Today's Secondary Pastoral Assembly on Sharpen the Saw (by Louise Favaro, Head of Student Services)

Today's Secondary Pastoral Assembly on Sharpen the Saw

by Louise Favaro, Head of Student Services

This morning we had a Secondary assembly during our Pastoral Lesson on one of Stephen Covey's 7 Habits: Sharpen the Saw. The metaphor for Sharpen the Saw is that the woodcutter has so many trees to cut down, he feels he does't have time to sharpen his saw. However if he would just take the time to sharpen his saw, he would be much more productive.

Heading into our break, we felt this was a good message for our students: use this time for renewal and to take care of yourself so that you come back refreshed and more productive. 

We had different examples of Sharpen the Saw including a quick look at dietary habits with a shocking demonstration of the effects of soda/fizzy drinks (ask your kids!). We also had a look at the importance of sleep. Research now suggests that even if we eat well and exercise regularly, if we don't sleep well, our health could be compromised.

If sleep is in fact even more important than diet and exercise, there is something that is even more essential to our well-being: the ability to quiet the mind. For our students we used the term 'press pause' and gave them lots of examples of ways to do this, including breathing, relaxation, mindfulness, meditation, yoga, practicing gratitude, and practicing acceptance (not wanting things in this moment to be different than what they are). To illustrate the importance of practicing acceptance, we showed this short video to illustrate what happens when you are in resistance to what is.

We thought you might enjoy it as well... 

Wednesday Afternoon Teacher Development

Teachers in Secondary meet every Wednesday after school to learn and study about our curriculum, assessment, educational trends, pedagogy, learning, and best practice. Below, Bret Deitre, our new Special Educational Needs specialist, led us in a rocking presentation on working with students with educational differences. 

Mr Reid teaching an English class ... with colleagues Mr Morley and Mr Hudson in the back observing. The English Department, led by Mr Reid, took the lead this year in creating time for peer observation of teaching practices. In this way, we can mentor each other in "what works for us" and in new teaching practices / ideas / approaches to lessons. This is great learning! 

The New Chatsworth Parent Group

Mr Sherwood, our Principal, addressing the new Chatsworth Parent Group. It is wonderful to have such great parents supporting us, and the enthusiasm in the room was measurable. Thanks Chatsworth Parents! 

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Introduction to the MYP ... with parents

Mark Williams, our MYP Coordinator, leading a mini workshop with parents about the MYP. We hold numerous "information" evenings all year long, about various aspects of school life, from curriculum to assessment to pastoral to university life. 

Mr Williams even had parents "working" during the evening ... like being back at school again. 

When It Rains, It Pours.

A great mini clip showing the amazing rain storms that we can get here in Singapore. This view is taken from just outside the Secondary Office, top floor of Block 5. 

Curriculum Enhancement Week - November 2014

Curriculum Enhancement Week (CEW) is one of the highlights of the school year at Chatsworth.

On Monday this week, we released the October 2014 CEW Program Guide for Parents and Students, and we followed up this week with CEW meetings for parents/students on Thursday evening, and also CEW Presentations for all Secondary students on Friday morning.

The registration system is open now for parents / guardians to ensure that they all have access to the system, so when the registration window opens tomorrow for CEW program registration, you are all ready to go and there are no last minute glitches.

The CEW Program Guide and various registration presentation slides are available on our website.

Just a reminder that on-line program registration opens on Saturday August 30th at 9am, and programs are first come - first served!

Thanks very much for all the parents who came out last night. We appreciate your support of our programs.