevent future episodes of challenging behaviours. The course has a minimum of five sessions, each lasting from 2 to 2.5 hours. Parents are supported with materials including a teaching DVD that shows parents how to implement evidence-based strategies effectively through practical case examples, and a workbook and booklets accompanying each module that gives parents a general overview of the programme and guides the usage of the materials. Studies show that parents reported that the programme has helped them to be more confident in managing their children, resulting in less parent-ing stress. Parents also found their children to be less disrup-tive after they applied the strategies in managing them.

The school conducted our first run of Signposts in August 2016 for parents of students from Joy, Love and Peace classes in the afternoon session. A total of 9 parents completed the programme of 5 consecutive sessions, conducted by our two trained Signposts facilitators, Ms Sharon Su and Mr Whelan Foong.

Parents who completed the programme found it beneficial. They expressed an increased awareness of their children’s struggles and strengthened confidence of how to deal with challenges. “The programme is useful. We are now more aware of our child’s behaviours and able to identify the trigger of his behaviours. Thus, we are able to focus on different ways to deal with his behavior.” – Mr and Mrs Ong, parents of Jayden Ong.

“Signposts has helped us to understand the child better in terms of his behaviour. I have learnt to stay calm, listen to the child, understand his requirements and manage his expecta-tions.” – Ms Shirley Kee, aunt of Lucas Kee.

“The programme has been helpful especially the topics on ‘planning activities routines and setting rules for the child to follow’, and ‘identifying triggers and providing positive consequences’. Our aim is for our child to do his homework independently. We teach him to ask for help when needed, encourage and reward him after task completion.” – Mr & Mrs Chai, parents of Chai Ming Rui.

We will be running the programme again in 2017 and we encourage all parents to sign up for the programme and learn effective strategies to help your child!

Written by Ms Jassica Chen, Head of Department, Allied Professionals

ARTWORK SHOWCASE: Koh Xuan Wen (HOPE 1)

ALLIED PROFESSIONALSParents’ Training: Signposts for Building Better Behaviour

Practical learning

Singapore National Para Games 2016 - Basketball

Bronze:Muhd Farihin Bin Mazlan

Men’s 400m – Open CategoryMen’s Long Jump – Open Category

Muhammad Firdaus Bin SaadMen’s Shot Put (7.5kg) – Open Category

Bronze:Under 15 Division (Boy’s)Under 15 Division (Girl’s)Under 17 Division (Boy’s)

Special Olympics Singapore Badminton Competition

ARTWORK SHOWCASE: Choh Tek Poh (HOPE 1)

ACHIEVEMENTSSingapore National Para Games - Swimming 2016

Silver:Ng Tung Hei

Girls 12 & Under 50 LC Meter Breaststroke Multi-Class

Muhammad Arfan Bin SalimiBoys 12 & Under 50 LC Meter Freestyle Multi-Class

Kate Tan Jing WenGirls 12 & Under 50 LC Meter Freestyle Multi-Class

Elijah TanMen 16 & Under 100 LC Meter Freestyle Multi Age Multi-Class

Bronze:Kate Tan Jing Wen

Girls 12 & Under 50 LC Meter Breaststroke Multi-Class

Jose Thomas AaronBoys 12 & Under 50 LC Meter Freestyle Multi-Class

Robby Teo Zhi YanGirls 12 & Under 50 LC Meter Freestyle Multi-Class

Alex Chong Wei RenMen 17 & Over 50 LC Meter Backstroke Multi Age Multi-Class

6th SPH National Para-Swimming Championships 2016

Silver:Muhammad Arfan Bin Salim

Division B (Men) 50m Breaststroke

Amelia Lim Hui MinDivision B (Women) 50m Breaststroke

Singapore National Para Games 2016

Silver:Muhammad Firdaus Bin Saad

Men’s 400m – Open Category

Crystal Celest Goh Xin ErWomen’s 400m – Open Category

Gold:Muhammad Arfan Bin Salimi

Boys 12 & Under 50 LC Meter Breaststroke Multi-Class

Robby Teo Zhi YanGirls 12 & Under 50 LC Meter Breaststroke Multi-Class

Amelia Lim Hui MinGirls 12 & Under 50 LC Meter Freestyle Multi-Class

Gold:Nicole Fu Ai-Lin

Open Division (Women) 50m ButterflyOpen Division (Women) 100m Freestyle

Robby Teo Zhi YanDivision B (Women) 50m Breaststroke

Kate Tan Jing WenDivision B (Women) 50m Backstroke

Amelia Lim Hui MinDivision B (Women) 50m Freestyle

Gold:Siti Nurhayati Binte Aksar Khan

Women’s 400m – Open CategoryWomen’s Long Jump – Open Category

Crystal Celest Goh Xin ErWomen’s Shot Put (7.5kg) – Open Category

Gold:Under 12 Division (Boy’s)Under 15 Division (Boy’s)Under 15 Division (Girl’s)

Silver:Under 12 Division (Boy’s)Under 15 Division (Girl’s)Under 17 Division (Boy’s)

Gold:Nurin Huraiyah Binte Hasnizam

Individual Skills (Female)

Muhammad Syafiq Bin DahlanIndividual Skills (Male)

Silver:Nera Sapphire Rasarathinam

Individual Skills (Female)

Bronze:Zayne Lee Jun LeIndividual Skills (Male)

Bronze:Robby Yeo Zhi Yan

Division B (Women) 50m Freestyle

Alex Chong Wei RenOpen Division (Men) 50m Backstroke

Others:Grace Orchard School

Best Team Performance (Overall) – 3rd placing

Amelia Lim Hui MinDivision B – Best Individual Performance (Female)

It was also heartening to see an increase in the number of people coming forward and engaging in this meaningful campaign with us. Some of the thoughts collected at the end of the drama production from the audience included, “Be sensitive to those with needs. They deserve our love and respect too! These kids should be given equal opportunities too!” Another said: “Watching these amazing kids perform today, I teared. Given an opportunity, I would love to perform together with them. Being a performer myself, sharing the stage with them will be a great honour.”Come join us in spreading the word of No D/fferent at www.facebook.com/nodifferentsg

Written by Ms Marilyn Kiang, Teacher

CEC Conference

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

A group of staff had the opportunity to attend the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Conference held in St. Louis, Missouri in April this year. While they were in the US, they were also able to visit several schools in Indiana and New York. Their primary learning during the two weeks centred on the use of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) frame-work and School Wide Positive Behaviour System (SWPBS).

Written by Ms Esther Kwan, Head of Department, Aesthetics/PE/CCA

Inspired

ARTWORK SHOWCASE: Jimmy Lim Wei Zhi (HOPE 1) GRACE ORCHARD SCHOOLAWARDEES TRIP 2015SCHOOL EVENTSNo Different in Arts 2016 - LIGHTS;ACTION!

Alumni giving their support

Showtime!

Lights; Action, a theatre production performed by students from Grace Orchard School, directed by Act3 Theatrics was the third installation for our No D/fferent campaign. Started in 2014, the objective of No D/fferent hopes to increase society's awareness of how people with special needs are no different.It went live on stage on 13 August at Genexis Theatre in front of an audience of 800. The whole production included a drama piece performed by 18 students and 3 music collabora-tions between our performing groups and mainstream schools. The collaborations included the Choir with Fairfield Methodist Primary School, AM Guitar Ensemble with Raffles Institution and Handchimes with Methodist Girls’ School. Together, the students put up a fantastic show.

ARTWORK SHOWCASE: Tan Yee Jin (HOPE 1)

SCHOOL EVENTS

When youth think of words starting with 'K' these days, all things Korean come to mind. K-pop, K-drama, K-fever, to name a few. So what better way to get students up on their feet, sweating it out and having fun than with KpopX, a fitness workout with signature dance moves of K-pop hits.

On August 1, Grace Orchard School (GOS) together with GetActiveSG organised its inaugural "Celebrating No D/fferent Through Sports" – an exciting KpopX event aimed to encourage inclusiveness through sports, regardless of abilities and disabilities. Led by energetic fitness instructors, the action-packed mass dance, held at the Jurong Spring Community Centre, brought out the patriotism and enthusi-asm of students and residents as they sang and danced to National Day songs and K-pop hits.

Built upon the No D/fferent campaign launched in 2014 by GOS to create awareness and promote inclusivity for people with special needs, this successful event created special opportunities for the community to connect with our students and vice versa.

At the close of the event, as the music faded and dancing feet came to a standstill, the empowering impact of the dance played on. From different walks of life, different expressions of joy, they danced in harmony. No D/fferent from one another, each to “Build our (inclusive) Singapore of Tomorrow.”

Written by Mr Rufus Lim, Teacher

No Different through Sports 2016 - Let's Get Fit - Together!

ACHIEVEMENTS44th National Para Athletics Championships 2016

7 Silver Medals18 Gold Medals 9 Bronze Medals

Cheah Hui Qing Best Individual Performance – Division D (Female)

Rini Elyani Binte JummuslaidiBest Individual Performance – Division B (Female)

Point to your nose! Big steps Practising the hiding posture in Drama class

ARTWORK SHOWCASE: Zhong Hao Peng (HOPE 1)

SCHOOL PROGRAMMES

GRACE ORCHARD SCHOOL6A Jurong West St 52

Singapore 649297Telephone: 6561 9128

Fax: 6561 4133Website: www.go.edu.sg

Newsletter Team:Isabel Chloe TanQuek Yan Ying

Kenny ChuaVijayalakshmi Srinivasan

Tan Lai Kiow EstherTeo Wee ChungFind Us On Facebook

www.Facebook.com/GraceOrchardSchool

Arts Curriculum - Aesthetics (Drama) and Electives (Ceramics)

GO Newsletter is an in-house publication of Grace Orchard School. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of Grace Orchard School. Printed by Mui Kee Press & Media Pte. Ltd.

Overview of the Arts curriculum The aims of the Arts curriculum are to enable our students to develop in the areas of communication and socialization.Through generating (understanding of basic skills), express-ing (using basic skills) and responding (appreciating) in the various Arts domains—namely Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Art—our students will be able to communicate via different mediums meaningfully. The curriculum also facili-tates socialization through an emphasis on interaction with others. The students in the PM session (7-12 years old) are given a minimum of a term in each of the four Arts domains (Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Art) every year during their Aesthetics lessons. The students in the AM session (13-16 years old) are given options of various Arts electives to choose from such as Ceramics, Photography, Percussion, Music Technology and Hip-Hop Dance.

Ms Esther Kwan, Head of Department, Aesthetics/PE/CCA Aesthetics: Drama (Contributed by Ms Kim Ng, Teacher)

Drama is offered as part of the Arts curriculum and is where they get to hone their imaginative, interpersonal and language skills. Conducted in a warm and stress-free environment, students learn how to use their bodies to create poses and depict emotions. They are also strongly encouraged to express their views and create fictional stories where they act and interact with other characters played by their friends. Drama is a favourite subject among students as shown by their engagement, focus and attention during the lessons. Drama lessons are mainly conducted by GOS teachers who have been mentored by Mr Michael Cheng, the Artistic Direc-tor for Tapestry Playback Theatre.

Electives: Ceramics (Contributed by Ms Gladys Khoo, Teacher)

One of the Arts electives offered this year is Ceramics, taught by artist, Mr Loh Lik Kian. During these one-hour weekly lessons, they learned how to use their hands and fingers to knead, pinch and mould clay into different shapes. Then they were taught how to score and use clay slips to join different clay parts together to make a ceramic owl which they then glazed. Working with clay was an invaluable experience for the students. They learned about perseverance and that making mistakes is part of the learning process and the impor-tance of following rules and procedures to reach their desired end product.

The students' owls