Read aloud during the preparation time. 

If there are difficult words, break them up into their syllables and pronounce the word slowly, then pronounce it 7 times. E,g ex/u/ber/ant, ex/a/gger/ate

You should read the passage at least twice; aloud and with expression. 

 

Look at the picture. Take in the details and make sense of them. 

e.g If it is an activity/ competition/ course/ workshop, think about whether you want to take part and why and why not. 

Think about the topic/ theme in the passage. Usually the conversation is related to the topic or theme of the passage. 

For example if the passage is about a boy who used his mobile phone too much and failed his examination, expect one of the questions to be about how much time you spend on your phone/ screen time, etc.

If the passage is about a healthy lifestyle, start thinking about what you do to keep healthy (exercise, food). 

If the passage is about spending time with family/ grandparents, think about specific family outings when you had fun and had the chance to bond with your family members. 

Greet the examiners. “Good morning/ afternoon, teachers. My name is _______________ and I am from Canossa Catholic Primary School. My index number is ____. May I have a seat, please? 

When the examiners say, “Please take a seat,”, say “Thank you" and smile. 

Be confident.

Sit tall. 
Be enthusiastic.

Be natural. Speak with enthusiasm and energy. 

Speak clearly and confidently. Do not worry about whether the examiners will judge your habits. 

Use your experiences. You can make them up but if you are not familiar with what you are saying, they will know because you will not be able to elaborate with suitable vocabulary. 

Do not repeat the same point over and over again for the next question. Bring in new material and information. Initiate new and related ideas. 

 

Speak in complete sentences. Ensure good grammar.

Use descriptive vocabulary. Do not use ‘nice’ as it does not tell the listener anything. 

Do not use ‘things’ and ‘stuff’ as these terms are very vague.

Think about your personal preferences/ personality.

-          Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

-          Do you like doing things alone or with friends?

-          Do you like indoor or outdoor activities?

-          Have you always wanted to learn this skill/ try this activity?

-          Are you interested in this topic/ in this area? Why? 

 
 

Does it offer you a good opportunity?

-          Would you like to give it a try if you have never tried this before? Why?

-          Is it a great opportunity to gain experience in something?

-          Is it a great opportunity to showcase your talent? 

Look at the cost of the activity. Is it value for money?

-          Does it come with freebies?

-          Are there many sessions that you can attend?

-          Will you be able to afford it? Why/ why not? (Can you take money out from your savings bank? Can you parents afford to spare you the money?)

 

Think about what you can learn from this activity/ workshop/ course. 

-          Can you improve your skills/ develop your talents? What can you learn from this activity/ workshop/ course?

-          Are these skills important to develop? Why? Will you need them in future? Are they useful skills to have? 

-          How can you benefit from this activity/ workshop/ course?

 

If it is a competition, think about the prizes. 

-          Are the prizes attractive to you? Why/ why not? 

 

Look at the headings.

-          Are large letters used?

-          Is it eye-catching?

 

Look at the pictures that are used.

-          Do they support the information?

-          Are they showing an attractive place that will motivate others to go somewhere/ do something?

 

Is the poster in a prominent place?

-          Is it large enough?

-          Is it placed on a wall at a place with high footfall?

 

-          The use of vibrant colours to attract the readers’ attention.
- Placing the poster in a more prominent place, with a high volume of passers-by/ higher footfall. 

-          The use of catchy headlines which will grab the attention of people passing by.  
-           Addressing the reader directly : using the pronoun ‘you’ to get them pulled in/ they will start thinking about themselves/ their situation. 
- Featuring celebrities or famous people (endorsing the product/ event/ programme/ activity)
- Featuring testimonials of previous participants (to highlight the strengths of the programme/ activity/ event/ product)

 

Who is the poster targetting (target audience)?
Think about whether the poster would be able to reach out to different groups of people:

-          Children versus young people or adults

-          Young adults versus the elderly

-          Children – lower primary children versus upper primary children

-          Teenagers versus working adults

-          Working adults versus people who stay at home (housewives, stay-home mothers/ fathers)

 

 

-          Study the given picture.
-          What is the person in question doing/ behaving?
-          What is happening in this given situation?
-          Think about what you would do in a similar situation. 

-          Think about your character/ personality. 

-          Think about your values. 
-          Would you make the same choices as the person in question? Why? Why not?
-          What are the possible consequences of the actions/ behaviour of the person in question? Are the  consequences desirable/ undesirable? Why/ why not?

-          State your point/ your opinion. 

-          WHY: Give reasons (I say this because … / I think this is important because…/ I do this because there are many benefits such as...)

-          WHO: Who do you do this with? (I do this with my mother/ my brother/ my father, my cousin…)

-          HOW: How often do you do this? (We meet up every month for a swim/ I doodle on Procreate at least twice a week to relax/ I exercise once a week with my family)

-          WHEN: When do you do this? (I do it on Sunday/ I do this during the holidays when I have more free time/ I do it on rainy days when I am stuck at home, unable to go out…)

-          WHERE: Where do you do this? (I go to the park to cycle, I go to my cousin’s condominium to swim in the swimming pool/ I go to Our Tampines Hub for a jog/ I go to Kallang Ice Skating Rink to ice skate/ I go to East Coast Park to roller blade)

-          HOW: How do you feel? (I feel delighted when …/ I feel a sense of achievement when…/ I feel encouraged when …./ I feel motivated to…/ I was disappointed when I ….)

-          WHAT: What is a related current event? (I am now in Primary 6 so I do not have much time to …./ The pandemic that just passed taught us… Nowadays, we are encouraged to pursue our talents and interests./ There is now greater emphasis on keeping the earth clean and green as we only have one earth./ My school emphasises on character development… It has always been very important to develop ourselves as good citizens with love for our nation/ My teachers always tell us that …/ )
-          WHAT: What have you learned from this experience/ activity/ event?

-          Link back to the question: In conclusion, I feel that… (state your opinion again)/ Therefore, I feel that (state your opinion again)/ That is why I feel that (state your opinion again). 

Moving is stressful and some elderly may find it daunting to sort through their personal belongings, physically move them from one location to another, and say goodbye to their old home. Some elderly are not used to the new physical environment and the fact that they now need to share their home with many others.

While living in elderly care facilities may actually help alleviate loneliness and isolation for the elderly in the long run, it’s natural to feel alone and uncomfortable upon initially moving to a new environment. They may miss their families, friends, pets, and neighbours whom they will not see so often anymore.

Another common concern is being stuck in the enclosed space of the elderly care and not being able to go out at any time they wish to.

 Issues with Other Residents

Personality clashes can exist in any environment that involves interacting with other humans, and elderly care facilities are no exception. Some elderly may not get along with their roommates and fellow residents.

YES - Meaningful. Enriching. Enthusiastic. Good exposure.

We can also help the elderly to clean up their surroundings and make their environment cleaner/more aesthetically pleasing, opportunity for them to interact with people outside the home, performing for them to cheer them up, relieve their boredom.

No - Unable to speak their dialect/language/shy – volunteer to help in cleaning chores

Home. Nursing home. Hospital and community hospital. Ageing in place. Mrs Theresa Hogan, 88, has experienced them all over the past 15 years.

The widow was living with her son when she suffered a stroke that took away her ability to walk or eat.

So, she was put in a nursing home. The pros: She liked the place as it was clean and its nurses took good care of her. She also enjoyed attending its exercise and flower arrangement classes.

The cons: She was lonely, even though she slept in a room with nine other people. Mrs Hogan recalls: "It was dull. The people there couldn't really communicate, and my family hardly visited. I would lie on my bed, just looking at the sky outside the window."

After five years, she went to live with a grandson who managed to obtain a two-room rental flat in Whampoa. She had housekeeping services from homecare company Comfort Keepers, and the non-profit Tsao Foundation helped link her up to services in the community and monitor her well-being.

Taken from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/growing-old-should-you-be-worried

These healthcare facilities for the elderly otherwise called seniors in Singapore is classified as either residential health care service or Community health care service which are provided by voluntary welfare organization, private establishment or government-owned facilities.

 1. Community Healthcare Service

 With this arrangement, health care services are either provided at home by trained or specialist nurses or at centers where the elderly patient goes to during the day and returns home after the appointment with the doctor or caregiver. The services provided include:

– Help with the daily living routine such as using the toilet, having their bath, brushing their teeth.
 – Physiotherapy o Recreational activities
 – Social activities
 – Preparing food and feeding themo Transportation
 – Doctor’s appointment
 – Administering prescribed medications

 Cons
– Older adults need the interaction and friendship of the age group which personalized care doesn’t afford them
– A sense of community is taken from them
– They could feel lonely and quickly get tired
– It is usually quite expensive.
o Your home might be redesigned or furnished to suit the need of the elderly patient.

 Pros
– You elderly parent gets access to quality health caregivers
– This option is more convenient for your elderly parent
– He or she gets to remain in a familiar environment which can foster recovery or healthy mind

 
 2. Residential Healthcare Service
 
Another alternative for another health care service is the residential health care service. The elderly are taken care of specially designed for the comfort and welfare of aged people. These facilities include:• Community hospital also called public facilities

 Pros
– These hospitals are usually the most respected in Singapore
 – They are empowered to handle complicated or life-threatening cases
 – They are highly subsidized by the government
 – Opportunity to bond with other elderly people

 Cons
– No personalized care for your elderly.
– The subsidy is mainly for permanent residence holders.

 • Nursing Homes Care

 A nursing home is for people who don’t need a hospital admission and need to be cared for at home but cannot. Nursing homes have trained nurses and matrons to help take care of their elderly ones.

Pros
– Skilled nursing available to meet all the special needs of the elderly including physiotherapy and occupational therapy
 – The elderly people are in a community of similar people who they can easily relate with.
 – Provides full-time care.
 – They have a more structured schedule which is easier for elderly people to work with.

 Cons
– Can be quite expensive
– Lack of freedom for elderly people who are used to deciding their routine
– Some nursing home these days mistreat the elderly in their care.

 • Inpatient Hospice care

 This is a health care plan for the comfort and care for elderly people with advanced illness.

Pros
– It tends to provide more comfort, dignity for patients that doctors feel they have six months or less to live other things been equal in the case of the illness.
– It is suitable for those who are unable to care for their loved ones who are dying.
– Specialized physicians and skilled doctors are always available with hands on deck to give patients all the comfort needed.

 Cons
– Can be capital intensive

 
 • Respite Care

 Respite care refers to your old one being cared for; usually for a short duration of time so that the main caregiver often a family member can take a break or go on a family vacation. Respite care can run for a few hours to a few weeks.

 Pros
– Day to day caregiver which are usually family members can get a break
– A holiday trip can be a soothing relief to take the stress for caring for an elderly person
– Give the primary caregiver time to attend to other matters, care for the family and run some pending errands
– Getting a specialist care once in a while is good for the elderly in your care.
– Introducing your elderly parent to other alternative care once in a while may help their condition from deteriorating further.

 Cons

– the elderly parents may not like the change in their routine
 – Depression may easily set in for the aged if familiar hands are away.
 – Respite care may not be readily available
 – Cost of seeking respite care
 – Adequate planning is required for moving your elderly patient to a respite care facility.
 – Some elderly people can be difficult and reject moving into a respite care facility.

Elderly care can be quite costly as prices range from twenty-two to thirty dollars per hour for homes services and about one hundred and forty dollars for a session with the physician with eligible candidates enjoying up to eighty percent government subsidy.

As good as these elderly care facilities are, they are in short supply. Daycare spots are estimated to be about three thousand five hundred in the country which the government is working hard to increase, and these daycare centers are going into extinction which doesn’t speak well of the future because the number of old people is on a steady increase.

Another problem which the government of Singapore is trying to address is the shortage of elderly healthcare workers. The government of Singapore which can boast that Singapore has the best health care facility for their elderly in the world is working hard to find a solution to the problem. They are trying to explore technology as another way to help the elderly and reduce their reliance on nursing maids for care.

It seems robotics is the future for elderly health care. For example, the Cyberdyne which is a robotic exoskeleton is expected to provide support limbs for an elderly individual to enable hi assist himself and not depend solely on a maid.

In Singapore, the government is not relentless in its fight for the welfare of the elderly, and it has already budgeted over four hundred and fifty million dollars for its elderly care technological project.
Taken from https://www.elderlyhomecare.com.sg/articles/pros-and-cons-on-healthcare-facilities-for-the- 

 

            Do you know that at least 7200 million kilograms of plastic enter the oceans each year? That’s similar to emptying a garbage truck of plastic into an ocean every minute. This plastic is polluting our seas and killing our marine life! We need to work together –every single one of us – to stop this from happening. 

           Innocent creatures are dying because of Man’s irresponsible dumping of plastic into seas. Fish, seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals can become entangled in or ingest plastic debris. This causes suffocation, starvation, and drowning.  

            I urge all of you to stop using plastic straws, plastic bottles and anything plastic so that we do not produce so much plastic waste. Single-use plastics are the biggest contributor to this problem so if you can, reuse these plastic containers and turn them into useful items such as pencil holders or storage containers. 

We need to play our part today, before it is too late. Thank you. 

Focus on respecting and appreciating “Mother Earth”, Our Home, for all the gifts that we receive from the Earth, especially water that people and ALL living things need, to survive.  

As patron of the environment, St Francis teaches us that the environment is sacred and he calls us to be protectors of creation, of God’s plan inscribed in nature. 

We discussed the importance of water conservation and pledge our commitment to reduce water wastage. 

Key messages :

1.  Help reduce stress: Engaging in hobbies provides relaxation both for the mind and body. Children are under constant pressure to excel, pressure, to attain goals and to meet expectations. In such a scenario, hobbies offer the perfect break for them.

2. Nurture creativity: Most hobbies tap into one's creative potential. Even a simple hobby like stamp collection requires creativity in displaying the collection. Drawing, painting, music, and arts and crafts serve as perfect outlets for one's creative interests.

3. Improve cognitive skills: Hobbies enable children to focus and concentrate better. They develop their reasoning, analytical and problem-solving skills.

4. Ensure physical well-being: Some hobbies (gardening, trekking, cycling) require children to spend their time outdoors, making them physically strong and well-built and they are exposed to enough sunlight and fresh air.

5. Build social skills: In activities where children need to interact with others, they build their social skills. Being a part of hobby groups and interacting with people who have similar hobbies improves social skills.

Hobbies for relaxation: Reading, Colouring, Yoga, Gardening, Walking

Hobbies for getting active: Rock Climbing, Dancing, Skateboarding, Rollerblading, Swimming

Hobbies that teach a skill: Chess, Coding, Cooking, Woodworking, Playing a musical instrument.

Hobbies that are creative: Writing music, Painting, Pottery, Scrapbooking, Photography

Sometimes it is easy to take our family for granted but they are a gift. If you ever lose a family member, you will be reminded how precious they are so we should treasure our family every day. An extended family with grandparents and uncles and aunts and cousins just means more people to love and care about each other. It gives you an even stable foundation to build your life on.

One of the benefits of spending time with family and indulging in leisure activities together, is that it strengthens the family bond. They do not always need to be fancy activities that require a bigger sum of money. Even home-based, low-cost activities such as game night, movie night, gardening, or playing outdoors have a big impact in creating good family relationships. The benefits of family time are as follows:

1.    Encourages Communication: People often find no time to communicate with their family members due to a hectic schedule. But spending time with your loved ones is a chance to overcome this issue. You can talk freely and listen to what others have to say. It helps create a space for easy and open communication between the members of your family.

2.    Creates Positivity

If a family seldom gets time to spend together, the home environment can become negative. With every member dealing with their own pressures, there seems to be no outlet. Making time for family can help reduce such stress as you can discuss about it and find solutions to the problems faced.

Families are the foundation of society, and the well-being of families is essential for the well-being of communities and nations. By recognising International Day of Families, we can raise awareness of the importance of families and the issues affecting them. We can also promote policies and programmes that support families and address the challenges they face.

To find out more read the article at https://www.asiaone.com/lifestyle/international-day-families-how-and-why-it-celebrated

Tips for the elderly:
1. Prevention is better than cure. 

 

We went through the Anti-Drug Ambassador booklet specially curated by the CNB.

We also created poster designs and montage creations for the Anti-Drug Montage Competition. 

We also had fun cutting out the green and white anti-drug ribbon strip and folding it, as well as participating in the ribbon pledge. 

 

In addition to these engaging hands-on activities, we had the opportunity to meet the CNB officer online via a sharing session. 

From this informative conversation, we had a better understanding of the consequences of drug taking and how it can affect their families. 

 

On 2 September 2021, our teachers were celebrated.

They play a significant role in moulding the hearts and minds of our students.

In the Teachers’ Day Paraliturgy, all were reminded that we should feel gratitude for the love, care and guidance that we have received from all our teachers. 

 

We began the day with a paraliturgy, conducted via Zoom, with a poignant message on how we should be thankful for our educators every day. 

 

Next, our knowledge of our teachers was put to the test through a fun quiz on the Quizizz platform. When called upon, the teachers spontaneously shared about some of their childhood ambitions, favourite food and even some quirks that we did not know they had. 

 

Our student leaders led the next segment. They were each assigned to a class and tasked to facilitate 3 games, which they had come up with collaboratively in Term 3. The first game, titled ‘Student-Teacher Telepathy’, got both students and teachers trying to see whether they could read each other’s’ minds through a series of this-or-that questions. Cheers could be heard down the hallways as the students tried to encourage both their teachers and friends! 

 

Next, our teachers and students played a game of ‘Snakes and Ladders’… with a twist! Each time the counter landed on a tile with a ladder, the teacher had to answer a question about themselves but if the counter landed on a tile with a snake, the teacher would have to do a dare. It was fun getting to know our teachers better through this game. 

 

The games segment ended off with ‘Describe a Teacher’, where a description of some of the schools’ teachers were given and our teachers and students had to try to guess who the teachers were. Although some of the clues were not easy, both our teachers and students did their best and definitely learnt something new during this game. 

 

Finally, the day ended with our student leaders presenting gifts that they had handmade for the teachers especially for this occasion. This Teachers’ Day celebration proved to be a wonderful opportunity for our student leaders to serve the school, as Leaders of Hope and Sowers of Change.

I will always remember the kindness of my teachers.

Think about a teacher whom you feel very grateful for.
There is a teacher in my life who made a difference in my life. She / he helped me by.... Due to her kindness and care, I (what change did you make?). I showed her/ him gratitude by .... (what did you do? Make a card to say thank you?)

A great neighbourhood is one that is caring, cohesive, safe, and beautiful. It is also where neighbours greet one another with warm smiles and take ownership of the neighbourhood they live in.

Creating such a neighbourhood begins with each of us. Start by getting to know your neighbours and practising a little thoughtfulness and patience. If we all play our part, we can build lasting friendships and strong communities in our estates.

Source: https://www.hdb.gov.sg/community/caring-for-your-neighbours/being-a-good-neighbour/tips-on-neighbourliness