Briefing & Interaction Session for parents

29 January 2016

Parents of 6 Diligent

FT :Mrs Kathryn Ang

Co-FT:Mr Bernard Fernando

Important for parents

to be involved in

their children’s education

Parents shape their children’s beliefs and attitudes towards

school and schoolwork

The earlier and more direct parent’s involvement in their child’s educational progress, the more positive the impact on the child’s academic results and experience of schoolwork.

Objectives of Session

Foster School-Parent Collaboration

Share Discipline

Policies

Seek support for school initiatives

and activities

Pupils’ punctuality and

regular attendance in all activities

Share school’s directions

Build rapport and have close

school – parent collaboration

Mission

To Nurture Caring Hearts, Creative Minds and Confident Individuals

Vision

A Vibrant School Where Character Shines and Talents Soar

School Values

Care

Respect Responsibility Resilience Rallying Together

Excellence

Our Twin Pillars

By the end of the six years of education in WSPS, our pupils will be

•confident individuals with caring hearts, creative mindsand will exude the qualities of being responsible,respectful, caring and able to rally together in times ofneed and resilient in times of adversities.

•This is the Hallmark of our Whitesandian.

Hallmark of a Whitesandian

Modes of Communication

Email address:

Kathryn_kan_sok_mun@moe.edu.sg

School contact details:

– General Office Number: 6922 9100

– Staff Room 1 Number: 6922 9124

– Staff Room 2 Number: 6922 9125

Communication

• Check pupils’ books and assignments regularly.

• Highlight issues or problems to teachers (e.g. health conditions , behavioural/learning difficulties and family situations.)

• Check pupils’ Handbook for homework or notes from teacher

• SNAC System

Common Understanding

• Instilling C4RE Values:

– Showing Care and Concern for others

– Exercising self-discipline

– Motivating pupils to perform to their best

• Pupils Grooming

– (School Uniform → Thursday)

– (PE Attire →Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday)

• Attendance Matters

– Pupil is away, an MC or Parent’s letter to explain absence from school

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

ASSESSMENT AT P5 & P6

Paper Component Marks Weighting

1

Writing

(1h 10min)

• Situational Writing*

• Continuous Writing

15

40

27.5%

2

Language Use &

comprehension

(1h 50 min)

• Booklet A (MCQ)

• Booklet B (Open-ended)

95 47.5%

3

Listening

Comprehension

(abt 35 mins)

• Listening Comprehension

MCQ

20 10%

4

Oral

(abt 10 min)

• Reading Aloud

• Stimulus-based Conversation

10

20

15%

Total 200 100%

Resources STELLAR Worksheets, STELLAR Reader & Companion Booklets

(Red File)

Monthly Tests (Red File)

Listening Comprehension/ Oral Booklet

Situational Writing Package

Composition A4 Exercise book

Journal Writing A5 Exercise book

In-house packages

- Cloze Passage

- Synthesis

- Comprehension

Approach

• Paper 2: Doing working- Identifying key information/ clues within the question/text

- Eliminate options and arrive at the best, most sensible

answer

• Comprehension: QEUSLAC

• Situational Writing: GIPARN

• Stimulus-Based Conversation: TREES

What can I do to help my child?

• Encourage your child to turn to a dictionary

when they come across unfamiliar words

Keep a vocabulary logbook

• Be affirmative in your child’s efforts

• Show interest in their work, discuss how they

can improve

• Build a culture of reading at home

Reading Support @ Home

Reading with your child: creates a special bond

helps to comfort

boost your child’s listening skills

develops language skills

helps prepare your child to learn

provides fun and entertainment

Start TODAY. There is no better time

Set a REGULAR time, five to ten minutes a day

ANY TIME is good. Have a book with you at all times

Be a GOOD ROLE MODEL. Be seen reading

Reading

TO START YOU OFF…

The Giver

(by Lois

Lowry)

The Adventures

of Tintin series

(by Hergé)

Wonder(by R.J.

Palacio)

The Tale of Despereaux

(by Kate

DiCamillo))

TO START YOU OFF…Magazines

e.g. Reader’s Digest, National

Geographic, Time

Newspaperse.g. Straits Times,

Little Red Dot, Today

MATHEMATICS

Key Initiatives / Programmes

• Differentiated Instruction

• Concrete Pictorial Abstract approach

• Authentic Learning Experience

• Teaching of Heuristics (P3 – P6)

Fan Maths Assessment

• Olympiad training for selected pupils (P4 – P6)

• Mass lectures (Discussion of problem sums by concepts and heuristics)

Mathematics Department

Exam Format (P5 & P6 Standard)

Paper Section QuestionsMark per

Question

Total

MarksRemarks

1

Multiple-Choice

(Booklet A)

10 1 10

No

calculators

allowed

5 2 10

Short-answer

(Booklet B)

10 1 10

5 2 10

2

Short-answer 5 2 10An

approved

calculator is

expectedProblem Sums

5 3 15

5 4 20

3 5 15

Total 48 100

Duration: 50 min (Paper 1)

1 h 40 min (Paper 2)

Mathematics Department

(P6 Standard)

Term 1

CA1

• Algebra

• Angles in Geometric Figures

• Fractions

• Ratio

• P5 topics

• Refer to TOS given

Mathematics Department

Exam Format (P5 & P6 Foundation)

Paper Section QuestionsMark per

Question

Total

MarksRemarks

1

Multiple-Choice

(Booklet A)

10 1 10

No

calculators

allowed

10 2 20

Short-answer

(Booklet B)10 2 20

2

Short-answer 10 2 20 An

approved

calculator is

expected

Structured/Long-

answer8 3, 4, 5 30

Total 48 100

Duration: 1 h (Paper 1)

1 h 15 min (Paper 2)

Mathematics Department

(P6 Foundation)

Term 1

CA1

• P5 topics

• Fractions

• Decimals: Multiplication and

Division

• Refer to TOS given

What you can do to help your

child learn Maths…

• Must know the multiplication

tables very wellhttp://www.multiplication.com/games

http://www.mathsisfun.com/tables.html

http://www.mathsisfun.com/timestable.html

http://www.teachingtables.co.uk/

• Firm foundation in number bonds

• Encourage mental calculations

• Memorise facts to improve speed and accuracy

Squares (Area of squares)

1, 4, 9,16, 25, 36,49 …

Cubes (Volume of cubes)

1, 8, 27, 64, 125 …

Percentage to Fractions to Decimals

• Show interest in what your child is learning in

school.

What you can do to help your

child learn Maths…

Make Maths

part of your

child’s daily

life!

Science

5E Learning Cycle

Engage

Explore

ExplainElaborate

Evaluate

Science

• Differentiated lesson teaching packages1. Differentiated Process Skills Booklet focused skill

teaching

2. Lesson plans Differentiated instructions

• Class bite size tests Topical Test (Review Exercise)

• Learning journey (tentative late Term 2 or early Term 3)

Adaptations of living things (learning beyond the classroom)

Science

• Preparing for PSLE- PSLE Booklet - Past 3 years Questions

- Practice Papers - Past Prelim papers

- Consolidation through past years PSLE MCQ

• Mass Lectures- Answering techniques

- Investigative skills (skills required in an experiment)

- Revision of Past year topics

Assessment- P6 Standard Science

CA1/ SA1/ CA2/ SA2

Duration 1h 45 min

Type of questions weightage

Booklet A 30 MCQ 60%

Booklet B 14 open-ended questions 40%

(2/3/4 marks)

Supplementary Lessons

DAYTIME LESSON

MONDAY

From To

2.15 p.m. 3.15 p.m. English

3.15 p.m. 4.15 p.m. Mathematics

TUESDAY

2.15 p.m. 3.15 p.m. Mother Tongue

3.15 p.m. 4.15 p.m. Science

Support @ Home

• Balance between school homework and tuition work

• Homework helps your child to practice concepts they learn in school

• Develop a routine that fits your child’s schedule and personality

• Recognise your child’s effort

• Stay positive

Support @ Home

• Books will be sent home for parents to check progress regularly, after the end of each unit.

• Please go through the worksheets and acknowledge by signing them.

• Communicate with teachers if you do not receive your child’s books to check on his progress.

Plans for 2016

Keep track and monitor

Events/ ProgrammesEvent/ Programme Date/ Term Action By

Talks by Year Head Term 1 Mdm Bawany

Motivational Talk

(Session 1)

11 January 2016 Family Matters/ School

Counsellor

Motivational Talk 20 January 2016 Invited Speaker

Motivational Talk

(Session 2)

22 February 2016 Family Matters/ School

Counsellor

Address by Principal Term 1 and Term 3 School Leaders

Motivational Notes Term 3 Parents

Motivational Gifts Term 3 Parent Support Group

1 Mainstream Secondary Schools

2 Specialised Schools

3 IP (Integrated Programme) Schools

4 Specialised Independent Schools

Multiple Pathways for Success

• Express Course 4 years, leading to GCE O levels

• Normal Course Normal (Academic) 5 years, leading to GCE O levels

Normal (Technical) 4 years, leading to GCE N levels Specialised Schools for N(T) Students, leading to ITE

or future employment

Mainstream Secondary

Schools 1

a) Focus on hands-on learning and practical knowledge

b) Train to prepare students for ITE education subsequently

c) Train for ITE Skills Certification (ISC)

Northlight School;Assumption Pathway School;Crest Secondary School;Spectra Secondary.

Specialised Schools2

a) An Integrated UpperSecondary and JC education

b) Secondary school students can proceed to sit for their A-Level or equivalent diploma without taking the GCE O-Level examination

c) Students can enrol for IP at Sec 1 or Sec 3

d) Allow students who are academically strong to benefit from engaging in broader learning experiences

Integrated Programmes Schools3

For students with certain aptitudes in Math, Science,

Technology, Sports or Arts:

a) Singapore Sports Schoolb) NUS High School of Maths & Sciencec) School for the Arts (SOTA)d) School of Science & Technology (SST)

May offer either the GCE O- or A-level, or Specialised Diplomas

Specialised Independent

Schools4

Admission Into Secondary 1

2 ways of seeking admission into Sec 1:

a) Sec 1 Posting Exercise (refer to Secondary 1 Information Booklet and Secondary Education Booklet)

b) Direct School Admission (DSA)–Sec Exercise

S1 Information Booklet

Types of school programmes offered

Factors to consider when choosing a secondary school

How to submit secondary school options

Latest school specific info (eg. Special programmes offered, CCA, achievements, previous year’s cut-off scores, etc.)

Direct School Admission

What is Direct School Admission ?

• The DSA-Sec Exercise was introduced in 2004.

Main Objective

To promote holistic education

Direct School Admission ?

• An admission exercise to allow participating schools to

select some P6 students for admission to Secondary 1

based on their achievements and talents before the PSLE

results are released.

• Each participating school sets its own criteria for

selection, based on the academic and/or non-academic

areas that the school would like to emphasis.

Stages in Direct School Admission

[Based on information from DSA 2015]

• The 2016 DSA-Sec Exercise will be conducted in three

stages between Jul 2016 and late Nov 2016. The three

stages are:

– Selection Stage (tentatively from Jul 2016 to Aug

2016)

– Exercise School Preference Stage (tentatively in

mid Oct 2016)

– Results Release Stage (tentatively in late Nov

2016)

What you need to do first ?

From now till end June,

gather information on participating schools

niche areas

selection criteria

dates of trials / tests / interviews

Find out more through school websites, calling school and attending open house events.

What you need to do first ?

Identify the school(s) you would like to apply to.

Please consider carefully before committing to participate in tests or trials conducted by the schools.

what your child’s strengths are

which school best caters to your child’s needs

Selection Stage(tentatively from JulY 2016 to Aug 2016)

• Details are normally announced in April –May

• Do visit http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/admissions/dsa-sec/

Results Release Stage(tentatively in late Nov 2016)

• DSA-Sec school allocation results will be

released

• on the same day as the release of the PSLE

results in late Nov 2016.

• Successful candidates

• will be informed of the school that they have

been allocated.

Results Release Stage(tentatively in late Nov 2016)

Please take note :

•As a place in the DSA-Sec school has already been reserved for you, you will NOT be eligible to participate in the S1 Posting Exercise to opt for secondary schools.

•You are also NOT allowed to transfer to another school, after the release of the PSLE results as you are expected to honour your commitment to the posted DSA-Sec school.

Important Dates :

Activity Time

PSLE Oral 18-19 August 2016

PSLE Listening 16 September 2016

PSLE Written 29 September – 5 October 2016

PSLE Results 1st week of Nov/Dec school holidays

•Straits Times 1 Jan 2014•Academic resilience [ability to deal with academic setback & challenges] plays a big part in whether child remains motivated•Suggestions

•Build a good child-parent relationship•Avoid comparing your child’s performance with that of others•Link praise to effort, attitude or behaviour rather than the result [“You did well due to your effort. Congrats”]

Parent’s Role

Parent’s Role

Begin with end in mind (Stephen Covey)

•Inspire your child – Guide child on aspirations; which 3-4 secondary schools

– What is the possible score required

– Plan how to achieve it• Daily Study Time Table

– Interim targets to achieve in May; Aug/Sept; PSLE Results

• Small increments

Parent’s Role

• Travel the journey together

– Be present with your child

– Provide emotional and moral support

• Explore with child the different careers available :

www.ecareers.sg

Useful Websites

• Parents in Education• http://parents-in-education.moe.gov.sg/

• Secondary School Education• http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/secondary/