Holiday Programmes

Dear Parents,

Thank you for your interest in the classes. We regret to inform you that there are no more vacancies for P6 classes.

However, there will be June holiday programmes for P6 pupils.
- PSLE Math Revision Programme
- P5 / P6 Budding Writers Programme (Priority will be given to existing pupils who have missed the P5 lessons)
- PSLE Oral Workshop (Only for existing pupils)

Details will be provided next week.

Gain Free Admission to Science Centres Overseas

For those who are members of the Singapore Science Centre, do you know that you can gain free admission to participating Science Centres  overseas?

Here's the weblink that you can use to find out the participating Science Centres :

http://astc.org/members/passlist.htm

Potential P4 Math Class

Dear Parents,

There are requests from parents to start a P4 Math Class in July.

Time: 2 pm to 4 pm
Day: Wed

Please send us an email or sms if you are keen to enrol your child in the class. We will update you once the minimum class size is reached.

New Classes Starting in July

An ex-Math HOD will be joining Serena's Greenhouse and new classes will start in July.

Profile of Teacher:
- A dedicated ex-Math HOD with more than 10 years of teaching experience.
- Has taught the crème P6 classes for many years, producing stellar results. In 2011, 97.5% of the pupils from the top P6 class in a neighbourhood school achieved A* in Math.
- Has conducted numerous workshops for parents in school.
- Has also conducted sharing at cluster, zonal and national levels.
- Second Upper Honours Bachelor in Business Administration
- Postgraduate Diploma in Education from NIE
- Alumna of Raffles Junior College and Raffles Girls' Secondary

New Classes:
Wednesday
2 pm to 4 pm P4 Science
4.30 pm to 6.30 pm P5 Math

Sunday
9 am to 11 am P5 Math
11.30 am to 1.30 pm P4 Science

Classes will start when there is a minimum of 6 pupils.

Feel free to contact us to enquire further.
1. Telephone : 98736115 (Please send me an sms if we miss your call)
2. Email: serenagreenhouse@gmail.com
3. Address of Learning Centre: Blk 501, Jurong West St 51, #03-263

Check this blog for details of upcoming June holiday programmes. If you are keen to sign up for the holiday programmes, you may want to send us an sms or email so that we can keep you updated.

The Sinking of Titanic

Just went through a Comprehension exercise on the sinking of  Titanic. Thought it was apt to adapt an article from the National Geographic magazine since this month marks the 100the anniversary of the sinking of the ship.

The kiddos were interested to learn more about the ship. I wanted to show them a clip with some pictures of the ship that I found on the Internet but was not able to do so due to time constraint.

Here's the clip that I found:

Some Addditional Facts about Titanic (not mentioned in the Comprehension passage):
- Titanic cost $7.5 million to build in the early part of the 20th century. It would cost about $400 million to build it today.
- It took the equivalent of a small town to build Titanic - about 14 000 workers in all.
- The passengers or the crew did not try to rescue the survivors in the water because many people were worried that the extra people would sink the lifeboats.
- The Titanic had two sister ships. The Olympic, built at the same time, was just as big but not as heavy. It was used as a troopship during World War 1 and sailed until 1935. The Brittanic, built in 1914 and used as a hospital ship during the war, was sunk in 1916.

Differences between an alligator and a crocodile

Have you wondered if there are differences between an alligator and a crocodile? Well, when I was going through a comprehension passage recently, my pupils posed me this question.

Here are some general ways to tell the two apart:

(1) Shape of the jaw

Crocodiles tend to have longer, more pointed, V-shaped snouts while alligators tend to have wider, U- shaped, rounded snouts.

(2) Teeth

The fourth tooth on the lower jaw sticks up over the upper lip on crocodiles. Hence we can see it when their mouths are closed. The fourth tooth of an alligator is covered up.

(3) Habitat

Crocodiles prefer saltwater habitats while alligators prefer freshwater habitats. Crocodiles have special glands in their tongues that can get rid of excess salt. Although alligators have these special glands too but they do not work as well as the crocodiles'.

Do you know?

Both alligators and crocodiles are members of the reptilian order, Crocodylia. But the families they belong to, Alligatoridae and Crocodylidae respectively, differ. The term "crocodilian" encompasses not just the common alligators and crocodiles but also the lesser known Gavialidae family that contains the lone gavial, or gharial. There are 23 species of crocodilians.

Motivating Kids to Read

Most parents recognise the importance of reading. However, some parents find it daunting to motivate their kids to read. Here are some tips:

(1) Read aloud with your child.

While reading aloud to your child, discuss the story or engage in role play. Make the read aloud session fun. For example, children love to make sound effects. You can give your child some props to make sound effects as you read. This added interaction adds a fun element to reading.

(2) Look for books that your child might like.

Use their interests and hobbies as starting points. For example, my nephews, who were fans of Thomas the Train, started to enjoy reading when they read books on their beloved train.

(3) Take your child to the library regularly.

Children like to go on family outings. Make the library one of the weekend haunts for the family. Let them choose a few books themselves.

(4) Set aside a time slot for reading daily.

For example, everybody settles down to read for 15 to 20 minutes after dinner. You can even encourage the kids to organise a quiz based on the book that they are reading.

(5) Make reading materials available and accessible.

Surround the kids with books and other reading materials. They will grow up and view books as part of their daily life.

(6) Read yourself.

If the kids see that you read and you enjoy reading, they are more likely to develop the same habit and pursue the same activity.

(7) Use movie or video tie-ins.

Get the kids interested in reading a book by watching a related movie first. Here are some examples of movies (suitable for different age groups) that are based on books: "Where the Wild Things Are", "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", "Hunger Games", "Charlotte's Web" and many others.

(8) Listen to audio books.

(9) Read what your child is reading.

Read your children's books so that you can engage them in a fun discussion.

(10) Reward your child for reading.

When the children are younger, give them some small rewards for reading. For example, after they have read for half an hour, they get to watch their favourite educational DVD or go down to the playground to play. When they are older and reading becomes part and parcel of their daily lives, rewards will no longer be necessary.

~ Serena's Greenhouse