Weekly Updates

Preschool / Spark Studio (PS) Update

The Allen Adventure

Allen the alien is back! If you remember, Allen is from the planet Goopitor and he came to visit Earth for a week. On his visit, Allen joined a school and encountered some challenges in his new school.

Week 1

The New Kid

This week, the Eagles talked about, “How we can make someone feel welcome?” and “How do we include others?” Coincidentally, the studio was welcoming a new Eagle and some Eagles took the challenge to make him feel welcomed and included.

Week 2

The Rocket

Allen loved playing with a rocket so much that he kept playing with it and wasn’t aware of how others felt about it. The Eagles tried to identify and act out feelings using their facial expressions.

Week 3

Kinda Mean

What does it mean to be mean? The Eagles identified what being mean looked like and reminded each other of ways to be kind, including others and being aware of how others felt.

Week 4

Earth to Allen

It was time to Allen to return to his planet, but before that Allen learned how to remain calm. In the studio, the Eagles practised deep breathing and counted to 10 slowly to find their calming space.

Throughout the week, the Eagles would refer to the Allen Adventure now and then, especially when their fellow Eagle friends were being mean to them, or when they got into an argument.

On another note, the PS Eagles pick up so much from all around them and emulate what they see in their own play.

And here are some pictures of the PS Eagles enjoying the Taman Paramount grounds as much as they can!

Outdoor physical activity is so important for a child’s development … as well as being just plain fun!

How high can I get up these trees? When left to play, Eagles will set challenges for themselves.

I can get so high!! Just the act of climbing a tree has so many benefits.

Yummy yummy herbs are delicious and yummy! They Eagles happily pick and eat herbs from the garden and can tell you which is mint and which is stevia.

Can you balance the tennis ball on the racquet all the way to the other side of the garden? Gross motor skills like balancing things using their hands leads to refined fine motor skills.

The challenge of going around the cones adds an extra thing they have to coordinate.

Tennis develops eye-hand coordination and upper body strength.

We love balancing and it makes us stronger!

Elementary Studio (ES) Update

Project Time

Apsara and Jared were challenged to lead another project time on Climate Change. This time they focused on Coral Bleaching. They led the Eagles into exploring the effects of climate change on coral and how these changes can affect the ocean’s ecosystem.

The Eagles also had to research the different stages of coral bleaching and draw them on their worksheets. Some were not too keen on the worksheets: “Oh my … why does this worksheet have so many questions!!??”

Overall, it was an informative session from which the Eagles learned many new words: “What? Zooxanthellae? What’s that?”, “Zzoo-zan … I don’t even know how to pronounce it!”

I never knew coral bleaching was a thing!

“The more I research into the damage coral bleaching can cause, the more I feel I want to find out how I can help.” The Eagles are exposed to a wide range of topics so that their general knowledge is widened and their passion might be ignited by something that they want to delve deeper into.

Eagle-led Circle Time

Apsara volunteered to lead the circle to talk about following the studio contract and ROE because there was a sense in the Studio that things were going off-track.

One side-effect of this was that not everyone has been able to participate in Fun Fridays, and the Eagles were concerned – they wanted their fellow Eagles to enjoy the fun: “Do you know that these are one of the requirements for Fun Friday?”

The Eagles were called to action to hold their teams to higher standards: “Are we helping one another or not?

The Eagles were encouraged to step up to the plate to rectify the situation: “Don’t just complain! Come up with solutions!” Finally, the Eagles discussed the importance of adhering to the Studio Contract and ROE at all times. They came up with ways to be reminded of the contract and ROE, like reading through them everyday and putting them up in high-traffic spots where they could be more visible.

“We are not following what’s on our Contract and ROE.” The Eagles are held accountable for what goes on in the studio.

Writer’s Workshop

The Eagles are nearly at the finish line with their research papers! This week, they moved on to the next step – drafting. They researched answers to the questions that they had formulated during their planning and learned how to verify each source for credibility.

To help them organize their facts, the Eagles used index cards which could be rearranged as necessary. With the help of these cards, the Eagles could tweak the flow of their writing until they were satisfied. By the end of the week, the Eagles were halfway through the drafting process.

Despite the work being hard, the Eagles enjoyed the process of putting a research paper together: “This is the most fun Writer’s Workshop!”, “It’s like writing a story, but non-fiction.”

Writing is something that the ES Eagles do a lot of now, so the challenge is how to craft cohesive pieces that flow well.

Index cards allow the Eagles to physically rearrange their thoughts until they are satisfied with the flow of their piece of writing.

Fun Friday

This week’s Fun Friday event was making S’mores and Rice Krispies Balls. The Eagles who qualified really enjoyed making and eating the sweet treats: “The chocolate burnt! Like burnt burnt!”, “It smells so good!”. Some Eagles had never even tried S’mores before: “This is my first time having S’mores. They taste yummy!” The generous Eagles even made extra for the Eagles who didn’t qualify.

PE was Eagle-led this week and they came up with a list of activities to fill up their exercise quota. One of the options was ‘Cops and Robbers’. The Eagles enjoyed this classic game and had fun together while exercising outdoors. They even got into strategizing: “We are strategizing.”

The Eagles split themselves into groups to discuss what they want to do for their PE sessions. Peer discussions allow the Eagles to brainstorm and feed off each other’s ideas and work things out amongst themselves.

Middle Studio (MS) Update

Morning Launch – Guided Mindfulness – Lying Down Position

Centering the mind to focus on the present is a skill that will help you navigate through a busy day. The Eagles practised the skill of focussing your mind while lying down, a position that immediately puts you in a relaxed state of mind.

Haidan and Hadiya enjoyed this practice, but most of the MS Eagles struggled with the idea of being quiet and still. Although it took them a really long while to settle down, when the finally did, the atmosphere was golden.

Calming the mind is trickier than you think, with so many distractions getting in the way.

Wednesday Town Council

The Studio discussed the use of deodorant – where it can be sprayed, safe amounts and so on. Evan stated that, “I love the smell and it doesn’t bother me at all.” Leanne warned, “The spray contains metal, please stop using it.”

The Town Council gives the Eagles a non-confrontational, safe place to address issues they might have.

Council members Raees and Leanne chair the meeting. Being a council member gives the Eagles the confidence to stand up as adults and make a difference in whatever field they choose.

Patient-Doctor Interviews

Round 1

Eagles Dhyana and Aqeesha completed their Patient Stories based on the Occam’s Razor cards. The symptoms were described in detail to the doctor, along with the recorded price and duration needed for each lab test. Dr. Aqueesha gave her conclusion, “I am diagnosing you with having community acquired pneumonia,” and patient Dhanya confirmed, “Yes! You are right!”

Practise and more practise are how we hone any skills and the Eagles are really into their diagnostic stride now.

Dhanya and Aqueesha both did in-depth preparation before the interview session. It’s amazing how real their backstories were.

Round 2

Round 2 saw Raees as the diagnosing doctor and Morris as the patient. Dr. Raees’ diagnosis: “Do you have arthritis?” was answered by Morris: “Yes, it’s exactly the same one you did earlier.”

The continuous rounds of diagnoses are preparing everyone for Exhibition and this ‘game’ will actually be featured in Week 6’s Exhibition.

In talking about the myriad of symptoms that patients can have, the Eagles are becoming more aware of their own bodies and what to look out for.

Civilisation Discussion

Every week the MS Eagles examine how a civilization came to be how it is today. They delve into its rise and downfall, what can be learned from its struggles and triumphs and what they would do differently if they had the chance. This week, they looked at “How the Middle East was Changed by the Discovery of Oil”.

The Eagles will research into the chosen topic and conduct a CIV Discussion. Only the Eagles who have completed their research satisfactorily qualify for the Discussion, and this week only Hou Yienn and Morris qualified. Morris took the challenge to lead the Discussion with just the 2 of them.

CIV Discussion went ahead with just 2 Eagles. Circumstances may not be ideal, but the show must go on.

House MD

The weekly motivator was another visit to House MD. This time around, more Eagles qualified by completing their weekly challenges.