Compassion

Today I chanced upon this story on social media:

Josette Duran's emotional Facebook Live video is getting a lot of attention.

She's been packing her son's lunch and an extra one since the beginning of the school year because her son asked her to.

"I'm telling you this is not for praise, but it's pretty intense," Duran said. "He said, 'No, Mom. It's for this little boy at school, and he sits by himself, and all he eats is a fruit cup.'"

The school principal called Duran into the office because that little boy's mom found out Duran had been feeding her son.

"She says, 'I know this isn't much, but I just got a job, and I know you've been feeding my son,'" Duran said.

Duran said she couldn't accept the single mom's money.

The girls' volleyball team Duran coaches also raised more than $400 to pay her back, but she took that money straight to the cafeteria.

"We paid up all the past due accounts for all the kids who need lunch," Duran said as she choked back tears. "So now, nobody in that school owes any money, and now everyone can eat."

Duran found out the little boy's mom lost her job and couldn't afford to pay for his school lunches. It's something, Duran says, she knows all too well.

"This hits home to me because a few years ago, me and my son were homeless," Duran said. "I was living in my car and I was washing him in bathrooms. And we didn't have food."

Not only has Duran taught this school a valuable lesson in compassion and kindness, she's also created a new friendship.

"I have friends, and I'm doing better in school, and you have a great son, and he's my best friend," Duran said.

Source:

http://kcci.relaymedia.com/amp/news/new-mexico-womans-act-of-kindness-goes-viral/42131140

And I saw this amazing comment:

"My son is 11 and one day he came home just full of happiness and he said he's happy and good today and I said well anything happen today, he said yes there was one thing and I said well what,  his words made me cry. He said mommy I gave my lunch to a boy today and I said why did you do that, he said because he owes money to the school and got a cheese sandwich for lunch and a fruit and milk. I said that's not much at all, he said I know so I gave him my lunch and I ate the cheese sandwich so he could eat a good meal. Made my heart melt."

It is indeed a beautiful story to share.

We are so fortunate because we don't go homeless and most of us can afford decent meals both at home and in school. However, many children around the world do not live such fortunate lives. We should all do our part to not waste food and water, and also to show compassion to others.

Steptember term break

Dear students,

Thank you for the lovely Teacher's Day presents.

Do have a good break over the one week term break, maintaining balance between rest, play and study/revision.

When school reopens on 13 September, please remember to bring along for submission:

• Progress Report (signed)
• Artwork for Student Organiser - My Skills, My Future

The "Artwork for Student Organiser" worksheet was given out during ILEAD lesson today, before the concert. Performers and school captains who have missed the lesson may illustrate on a blank piece of paper:

1. Your strengths (based on our school values and the 7 habits)
2. Your interests 
3. Your aspiration (the occupation you aspire to be in based on your strengths and interests)

You are encouraged to visit www.ecareers.sg to find out the career choices that complement your strengths and interests.

Please also be reminded that the deadline for ER3 Wall Design Competition is 16 September 2016. The design must include an ER3 message.  Use a recycled paper (maximum A4 size) for your drawing. If you have some great ideas and have not drawn them on recycled paper, it's time to get it done over the term break! Submit your drawings at the box placed beside the school hall.

Matter has mass and takes up space

Leaf soaked in hot water

In Systems Workbook Activity 2.4 (page 15), we recalled that there are tiny openings found on the surfaces of the leaves.

Let's soak a leaf in a container of hot water and observe.

Observations:

• There were many tiny bubbles on the leaf. 
• There were more bubbles on the lower surface than on the upper surface.

GetActive! Singapore workout 2016

How your lungs work

This is the cartoon that I showed in class during science lesson on our respiratory system.

Read

Love to read
https://www.mci.gov.sg/web/department/libraries/features/national-reading-movement-ministers-edition

Make time to read
http://www.inc.com/empact/bill-gates-warren-buffett-and-oprah-all-use-the-5-hour-rule.html

Read More, Read Widely and Read Together http://www.nationalreadingmovement.sg

Air and the respiratory system

Some of you requested for me to put this on my blog:

"The permanent gases in gas we exhale are 4% to 5% by volume more carbon dioxide and 4% to 5% by volume less oxygen than was inhaled."

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breathing#Composition

You do not have to remember the percentage of each type of air that you breathe in and breathe out.

You need to know that the air we breathe in is composed of mainly nitrogen, followed by oxygen, and lastly small amount of carbon dioxide, water vapour and other gases.

Source: http://www.slideshare.net/stumpy2878/composition-of-air

For Activity 2.1 in your Systems Workbook, we watched this video about breathing into limewater today.

For Activity 2.3 in your Systems Workbook, we are going to make a model to show how our lungs work. Please prepare the following materials:

• a plastic bottle (please ask an adult to cut away the bottom of the bottle)
• 2 balloons
• a straw
• a rubber band
• some plasticine

The following video shows us how the model can be prepared.

How well do you know your angles?

Mdm Koo created this simple game on Angles On A Straight Line using Scratch.

There is one minor glitch in my program (and I will work on it when I can find free time again): In the bonus level, you have to enter the answer twice before it will respond to your answer.

Plant transport system

P5&6 Systems Workbook Activity 1.1 Part B

Page 2: Water transport in a split celery stalk

Page 3: Cut surfaces from the bottom of the stalk

Page 3: Cut surface from the top of the stalk

Observation: the leaves

Observation: different colours in the stem and leaves

Extra: You can tear the stem and see the water-carrying tubes inside!

Check this out!

Why does an aluminium object feel colder to touch?

This is a really good video, whether you are in primary school or secondary school.

What about baking a cake in a baking tin? Are the cake and the tin at the same temperature?

Starch

In the topic "Energy in Food", we learned about photosynthesis in plants, and how excess sugar in plants are turned into starch.

Today we discussed about starch in class. As many of you have questions on starch, I shared with you a list of food that have high starch content, and the function of starch in human bodies.

Please take note that this is extra information for your understanding of starch, and the information below will not be tested in SA1.

Starch breaks down into glucose in your body.

Glucose: 

• is used as energy for your body
• absorbs directly into your bloodstream
• circulates throughout your body in your bloodstream
• is used to power all of your bodily functions
• is the main source of energy for your brain and nervous system

World Environment Day

Be part of the green movement, make your pledge at http://www.ecoaction.sg

Iodine test

These are some of the food that we've seen in class today when we're conducting the iodine test for Activity 1.5 (Energy Workbook page 10).

From this activity, we found out that the wholemeal bread, biscuit, muffin and baby rice rusk all contain starch.

Easy origami box

In conjunction with Earth Day 2016 on 22 April 2016, our school has planned a classroom-based activity for you.

During today's assembly, you will reuse used paper to make a DIY origami box that you can use as a container for the disposal of eraser dust and waste materials.

This short video shows you the instructions to make your own recyclable waste containers.

Iodine test

The presence of starch will change the yellow iodine solution to blue-black in colour.

We will be conducting this interesting experiment on various types of food in class tomorrow.

Digital safety

We watched this in pre-assembly today.

Children, you are reminded to surf smart by using the acronym “YAPPY” to remind yourselves about the personal information which you should not share online:

• Your name
• Address
• Phone number
• Passwords
• Your plans

(Source)

World Water Day

Today we watched this video during our ILEAD lesson.

This is also relevant to Chapter 4 The Water Cycle in our Cycles science textbook, as we discussed about how water is important to us and how we should conserve our water.

If you are interested to find out more about the clean water crisis, here are more links for you.
http://water.org/water-crisis/water-sanitation-facts
http://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/water-scarcity
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/freshwater-crisis

Also, you may want to read up on our very own World Water Day in Singapore: http://www.singaporeworldwaterday.com

The Singapore Water Story

We have discussed about the 'Four National Taps' and keeping our water supply sustainable in today's lesson.

If you are interested to find out more about our Singapore Water Story, click on the picture below.

Do you know?

Wheels actually need friction to move the vehicle.

When it is slippery, the wheels can turn but the vehicle may not move!

Click here to read up on more interesting facts about friction.

The frozen hotel

On the first page of chapter 3 (page 26) in your science textbook, you read about a special hotel in Sweden that is made almost entirely of ice.

Here is a video about the special frozen hotel.

What state of matter is ice?

Bending water

We watched a similar video on bending water this morning during pre-assembly.

Here is a video that I created with a friend in 2009.

ECG Portal

We watched this video in class today during FTGP.

You may go to ecareers.sg to check out the careers available!

Think Win-Win

We watched this short animation in class this morning.

Soap powered boat

This is the video that was shown in the school hall this morning.

Did you try this experiment at our Touch Science booths yesterday during recess?

Total Defence Day 2016

We heard this song in the school hall this morning.

"Together we keep Singapore strong."

Total Defence - Keeping Watch

We watched this video in ILEAD lesson today.

Be alert. Be vigilant. Be observant.

CNY decoration

Our class decoration:

Great efforts from everyone!

Origami for Chinese New Year decoration

You will need 2 pieces of square paper to make this cute little God of Fortune~

We are welcoming the year of Monkey on 8 February 2016.

Here's another cute monkey origami that you can try!

Dear children, have fun!

Non-flowering plants

Dear children, if you want to take a look at the spore bags under the leafs of the fern plants, you can look for the plants in our eco garden.

Check out this corner!

These are the fern leaves found in this corner.

Here's another fern plant!

The spore bags can be found under the fern plant.

Have fun exploring the eco garden!

Growing green beans

The green beans that we are using are also called mung beans in some places.

In activities 1.3 and 1.3A, we are using kidney beans. 

And here are our green beans for activity 1.2:

Maple seed helicopter

The maple seeds have 'wings' and they can spin like helicopters as they fall from the tree. These seeds are dispersed by wind, as they are easily carried by the wind, and will be carried over greater distances.

Children from P5 Inquirer watched this video in class today before the activity to make your own "maple seed helicopter".

You may download and print this PDF file to create your own "maple seed helicopter" at home.