Ewan and Faye: An Ocean of Dreams Graduation
Ocean of Dreams was this year's Year-End Graduation Concert's theme. My initial reaction when we were told that Ewan was going to be a Jellyfish and Faye a Seahorse was, "Huh? Not an animal again? What am I going to do with all these animal costumes!"
Ewan was a Duck in 2014, a Kangaroo in 2015 and a Jellyfish in 2016. *slaps hand on forehead*
But when I saw the costumes three days before the concert, I fell in love with them immediately! The quality of this year's costumes were very good! It glistens with the light, sponges up well to plump up the look but is light-weight and hmmm doesn't seemed too hot.
The beauty of their graduation concert is that every song that accompanied each class performance were recorded by the children themselves, all directed by their class teachers. So you will hear Under The Sea going out of tune *haha* but we really didn't mind that. Because that's what makes this concert theirs to keep.
The beauty of their graduation concert is that every song that accompanied each class performance were recorded by the children themselves, all directed by their class teachers. So you will hear Under The Sea going out of tune *haha* but we really didn't mind that. Because that's what makes this concert theirs to keep.
Sadly, I found Ewan's costume rather boring and nothing like a Jellyfish. I must admit I was disappointed. But when we were told that the children were involved in the making of their own jellyfish prop, I had a new-found respect for them and their teachers. "Now that makes it extra special!" Every boy in Nursery Two were given a transparent umbrella where they crafted their own tentacles with strips of bubble wraps and beefed up the bodies with brightly-coloured cellophane paper. As if that wasn't enough to make them stand out, the brollies were lighted up with coloured fairy lights to emit a magical under the sea experience in pitch-black darkness.
The highlight of this jellyfish performance was that beautiful slow bob of 16 Nursery Two boys [combined from two classes] through the dark aisles where their parents sat. They did not do a dance like the Nursery Two girls [who were dressed as Fish] but a masculine poem about Jellyfish instead.
Faye's Seahorse came complete with the most beautiful headgear I've ever seen! Even the back of her costume had a curly whirly golden tail sewn to it. These little two-year-old seahorses were gorgeous! We had seen through three Playgroup performances ever since Ewan started school and I proudly declare that Faye's class performed extremely well!
I mean, look. Stage-fright is real and with so many pair of eyes staring back at them from where they were standing can be very daunting. We always had Playgroupers standing at attention looking lost or they would end up crying from anxiety. Yet this group of kids went on with their performance unfazed by the crowd! I did not think Faye would participate actually because well, she's unpredictable like all women are.
The funny thing was, I couldn't recognise which little girl was Faye! There are two very tiny girls in class. One stood on the most-left and the other, most-right. I, the Mother of Faye, had been following the wrong daughter during the whole performance! Actually, the daddy whispered in my ear, "Which is Faye?"
I walked out of the theatre and chatted up with many parents. I went, "Awwwww Faye didn't dance at all. She just stood there the whole time." I received many consolations that at least she did not cry. She deserves a bravery medal for that! I so agree. I was proud of her nevertheless. Then a few other parents came up and commented how good Faye was on stage with her performance! It was at that moment did I realise I hadn't been following the correct girl the whole while. A quick confirmation from her teachers and we singled her out from the video clip without much trouble.
With all due respect, I have only praises to give for my children's pre-school teachers. It is not practical to wish for the perfect school nor is it easy for the school to please every parent. There are a lot of give-and-takes [like all relationships] to go around and putting ideals aside, the children's teachers had proven themselves capable of caring for these children.
The amount of work put together for this graduation concert is not little. It is also not a given that the school should be obligated to put up a good show for us. They spent the eve of Concert Day on a full-shift, caring for our children until the last parent picked them up from school. We were reminded to give our children a good night's rest because Concert Day is going to be exhausting. Yet, our teachers had to forgo that rest to work overtime at the auditorium to get the place ready for a showcase of our children's Ocean of Dreams artworks. They pumped up every single balloon, attempted to balloon-sculpt sea creatures, put up art walls creatively made up of toilet rolls, empty egg cartons, papier mârché sharks and more. Many did not leave for home until midnight. Their dedication and love - I cannot fault.
They even hand-made and hand-painted every prop on stage! It cannot be seen from the photograph but the outlines of the sea creatures are all lined with glitters, making it such a beautiful sight to look at.
And here, an annual tradition in the form of a letter to my children as they graduate from each year.
They even hand-made and hand-painted every prop on stage! It cannot be seen from the photograph but the outlines of the sea creatures are all lined with glitters, making it such a beautiful sight to look at.
And here, an annual tradition in the form of a letter to my children as they graduate from each year.
DEAR FAYE, Oh my darling baby girl. This is your very first graduating experience! You are moving on from a Playgroup-er to a Nursery One-er. You have grown so much since you started pre-school at 19 months old. We were thinking if you'd go through a Terrible Two stage which you did and we managed it with much dread.
Really proud of you hitting many milestones this year and the ability to witness them all is truly a gift.
Ms Patsy and 刘老师 shared the following with us from your progress report:
- 乖巧，可爱又主见的婧霏小朋友，在班上，妳是老师的 ‘小管家”。 当老师说 “请小朋友喝水”，妳就会完整的重复一遍，并主动粉水壶给伙伴们！当个别伙伴在上课时候离开座位时，妳也会着火朋友们，“坐下！”
- 妳活泼开朗的个性让所有的小朋友都喜欢跟妳玩，比妳大的大姐姐还会保护妳。如果要评班级最受欢迎奖，那一定非妳莫属了。
- 在饮食上，妳已经比刚入园时进步很多！告诉妳一句悄悄话：如果妳能够养成良好的进餐习惯，那妳会更棒的！
-又独立的思考能力，善于表达自己的需要，喜欢阅读，有传注和会聆听的品格。
- Faye is a sensible, independent girl.
- She enjoys singing and dancing. She will sway and move along with the rhythm whenever music is payed. Faye is confident about singing out loud, especially when listening to familiar songs.
- She greatly enjoys playing at the dramatic corner where she will engage in imaginary roles such as cooking and having meals with her friends.
- Faye prefers to have the types of toys which her peers are playing in class. She will tend to take whatever they are playing. Parents can role-play proper ways of interacting, playing and turn takings at home.
We were really happy to hear that you had been well-liked by your friends and that you've been well-proctected by some of your bigger-sized classmates. In the beginning, you were being pushed around and somewhat bullied. I was not afraid of you getting hurt nor was I angry with your friends because well, things happen because of anxiety. You were all going to school for the first time and there is a lot to learn about social interactions. My biggest concern was about you picking up bad habits from them.
So when the day came with a complaint that "Faye pushed her friend off the chair", I was not exactly surprised. However, I was pleased with the way your teachers handled the situation. We talked about it and we moved on. Your biggest progress this year is understanding the messages we tried conveying to you. Both your spoken Chinese and English improved by leaps and bounds! Although you can have a temperament that frustrates the daylights out of me, I still enjoy putting you to sleep every single night.
Loving you always. Now now. It is time to get you potty-trained for Nursery One.
DEAR EWAN, I am in denial. I do not want you to turn five. Are you really going to be a K1 kid in about a month's time? You've been wearing that same pair of uniform since 18 months old - a size S. It is getting evidently shorter but I am still holding back in upsizing your uniform. I just can't let it go that you are growing up so quickly. Too soon for my liking.
You are still the very cheeky you. Full of energy, sociable and never holding back any kind of emotional outbursts. When you are angry, you turn into a Hulk. When you are happy, you laugh like a lark. When you are sad, you cry your heart out. You can be read like an open book and I love that. You are Ewan, written all over the front.
This year, you started 武术 [Chinese martial arts] because you showed keen interest in a good fight. You had been fighting and many times, hurting people around you. Your punches are fast and your kicks are strong. Many times when you play with friends who aren't rough, I get very jittery. Instead of using your strengths to injure, I was hoping proper techniques and moral education will steer you into the right direction and that is to protect/defend.
Your teachers have these to say about you:
- 他聪明伶俐到，活泼大方，是班上学习的佼佼者，让老师和小朋友都特别喜欢他。亿文学习能力强，理解力，记忆里都很棒，能很快的掌握老师教的内容。
- 亿文喜欢音乐跳舞活动。每当老师带着小朋友进行歌曲演唱时，他总是笑得那么灿烂，大声的唱，敬请的表演。
- 在书写方面，亿文由于是要练习左手写字，所以握笔时还需要老师的提醒，小手还不够灵活。加强书法能力联系。
- 但亿文在和朋友沟通和分享时有时会显得粗鲁一些，难免会产生争执，需要老师帮忙解决。
- Ewan is an expressive and cheerful boy in class. He greets familiar people with a smile when he sees them in school and builds strong bonds with his friends.
- He performs well in dramatisation and enjoys using imaginary objects to enhance his pretend play.
- Ever since the start of school, writing has always been a challenge for Ewan. I believe he is capable in writing neatly with more encouragement from the teachers. He is, however, able to read fluently with minimal guidance from the teachers.
You know son. Not only your teachers in pre-school commented about your writing laziness but also your teachers in Heguru. They shared with me that you seem to know the answers but choose to respond verbally instead. You often tell me, "My hand will get tired!" Oh you lazy fella! *hahah* but I really am not bothered. You are only four. How is it that a four year old needs to know how to write their names in Chinese and English [which you already know with your teacher's guidance cause I do zero practice with you at home]?
Reading and writing is something we will eventually know when we come of age. Just like going to the toilet and showering oneself. I don't need you to be accelerated. Just enjoy your time in school please because I don't like to hear you saying, "I don't like to go to school!" I blame myself for it that you prefer to be home with mommy because I am always bringing you and Faye out to play. Too much fun when school closes - so much that you think school is boring. My fault!
You my son. Love me forever because I cannot bear to see you turn your back on me.
Signing off,
Always your mommy
You are still the very cheeky you. Full of energy, sociable and never holding back any kind of emotional outbursts. When you are angry, you turn into a Hulk. When you are happy, you laugh like a lark. When you are sad, you cry your heart out. You can be read like an open book and I love that. You are Ewan, written all over the front.
This year, you started 武术 [Chinese martial arts] because you showed keen interest in a good fight. You had been fighting and many times, hurting people around you. Your punches are fast and your kicks are strong. Many times when you play with friends who aren't rough, I get very jittery. Instead of using your strengths to injure, I was hoping proper techniques and moral education will steer you into the right direction and that is to protect/defend.
Your teachers have these to say about you:
- 他聪明伶俐到，活泼大方，是班上学习的佼佼者，让老师和小朋友都特别喜欢他。亿文学习能力强，理解力，记忆里都很棒，能很快的掌握老师教的内容。
- 亿文喜欢音乐跳舞活动。每当老师带着小朋友进行歌曲演唱时，他总是笑得那么灿烂，大声的唱，敬请的表演。
- 在书写方面，亿文由于是要练习左手写字，所以握笔时还需要老师的提醒，小手还不够灵活。加强书法能力联系。
- 但亿文在和朋友沟通和分享时有时会显得粗鲁一些，难免会产生争执，需要老师帮忙解决。
- Ewan is an expressive and cheerful boy in class. He greets familiar people with a smile when he sees them in school and builds strong bonds with his friends.
- He performs well in dramatisation and enjoys using imaginary objects to enhance his pretend play.
- Ever since the start of school, writing has always been a challenge for Ewan. I believe he is capable in writing neatly with more encouragement from the teachers. He is, however, able to read fluently with minimal guidance from the teachers.
You know son. Not only your teachers in pre-school commented about your writing laziness but also your teachers in Heguru. They shared with me that you seem to know the answers but choose to respond verbally instead. You often tell me, "My hand will get tired!" Oh you lazy fella! *hahah* but I really am not bothered. You are only four. How is it that a four year old needs to know how to write their names in Chinese and English [which you already know with your teacher's guidance cause I do zero practice with you at home]?
Reading and writing is something we will eventually know when we come of age. Just like going to the toilet and showering oneself. I don't need you to be accelerated. Just enjoy your time in school please because I don't like to hear you saying, "I don't like to go to school!" I blame myself for it that you prefer to be home with mommy because I am always bringing you and Faye out to play. Too much fun when school closes - so much that you think school is boring. My fault!
You my son. Love me forever because I cannot bear to see you turn your back on me.
Signing off,
Always your mommy
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A stay at home mum, blogging to widen her social life.
We want to echo the sound of love through our lives to inspire other mothers alike.
We want to echo the sound of love through our lives to inspire other mothers alike.
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