I don’t take a photograph, I make it!

Wow! Four weeks flew by so fast. It felt that I had my first photography enrichment session just yesterday! I have always known what a camera is but my parents have never allowed me to use it.

For the first session, Miss Mon and Ms Gladys taught us the different parts of the camera. The camera consists of the lens, the power button as well as the zoom button.

There was also a strap that I need to tie around my wrist so that I would not drop it and damage it. It would have been expensive if it was damaged! My parents would not have been too happy if that had happened.

Getting the angle correct ...

One of the first lessons I learnt was about the zoom function. It did not seem that difficult once I tried it out. Ms Mon and Ms Gladys allowed my classmates and I to take many different shots of ourselves, the school as well as the things around us. It was fun!

Would my photograph be interesting?

Getting the right perspective

An elevated view

Full of Concentration...

I don't mind being uncomfortable to take a great shot!

Lying down to get a good shot~!

I took a photo of my friend

Besides the places in school and the things around, I also managed to take the faces of my happy classmates at work. They were more than happy to pose for me, with their pearly whites.



I took this photo thru a hole in the chair...  I will think out of the box to get the best shot



Even my stationery can be interesting though my lenses

Besides learning how to handle the camera properly and knowing how to use the zoom function, I also learnt something called the ‘Rule of Thirds’. This meant that my focus object or objects must form at least two-third of the whole photograph. In other words, the photograph cannot be too ‘cluttered’.

Finally, I learnt how to take photographs in various angles too. It was definitely interesting to know that I could do that!

This is how my class looks like in photography lessons

I definitely had fun and learnt many new things!

As an added bonus, I was one of the chosen ones to go to the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden. This was because Ms Lee and Ms Rozi had signed some of my friends and I up for a photography competition. How exciting!

Applying the lessons learnt



Budding photographers of Frontier Primary School!



To me, you don’t take a photograph, you make it. :)

Besides being able to take photographs, I learnt a few new things about the nature too!

I had fun and will definitely put all the things I have learnt in the photography enrichment lessons to good use!

I hope I can get to show Mum and Dad all the photographs that I had taken. I am sure they would be so proud of me! Maybe next time, they will let me use the camera to take photographs for them. I have been trained! I don't just take a photograph, I make it!

Character Development Modules on Mondays

Follow the Leader

You know what? I like Mondays! There is always something interesting on Mondays!

We started on our Character Development enrichment modules on Monday 23 April. We will be participating in 2 modules - Leadership (2 sessions) and Nurture through Nature (2 Sessions) for the next 4 weeks.

P1 Care, Resilience, Innovation and Responsibility started with Leadership module "I can Lead, so can You". We had great fun! We played games like "Follow the Leader" and we learnt that as leaders, we need to influence others. Some of our classmates did some challenging moves like jumping left to right and we followed their moves.

 

Teamwork is important

I got it right after much practice!

We also played "Stacko". It was difficult. But we learnt to be resilient - we did not give up even when we failed. We also learnt that everytime, we try again, we get better at it and we became more confident!

For P1 Creativity, Confidence, Joy & Respect, we started with "Nurture through Nature" Session 1. We learnt to plant different types of vegetables using hydroponics and soil. We also found out that vegetables can be grown from seed, stem-cutting or from roots. We got our hands dirty and we enjoyed the learning with our friends. It was hard work!

Grow...spinach...grow

Making sure I scoop enough soil to cover my sweet potato

Learning about plants in class

I have so much fun preparing the soil for planting!

I am bringing my "precious" home to take care!

We were asked to bring the plants home. Taking care of the plants will be our responsibility for the next two weeks. We sure hope they will grow well under our care. We must develop good habits and remember to water them daily. It is important to be diligent in taking care of the plants and seeds. We cannot wait to bring it back 2 weeks later to show our classmates.We must also remember to update our Learning Log with our reflections for the 2 weeks.

Hey! I can do hydroponics using bubble tea cups!

It is important to prepare the soil by mixing it well!

 

Can you see the sweet potato, spinach and ginger I am growing?

The Day My Best Friend Became a Class eLF



There is an air of excitement in the Assembly Area!



“What is happening?  Where is my class?  Why are there more rows than usual?"

I was surprised when I walked into the school compound that Tuesday (27 March 2012).  I could not find my class as the setup in the assembly area was different. Fortunately, my classmate saw me and called out to me.  I quickly walked over and as I sat down, my classmate told me that we were about to witness Frontier's first ever Class eLF Investiture.  The front part of the assembly area was reserved for the Class eLF. Of course! My best friend had been telling me about the investiture all week. Now, I know why the setup of the assembly area was different that morning! 

The Mark of a Leader!

We are committed to do our best as eLFs!

A proud moment!

As I was sitting down, my classmate turned around and asked me what Class eLF stands for. I knew the answer because I had paid attention during the assembly programme. In fact, Ms Lee had shared with us about eLF. Oh yes! eLF stands for exemplary Leader@Frontier. There are two levels of leadership. The Class eLF serves at class level while the Student eLF serves at school level. All Class eLFs are nominated and appointed by the class teachers and all of them have to go for training sessions. I remembered how my classmate was appointed a T.A.C. (Technology.AVA.Cyberwellness) Leader. He was rather afraid; in fact he felt lost at first as he was not quite sure what he had to do. However, after he came back from the training session, he became very confident. He could help the teacher switch on/off the projector. He even taught some of us the 6 steps that Ms Lee had taught him. He also told us that there would be another training session in Term 2 for T.A.C. Leaders and he was looking forward to it.

My best friend is a Class eLF so she had to sit in the front rows.  I was very excited and curious to find out what this Investiture is about.  There were tables and chairs lined up at the sides with the class labels on it.  As the minutes went by, the number of Class eLFs increased.  There were so many of them.  I managed to catch the attention of my best friend.  I quickly waved to her and she waved back.  I could see the broad smile on her face.  How I wish I could be a Class eLF too!

The Investiture finally started.  Ms Lee made announcement for the different groups of Class eLF to receive their wristbands and contract.  What on earth is a wristband?  I could not wait to see the one my best friend had just received.  The eLFs also had a contract done which they commit to do their best with their thumbprint imprinted onto the important document. The form teacher also signed this contract. Very soon, we came to the end of the Investiture.  The Class eLFs raised their right hand and they recited the Frontier's Class eLF Pledge.  I could tell that the Class eLFs took the Pledge very seriously.  There was this moment of solemnity during the Pledge recitation. What a proud moment for my friend!



To be the Best that We Can Be!



Together, we serve our class!

Oh yeah!  My best friend finally came back to our class.  I finally saw the wristband.  It was really very nice.  Every role had a different coloured wristband and for the Mother Tongue classes, their wristbands come with a white tape across.  Nice!  Ms Lee told us we would get our chance to be a Class eLF next Semester.  I could barely wait for it.  I wonder which role my teacher would nominate me for. I also want to serve my class and school!





The First Class eLFs in Frontier's History ... and Proud of It!

 

P.E. is not fun? Think again!

This is my Class having PE!

I am having a great time in school because of the interesting lessons. I have always thought P.E. would be something I may not like as my cousins told me that that they have to do a lot of running. I was afraid that I would not be able to cope with the rigour of the lessons. However, I just realise PE is more than that, Yes, there is running but there are a lot more about PE than just running. In fact, PE is provong to be really fun and I am getting fit in the process. 

My dad  says that our school is unique because we are one of the very few schools in Singapore that has a playground.  My P.E. teacher says that a playground also teaches and develops important motor skills like balancing, climbing and jumping. I will never think of P.E. as boring and tiring again!

A playground is a great place to hangout with my friends!

Although you may think it is a piece of cake to use all the various stations in the playground, it is a different ball game when you have to share the playground with 29 other classmates! To prevent mishaps from happening, our P.E. teacher spent one assembly showing us how to use the various stations which most other playgrounds lack! You can be sure that we were all really excited about using the playground after the talk! But more importantly, we know how to use the playground safely.

In this station for example, we were told that this machine helps us build upper body strength. We also line up and take turns so everyone gets a chance!

This is how I build strength in my arms!

As balance is important in my development of motor skills, we have a balance beam that we nicknamed "The Snake". This is how we build our balancing abilities. 

Not easy, you know!

We did it!

What I find more exciting though is trying to keep my balance on these three blue steps! I have to use both my hands and legs to keep from falling off! However, even if I did fall in the playground, I will not get hurt. That is because the ground of the playground is coated with a thick layer of soft foam.

Me Tarzan... Are you sure?

Our favourite station is the monkey-bars! Here we have fun scrambling up and down the bars and the most interesting thing is that the monkey-bars are not the usual rectangular shape but looks like a giant letter 'M'! Sometimes when I get tired climbing the bars or am not careful, my friends look out for me and encourage me. That's what friends are for!

Now, if only every P.E. lesson was spent in the playground!

 

Lo and Behold! My Garden

Our first March vacation is nearing its end. While I am enjoying the one week break, I must say that I do miss school! I hope that does not mean that I am a strange kid! I am starting to get ready for school. I have finished all my homework. I had opportunities to play and bond with my family. However, I must admit I am eager to return to school where I can see my friends again! In fact, I just packed my school bag today. Everyone has a new time table for term 2. Looks like term 2 will be interesting as we would be going for a learning journey in the zoo. We are also being dismissed later (3pm) on Mondays in term 2. This is because the enrichment programmes are starting in term 2. I must remember to ask mom to give me extra money for lunch!

I am also wondering about the garden just outside my classroom. My teacher says that the school is working hard to create a lovely garden where we can rest and eat our sandwich and enjoy some greenery as well. The garden will also be a learning space for us where we can learn about science and even responsibility! I just returned to school today and the hoarding that used to surround the garden is gone! Lo and behold! I saw a most lovely garden! This is what I saw!

We have palm trees!

I can see myself spending my recess here! The garden even has a pond with a fountain built in it! I am wondering we are going to have fishes in the pond. I must remember to ask the teacher if we could have some fishes so that we can just admire how they swim.  Here are some pictures of how the garden looks like now.

A view of the garden from the corridor near the General Office

Our Small Pond! Can the fountain go any higher?

What a beauty!

Indeed, the garden has really evolved into one that I cannot imagine when I first stepped into Frontier Primary School in Dec 2011. In fact,because of the hoarding, we could not see what was being done to the green space. Only two weeks ago, the garden looked very different with what I saw today. Here are some "before" pictures of our garden in construction! I must see the faces of my friends when all of us returned to school on Monday!

I am raring to return to school! Yippee!

A mini excavator in our Garden!

Our pond?



Garden in the Rain or Rain in the Garden?



The Week that I Learnt About Singapore's History



Our Fire Drill Exercise. We did well!



Total Defence Day had just been commemorated in Frontier. I really learned a lot during that week. It all started with a morning assembly talk on that Monday. It was raining very heavily that morning; the rain hitting the roof of the hall was clearly heard. However, my attention was fully with my teacher who was sharing a dark chapter of Singapore's history.


Learning about Syonanto



 

My teacher shared with us about how Singapore had fallen into the hands of the Japanese 70 years ago on 15 February 1942. I saw pictures of the surrender of the British as well as the very, very thin British Prisoners of War. I also learned that when a country fall, it is very painful for its people. It was a very sad time for Singapore. It is much worse than the pain that I will feel when I fall in the playground.


I was also told that when a country gets taken over by someone else, many things will change… such as the name of the country, its flag and the type of money that is being used. I really do not want these things to happen to my beloved Singapore! I will make sure that I will do my very best to protect Singapore! When I grow up, I want to be a soldier just like in the song ‘There’s a part for everyone’ that we sing. It is my turn to keep Singapore strong and secure. My classmate who is a girl told me that she will want to be a doctor when she grows up so that she can help Singaporeans.   
 



Singing the song ‘There’s a part for everyone’ with pride



Learning about the 5 Total Defences and wishing to be a soldier to protect Singapore



During the Total Defence Week, I also took part in a fire drill for the first time. I was not scared but knew the need to walk quickly and orderly to the assembly ground. My classmate who is the ‘Emergency Leader’ held my class placard in front as the rest of the class followed with my teachers leading us.  My class did very well. We came down to our holding area within 3 minutes. My teacher said that we did well because we were ready and we knew what to do. I realised the importance to be prepared.

During Social Studies lesson that week, I also found out more about the public warning system from the Singapore Civil Defence Force website. I can actually find the locations of the public shelters that are nearest to my house through the website. It is really insightful.

Listening to identify the differences between the ‘Alarm’, ‘All Clear’ and ‘Important Message’ signals

 through the scdf website

This week, I learnt that total defence is about the different things that we can do everyday in every sector of our society to strengthen our resilience as a nation. When we take National Service seriously, participate in civil emergency exercises, upgrade our skills, build strong bonds with different races and religions, and feel the pride of being Singaporean, we contribute to Total Defence.



My Art Work where I share my Hope for Singapore



I hope that Singapore will always live in peaceful times and I wrote this wish on the paper aeroplane that I folded during my Art lesson. As I flew my paper aeroplane and watched it take flight, I hope that my wish will always remain true.

 

My Paper Plane and My Hopes for Singapore