Day 5 ( 16 September 2010 )

Sadly, it was the last day of school for our pupils in Endeavour School(s). The pupils brought along their gifts and souvenirs for their Australian buddies. Here, the pupils were gearing up for their performance.



Our pupils sang and danced to four songs. The songs were 'Chicken Dance', 'Nobody' by Wondergirls, 'Baby' by Justin Bieber and the YOG theme song, 'Oh Yeah!' Everyone enjoyed the performance. Though some of our pupils were shy and afraid to perform at the beginning, they slowly warmed up and moved to the beat and rhythm of the songs. The audience also gave the kids many rounds of loud applause.

After our performance, Mdm Lee and three of our pupils presented a beautifully crafted artwork to Endeavour Schools principal, Mr Hansen. One of the artworks was a montage of photos taken during the trip.

The Year 1 (Kindergarten) pupils also put up an entertaining song-and-drama entitled 'Goldilocks and the three bears'. They sang and danced and posed for picture-taking after their performance.

After the assembly, the pupils congregated for a group photo.

One of our pupils presented an artwork to the Art specialist, Mrs. O.S during the art lesson. As the old adage goes, all good things must come to an end. It was time to bid farewell to Mrs O.S and Mrs Ryan who have imparted a lot of skills to our pupils and teachers. It was also time to leave all our Australian friends behind and head back home. The pupils were really upset but we have all the photos and experiences as keepsakes. Hopefully, everyone can keep in touch with one another and who knows, we can welcome them to Singapore and host them in our school!

It was a special day for all pupils at Endeavour. A local reporter of the Australian Press interviewed one pupil from each respective schools. Adithya was selected to represent our school for the interview. The reporter asked Adithya to talk about his experience in the school.

Here, one of Endeavour Schools' pupils and Adithya posed for the camera with their artworks. They are really artists in the making. Their artworks are simply gorgeous!

After the lesson, the teachers got together to have a snapshot. (From left: Mdm Wong, Mrs O.S., Mrs Ryan and Mdm Lee). Everyone has been working together really hard to make this trip a truly enriching and memorable one for the kids.

Before we left the school, it was really a heart-breaking and tearful farewell. Pupils shed tears of sadness as they had to leave. The four days in Endeavour Schools might be a short one but the pupils had built good rapport and friendship with the Australian pupils. Parting was sorrowful. The pupils hugged each other and exchanged their 'forget-me-not' contact details. May their friendship last forever...

The principal, Mr Hansen and the teachers bade Admiralty Primary School teachers and pupils goodbye. It was an invaluable experience for both schools as all of us have learnt a lot about each other's culture and system. Though we may be 5-hour apart via flight and miles away in distance, we are living in a borderless and boundless world, connected to each other via technology. We will keep in touch and stay committed to our belief that EVERY CHILD IS SPECIAL!

The picture below shows the Australian pupils beaming with joy with the medals that they received from our school pupils.

After lunch, the pupils headed to the aquarium to experience the creatures that reside in the waters of Western Australia.

The pupils got their hands wet as they touched the starfish, stingrays and other small fishes in this touch-pool.

The primary 5 pupils showed how much they have enjoyed the trip by posing candidly for Mr Fahmei. The pupils saw many sea creatures that they have never seen before... such as the leafy sea dragon, blue-ring octopus and jelly fish. They were also surprised to see how beautiful the coral reefs were.

The pupils assembled outside the aquarium before they went for their dinner. It was such an emotional day for our pupils that many of them were solemn in the bus reflecting on their 4 days spent at Endeavour School(s).

Before Admiralty Visual Art Club sign off, we would like to wish all who view the blog --- happiness and may your lives be filled with wonderful experiences, faithful friends and beautiful memories. Do live life to the fullest. Take care...

Day 4 ( 15 September 2010 )

Woke up by the loud incessant ringing tone of the phone... Pupils of Admiralty Primary got ready and as usual... proceeded to the hotel restaurant for their breakfast.
Throughout the trip, the hotel receptionist and teachers have been faithfully calling and waking the sleepy heads up at twilight hours.
The pupils however showed resilience and were very spirited, vivacious and bubbly when they gathered for breakfast and mingled with everyone with zest and exuberance despite being worn out and they looked forward to attending school at Endeavour.


The 45 minutes journey to Endeavour School(s) was the perfect time for the pupils to catch up with their beauty sleep. Ha! Ha!
The picture below was taken outside the school gate. It was a bright and sunny day but the temperature was low at about 16 degrees celcius. The chilly breeze sent goosepimples all over and sting at times. As you can see, the pupils were wrapped up like dumplings. They even had extra clothing underneath their school PE shirts!



Soon, it was lesson time with "The Marvellous Mrs O.S and Mrs Ryan". The pupils had been captivated by them for the past few days and they had really learnt a lot from the Endeavour experts.

Our pupils were divided into three distinct groups based on their levels. Primary 3, Primary 4 and Primary 5 . All the three groups had different art lessons conducted by Mrs O.S and Mrs Ryan. Special thanks must be mentioned to give credit to Mrs O.S, Mrs Ryan and Endeavour School(s) for their warm hospitality, care, time, effort, and patience put in to guiding our kids and having us, the teachers popping into their classrooms discreetly. THANK YOU ENDEAVOUR SCHOOL(S)!

Lessons there were very hands-on, experimental and progressive. Pupils got to explore art-making using different medium and materials to create abstract pieces of artwork which were eventually put together to form beautiful masterpieces. Well done kids!

Our pupils worked hard and kept up with the Australian counterparts as the Art lessons were fast paced. They were really focused and on-task. There was no time for idling nor side talk. Hopefully, our pupils would bring virtues of efficiency and precision with them back to Admiralty Primary.

While one of the groups was having Art lesson, another group would be having other lessons such as English, Mathematics, PE or Music.

This term, we were lucky to witness the school's "Endeavour Got Talent" rehearsal. The pupils showcased their ability to sing and dance in front of their friends and they also played musical instruments and recite poetry too! The pupils volunteered to perform in every Music lesson. This helps to boost their confidence and hone their public performance ability. The audience clapped, cheered and whistled to show their support for their friends in the casual setting of the music room. The teacher did explain to the kids that loud whistling and cheering are not allowed at formal venue and function.

Two of our pupils, Jolin and Nicole volunteered to show what they have got! These two pupils played a melodic duet of the song "Somewhere over the Rainbow" on the piano and mesmerized everyone. They were totally awesome and the music teacher, Ms Kerry requested that they play another song for them. The kids are really talented. WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!

During recess, the pupils sat in a sheltered multi-purpose hall which serves as a canteen, assembly point and hall. There is only one stall selling food and drinks. Most of the Australian kids will bring their own lunch. Our pupils are really adaptable and they interact well with the Australians and have meals with them, sharing stories and food.

After snacking, the pupils played games. They are allowed to loan any equipments from any of the storage baskets available in different parts of the school man by no one! Student leaders would place the games paraphernalia at the designated areas during recess and pupils would help themselves to the resources and place them back neatly into the basket orderly when the bell rings signalling the end of recess.

These pupils below were skipping using a long rope. They have to coordinate well so all the pupils will jump over the hurdle together. Look at how high the kids could jump! The picture below shows two of our pupils creating flowers for their artwork.
We left the school at 12.30 p.m. for our lunch. After lunch, we went to the Australian Art Gallery. The pupils attended a two-hour art workshop by one of the artists in the Art Gallery. They also did sandart.After the workshop, the pupils sat outside the gallery to do some sketching of the man-made wetland. Our pupils attracted some passerbys and onlookers with their beautiful sketches of the place. The pupils made full use of the short time to observe the place carefully before they start sketching.


After about 35 minutes of sketching, the pupils went for their dinner and then back to the hotel. It was another day of invaluable learning and the pupils really had a splendid time.

Back at the hotel, the pupils had to prepare an item for assembly the following day. They were given only a day notice but our kids really rose to the occasion. They discussed and came up with songs that they want to perform and two of the pupils, Sophia and Athirah, choreographed the dance came up with the steps for the songs. Good luck!

Day 3 ( 14 September 2010 )

Greetings from Perth! Rise and shine at 5.30am. Chilly weather with a lots of sunshine though... Back at Endeavour School, Mr Hansen, the principal gave all of us a treat to the traditional Australian 'Limmington Cake'. It is a sponge cake covered with chocolate and grated coconut. "Yummy!"
Back in the artroom, everyone let down their hair and got their hands dirty doing some fun-filled printing lessons.

After lunch at Harbourtown Shopping Mall, we went to the Victorian-era Mammal Gallery at the Western Australian Museum. The pupils were fascinated by the huge and varied displays of primitive-age mammals skeleton models and their fossils. They even touched dinosaur 'poo' which after years of landscape, weather and environmental changes had become a 'stone'! Imagine having an artifact at present time which discreetly tells a history of life long ago...

Here, Vienna is being bitten by a native mammal. "Ouch! That hurts!"

A stone's throw away from the museum is one of the busy shopping streets in Perth. The street is flanked with shops along both sides of the walkway and a bronze sculpture of a man doing a hand-stand in the middle. This street is like our Orchard Road (minus the nudging crowd). Our pupils got themselves warm and cosy and started assimilating the beautiful sight of some victorian, renaissance and contemporary buildings. Then their pencils started doodling. VOILA! An artist in the making...

Look at how engrossed the pupils were!

Right after sketching, we proceeded to a nearby Indonesian restaurant for our 'tuka'. We had ayam goreng (fried chicken), beef rendang, omelette and some vegetables with fruits as dessert. It was simply heavenly... Cheers!

Then it was meeting time and bedtime. Goodnight!

Day 2 ( 13 September 2010 ) Part 1

Up and about at 5.30am on Monday. Everyone had a scrumptious breakfast at The Esplanade Hotel Cafe. It was a cold, windy and frosty morning with vapour spouting from the everyone's mouth when we were outdoor.
After breakfast, we proceeded to Endeavour School, a 45-minute drive from where we stay, for our long-awaited school immersion programme. The children were very EXCITED!!!

Mr Hansen, the school principal greeted us with a warm welcome and jovially, he introduced our pupils to their Australian buddies. Our pupils were quite reticent at the beginning...

But soon the ice melted... and they interacted enthusiastically.

Then the children were led to their classes and had their lessons with their Australian counterparts. It was indeed an enriching experience!

Day 2 ( 13 September 2010 ) Part 2

The pupils had their 'maiden'art lessson with their buddies and the Australian Art Specialist, Mrs O.S and Mrs Ryan. They taught the children with enormous creativity, love and patience. Everyone was engaged and on-tasked. All the pupils love her VERY MUCH!


Pupils had tea breaks with the Australian kids and for lunch, our pupils had prepacked food from 'Rooster', the Australian version of our 'KFC'. Then we headed out for Secret Harbour. It was an awe-inspiring sight with huge waves and wind. We even spotted a brave youngster riding the waves at the freezing temperature of about 13 degree celsius on top of the strong gust. Children posed for photo takes and enjoyed sinking their feet into the fine sand.

Our next destination was one of Perth's must-visit attraction, King's Park. Children had an opportunity to sit on the soft and beautiful carpet grass to sketch the surroundings. It was truly a memorable sight we would not want to forget or miss.

Soon, darkness enveloped and we had to proceed to 'Love & Care Restaurant' for our 'tuka', meaning food in the Australian native language. The children had a fulfilling dinner...

Among us was a shy and reserved birthday boy, Lucas. We sprang a surprise on him and bought a chocolate cake... JUST FOR HIM. We were so envious...

Day 1 (12 September 2010) Perth Trip

On 12 September 2010, 28 visual arts students embarked on a visual arts learning journey to Perth. Here are some of the highlights for day 1 of the trip. Enjoy!

Enthusiastic students are waiting to enter the gate (C20) at Singapore Changi Airport.

First destination after the arrival.

Students are given some time to sketch kangaroos. Guides at the Caversham Wildlife park offered educational commentaries about the habitats of the famous animals such as the Koalas, wombats as well as the kangaroos.


Here are some students doing a live sketching of the kangaroos.

Group photo at Caversham Wildlife Park.

There will be more pictures to be uploaded on the school website. Stay tuned

Communication Tool for Updates

Dear Parents of the VA Club members,

this blog will serve as updates for your child who will be embarking on the

learning journey to Perth.

Pictures and news will be updated daily so as you can know how the day

went for your child.

The teachers-in-charge will be posting entries whenever there's an

internet connection available.

We understand your concerns of the easy accessibility to contact your

child.

However, we are unable to give you direct phone numbers of the

teachers.

You can call Admiralty Primary School during school hours and they will

contact us if there's a need to.

You can also call the hotel we are occupying in the evening if there's a

need for you to talk to your child.

Rest assured, we will try our very best to have this learning journey, a

safe and enriching experience for your

child.

It may be their first time being away from Singapore and their family.

But here are some of the things your child may gain from this trip.

1) Increased self confidence – having to face up to new challenges alone is difficult for any of us at any age, but for students and young people the challenge can be so incredibly rewarding and it can build significant self confidence. Those who take the challenge and accepting all the tests that decision can bring, end up coming out of the experience so much stronger.

2) Increased maturity – it may be just five days but they will learn a great deal about another country, culture and people, about themselves and about getting things done. This naturally leads to a rapid advancement in terms of gaining maturity, and this stands an individual in good stead for the immediate and long-term future.

3) Develop a broader mind – they say travel broadens the mind, and for youngsters who go abroad on their own and are willing to remain open and accepting of change and cultural differences, the experience can indeed be mind altering! Those who get a chance to go abroad at a young age have a much broader view of the world and don’t just see things in relation to their own home environment.

4) Learn more about different cultures and values – as part of the concept of travel expanding the mind, those who spend some time abroad in a different culture begin to better understand their own culture and their own values and biases as well as those of their nation as a whole. This enables one to get things more in perspective in life, and appreciate that we are all individuals, we are all different, and we all deserve the same amount of respect.

5) Make more friends – anyone who embraces the idea of going overseas for a period of time will find that they make so many more friends! It is par for the course when living in a new country that you will seek out those who can make the experience easier and more fun – and in so doing an individual immediately vastly widens their circle of friends, and for many people these friendships exist for life and are life enhancing!

6) Learn new skills – some people who travels learn so much more than just the languages, they learn new skills and passions that influence the whole of the rest of their life.

7) Acquire a lifetime of benefits!Finally, it seems that those who get a chance to go overseas gain so many rounding experiences and skills that their lives are positively and profoundly altered forever.

Hope you will find this entry useful for your reading pleasure.

Countdown to the Learning Journey

Dear VA Club Members,

as we are approaching to 12 September 2010, don't forget to pack all your luggage and backpack.

Remember, you are not allowed to bring any food items with you.

Do bring along your art bag and your art materials with you.

I believe all of you are so excited now.

To all parents -

The flight will be at 0900 hr.

The pupils will be boarding Qantas Airways Flight Number 72.

They will be assembling in school at 0500 hrs.

To all those who want to see them off, you can be there at 0600hrs at Terminal 1 Row 10.

Please be punctual so as we can have a smooth and safe journey to Perth.

Learning Journey to Perth, Australia

The VA Club members are going on a Learning Journey to Perth, Australia. These pupils are specially selected to embark on this journey so as to polish up their skills and techniques in art. These are the 28 pupils who are leaving on a jet plane this Sunday, 12 September.

Hope the pupils will be having a fruitful and beneficial learning experience in Perth.

Bon Voyage!