Alexis’prep for primary 1.

In a blink of an eye, both my girls are now in primary school.  Alexis has been looking forward to this day for the longest time. Everyone knows how much she adores her sister and to be able to walk to school hand in hand was one of her greatest milestones.

2020 had been a tough year not just for us but for many around the world. The Covid-19 pandemic serves as a reminder of how vulnerable we are and one could fall from Hero to Zero in a matter of short time when such an unexpected event occured. While hubby and I were working from home, the time spent with the girls was lesser compared to pre-Covid. We are frantically fighting fire at work thus we lost the focus for them.  I had a difficult time penning my 2021 resolutions, partly because I have huge plans for Glowfully yet I realised 2021 is the year when Lauren will be taking her PSLE and Alexis entering primary school.  Of course, priority has to be with the family! 

We started Alexis on enrichment classes last year to boost her confidence. Do not be deceived by her chatty nature, Alexis is very jittery about her ability to handle primary school exams. One part of her is excited about going to school with her sister yet she is also mindful how hard her sister had been studying for her examinations and this frightens her.  One of the classes Alexis attended was The Preparation Course at the British Council. The K2 course was meant to help the little ones get ready for P1. In fact, we were briefed that the British Council’s enrichment courses for Nursery 1 up to Junior College are student-centred and are also aligned to the syllabus set up by the Ministry of Education.  The lessons Alexis attended at the British Council were engaging. The courses are designed to incorporate active learning and hands-on exploration to develop the child’s speaking confidence and socialisation skills. These are very important skill sets as a strong foundation in English would boost the child’s love for learning in school. She will be able to read the questions, and make better presentations during the show and tell. During the orientation program the principal mentioned about the new direction of MOE and that there would no longer be examinations for P1 and P2. They want to encourage a holistic learning environment for our children and I am glad the enrichment classes that we have selected for them believed in the same values.

If you are keen to find out more about the British Council Pre-School and Primary programes, I have attached some information for your reference. If you have questions about the curriculum or operation matters, please do not hesitate to reach out to the centres.

Hope your children have a wonderful 2021. Last but not least, whatever school or courses our child attends, we have a huge role to play in their learning journey. 

“Be the parent today that you want your kids to remember tomorrow.”

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Alexis’ progress at the British Council.

We are going 3 months into Alexis’ course. I promised an update so here we go.

Alexis is definitely enjoying her time at the British Council, so much that I overheard her conversation with Lauren asking her sister to join her at the British Council as well.  She has been taught well and her vocabulary has improved leaps and bound.  Her writing, as compared to 3 months ago, is also neater and she is able to read 90% on her own now.  I like how the centre encourages the child to use their creativity; Alexis told me that her teacher would ask her to doodle on her file. She absolutely loved this idea! Other than having her creativity unleashed, the doodling on the file gave it an identity – her identity, and she named it the Galaxy Folder.  Her worksheets are filled with her ideas of rainbows and unicorns. I read her latest writing and it immediately brought a smile. Her sentences sounded ridiculous but her teachers are so encouraging with her writing. I am not sure if the occurrences are totally related but ever since attending the British Council, Alexis has been writing a lot at home. You know I always remember this quote that my secondary school teacher shared with me – “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited; imagination encircles the world” – Albert Einstein.

Besides encouraging the child to use their imagination, the teachers at the British Council also requested the children to bring their toys! Wow! Can you imagine Alexis jumping into the car delightfully planning about the toys to bring for her lessons? The reason for bringing the toys was for a show and tell.  Each child was supposed to hide the toy in a bag and describe the toy that they brought to their classmates. 

Everyone in class would ask questions pertaining to the toy and try to uncover what it was.  How I wish I could be there to witness all these but the British Council is rather strict with photo-taking in the class. This is to protect the privacy and safety of the students and staff. I am happy to share that despite me seeking their permission of a photo to share on my blog, the school politely rejected. This shows that they valued the safety and wellbeing of everyone in the centre more than just wanting to gain publicity. Kudos to the management of British Council for that!

We are in the last term of 2020 and since I am preparing Lauren for PSLE next year, I tried to get a little ambitious with Alexis. I bought some P1 assessment books and I am truly surprised that she was able to understand most of the questions in the assessment book! Reading the comprehension was a breeze for her too.  

We have slightly more than a month to go before we complete the year for K2. I shall be back with another round of review and then I will share on the British Council’s course for Primary 1. Before we go, have a look at what Alexis’ Student Report. 😊

For more information about the British Council’s English enrichment courses, visit www.britishcouncil.sg/ylcharlenesim

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Getting Alexis Ready for Primary 1- British Council Edition

Alexis is a few months away from clocking the milestone of starting her education journey in a primary school. A recent review of her work sparked a concern that she might not be as well prepared as I thought. Alexis has always been able to read without much guidance so most of you might say that that may be sufficient for Primary 1. Her reading ability is indeed not too bad but her grammar, her speech and her writing would definitely need coaching to improve.

We contemplated on a few enrichment centers before deciding on the British Council. We have done our research and read many reviews that the British Council has a fun and nurturing environment which would cultivate the learning interests of young children. We were also pleasantly surprised that the curriculum at the British Council is also tailored closely for our local syllabus.

I wanted to show more of how the class ambience in the classroom would look like but was informed that such leisure photography at the center was not allowed to protect the privacy of students and staff. Thus, I could only seek permission to take some photos of the empty classroom. If you are concerned about the safety measures that are put in place at the British Council,   you can be assured that your child is in good hands. I accompanied Alexis into the British Council since it was her first lesson thus I had the opportunity to have a short walk around. Besides the enforcement of safe entry practice and sanitising of hands, we noticed that the books and toys were temporary sealed to prevent cross contamination. There was also a sanitiser in the classroom and I saw the assistant teacher disinfecting the room regularly.

Here you can see some of the homework that Alexis brought back. Did I say I actually did the puzzle on the back of the recycled paper. Oh boy, I thought their learning material is really interesting indeed. As it was only the first lesson, I can only show how Alexis is fairing currently. I will be sharing another update post sometime in September or October to document her progress.

In the meantime, do drop me any questions you have and I will be more than happy to share the information. You may also read up about their courses here

 

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Sentosa Staycation – Village Hotel

School holiday is here and if you are thinking of ways to bond with your child, perhaps I can share about our recent discoveries with One Faber Group?

Our visit to Sentosa was coincidentally tied with the time of our Faber Membership renewal. I was pleasantly surprised to be informed that the membership is now digital! Yay to 1 lesser card to clutter my already “filled to the brim” aunty wallet.  https://www.onefabergroup.com/faber-licence-membership

New digital Faber Membership
The girls first ride on the Monorail. Courtesy of Village Hotel at Sentosa

Thankful that despite being a little red dot on the world map, Singapore has so much to offer. Ask any tourist what they know about Singapore, Sentosa is probably one of the mentioned must-go places. Who would remember going to Asia Village or Fantasy Island when we were a kid? I wanted to bring the girls for a different Sentosa experience, not the usual RWS or Kidzania. Exploring Sentosa via foot, Cable Car and Monorail; the way I would explore when I was a kid. To enhance the experience, we also checked ourselves into the new Village Hotel so we could have a good 2 days to breakaway.

Feeling at home at Village Hotel Sentosa

In conjunction to the celebration of the Singapore Cable Car’s 45th Anniversary, One Faber Group came out with its Explorer Passport expedition. Pick up your Passport at the cable ticketing kiosk and start exploring the route and collect limited edition ink stamp at selection cable car station. There are 5 activity points and out of which, I have to say I enjoyed the 5 min walk to Faber Point the most. It was something that my usual self would probably skip (I am someone who would drive even if its just 5 min walk) but surprisingly I asked myself why did I not know of such a place? Ans: That’s because Charlene you are a lazy bone who did not appreciate nature due to the fear of sun and insect. A scenic 5 min walk from Mount Faber Cable Car Station, we were even greeted with the sight of a Merlion at Faber Point!

Grab your explorer passport from any cable car ticketing kiosk
Complete the 5 activities in the passport

We stopped for lunch at Arbora which boasted an unblock magnificent view of the rainforest hillside. The restaurant menu had a wide selection of western and local classics. I ordered a delicious lobster laksa that caused me to ruin my Keto diet, eat first diet later. Do you know there is a new nightly attraction at Arbora? Miraculous, a multimedia night show, featuring Mira & Mirak – a pair of mighty squirrels who lived in a heart-shaped Angsana tree at Arbora. The girls really wanted to watch Miraculous as all the Cable Car staff was telling them about it. Unfortunately, we could not watch on the day we were there as there was a private function. Nah, this gives us another reason to be back.

  • Family friendly dining with a breathtaking view
  • This lobster laksa is a must-try!

We continued our explorer adventure heading back to Sentosa Island. Admiring the Birdseye view of our beautiful island. In our current hectic life, how often do we stop and appreciate the things we have in our life. Thus when we completed the fifth activity at Siloso Point station, we explored Siloso Point with the recommendation of a tourist. How shameful? A Singaporean guided by a tourist. LOL

  • Siloso Point

After a quick freshen up back in our rooms, we headed back to Dusk for dinner. This was supposed to be a session planned for hubby. Sadly, he had to travel at the very last min and we did the sunset dinner without him. Here goes another, nah.. we will be back. Dusk is highly recommended for a place to chill over drinks and dinner, come around 630pm and watch the sky take in its breath-taking hues of vermillion and violet.

cheers…

If you are thinking about where to stay in Sentosa or planning a staycation with your family. Do remember to check out the new Village Hotel which recently welcomed its first visitor in March. If squeezing in a hotel to save cost is not your style, then you will be thrilled to learn that Village hotel offers a Family Room at an attractive rate of $260 per night. (This is under their opening special) Yes 2 rooms for only $260! I think this is a steal for a hotel in Sentosa that offers great facilities and a stone throw away to all the attractions. Village Hotel is just a 3 mins walk from the Merlion Station and Imbiah Monorail Station. You can also walk to RWS from the Festive Walk. If you are a lazy bone like me, the hotel provides free shuttle service to RWS and Vivocity. They gladly provide all patrons with complimentary Monorails tickets which is valid for 3 days of activation. Who needs to travel this June Holiday when there is so much being offered in Sentosa!

Village Hotel at Sentosa

10 Artillery Avenue, #02-01, Sentosa Island, Singapore 099951 Contact No.Hotel:
+65 6722 0800
Reservations:
+65 6881 8888
Emailinfo.vhs@fareast.com.sg

https://www.villagehotels.com.sg/en/hotels/village-hotel-sentosa

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The perfect family staycation – all while earning Skywards Miles!

Before we left for our Europe holiday, the girls were sulking as we did not bring them along. Thus,
we promised the girls a staycation when we were back from our holiday. We thought a staycation
would probably be the best substitute for a holiday and the girls would be happy. They should be,
because we need to beg them to roam around most of the time during our overseas holidays! The
girls were always happy just staying in the hotel and whenever we were out exploring, they would
always ask when we would come back. Thus, we felt a staycation would be the best idea for them.

As we had done numerous staycations in the past, we wanted something with more tranquillity this
time round. The first hotel that came to our mind was Shangri-La! Now, I had heard a lot about the
wonderful service of Shangri-La, but had yet to stay in one of their hotels. Thus, I thought it would be
a good time to experience the highly raved-about service of this hotel. If you had read my previous
post on Mileslife, you will be glad to know that you can also book your hotel stays through the app
and earn Skywards Miles at the same time. Of course, I did just that.
Booking a hotel stay through the app was a breeze – just like how you would usually make any hotel
reservations online.

From the moment we checked in, the service from all the staff at Shangri-La was impeccable. The lady who did our check-in advised us to switch to the Garden Wing as the room was more spacious. I am glad we did, as the girls needed the space to play and the room was perfect.  The room at the Garden Wing was also bigger as the booking with Mileslife came with an additional kid’s bed (free of charge!), which was perfect for us. Usually, we have to either all squeeze into a King size bed or sleep with the girls on twin beds. But with an additional bed, we were comfortably set in this room. Watch this clip for a tour of the room.

 

As we did not want to make this staycation all about staying in the hotel, we tricked the girls out by telling them we were going to hit the nearby Toy’r’Us store.  Hahaha… They jumped out of bed immediately. There is a free shuttle service to Orchard road every hour. If not, you can always request for a complimentary parking ticket each time you leave the hotel. After all the shopping at the Forum, we headed back to the hotel for a nice dinner at the Shang Palace.

 

The booking I made through Mileslife came with free breakfast!!! I have to tell you the breakfast at Shangri-La is a MUST!! The selection was one of the biggest I have seen. Good news to all families with kids 6 years and below. The kids get to dine free with each paying adult!! For us, Lauren paid half price ($22.50) as she is 8, but it was still very worthwhile too. All in all, we had a two-hour breakfast with Nasi Lemak and Laksa, and hit the pool right after.

 

 

 

 

We were surprised to see many Singaporean families there for staycation too!!! The girls made some new friends and were so reluctant to leave because it was almost time for us to check out.

 

 

We truly enjoyed ourselves and I am already scrolling through Mileslife for the next hotel to plan for our staycation! ;p

For those who are interested to know, I spent $441 and I earned 3,500 Skywards Miles from this booking.  This will be so helpful for my family holiday to Melbourne next year.  FYI, an Economy Class Saver return ticket on Emirates to Melbourne will require 45,000 Skywards Miles. Inclusive of my earlier spending on Mileslife, I am already a quarter way through the Miles required! Additionally, if you link your Emirates Skywards account to the Mileslife app as your frequent flyer programme of choice, you will be able to earn bonus Skywards Miles ranging from 25% to 75% if you are a Silver, Gold or Platinum member! Do keep a look out for special promotions on the app as well – the promotions may help you earn more Skywards Miles than usual!

 

 

 

 

 

I am definitely going to use this app whenever possible to accumulate more miles! For those that plan to download the app, do use my code “MSCLAK” under the referral code section to get additional 1000 miles on your 1st purchase (min. $49)!

 

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