UG Day! 11th Apr

Hi Guides!

Last Friday, the 4 Uniformed Groups (UGs): Scouts, NPCC, Girl Guides and SJAB 45 celebrated their 5th UG Day! This activity was self-initiated by the UG leaders in our school to promote interaction and strengthen bonds within the UGs as well as celebrate our achievements.

Before that, we had a UG contigent last Thursday during flagraising. Representitives from the different UGs also went up on Tuesday and Wednesday to introduce their UG to the school.

On Friday, we gathered at the parade square at 1430 in our respective UGs before we separated into our different groups. Each group consisted of people from different batches and UGs to promote bonding, and move around together to play the inter-UG games.

At around 1730, we gathered back in the hall for the UG mass dance. This year's song was "Carry You" by Union J. Although many were reluctant to get moving at first, everyone got into the mood after a few dances and was having a lot of fun. :D

Afterwards, there was a short prize presentation before we went down for dinner at 1800.

At 1845, we gathered at the parade square after clearing up before breaking off in our respective UGs for dismissal.

Hope that everyone has made new friendships through this and grew closer to the people in your UG as well. I still remember my first UG Day as a Year 1. Though I don't remember what we did, I still remember some of the people in my group, and we are friends to this day. :) In UG, the biggest takeaway is not the lashing skills taught to us, how to execute flawless foot drills, or the First Aid knowledge gained, but rather the friendships we have forged over the years. Through thick and thin, we have stuck together and fought for common goals, growing stronger together.  Bonds - this is what I think is the essence of UG. Enjoy your time in the UG family. :) #UGandproud

Patrol Activity, 15th April

Hi Guides!

This afternoon, we had our fortnightly PAs. After the activities, many patrols then learnt the two Chinese songs 细水长流 and 关怀方式. Here are the links to the songs if you didn't catch the lyrics just now:)

细水长流 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwoft2Hlafk

关怀方式 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MiERz44l0o

These are only a few of the many songs that we will be learning as part of the 46th Anniversary Campfire preparation. They're quite tuneful and lyrical so it's quite easy to sing along. :)

A short while after PA ended, a heavy downpour came. Hope that you did not reach home too late due to the rain or get too wet. :) CCA will stand down from the 16th as Common Tests are approaching. Good luck everyone!

Hike 2014, 5th Apr

Hi Guides!

Last Saturday, we went on an urban hike. At 0800, we 集合-ed at the foyer before boarding the bus that would drop us off at Central. We were split into 5 groups of 2 patrols. In these groups, we would travel to 3 locations in the area: Singapore River, Chinatown and the Asian Civilisations Museum. On the way, there were questions in the hike booklet that we needed to answer. These answers could be found at certain points in the locations. In addition, there were also other tasks to complete and bonus questions to do.

Unfortunately, it started raining on our way and some patrols had to use our umbrellas throughout the entire hike. :( Nevertheless, we still started off the hike in high spirits. Before we left Central, there was a stagger activity in which we had to piece a jigsaw puzzle. However, each group also had other groups' puzzle pieces! Hence, we had to communicate with one another in order to obtain the puzzle pieces we needed.

My patrol, P10 Swallow, was paired with P4 Orchid. Our first stop was the Singapore River. We had to find a few sculptures and answer the questions about them.

Eg. What does the River Merchant sculpture show?

http://www.singapore-vacation-attractions.com/images/the-river-merchant-sculpture.jpg

Ans: It shows Scotsman Alexander Laurie Johnston, a prominent merchant of early Singapore mediating between a Chinese trader and a Malay chief, whilst Indian and Chinese coolies load sacks onto a bullock cart - a common sight around the river as trade expanded.

Task: take a photo with the Raffles Statue with the same pose XD

However, as the rain slowed our movement and we were rather slow in finding the sculptures, we did not have enough time to go to Chinatown. :( Hence, we had a short break, during which we attempted any questions we could solve using our knowledge. Afterwards, we headed to the Asian Civilisations Museum.

The exhibitions featured cultures of Southeast Asia, China, West Asia and South Asia, showcasing items such as bronze tools and exquisite jewellery. It was indeed an eye-opener for first-time visitors. Best of all, it's free so we can drop by any time. :D

Task: find a military official at ACM and take a photo with him

Meanwhile in Chinatown...

Task: take a photo with a foreigner at Chinatown!

At 1130, we 集合-ed back at Central and had Patrol Corner while the I/Cs calculated the scores. After prize presentation, we were dismissed. Hope that everyone had fun despite the rain!:)

Reflections from Guides:
"This hike was actually really enriching and interesting. As a Year 3, I'm really thankful that I was given most of the opportunity to lead our patrol to the different venues to carry out the different tasks as this really boosted my confidence in leading others. I'm sure the other Year 3s also thought so.
The 3-4 hours hike was an enriching one as we managed to visit places which some of us might not even have visited previously. Places like the Asian Civilization Museum was the most memorable one to me when we got to experience galleries which were exquisite and fascinating at the same time.
I'm really happy this time that I was able to be closer to not only my patrol, but the partner patrol which carried out the tasks with us. It was a very fun experience and I look forward very much to the next hike we'll be having :)"

"I was really excited for this hike as it was one of the more fun thing in Guides (: But my mood was quite dampened by the rain as it would result in some inconvenience. I had thought that the hike always took place at Fort Canning Hill and then later at Central, but this year, unlike last year, there were three different locations! Chinatown, Singapore River and the Ancient Civilisations Museum. We faced difficulties in reading the map and at times, were quite lost. Often, the gaps between the different batches were significantly huge and as we walked in a pack, it was quite messy. Then a Year 3 stepped up and told us to walk in two straight lines in 集合 order. I felt that that really did the trick as we became more organised and were able to 报数 too. Overall, this hike was really enriching as I learned loads about Singapore's history through like hands-on instead of browsing through some book. I saw many interesting sites such as the Raffles statue in real life for the first time haha. And although everyone's shoes were soaked thoroughly, I really enjoyed myself and look forward to the hike next year! (: "

集合, 28th Mar

Hi Guides!

We had 集合 on 28th March. We started off with PA.

Afterwards, we had patrol PT. The stations were rather challenging but still manageable, and it was very encouraging to hear patrol members cheering one anther on to continue pia-ing as we did exercises like frog leaps and 顶-ing in boys' style pumping position. As we were travelling in two patrols, there was an air of competition as the patrols raced to see which would finish first in order not to do the forfeit set by the Station Masters. XD

After PT, we 集合-ed back at the GSL before being broken off for contingent training for UG Day. All in all, it was a tiring but fun day.:)

Patrol Activity, 24th Mar

Hi Guides!

We had PA on 24th March from 1530 to 1730. Afterwards, there was contingent training to prepare for the upcoming UG day until 1800.

集合, 14th Mar

Hi Guides!

For this 集合, we first started off with PA at 1500.

Afterwards, we had batch PT from 1730 to 1830!

For the Year 1s, this is your first PT. We hope you found it adequately challenging and will train up your physical standard for future PTs. Batch PT is a time when we can bond with our batchmates by persevering through the challenging exercises together. Hope that everyone enjoyed it!:)

COJ 2014/Total Defence Course, 7th Mar

Hi Guides!

On 7th March, the Year 3 Guides and Scouts had their annual COJ. COJ, or Combined Obstacle Journey, is an OJ which the Year 3s go through in preparation for PLTC, which will be held in May/June, and the eventual handover of leadership roles. This also gives them a chance to interact more with their fellow Guides/Scouts, which will be useful in planning future combined activities such as CCA Orientation.

At 1420, the Year 3 trainees and involved Year 4s 集合-ed in front of the auditorium. After a short briefing, the trainees set off for their stations. Some of the stations were more PT-based while others tested the trainees' hard and soft skills.

After completing all the stations, the patrols went to 集合 at the GSL while the Station Masters totaled up the scores. Following that, the respective Station Masters went up to give a general debrief of the patrols' performance at their stations. Finally, there was a short prize presentation before break-off.

Year 3s, we hope that you have learnt from this experience and will work on your weak areas so that your performance will be better during PLTC. 加油!

Here is a reflection from a Year 3 Guide:
Overall, I did not expect myself to pull through COJ. But somehow, I managed to last for the COJ and surprisingly, the whole process was fun.The prep week for COJ was rather interesting as many funny things happened and as we start to bond as a patrol. Inspection went off to a bad start as we did not communicate and made a few mistakes along the way. However, overall I think that both Year 3 Guides and Scouts can work and communicate quite well. I was really happy that our layout was rather neat and we are able to cheer and work as a patrol as I was rather worried that we might not work well with the Scouts. Well, all’s well that ends well!

Although I was scared that I would pull my patrol down, I'm glad that I did not, I think. The whole COJ had provided me with a new experience and I have to say that it was a good one. I had lots of fun and I am proud of both the patrol’s and my own achievement, even though there were many tough times. Although we made lots of mistakes, both big and small, along the way, I am glad that we are able to work and communicate as a team and also progress as a team. However, there are of course still rooms for improvements and I hope that next time no matter in 集合 or in PLTC, I hope that I can always try to do my best both for myself and for my patrol mates.

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Meanwhile, the Year 1s and 2s went to the Singapore Discovery Centre for their Total Defence Bronze and Silver Courses respectively. Here's what some of them have to say:
Reflections from a Year 1: I went to the Singapore Discovery Centre on Friday and it was indeed interesting.  We went to the army museum where we learnt many new things. We got to know more about the five pillars of defence: Civil Defence, Military Defence,  Psychological Defence, Economic Defence and Social Defence. I learnt what each Defence is and the importance of each Defence. In summary,  I learnt many new things and I am really grateful to be able to go on the trip. I really enjoyed myself during that few hours. 

Reflections from a Year 2: It was a really enriching and fun experience. I got to know more about the 5 Defences: Psychological Defence, Economic Defence, Civil Defence, Social Defence and Military Defence. We were split into groups thus I got to bond more with my batchmates. The activities conducted were engaging and interesting. We enjoyed playing the games and also learn many new things. There were 5 zones, each were one of the 5 Defences. The 1st zone was on Economic Defence. It didn’t really cover much on that but mainly about what the 5 Defences were, why Total Defence was formed and what it is. This gave us a general idea about what Total Defence was and also broadened our knowledge. I have learned much more about Total Defence from this station. The 2nd zone was Military Defence, where some of us got to try the SAR-21 gun. From this zone, we learned that Military Defence is really important when a crisis comes. Not only does the army have to be prepared, all of us must also be vigilant. We can all play a part in this Defence, so as to keep the country safe. The 3rd zone was Civil Defence. There were many stations for us to try, but we only had to complete 4. My group went to the Ready Dag station, the burn and scalds station, the CPR station and the fracture station. From this zone, we learnt that there were many First Aid skills to learn and we could apply these skills if we see anybody injured. The 4th zone was Psychological Defence. We had to read a few people’s past experiences and infer their attitude towards their life and how they overcame some of their obstacles. From this zone, I learnt that no matter what challenges we faced, we should always have a positive attitude. It is through mistakes and experiences where we improve and learn. The last zone was Social Defence. There were games for us to play like chapteh, hula hoop and picture game. These games involve all of our group members, teaching us the importance of teamwork within a society and a community. In times of difficulties, everybody has to work together in order to be more efficient. Not only must we only care about ourselves, we must also help and think for others. Through this whole Total Defence course, I have gained much more knowledge on the importance of Total Defence and the purpose of it. I have also learned many values which I can apply in my life. I hope there will be such opportunities again as not only I could interact and be closer with my batch mates, I have also leaned new things along the way. This Total Defence course was definitely a great experience!:)