Racial Harmony Day, 21st July 2008

Picture taken with our School Principal, Mrs. Wong Siew Shan and VIP , Minister for Education, Dr Ng Eng Hen

Racial Harmony Day this year is a very special one for EPPS. Not only it is the day EPPS celebrates Racial Harmony Day, it is also the day that our Minister for Education Dr. Ng Eng Hen came to the school to visit and also launched EPPS as the NE Hub in the East Zone.

It is a great honour to our school to be awarded this appointment as a recognition for its effort in national education. As EPPS is the only school in Singapore with Singapore Heritage at the Elias (SHAPE), it is also recognised as school that focuses on holistic education and development.

EPPS PSG members worked together to think of the most appropriate concept to celebrate this event in conjunction with the school's direction, built the stalls, cooked and sold the food. It was wonderful way for us to bond as friends and fellow parent volunteers.

It was a joy to the happy faces when they get to try and taste different food sold at the PSG stalls. There were long queues snaking for the satay and all the other goodies! While they tucked in the good food from different races in Singapore, they also participated and enjoyed other activities such as cooking demonstrations and henna tattoo.

Best of all, we were able to raise $766 for the school for the Outdoor Adventure Centre. Even though we were all so exhausted by the end of the day, the fact that we had contributed to make the event even more successful, it was worth the effort.

Mother's Day Fair 28th to 30th April 2008

Mother's Day Fair was a great success! Thanks to all the support we have been getting from all EPPS parents.

The fair was opened full days from 28th to 30th April from 9.30am to 4.00pm. Our PSG members took turns to help out during that period. Over 25 parents were on duty at different times during that period.

On the first day, we had alot of students coming in to check out the items on display. By the second day, we almost sold out everything! On the third day, the students come in and bought out almost everything on sight.

The children love the teddy bears, the Auntie Susan's cookies, the flowers, the trinket boxes, the clay cakes.. there's just so many to choose from. It was an exciting 3 days and the participating PSG members who were on duty had as much fun helping the children decide what to buy as well as helping them personalise the children's gifts for their beloved moms.

Preparation for Mother's Day Fair 23rd Mar to 24th April 2008

As early as 23rd March, PSG members has been meeting on a weekly basis working together pitching in their artistic skills to make beautiful gifts for our EPPS mums.

These gifts such as trinket boxes, flowers, clay cakes and gift boxes were all painstakingly created to be sold at the Mother's Day Fair on the 28th to 30th April to raise funds for the PSG and needy children.

The papercrafts which were specially designed by our own Helen Chee has intricate detailing and were unique in design. " You can't get this anywhere else .... it is specially made our our mums, that's why it is so special " said Helen Chee.

The claycakes created by our talented Karen Ann were made of clay, the clay dough is kneaded to soften it, coloured and then embellished with beads, pearls and flower creations to create the most beautiful, miniature life like cakes. We had to remind the students many times over that it is not edible as it looks good enough to eat!

The PSG members quite happily come in on a weekly basis to help out as it is such a pleasurable way to spend Thursday mornings with good friends for a good cause. We are so fortunate to have so many compassionate and committed members who's always willing to give our school some of their precious time for the common good.

Communicating with your child

Warm, loving communication between you and your child enables them to build a sense of identity.

More than words
Communication is a complicated process, with your child receiving a lot of 'information' from you.

These include:
*the words you speak
*your tone of voice - loud, soft, harsh or whispered
*gestures
*how you stand
*your facial expressions.

Your child has to watch, listen and react to an enormous amount of information and, in order to have a conversation with you, also judge when and how to take their turn.

Body languageThe words you speak often carry less weight than the non-verbal parts of your communication. It’s worth considering the impression you give through your facial expressions and body language.

Take a moment to look at your face in a mirror.
*How do you appear?
*Are you frowning, smiling, strained?

When you approach your child with a soft, smiling face they'll be more receptive to your message.

Think about your posture.
*Do you stand over your child or get down to their level when you speak together?

Try this experiment
Find a willing friend or partner and hold a brief conversation while they stand and you kneel on the floor. You may be uncomfortable listening and speaking to someone who’s towering over you. This is how your child feels, so get down to their height to make the most of your communication.
Paying attention
Your child may know you care about them through your loving attention, but it takes extra effort to keep giving that message once they're away from you all day at school. The sort of attention you give will change in subtle ways as your child matures and their needs change.

At age five your child will still be keen on cuddles, tickles and hugs. They’ll probably light up with pleasure if you wink, pat them on the shoulder, ruffle their hair or give them a thumbs-up sign. The rituals of saying goodbye at school can be important - a wave as they go in or through the classroom window shows you have them in mind.

Did you know...
More than 80 per cent of children aged 13 and under would rather talk about their feelings to their cat than to parents or friends. (Source: Tenth International Conference of Human-Animal Interactions, Glasgow, October 2004.)
Your child will tell you when they want your attention with the ubiquitous cry “Daddy, Mummy look at me!” or with more subtle approaches to show you their artwork or books.

This isn't showing off. Your child has asked because they need your approval and their self-esteem is often reflected in the attention you pay to them. Take these opportunities to stop what you're doing and show your interest.

Get your message acrossGet up close. This means stopping what you’re doing and going to within arm’s length. If you call out from a distance or from another room, they may not hear your whole message above the chatter and noise around them. They’ll also miss out on other information, such as the look on your face that shows whether you’re serious or joking, and the gestures you use.

Use your child’s name first. This will get their attention - people are tuned to hear their own name above most other words - so they know the message is for them. If their name comes last they won’t be sure who you’re talking to and may miss the message. “Joe, come for your bath please,” will work rather better than “Come for your bath please, Joe”.

Keep your instructions positive. For example, your child will respond better if you tell them what you want them to do, rather than what you want them to stop doing. Try “Emma, please hang up your coat,” rather than “Emma, don’t drop your coat”.

Give your child a chance to respond. Young brains take a few seconds to process what you’ve said and turn it into an action.

Keep it simple. Your child can remember only about three subjects in any one sentence. For example, “Tom, please take off your coat, hang it up and then come here,” will usually get a good response. “Tom, take off your coat, get your homework, find the pens, then come here,” will probably be too much.

Be clear. It’s good to give choices – this will build your child’s independence. For example, “Sam, would you like beans or spaghetti for dinner?” But don’t ask a question if you’re really giving an instruction. Asking “Could you to go to bed now?” invites your child to say no!

Think aheadImagine travelling about 15 years into the future. If you asked your now adult child what messages they remember you giving them when they were little, what would they say? Would they remember the message “I love you” or “You’re special”? What would you like them to answer?

By Claire Halsey
Adapted from bbc.co.uk/parenting

Happy New Year from EPPS.PSG!

In ushering the year of the Rat, EPPS Parents Support Group presented a hamper containing homebaked goodness and packed to the rim with juicy mandarin oranges and gold coins for prosperity.

Our proud bakers are none other than Susan Koh (baked the deliciously buttery smooth pineapple tarts and almond biscuits) and Diana Teo ( baked the chocolate cookies). The oranges and gold coins were by courtesy of Yvonne Chin's Chinese New year stash! This specially made hamper is presented to the teachers and staff of Elias park Primary School on Chinese New year's eve.

We hope they have enjoyed it and we look forward to a eventful and fruitful year ahead!

PSG Kick Off Meeting 14th Feb 2008

Our meeting got off with a rousing start as we ran a full house. The year of the Rat is very promising. It is a special day as we welcome in the year of the Rat with the tossing of Yu Sheng, and also celebrate the day of love St Valentine's Day. It is indeed appropriate as these parents gather together with their best dishes to share with other EPPS parents as well.

Plans and discussions quickly went smoothly with Mrs Han and Mrs Pat Ng also present to to share and persent the school's perspective and requirements for PSG support for this year.

And yes, we had 9 new members come and join in the PSG veterans to get to know the other members, mingle and network with one another.

Good friends and good food. What could be better than that?

Alot of programs and activities has been planned for this year.

Watch this space!

Getting back into school routine

Parents can help children make a smooth transition into the classroom mode in a variety of ways. One and half months of loosely structured activities can make getting back to the routine difficult, but there are things every parent can do to help children of every age get ready for a successful school year.

Set a ScheduleTalk to your child about setting aside a certain amount of time to study each school day. That way it will be an expected part of the routine rather than a discussion or a struggle every time. It is a good idea to have the time earmarked for this, regardless of whether they have homework or not. If there is none for the day, they can spend the time reading for pleasure, doing extra credit or getting ahead on their classes.

Designate Space
Make sure that there is an area that is set up for studying. It helps to have children work in a place where you are available to answer questions and keep an eye out to make sure they stay on track. Using the same area each time can help get children in the habit of studying more easily. Make sure that school books, supplies and backpacks all have a designated area in the house and are put away so that getting ready goes smoothly in the morning.
Minimize Distractions
Cell phones, television and music are just some of the many distractions that can affect the time that is set aside for homework. Discuss the ground rules for study time and include turning off electronics until after work is finished. It can especially help to remind teens before they sit down to work, so that they aren't tempted if the phone should ring. Parents should remember that if the kitchen table is your childs designated work space, they need to help minimize the traffic and noise in that area when its homework time.

Watch the Extra ActivitiesKeep an eye on the extra-curricular activities and sports to make sure that they aren't interfering with schoolwork. If your child seems like they may be falling behind, have a talk with the coach or person in charge and see if some sort of arrangement can be made for them to catch up. It doesn't necessarily have to mean they will have to quit the activity; they may just need to scale back for a bit.

RelaxWith all of the activities and classes, sometimes it can be easy to forget that children need time to rest and relax too. Try to remember to leave a little room for "down time" for everyone. As long as the schedule is pretty consistent, there is always room for a little bit of fun here and there.

Communicate With TeachersAlmost every school has parent-teacher briefings or the equivalent. No matter how old your children are, this is a good time to find out what the homework load and class expectations are. You can then talk with your child and adjust the amount of study time accordingly.

Adapted from : KC parents.com