Perse Post The Perse School Singapore Friday Bulletin from Benyna Richards

Perse Post
The Perse School Singapore Friday Bulletin from
Benyna Richards
Friday 13th May 2022

_____________________________________________________________________
Dear Parents and Carers,
‘There is no elevator to success, you have to take
the stairs’, a quote I often think of when I am
walking up to the fourth floor to teach Year 4
Science, and one that came to mind this week
during our quality inspection visit from the UK.
It is a privilege to be part of this community that is
climbing those stairs together. Simon and Tobias
have been able to see this week the steps we are
taking to continuously improve our school and the
central role our shared Perse School values play in
guiding us in the right direction.
The pupils have enjoyed meeting Simon and
Tobias and were very excited to hear Mr Piper,
head of Perse Prep UK, announce via video during
assembly our first joint trophy; the Perse
International Globe, affectionately termed the
PIG! This is awarded termly to the house with
highest number of house points globally. Shayne,
Head of Foresters House, was awarded the PIG
for this term.
Simon and Tobias will be putting together a
formal report about their visit, and this will be
shared with parents in the next couple of weeks.
We hope all our Perse families enjoy the long
weekend and for those that celebrate, on this Vesak Day, we wish you and your families, peace, unity and
joy on your holy day.

 Golden Spoon
 Table Elder:    Rahul
 Shayan          Archie
 Siyana
                                                                      2976
 Rachel
                                                                       3489
 Zoe                                                                 2708
 Luv                                                                  3480

Staff Spotlight: Mr James Lowe
James has several years of experience in both the UK and international
schools, having served as numerous roles as a teacher, Head of Year and
subject leader. James is currently finishing his MA degree in Education
which has focused primarily on developing character strength through
incorporating positive psychology into the curriculum. Prior to joining the
Perse School, Singapore, James was the Head of Primary Mathematics at
the British School, Kathmandu. As part of this role, James led on staff
development in mathematics using the core concepts of Singapore maths
and extended this development to partnership schools in the local
community. James is passionate about trying new things and not being
afraid to look silly! He is a keen runner. He gives mountaineering a go and
he still needs a lot of practice with the ukulele.
Information and Reminders
Outside Play
Please make sure pupils have a hat in school every day. This can stay in
their classroom or cubby hole. Pupils will only be able to play outside if
they are wearing a hat. Unfortunately, the Singapore weather has been
unseasonably wet which has meant the field has not drained and been too
wet to use, however it is looking a little brighter next week and we hope to
start using the field after the bank holiday weekend.
School Photos
Individual and class photos will take place on the 19th and 20th May. All pupils will be included in both the
class and individual photos and pictures will be shared with parents without any need to commit to
purchasing beforehand. Please let your child’s form tutor know if you do not want them included in the
photos. We have schedules class photos on the day that pupils don’t have PE, please make sure pupils come
to school in their school shirt or school dress. Pupils should not wear their polo shirt or house shirt.
PERSE OPEN APPLY – Pupil Contracts
Pupil contracts will be going out to all parents next week. It is imperative that parents have now logged in
and activated their account as the contracts will be going out through this new portal. Parents will receive a
notification via email when the contracts up been uploaded.
We are also delighted to announce that we will be re introducing our referral programme scheme. Any
parent who refers a child/family who then joins The Perse will receive $500 off their school fees in their next
invoice.
If anyone is having any problems logging in or would like to know more about the referral programme
please email Arabella Lambe directly (Arabella.lambe@perse.edu.sg).
Term 3 Term Dates
Public Holidays: Monday 16th May             Term 3: 30th May – 6th July (12:00 finish on 6th July

Half Term Break: 23rd to 27th May            Enrichment and ECAs will resume after the half term on
                                             Monday 30th May. There will be no Enrichment and ECAs the
                                             week beginning Monday 4th July

Happy Birthday Mr Teng!
We all enjoyed celebrating Mr Teng’s birthday on Thursday. Mr Teng
is an incredibly special part of our Perse community, and you can
often hear him giggling in the corridors! Children enjoyed guessing his
age (!) his favourite guess was Penelope’s, who declared he didn’t look
a day over 49!
Youth Chinese Test (YCT)
The Perse School Singapore conducted its inaugural Youth Chinese
Test (YCT) Level 1 enrichment course for pupils who wish to obtain an
accreditation in Chinese Language proficiency. The YCT is an
international standardized Chinese language test which is directed at
examining non-native primary school pupils’ ability to apply Chinese
language in their studies and daily lives.

After a term of hard work and perseverance, we would like to
congratulate our first batch of pupils who successfully sat for the YCT
written paper. We are extremely proud of the pupils and believe that
they will achieve good results.
                                      Ms Stella, Head of Chinese
Perse Parents Association
Bake Sale
A big thank you for all the parents who volunteered at today’s cake
sale and all those who bought in delicious treats! The children had a
wonderful time, whilst also using their math skills purchasing their
goodies.
PPA BINGO NIGHT
Will be held at 6.30pm on Friday 24th June. More details to follow, but
it will be a fun way to get Perse families together. There will be pizza
and drinks to buy on the night. We would love some volunteers, so if
you would like to help out, please get in touch with our Head of PPA,
Sumbal Waqas (sumbal.waqas237@gmial.com).

Assessment and Reporting
Pupils of all ages will have their learning assessed at the end of this month with more formal assessment
papers sat by Years 5 and 6 from 31st May to 3rd June. These are an opportunity for the pupils to show their
knowledge and understanding in English, Maths, Science and Chinese and to start to get used to guided
revision, preparation, nerves and exam technique. In many cases pupils will be unable to
distinguish these assessments from their normal lessons. There will still be plenty of
learning after these assessments and we’ll crack on with new topics and sustain
the learning programme right through to the end of June.
Please remember that there are no pass marks, and that the school is extremely
mindful and deliberate about managing pupils’ attitude towards assessments.
There is no need to initiate any supplementary support to prepare for these
assessments and the school will consistently convey the simple, but important       We value Endeavour. We aim
message that pupils should try their best. Although these assessments are           high and challenge ourselves, try
                                                                                    our best and are not afraid to
important, they do not determine position in a class, streaming, setting or rank make mistakes.
order. They are used to determine the progression an individual pupil has made
during the course of an academic year and help to provide the teachers with invaluable data which will help
to guide any modifications needed to the subject curriculum. Pupils will be guided toward self-improvement
and as such, the results/scores/grades will not be shared, but individual verbal feedback and lesson work will
be provided.
End of Year Reports will include feedback from these assessments and Year 6 parents will receive a break-
down of assessment percentages with class averages, but these will not, and should not be shared with
pupils.
If parents have any questions regarding the above the first point of contact should be Mr Morse.

Perse Has Got Talent!

In a collaborative effort, the POD members and House Captains have been working hard to launch this year's
Perse has Got Talent. The PODs are responsible for the logistics - seating, chaperoning, inviting the parents
of the finalist and more essential operational tasks. The House Captains are responsible for motivating pupils
to audition and being the hosts of the show. Posters appeared around school with cryptic messages:
Something big is coming, get ready, what's your talent? Then, a final poster was put up which revealed what
we will be doing. Auditions will take place during form time on the 13th June. The finalists will perform live,
in the hall, on the 1st July. I am sure that we will see that the Perse has definitely Got Talent!

    We value endeavour, intellectual curiosity and scholarship, breadth and balance, one another and our
                                                environment.