With one more week to go before a well-deserved break, the primary school is now in the midst of our Parent-Teacher Conferences (PTCs). We find this to be a particular important and special time of the term. Of course there should always be continuous communication between the school and the parents; we do so in many different ways, but this is the time where we meet all the parents and have so many meaningful conversations. It is always a two-way street when it comes to PTCs; parents receive more information about the progress and wellbeing of their children and the teachers gain valuable insights about their students to complement their understanding of the children they teach every day. I hope the conversations have been fruitful so far and that those planned-in will also be valuable and enjoyable. During this round of conversations, all of the appointments are still online. We are hopeful that for the school terms ahead, we will be able to welcome parents into the building again to meet the teachers face-to-face. We are planning to still continue offering online appointments as they seem to be very convenient for some parents, reducing their traffic woes.

Every week we have special activities in school, often related to IEYC and IPC units or linked to special days in the calendar. This week Year 5 had guest speakers who did not speak at all. At least, not with words. Mr. Mohamad Sazali from The Malaysian Federation of the Deaf, together with two Sign Language Interpreters, spoke to our Year 5 children about what it is like to be deaf or partially deaf and how they are still able to communicate. This was an activity as part of their IPC unit ‘Look, Hear’. This was a perfect opportunity for our students to take in a very different perspective as well as reflecting on how communication can work if one of the senses cannot be used. Our Student Council also started a two-week long project called ‘Titian Kasih Food Drive’ to support those in need over the coming weeks. This is yet another opportunity for our children to look outside of their daily lives and take on board how different other people’s lives can be. For us, this is an important part of ‘Raising Them Ready’.

With the country now moving into the Endemic phase, I am pleased to announce that the after-school activities (CCA) will start up again in Term 2. Children will be able to sign up for various enriching and engaging activities that take place after lesson time. More information will follow soon.

Next week, we will have our annual Book Week in which we encourage reading and celebrate many books that have brought so much joy. As always, we have planned a number of activities for the children. These include visits by two authors and a book character show during next week’s assembly. The full itinerary will be shared separately.