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K e e p i n g t h e Q H P S c o m m u n i t y c o n n e c t e d Issue 1 - 2019

Q i h u aP r i m a r yS c h o o l

In Qihua, we strongly believe in a Quality Teaching Curriculum (QTC). In orderto realise the outcomes of QTC, our school prioritised character developmentas a key leverage, with the belief that personal character undergirds the holisticdevelopment of students.

The refreshed Character Education Programme (2017) expanded through awhole school approach. Formal education through CE-infused lessons aresupplemented by an immersive informal education through various platforms.

Qihua Primary School – CharacterEducation Programme (2017 – 2019)

I N F O C U S

Termly Character Education FocusTerm 1: Greet people, walk quietly and in an orderly manner,

keep our school cleanTerm 2: Use positive languageTerm 3: Be appreciativeTerm 4: Be responsible and disciplined

Effective Formal Education through Character-infused Lessonsand ProgrammesMother Tongue CCE Lessons, FTGP Lessons, Term 1, 2 and 3 SIR, CharacterEducation Mass Lectures, Term 4 EIW Character Education Exhibition, CharacterEducation Assembly Programme, Daily Modelling of Speaking Skills, Tea Serving

Partnering ParentsCharacter Education Sharing Sessions in Mandarin (2017)Character Education Sharing Sessions in English (2018)Character Education Sharing Sessions in English (2019)

Environment as the third teacherCharacter Education Behaviour Standards Posters (2017)Character Education Behaviour Standard Panels (2018)Launch of the Character Corridor 2018 (80th Anniversary Celebration)

Whole School Approach

Character Education Journey

5 CE AssemblyProgrammes

6 CE Corridor& Classrooms

8 Tea Serving 7 Daily Role-modellingSpeaking Skills

2017

1 Level Specific52 CE BehaviourStandards

2 Termly CE Focus 3 CE InfusedLessons

4 CE SharingSessions InMandarin

11 Assessment 12 WholeSchoolRecitation

9 SIR/EIW CEMass Lecture& Exhibition

10 Sharing withOther Schools/SLS

Beginningfrom2018

Beginningfrom2019

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Interest-Based Experiential Elective Programme (IBEEP)IBEEP is an after-school enrichmentprogramme that offers studentsconsistent and regular interest-basedactivities. This programme providesopportunities to build self-esteem anddevelop talent in areas of interest withina safe and conducive environment.

There are 3 parts to IBEEP:Partners’ ProgrammeAs part of the programme, the schoolengages external agencies suchas YGOS and Mendaki to mentorand lead the students in value-inculcation activities.

Experiential ElectivesStudents attend workshops or trainingsessions based on their areas of interest.

Electives offered include Kickboxing,Cooking, Photography, Coding,Trampoline Workout, Inline Skatingand Taiko Drumming.

IBEEP roomA room has been refurbished to bethe place for students to do self-studying, reading and playing gameswith peers under the supervision ofour support staff.

IBEEP received positive responses fromthe students. Through this platform,they have been supported in theirjourney of self-discovery. Being ableto explore their interests has madecoming to school so much moreengaging and fun!

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Having been with Qihua for over two years now, our Principal, Mrs Lee Hui

Feng has certainly touched the lives of staff and students alike with all the

little things she has done. Here are a few of the many signature deeds of our

Principal and significance of each nice little gesture.

Lead, Care and Inspire – One Small Deed at a Time

Always being at the gate at the startand end of the day to welcome andbid farewell to students.Mrs Lee values such pockets of time asher personal time with students. Notbeing able to interact more withstudents in the classroom, she usesthese precious moments to “feel howstudents feel”. She finds that it helpsher get a sense of how studentsare experiencing school and life.Sometimes, she even imagines howthey would develop into adulthood,coping with the demands of society.Being at the gates allows her to observethe way children interact with theirfamily or friends. This in turn enablesher to pick up on issues or concerns.Not only children need empathy andsupport, even parents and adults mightneed a helping hand at times. At thevery least, it is a positive way to helpsomeone start a good day ahead ormake a bad one slightly better. She doesthis to lead by example, hoping that infuture, others will do the same.

Always supporting school activitiesthrough hands-on participation.In Qihua, everyone tries to supporteach other and make a difference toeveryone’s life. As teaching is a verygiving profession, Mrs Lee feels it isimportant to take turns to lead orsupport, much like the flight formationof geese All jobs are important. It does

not matter who does it as long as it getsdone. Also, showing support throughaction speaks louder than words andcreates shared positive experiences.When given support, one should alwaysreciprocate and build bonds andcamaraderie. Being involved is the bestform of encouragement.

A personal touch to buildingstudent-staff relations.Mrs Lee values family above all things,so much so that she sees our Qihuafamily as an extension of her own. Herfamily members are often involved inschool activities and our staff havesavoured her mum’s cooking more than

a few times.She is here not to lead a teambut to look after a big family. Mrs Leerevealed that her love language issharing food and experiences. In her32 years of service, she is thankful tobe led by her heart and supported bypositive staff around her. It is her firmbelief that when we follow our heartsand do what is right to help others, theywill be able to better understand andappreciate our actions. This would theninspire others to do the same and createa positive cycle of positive actions andpositive outcomes that is fundamentallyfueled by our hearts.

So what have we learnt from Mrs Lee?Well, character can be taught as asubject or instilled through formaland informal curriculum (such as themodelling of daily good deeds). In herown words, “Convince the heart, andthe mind and hands will follow.” Now,that’s something we could all learn tolive by, don’t you think?

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S E M E S T E R 1 E V E N T S A T A G L A N C E

J A N U A R YBuddy ProgrammeThe Buddy Programme is held on the first three days of the school academicyear as an orientation programme for the P1 students. The older students assistthe younger ones to quickly settle into the school routines. The programmedevelops the values of care and responsibility among our P5 students. The P1students reciprocate their kindness by giving them personalised thank-youcards at the end of theprogramme. Opportunitiesfor interaction are createdover two years till the P5students graduate.

Parent Engagement Sessions

P6 Mandarin OrangeDistributionIn collaboration with SembawangGRC, our P6 students spread the CNYfestive joy and display the spirit ofgiving by distributing oranges to theresidents of neighbouring blocks. Iti s a lso a good plat form for ours tudents to present themse lvesconfidently to the residents.

F E B R U A R YChinese New Year

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P5 CampThe P5 Camp is one of the most memorable events for a Qihuaian. Studentsare taught to be self-reliant while being away from their families for 3 days and2 nights. They participate in activities that test their resilience and teamwork.They learn to make the best use of limited resources and appreciate the provisionsavailable. Students are more confident and resilient after attending the camp.

Video Conferencing with Japan School M A R C HP4 Growth Mindset GameThrough playing a special ly-designed board game, thestudents grow to believe they canget smarter and understand thateffort leads to success. With agrowth mindset, our students aremore likely to put in extra time andeffort in pursuing their goals.

Total Defence DayThrough experiences such as havinglessons without electr ic i ty andconsuming rationed food duringrecess, Qihuaians learn to appreciatethe current prosperity and stability ofour nation.

P4 Mother TongueLanguage Cultural Camp

P5 Interdisciplinary Project

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Inter-House GamesThe inter-house games are highlyanticipated by the students. Throughthese games, students show that theyare able to play as a team andcollaborate with other students fromtheir level. During the games, theycan show their true competit ivespirit in vying for medals given outto the top three teams of each game.They also show sportsmanship andfair play during these games. Thisyear, a special Character Championaward is introduced to encouragestudents to display good values andbe ro le models who pos i t ive lyinfluence their peers.

M A R C H continued

P6 Motivational WorkshopIn this workshop, students reflect onthemselves and appreciate thepeople who support them in theirlearning. Coupled with identifyingtheir motivation to excel, theyacquire study skills which helpthem learn more effectively.

Hosting visits by An Soon,China and ISS AcademyInternationalOur students provide great hospitalityas they care for their foreign buddieson overseas exchange programmesduring the hosting sessions. The cross-cultural interaction and exchangeof ideas, broadens the Qihuaians’perspectives and readies them for amore inter-connected world.

Start It RightThe SIR programme comprises of an in-school programme and learningjourneys to heritage sites for selectedlevels. In school, students build rapportand are brought closer through team-building activit ies. Through thelearning journeys, students learn moreabout the cultures of the main ethnicgroups in Singapore, resulting ingreater appreciation and respect forone another.

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A P R I LInternational Friendship DayIn celebrat ion of Internat ionalFriendship Day, an array of engagingactivities are carried out for studentsto nurture and cultivate respect forone another.

Mother Tongue LanguageFortnightOver two weeks, our students tookpart in a myriad of activities thatreflect the cultures of the differentraces in Singapore. Mother TongueLanguage learning is made morejoyful with the incorporat ion ofc ross ta l k per formances , boardgames, and puppet shows.

Sports Carnival

English Language Fiesta

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FOCUS ON OUR TEACHERSIn the spirit of life-long learning, our teachers seekopportunities to take part in short-term attachments atexternal organisations to gain new perspectives andexposure. They bring their newfound knowledge back toschool to positively impact teaching and learning.

Mdm Juliana Johari

In 2018, I took time off to upgrademyself. My interest and focuswere on learning difficultiesand behavioural issues facedby students.

For ten weeks, I was attachedto three different organisations.The first was KK Women’sand Children’s Hospital inthe Department of ChildDevelopment.

During lessons, I observed theresponses from students and

the behaviours exhibited. I found it rather challenging havingto juggle between teaching and observing the students. Itake my hat off to my mentors who did a great job effortlessly.

My second experience was at the Response Early Interventionand Assessment in Community Mental Health (REACH)service centre. With a team of psychologists, social workersand nurse clinicians, I visited students in their schools tohelp them with behavioural issues such as school refusaland selective mutism. The students showed resilience inovercoming their challenges.

The last learning experience was at Dyslexia Association ofSingapore (DAS). Although the students there have difficultyin reading and understanding the mathematical concepts,they were enthusiastic and enjoyed their lessons.

Parents play a crucial role in a child’s development andeducational journey. With positive parental support, astudent who faces diff iculty in his studies or havebehavioural issues will overcome it more easily and makegreater improvement.

My 12-day learning journey toFinland in November 2018was a remarkable experience.Accompanied by like-mindededucators, I embarked on aquest for knowledge andexperience.

I was b lessed to begiven the chance to vis itJuhannus la i tur i Pre andPrimary School at Tampereand Latokar tonon Ka l l ioden Gr i l l ipa ikka Pr imarySchool at Helsinki. What struck me the most in theseschools was the spirit of Sisu that is evident in thestudents and teachers.

Likewise, students who take ownershipof their own learning and carry out

the tasks assigned to them with diligenceand discipline gain the most.

Ms Tan Swee Pin

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Sisu is a Finnish conceptdescribing grit, determination

and tenacity withthe spirit of risk-takingwhile facing adversity.

The values are evident during the conversations that wehad with teachers, students and parents. Students areencouraged to be risk-takers and not fear failures.

In one of the lessons, I tried to help a student saw wood.As an adult, I had to put in a lot of strength to do so. Icould see persistence in these young children as theycarried out the task. The students were creative and tookpride in creating their own products.

The culture of trust between teachers, students andparents is very admirable. Parents view incidents thathappen in school as a part of learning and growing upfor their children. Similarly, the children view setbacks aslearning opportunities which help them grow. With theSisu spirit, they are ready to embrace the world.