22nd February WTD Celebrations

Hi Guides!:D

On 22 February, we had our World Thinking Day celebrations in school! It was also the day when our new Year 1s, the 47th batch, first joined us in Guides activities!:)

World Thinking Day (WTD for short), falls on 22 February every year. This is a day specially dedicated for Guides to think about their fellow sisters in Guiding all over the world and how they can help girls and women in other countries. It is also the birthday of our founder, Lord Baden-Powell, and his wife, Lady Olave. For this year, the theme of WTD 2013 is 'Forging Family Ties'. :D

At 4pm, we 集合ed to prepare to welcome our Year 1s. The new Year 1s then joined our patrols as our youngest members as they entered our patrols one by one!:D Afterwards, we ran up to LT4 to attend a briefing by Elizabeth, our Company Leader, to introduced our Year 1s to the structure of DHS Guides and other administrative matters:)

Following the briefing, we then had Patrol Corner outside the LT to introduce ourselves to our new Year 1s:)

Afterwards, we had WTD Games!:D We played 2 games, and both were linked to the WTD theme. For the first game, we played as a patrol while for the second game, we played according to batches:)

Then we took a Company photo in front of the school flagpole:D The photo is the one right at the top of this blog!:)

All in all, it was quite a relaxing Friday activity. We hope to bond more with our new Year 1s soon, and to get to know them as they get to know us over time~:)

18th February Monday PA

Hi Guides:D

On 18th February, we had our Monday PA for 55mins:)

For this PA, most patrols had part of it dedicated to improving OJ skills as the Year 3s are going to have COJ soon!:) But there are also some patrols who have also practised footdrills as a follow-up to last week for WTD this coming Friday. Other patrols did skills-training related activties, such as Outdoor Cooking and lashes, while some had activities to train up the leadership skills of their Year 3s, such as 盲人打帐.

The Year 1s are coming in this Friday, which is coincidentally World Thinking Day.:D Look forward to this friday's post!:)

16th February Walkathon

Hi Guides!:D

On 16th February, we had a Walkathon at Gardens By The Bay!:D We also celebrated World Thinking Day 2013 with Guides from other schools there as well:)

Here are some pictures:)

 

 

 

After the walk on the Garden Trail, we assembled back at the meadow to celebrate World Thinking Day:D We had lots of fun singing the songs:) Also, we received the Gold Puan Noor Aisha award for both Coy 1 and Coy 2 as well! ~

Overall, it was quite a fun Saturday for all of us and we look forward to the upcoming WTD celebrations in school next friday! :)

15th February Guides Activities

Hi Guides!:D

On 15th February, we had our usual Friday 集合! For the first section, all patrols had Patrol Corner first to revise through the basic lashes, 礼节s, and also footdrills for the upcoming World Thinking Day!:D Basically, this time was a chance for all the patrols to revise and brush up on whatever skills they were unsure of before the Year 1s came in:)

Afterwards, we had standard PT for around 45mins by batches. :D

After the PT, we had potluck to celebrate Chinese New Year! We ate (and drank) together as one patrol:D and also had fun talking and bonding with each other:)

8th February Guides Activities

Hi Guides!:)

On 8th February, we had our usual 集合!:D From 3.15pm to 5pm, it was PA, followed by Games PT from 5pm to 6pm.

For PAs, most patrols revised their gadgeting (or pioneering) skills and lashes in preparation for the Year 1s coming in the upcoming week:) Some patrols had creative gadgeting, while others built the camp gadgets which utilized most of the basic lashes:)

Games Physical Training!!
For Games PT, there were a total of 5 stations. 2 patrols combined to go together to the various stations. This was a new type of PT, which incorporates games into normal PT:D

Station 1: Dodgeball!
Station 2: Captain's Ball!
Station 3: Caterpillar Walk!
Station 4: Lunges!
Station 5: Catching!

Overall, most of us enjoyed this new type of PT!:)

Happy Chinese New Year! :D 农历新年快乐！

4th February Monday PA

Hi Guides!:D

On 4 February, Monday, we had our Monday Patrol Activity (PA) from 3.40pm to 5.30pm!

P1 PA!

For P1, the Year 2s - Year 3s first revised their basic lashes and knots. Afterwards, they then tied a creative baggage rack. The juniors had to build a creative gadget rack which had a few changes from the standard baggage rack to make it more useful and feasible:D

P2&P7 PA!

For P2 and P7, they had a combined PA together! For the first section, the two patrols completed one 8-Men tent together. For the second section, P2 tried out vertical rope while P7 did盲人打帐, in which the entire patrol except the PL was blindfolded and they had to complete 1 dome tent within a time limit:) Afterwards, they switched activities!

P3 PA!

For P3, the Y2s-Y3s first revised their basic lashes and knots, such as the clovehitch, squarelash, diagonal lash, and tripod lash, followed by 盲人打帐!:D

P4 PA!

For P4, the Y2s-Y3s first revised their basic lashes and knots, followed by mini PT. Afterwards, they did a few mass changes, then had Patrol Corner together:)

P5 PA!

For P5, firstly they practiced Vertical Rope, followed by盲人打帐, and finally, revised the basic lashes together as a patrol!:D

P6 PA!

For P6, firstly, the Patrol had Patrol Corner for 20mins to bond more as a patrol and also to prepare themselves for their new Year 1s:) Afterwards, the Y2s-Y3s were tested verbally on their OJ skills, such as First-Aid. Then, the Year 2s went off to pick kindlings for a future PA while the Year 4s had a heart-to-heart talk with their Year 3s:)

P8 PA!

For P8, firstly they had a 25min Patrol Corner for the patrol to discuss about the upcoming arrival of their new Year 1s!:D Afterwards, they built a creative gadget using the gadget poles provided, followed by mini PT!:D

P9 PA!

For P9, the Y2s-Y3s had to complete one Baggage Rack which proposal was done by the Y3s! After completing the Baggage Rack, they had to mass change for a while. Following that, the patrol then revised the Guides songs and did PT with it: they went into pumping position in a circle, and each time they sang one verse they had to do a set number of pumpings:D

P10 PA!

For P10, the patrol first had to mass change into their PE attire. Afterwards, they revised their basic lashes, followed by mini-Pioneering; in which they used spars to build a small structure using the lashes they just revised. After the mini-pioneering, they had Patrol Corner to know each other better:D

1st February Guides Activities

Hi Guides!:D

On 1st February, we had our Friday Guides activities! While the Year 2s were working on their craft badge, the Year 3s and Year 4s had Leadership training by the YAs:)

Basically, for the Leadership training which was done as separate batches, the first section consisted of a lecture by a Y6 YA, followed by OJ:)

Reflections from a Year 3...

The Y4s and Y3s had Leadership Training by the YAs on 1^st February during 集合 while the juniors, Y2s, did the craft badge! When my batch received text messages from our PLs about needing to wear Guides Uniform and bring PE and slacks, we panicked and did not know what to expect. We were wondering if it could be PT or OJ along with mass change, or something else that wasn’t introduced to us yet like Vertical Rope. At home, we carefully prepared our Guides Uniform, especially our scarfs which we constantly retied to make perfect.

On Friday itself, we quickly changed and ate, then went for 集合 in our Guides Uniform and brought along our lecture books. We were told to go to a senior high classroom where a Y6 YA, Cassandra, would have a brief sharing session with us to prepare us for the leadership we would have to take on after PDP. She talked about things like the junior-senior relationship and how we need to lead and move the 团. Many of us scribbled down notes for future use after we would take over from the current Y4s. It was informative and we learned a lot like how to prepare ourselves for taking on leadership from the sharing by Cassandra.

Next, we were told that there would be OJ afterwards and it would be tough. We needed to pack our 配备, change into our OJ kit (PE shirt instead of Coy tee) and take two 青木within 15mins and assemble outside the auditorium. The QMs went to tuanbu to pack first while the rest of us ran to 3G to take our OJ attire and mass change.

Our first station was at the red tile area. It tested our survival skills where the PL was supposed to stand behind a restricted area and not be able to help the patrol. She was only supposed to give instructions to the messenger, the PS, who has to pump five times for every message conveyed. I watched as my patrol did what I told them to do, but was very chaotic and confused. They did not know where to get drinkable water and was unable to crack the codes properly. Hence, we 过时 a little and was unable to fully complete the task.

For Station 2, we continued with the station where we had to build a structure to hold a basin. The objectives were only told to the PL and PS which was that it had to look appealing and we had to use as little 木 as possible. We were given 12minutes and were given some gadget poles to work with. After completing it, we were being briefed about the importance of communication. We were told that we needed to make more suggestions and speak up more.

Our third station was at the second level of the upper secondary block. We had to build a rope ladder and make a danger signal using a fire in 20minutes. We had trouble lighting the fire at first because the matches we packed in the 配备 were not working, however, we managed to successfully light up all three fires in the end. Afterwards, we were told to ignore the fire and go back upstairs to 拆 our rope ladder.

Our fourth station was outside LT3. It was a station where the PL will have two structures to choose from for us to build. Our PL for that station chose the one that we had to tie a star shaped structure. At first, we were a bit confused about the instructions because we were unable to visualize, however, we managed to complete it successfully in the end.

Since it was already 6.15, we missed the fifth and final station, which was the gas room and first aid station. I felt proud that our patrol did a good job and managed to survive OJ! Overall, I felt the OJ was a fulfilling, enriching and successful one.

Reflections from a Year 4...

For the first section of the Leadership training, the Year 4s had a lecture by Chai Ning on leadership. As we had already undergone PLTC and had half a year left leading the company, this lecture serve to remind us of our roles as leaders and give us some pointers on our leadership. Through this lecture, we learnt that there are many different types of leadership, and we also learnt how to progress from one level to the next. It also gave us food for thought regarding our own leadership experiences.

After the lecture section, we had OJ. We had not participated in OJ for a long time since we took over last year and this served as a surprise. We were given 15minutes to change from our Guides Uniform to our OJ kit, as well as to bring down all the logistics required for OJ to the location specified. This really was surprising and tested us on our sense of urgency as we were not informed of it beforehand.

 

We were then divided into OJ patrols depending on our original patrols. Three patrols combined to form one OJ patrol and we had to complete a total of 5 stations.

 

For my patrol, we went to the 夜里行军 and Gas Room station first. For my patrol, we did not work as fast as we could have and did not manage to complete the route in time. Through this, we learnt that we must have more sense of urgency but also ensure our patrolmates’ safety. After the 夜里行军, it was a Gas Room scenario. We had to get into the ‘Gas Room’ and rescue 2 casualties, as well as to treat them afterwards. We were told to leave together as a patrol. This really showed us the important of communication as no patrolmate should be left behind in any activity, and also made us more aware of the instructions given to us.

After the first station, my patrol went to the Survival Skills station. At this station, the PL was separated from the patrol and had to give instructions to the patrol via a messenger. This really tested the communication within the patrol as without the PL to give instructions, the patrol would not know what to do. Through this, we learnt the importance of looking around our surroundings and how the PS needs to take charge when the PL is not around.

For the third station, my patrol went to the Creative Gadgets station. At this station, our task was to build a washbasin using the gadget poles given. The PL and PS was given one objective each to complete when tying the gadget, and had to tell the entire patrol about them. For this station, we were again reminded of the importance of communication and the need for the PL to facilitate discussion within the patrol in order for everyone to know the purpose of the activity and thus complete it with understanding.

After that, my patrol went to our fourth station, which was the Rope Ladder and Firelighting station. At this station, the PL was again separated from the patrol and had to convey instructions through a messenger. This tested our ability to work fast and keep our goal in mind, which was to make the ladder safe for people to climb down, which means that the rungs had to be tied horizontally. This tested my patrol on our firelighting skills, which was quite bad as we took quite long to start a fire. My patrol didn’t get to try out the fifth station due to time constraints.

Overall, however, I think that my patrol worked together quite well and our morale stayed high despite the difficulties faced during the stations. I think that this leadership training has helped us to hone our leadership skills as well as instill in us sense of urgency and the importance of communication. We also got to sharpen our rusty Guides skills during this surprise OJ as well:)

All in all, the Leadership training by the YAs really benefitted the Year 3s and Year 4s:D For the Year 3s, it served as a introduction to leadership in preparation for their upcoming COJ and PLTC, and for the Year 4s, it helped us to hone our leadership skills!:O We all learnt much more about leadership which will serve us well in the days to come~:)