14 January 2015 Letter to Parents : 10/2015 (For All Pupils) Dear Parents/Guardians 1. WARM GREETINGS FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2015 1.1 We would like to welcome all pupils back to school and extend our warmest

welcome to our Primary 1 (P1) pupils and their parents/guardians as they join our Yangzheng family. This marks the beginning of our partnership in your child’s/ward’s education as we collaborate to help him/her achieve his/her fullest potential.

1.2 We would like to thank all parents for your strong support in 2014 and look forward

to your continued support in 2015. 2. STAFF UPDATES 2.1 We would like to welcome and introduce the following new staff who have joined

our school to be part of our school’s management team:

S/N NAME OF PERSONNEL DESIGNATION 1. Mr Ivan Ng Vice-Principal (Admin) 2. Mr Simon Lee Head of Department PE/CCA/Aesthetics 3. Mr Jimmy Koh Subject Head ICT

2.2 For 2015, the Year Head/Assistant Year Head/Level Managers who will be

managing the activities and programmes planned for the various levels are:

S/N NAME OF PERSONNEL DESIGNATION 1. Mrs Yeo Kim Ying Level Manager / Primary 1 2. Ms Zahidah Bte Mohd

Nizar Level Manager / Primary 2

3. Mrs Chong Bee Bee Assistant Year Head (Middle Pri) / Primary 3 4. Mrs Nanmalar Velu Level Manager / Primary 4 5. Mr Abu Naeem Bin Hairon Year Head (Upper Pri) / Primary 5 6. Mrs Celestia Tan Level Manager / Primary 6

3. PRIMARY SCHOOL LEAVING EXAMINATIONS (PSLE) RESULTS 2014 3.1 We are proud to announce that our pupils had done the school proud in the PSLE

2014. The school has achieved the best Mean T-score compared to National Mean in recent years. The percentage of pupils who progressed to Express Course was also the highest in recent years. Our heartiest congratulations go to all P6 pupils who had done well. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge our partnership with our key stakeholders, Yangzheng PaLs (Parents’ Links), the School Advisory Committee (SAC), Yangzheng Foundation, Yangzheng (Yeung Ching) Alumni and other partners who have helped us tremendously in the achievement of the excellent academic results.

Yangzheng Primary School

F r o m E a c h H i s F i n e s t E f f o r t

4. MONITORING PUPILS’ HEALTH & WELL BEING 4.1 We seek the co-operation of parents/guardians to monitor your child’s/ward’s well-

being and allow your child/ward to rest at home if he/she is unwell. We also seek the understanding of parents/guardians to call the form teacher/co-form teacher or the General Office to inform us immediately about this matter. This is important so that the necessary follow-up actions can be taken on the part of the school, especially if it involves contagious diseases such as Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) and Bird Flu. We seek the cooperation of parents/guardians to provide the school with the necessary documentation, i.e. Medical Certificates for record purposes when your child/ward returns to school.

4.2 We would also like to encourage parents/guardians to submit a copy of your

child's/ward's medical/psychological report from the hospitals or external agencies to your child's/ward's form teacher (if you have any) before the end of Term 1. This will better facilitate our support for your child/ward.

4.3 We seek the understanding and co-operation of our parents to assist us in

monitoring the diet of our pupils and encouraging them to exercise regularly. 5. IMPORTANT DATES (JAN – Early APRIL 2015) 5.1 We have attached the dates for important school events and School/Public

Holidays from Jan – early April 2015 for your information. Amongst them are the Learning Fiesta cum Parents’ Briefings and Meet-the-Parents Sessions that we hope that you would be able to attend. This is part of the school’s approach to partner and involve you in your child’s/ward’s education in Yangzheng Primary School.

Date (Day)

School Event

Remarks

5 February (Thursday)

Learning Fiesta cum Parents’ Briefings

From 2.30 pm to 6.15 pm There will be no remedial, Higher Mother Tongue lessons and CCA on 5 February.

18 February (Wednesday)

Chinese New Year Celebrations in school

From 7.30 am to 9.40 am. Pupils will be dismissed at 9.40 am according to the following schedule: P1 & P2 – 9.40 am P3 & P4 – 9.45 am P5 & P6 – 9.50 am All pupils are strongly encouraged to wear their traditional ethnic costumes with school shoes and socks as part of the celebrations. No headgear is allowed. Otherwise, pupils are to wear the school PE/House T-shirts and shorts/skirts.

19 February (Thursday) – 20

February (Friday)

Chinese New Year Public/School Holidays. All pupils will report back to school on 23 February (Monday).

14 March (Saturday) – 22 March (Sunday)

School Holidays All pupils will report back to school on 23 March (Monday).

Date (Day)

School Event

Remarks

25 March (Wednesday) – 26 March (Thursday)

P4 Level Camp 2 Days and 1 Night Venue: YZPS & The Underwater World

The camps are specially aligned to our school’s Character & Citizenship Education Framework and our Learning for Life Programme – Student Leadership and Life Skills Development through Uniformed Groups. Kindly take note that there will not be any refunds for pupil who had signed up for the camps but is not able to attend the camps. More details on the camps will be provided closer to the dates of the camps. There will be no school for P1 – P3 pupils from 25 – 27 March. E-Learning will take place on these days for P1 – P3.

25 March (Wednesday) – 27

March (Friday)

P5 Level Camp 3 Days and 2 Nights

Venue: Sungei Tiram, Savannah Hill Campsite

(Johor Bahru). 25 March

(Wednesday) – 27 March (Friday)

P6 Level Camp 3 Days and 2 Nights

Venue: Sarimbun Campsite (Jalan Bahtera)

2 April

(Thursday)

P1-P6 Meet-the-Parents

Session cum E-Learning Day

Teachers will provide feedback on pupils’ performance based on CA1

results/tests and general behaviour in class. All pupils will not report to school on 2 April. E-Learning will take place on

that day. 6. LEARNING FIESTA CUM PARENTS’ BRIEFINGS 2015 6.1 The school will be organizing our Learning Fiesta cum Parents’ Briefings 2015

on Thursday, 5 February from 2.30 to 6.15pm. Please refer to Annex A1 – A3 for details.

7. TOTAL DEFENCE DAY 2015 7.1 The school will be commemorating Total Defence Day on Monday, 16 February

2015 to mark Singapore's fall to Japan in 1942. Every year, we commemorate Total Defence Day to reiterate the role every Singaporean can play in Singapore’s Defence. It is only through our commitment that we can ensure our nation’s survival, growth and prosperity.

7.2 On this day, we will be conducting a food rationing exercise for the Primary 3 – 6

pupils. The canteen will only be selling food items made from sweet potatoes, yam and tapioca during recess time. The objective of this exercise is to allow the pupils the opportunity to appreciate and understand the hardships of our forefathers during the Japanese Occupation and also raise awareness of the importance of using our precious resources wisely. We look forward to your strong support towards this activity. However if your child/ward is unable to consume the food that will be sold during recess time on that day, he or she may pack food from home.

8. YZPS TIME AND PROGRAMME FOR ACTIVE LEARNING (PAL) FOR P1 AND P2 PUPILS

8.1 The YZPS Time will continue this year on every Wednesday. The school will be

sharing the school and pupil achievements as well as other school updates with the pupils.

8.2 In addition, the P1 and P2 pupils should wear their house T-shirt/PE T-shirt every

Wednesday for the activities planned for their Programme for Active Learning (PAL). PAL is introduced to achieve a more balanced and holistic primary education.

8.3 PAL will be carried out on Wednesdays from 8.10 am to 10.10 am (P1) and 10.40

am to 12.40 pm (P2). 8.4 There are 3 main objectives for PAL:

a) Provide pupils with broad exposure and experiences through fun and varied activities in: i) Sports and Games & Outdoor Education, ii) Performing Arts (Music and Dance) & Visual Arts

b) Facilitate all-rounded development of pupils c) Provide varied avenues for pupils to develop social and emotional

competencies 8.5 The pupils will be exposed to 1 module per term focusing on Games, Outdoor

Education, Visual Art and Performing Art (Music/ Dance). There will be 7 sessions per module. More details on PAL will be shared during the Parents’ Briefings cum Learning Fiesta on 5 February 2015.

9. FUN FRIDAY AND EAT FRUIT DAY PROGRAMME (FruiTime) 2015 9.1 For the last 6 years, every Friday has been designated as Fun Friday and Eat

Fruit Day Programme (FruiTime) by the school. This is in line with the school’s emphasis on holistic education and promotion of a healthy lifestyle. All P3 – P6 pupils will participate in the Fun Friday Programme.

9.2 All P3 – P6 pupils are to wear the school House T-shirts/PE T-shirts on that

day. This is in line with our promotion of healthy lifestyle as our pupils engage in mass exercise during the pre-morning assembly and game activities during recess. This is to further build up stamina and camaraderie of the pupils as they keep fit together.

9.3 We seek the understanding of our parents to inform your child’s form

teacher/teacher in charge of the morning mass assembly activities if your child is unwell on that morning through a letter addressed to either one of them.

9.4 To promote a whole-school approach to eating fruits on Friday, the school has

engaged a vendor to supply and pack fresh fruits for pupils’ consumption before their recesses. Pupils will get to eat a variety of fruits once a week for 30 weeks with their classmates. Participation is compulsory for all pupils in the school.

9.5 The FruiTime programme will start in February 2015. Please complete Annex B

and submit it to the Form Teachers together with the Acknowledgement Slip for our necessary follow-up actions. The cost of this programme is estimated to be $13.50 per pupil and this will be included in the Mass Edusave Withdrawal Form.

9.6 We hope to garner strong support from our parents/guardians as we continue to

promote healthy living and nutrition to our pupils.

10. FUN AND FITNESS PROGRAMME 10.1 The school monitors the obesity rate of our pupils closely as there is a strong co-

relation between their weight and their fitness level. The school has planned various programmes for the identified pupils such as mass jogs and fun-filled games activities. The pupils identified to attend the Fun and Fitness Programme will be involved in games activities during the pre-morning assembly slots and recesses.

10.2 A consent form and a schedule of activities planned for them will be issued out

separately to the parents of these pupils. 11. COMMENCEMENT & SCHEDULE FOR P3-P6 REMEDIATION LESSONS 11.1 The school has mapped out a comprehensive remediation lesson schedule for P3

to P6 pupils to provide the necessary intervention and support for them in achieving their fullest potential.

11.2 Remediation lessons will start from this week. Your child/ward will be informed

of his/her remediation lessons by his/her respective form/subject teacher through a letter that requires your attention. We seek the co-operation of our parents/guardians to ensure that your child/ward attends the remediation lessons planned for him/her by his/her various subject teachers. In addition, for the safety of our pupils, we would like to strongly encourage pupils to stay within the school for lunch before their remediation lessons. We seek your understanding that the school will not be able to account for the safety of the pupils should they leave the school compounds in between their lunch and their remedials.

12. ASSESSMENTS FOR P5 - P6 PUPILS 12.1 In line with preparing our pupils for the PSLE, P5 pupils will sit for their CA 1

together with the P6 pupils. 12.2 P6 pupils will sit for Paper 1 (Composition) and Paper 2 for their languages

paper (English and Mother Tongue). However, for the P5 pupils, they will only sit for Paper 2 component in CA 1.

12.3 Please refer to the Annexes C and D for the CA 1 schedule and the topics to be

tested for these 2 levels. 12.4 We seek the co-operation of our parents/guardians to assist their children/wards as

they prepare for the assessment. 13. MOE PRIMARY EDUCATION REVIEW AND IMPLEMENTATION (PERI)

HOLISTIC ASSESSMENT FOR P1 – 4 PUPILS 13.1 In alignment to recommendations by MOE Primary Education Review and

Implementation (PERI) Committee, our school will be embarking on Holistic Assessment for our P1 to P4 pupils this year. There will be no Semestral Assessments for our P1 pupils in 2015. They will instead be given a range of bite-sized assessments in the form of mini-tests, writing tests, performance tasks and other tasks from Term 2 to Term 4.

13.2 For P2 pupils, there will be no Semestral Assessment 1 (SA 1) / Mid-year

examination. However, they will still have to sit for their Semestral Assessment 2 (SA 2) / Year-end examination, together with a range of bite-sized assessments from Term 2 to Term 4.

13.3 For P3 and P4 pupils, there will be Semestral Assessment 1 (SA 1) / Mid-year examination and Semestral Assessment 2 (SA 2) / Year-end examination, together with a range of bite-sized assessments from Term 1 to Term 4. There will be no Continual Assessments for P3 and P4.

13.4 More details on PERI Holistic Assessment will be shared with parents/guardians

during the P1-4 Parents’ Briefings on Thursday, 5 February 2015. 14. ABSENCE FROM ASSESSMENTS 14.1 Any pupil who is absent for any of the examination papers will not be able to sit for

that particular paper. This has taken effect since Semestral Assessment 1 (SA 1) 2009.

14.2 The rationale for introducing this policy is three-fold:

a) To align with national examinations where there is no retake of examination missed.

b) To ensure the authenticity of the examination papers and ensure that there is fairness for pupils who sat for the papers.

c) To take into account the well-being of our pupils who might have to sit for multiple papers upon their return from their sick leave.

14.3 The table below provides greater details with regard to how the absence from the

examinations will affect the pupils.

With Medical Certificate (MC) Without Medical Certificate (MC)

If total percentage of component(s) with MC is more than or equal to 50%: • All component(s) taken by pupils will be

reflected as “VR” – “Valid Reason” in the Report Book.

If total percentage of component(s) with MC is less than 50%: • Marks achieved in all component(s) taken

by pupils will be keyed in and included in the calculation of the subject total.

“ABS” reflected in Report Book

Computation of subject total will not take into consideration the component(s) with “VR”.

Computation of subject total will include the component(s) with “ABS”.

14.4 The school takes a very serious stance towards this matter. We seek

parents’/guardians’ cooperation to NOT send your children/wards to school for examinations if they are unwell. Do take your child/ward to the doctor when he/she is unwell and get a medical certificate so that the school can process the results accordingly.

15. P5 & P6 ENGLISH ENRICHMENT PROGRAMMES 15.1 The P5 & P6 English Enrichment Programmes (Compulsory) comprising 6

sessions of 1.5 hours and 2 hours each respectively will take place from February to May (P6)/ July to September (P5) after school on Wednesdays.

15.2 The P6 Enrichment Programme will focus on preparing the pupils to write creatively while the P5 Enrichment Programme will focus on creative presentation skills. The classes will be conducted by professional external trainers based on a smaller class size.

15.3 More details regarding the confirmed dates, classes and payments will be issued

at a later date. 16 CCA MATTERS 16.1 As part of holistic education, the school strongly encourages P3 – P6 pupils to

participate in CCAs. There will be a recruitment drive for all P3 pupils as well as P4 – P5 pupils who do not have a CCA. Parents may refer to Annex E for registration details and the 2015 CCA schedule. Please note that only pupils who are eligible for the CCA recruitment drive will receive a hardcopy Annex E from their form teachers.

16.2 CCAs will commence for P4 to P6 pupils in Term 1, Week 3 (Monday, 19 Jan

onwards). For those who are signing up this year, CCAs will commence in Term 1 Week 6 (Monday, 9 Feb onwards).

16.3 In our effort to go green, since 2013, CCA schedule is made available on the

school website and there will not be any separate letters/consent forms issued with regard to the schedule of CCA. CCA lessons will take place as scheduled unless a cancellation notice is being issued via Letters to Parents or Cancellation Form.

16.4 There will be no Remedial, Higher Mother Tongue lessons and CCA on the

following days in Term 1:

Date(s) Reason There will be NO Remedial, Higher Mother Tongue

Lessons and CCA for the following level(s)

5 February (Thursday)

Learning Fiesta cum Parents’ Briefings

P1 – P6

18 February (Wednesday)

Chinese New Year Celebrations in school

P1 – P6

2 March (Monday) – 5

March (Thursday)

CA 1 P5 – P6

17. HOMEWORK GUIDELINES 17.1 In line with the promotion of mental and emotional well-being of our pupils, the

school has developed the Homework Guidelines to better manage the issuing of tasks/assignments for them to complete at home.

17.2 The table below will give an overview of this guideline for 2015.

Level Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

P1 – P6 *Homework assigned in accordance

to the criteria listed below

No English Homework

Day

No Maths Homework

Day

No Mother Tongue

Homework Day

*Homework assigned in accordance

to the criteria listed below

17.3 In addition, the following are the criteria to give greater clarity when assigning work to be done at home.

On Normal Days 2 Weeks Prior to CAs/SAs

i) Each subject to issue task/assignment that at most takes up approximately 30 mins to complete.

ii) P1 to P3 pupils will have approximately up to 1.5 hrs of homework assigned per day.

iii) P4 to P6 will have approximately up to 2 hrs of homework assigned per day.

iv) Non-core subject homework assigned can be submitted to the subject teacher by the next lesson or the week after, the latest.

1 Practice Paper may be assigned per day as per schedule. This may take longer than the stipulated time shown on normal days. The schedule for Practice Papers will be as follows: Monday – English Practice Paper Tuesday – Mathematics Practice Paper Wednesday – Mother Tongue Practice Paper Thursday – Science Practice Paper Friday – Higher Mother Tongue Practice Paper

18. REPORTING AND DISMISSAL TIMES 18.1 As a reminder to all our parents/guardians, the reporting and dismissal times are

reflected below for your reference:

Primary 5 to 6 Primary 1 to 4 Reporting

Time Dismissal

Time Reporting

Time Dismissal

Time Mondays to Wednesdays

7.30 am

1.40 pm

7.30 am

1.40 pm

Thursdays

7.30 am 1.10 pm 7.30 am 1.40 pm

Fridays 7.30 am 1.10 pm 7.30 am 1.10 pm

19. SAFETY OF PUPILS IN THE SCHOOL 19.1 Due to safety reasons, our P1 – P6 pupils will be dismissed accordingly as

reflected in the table below. GATES LEVELS LOCATIONS A P3, P4 Gate A : Nearer to Zhonghua Secondary School

Gate C : Where Security Post is situated / Nearer to the Traffic Light in front of the school

C P1, P2 A/C P5 &P6

19.2 The rationale for the use of the different dismissal gates are as follows: i) To facilitate parents/guardians in fetching their P1, P2, P3 and P4 children/wards

ii) To ensure that P5 and P6 pupils are dismissed according to the gate most convenient for him/her to reach home. This is to prevent majority of our P5 and P6 pupils, who are going back on their own, from crossing the entrance in front of Gate B.

19.3 We would like to thank our parents/guardians for their understanding and co-operation in partnering with the school to ensure that the traffic situation outside the school does not compromise the safety of our pupils and the other road users. We seek the understanding of our parents/guardians to park at the neighbouring car parks when sending or fetching their children/wards to and from school as the traffic in the morning and during afternoon dismissals are heavy at the single-lane roads outside the school. Parents/Guardians are not to stop in front of the school gate to alight their children/wards before/after the pedestrian crossing. Parents/Guardians will also be violating the traffic rules if they stop within the yellow box in front of Gate B. For the safety of our pupils, parents/guardians and the general public, we also appeal to parents/guardians not to make illegal U-turns in front of the school.

19.4 The school has been working with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in

monitoring the traffic condition outside the school. We will continue to take photographs of errant drivers and submit them to LTA for necessary follow-up actions such as issuing of summons. Please refer to the traffic advisory note by LTA in Annex F. This is part of the school’s efforts to consistently ensure the safety of our pupils and the other road users.

19.5 We have also received requests for the school to allow parents/guardians to drive

their cars to the school porch and drop-off their children on rainy days. We have taken all these requests seriously and have time and again tried to explore the feasibility of allowing cars into the school. Unfortunately, due to the space constraints and poor visibility of pedestrians to drivers, we are unable to allow vehicles to enter the school via Gate B. Parents can consider dropping off their children along the covered walkway near the bus-stop outside the school or at the carpark near HDB Blk 330 and Blk 331. There is a covered walkway that links these blocks to the school.

19.6 Parents/Guardians are reminded to sign in at the Security Post and get a

Visitor’s Pass if they need to come into the school compound. With the Visitors’ Pass, parents/guardians can then proceed to make purchases at the book shop or report to the General Office to get assistance on any other matters.

19.7 Parents/Guardians will not be allowed to go to the other parts of the school,

especially the classrooms, on school days during curriculum time. This is one of the measures the school is taking to ensure the safety and security of the pupils in the school as well as to minimize disruptions to the pupils’ learning.

20. SCHOOL RULES 20.1 This is a reminder to our parents/guardians that all pupils are not allowed to

wear religious ornaments or jewellery to school as stipulated in our School Rules reflected in our Pupils’ Handbook 2015. In addition, we would also want to remind our parents/guardians that for safety reasons, the girls are only allowed to wear a pair of ear studs.

20.2 Pupils are to take full responsibility for their own mobile phones. Pupils are only

allowed to use their mobile phones in the canteen, parade square and field area. Pupils who do not adhere to this rule will have their phones confiscated and parents will have to personally come to school to claim the mobile phones.

20.3 As part of our school’s effort in inculcating the school value of Responsibility in our

pupils, we have informed our pupils that they must take charge and be responsible for the things that they need in school. These include stationery, books, assignments, consent forms, etc. In the event that they forget to bring these items, we seek your fullest cooperation and support in this effort by NOT bringing the

item(s) to school for them. The pupils should learn to be accountable and not inconvenience their parents.

21. LATECOMING AND CONDUCT GRADES FOR ALL LEVELS 21.1 With effect from Monday, 19 January 2015, P2 to P6 parents/guardians will be

informed directly via sms if their children/wards are late for school. The sms system is to facilitate parents/guardians in monitoring their children’s/wards’ punctuality for school. Please update the school if you have changed your handphone number.

21.2 All pupils have to report to school by 7.30 am. For P1 parents/guardians, the

sms system will only take effect from Tuesday, 24 March 2015. This is to allow our P1 pupils to adjust better to the primary school life in Term 1.

21.3 In 2011, the school consulted some parents/guardians to gather feedback on

factoring punctuality to school into the conduct grades. Parents/Guardians are supportive of the initiative as it would help instill greater self-discipline and responsibility in their children/wards. As such, since 2012, the Conduct Grades for all pupils have taken into account the component on punctuality to school.

21.4 The guideline on this is as follows (except for P1 pupils in Term 1):

Actions that will be taken How it will affect the Conduct Grade.

Late for school (up to 5 times per term)

An sms will be sent directly to parents/guardians of the latecoming for their reference and necessary follow-up actions from 19 January onwards (for P2 to P6 pupils) / 24 March (for P1 pupils).

Late for school more than 5 times per term

Parent/guardian concerned will be informed of their child’s/ward’s frequent latecoming.

Conduct grade will be affected. The pupil’s Conduct Grade will be moved 1 band lower from the allocated Conduct Grade based on the pupil’s overall conduct. For example, if a pupil is to be given “Good” as the Conduct Grade, he/she will be given “Fair” instead.

22. PUPIL’S HANDBOOK AND DIARY 2015 22.1 It is compulsory for every pupil to purchase the handbook/diary as it contains

important information. Teachers will make reference to the contents in the handbook/diary periodically. Pupils are encouraged to pen down their assignments for the day as well as other reminders in their handbook/diary. Parents/Guardians may also use the handbook/diary as a mode of communication when they wish to relay short messages to the teachers.

22.2 All pupils are to have their handbook/diary by Monday, 19 January 2015. The

cost of the Pupil’s Handbook and Diary 2015 which is sold at the school’s bookshop is $3.90.

23. MASS EDUSAVE WITHDRAWAL EXERCISE 2015 23.1 The school will be collating the costs of the various compulsory programmes that

each pupil will be involved in and compulsory resources to be used for Y2015. The Mass Edusave Withdrawal Form and Payment Notification will be issued twice, in February and May 2015, to the various levels.

23.2 The main rationale for the Mass Edusave Withdrawal Exercise is to reduce the

number of times parents/guardians have to complete the forms to pay for the various compulsory programmes and resources in the academic year for their children/wards. It is also part of the school’s economy drive and efforts to go green.

24. REVISION OF CANTEEN FOOD PRICES 24.1 The review of canteen food prices was done at least 5 years ago. Nationally, the

prices of ingredients have risen over the years. We have conducted a review of our school canteen food prices in Dec 2014, taking into consideration survey findings from other primary schools. Please note that with the revision, the increase in prices is between $0.10 - $0.20 and for selected items only. For example, a small portion of noodles costs $0.80 and large portion costs $1.20, after the price revision. We would like to assure parents that the school will continue to monitor the price and quantity of food given to the pupils so that it remains value for money.

25. LETTERS TO PARENTS & SUBMISSION OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT SLIPS 25.1 We would like to remind our parents/guardians that all Letters to Parents issued

by the Principal will be posted on MCOnline. The guide to access MCOnline for the letters to parents is provided on our school website. Only parents/guardians who do not have computer or internet access will be given the hard copy through their children/wards. This is part of the school’s economy drive and efforts to go green.

25.2 As part of our standard procedures, Acknowledgement Slips would be attached to

important Letters to Parents. In line with the school’s effort to go green, parents/guardians with internet access are requested to submit the Letter-to-Parent’s Acknowledgement Slip online via MCOnline within 3 working days from the date of the letter. The guide to submit the Acknowledgment Slip online through MCOnline is provided on our school website. Parents/guardians without internet access are to return the duly signed hardcopy of the Acknowledgement Slips the next day through your child/ward so that the teachers can collect and file them accordingly. This is to ensure that all our parents/guardians have received the letters which contain important information for your reference pertaining to the school and activities involving your child/ward.

25.3 As P1 parents are new to the school, for the January issue, all P1 parents

will be given a hardcopy of the letter and they are to return the duly signed hardcopy of the Acknowledgement Slips the next day through your child/ward. Parents/guardians with internet access will not be given the hardcopy of the letter for subsequent letters.

25.4 Below is the whole-year schedule for all the Letters to Parents from the Principal

which will always be issued on Wednesdays for your easy reference. As such, this will be the only Acknowledgement Slip for letters from the Principal that the form teachers will collect from your child/ward, apart from letters that contain important information like examination dates.

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4 14 Jan 13 May 15 July 23 Sep 11 Mar 4 Nov

26. PHOTO-TAKING FOR P1 AND P6 PUPILS FOR THE SCHOOL SMART CARDS

(2015) 26.1 The Ministry of Education (MOE) will be conducting the yearly photo-taking

exercise on Wednesday, 4 February for all pupils in P1 and P6 for the issue of the School Smart Card (SSC). Please note that this photo-taking exercise is only conducted once and is strictly for P1 and P6 pupils only. The pupils are reminded to be in school uniform/PE attire for the photo-taking exercise. Please also ensure that there are no colourful accessories on the female pupil.

26.2 While P1 pupils will get their SSCs by end April 2015, the photo-images

captured for P6 pupils will be used for the printing of Secondary SSCs when they are promoted to Secondary One in 2016

27. CLASS PHOTO-TAKING 27.1 The annual class photography session will be held on Monday, 2 February 2015.

We seek your cooperation in ensuring the attendance of your child/ward on that day. There will be 2 types of photos taken - Formal class photo and Informal class photo. Details on photo ordering will be advised at a later date.

28. SCHOOL DENTAL CLINIC 28.1 The opening hours for the school dental clinic are as follows: Thursday: 0800 – 1730 Friday: 0800 – 1700 (Lunch Hour: 1330 – 1430) 28.2 Should you need to contact the dental nurse, kindly contact Ms Janet Ang at

62843258. 29. YANGZHENG PARENTS’ LINKS (PaLs) 29.1 We would like to strongly encourage our parents/guardians to register themselves

as parent volunteers and render their services to the school. Our school has a wide range of activities and events which require parent assistance either on a regular or on an adhoc basis. Interested parents/guardians can either go to the General Office or contact Mrs Yeo Kim Ying, the teacher Liaison Officer, at 62846298 ext 239 to get the list of details of the services required for the specific school events and programmes.

29.2 The current PaLs Executive Committee together with Mrs Yeo Kim Ying, the

teacher Liaison Officer will organize the PaLs sharing cum Family Bonding Day on Saturday, 31 Jan 2015. More details of the event are provided in Annex G.

29.3 Yangzheng PaLs will also plan and organize the following workshop and talk for

parents: a) Science Process Skills workshop by Mindstretcher (P5 and P6

parents/guardians only) (Annex H). b) Parenting talk “Parenting by Design” by Touch Community Services (For all

P1 to P6 parents) (Annex I) Details of the Science Process Skills workshop and Parenting Talk are as follows:

Date / Time Title / Venue Registration Details 7 March 2015 (Saturday) / 9 am to 11 am

Science Process Skills Workshop (P5 & P6 parents only) Yangzheng Primary School (AVA room, 2nd level)

Interested P5 and P6 parents/guardians are to hand in $20 cash (please provide exact money) with the Registration Form to the parent volunteers stationed at the Concourse during the P5/P6 recess on Monday, 19 Jan and Tuesday, 20 Jan 2015. Registration for the workshop closes when all the vacancies for the workshop have been filled. Registration is on a first-come first serve basis. The cash is non-refundable. ONLY 1 parent/ guardian per child/ward can attend the session. Total vacancies: 30

28 March 2015 (Saturday) / 9 am to 11 am

Parenting Talk – Parenting By Design (All P1 to P6 parents) Yangzheng Primary School (AVA room, 2nd level)

Interested parents/guardians are to hand in $5 cash (please provide exact money) with the Registration Form to the parent volunteers stationed at the Concourse during the recesses on Monday, 19 Jan 2015 and Tuesday, 20 Jan 2015. P1 and P2 parents/guardians can pass the Registration Form and cash to your child/ward’s form teacher. Please place the money and form in an envelope labelled “Parenting Talk – Parenting By Design”. Registration for the workshop closes when all the vacancies for the talk have been filled. Registration is on a first-come first serve basis. The cash is non-refundable. Total vacancies: 40

29.4 We strongly discourage our parents/guardians from bringing their children/toddlers

to ensure that the session will be fruitful and meaningful for all. 29.5 PaLs look forward to your continued support in 2015 as we strive to provide the

best for your children/wards. 30. WHOLE-SCHOOL APPROACH TO PROMOTION OF HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

AND GO GREEN EFFORTS 30.1 The school will continue to partner our parents/guardians in our efforts to promote

healthy lifestyle and go green efforts. As such, through the Letter-to-Parents from the Principal, Healthy Lifestyle and Go Green tips will be attached for your reference. (Annexes J and K). We hope that through our continued partnership, we can contribute in our small ways to make Singapore and the world a better place for everyone.

From Each His Finest Effort Mrs Christine Lam Principal

Our Vision Every Yangzhengnite-a Passionate Learner, a Caring Friend and a Responsible Citizen

Our Mission Yangzheng Primary is committed to providing a supportive environment that will help every student develop his physical, intellectual, emotional, social and aesthetic capabilities to his fullest potential.

Our Values Integrity, Responsibility, Self-Discipline, Passion for Learning

Address : 15 Serangoon Avenue 3 Singapore 556108 Tel: 62846298 Fax : 62879778 Website : www.yangzhengpri.moe.edu.sg Email : yzps@moe.edu.sg

For P1 parents and parents without internet access

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT SLIP Please submit the following items to the Form Teacher/Co-Form Teacher by Thursday, 15 January 2015. Thank you for your understanding and support.

1) Acknowledgement Slip 2) Annex B (FruiTime Programme)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1) Acknowledgement Slip (Letter to Parents :10/2015) I have taken note of the above letter dated 14 January 2015 and will take the necessary follow-up actions. For P5 and P6 parents/guardians only I have also received the following Annexes: - Annexes C and D (CA 1 Schedule and Topics to be Tested) Name of Pupil: _____________________________ Class: Pr._____ Name of Parent/Guardian:__________________________ Signature: ___________ Contact No.: ______________________

Please tick (√ ) your responses. Tick I am interested to become a parent volunteer.

I am not interested to become a parent volunteer.