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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 2 - 2019

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

I n F o c u s

● National Library Board, RepublicPolytechnic, Singapore Centre forChinese Language (SCCL) andSportsSG: improving teaching andlearning through collaboration andresource support.

● NParks, National EnvironmentAgency (NEA) and North WestCommunity Development Council(NW CDC): instilling environmentalconservation awareness.

● Self-help groups such as Mendaki,SINDA and CDAC: providing additionalacademic support to students andrecognising academic achievementsthrough awards and bursary.

To provide a global outlook andinternational perspective for staff andstudents, we have various overseaspartnerships under the schoolglobalisation programme. This offersexciting opportunities for our studentsand staff to make meaningfulconnections with students and educatorsbeyond Singapore. Our annual overseasimmersion trips to schools in Bruneiand China, and hosting programmefor our overseas counterparts equipQihuaians with the knowledge andskills for socio-cultural sensitivity.

CONNECTING QIHUA WITH THEWORLD AND COMMUNITY

“It takes a villageto raise a child”

Some of these partnerships include:

● Woodlands CC and SembawangGRC: showcasing our students’talents to the community andserving the residents as part ofthe school’s Va lues - in -Act ion(VIA) programme.

In Qihua, we recognise that learning happens anytime and anywhere, not only in schoolbut also at home, in the community and the world.

Hence, beyond building strong partnerships with parents, the school has introducedinitiatives and programmes to strengthen its partnership with the community, organisationsand schools around the world. These varied and holistic learning experiences create newopportunities for teachers and students to collaborate, network and spread ideas, enablingQihuaians to apply the school values of care, respect and responsibility.

Leveraging on the inter-connectivityof technology, s tudents a l soparticipate in video-conferencingactivities with friends from Japan,preparing our active learners for theglobalised economy.

Such opportunities are not limited tojust our students. Our teachers andschool leaders are also able to shareand learn from our global fraternity asshared in the pages inside this issue ofQihua Connect.

Ultimately, the school hopes thatthese s t rong connect ions andpartnerships with the community andthe world would enrich our students’holistic education and engage themin ways beyond traditional classroompedagogy. Through the empoweringlearning experiences, our studentsalso gain valuable insights into real-l i fe appl icat ions of sk i l l s andknowledge – all these augurs wellfor their future.

Mr Amran TasrifVice-Principal (Academic)

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Our HumbleContribution

to ASEANOur school leaders, Mrs Lee and Mr Amran had a fruitful learning trip toTaiwan, hosted by Associate Professor Chiu Fu-Yuan of National TsingHua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan. A.P. Chiu and his team had visited ourschool in 2018 to observe our classroom teaching and learning. In return,he graciously invited our school leaders over for an equally enrichinglearning experience.

Mrs Lee and Mr Amran visitedLiau Jia Primary School andThe Aff i l iated ExperimentalElementary School of NationalTsing Hua University.

Mr Amran reminisced theenlightening moments andshared with the school thevaluable takeaways from the trip.

Learning Beyond Our Shores

Visit to Liau Jia Primary School

Visit to the Affiliated Experimental ElementarySchool of National Tsing Hua University

One of the outstanding features of this school is the open concept. Withglass walls and doors, the boundaries of the classrooms blend seamlesslywith nature. It is fascinating how the environment, meaningfullyharnessed, can enhance students’ learning. The school also believes incultivating the students’ passion through experimentation andexploration. As such, carpentry lessons and the Young Farmers’Programme are introduced as part of the curriculum.

Mr Amran pointed out that while it is not possible to replicate the ideasin Qihua due to the differences between the Taiwanese and the localeducational systems, some of the ideas, when re-engineered and adapted,will no doubt, create a more joyful learning experience for our Qihuaians.

Mr Mohammad Isham Bin Ibrahimwas selected to be a referee duringthe ASEAN Schools Games 2019 held inSemarang Indonesia from 17 to 25 July.

As a qualified Asian Sepak Takrawreferee, he was invited to officiatethe games played during thechampionship. He was also given thehonour to officiate the finals for theteam and regu events in which TeamThailand and Team Indonesia wonrespectively. He made new friends andgained insights on how the SepakTakraw game is being played at theinternational level.

With the help and guidance fromthe senior Sepak Takraw officialsfrom Indonesia and Thailand, Mr Ishamlearnt much about the intricaciesofficiating a game. The seniors weregenerous in giving advice and sharingtheir past experiences. It was indeeda meaningful learning journeythat allowed newfriendships to beformed. The insightsand experiencegained will translateto more medalsfor our school inthe future.

“Through these experiences, I haveIearnt the valuable lesson ofbuilding a strong relationship withour neighbours from the ASEANcountries. The interaction was verymeaningful to me as we gottogether to share our views andideas, in the hope of improvingourselves to be more efficient incarrying out our duties.”

Mr Isham

A Science lesson was conductedoutdoors to enhance the teachingof core Science concepts andstudents were introduced tocoding through a hands-onactivity. It was amazing to witnesshow coding can be seamlesslyintegrated into a Science lesson.

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GlobalisationProgramme

Developing 21st CenturyCompetencies

Mutual Learning

Civic Literacy

Collaboration

Information Skills

Cross-Cultural SkillsCommunication

Global Awareness

HostingQihuaians have gained valuableknowledge and social ski l ls fromtheir interactions with our overseasguests all these years. As we forgestrong partnerships with schools fromoverseas, we actualise our school’svision of developing Learners, Leadersand Champions.

Overseas Learning Experience (OLE) to China and Brunei

The students from Guiyang HuanxiPrimary and Purui Primary Schoolvisited our NE Museum. We were gladto share the history and culture ofSingapore with them. Our studentsshared their co-curricular experienceswith our guests too.

Students from Shangdong PrimarySchool joined us at our annual InnoJOYFest 2019 to learn more aboutQihuaians’ innovative ideas!

With rapid globalisation and the spreadof information technology, the schoolhas leveraged on its OLE programmeto provide students with a globaloutlook and to experience first-handthe richness of living and learning in adifferent context and environment.

International Collaborative ClassroomsProject (ICCP) Video Conferencing

Globalisation and technologicaladvancements are some of thekey driving forces of the future.In Qihua, we are committed tohelping our students develop thenecessary competencies to thrivein a fast-changing world. We havebeen collaborating with HigashidaiElementary School to provide ourstudents with a first-hand experienceof communicating effectively andforging global friendships with peersthrough video conferencing.

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In collaboration with the GrassrootOrganisation, Choir and ChineseDance members were invited toput up performances during thePeranakan Fes t iva l he ld a tKampung Admiralty on 24 August2019. The students felt very excitedto be given the opportunity toperform their practised pieces.Despi te i t being the f i rs t t ime

par t i c ipat ing in anexternal performancefor some, a l l wereconfident and eager toshow the audiencetheir talent.

PAssionArts Festival 2019 – “Our Home, Our HeARTs”

Peranakan Festival @ Kampung Admiralty

Annual Singapore-Malaysia-Indonesia Multi-Racial Ancestral RemembranceCeremony 2019

The Indian Dance members performedtheir exquisite dance at KampungAdmiralty.

Singapore BicentennialProject Exhibition@Sembawang GRC

This year, Qihua Primary Schoolparticipated in the unique nationwideart initiative: 200 “Garden of HeARTS”neighbourhood art installations.Together with the teachers, somestudents created plank art piecesto be displayed around theneighbourhood.

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Students from Indian Dance, Malay Dance and Chinese Dance put upan impressive performance at the event. Our Primary 2 students alsoengaged the audience with a song on‘Di Zi Gui’. This event,w h i c h w a s h e l d a tMarina Bay Sands on 4May 2019 , gave ou rs tudents a wonder fu ll e a r n i n g o p p o r t u n i t yand definitely deepenedv a l u e s a n d c h a r a c t e rd e v e l o p m e n t i n o u rstudents.

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Reaching out to ourHeartlanders

CCA Presenters at Work

Qihua Community Champions enablesthe school to collaborate with thecommunity to provide opportunitiesfor students to contribute in theirown ways. This programme also helpsstudents to see beyond what theycan do to attain achievements indifferent areas. With guidance fromadults, they learnt how to organiseprogrammes and help out duringevents as volunteers. All these newexperiences enable the students togain new insights and see how theycan contribute significantly to thecommunity.

Qihua Community Champions

The Primary Four students spent aSaturday rallying the Woodlanders,door to door, to fight against dengue.They also distributed National Day KitPacks to the residents. It was a timeto bond with the residents and learnsome social skills as well.

National Primary Games Creation Competition 2019Four representatives from Innovation & Enterprise Club and Art & PotteryClub participated in the Coding (Scratch) Category and won a bronze award.

Three representatives of the Art & Pottery Club had the opportunity to conducta workshop for their peers from other primary schools at the National Museumof Singapore.

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Visits by Kindergartens: Little Tots in Our School

The Next Phase ofMy LifeThe staff and students of varioussecondary schools were inv i tedto Qihua annually.They shared withus the i r s choo lp rogrammes andactivit ies, and thisgave our Primary 6students an insightto the secondaryschool experiences.

InnoJOY Collaborationwith Secondary SchoolsSeveral students from secondaryschools set up booths during theInnoJOY Fest. Through the interactionwith the secondary school students,Qihuaians were exposed to variousfields of innovation taught in secondaryschools.

The little ones from My First Skoolhad the opportunity to tour Qihua.The young visitors made use of ourfacilities as well as learnt with ourlower primary classes. Qihuaiansacted as buddies to lead and guide

them. This was a greatopportunity for all todisplay responsibility,care and teamwork.Some of them alsovisited us during theInnoJOY Fest.

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Our teachers strongly believe inthe transfer of knowledge and arealso actively involved in projectswhich give them the opportunitiesto work with the community andthe knowledgeable others like themaster teachers and educationspecialists. Through such projects, ourteachers improve their pedagogicalcapability and their adeptness atharnessing ICT tools and platforms.

For example, after an enrichingcollaboration with the CurriculumPlanning and Department Uniton the Chinese ABLE programme,Mdm Wu Xiuqing conducted alesson demonstration for more than480 fellow educators who saw howreluctant Chinese language learnerscan learn thematic vocabulary froma well-crafted lesson involving theuse of ICT tools like Google Earth.

Mdm Zhao Ying also graciouslyopened her classroom to a group ofschool leaders and master teacherswhen she conducted a SLS lessonwhich was the frui t of thecollaboration with the cluster schools.

We Care and We Share Lesson Ideas

This is what our school leaders and teachers have in mindwhen they actively contribute to the professional developmentof the fraternity through various platforms.

By playing hosts to educators from overseas and Singapore,our school leaders have the honour of sharing their beliefsregarding school leadership and education with them.Mrs Lee believes that these are platforms through whichfellow educators can grow together as they learn fromstories of successes and failures. Most importantly, this iswhen the convictions of the school leaders becomeclearer. Through the process of communicating our plansand processes to others, our leaders are also reflectingand making plans for improvements. These aretouchpoints which give rise to better network betweenthe school and the fraternity, bringing us betterresources and more opportuni t ies for futurecollaboration, which in turn, enhances the learningof our students.

Visits by Educators

“The most

valuable resource

that educators

have is each

other. Without

collaboration, our

growth will

be limited to our

own perspectives.”

– Robert John Meehan

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Qihuaians have their eyes on Singapore and theworld! Through a monthly subscription to theWhat’s Up newspaper, our Primary 3 to Primary 6students read about world affairs, business, thearts, sports and other kinds of news. Thinkingcritically about the content, our students formviews which they in turn, communicate to otherreaders by writing letters to the What’s Up editor.Another way our students learn about the worldis through the world map and Singapore mapat the Character Education Corridor. Globaland local events are highlighted for our self-directed learners to find out more about currentaffairs. Our students are not only learners, theyare active contributors too. They are givenopportunities to present their knowledge andviews about local and global issues during themorning assembly, effectively bringingawareness to all their schoolmates.

Concerned Citizens, Active Contributors

Learning is not confined to the class periods and teachingis not only done by teachers. Our School Leaders ensureQihuaians are regularly kept abreast of current affairsand environmental issues. During morning assembly, ourPrincipal and Vice-Principals present information incompelling ways to pique our students’ interest inlearning more about what is happening in the worldaround them. Formula 1 Night Race, haze and dengueare just some of the topics that have been brought tothe students’ attention. The sharing is a catalyst topromote discourse about issues, discuss solutions andhighlight values which contribute towards fosteringcharacter and citizenship too.

Current Affairs at Qihua – School Leaders taking the lead

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TOUCH (Time-out under caring hands)is an after-school engagementprogramme which focuses on buildingsocio-emotional competencies instudents. TOUCH also aims to providea safe and supportive environmentfor students to be meaningfullyengaged after school hours throughconsistent and regular interest-basedactivities, in and out of school, aswell as through chat sessions withschool teachers and members of thecommunity. Through the engagement,we hope to build students’ self-esteemand develop their talents.

TOUCH Programme

Supervised Self-Study Scheme (S4)

Started in 2017, S4 is an extension of our school’s PSLEExperience Programme which also serves to support ourPrimary 6 students as they prepare and sit for their PSLEat the end of September.

The objective of S4 is to provide a conducive environmentfor Qihuaians to study or do their homework on threeweekday afternoons a week after school. An adjunct andexperienced teacher, Mdm Mas, is present during the

duration of the programme to monitor students’ disciplineand well-being during the programme.

Heartware Programme is also part of S4 wherebyvolunteers from tertiary institutions like Raffles JuniorCollege and National University of Singapore tutorour s tuden t s Ma th once a week . These tu to r smode l l ed po s i t i v e l e a rn i ng behav i ou r s wh i chenriched our students.

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J u l y

InnoJOY FestInnoJOY Fest was a showcase of the school projects aimed at benefitingthe community. With exhibits that allowed guests to discover the heritageof Woodlands, the event took us on a journey of recollecting the pastand embracing the future.

A u g u s t

National DayWith pride, we stood tall at the paradesquare singing songs of Singapore.Solemnly, we recollected the sacrificesof our pioneers. We moved forwardwith the Singapore Workout.

A t a g l a n c e : E v e n t s i n S e m e s t e r 2

J u n e

HomecomingA time when the alumni and formerstaff gathered to reminisce the fondmemories of the school.

We commemorated the communalr iots of 1964 and ce lebratedSingapore’s success as a raciallyharmonious country. Act iv i t ieswere conducted to encourageQihua ians to apprec ia te thedifferent culturestha t make upS ingapore . Thevanishing tradescame alive at ourfoyer.

Racial Harmony Day

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S e p t e m b e r

Teachers’ Day

Mid-Autumn Festival

Qihuaians and alumni came togetherto show their appreciation to theteachers. Everyone was overwhelmedby the performances put up by thestudents. Students also showed theirgratitude by offering tea to theirteachers.

Recycling CampaignAll staff and students took part in the campaign to promote recycling.

With the i r mouths f i l led wi thmooncakes, our students playedvarious Chinese traditional games aswell as tried their hands at calligraphyand paper- cutting.

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A t a g l a n c e : E v e n t s i n S e m e s t e r 2 c o n t i n u e d

O c t o b e r

Children’s DayThe students laughed and clapped astheir teachers put up acts on stage.Every little gift from the teachers wasreceived with excitement.

Financial LiteracyProgrammeAs part of their BizKid$ programme, thePrimary 6 students attended a financialliteracy programme to teach themmore about managing finances in arealistic manner and how variouschoices will lead to different outcomesin life. Students enjoyed themselvestremendously while learning througha fun and interactive board game.

Every child is a sportsman and Qihua believes in it. The Games Day in Semester2 is organised for the Primary 1, 2, 3 and 5 students. The students took partin various sports competitions. Such participation promotes teamwork andrespect for others. Parents were also invited to join in the healthy regime.

Games Day

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Deepavali

The festival of lights took centre stage with the lighting of the lamps by ourschool leaders. The aura of celebration filled the hall as we watched performancesby the Indian dancers. Students also enjoyed Indian delicacies like Murruku andexperienced the traditional art form of Kolam.