EYES NEWS

EARLY YEARS

TODDLER - Chinese Language

Written by Ms. Bi Qin

本学期，Toddler 班的孩子们在中文学习中，通过主题**“白天与黑夜”探索了反义词的概念。在课堂上，幼儿认识了白天可以看到太阳和云朵，夜晚可以看到星星。

在丰富的动手活动中，孩子们给星星涂上黄色并一起唱中文儿歌《一闪一闪亮晶晶》，用黄色透明纸制作太阳，用棉花制作白云。这些有趣的活动帮助幼儿认识颜色、感知不同材质，并逐步建立对周围世界的初步认知。

在这一阶段，以激发幼儿对中文的兴趣为目标，从真实情境与多感官体验出发，帮助幼儿在轻松愉快的环境中自然接触中文。

This term, our toddlers explored the concept of opposites through the theme Day and Night in Chinese learning. During the lessons, children learnt about daytime, when we can see the sun and clouds, and nighttime, when we can see the stars.

Through hands-on activities, children coloured stars yellow and sang the Chinese song “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, used yellow transparent paper to create the sun, and made soft white clouds using cotton. These playful experiences helped children recognise colours, explore textures, and build early understanding of the world around them.

At this stage, our goal is to spark children’s interest in Chinese. Through real-life contexts and multisensory experiences, we support children in naturally engaging with Chinese in a relaxed and joyful learning environment.

NURSERY -  Chinese Language

Written by Ms. Bi Qin

在本阶段的中文学习中，Nursery 的孩子们围绕 “动物”主题展开了一系列丰富有趣的探究活动。通过观察、故事、手工和角色扮演，孩子们在轻松愉快的氛围中接触中文，感受语言学习的乐趣。

在小猫主题活动中，孩子们亲手制作小猫手工，并进行“喂小猫吃鱼”的情景游戏，在老师的引导下大胆尝试说中文：“小猫很可爱。”“小猫喜欢吃鱼。”在乌龟主题学习中，课堂结合真实乌龟视频与乌龟玩具进行观察比较，孩子们还动手制作了属于自己的小乌龟，并一起参与“寻找乌龟妈妈”的情境活动。此外，通过大图绘本故事《龟兔赛跑》，孩子们认真聆听故事内容，并用棉球创作小兔子的毛发，加深对故事的理解。

通过主题式、多感官的学习方式，孩子们在活动中不断尝试表达，逐渐建立中文学习的信心。在玩中学、做中说的过程中，幼儿的中文听说能力、专注力、动手能力和语言理解能力都得到了良好的发展，同时也培养了对中文学习的兴趣与积极态度。

During this stage of Chinese learning, Nursery children explored the theme “Animals” through a series of fun and engaging activities. Through observation, storytelling, hands-on crafts, and role play, children were introduced to Chinese in a relaxed and joyful learning environment, experiencing the beauty and fun of language learning.

During the Kitten-themed activities, children made their own kitten crafts and took part in a role-play game of “feeding the kitten fish.” With teacher guidance, they were encouraged to confidently try speaking Chinese:Xiǎo māo hěn kě’ài. — The kitten is very cute.Xiǎo māo xǐhuan chī yú. — The kitten likes to eat fish.In the Turtle-themed learning, lessons combined real turtle videos with turtle toys to help children observe and compare. The children also created their own turtles and joyfully joined a dramatic play activity — “Looking for the turtle’s mother.”In addition, through the big book story “The Tortoise and the Hare,” children listened attentively to the story and used cotton balls to create the hare’s fur, deepening their understanding through creative expression.

Through this theme-based and multi-sensory learning approach, children were encouraged to express themselves throughout the activities and gradually built confidence in learning Chinese. By learning through play and speaking through hands-on experiences, their Chinese listening and speaking skills, concentration, fine motor skills, and language comprehension were well developed, while also nurturing a positive attitude and growing interest in learning Chinese.

PRE-KINDERGARTEN - Indonesian Language

Written by Ms. Grace

For the past three weeks, our Pre-K students have been exploring topics about water (air), land (tanah), and air (udara) in Indonesian language class. Through a variety of hands-on and discussion-based activities, they learned about the concepts of floating (terapung) and sinking (tenggelam), discussed the parts of plants, and named flying animals commonly found in their surroundings.

Through stories, activities, and class discussions, the students showed understanding and genuine enthusiasm. Their serious and focused expressions were clearly visible as they tried to guess which objects would float and which would sink. The excitement grew as they tested their guesses with sensory waterplay activity. When learning about plants and flying creatures, the children also demonstrated creativity and fine motor skills by making their own flower vases and butterflies. 

Overall, it was a joyful few weeks filled with curiosity, discovery, and learning about their surroundings! 💦🌱🪰

K1 - Indonesian Language

Written by Ms. Angel

Our K1 students started Term 3 by exploring animals and their habitats, such as land (darat), water (air), and air (udara), while also strengthening their reading skills. We began with a whale story to introduce sea animals, followed by a connect-the-dots activity to help children remember the creature’s shape. Learning then continued with a fun fishing game, where students worked in pairs to “fish” for matching syllables and combined them to form simple words. For instance, /ja/ and /he/ make “jahe” (ginger).

For flying animals, the children were introduced to the cockatoo and created colourful paper-plate birds. Reading practice is also implemented through the pretend play game, “Feed the Little Birds”. Before feeding them, students need to read words beginning with the /k/ sound on the paper worms.

By combining these hands-on activities and games, students build familiarity with animals and develop early reading skills in a fun and meaningful way!

K2 - PE

Written by Mr. Victor

In our recent PE class, K2 students focused on developing coordination and confidence through skipping activities. The lesson began with learning how to skip individually using a rope, giving students time to explore the movement at their own pace while following simple cues. We then added a fun challenge by jumping over a moving obstacle with Mr. Victor, which helped students practise timing, balance, and safe movement.

Throughout the session, students were encouraged to keep trying, even when the movement felt challenging at first. It was nice to see them smiling, laughing, and supporting one another while staying engaged in the activity. The class showed great energy and persistence, and most importantly, they enjoyed the learning process.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

GRADE 1 - English

Written by Ms. Wendi

Grade 1 students have been simultaneously building their literacy and independence skills in our bi-weekly reading centres. This provides an opportunity for students to practise being group leaders, working for sustained amounts of time independently, and working together for a group goal. Centre activities include reading comprehension, using the writing process to brainstorm and draft, time to work on HW and vocabulary, and small group teacher-led phonics drills. While it has taken time for the students to learn the routines, we have seen good progress in being organised and developing stamina to work productively without consistent reminders from teachers. Currently, they are starting to choose topics for their term 3 projects in which they will formulate questions, research, and create a non-fiction essay in support of our commitment to the Earth and being a healthier, happier SWA. 

GRADE 2 - Science

Written by Ms. Shirley

Grade 2 students started the new term by recalling what they learnt about separating mixtures. Through fun, hands-on experiments, they used sieving, filtration, and magnetic separation to sort materials based on their physical properties, such as size and magnetism. This helped them understand that different materials need different methods to be separated.

Next, students moved on to Chapter 7: Sorting Animals. Just like materials, animals can also be grouped based on their features. The students researched and learnt that animals are divided into vertebrates and invertebrates, and they explored the different groups within each category.

Although the topics were different, both lessons focused on the same big idea: sorting and classifying by observing properties and features. Through experiments and research, students strengthened their observation skills and learnt how scientists organise the world around them.

GRADE 3 - Indonesian Language

Written by Ms. Farah and Ms. Ayu

Indonesian Language Literature (ILL)

The Joy of Ular Naga Panjang

The Grade 3 students had an exciting Indonesian Language and Literacy (ILL) lesson. To better understand Indonesian culture, we moved our classroom to the field to play a traditional game called Ular Naga Panjang.

In this game, two students formed a "gate" by holding hands, while the others formed a long "snake" by holding the waist of the person in front. As we walked through the gate, we sang the traditional song together. It was so much fun!

Through this activity, we did not just practise our Indonesian vocabulary and singing; we also learnt about teamwork and honesty. When the music stopped and the gate closed, the "trapped" student had to join a team. We laughed and cheered throughout the session. Learning about our heritage through play is truly the best way to study!

Indonesian Language Acquisition (ILA)

In Indonesian Language Acquisition, Grade 3 students explored kata ajakan (inviting or persuasive expressions) through a creative and hands-on poster project. This lesson helped students understand how language can be used to invite, encourage, and remind others in positive and meaningful ways.

During the activity, students created posters featuring simple kata ajakan such as “Ayo kita makan buah dan sayur”, “Ayo tidak buang sampah”, and “Ayo tidak nyalakan lampu supaya hemat listrik.” Through drawings and short sentences, students learned how to combine persuasive words with clear messages about healthy habits, caring for the environment, and saving energy. Students worked in pairs, sharing ideas, choosing vocabulary, and illustrating their messages with colourful pictures. This activity supported vocabulary development, sentence formation, and confidence in using Indonesian for real-life purposes. Well done, Grade 3! 🌟

GRADE 4 - Korean Language

Written by Ms. Ellie

Grade 4 students in the Korean Language class recently participated in a special calligraphy lesson that connected language learning with traditional culture. During the lesson, students learnt about Hunminjeongeum, the original Korean writing system, and explored its historical background and importance. Using traditional brushes and ink, students carefully practised writing the characters themselves.

At first, handling the brush required patience and control, but students gradually became more confident as they focused on each stroke. The quiet and steady process encouraged them to slow down and pay close attention to their movements.

Through this experience, students learnt more than just calligraphy. They discovered the importance of concentration, mindfulness, and emotional calm. Many students shared that the activity helped them feel relaxed and focused. This lesson offered a meaningful opportunity to experience Korean culture while developing both language skills and personal well-being.

GRADE 5 - Music

Written by Mr. Freddy

It has been a joy to witness the wonderful musical growth of our Grade 5 students over the past semester. Their improvement in vocal production, pitch control, and instrumental skills has been remarkable. This progress was clearly seen in their Semester 1 project, where students confidently performed in a ukulele ensemble while singing and acting in a musical, combining music, movement, and expression with great enthusiasm.

This term, students have expanded their musical thinking by learning how instruments are classified using the Sachs–Hornbostel system, exploring idiophones, chordophones, membranophones, aerophones, and electrophones. Through observation, exploration, and class presentations, they are developing deeper musical understanding beyond traditional orchestra groupings.

Currently, students are preparing for a collaborative project on Music and Chinese for the Spring Festival. Singing in Chinese challenges them to focus on clear articulation and expressive interpretation while nurturing multilingual learning and international-mindedness. Their joy, curiosity, and musical confidence continue to shine.