CATALYST | February 2023

CONTENTS
Principal's Message
Intramural 2023 & Lunar New Year
Celebration
Chinese New Year Celebration
Achievements
Alumni Corner
Nursery - Kindergarten
Cooperation Party
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6
10
11
12
Dear readers,
Welcome to the February issue of our monthly
magazine! As we settle into the new year and
the second half of the school year, we focused
on a character trait that is crucial to success
both in and out of the classroom: cooperation.
As parents and educators, we all want to
see our children thrive and reach their full
potential. And while intelligence and hard
work are important factors in academic
success, the ability to work effectively with
others is equally crucial. From group projects
to extracurricular activities, the ability to
cooperate and collaborate is a skill that will
serve our children well throughout their lives.
This month, we are excited to highlight
the intramural events taking place for
students in grades 7-12 as well as the
CNY celebration in ECE, KG and Primary
School, which provided wonderful
opportunities to practice cooperation
and collaboration. We hope that these
events will not only foster teamwork and
camaraderie among students, but also
encourage them to recognize the value of
working together to achieve a common
goal.
In addition, this February issue features
an article on how to help your child
through friendship drama and a study of
the relationship of screen time to brain
function.
Professional Development
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We hope you enjoy this month's issue!
Primary Confidence Character
Assembly
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Warm Regards,
Regina Elisabeth T. B.Sc, M.Ed
Insight
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(Executive Principal)
SPB Corner
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SPB Parenting Tips
Nusantara: The Oldest Temple in
Cirebon
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VIRTUAL GALLERY
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ACHIEVEMENTS
ALUMNI CORNER
Click link below to share your child’s achivements:
https://bit.ly/SPB_Achievement
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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PROFESSIONAL AT SPB
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PRIMARY CORNER
INSIGHT
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SPB CORNER
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SPB PARENTING TIPS 1
SPB PARENTING TIPS 1
Screen time linked to impaired brain function,
may affect learning beyond childhood: Study
by Ng Wei Kai
Excessive screen time for young children is
linked to impaired brain function and may
have detrimental effects that last beyond
early childhood and impair future learning, a
new study has shown.
The study of 506 children showed that
infants who were exposed to more screen
time had more “low-frequency” brain waves
– a state that is correlated with lack of
cognitive alertness.
As the duration of screen time they were
exposed to increased, more altered brain
activity and more cognitive deficits were
measured in the children, and these effects
continue after the child reaches eight years
old, the study said.
Children with deficits in executive function
often have difficulty controlling impulses
or emotions, sustaining attention, following
through multi-step instructions, and
persisting in hard tasks.
The study, conducted by researchers
from the National University of Singapore
(NUS), the Singapore Institute for Clinical
Sciences (SICS), the National Institute of
Education, KK Women’s and Children’s
Hospital, McGill University, and Harvard
Medical School was published on
Tuesday in the peer-reviewed medical
journal JAMA Pediatrics.
Lead author, Dr Evelyn Law from NUS
Medicine and SICS’ Translational
Neuroscience Programme, said: “The
study provides compelling evidence
to existing studies that our children’s
screen time needs to be closely
monitored, particularly during early brain
development.”
The children studied were those enrolled
in the Growing Up in Singapore Towards
Healthy Outcomes (Gusto) cohort study
and have been so since birth.
In a joint statement on Monday, NUS
and SICS said the brain of a child grows
rapidly from birth until early childhood,
but the part of the brain which controls
executive functioning, known as
the prefrontal cortex, has a longer
development period.
Executive functions include the ability to
sustain attention, process information
and regulate emotional states, all of
which are essential for learning and
school performance, it said.
It added that the advantage of this
slower growth in the prefrontal cortex
is that the gaining and shaping of
executive function skills can happen
across the school years until higher
education.
The statement added: “However, this
same area of the brain responsible for
executive functioning skills is also highly
vulnerable to environmental influences
over an extended period of time.
“This study points to excessive screen
time as one of the environmental
influences that may interfere with
executive function development.”
Prior research suggests that infants
have trouble processing information on
a two-dimensional screen, it said.
“When watching a screen, the infant is
bombarded with a stream of fast-paced
movements, ongoing blinking lights and
scene changes, which require ample
cognitive resources to make sense
of and process. The brain becomes
‘overwhelmed’ and is unable to leave
adequate resources for itself to mature
in cognitive skills such as executive
functions.”
Source:
The statement added that the
researchers are also concerned that
families which allow very young children
to have hours of screen time often face
additional challenges. These include
stressors such as food or housing
insecurity, and parental mood problems.
More work needs to be done to
understand the reasons behind
excessive screen time in young children,
it said, and further efforts are necessary
to distinguish the direct association of
infant screen use versus family factors
that predispose early screen use.
Professor Chong Yap Seng, dean of NUS
Medicine and chief clinical officer at
SICS, said: “These findings should not
be taken lightly because they have an
impact on the potential development of
future generations and human capital.
“With these results, we are one step
closer towards better understanding how
environmental influence can affect the
health and development of children. This
would allow us to make more informed
decisions in improving the health and
potential of every Singaporean.”
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SPB PARENTING TIPS 2
SPB PARENTING TIPS 2
Keep the conversation open, Friendships
change rapidly, your child is going to
need to talk often. Encourage open
communication in the future by ending the
conversation with, “If you ever want to talk
more about this, I’m here for you.”
Talk regularly about friendships, Find ways
to use books, TV shows or examples from
your own life to talk about how to be a
good friend, how to stand up for victims of
bullying or how to be confident when faced
with peer pressure.
DON’T:
Fix the problem yourself: It may seem
easier to jump in and solve the problem for
your child. However, your solution may
make things worse. Encourage your child
to brainstorm, role play and eventually
handle the problem herself.
Your Child’s Friendship Drama: Do’s and Don’ts
for Parents
by Nicole Schwarz
Entering the world of school-age-friendship
drama can be a complicated task for parents.
Here is a list of do’s and don’ts to help you work
together with your child to navigate through
their social world.
Helping your child through friendship drama.
DO:
Listen, This means undivided attention given to
your child without a response. Give visual cues
that you are listening, such as nodding your
head or looking confused. Use verbal phrases
such as, “hmmm…” or “I see…” or “Wow!”
Ask questions, These questions are open-ended,
exploratory questions that will help you learn
more about the situation. “How did you feel
when she said that?” or “What happened next?”
or “What were you hoping would happen?”
Empathize, Find an emotion or a way to
let your child know that you are listening.
“That must have felt horrible!” or “I can’t
believe you were able to stay in class
after that happened!” or “How sad that
your best friend would say that.”
Ask how you can help, Rather than
jumping in with a suggestion or picking
up the phone to “fix it,” ask your child what
they need from you. For example, “Do
you want to hear what I think?” or “Do you
need help coming up with a solution?”
Brainstorm together, If your child wants
to find a solution, work towards an
answer together, rather than forcing her
to do what you think is best. Role play
different scenarios and help your child
find one that she feels comfortable trying.
Force your child to stay with or change
friends: Talk about the pro’s and con’s
of remaining with a certain group of
friends. Review qualities of healthy,
good friendships. This is a great learning
opportunity for your child.
Assume your child is the victim, Your child
may appear to be the one being picked on,
but there may be more to the story. Use role
play to help your child tell you the rest of
the story, “Ok, what did Jaden do after you
took the pencil…”
Ignore hurtful comments, If your child
reports something hurtful, don’t brushing
it aside or tell them that it is “nothing.” You
don’t have to dwell on it, but emphasize
with them, and then turn the conversation
to something positive about your child.
Allow bullying, If you know or suspect
that your child or their group of friends
is acting in a way that is bullying other
students, speak up. Talk with your child
about bullying and explore how the other
children may feel; encourage them to make
amends.
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Source:
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