Topics for Rachel and group

Hi Rachel and Group.

These are the topics that I want you to work on.

1      Imagine a reunion with three friends from your schooldays in 10 years' time. How will your lives have changed?  {This is not exactly a narrative essay}. A Personal Expository Essay perhaps. It would help if you write it in present tense.

2    'Animals and birds should never be kept in cages.' What is your opinion? (A cause and effect question,  where you can discuss ehat would happen if they are kept in cages.

Regards

Situations and Descriptions

Hi 4 Band 1
As spoken to you this morning, this is the task for you. Please write descriptive paragraphs based on the following situations. Remember that you are required to infuse the descriptive words we have learnt so far. Also I would be looking at the sentence structures. Basically there must be a variety. Have fun.

1  A poor man is standing outside the gates of a big mansion.

2   A pretty woman is waiting at the traffic light for someone.

3  A pedophile is waiting to pounce on his innocent victims.

4  The biggest lose ( you know what I mean) is talking about his weight loss and the prize money.

5   The little match girl is shivering in cold and refusing to go home for fear of her step-father.

N.B. I hope that by thetime you post your comments you have removed any objectionable statements.

Remember to write the names of your group members.

Mrs Dass

Welcome back and let's start the engine

Hi 4 Band 1
I hope after at long restful holiday you are all geared up to cruise this journey through Sec 4. Well I am sure most of you are :)
Ok let's get started.
1) Topics for the first essay conferencing - A Leader  / A Loser /  A Windfall . This essay can be written as a first person or third person narrative. Do your planning at home so that we can do this essay in class on Thursday. 

The 1st group of people whom I will be seeing on Monday for conferencing are are 1) Calandra 2) Patrizha 3) Pei Shan 4) Emmeline. Please swop with your friends if you can't meet me on Monday.

Ok, now for the topics for discussion. Please post it under comments 1) What is your view on where and how, elderly people should live? 2) If you could design a special home for the elderly, what would it include? 3) Should healthcare and nursing homes for the elderly be free of charge?

Hope to see your comments in by friday 7 Jan.
                                                     

School can wait Childhood cannot

I agree with the statement 'school can wait, childhood cannot' as everyone only has one childhood and when it is over, you cannot get it back, and you will regret not having the chance to play as much as you want during your childhood. Forcing a child to learn or do something when she is still very young is not very good as she may not even know what she is doing and it may end up as a waste of time and money. I feel that a child should enjoy her childhood so they will have no regrets and will also tend to work harder in the future.

School can wait, childhood cannot

I believe that all parents want the best for their children. However, I feel that they should consider their child's feelings. Imagine being dragged to extra classes at the age of 4, or forced to learn piano, how will they feel? I agree to a certain extent to what the writer stated "School can wait, childhood cannot". All children deserves to have a happy, relax and stress-free childhood. After all, time passes very quickly. At the age of 4, they should be learning the only basics in school; simple calculations, simple spellings, simple socializing skills with friends. By forcing them to learn something beyond what they can comprehend might just create a backfire to the situation; they might not even want to learn it anymore. However, at that stage in life, it is not studies that matter. It is the principles in life that matters. Thus, school can wait. A carefree childhood is very important. Without a happy childhood, how will a child develop? I feel that a child with a happy childhood will grow to be a healthy adult. Healthy in the sense that they will not have emotional problems that carry them through their growing years. Thus, childhood is considered an important phrase of life. If you missed having a childhood, all we can say is that you are very unfortunate. We cannot go back in time to have a childhood ever again. What's passed is passed. We all want to go back to the past. However, we know that it is impossible.

For those reasons, i agree with the writer that,
School can wait, childhood cannot.

SCHOOL CAN WAIT CHILDHOOD CANNOT

I agree to these statement as time goes by you can never get it back anymore just like your childhood. Once you lose it its gone. however your life must not only revolve around playing and having fun when you are young, there must be a certain limit to it. To me childhood comes in first, as schooling does not assure that you will have a great future. You can also continue schooling after your working days when you feel that you are more interested in studying. Childhood is a time wher kids learn more general knowledge, moral, and good attributes. However school does not teach these in detail it is only briefly talked about. Whereas childhood allow children to be able to explore these all by themselves. Thus children will be able to learn more by exploring by themselves.

School can wait, childhood cannot

i believe there should be a equal weightage between one's childhood and one's studies , as both cannot be easily forgotten or worse neglected. Without a proper education we are unable to fully make use of our childhood to its fullest extent. Nevertheless all work and no play makes jack or in this case us really dull people. Our childhood is something we should treasure , happening once in a lifetime thus it would be unjustified if everyone's childhood would be filled with books and studies. As kids we should be able to live our lives, make mistakes and learn from them

Jia ming

School can wait. Childhood cannot .

I do agree with the writer in saying "school can wait but childhood cannot" . To me , a person's childhood is something very valuable and it only comes once in a lifetime . Since, it is supposed to be precious, why spoil your childhood with studying? Yes, studies are also important , but , at a young age, things can go a little slow-paced first. There is no need to rush into school . Nowadays, students are getting more and more stressed with so many homework and tests , resulting in little time to relax and enjoy time with their family memebers or do things that they like. Therefore, the only time where students can spend quality time with their family members without having to think much is only during the childhood years. If that time is also taken away, then what is left of happy memories?

Furthermore, the early exposure to many lessons may result in the child being unwilling to learn something new when he/she grows older next time. In addition, if the child is being forced to attend piano or violin lessons, what can the child actually absorb from these lessons that are supposed to be beneficial ? Instead, the child will feel resentful and basically, he/she will not be able to learn much. Thus, parents should see if their child expresses interest piano or violin and if he/she does, then the lessons may continue. Otherwise, parents should not force their child.

In conclusion, i feel that parents should just take things naturally and slowly. Let the kids enjoy their time in childhood , let them play with their friends, read fairytales because the experience during a person's childhood cannot be replaced by anything else in the world, not even getting the best grades or the best job.

Rachel

School can wait, childhood cannot.

I do agree with the writer says.

I am not saying that studies and other activities are not important, I am saying that these things should come in moderation and not excessively and that the age and interest of the child should also be put into consideration. 

Parents pressuring their children to excel at such a young age will give the child an unhappy childhood. Childhood is something that everyone can only experience once-where life is carefree and you have nothing to worry about. When they look back, children should be able to have fond memories of their childhood and not memories of jumping from math tuition to piano lessons and then swimming day after day.

A child should be allowed to enjoy their childhood and all these things are unnecessary at such a young age. There will be plenty of opportunities for the child to take up these things in the future. 

Does the parent who want their child educated so early spare a thought for what the child wants? The parent may have good intentions, but as the article says "an unwilling child is likely to learn nothing, regardless of his hours in class. And isn't it a happy childhood that matters in the end, since it's something that cannot be reclaimed?" If the activities given by the parent are the child's interest, then the child benefits. If not, it should not be forced upon the child and these things, such as piano lessons are not easy to pick up at such a young age-unless of course, the child is musically gifted, a genius and so on. 

I am not saying there is all play and no work. Basic things can be taught like reading, writing just to prepare the child but a child should be taught discipline, to prepare them for the future and morals that they will hold on to throughout their years. So therfore, parents should be spending time with their children, playing with them-school and other activities can come later. 

So i do agree, "School can wait. Jobs can wait. Childhood cannot. Life cannot."

School or Childhood?

Childhood should be an important part of ones life. It should not be deprived, sad or boring. It should be one that a person would remember all his/her life, and it of course must be a memorable one. Like the author said: "School can wait. Jobs can wait. Childhood cannot. Life cannot." This sentence is so agreeable. If someone's only goal in life to to study, work, study, work. What's the fun? Just like how people say nowadays, these people are called - NO LIFE!

I think that parents nowadays just do not spare a thought for their children, they do not care if their children are tired, or even drained from all the work. They not only do not encourage their children but also give them more work. At such a young age, how do you think a child is able to cope so much? One day, he/she might just break down or even worse - GO CRAZY! I believe that such act must be stopped!

If the only part of enjoying is one's life is before they even mature, why not let them do so? Maybe without all the pressure and stress, they exceed the parent's expectations.

CLEMENT :D

School or Childhood?

I do agree with the writer in saying "an unwillingly child is like to learn nothing". In my opinion, all these extra classes that parents are sending their kids to are not wrong, IF their children are interested in them and want to continue. I think it is good if parents send their children for short courses so as to find out what their children are interested in. If it is clearly shown by the child that what he/she is attending is not liked by him/her, I think the parents should stop the lessons. If he is interested in it, then lessons should continue as it may already pave a way for the future of the child.


However, I think by saying "At this rate, the average Singaporean six-year-old will soon have: a Grade Eight certificate in piano and violin, flawless public speaking skills, the ability to multiply and divide four-digit numbers and a vocabulary to bamboozle college professors" is just pure exaggeration and it is very unlikely to happen. Attaining a Grade Eight certificate in piano AND violin at the age of 6 is only possible for those that are very gifted in music and playing these instruments. Acquiring the proper skills and techniques for Grade 8 pieces require a lot of time and effort. To be able to master the piano and violin in 6 years, maybe 5 excluding the 1st year, is nearly impossible for an average Singaporean. Maybe, if the child is sent for music lessons for the entire 5/6 years of his life, there might still be a chance. But to be able to play the musical intruments well, speak fluently, do more advance maths and have a wide range of vocabulary at the same time, I will say that it's not possible.


To me, I think both school and childhood are important. There is a need to strike a balance between the two. School is needed to help children to learn more and gain knowledge. It is always good to gain knowledge. A happy childhood is important, as it will affect the person's view of life for the rest of his/her life. If his/her childhood is one of torture and unhappiness, it is natural that that person will always view life in a negative way.

School can wait, childhood cannot

I strongly agree with the writer. "School can wait. Jobs can wait. Childhood cannot. Life cannot." I find this very true. But to some of you, I do not know. I would rather choose childhood than school as it is something that you cannot turn back once it is gone. As a school student in this era in Singapore, one may not have time to even relax or spend time with his or her family. Teachers are already giving tonnes of homework even during school holidays. I would always ask myself why they would call it a holiday when students have to stay at home and continue with assignments. Parents are already working so hard to provide for their children, they may not even see them more than twice in a week. Therefore, it can be seen that once one passes childhood and goes to school and then out to the workforce, they will not have time for their family. When one is young, his parents would surely force one to sleep as it is harmful to one’s health. With medical research telling us that one should actually rest early to reduce the risk of getting health complications, do you think everyone, particularly researchers and doctors, are doing that? In addition, depression rate in Singapore among youths are on the rise. This is largely due to the work that school is assigning to us. One may say about the other that it is because he or she cannot manage stress effectively. However, if the amount of work given is minimal, why would one enter a state of depression? This is the reason why childhood is the best as it is stress-free.

Uniforms - Pride or Fashion Disaster

In our opinion, we think that having school uniforms are totally a fashion disaster not only because of their colour combination but also because of the way students are actually wearing them differently. The current colour combination of most schools are actually rather dull, they do not make students look fresh and alive. In general, most school uniforms’ designs look different just because of their logos. We do not feel that much creativity is used to design the uniform. Since there is no distinctive item on their school uniforms, students will definitely feel that it is not a pride to wear them. They are in a school, clad in their own school uniform. But still, they look just similar to other neighbouring schools’ students because of their almost alike uniform. In addition, it is also a fashion disaster due to the way students dress in them. It can be seen that students are not actually uniformed and this defeats the purpose of a uniform.

Rachel & Pei Shan

School or Childhood?

With regards to the article on Band 2's blog, I agree with the writer that we should seize every opportunity to have fun and relax while enjoying our childhood. In this time and age, especially Singapore as it is a very competitive country. Teachers and parents stress the children way too hard as paper qualifications are a must to get a good job. Singapore having no natural resources, have to produce human talent and the education system stresses the importance of studying to every student. However, this has created a negative impact on the students. Students receive tons of homework daily and the average secondary school student have about 4-6 tests per week while the homework are too piling up. The amount of homework students nowadays are receiving daily are 3 days worth of homework compared to other countries. In Singapore, the average student receives more than 2 hours worth of homework not including the time needed to study for tests. Most students like me have been deprived of a good night sleep for a very long time. We stay up to finish the immense amount of homework given to us by the teachers. As students, we hardly have any time to enjoy or childhood because of the rigid education system in Singapore. I disagree that homework helps the student get better grades because like what the writer mentioned "An unwilling student cannot learn anything". Students nowadays are too stressed out that some resorted to suicide as seen in the news. I feel that this problem will go on until the Ministry of Education does something about it before it goes out of hand. Especially so during the holidays, before the holidays our teachers will pile tons of homework on us before we can get to enjoy the holidays. By definition, holidays are meant to allow students to recharge and relax to get ready for the next term. However, because of the pressure from parents and teachers, we RARELY get a chance to rest as we are too busy doing the work to satisfy them. I agree with the writer, studies can wait however our childhood cannot. Many Singapore children nowadays have began studying very hard even though they are as young as Primary 1. We the students are being robbed of our childhoods and dreams because of such stress and pressure.

~Jacob

Missing Out on Childhood

After reading the article, "School can wait, childhood cannot", I agree fully with the journalist's views. Indeed, as we grow older each year, we find ourselves being less able to do the things that we truly love(e.g. lying on the grass watching the clouds or the world goes by). Every year we grow, the amount of homework given to us also increases significantly. When I was four years old, my mother had already forced me to memorise my times table. Whenever I faltered while reading out my times table to her, she would give me a taste of her cane . Not only that, she sent me to many different courses, from abacus to Chinese drama. She had this vision of moulding me into a perfect child, an all rounder. Alas, I failed her. But who could blame me? I was only four years old then. Fortunately, after hearing a colleague lamented about how she had missed out on her childhood, my mother finally relented. She realized that there was no point in forcing me do the things I disliked. Instead, she decided to leave me to my own devices and let me discover the joy of having a childhood. Imagine the joy I felt when I was finally able to participate in the games that I had been longing for, from hopscotch to hide-and-seek! The decision my mother made 11 years ago was indeed a wise and wonderful one. Not only was I able to perform better in my schoolwork, I also stopped dreading going for the courses my mother signed me up for because I was allowed to play as long as I understood my priorities.

Being a strong advocate that children should be allowed to enjoy their childhood, I believe that parents should not be so afraid of their child losing out to their peers. Every child has his or her own potential and talent. Trying to cultivate a talent in their child in a certain subject will only backfire because the child will be not be able to absorb anything from the courses that he or she is forced to go. Parents should instead allow their children to experience the fun of discovering the true meaning of their one and only childhood.

To reiterate my point, let me quote a saying, "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy"

Yan Leng:D

Uniforms - Pride or Fashion Disaster

I think Uniforms are fashion disasters. Teenagers nowaday go for very bazaar clothings. However school uniforms are just plain, dull piece of cloths. It is not students fault that they do not like their uniforms but it is because in this day and age, no one would wear such clothings outdoors. Even teachers, their outfits could look as nice as can be. But students just got to put on the same old clothing almost everyday. Maybe if the school would ask the students before creating their uniforms, students would learn to love them.

CLEMENT :D

How can we make Queenstownians better users of the English language?

We should be given more chance to speak in front of a huge audience, not just particular students who can speak 'proper' english or those with 'perfect' accent, but EVERYONE and ANYONE that belongs to our Queenstown family. It seems like many Queenstownians do not have the chance to speak infront of a huge crowd. Most of the time they only speak infront of the class if they have an assignment on speech. Teachers should give students more of such chances. This not only boosts ones confidence but also allow idividuals to improve on their English skills.

CLEMENT :D

Second week of holiday starts today

Hi Band I
Hope you rested well as it was indeed a long break. Now it is time to reflect on certain issues that are taken for granted, namely your childhood. I visited band 2's blog and read the article on missing out on childhood. Hmm! Something to think about. So the task for this week is to post an entry on the topic. Please use the  guidelines given by Miss Tan. I hope to see your entry by13 November. By the way with the exception of a couple of comments, I don't see anyone else commenting on their friends' posts. Can you please do so?

Till then Adieu

School Uniform : Pride or Fashion Disaster?

A school uniform, when worn, brings pride to a student by identifying him or her as a student of a certain school. It is especially so if a student is from a prestigious school, and people are able to recognise the uniform that the student is wearing, giving the student a sense of pride. Different schools will have different uniforms to identify students. With the different designs, there will also be a difference in the style of the uniforms. As such, while some students think that their uniforms are nice and good-looking, others will view their uniforms as a fashion disaster. To a student, it can either bring great pride and respect to the student or make the student think of it as a poorly designed uniform which they are reluctant to don.
Kkyx

How can we make Queenstownians better users of the English language?

In my opinion, I feel that teachers can give students magazines related to the English language. We are currently given a magazine known as 'Present Perfect' every month. This is a good practice, as students are largely attracted to interesting means of learning the English language. Giving students magazines is a good way to arouse their interest in the language, as the articles in the magazines are fun and interesting. Magazines are generally good reading materials as they contain not only words, but pictures as well. This way, students will read a copy of 'Present Perfect' every month and hopefully, reading those articles can help to improve their standards. Besides giving out magazines monthly, teachers can give out excercises for students to practice. Grammer and vocabulary excercises would be good, as nowadays, we focus more on that in the syllabus. Language games like Scrabble can also be introduced. Students will definitely be more interested in learning English if the teacher uses new and fun methods to teach. Therefore, having the interest in learning English, produces better results in tests and exams.

Melissa.

How Can We Make Queenstownians Better Users of The English Language

Simply focusing on being efficient in making Queenstownians proficient is not sufficient. Haste makes waste. Rome was not built in a day. To become proficient, one needs an ever increasing level of awareness of the intricacies and beauty of the language. To simply relegate students to the daily mechanical task of completing an infinitely tall mountain of assignments is at best going to greatly increase their hands muscles and at worst going to achieve no conceivable aim. What is then required of both the students and faculty is an increased understanding of how best to express oneself in any given situation with appropriateness and accuracy. It is not practical to regularly cow students into believing that speaking in 'proper English' 24/7 is the way to go. The truth of the matter is that as universally accepted as we believe the language to be, the fact remains that speaking in Singlish is still a viable alternative for communicative means especially among their peers. Language is after all a means for communication. To stamp out one language and to encourage another while insisting communication will be improved is ironic and naive. The message we need to bring forth today is that it never hurts to gain proficiency in another language, as it will render us better and more effective communicators. What we need to then do is to encourage our students to observe and understand the ways in which we can enhance our communicative means by gaining an awareness of the language. This can be done anytime and anywhere, by simply being more aware. One need not dogmatically slave over piles of grammar exercises, or read a great many books hoping that by memorising phrases one's proficiency will automatically increase, one simply needs to be aware of the universally accepted way of speaking and writing the language by having competent mentors to guide the way.

Pearlyn Wee (40)

3D Band 1

How can we make Queenstownians better uses of the English Language

We can make Queenstownians better uses of English Language by encouraging them to use the english lanuage as the main tool of communications among their peers. This way, they will be exposed to the english language and have a better understanding of using it. Also, speaking proper english is also strongly encouraged among the students as it will prevent them from using english language in other forms like messaging style. As this can influence the way that they write and speak, it is therefore important that Queenstownians speak proper english when communicating with theri peers, so as to make it a good habit in their lives.


-MeiMei

How can we make Queenstownians better users of the English Language

To improve Queenstownian's English, the standard of English in the country must first be raised. Queenstownians do not only communicate with other Queenstownians. The teachers of the schools must also be good. They must be able to make the lesson interesting and make sure that half the class do not fall asleep 5 minutes into the lesson. When students are interested in the lesson, they would pay more attention and learn more from the teacher, increasing the standard of their English. Teachers must also speak proper English. I have seen some English teachers who uses "Singlish" to speak to their students.

School Uniform - Pride or Fashion Disaster?

We think that school uniform is a pride, but can also be a fashion disaster if the individual looks at it in a certain way. It is a pride as it allows us to indentify a student from a certain school among a crowd. It gives us sort of a sense of belonging as we all wear the same uniform, sort of being part of the same family.
it may be a fashion disaster as the individual may not like the uniform, as it just does not suit their fashion taste, hence, calling the school uniform a fashion disaster. Some people may find the blouse too baggy and translucent, others may find it too tight. Now that we have a new blouse, some people may prefer wearing the new blouse than the old one.

Lenice and Melissa :D

A new journey begins

Hi 3 band one
With 2010 coming to an end you are now gearing up for your O levels. Believe me, it's going to be a turbulent journey. You will face many challenges along the way but you have your parents and teachers as support systems to help you. I hope by the time you leave the gates of QTSS, you are a self- directed- learner, taking charge of your own learning. Let the journey begin now.
Make it a point to have your voices heard by making an entry every week. At the same time let your friends know what you think about their views by commenting.
Our second topic for this week: Uniforms - Pride or Fashion Disaster

S.G. Dass

How can we make Queenstownians better users of english

English teachers have to be intensive in assingning tasks to the students and the students also have to comply with them and do their work. Teachers may give a large stack of worksheets for the students to attempt and create english related blogs to interest the students. Teachers should take note of what the students are weak in and give them activities which may improve them in that area. Eg. Grammar practices for those that tend to create numerous grammatical mistakes. Teachers need to give more personal attention toward students who are weaker to prompt and prepare them for their exams.

School Uniform: Pride or Fashion Disaster?

We think that uniforms, in general, have a similar generic template that schools can choose to play around and work with. As these clothes are meant to be worn almost everyday to school, it is of the utmost importance that these clothes are functional and comfortable to move around in. Thus, there is only so much that schools can do to modify the uniform to become more "fashionable" or "stylish", but ultimately, it has to be a shirt-skirt/shirt-pants/pinafore combination in order to fulfil the functional criterion. Usually, the school colours are chosen for the colours of the uniform but our school has decided to use white and blue. We are very thankful for that as a sky blue blouse and maroon skirt would just be disastrous. However, pertaining to the design of our new school uniform, we feel that the skirt could use less pleats like the old design. We have also received feedback from our fellow schoolmates that the material for the new pants is lousy and tears very easily.

However, we think that it is rather impossible to style our school uniforms after what we think is "stylish" or "fashionable" because trends come and go very quickly. If we were to choose what our uniforms look like based on what we think is nice, there would not be a standardised uniform for long because people will keep on changing their minds. Also, one man's meat is another man's poison. One design may look particularly attractive to a small group, but to another group, it may look ugly. Not every shape or cutting of clothes will be suitable for everyone as everyone is shaped differently. With this current generic cutting, design, style and shape of uniforms, it is easier for everyone to adapt comfortably to the uniform, even if they do not look as attractive than if they wore something else.

We feel that if and when schools decide to revise the school uniform, they should base the new design on students' opinions. Decisions such as choice of colour and design may be up to the school staff but materials should be up to the students as they are the ones who will be wearing the clothes.

RENA & PEARLYN! :D

School Uniform-Pride or Fashion Disaster?

In our opinion, Queenstown's uniform does not really represent Queenstownians in any way. Unlike some schools with creative designs, our school uniform colours are too common. We understand we are an old school so the uniform colours were limited at that point of time.
However, we recently modified the uniform but the only difference is the material and certain designs. It is too alike to other schools like Gan Eng Seng primary school, and looks very similar to Henderson and so on. It is so similar that people are unable to tell which school we are from and actually mistake us for another school.
Our school uniform should be something that sets us apart from other schools-something that represents when we are not in the school compound. If we all had the same looking uniform, then what it is the point of having a uniform? This is why we believe that the uniform does not give us any form of identity.
As a school, should we not have a unique uniform that we can feel proud of individually? Especially after modifying the uniform, our school is not united as some would wear the "new' uniform and others would wear the "old" one.
I would not call it a "fashion disaster". Our uniform is not tremendously ugly that we are so embarrassed wearing it. It is just that really plain and boring. This is why we have problems like altering uniforms. The uniform is made in a straight-cut way, which may not be suitable for everyone. For example, for certain students, it is so baggy that they have to constantly tuck their shirt in as it keeps falling out.
Therfore, frankly speaking, we do not feel proud wearing the Queenstown uniform.
Patrizha and Simone (:

School uniform -pride or fashion disaster

There is no distinct line between our school uniforms being an expression of pride or a fashion disaster as , students who wear their uniforms proudly sends other's a message that they have respect and take pride in where they come from , however we will seldom see a local school uniform on any of our fashion magazines anytime soon. Granted there have been an exceptional few schools whose uniforms look as if straight from paris however it stains their schools image , thus it will mdepend on the tudents point of view on the school. Whether they like the school or whether they would rather look cool than have a sense of belonging to their schools.

Jiaming and Rionaldo

School uniform, pride or fashion disaster

In my opinion, i think that school uniform is the pride of the school because it will be worn by students whom will uphold the school's reputation. However it should not only look neat on the students, but they should also be comfortable to them. The change in our school uniform this year has succeeded in portraying a neat image when worn on the students. However, students have also been complaining about the uniform being worn because of the thick material. In addition, it also looks similar to the school uniform of another school's uniform, our school has lost our uniqueness in our school uniform. Students started disliking our school uniform and start altering the uniform to make it look better. Therefore, to students, our uniform is a fashion disaster. We do agree that students should not be so focused about the design of the uniform because it is designed to to let the public have a good image ofthe school. Also, students go to school to study and not to borther whether they dress fashionably. However, to teenagers, the way that they dress is also important as it will reflect their character and personality. Therefore, our school uniform has been a pride to some who portrays a neat image, however, to those who feel that it is fashion diaster they will not have pride in it. To different people, they have different comments. We cannot satisfy all students, but we agree that the school should try to improve on the uniform to make it more comfortable.

-Eyrica & Mei Mei

School Uniform- Pride or Fashion Disaster

In my opinion, I feel that the school uniform is a fashion disaster. Its long, wavy, pleated skirts that makes students look fat and its thin, see through blouse that allows everyone to view. This type of uniform makes students look like a walking showcase for everyone to laugh at. Its combination of a white top and blue bottom is so plain and common that it does not stick out among the rest of the other schools. Like Queenstown's uniform, it can be mistaken for another school that has the similar design. I have heard that some students was so embarrassed to wear their school uniform that they either transferred or did not attend school at all. Some students may be very sensitive about how everyone sees them especially when they are in their school uniform. A good school uniform should be one that makes it comfortable for the students to move in and makes one proud to wear. In conclusion, I feel that a school uniform should be designed by the students themselves so that they feel comfortable and proud wearing it.

School uniforms - Pride or Fashion Disaster?

I think that school uniforms symbolizes the ideals of the school and thus should be respected. Students should wear them properly, even if they find it a hassle. However, some students feel that the design is lousy and feel embarrassed. Over time, they will feel that the school uniform is not necessary. In a way, these students may be right. The school uniform is unflattering to the students' image and many are just replicas of prestigious school uniforms. Maybe more schools should adapt to the polytechnic dress code; students can wear whatever they want, they can express themselves more creatively and it also expresses their uniqueness as an individual.

Prakoso and Dion

How can we make Queenstownians better users of English?

To make the students better users of English, they would first have to be interested in the English language itself. Without interest or motivation, the students would not be able to fully understand what they have been taught about the English language. They can be given worksheets to do or magazines to read, which will be used by the teacher as a teaching material to go through certain topics or words. They can also be used in activities, in which students can discuss on certain topics and attempt to use their knowledge of English to say out their views. Also, the students should be exposed to the common mistakes that are made by many, including the misspelling of certain words and grammar errors. They should also learn to speak proper English instead of adding words of other languages and jumble them all up into one sentence. They can be assissted in doing so by having teachers speak proper English, more so for the English teachers as they are seen as the 'ambassadors' of the English language. When this few elements are present, it will be easier to teach the students and have them understand the English language.
Kkyx

How can we make Queenstownians better users of English?

Students must speak proper english instead of singlish. In order to speak english better, they must practise speaking it everyday, as practise makes perfect. We can also host campaigns to make them speak english instead of their mother tongue languages, to get them to practise the language and use it better. Workshops on the English language can also be organised by the school to help the students to understand and use english better.

School Uniform - Pride or Fashion Disaster

Different schools have their own unique uniform. The Uniform represents the school, just like its badge. For example, when someone sees a student on the street, he would try to recognise the school the student is studying in by looking at the student's uniform and school badge. It is a pride only if the students bother to carry the school's name in a good light. When someone recognises a student from one of the leading schools, he would usually treat that student with respect as that student is thought to be a "good student."

However, it is also viewed as a fashion disaster as some school's uniform does not look nice. The color combination of the uniform can be awful. It may also be old fashioned as the combination has been used for a very long time. However, people usually do not judge a school or its student through its fashion, thus, whether it is a fashion disaster or not is not significant.


Hon Wen

School Uniform - Pride? or Fashion DISASTER x(

We feel that school uniforms should NOT be abolished but instead the
school should allow the students to design the school uniform. By allowing
students to design their own school uniform, the students will be able to wear
something fashionable to their generation and thus the tendency for students to
wear inappropriate attire be lessened. However, there should be a certain
standard for the new fashionable uniform so that the general public will be able
to identify them as students instead of members of the public. School uniforms
serve as a tool for allowing students to identify themselves to their own
schools. If school uniforms are abolished, students whose families are
financially unstable will feel left out as they are UNABLE to keep up with the
current fashion trends. We feel that most schools which does not allow the
students to design their own uniform are a fashion disaster. In conclusion, we
feel that schools should allow students to design their own school uniform so
that they will wear it with pride.

~Jacob and Daryl

How can we make Queenstownians better users of English?

In my opinion, English is a subject that can not be learnt. English can only be improved by how we speak and listen. One way for Queenstownians to be better users of English is that the teachers in school should speak proper English. Teachers need not speak perfect English, however, they should mind their tenses and the use of words when they teach or give speeches. Another way is workshops for students to attend. Through these workshops, students are able to use proper English in a fun way like "Poetry Slam". These would also give a wider platform for students to know the different uses of English.

School Uniform-Pride or Fashion Disaster?

Based on our opinions, we both feel that wearing our school uniform is a kind of indescribable pride. Though the material our school uniform is made of is thick(wearing it is extremely uncomfortable)we feel very proud when we don our uniforms because it makes us feel that we truly belong to the school. Our uniform gives us a distinctive identity that makes us feel unique. Once, even though we were at Ang Mo Kio, people were able to recognise the school we came from! It gives us a sense of pride that our school uniform makes people recognise us and our school from afar. However we feel that the school uniform can be better designed. For instance, the material of the uniform can be reverted back to the material of the previous school uniform, as it is uncomfortable for students and extremely hot in sweltering weathers. The school can also organise a school uniform designing competition to decide how the uniform will look like. Parents, teachers, students and even the public can be invited to participate in the event. However, we do not feel that our school uniform is a fashion disaster. :)

Jun Wei & Yan Leng

HOW CAN WE MAKE QUEENSTOWNIANS BETTER USERS OF ENGLISH ?

To enable Queenstownians to become more proficient in English, iIthink that the school teachers should compile a comprehensive list of commomly misspelled words and give it to the students. Doing so would allow students to be able to know the wrong words they have been spelling and enable them to learn the correct words once and for all. Next,to make sure that students know their mistakes, detailed error analysis should be done for each and every student.
In addition, essay wrting is one of the ways to make Queenstownians better users of english . Therefore, I feel that essay writing should be made compulsory once every two weeks. For example, essay topics only regarding expository writing can be given and the next time round, topics involving narrative essays. As such, all students will be able to experience writing different kinds of essays. Furthermore, students can keep a phrase book to note down the difficult words that they see and also the meaning of those words. This would enable Queenstownians to have a wider range of vocabulary , resulting in improved English. Lastly, teachers should ensure students read at least one book every two weeks because reading is one of the most important ways to improve the standard of english among Queenstownians.

Rachel

How can we make Queenstownians better users of English?

To make Queenstownians better users of English, I feel that teachers, especially English Language teachers,should avoid using Singlish. They should speak proper English and avoid using Hokkien or Malay words. Adding words like "la", "leh", "ho" at the end of sentences should also be avoided. Workshops and campaigns for speaking good English should be frequently organised by the school for students from all levels. Having the English silent reading periods on Monday and Friday mornings is a great way to improve the English standard of Queenstownians. However, i doubt that this is an effective way since students can simply take out a book, turn to a page and just stare at it. Thus, I feel that some improvements should be done to this.

How can we make Queenstownians better users of English?

Introduce Queenstownians to the importance of speaking good English. For example, workshops can be held to teach us how to use good English. Students might learn more from these workshops as they are taught in a more fun way outside of the classroom. Subscribing to literary magazines, such as Present Perfect or even Reader's Digest, can benefit us. This will give us a better idea of the proper usage of the language. Every year, each level is required to buy a different English book. Teachers can use these books as examples of how to use English properly. Teachers should also emphasize on the importance of using good English, and encourage students to be more conscious about speaking properly.

How can we make Queenstownians better users of english?

Firstly, we should try to get rid of the "singlish" way of speaking and make a conscious effort to speak proper english and therfore set the standard for english that we use everyday.
Next, we can be better users of english by actively participating and contributing during english lessons. Since, Queenstown already has an english week, we can make use of that as well to improve and make better use of our english language.
Through the materials given in English class, such as the Present Perfect magazine, newspaper articles and worksheets can be used extensively as well. Not only are we able to improve our english proficiency, we are able to improve our knowledge on current affairs going on in the world as well. Following, we also have reading sessions in the morning on monday and friday every week which can be used to read books and thus, increase our sphere of language in english and we also can takie intiative and write unfamiliar words down and look for the definition and these can be used when writing compositions, letter writing and applied in our daily life as well.
Creative methods such as blogging to be better users of english are also being used, where we are able to express our thoughts on certain matters and are able to be opiniated.
Through these various methods and our wide range of resources, Queenstownians can be better users to english.

How can we make Queenstownians better users of English?

Activities to allow Queenstownians to practice the proper use of English. The school had already helped the students order the Present Perfect magazine, which provides articles with good usage of English. This will allow the to have a reference of what good usage of English is like and thus they will be able to learn from the magazine. During secondary three English lessons, the teachers gave them a project to do a news broadcast in class. By doing so they will also be able to practice better english verbally. Books are ordered for every secondary level, every year, students will then study the books. This gets them into contact with proper english once again. While studying the books students are also required to have a phrase book to pen down the words that they do not understand or find them useful. This broadens the vocabulary of the students enabling them to be better at writing essays as they know more descriptive words.
However all this are not enough, students still uses singlish as though it is an official language.
Teachers should start punishing students for the usage of singlish during Englsh lessons and that only "pure" English is allowed to be spoken in class.
Teachers can also give more projects to the students to present in class then they will more chance to practice good English verbally.
More difficult books or more typesof books can be ordered for the students, to get them to know more vocabulary and dsifferent writing styles.

rene

How can we make Queenstownians better users of English?

I think that there are many ways to make Queenstownians better users of English. Firstly, the students' interest in English has to be aroused. This can be done by using English comics which are interesting and easy to understand. When the interest is there, students will then want to learn more about the language.
In order to improve on students' grammar, grammar practices can be given to students each week for them to practise. As for improving on students' vocabulary, I think that the teachers can introduce a new, more profound word or phrase each lesson which can be used for essay writings. Students can also be made to keep a vocabulary notebook which has been separated into different sections such as anger, happiness, sadness, etc., so that when a new word is introduced, he/she and take it down under the respective group. The teacher should then try to use the new word introduced during lesson time as many times as possible so that it won't be forgotten so easily. Since students' spelling aren't that good, spelling can still be implemented like last time where we have to learn the words and meanings, and then get tested. Teachers should also go through words that are commonly mixed up, such as 'complimentary' and 'complementary', and 'practice' and 'practise'. With all these basics covered, it will certainly make Queenstownians better users of English.

How can we make Queenstownians better users of English Language?

Regarding this topic, the school could suscribe to newspapers and magazines such as Present Perfect. By reading such magazines, we the students can learn to become better users of English Language. Teachers could also encourage the students to speak as much English as possible to ensure that we become fluent in the language. As the students, we should remind our friends when talking to speak in complete and proper English instead of Singlish or mixing both English and Chinese into a sentence. The school could also have an English dialogue workshop to allow us to improve on how we use the English Language.

~Jacob

How can we make Queenstownians better users of English Language?

To allow Queenstownians to be better users of English Language, all teachers should learn how to speak proper English. As students are known to look up to their teachers, they have a direct impact on students in everything they do, whether if it is right or wrong. If all teachers can speak English in a perfect manner, students would get use to their way of speaking and improve their speaking skills. Also, the school should constantly provide students with reading materials such as the Cricket magazine or even other sources. Perhaps, the school should also provide students with book vouchers yearly so that students can purchase their favorite storybook and read them. In this way, I believe that Queenstownians will definitely improve their English Language writing skills and vocabulary.

Good Users of English

How can we make Queenstownians better users of English?
DEADLINE: 06/11/2010

How can we make Queenstownians better users of English Language?

Based on the above title, these are my suggestions: To ensure that Queenstownians become fluent in the English Language, our school has already subscribed to magazines such as Present Perfect for Queenstownians to read. However, I feel that more can be done. For instance, English teachers can provide students with more grammar pratices to strengthen our grammar foundation as it is the first and most important step in ensuring our good command of the language. Teachers should also force students to write at least one essay per week. To ensure that students learn from their mistakes, the teacher may also help to correct the student's mistakes so that the student will know where he or she has gone wrong as some students are simply too lazy to approach the teacher to understand his or her mistakes. Besides that, teachers may also compile a list of words to replace commonly used words. This will ensure that students will be better writers and also motivate them to learn "better" words. Teachers can also give students a list of teachers-chosen books so as to ensure that students do not stick to one genre of books. The above suggestions may sound tedious but with time and patience, Queenstownians' English will definitely reach the Queen's standard (as per our teachers'hope and dream)!:D:P

Yan Leng:)

How do we make Queenstownians better uses of English Language?

:D we can organise workshops, which has games to allow us to interact with one another and improve our uses in the English language. Silent reading is also a good way to develop students interests in books, which will allow them to have better use of English Language. Basically, we students learn more with a hands-on activities such as games.