channel ccpe

Cluster Bonding

2009-04-27T09:29:00.006+08:00

‘Prepare to RUMBLE CCPEs!’ I told myself when I first saw them waiting by the reception area at Laser Quest. All were anticipating, excited, high-spirited and READY TO FIGHT. I could imagine that they were well-geared up with enthusiasm ready to put their life on the fence to battle with their enemies.

Before entering into the ‘battle field’ one needs to know who the foes and friends are. We sat around in a circle to know one another; this is to recognize who are your team members and your opponents. From there, we were grouped into different teams: Team Transformers (South 2), Team Dragon Ball (South 5), and Team Street Fighters (South 7). The first teams to battle were Transformers and Street Fighters. Everyone was up and prepared to hunt those enemies down.

All of us were overly thrilled once we wore the vest. Have you felt the power to fight against your opponent in a battle field? I have, once I entered the battle ground; we separated our ways and hid behind walls while we held the gun close to our chest.

We have a role to play which is safe (save) yourself or eye for an eye. The opponents took their positions somewhere on the battle ground. When the lights were out, intense music gets your heart pounding and energized for your mission. The excitement builds to the point where each of us is immersed in this alternative reality. Once you are in that ten minutes game, nothing matters but seeking out your opponents; everyone is fair in a game.

Looking back again, how we as a team prevailed in working to support one another and be there when they are in deed (need) of help. Trusting oneself is priceless, once it is broken you can never look back to mend it again. The battle went on non-stop action among the rest of them. We kept on displaying our craziness with other teams. We kept on building our confidence level, strategizing and using all our might in battling one another.

Have you tried battling and bullying(,) your own Assistant Zone Manager *look(s) at Boon Chuan*? Well, all of us did. As in life, when is the great time to know and experience the fun side of your asst (Assistant) Zone Manager?

It was a joy to see all of us, letting our hair down for just three good hours to know one another. It is like a one time experience where you can see your fellow mates and have a battle against them. It is like another way of boosting our personal skills which could be applied in our school like trusting and believing in yourself when you are tasked to do your work. Every work of yours will be paid off in a way or another.

I would like to say thank you to Faezah who suggested this activity, Boon Chuan who supported the idea, and Masnor, Affizah, Yasodha and Vanitha for organizing this gathering and also to all S2, S5, and S7 CCPEs who turned up. It is an honour to have a battle (positive campaign) with you guys (people).

Now in FACEBOOK!

2009-02-11T23:36:00.001+08:00

Now in FACEBOOK!

Aspire! CCPE Alumni is a group formed for ex-Co-Curricular Programme Executives based in the East and South Schools in Singapore. The aim of this group is to continue the friendship and bond which was once shared among the CCPEs and the company.

Join the group if you were once a CCPE with Aspire! Keep in touch with all the friends you made while with Aspire!

Cheerios!

Chingay With Springfield

2009-01-31T00:39:00.008+08:00

Being a ccpe is not about your results in English Language. So pardon me if my English is super wonderful that none of you readers can read it.

Wow, how cool is my opening? haha.

I've thought about the opening for quite some time now.

Chingay Singapore 2009

This was actually held on 30th and 31st January. My school took part in the event for their Sec 4 NT CIP.

If you saw them live on TV or on their repeat telecast, my school students would be the ones in the lion suit. I did not expect Chingay this year to be a very huge event, but I was wrong.

One of the perks of being a CCPE is that you get to travel. :)

Even though, it was kind of last minute for me, I just had to jump into the chance of taking awesome photos of the events. Definitely an event worth going for. You should have seen the whole thing LIVE. yeah, I got backstage passes. Meeting the media, meeting the other participants, meeting loads and loads of people in their beautiful makeup. There were some pretty chicks as well. Heh.

Ouh, I get a free t-shirt as well.

Cool kan?

Hi to all Aspireans,

2009-01-21T11:50:00.000+08:00

It’s been some time since my last post.

I was with the Executive Planner Committee on January 10, celebrating an Appreciation Dinner to mark the end of a very successful project. I am sure all of you who have seen the Executive Planner 2009 are mighty proud of it. Let’s make full use of the Planner.

I was also reminded by Muhammad that I had not kept to my promise of one blog entry a month. Like the rest of you, I have been busy…. but that’s a lousy excuse. I have made a New Year Resolution for 2009 – I will never use “I have been busy” as an excuse for not getting things done.

This being the beginning of the year, I believe making resolutions is a good thing – provided we keep it of course. I would like to appeal to all of you to make our value on Service Excellence a part of your New Year Resolution. Make it a point for the rest of 2009, to be an excellent service provider to your customer: your school. You can be an excellent service provider in many ways.

Firstly, be responsive to the needs of your teachers, HODs, VPs and Ps. Try to anticipate what they will need even before they articulate their needs.

Secondly, in whatever you do, put in your best – nothing short of the best will do. It should be second nature to you. Your school expects it and you will not shortchange the people in your school.

Thirdly, be conscious of meeting deadlines. No procrastinations. You must be seen to be a responsible person who can be depended on to deliver as promised.

Lastly, go the extra mile. Wow them! Surprise them! Always under-promise and over-deliver.

So for the rest of 2009, let’s aspire to be excellent service providers!

Victor Pinto
11 January 2009

Camp Aspire!!

2008-12-12T16:13:00.005+08:00

It started out when the Girls Brigade teacher approached me to source out for vendors to conduct a camp for 20 girls. After sourcing and looking at the quotes we gathered from various vendors, ATN was chosen for its availability and lowest cost.

The timing was just right as I was then posted to HQ as a roving CCPE. Rockey then got me in the team with Sylvia to run the camp. Then Andrew came along being the only MAN in the whole group. By then, we had 2 weeks to start planning and making arrangements for budget, accommodation, food, insurance, programme and logistics. The initial stage was quite hectic as we had to run from places to places to gather all the items we needed. Special thanks to our AZM Farhan for providing us with the solid fuel. J

As the camp aim was to inculcate a spirit of adventure and discovery to approach life challenges, the programme had to cover the adventure criteria as well as activities that touch on important values that one face in life…

Then came the day CI Sylvia, CI Salina and CI Andrew get rolling…The first main activity was kayaking at Sembawang Yacht Club and it was conducted by our very own Fauzun. It was a nice bright sunny day and the girls were tired out by the end of the day even though it was an introductory course. We had a nice time showering as the yacht club were having some piping works and we had to find means and ways to shower with just a tiny stream of water coming out of the shower heads. It’s a good experience! Students also had the fibre glass effect (if you get what I mean) and started to use masking tape to wax their legs! *shakes head…GIRLS…*

After kayaking, we went back to the school and we had group breaking activities followed by ‘lee wee brothers nasi lemak’ dinner (Yummy!). After eating to their hearts content, we conducted mass games and the night ended with reflections and daily evaluation.

On the 2nd day, the 3 of us brought the students trekking at Bukit Timah Hill. We took on the yellow route up and down by the Green route. We expected the students to take more time but they were just too energetic to rest! At the summit, we conducted reflections and we were proud to see values such as perseverance, resilience, care & concern being brought up. Students even realize that going up and down the hills and steps are just like the ups and downs we face in life and through perseverance and resilience, it is possible to conquer. Yes, DEEP…

When we arrived in school, the girls had the most refreshing shower and we then went on to our teambuilding games, outdoor cooking and activities at night include candlelight fight, testi- whereby participants have to write nice things about one another and the night ended with our very own modified epitaph.

To me, the second day was the most fulfilling as the girls were already very soaked into the camp and we even had breakdown cases while conducting the activities. No im not being mean but when the girls cry, I had a sense of satisfaction as it shows me that they take things seriously and through debriefing, they shared their concerns and it reassures me that they really learn something. Sweet success…

The 3rd day was short and sweet. With the help of Mud, the CCPE at Outram Secondary School, we had the introductory course for rockclimbing. The great thing about it is the fact that the course was conducted by the Sec 1 students! What a way to encourage student leadership and active participation. When we went back to school, we had area cleaning for break camp and had photo taking and debriefing before we went our separate ways. I just hope that all the girls benefited and have a broader mind after Camp Aspire!

Special thanks to fellow CCPEs, Fauzun @ Coral Prmary & Muhammad @ Outram Secondary for their assistance in the conduct of kayaking & rock climbing. It worked because we were together…

Cheers!
- Salina Ahmad Shah -
Aka Salinasaurus (RAWRR!!)

Introducing... Faceball...

2008-10-29T14:44:00.005+08:00

So yeap! Looks good aint it?

This is my proposal.....

Lets have it during DnD!!!!

Ok guys. Keep the smile on. ;)

-Muhammad-

Go Flea-ing!!!!

2008-10-21T17:56:00.007+08:00

What’s free, fun & filled with good stuff going cheap cheap cheap?
Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun (http://community.livejournal.com/fleaflyflofun) Flea Market!

No, flea markets are not for fleas to shop for groceries. It’s a rojak market selling all sorts of fashionable clothes, funky items & a variety of second-hand goodies.

If you’ve missed out on all the joys of flea-ing, here’s your chance:

What: Flea.Fly.Flo.Fun Flea Market (Le 2nd Anniversary)

When: Saturday, 25 October 2008, 1pm – 6 pm

Where: Singapore Conference Hall (7 Shenton Way)

(How to get there: Tanjong Pagar MRT, Exit E. Walk along Maxwell Road for 5 mins and you'll arrive at the venue.)

See you there!
Nad
(le avid flea-goer)

(p.s. Yours truly have a flea stall this Saturday somewhere amidst all the chaos. Come find me!)

CCPE Adventures: The Kayaking Story

2008-10-07T15:46:00.009+08:00

by Nur Huril Ain

Day 1: Saturday, 23 August 2008

What do you do on Saturday & Sunday rainy morning? Sleeps...sleep...sleep & sleep!

But sadly no, 13 of us didn’t.

13 of us decided to be "badak berendam" (floating hippopotamus) for the two days. So dear readers, welcome to the 3rd instalment of CCPE kayaking one-star Level course.

The last time Yours Truly went Kayaking was back in 2006 for an expedition. Being the facilitator back then, it was quite a challenge bringing the kids without having any certification. Even when the HOD asks, Yours Truly could only give her best crooked Darlie smile. So now when the opportunity came to own that certificate, Yours Truly felt like jumping into the water immediately without listening to all the necessary theory needed. Lucky for us, Fauzun don't drone like half lecturers do, but stuttered when necessary. He ensured that we pay attention to every single nautical, mileage, PFD, strokes definition and terms.

Despite the heavy rain, all of us (mostly first-timers) were quite excited to launch the kayak. After being instructed to carry the kayak from the shoreline and to wear our PFD (Personal Floatation Device), we were then told to hold each other’s hands and in a circle formation, slowly walk to the sea. To test our PFD, we were instructed to float on our backs while holding each other’s hands. If no one drowns, the PFD is safe to use. Right after that, Fauzun tested us on our water confidence by making us swim 50m to a pontoon.

After the 50m pontoon test, off we go with our respective kayaks. We did forward and reverse strokes including raft up. It was quite amusing seeing us do the “Raft up”, what with a lot of crashes; the panicky situations; some kayaks going out of direction. We had fun. Not even the heavy rain dampened our mood and Yours Truly wished at that very moment not to let Mr Sun come out. He never did.

Anyway, lunch was a total ROC (Relax one corner). Who cares about sitting prim and proper and dry? Even the pack Nasi Lemak got drenched with us.

After lunch, all of us went dizzy with 360 sweep strokes. Imagine 12 of us doing the same sweep strokes simultaneously. It’s just like water ballet but without proper synchronisation. The next thing we knew, the draw strokes were being drilled into us. Two draw strokes; The “J” and “classical” strokes are meant to “push” your kayak nearer to the expected objects, i.e. two kayaks, 5m apart and side by side. In order to raft out faster, we use the draw strokes.

Day 2: Sunday, 24 August 2008

Mr Sun came out to play with us for half a day and by then; we learnt new stuffs and perfected our strokes.

Capsize Drill is fun! Despite all the nonsensical stuffs gushing into our nostrils, everyone’s comical reactions were the butts of jokes the whole day.

Baizura is an expert in capsize drill. She managed to capsize with full confidence but unfortunately her capsized kayak refused to budge along with her as she swam towards the shore. *GRIN*

That aside, we also learnt TX rescue; either with 3 people (mainly the Lead Rescuer, the assistant and the victim) or 2 people (The lead rescuer and the victim). It was hard work though, and you could see all our rippling muscles after that - from carrying and sliding the water-filled kayaks. It’s not easy being the rescuer or the victim; it was totally mind-boggling and all our inner strengths started to drain out when we found ourselves stuck and almost giving up. It was a good drill that tested our mental capabilities.

Another draw stroke was taught: the “classical” stroke. Yours truly admit that this is the best and nicest style amongst all three strokes. You can practically see Fauzun waltzing ala Zapin (Malay dance) on the water. So delicate and fragile and yet with the powerful strokes you find yourself at the other side.

With that, we ended our Kayaking journey. Mean time, feel free to view the pictures in the album!

Toodles! :-D

Yours Truly,

NurHuril Ain
Marymount Convent

1st Dinner and Dance

2008-09-22T16:26:00.003+08:00

Hello CCPEs!

Ever wanted to be a STAR? Tired of queueing for buffets? Want to play dress-up, look glamourous and oh so cool? Coming this December, Aspire! will be having our 1st Dinner & Dance. It's the night that you'll be treated like a star in our Gold Class themed event. So get your bling-blings and stilettos, and step on to the Red Carpet with your partners and friends cause we promise you an extravagant night filled with exciting line-ups. Attractive prizes to be won too!! Plus you'll get CCPE points just for having fun!! Don't wait up, grab your seats now! First-come-first-serve basis! This event is FREE for CCPEs.

Pls reply your name with a Yes or No, Dietary preference (vege, non-vege), INDICATE if you are bringing along your spouse / partner and send to dnd.2008@yahoo.com.sg by 3rd Oct 2008.

*There will be an admission charge of $50 for spouse / partner.

Details of the event:(Also see attached poster)

Date: 26 December 2008

Venue: Furama City Centre Hotel

Time: 6.30pm

Dress code: A touch of Gold / Movie Star

FIRST EVER DnD!! NEW STYLE, NEW CONCEPTS, NO BUFFET LINE UP! BE THE STARS OF THE NIGHT!!! MANY NEW FEATURES!!An Event Not 2 BE MISSED!! Don't WAIT! RSVP to the event NOW!!

Brought to you by D&D Comm 2008

Let’s Play Ball!

2008-09-15T14:46:00.009+08:00

Written by: Nadia Lye (CCPE, Yuying Secondary)
Contributed by: Mohammad Shaifudin (GM, Bossaball Singapore)

Event: BossaBall Bonanza @ Yuying Olympic Gala 2008
Date: 4 – 8 August 2008
Venue: Yuying Secondary

Last month marked the 3rd year of Olympic Education Week in Yuying Secondary School.

Preparations for the event started only in mid-May. Why? …because the PE department is short-handed. In spite of that, we unanimously agreed to make this year’s event more refreshing and different from previous years.

‘If you aren't going all the way, why go at all?’- Joe Namath

Thus, began our intense research on an ‘elusive’ new sport that has not been introduced to the school. We were still clueless! Undaunted, we called Bossaball Singapore to gather more information. After much thought, discussions, numerous phone calls, negotiations and meetings, we decided to bring in Bossaball for Yuying’s Olympic Gala.

Weeks before the official opening, a site inspection was conducted by the Bossaball Team and it was decided that the bossaball activities be held in the school hall. Even though the school hall would be perfect for the unpredictable weather, we were worried that the ball would hit and ruin the false-ceiling installed in the school hall. That too, did not stop us from moving forward with our plans!

Ultimately, it boiled down to the event day; the Olympic madness came too soon!

The opening ceremony, held on 4th August, began with a captivating and motivating talk by former Olympian sprinter, Professor C. Kunalan who shared his truly inspirational Olympic journey. Right after that, Bossaball Singapore Team worked their magic. They set up the inflatable court within 2 hours and we were all geared up to start.

The Sepak Takraw C Division boys, student ambassadors for Bossaball Singapore, made their first demonstration to the entire school. It was soon followed by class participation, where they were briefed on how to play the sport and the rules of the game by Bossaball Singapore instructors.

…And The Fun Begins!

We started off with a Bossaball Inter-Class Competition.The students went crazy with excitement!,They tried to find the best players they could in their class so that they could win the match.

The educators didn’t want to miss out on all the excitement too. Teachers who signed up for the sport were scheduled to play on 5th August, with a tryout session followed by a friendly game with Yuying Secondary Alumni. In that same afternoon, invited students and teachers from Bedok View Secondary participated in a bossaball sports clinic.

The day ended with a friendly competition between the teams from Bedok View Secondary School, followed by a prize presentation ceremony. After an intense workout, the students went home feeling exhilarated and satisfied.

Where Sports Meet Music

On the last day of Yuying Olympic Gala, we went to Bishan Park for a Jog-a-thon and yes, we brought Bossaball along with us! The energy level at Bishan Park was higher than it was in school; thanks to the Samba music during the finals, courtesy of the school concert band.

Samba and Bossaball really go well together! We felt the essence of Bossaball - a cross-road where sports meet music!

And that was it.

A whole week of Bossaball in Yuying Secondary. A whole week of mad rushes for the people involved and a whole week of endless fun for the students who could not stop asking for more. Indeed, it was a successful event!

Even the students have become a crazy bunch of Bossaball-ers!

LIVING OUR VALUES

2008-09-04T10:54:00.003+08:00

I am sure all of you are aware of our values which are built around our acronym ASPIRE!

Attitude - In all that we do, we will do our best.
Service Excellence - We strive to deliver quality and timely service for our customers all the time. We are always prepared to go the extra mile.
Professionalism - We value the spirit of professionalism. We have a clear sense of commitment, perspective and direction. We have the knowledge, skills and training to do our job well.
Innovation - We are a learning community. We are continually finding ways of doing new things or doing the same things better.
Reliability - Our customers trust our capability to support them well and to their satisfaction.
Ethics - We are honest, and we act with integrity in all that we do .

Values are not just words. They are our guideposts that lead us to our goals. To be effective we must live our values on a day-by-day basis. I am sure many of you are doing this, some without even being aware of it.

I would like to take this opportunity to share with you an outstanding example of how one of our CCPEs, Chow Yeow Teck from Pasir Ris Secondary School lived the values in an event that he experienced.

Yeow Teck has been a CCPE for only a few months. On Thursday 7 Aug 08, he accompanied some students for golf practice. One of the students was hit at the back of her head by a golf club during the practice. Yeow Teck contacted her mother immediately after the accident. Subsequently he updated the mother on her daughter’s condition and assured her she was well taken care of. She was not seriously hurt and only complained of slight pain due to a bump on her head.

Upon returning to school Yeow Teck sent the student home by taxi and accompanied her to the lift. Yeow Teck contacted the mother a few times and reminded her to take her daughter to the doctor. The family doctor examined her and confirmed she was well. The next day Yeow Teck spoke to the student’s father enquiring on her condition.

Both parents were very touched by Yeow Teck’s gesture and they really appreciated the help from the school. .The mother wrote a letter of appreciation to the school. Much of the information here is extracted from that letter.

The above incident and Yeow Teck’s response showed clearly the living out of our values of Attitude, Service Excellence, Professionalism and Reliability. Well done Yeow Teck. Keep the ASPIRE! flag flying high in your school.

I am sure that Yeow Teck is not the only CCPE who has lived out the ASPIRE! values in school. If you have, and would like to share the experience with others, please do so. Tell us how you felt and how your response to a particular incident helped you to grow as a person.

Victor Pinto

Team Building Game: Minefield

2008-09-03T14:24:00.003+08:00

By Terry Abriel Poh - (CCPE) Anglican High

Group Size: 4-50
Age Range: Primary – adult
Intensity: Mental=3, Physical=2
Time: 10-25 minutes
Space: Minimal – Medium - Lots
Set Up Time: 90 seconds
Props: chairs, paper, hoopla hoops, etc

Objective:

Using your communication skill, you have to get your partner through to the other side of the minefield.

Set Up / Preparation

You (the facilitator) create a "minefield" (obstacle course) using whatever supplies you have on hand. You can also use chairs, paper, hoopla hoops, etc. to create your minefield.

Activity

Participants partner up and everyone stands at one end of the minefield. One partner closes her eyes and steps into the minefield. The other partner uses her voice to guide the person inside the minefield, helping her NOT to touch any of the items in the minefield. Then the fun begins...
There are variations to this teambuilding game including picking up puzzle pieces as you travel through the minefield, avoiding mousetrap, and more.

Rock Climbing @ River Valley Primary!

2008-08-25T15:45:00.008+08:00

Rise and shine! - 26th July 2008, Saturday

Saturday mornings usually means no working day, but today I had to go back to school. The event that I have been looking forward to is finally here! Today I’m going to get my Level 1 in sports climbing.

I am an outdoors fan; be it land or sea, although I’ve yet to try anything in the air! I’ve been climbing irregularly at campsites for the past years, but I know it takes more than that to be licensed. I was ready - equipped with long pants and loose-fitting clothes, a water bottle and face towel and set off for my 2nd home, River Valley Primary School.

Upon reaching, the CCPEs headed to the AVA room for a short introduction by our instructor, Wei Zhong. He showed us a couple of important climbing tools, gears and footwear before proceeding to the rock climbing wall for a practical session.

Some of the basic things that climbers need to have to start climbing are as follows:

A dynamic rope
A belay device with carabineer
Climbing harnesses for belay-er and climber
A helmet (recommended)
Climbing Shoes and chalk are normally used, although not technically necessary
And of course a climbing wall ;)

As we proceeded to the rock wall, we learnt how to wear the harness correctly. Though it might not be comfortable at first, you’ll definitely get use to it after a while! Wei Zhong showed us the figure-of-eight loop, tie-in technique, which is to be tied to the climbers’ harness.

After a scrumptious lunch, we practised tying the loop and the went through the belaying techniques before taking turns to climb the wall. Up, up we go!

It was a challenge for me as I had prior minor injuries on my arms. Nevertheless, it was exhilarating, especially when we competed against one another! After much photo-taking and videos, the session soon came to an end.

I would like to thank Amy for organizing this one day course for the CCPEs. A big thank to Wei Zhong too, for sharing his knowledge and for being really patient with us!

It was a indeed a great opportunity for everyone who attended to learn and understand more about sports climbing, as it’s a growing sport among youths not just in Singapore but all over South East Asia. For those who attended - Syazadinah, Fadli, Zhen Ling, Muhammad, Diana, and Joycelyn- we sure had a crazy time together. It’s definitely an awesome bonding session too. I didn’t know that sports climbing requires us to fly ;)

Till our next climbing session. *hint hint*

Signing off,
Wana Zainal

ASPIRE! EDUSERVICES IS ASPIRING FOR THE SINGAPORE QUALITY CLASS (SQC)

2008-08-21T13:54:00.000+08:00

Last year Aspire! EduServices achieved ISO status. This year we are going for the SQC (Singapore Quality Class), a certification from Spring Singapore.

SQC is the certification for overall business excellence standard. Based on the internationally benchmarked business excellence framework, the SQC provides organisations with a holistic model for managing a business for excellence. It has 7 categories, namely, Leadership, Planning, Information, People, Processes, Customers and Results.

We hope to achieve SQC certification by November 2008. Right now our Managers and Asst Managers are working hard preparing for the SQC certification. The process is one where we look at our current situation and compare it with the international standards under the Business Excellence Model, and then we chart our action plans to close the gap between where we are now and where we hope to reach.

Besides the management team and staff from the Capstone Group, a few CCPEs are also involved in the planning team. They include Gregory Francis and Norlisham. Thanks guys!

If you would like to find out more about SQC please go to this Spring Singapore’s website http://www.spring.gov.sg/.

Meanwhile we will keep everyone updated on our progress in the SQC journey, and if you would like to join us in this journey, do let us know,

Victor Pinto

Essentials of Team Building

2008-08-20T10:39:00.006+08:00

By Terry Abriel Poh - (CCPE) Anglican High

Helping people become respectful competitors, cooperative team members and community leaders is a goal that educators, coaches and recreation and community leaders alike deem worthwhile.

Team building provides individuals and teams physical, social and emotional challenges. Moreover, team building is the conduit by which people achieve these challenges. Specifically, team building is the strategy of facilitating the creation of a team through a series of purposeful activities and then assigning the team carefully constructed physical challenges to overcome. The people on the team must work together to develop and implement a strategy for achieving their objective. Team building allows participants to find out for themselves that the process of achieving a goal is what’s important and that the outcome follows the process. This is an extremely valuable lesson. In addition, team building provides an environment that helps participants understand that failure is only temporary. When one fails, he or she needs to reorganize and try again and in doing so travel a much sweeter path to success.

Team building addresses several specific skills:

Problem Solving
Appropriate risk taking
Building working relationships
Cooperation
Leadership and communication
Creative thinking
Building trust
Making decisions
Setting goals
Developing physical skills

The purpose of me writing this topic is to get CCPEs to share Team Building Challenges on this blog so that all can benefits by using is in their school.

Let me start of by sharing this challenge:

Communication Activities
Title: Group Construction

Setup:
Team members sit in a semicircle with their backs to the center of the circle. They should not be able to see other group members’ toothpicks as they build their designs on the floor.
One team member designated as the construction manager sits with his or her back to the rest of the team on the opposite side of the semicircle. The construction manager places his or her toothpicks on the floor one at a time and attempts to build a design of some kind. After placing each toothpick on the floor, the construction manager orally guides the rest of the team to place their toothpicks in the same position. The construction manager tries to get all the builders to construct the same design that he or she is building.

Rules and Sacrifices:
The construction manager is the only one who can speak.
The construction manager must give directions one toothpick at a time.
No one may look at the construction manager’s design or at any other builder’s design before completion.
The construction manager may not look at the builders’ design before completion.

After the construction manager gives the direction for the last toothpick, the builders and the construction manager look at each other’s designs. How many designs exactly matched the construction manager’s design?

Equipment:
Ten toothpicks for each team member.

P.S. Follow the same guideline when posting your challenges.

CCPE Experience: The Send-Off

2008-08-14T16:46:00.003+08:00

By Syaza Dinah

Event: Janice Ding’s Send-Off to Disneyland, HK
Date: 12th July 2008 @ 0645 hours
Venue: Changi Airport,Terminal 3

As part of the CCPE 2nd Anniversary: Ohana Retreat celebrations, Aspire! granted the wish of 11-year-old Janice, through Make A Wish Foundation (MAW). Janice’s dream is to visit Disneyland and meet her favourite Disney Princesses.

Aspire! wasted no time in raising money and a team was formed to organize a rousing send-off for Janice to Disneyland, Hongkong. Led by Zhen Ling, CCPE of Coral Secondary School, the team coordinated and planned a delightfully pink send-off for Janice in the early morning of 12 July. The team, most of whom were in pink (Janice’s favourite colour) presented Janice with a Princess-themed banner, a Disney necklace and sang her a song before her maiden flight. Janice’s wide smile says it all; she was touched by the celebrations.

Needless to say, the send-off party was a success thanks to the hardworking and passionate team of CCPEs. Channel CCPE managed to catch up with Zhen Ling on her experience leading the team.

Channel-CCPE (CC) : Being a new CCPE, how does it feel being put as in-charge of ‘Janice’s Send-Off’?
Zhen Ling (ZL) : Being new, I was naturally a little worried that I would miss out some details but I was really looking forward to the event, and was hoping it would turn out well and memorable for Janice.

CC : What made you want to take up this event?
ZL : I accepted this task as I wanted to give event planning and I felt that this event is really special.

CC : What were the obstacles that you faced while doing the event?
ZL : The management and MAW were very supportive and enthusiastic of our ideas. However, due to the odd-hour of her flight, the send-off was to be held very early in the morning and as such, responses from CCPEs were not as good as we hoped.

CC : Why was the theme song, "You'll Be in My Heart" chosen?
ZL : We wanted to sing to Janice a meaningful Disney song as she is an avid Disney fan and when we asked for suggestions from CCPEs, this song was simply the ‘hot’ favourite.

CC : What are the learning points that you obtained from managing this event?
ZL : This event is very different from the usual events; it is very meaningful because we should not forget to put ourselves in their shoes and consider their feelings in our plans.

CC : How has this event enriched you?
ZL : This event has made me realized that a simple wish that most of us may overlook can be actually very valuable to others and we should never take certain things forgranted.

CC : What advice would you give to future CCPEs if they were to plan an event?
ZL : Do not hesitate to ask seniors for advice. The seniors are always there to guide us.

Thanks once again to Zhen Ling, CCPE of Coral Secondary for sharing her experience with Channel CCPE.

CAPSTONE “THINK & GROW RICH” CHALLENGE 2008

2008-08-13T22:19:00.017+08:00

Contributed by:
Mohd Farhan
Hajira Begum
Zubaidah

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve”

This is a phrase encountered in the second chapter of the book ‘Think and Grow Rich’ (TGR) by Napolean Hill. It sparked the 22km challenge walk from CCPE HQ office in Toa Payoh to Changi Airport

It all began during one of our Capstone MBA Sessions. Michael Ong, CEO of Capstone, proposed to us the challenge of walking the 22km distance, setting it as our goal and believing that it can be achieved.

Despite the lack of preparation and conditioning, the participants proceeded with the walk, in full trust of the planning carried out by the senior management.

Wednesday, 16 July 2008: Ground Zero @ 3.30 pm

The day has come for us to see if we have what it takes to complete this grueling task. Armed with sunglasses, umbrellas, FM on speakers, water bottles, towels around the neck and many more peculiarities, we set out on the journey, not knowing how far our legs will take us. We also had an accompanying safety vehicle (loaded with food & drinks – very important!) to follow us through our route and rescue us if we fell out at any point of time.

The sun was merciless. Although we had plenty of shade, moments in contact with the sun scorched our skins (okay, so we’re exaggerating a bit)… at least made us perspire.

The walk gave us the opportunity to communicate with colleagues whom we seldom spoke to in the office. It certainly was a good bonding platform for all of us. We sang songs to keep our spirits up, took pictures and even learnt to walk backwards! Neon light sticks, made into bangles & necklaces, were useful especially when night came.

Pit Stops 1 and 2

First stop, an unplanned one, was near the school for the hearing-impaired along Mountbatten Road. We took no chance and ate buns and drank isotonic drinks to prevent gastric and dehydration.

The first official rest stop was at East Coast Park (ECP) Car Park B1. Again, we had some bread, croissants and drinks before moving on to our second rest point: ECP Car Park F2, where the last ration of croissant and sugarcane drinks were distributed. Sugarcane juice has never tasted so good!

Finally, we embarked on the last stretch: the ultimate physical and mental test.

The group, which stayed together for most of the time, broke up according to various walking speeds. Apart from the many potholes along the patches of grass that we crossed, the roads posed risky and dangerous eventualities. We were tasked to look out for one another and alerted each other whenever we encountered dangerous situations.

If our feet could talk, they might have told us to stop torturing them!

The Last Stretch

After what seemed like an eternity, we saw the budget terminal; the beginning of the end of the long, weary walk. The looming shadow of the terminal spurred us on. Our spirits skyrocketed and our faces glowed with excitement despite our aching feet. The promised Swensen’s reward also had us counting down the remaining kilometers to our destination. Excited or not, there was still a good 1km to go to reach Changi Airport!

Tired as we were, we constantly reminded ourselves that we had not gone this far to simply quit! So there we were, a bunch of tired (some near death) individuals of all ages and sizes, pushing and fighting our way forward to prove to ourselves that we are capable of achieving this tremendous feat.

We could only stare at un-hired Taxis speeding by and feel the despair of not being able to stretch our arms to flag one down!

Mission Accomplished! @ 10.45 pm

After 7 long hours, our skins made contact with the air-conditioned environment in Terminal 2. The feeling was heavenly (at least we thought it was). After a quick round of photo taking, we marched on to Swensen’s and had a hearty dinner cum supper. The tiredness in our legs were not felt at all, maybe because we were too engrossed in the delicious food!.

We felt proud of ourselves knowing that we had it in us to finish the 22 km walk.

Not only that, the walk brought us closer. The bonding and encouragement gained were priceless: our faith in each other has been renewed. We were also given a day off the next day to recuperate from that long walk that left some of ladies limping their way to the office. Of course the sense of achievement showed on everyone’s faces!

We fought anxieties, crossed obstacles, and sustained the willpower throughout the strenuous 7 hours walk!

The CAPSTONE TGR Challenge was no doubt a significant achievement.

It definitely is a walk to remember for the rest of our lives!

CHANNEL-CCPE – Cultivating Creativity and Personal Expression

2008-08-12T14:01:00.003+08:00

Congratulations to the team responsible for putting up our latest initiative “Channel-CCPE”. In time it will be as good, if not better, than Channel News Asia – CNA for short. Whether we achieve this status depends on each and every one of us.

The team has given us this new platform. Now it is up to use it. I would urge all of you to post articles and comments on a regular basis. We must generate a momentum and then sustain it. What can you post? For a start I suggest

· Events and activities in your school that would be of interest to others.
· Initiatives undertaken by your cluster groups.
· Your experiences in the school which you would like to share with other CCPEs.

To kick things off, I am going to put my money where my mouth is. On a regular basis (targeting once a week) I would like to share with all of you my views about what we do, why we do what we do and what the future holds for us. I welcome your response and comments to my blogs.

If we all do our part, we will have a very dynamic CCPE community, cultivating creativity and personal expression.

Let’s do it.

Victor

Baby Boom Announcement

2008-08-12T09:16:00.002+08:00

Lam Shiao Jiun from Chung Cheng High gave birth to a bubbly, baby girl on the 17th June 2008.

From all of us from Channel-CCPE, we would like to congratulate Shiao Jiun and her husband, Christopher Brown on the birth of their daughter, Lian Elizerbeth Brown.

Aloha! : CCPE Ohana Retreat

2008-08-11T10:16:00.001+08:00

by Norl Ali

June 13, 2008 was a Friday like no other.

CCPEs, some of them accompanied by family and friends, were geared up to celebrate the CCPE 2nd Anniversary: Ohana Retreat at Pura Jaya Beach Resort, Batam. This 2 day event started off with a scenic ferry trip, coincidentally named ‘Gembira 3' (happy in malay) that had CCPEs delightfully posing for pictures. It was a great start for the weekend! The energetic emcees, Muhammad (CCPE of Outram Secondary) and Hafiz (CCPE of St. Gabriel’s Primary), energized the crowd with some simple but outrageous warm up exercises. Their silly actions got the CCPEs roaring with laughter. With their contagious enthusiasm, the event started off on a high.

Day One: CCPE Seminar @ 1200 hours

Michael Ong, CEO of Capstone, took the stand and spoke about the importance of mind, body and soul in training CCPEs holistically. He urged CCPEs to pursue knowledge (mind), keep fit (body) and contribute to the community (soul), for instance- helping the CCPE community in planning events and trainings.

Michael also took the opportunity to thank former CCPEs and launched the CCPE Alumni. He expressed his plans passionately; talking about acquiring the Singapore Quality Class (SQC) for Aspire! by training staffs in different areas. Michael then concluded his speech by telling CCPEs to enjoy themselves and “let loose” these 2 days.

Guest speaker, Debra Devied, representative of Make-A-Wish Foundation Singapore, was next and explained about her organization’s mission to grant wishes of terminally ill children. She also thanked Aspire! EduServices for their pledge to fulfill the wish of 11-year-old Janice, whose dream is to visit Disneyland. The CCPEs also donated money to be given to Janice for her maiden trip. The last presentation was on 10 Focus Group topics and Best Practices presented by CCPEs. The newly revamped CCPE website was also introduced.

Then came to the most anticipated segment of the day: Telematches!

Day One: Battle of the Sexes @ 1730 hours

It was to be a friendly gender fight between Men & Women, and the CCPEs could not wait any longer. Three games were played concurrently at three different locations. The games were received eagerly; it was evident from the loud shrieks of joy that the CCPEs did not want the games to end.

The Fancy Dress competition got the CCPEs and managers roaring with laughter at the comical antics of the participants: men were told to dress up as Hawaiian girls while the ladies were transformed into rock stars. The Hawaiian ‘ladies’ and CCPE ‘Rockstars’ paraded and flaunted their made up selves to numerous cat-calls and wolf-whistles. Even assistant zone manager, Alan Teo joined in the fun and entertained the crowd with his miraculous transformation into a curvy woman!

Day One: Grill & Chill @ 2030 hours

The exhilarating day had them looking forward to the night. The CCPEs were greeted by a colourful and Hawaiian themed gazebo ala Hawaiian echoing the theme of the night. It was a sight to see, especially with everyone dressed up in floral shirts and funky dresses. The night started out proper with a cake cutting ceremony to rejoice the 2nd year of the CCPE Project and with that, the feast began.

In the comfort of fellow friends and family, the CCPEs dined and were entertained by 5 impromptu items, all performed and choreographed by CCPEs. It was amazing to see these 5 items so refreshingly acted out considering the fact that they had less than a day to prepare. The audience and the performers enjoyed themselves tremendously, especially when the management acted out a Tarzan & Jane skit. Guess who acted out as elephants?

Soon after, the lucky draw, with the top prize of a SONY digital camera, commenced. A series of prizes were given out once the lucky draw was over. The prizes were presented to Best Practice Award recipients ranging from $100 to $500 cash. Management acknowledged and gave out prizes to the top 29 CCPEs who have the most points for their contributions to the CCPE community over a course of 1 year. They received prizes in the form of Training Kits valued from US$145 to US$1,995.

The top 12 CCPEs also received an educational trip to a country of their choice valued at S$1,500. Other prize recipients included telematch winners and best group performance. The women emerged champions in the telematches whilst the best performance was won by the Bohemian Rhapsody group.

The night event ended with applauses to the 2nd Anniversary committee for the wonderful retreat.

Day Two: Rest & Relax @ 0900 hours

There was nothing particular happening on day two; the CCPEs had a chance to bask in the sun and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere whilst shopaholics went to Batam Centre for an hour’s worth of retail therapy.

It soon came time for the CCPEs to bid adieu to the beach and to each other as they made their way back to their beloved homeland. Of course, the day was spent with much delight. Everyone was in a jovial mood; talking, poking fun at each other and taking pictures with the promise of always keeping in touch.

And of course, eagerly waiting for the 3rd Anniversary in 2009!

Here are some comments given by CCPEs, who attended the retreat.

“A big thank you to the company and organizing committee. Well done!”
- Esther Tan (CCPE of Townsville Primary)

“The retreat and the team, who made it happen was fabulous. I give them 5 stars. Job well done!”
- Satvant Singh (CCPE of East Spring Primary)

“A HUMONGOUS THANK YOU for a job well done.”
- Abdul Kadir bin Said (CCPE of Tanjong Katong Primary)