3rd June, 2010
Dear Parents,
Our long awaited annual night camp, meant only for children in the Kindergarten and Student Care, is approaching! This year's camp theme is in line with the school's curriculum theme of Insects, Trees, Flowers and Nature. A string of fun, exciting and educational activities await the children from 18th to 19th June, 2010 (Friday – Saturday), which are bound to lure them out of their comfort zone to learn and enjoy nature.
The camp kicks off at 8.30am on 18th June, 2010 (Friday) with breakfast in school followed by Trekking and Nature Walk at Bukit Timah Hill Nature Reserve together with the Nursery and Playgroup children (June excursion). A hearty meal back in school after the long walk is followed by a bath and nap. We will head out to Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research at the National University of Singapore, Science Faculty at 3.00pm to explore the many valuable preserved animals. After which, the children will enjoy the scenic sunset and sea view of Singapore's West coast from Jurong Hill followed by a sumptuous Indonesian dinner under the stars at the Jurong Hilltop restaurant. We will be back in school to clean up and have some reflection activities on the day's events before bedtime (refer to attached program for detailed schedule).
The Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research (RMBR) has its origins in the Raffles Museum which was founded in 1849 as a result of an idea mooted by Sir Stamford Raffles, an eminent naturalist. RMBR inherited the natural history collection when the Raffles Museum was renamed the National Museum and is now part of the Department of Biological Sciences (DBS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Established on 1 October 1998, the RMBR is built on the academic strengths of various faculty and postgraduate researchers of DBS involved in research on various aspects of biodiversity. The Zoological Reference Collection (ZRC) is internationally renowned as it is one of the largest collections of Southeast Asian fauna in the region containing at least 500,000 categorised specimens. The Herbarium (SINU) now serves as a documentation of the rich plant resources in Southeast Asia with more than 25,000 specimens in its holdings.
Being a camp, the children will be spending the night in school. For some, this may be their first time away from daddy and mummy – a worrying yet thrilling experience. But this is a necessary part of growing up and we strongly encourage children to participate in this once a year activity. To ease the younger and less experienced, children are encouraged to bring their favourite sleep necessities (pillow, bolster, stuff toy, blanky, chou chou etc). The camp activities, in addition to helping the children gain concrete concepts and lasting impressions of nature, also aims to build self confidence and promote self-care and independence.
It will be a cosy Saturday morning when you pick your child from school as the children will work together to prepare a breakfast spread for their parents, in celebrating Parents' Day (Father's Day combined with Mother's Day). The Banana Class children will perform a skit which they have been practising as their June holiday program. We trust you will be looking forward to this event.
Please complete the consent form for your child's participation in the night camp and return the form to us by Monday, 7th June, 2010. The cost of this excursion is $20 per child (for camp) + $5 per child (for Nature Walk). Please refer to the attached list for the detailed program of the camp and a Packing List for your child.
Thank you for your understanding and co-operation. We look forward to your favourable reply.
Yours sincerely,
Maria Seow
Principal