It was my first experience of celebrating the Mid-Autumn festival in ACS Oldham Hall and I am glad to say that I enjoyed myself thoroughly!

The Mid-Autumn festival is an occasion of importance to the Chinese population, as can bee seen in Chinatown and the heartland malls during this season. Numerous retailers were promoting their own brand of moon cakes to win over potential customers.

This year, at ACS Oldham Hall, a special effort was made to organise a potpourri of mid-autumn related games to keep boarders in the celebratory spirit. I had a fun time peeling pomelos with my bare hands and tasting the juicy flesh of the fruit. We were also given moon cakes to share that were utterly yummy. Just thinking about it now makes me long for the delicious moon cakes that we only get to enjoy once a year. We were introduced to some traditional Chinese songs on YouTube and the audience were won over by the melodious voices!

Each of us got to fix our own lanterns and cary them around the ACS Barker Campus which was quite a sight at night with so many colourful lanterns being paraded.

Happiness was all around and I truly love that kind of heart-warming feeling. Mid Autumn Festival has long passed but I would still choose to be part of this celeberation time and again.

By Chan Ying Ying, Nanyang Polytechnic year 1

This year's Thanksgiving Dinner held on 22 September 2012, was unusual in that we were faced with some regrettable news. Our Chariman, Mr. Koh Kok Hong, announced to all guests, boarders and staff at the start of the event that one of our boarders had passed away suddenly. This caught everyone by surprise and the joyous mood understandably turned sombre. Although all present were clearly saddened by the unfortunate news, it was felt that since many people had put in much effort, moreover the guests were already arriving, so the show should go on.

 

 

The theme for this year's Thanksgiving Dinner which was "In Everything, Give Thanks", taught us a lesson that we should trust God and thank Him for all things (not merely the good ones) that happen - even though some things may not seem to be our liking when they take place

 

Click here to read more about the Thanksgiving Dinner 2012 @ ACS Oldham Hall

Project Gift of Bread is a CIP (Community Involvement Project) initiative which the 8th Students' Council embarked on in 2012 with a group of church members from Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church, who have very faithfully been distributing bread to the lower income families at Jalan Kukoh area for many years. I had the opportunity to join the group on one Saturday in August and saw the church members preparing many loaves of bread for distribution. I was very touched by the curch members who were very freindly and commmitted in their endeavours. We were divided into groups of 3s and 4s and I followed a lady who had a small notebook with her that she used to take down the conversation she had with the residents. She also kept a reord of the personal particulars of those residents so she will be able to administer to their specific needs. She has been involved in this ministry for many years and I truly admire her dedication. Pesonally, I felt it was really a beneficial experience for me, as living in ACS Oldham Hall where we are well cared for, I did not realize that there are families in Singapore who are grateful to receive simple necessities like bread. Most of all, I am touched and influenced by the volunteers' devotion to reach out to the needy people around.

 

By Huang Ying, ACJC JC2 boarder

 

Oldham Hall (OH) Sunday is a day set aside each year by Barker Road Methodist Church (BRMC) for ACS Oldham Hall to share with BRMC members about the ongoing Christian ministry in the boarding school. OH BRMC members are invited to participate int the meaningful ministry in ACS OH by helping to organise activities for our boarders, or by being a Befriender or a tutor to them. This year's OH Sunday was held on 26 August 2012. One of your boarders who particpated in OH Sunday 2012 shares his thoughts with us.

Click Here to read about his sharing

 

For the two consecutive years, the"Staff Family Day" was organised for full-time staff (FTS), Assistant House Masters / Mistreses (AHMs), Oldham Hall Management Committee (OHMC) and their family members to come together for a time of fun and fellowship. This year's Family Day, which was held on the long weekend on 18 August 2012, brought us to a special and exciting place i.e. The Universal Studio of Singapore (USS) theme park, located on our very own Sentosa Island!

 

We were all geared up for an exhilarating adventure of a life-time. Our staff and family members, young and old, gathered early in the morning and we sang songs of praises to God along the journey in the chartered bus, as we thanked Him for a blessed day ahead. We explored all parts of USS in a small groups and had so much fun taking photographs, videos, enjoying the various shows and going on the different rides.

 

One of the most challenging rides that many of our FTS and AHMs fearlessly conquered was the battlestar Galactica: HUMAN vs CYCLON (tm) in Sci-Fi City. While I could only watch in awe and amazement at the brave souls screaming their lungs out as they swirled and swooshed at lightning speeds in the air, many of our OHANA warriors actually took the thrilling ride not once, but twice and even three times!

We thank God for blessing us with a most beautiful and memorable time in USS. Indeed, the OHANA (the Hawaiian word for 'family') spirit is strong and alive in ACS Oldham Hall!

 

By Goh Chwee Suan, Assistant House Mistress (AHM)

"1...and 2...and 3...and 4...and 5...and...1... and 2...and 3...and 4...and 10..." was heard resounding from the Singapore First Aid Training Centre on 10 August 2012, a Friday morning. It was the day after the National Day, a public holiday for most working Singaporeans. Nevertheless, a group of Oldham Hall Assistant House Masters and Mistresses (AHMs) spent this day attending the Basic First Aid Course which is essential in equipping them with the basic first aid knowledge.

The training was conducted by Mr. Antonio with the Help of his colleague Mr. Jax from the Singapore First Aid Training Centre. From the beginning of the course, Mr. Antonio's enthusiasm and sense of humour helped the participants to stay focused and enthusastic throughout the day. The morning dealt with basic first aid as well as fundamental anatomy; this was followed by a demonstration session on bandanging the wirst, arm, and head. During the question and answer session, our AHMs also sought answers on how to deal with burns and blisters.

 

Click Here to read more on Basic First Aid Training Course for Staff

 

In this year's MOE's Inter-Hostel Challenge, ACS Oldham Hall was awarded with the "Most Eco-Friendly Hostel" in the Hostel category and the "Cosiest Room" (1st Runner-up) and the "Most Creative Room" (Consolation) in the Boarders' Category. Our House Mistress, Mrs. Ling-Saw Wei Ying, also received a HEART (Hostel staff wth Exemplary Attitude, Realibility and Tenacity) Award from MOE.

 

Many thanks to all staff members and boarders who helped during the preparations as wel as during the MOE officers' visit to our Hall.

 

Keep up the good work, the Best is Yet to Be! 

 

 

 

 

Celebration of Culture (CoC) 2012 was held on Sunday, 8 July 2012. This being a major annual hall programme, a lot of hype and excitement filled the air in the days leading up to the event. We were honoured by the presence of our Guest-of-Honour, Professor Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who delivered a fitting speech about cultural diversity in this increasingly globalised world. He said: "Even when the world gets more globalised, it will still not be homogenous. There will always be cultural diversity, not cultural homogeneity." Professor Koh added that there must be an open-mindedness to accept other cultures as well as respect for diversity, and that in order to survive in this world, we need to have not only Intelligence Quotient (IQ), Emotional Quotient (EQ), but also Cultural Quotient (CQ). Indeed, it was a privilege to hear such wise words from a former Ambassador to the United Nations.

 

 

Click here to read more about CoC 2012 @ Oldham Hall