Wednesday, August 26, 2009

GCE 'O' student self study support


21 August 2009
Dear Secondary 4 Parents,
Re: SUPPORT FOR OUR SECONDARY FOUR STUDENTS
The school has opened its library to the Secondary 4 students for self-study in preparation for the upcoming GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations from17th August 2009.  Interested students may stay until 9.00 pm on Mondays to Thursdays. (For more information, please refer to the letter from the School dated 12th August 2009 re: Opening of School Premises for Self-Study)
In order to encourage the students in their endeavour to achieve good ‘O’ Level results and to show our support for them, the Parent Support Group has initiated a project to supply fruit and hot drinks to the students every evening. We are also looking into the possibility of providing a light snack on a regular basis.
This project has been carried out for the last two years. The students from the previous batches were very appreciative and the feedback received was encouraging. With your help, we hope to be as successful this year as we have been in the last two years.
We would like to cordially invite you to participate in this project through cash donations. If you are keen to support this project, please contact PSG Main Committee member, Mrs Mega Siew at Tel: 97413498 or e-mail her at amysw@singnet.com.sg.  Alternatively, you may wish to give your contribution, either cash or a cash cheque, directly to Mrs Farid Lee in the General Office. Please indicate Secondary 4 Self-Study Programme on the envelope.
We look forward to your strong support as we work hand-in-hand to make this project a success.
Warm Regards
Safri Sujadi
Chairman, TK PSG

Racial Harmony Day: Amazing Race

Article contributed by Mdm. Vanessa Lim who's son is in Sec1. - 22 Jul 09


TK celebrated the Racial Harmony Day with a variety of programmes on the 22nd July. Although the duration of the event was shortened and there was no mass assembly due to the outbreak of H1N1, the spirit was high. This year, about 20 parents in total took part in the event, facilitating 2 sessions of KDB (Know, Do, Be) titled "Fuzion Fest" and "Fabrix", as well as supervising "Amazing Race" to help promote the importance of racial harmony.


The amazing race was held within the school compound instead of outside school (see below the original planned route) due to the rain. The 'last minute' arrangements kept the teachers busy by allocating 4 different checkpoints for 4 different cultural groups namely Eurasian, Hindis, Muslims and Peranakans. Students were having fun checking out each group's differences through 'question and Answer' , 'Crossword Puzzle' and identifying the food displayed. The original planned routes - The amazing race was supposed to be carried out along the 4 check points namely
1) Masjid Khalid Mosque at Onon Road;
2) Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple (Joo Chiat Road);
3) Peranakan House (Koon Seng Road); and
4) Eurasian Community House (Koon Seng road).02 July 2008

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Racial Harmony Day: Fabrix

Fabrix Fashion on the Runway (Article contributed by Mdm. Norsiah Rejab)

This year the RHD was celebrated on a much lighter note due to the H1N1. As always, the PSG was again invited to put up Know-Do-Be sessions. After many discussions, we decided to work on two separate stations; Fabrix Fashion On
The Runway and Fuzion Fest. I feel privileged to coordinate the efforts of the Fabrix Fashion team.

Preparation was made weeks before the actual day and all of us at Fabrix put our heads and hearts together during the planning stage. Though it was a daunting task for some of us who had to juggle work and RHD preparations, it all paid off on the 22/7/09 when all our hard work was applauded by one and all at TK.

Our theme on “Connecting to culture: Embrace the Fabric” was well received by the TK Community especially our students. They understood that what we wear defines who we are and what we value as an individual. Indeed, garments are our second skin (the students were thrilled to know that!). Even sociologists agree that many aspects of our culture are expressed through the clothes we put on everyday.

The world of fashion is assimilated. Fashion goes around the world. Fashion also connects people of different races and this facilitates community bonding. With that in mind, we emptied our wardrobes for the most glamorous outfits to showcase our traditional costumes. We wanted our students to feel connected to our multi-racial heritage. We wanted our ‘thrilled’ audience to realise that fashion does connect the ‘them’ and ‘us’ for community bonding.

We showcased authentic costumes of different heritage. We also played with the idea of a fashion fusion.” Why Fusion?” you may ask. Even with time constraints, we saw the need to be creative and innovative. We wanted to show that even when we use non-traditional fabrics, the essence of traditional costume remains. As a result, we had a phenomenal showcase of static display and catwalk. One example is the cheongsam called the New China Chic which is a cross between Eastern and Western cultures. Thus, it can be worn by the Chinese and other races too.

The pupils also participated in a short quiz on the “Windows of Opportunities” where they had to open little windows and talk about the word written inside. Words like ’food’, ‘sports’, ‘games’ and ‘leisure’ were written to test the pupils’ knowledge. Tokens were given for their participation. At the end of our presentation, we gave them potpourri made from different types of traditional fabrics.


Last but not least, I would like to thank all parents for their concerted effort enthusiasm and teamwork to make this year’s RHD another myriad of success.

Well done, PSG.

(Posted by Norsiah.)

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Racial Harmony Day: Fuzion Fest '09

Article contributed by Alena Yap. Alena has a daughter in Sec 3.

For Racial Harmony Day this year, our parent support group put together a fusion activity called “Fuzion Fest”. Fuzion Fest comprises four exhibition booths displaying information and artefacts of four main cultural groups of Singapore, namely, the Chinese, the Malays, the Indians and the Eurasians. Students and guests viewed the exhibits and were encouraged to ask questions.

Students viewing the artefacts at the Chinese booth



Playing a traditional game at the Malay booth


Explaining Indian traditions at the Indian booth


Students browsing at the Eurasian booth

There was also a fusion food tasting activity. Students and guests were excited to taste the four types of curries typical of each cultural group. Curry, which is a common dish found in all four groups, show a fusion of culture in the use of common ingredients such as herbs and spices. Yet each curry is unique in its own right.



Excited students sampling different curries




Parents serving the curry portions to the students


This was followed by a quiz session which not only tested students’ knowledge of the different cultures but also helped expand on this knowledge with additional information about commonalities and differences among the four cultural groups. The top two winning groups received gift packs representative of cultural fusion as well – Chinese brown rice crackers, Indonesian batik coin purse, Indian muruku and Danish cookies.




Suzanna hosting the quiz session





There were nine of us from different races and countries (Singapore, India, Indonesia and Japan)who were involved in this event. Many of us met for the first time and became friends immediately. Because of the H1N1 crisis, we were not able to meet in school. Instead, we met in the homes of two hospitable parents to plan and discuss the event. Fusion of culture began even before the actual Fuzion Fest! At each meeting, there was fun and laughter as we share knowledge of one another’s culture and, not least, the sumptuous food (thanks to the hosts and generous others). We assembled in the COE Room the day before the event to prepare the displays and do the final touches.
Now that the event is over, we are all relieved and feel a great sense of achievement and satisfaction. One of the parents, Rinku who is from India, reflected that the preparation of the charts became a great family bonding time for her as her family members chipped in to help.

Rinku with her husband, daughter and sister-in-law

For me, the late nights and the hours that I have spent doing my research and making the charts has been most meaningful as I learnt a lot about the Eurasian culture. Last but not least, the new friends that I have met over this period have made my time very worthwhile. In fact, our group has bonded so well that after the debrief session, we are even planning for a get-together lunch at someone’s home!
You may view more photos on: http://picasaweb.google.com/alenayap/FuzionFestAtTKSS?authkey=Gv1sRgCIPAwu-fnov8Sg#


Alena has a daughter in Sec 3