Swine Flu

We were told to bring our thermometers tomrorrow, because of the swine flu outbreak that started in Mexico.

How does a flu virus in a country as far away as Mexico affect us in our little island?

Well, many people come in and out of Singapore each day from all around the world. If one person is infected, it would not take long for the virus to spead as there are many people in Singapore who stay and work very close to each other.

From today's Straits Times, we read that the swine flu outbreak is even more serious than the SARS outbreak. Although we were only in Nursery in 2003 when SARS broke out, our teacher told us that it was a frightening time for many people. When we listened to her stories of how some doctors and nurses said goodbye to their familes before heading to work without knowing whether it would be the last time they would see them, our class was silent.

It was scary to read on Page 1 of today's newspapers (28/4/2009) that experts think that the swine flu is 10 times worse than SARS, because it is spread without symptoms.

What can we do now?

From Page 3, there are 5 things that we can do:

1. Cover your nose and ears when coughing or sneezing
2. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water
3. Wear a mask that covers your nose or mouth if you are taking care of someone with flu-like symptoms
4. Avoid visting patients in hospitals because you might pass a flu to them,
5. Stay at home if you have the flu, and wear a mask if you need to go out.

And for us in CCPS, we need to

BRING OUR THERMOMETERS TOMORROW!!!!


What are your thoughts on the swine flu? Leave a comment!!

The Beatles

(LRD issued on 28/4/09)

Many of us did not know who The Beatles were before today ---we thought that our teacher was talking about the adult form of our mealworm pets!

When we read the LRD article, we were astonished to find out that they were in fact, a very very popular "boy band" from Britain in the 1960s. (I think some of our P5 friends may have been singing some of their songs during their music Karaoke lessons!) Their haircuts were very unique and were called "mop tops". We guess that this might be because they look like mops!

The Beatles were so popular that they have recorded more number 1 songs than any other group in the United Kingdom chart history. This means that they were more popular than the Jonas Brothers, High School Musical or Hannah Montana!

According to p 13 of LRD, the word "Beatlemania" was used to describe the hoards of devoted fans, fashions and new music groups that they inspired.

We're going home today to ask our parents whether they were ever fans of The Beatles!

Below is a very famous picture of The Beatles. Look at their hair and their clothes!!

Mad Cow Disease - RD p15 (issued on 21 April 2009)

Mad Cow Disease took the lives of at least 200 people who died after eating the infected meat. As a result, beef from Britain was not allowed to be sold in other countries for many years.



For more information, you can also read the article on Mad Cow Disease (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) on Wikipedia.

Clashes in Thailand

Last week, there were some clashes in Thailand, which led to some world leaders who were going to have a big meeting being evacuated (which means taken away quickly) by helicopter because the Thai government was afraid that the situation would get worse.

These clashes were caused by a group of people who wore red shirts and who were supporting the previous Prime Minister, Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra. They wanted the present Prime Minister, Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, to resign. This week, some shops and malls in Bangkok have closed and many countries have advised their citizens not to travel to Bangkok if they can.

News like these affect a country in many ways.

Can you think of 1 way that this might affect Thailand?

Overseas CIP by primary school pupils

This week in the LRD (14/4/2009, Page 4), we read about a school that went overseas for their CIP. They built a water purification system and even donated food and clothing to poor children in Cambodia.

These students were from Primary 4 and 5, and they were so resourceful that they wrote to Singapore Airlines to ask if they could bring more baggage, as they had many things that they wanted to bring over to Cambodia.

We felt very inspired by these pupils and are proud of them for making a difference to the world!

In our CIPs, we have contributed to the world by keeping our school clean, keeping our Science Garden and Aljunied Park weed-free and pretty and providing company and cheer to our elderly friends at the Geylang East Home.

After reading this article, we felt inspired to do more to help others around us who are in need that we started thinking of some ideas, such as donating our old storybooks and toys to the poor.

Can you think of any other ways that we can help those around us who are in need?

Glass temple in Thailand

In last week's Straits Times on the 7th of April, we read an article on a temple in Thailand that is made out of glass bottles! From the picture above, you can see how pretty and intricate the designs are.

The monks are very creative and ingenious. The bottles are actually old beer bottles that have been sent to them by people around Thailand. The monks arranged these bottles into patterns and even use the bottle caps to form large Buddhist murals.

At first, we wondered how the glass bottles could withstand the weight of the temple, but when we read the article, we realised that there is actually a concrete core that is holding the temple together. We're sure that the temple will look like a shining green mountain when the sun's rays are reflected off it!

Fun Fiesta in CCPS?

Fun Fiesta for all!
(page 5 of 31/3/09 issue of LRD)

Fun Fiesta in CCPS?

Isn’t it wonderful to combine sports and performing arts in the Sports Day like St. Hilda’s Primary School? As we have different talents, the variety of activities for pupils during Sports Day would be a great avenue for us to showcase what we excel in.

Here are some activities which we think could be integrated into Sports Day for CCPS.

• Draw or design posters/banners to encourage the participants
• Form cheerleading teams to cheer for the groups
• Put up a live performance (music) during the Sports Day
• Play board games that are related to sports

Do you have other suggestions? Share with us your thoughts by posting a comment to this entry.

Posted by: 4 Charity