Recently we discovered that Debbie has a new talent! She is amazingly good with the hula-hoop. Incidenttly, IKEA was holding a "Smaland - Book of Records" event and we registered her for the Hoopla Challenge. Children had to compete to make as many rounds as they can within a minute.
Saturday morning, we set off to IKEA Tampines.... All ready for the fun!
Debbie turned out to be the youngest and smallest-sized contestant among the 8 of them! And she had the biggest hoop :p The crowd cheered the loudest when she started twirling round and round.
I think they were not expecting her to "do well"....:) She actually stopped at 55secs. She thought she had to stop when the emcee started to count down. Anyway, she still did an amazing 149 per min! (The winner did 191!!! You can see her standing behind Deb in the pic below)
The event ended with a magic show and lucky draw. The kids had fun at the event and brought back goodie bags with snacks and Smaland products.
Denise recorded her first-ever video announcement for Family & Mother's Day Weekend in church. Even though she had an examination paper the following day, I decided to let her take a break and she really had a lot of fun :)
The entire family was out to support Denise in her first dance performance in school. Every year, Fairfield showcased their Aesthetic Club with a night of performance. This year, the event was held at NUS - University Cultural Centre.
After every club had performed, the P4's put up a musical "Table of Five Thousands". The teachers wrote the script, songs and directed the musical. The entire hall sang "Amazing Grace" during the finale.
That's our "STAR"!
What an awesome night! Like what JX says "Arts is good for the soul"
This is Debbie's 2nd CNY Performance in Pat's Schoolhouse. Ms Mayce, her English teacher, commented that she was one of the best dancer in class :) We are not too sure where did she get the genes from... If you noticed, she was also singing along!
Every Thursday, from 1.50-3.50 p.m., Denise stays in school for Programme for Active Learning (PAL). This program exposes the child to various activities like different type of dance or sports. It will prepare them as they choose their CCA later.
Term 3, Denise did dance. After learning the different types of dance, parents were invited to attend a Dance Presentation by the students.
Parents started streaming in at 8.30a.m. Finally we were ushered into the hall at 8.45a.m. I spotted Denise!
The day before, she refused to show us the dance. It was supposed to be a secret! But she told us that she will be standing in front; leading the class :) They did a jazz dance; accompanied by a song from Camp Rock. Her teachers commented that she was very good. I fall short in telling them that she already had a few public performance under her belt :0 Thanks to exposure from CHC Children's Church and Pat's Schoolhouse!
The School was a sea of red when we arrived in the morning. Debbie was super sticky to me and I was worried that she was not going to perform. But when it was her class' turn to go on stage, she was all ready!
Some people say that she looks like her teacher Ms Mayce :)
Debbie's all-time favourite activity is face-painting. As usual, Ms Serene makes sure she leaves a "print" on her face :)
After the carnival, we were invited to their class to view their Art and Craft.
The teachers also led us in some games. It was a time of curriculum introduction. We enjoyed ourselves and thanks to all the teachers for making this celebration a fun one!
We were treated to Lion Dance Performance at the Clubhouse this morning. We were surprised that so many residents came...:) Mainly people with young children though.
A friend gave us 5 tickets to HSM - Summer Celebration held at Singapore Indoor Stadium. The show features songs from all the 3 series; even Debbie could sing and dance along...:)
Except for Gabriella who seems "fleshier" than the real girl, the rest of the performers look very close to the original cast. If not for free tickets, I would not have brought the children there... :p
One of the greatest moments in Denise's life so far... Pat's Schoolhouse K2 Graduation has always been held in Raffles Hotel; Jubilee Hall. The tradition is that the students will put up an English and Chinese musical. Like all the proud parents there, we were filled with so much excitement!
Everyone was ready with their cameras and video cam. There were much hype and excitement in the air while the parents waited to enter the Hall.
The ceremony started with the Graduation March and an Opening Song item. It is a tradition that they will sing "We The Children". It is a very touching song; talking about "we the children are golden, we shine like stars in the night..." A few mothers were tearing at this moment... After the song, Mrs Patricia Koh, the Founder of Pat's Schoolhouse, presented every child with their Graduation Ring! It is a silver ring with their names engraved on it...
The concert started with the Chinese performance. The amazing 6 year olds had to sing, dance and act! Here, Denise was one of the villagers kids. She had a few solo lines.
3 centers; Halifax, Buckley and Siglap combined for this concert. It was amazing how the teachers improvised the script and songs, and cheoreograhed the dance moves. I heard the props was designed by one of the teachers too!
The English musical was abstracted from "The Little Prince".
Denise had 2 roles here... A Flower and an One-eyed monster of a planet...:)
Again, the children sang, danced and acted... They put up an awesome performance. The best part was no one single child stole the limelight. Everyone was given an equal chance to shine and had their moments!
The teachers must have felt the most relieved and satisfied during the last curtain call! A few months of hard work.... Finally it's over!
After the concert, parents were busy taking photos of their children. Managed to take pictures of Denise with her teachers...
It was already 10.30p.m. but the children insisted that they wanted to go for "supper" together. Well, we brought them to McDonalds at Bras Basah! It was a crazy sight! They were eating and singing at the top of their voice!
One of the best thing that happened to me after sending Denise to Pat's is that I made a group of mummy friends...:) They are one of the greatest mums around. We look forward to every kid's party where the mothers will just hang out and catch up with each other. We will plan for Teachers Day event for their teachers and often think of ways for the children to have fun. Even before the graduation, we are already planning for a March get-together next year!
With sadness and excitement, this graduation closes a chapter of Denise's life... And opens her to another milestone... She started school when she was 2.5 years old. It has never been a problem for her to adapt to any new environment. I look forward to her starting her Primary Education in FMS(P)...:)
Where should I begin? My choice of Primary School for Denise is limited to Queenstown area because we wanted to stay near my in-laws as we foresee that we will need their help when Denise goes to Primary 1.
We have always liked Dover; quiet, small and assessible (as compared to Jurong...:p). So our Primary School choice was narrowed to just Fairfield Methodist Primary School. Cut the long story short: We managed to enrol her into FMPS without balloting for Phase 2C...:) (balloting was conducted for those staying 1-2km from school)
This morning, one colleague asked me, "I have flashes of memory; seeing Denise in Fairfield uniform before..."
Haha....yes! Yes! Yes! Last November, I needed to borrow a set of school uniform for Denise's performance at Asia Conference 2008. I managed to borrow a set of FMPS uniform from a friend's friend! Talking about visualization and confession! For those planning for schools... It works!
Denise had her National Day Performance in school. Look at the all the eager parents, ready to capture those precious moments!
Not only were the children and staff wearing red and white; many of the parents also turned up in red and white...:)
After the performance, we stayed for the Carnival. The kids were treated to games and free food! There were Nasi Lemak, fishball, nuggets, cakes etc... Below is a clip of Denise's performance...
Denise was part of the Children's Choir during the CHC 20th Anniversary Service. The entire team of musicians, singers, dancers and choir consists of children aged from 5-14 years old! It was amazing seeing them performed! Truly the NEXT generation!
A short clip of her on stage! She should be easily spotted; standing extreme right on the 3rd row... Haha...
It's an annual tradition for Pat's Schoolhouse to stage a Reader's Theatre by the K2. We had a chance to chat with Denise's teachers and also to look at the display of their work. Then we proceed to the Music Room for their performances.
All the proud parents were waiting eagerly with their cameras!
Denise performed at the Parade of Minstry during the recent Asia Conference. She was the only K1, posing as a primary school student...:) The rest of the children wore their own school uniform. As Pat's Schoolhouse has no uniform, I had to borrow from a friend.
I always think that Denise would look good in Fairfield uniform....:) So, I managed to borrow a set for her...:) Try to spot her wearing yellow and blue at the end of the video!
This year's National Day Celebration in Pat's Schoolhouse was unusual. We had the usual performance by the various levels. Denise was sick for 2 days and missed the rehearsals. However, on the morning itself, her teacher gave her a crash course. She managed to pick up and joined them in both the dance items.
There was a fun fair after the performance. There were free games for the children at the various stations. They have to collect all 7 stamps to redeem a special prize at the end. Prize? A Singapore flag or Singapore flag face tattoo....:)
FREE food were given out too! There were Nasi Lemak, prata, pastries and drinks... It busted the myth that schools always use such events to raise funds....:p Or maybe it is just what I always thought....
Last month, JX came home with a bag of clothes from Dorothy Perkins for me; 3 tops and 2 bottims! I was pleasantly surprised and was not particularly expecting anything this Mother's Day.
Then on Thursday, JX surprised me with matching sandles for myself, Denise and even Debbie! That's not all...
On Friday, Denise came home with an Art & Craft. There were some drawings on it; a handbag, a sun, some animals... Hmm....maybe things that she would like to me to have??!
And she sang me 2 songs, I think she learnt from school!
JX left me another surprise before he left for CG with Denise! He designed a card and left it on the fridge! How sweet...
When JX and Denise came back from CG, he informed me that we were meeting Mervyn and Jenny for breakfast the following day. To cut the long story short, Mervyn was giving Jenny a SPA treat and JX wanted to give me a FINAL surprise by "sending" me for a treat too..:) Christal was in childcare and JX looked after Denise and Debbie at Mervyn's place. We went to The Aspara Garden Spa at One North. We both had a Body Scrub and Swedish Massage...
Hmm...I don't mind going back there again!
After that we had lunch with the Songs at "Dian Xiao Er", followed by ice-cream at Ben & Jerry's.
5th Mother's Day for me and this has been my best so far...:) Thanks to my dear hubby, Denise and Debbie!
Submitted Denise's photo to Fox Fashion and she was selected for the Audition, which was held on Mar 13, Friday, at Paragon.
About 60 - 80 hopefuls kids, aged 5-12 years old turned up that morning!
One girl even came dressed in a full bridal-liked gown... Hmm....thought Fox is more streetwear style?!!
Anyway, Denise simply walked down the aisle; not her usual self... No smile and cannot be bothered. The emcee asked her to give the judges a wave...and she just shook her head...:p
JX says that maybe they are looking for a "attitude-looking" face....hmmmmm...
Her happiest moment of the day? Shopping at Toy R Us and bought a swimming pool for her Barbie...:)
It's the time of the year again... CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!
Denise's teacher brought the K1 and K2 students to Chinatown. Each student has to bring $10 for the outing. After that, hey had steamboat for lunch.... Yummy!
On Feb 5 (Tue), parents were invited to watch their children put up performances in school. Denise has been talking about this and reminding us to be there...:) JX took off and I applied for half-day leave.
All the children were beaming with joy when they saw their parents! Blame me for being biased...but I think Denise was outstanding!!! We even overheard a couple commenting that she has potential.... Hmm....potential to be???
Denise's class performed 3 items. 1) English CNY song 2) Chinese Dance 3) Chinese CNY song
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One girl even came dressed in a full bridal-liked gown... Hmm....thought Fox is more streetwear style?!!
