As part of Mayflower to provide meaningful learning for staff as well as provide an opportunity for staff to bond, a series of Learning Journeys were organised for them. They were given several options to choose from.
One was a cruise to Kusu Island.The Imperial Chang Ho Cruise took approximately 2.5 hours. There was a stop over at Kusu Island, which means "Tortoise Island" in Chinese, is also known as Peak Island or Pulau Tembakul in Malay.








From 2 tiny outcrops on a reef, the island was enlarged and transformed into an 8.5-hectare island holiday resort.

Mdm Phua and Mdm Mariamah our Operation Support Officer found time to shot the breeze and a smile for the camera.

Meanwhile, our teaching staff from China was having fun with Ms Daisy.
The teachers from the English Department could take time off from dotting the i's and crossing the t's to smile for a picture.

Loh Hei at Mayflower

On the seventh day of CNY, which is considered as the birthday of all human beings, the Chinese partakes in a dish called yee sang, a simple mixture of thin slices of raw fish, shredded vegetables, herbs and sauces.


All the ingredients for the dish are presented separately on the same plate, and would then be tossed and mixed, carried with chopsticks high in the air by all at the table, while saying out loud the word loh hei, which means liveliness, prosperity and longevity.

Mayflower had her Loh Hei when school reppened after the long Chinese New Year weekend.

Mdm Ham from the mother tongue department was on hand to explain the cultural aspect of this Chinese tridtions to the teachers.



" Is this the correct way? "

" You must squeeze out all the lime ...."

" Yes I am trying my best...."

This taste good....

Come one come all ....

Learning Journey for Staff

On 18th July, the teachers went on an exciting learning journey to the various museums in Singapore.

Some of us decided to visit the Singapore History Museum,



while others decided to drop by at the Art Museum. (Can you recognise any of our teachers outside the Art Museum?)





Meanwhile, a large group of teachers decided to rediscover their roots and dropped by at the Asian Civilizations Museum.


(What do you think Mr Nara is thinking?)

(Hmm.What are they looking at? )


The teachers guide managed to engage our teachers with what he had to share with them.



A smaller group of teachers dropped by at the new Peranakan Museum.

Did you know that two of our teachers are Peranakan? Can you guess who one of them is from these pictures?



We are very glad we took the afternoon off to visit these museums.

For students who are interested in going for a vitual tour, do drop by these websites.

1. National Museum of Singapore

http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/

2. Singapore Art Museum

http://www.nhb.gov.sg/sam

3.Asian Civilisations Museum

http://www.acm.org.sg/home/home.asp

4.Peranakan Museum

http://www.peranakanmuseum.sg/home/home.asp

Outing to Kukup Fishing Farm

A day trip to Kukup, West Malaysia, was organised for the staff of Mayflower Secondary School on the 5h of July. The aims of this trip were as follows:

1. to promote bonding among staff and family members
2. to promote a cosmopolitan mindset through experiencing and appreciating the rich diversity of cultures of Malaysia.



















The first stop was at a petwer factory .

Here the tour guide explained how petwer is manufactured.

Pewter is a metal alloy , consisting of 85 and 99 percent tin , with the remainder consisting of copper and antimony , acting as hardeners.

(Ms Nora, Mr Han,Mr Prem and their families learning about pewter.)






















Next,we visited a fruit farm where we were given an opportunity to taste various local fruit.
(Here, the farmer explained to Mr Fam and his daughter, the various types of fruit that can be found in his farm.)



















And of course we even had the opportunity to eat our favourate fruit, the durian!
(Mr. Mahamood offering a helping hand to open a durian for Wee Mein's mother.)

After a good lunch, we took a boat to visit the fish farm.



































Mr. Nara, the official ticket inspector?

Even a two year old child could "walk the plank."




















Our tour guide explaining to us the workings of a fish farm.



















Later we had the chance to explore the Chinese fishing village of Kukup.

It was an enjoyable trip and it gave us the opportunity to get to know our colleagues and their family members better.

Off the Beaten Track--- LJ for teachers.

The I-Club is short for "interest-club" and these "clubs" are organised by teachers who have an hobby they want to share with similar-minded colleagues of the school. It is monitored by the Staff Welfare Committee (SWC) where teachers are given time once a month to pursue their interests which include cooking, nature walks and yoga. The N.E. committee is in charge of an I-group called Off the beaten track.

Off the beaten track offers interesting learning journeys conducted for teachers by teachers!

In January, a field trip to Chinatown was conducted.



















Ms Ng, Mdm Santhi and Mdm Tay smiling for the camera before tucking into Beijing timsum.

Mr. Ng and Mrs. Selva shopping for Chinese New Year decorations to welcome the Year of the Rats.

Mdm Santhi looking excited having discovered something new about the Chinese culture.

In February, the teachers visited Arab Street to learn about the Malay culture.


Two of our teachers from China experiencing the hot and spicy food that Ms. Ng was "kind enough" to introduce.

Later, the teachers visited a carpet shop which sold carpets from Iran. We were taught the finer points of how to choose a carpet.

In April, the teachers visited Little India. We had a vegetarian meal before we explored Little India.



Later, we went to explore the shops at Tekka Market.
























We decided to wear what we have brought for the Indian New Year which was approaching. Doesn't Ms Ng look really good in that colour?


















In May, we decided to explore Katong, the heart of the Panarakan culture.




















Can you guess what we are looking at? Jimmy was our wonderful guide for the day.





















It is the famous Red House of Katong. Jimmy had done some research and was explaining the history to us.
























We discovered this very interesting Peranakan shop where we admired the various cultural artifacts displayed.




















Of course we could not leave Katong without buying some of the fabulous food. It was a tough decision but someone had to make it.

Globalisation Partnership (GP) Programme

The Globalization Partnership Programme (GP) is an initiative driven by the Humanities Department and the N.E committee to prepare students for a globalised world. In order to prepare for their visit to Vietnam in June, four teachers went on a recce trip in March and decided to do some CIP at the same time.







Before they embarked on this journey, the office staff help in the collection of gifts for the home. Here, Sylvian Tan, a CSO, is busy preparing some gifts for the children's home.
















Mr Gana bonding with the children at the orphanage home while Mrs Selva looked on.


























Ms Sherri Ng discussing with the CEO the needs of the home so that when the students visit in June, they can do a meaningful CIP project.





















The next day, the teachers visited a hospital where victims of Agent Orange are housed. The teachers were touched by the warmth that these children showed inspite of their conditions.

The students are now preparing for their trip to Vietnam in June.

Packing of Porridge@MASJID AL-MUTTAQIN MOSQUE rss

Ramadhan in Singapore
One dish which is only served during Ramadan is a mouth-watering rice porridge which is not to be missed.

This dish is cooked in every mosque to give out to the Muslims after Asr' (mid-afternoon) prayers. Most Muslim families break their fast by eating the porridge first. It symbolizes shukr , gratitude to Allah.

Mayflower staff help to pack these porridge for several days at the Masjid Al-Muttaqin.

It was even report in the newspaper.

By doing this activity, the staff learn more about Islam.

We learnt that Ramadan falls on the 9th month of the Islamic calendar.

It is a time of worship, reflection and seeking self-purification of one's body and soul. Muslims are encouraged to perform extra devotional activities during the month of Ramadan.


In the evenings, the mosques are filled with people attending special night prayers, known as tarawih