Voicez “Your Say” Responses

Term 1 2011

Q1: If my child has forgotten to bring his recess money or homework, am I

allowed to pass the items to him during school hours? Will I be able to meet
him personally? Is there any existing system in place to ensure that the items
are handed over to him so that he will not miss his recess or be penalised in
class?

A1: Parents or caregivers are allowed to pass items to the pupils if they have forgotten to
bring them to school. The item must be deposited with the general office and one of our
office staff will either hand it over to the form teacher or bring it to the classroom as
soon as possible. We do not encourage you to see the pupils personally as we do not
wish for the pupils to leave their classrooms and for their lessons to be disrupted. At the
same time, we hope that you can join us in reminding our pupils the importance of
personal responsibility, and that we instill in our pupils the value of accountability
whenever they are reprimanded for having forgotten to bring things to school.

Q2: If my child falls sick and has to stay at home, must I inform the teacher on
the same day and check for any homework assignments? Whenever I leave a
message with the general office and did not receive any replies from the
teachers, I have to call the office staff again to check on the status. Is there a
standard time frame for the teachers to return calls?

A2: Parents can keep the school informed of their child's absence in a variety of ways. If
the parents have access to the form teacher's mobile number, they can keep him or her
informed of the number of days the child will be away and the reasons for the absence.
Otherwise, parents can also leave a message for the school staff by calling the general
office to pass the information to the form teacher. We also encourage our teachers to
respond to the parents as soon as they can (normally by the next working day), taking
into perspective that the teachers may be involved in remediation work with their pupils,
co-curricular activities, administrative duties, or being away from school for professional
development. In general, if the child is going to be absent for a prolonged period of time
(e.g., medical reasons), the teachers will make efforts to engage the parents so that
homework and coaching can be done at home.

Q3: If my child is bullied in school and I have reported the matter to the form
teacher, how would I know whether any actions are taken by the school? Who
will be the best person to report the matter to in such cases and how will the
feedback be given to me?

A3: The school has a system in place to address the issue of hurtful behaviours amongst
the pupils. The onus is on everyone in the school to address bullying behaviours,
regardless if the incidences are being witnessed by teachers, allied educators, or the
administrative and support staff. When bullying incidences are made known to you by
your children, you can contact the form teacher so that we can speak with the affected
pupils. Usually the form teacher will keep the level discipline teachers and the discipline
master informed. Depending on the intensity and frequency of the hurtful behaviours,
subsequent disciplinary measures will then be meted out according to the recommended
actions stated in the pupils' handbook. The responsibility is on the form teacher to
contact the parents on the relevant follow-up actions.

Mrs Rosalind Wee

Vice Principal

Q4: I observed that the meal choices in the school canteen seem rather
limited. I wonder of the canteen vendors have tried to provide a bigger variety
of dishes to serve with rice. Will there be a possibility that the canteen not sell
potato chips, and limit the drinks to healthier ones like Ribena and Milo?

We monitor our canteen vendors’ sale of food and drinks regularly and ensure that their
varieties are acceptable in view of our primary school pupils’ population. Our sale of
drinks and snack carry the Healthier Choice Symbol (HCS)/ Healthier Snack Symbol logo
endorsed by the Health Promotion Board. Products carrying the HCS are generally lower
in total fat, saturated fat, sodium and sugar. Some are also higher in dietary fiber and
calcium compared to similar products within the same food category. Each food category
has a separate set of nutritional criteria to adhere to. A variant of the HCS for snack
foods, the Healthier Snack Symbol (HSS) items, includes plain biscuits and cookies,
crisps, ice-cream and plain cakes. Products which are eligible for the HSS are individually
packed in small portions according to serving sizes reflected on the Nutrition Information
Panel, and they are generally lower in fat, saturated fat, sodium or sugar compared to
regular products.

Mr Chris Yeo
Operations Manager

Q5: In conjunction with the message of "Healthy Lifestyle" advocated by MOE,

will the school consider increasing PE lessons 30 minutes or more for the lower
primary pupils. It is my belief that healthy lifestyle habits are best inculcated
when they are still young.

Distribution of teaching periods amongst the various subjects is subject to MOE

guidelines and the school's strategic thrusts and existing resources. However, the school
can and does work within the existing framework to promote adoption of healthy lifestyle
to our pupils, as embodied in our Health Slogan for staff and pupils - Every Clementian:
Live Well, Eat Well and Play Well.

As the school concurs with your belief in inculcating healthy lifestyle habits since young,
we have ongoing programmes for all levels, such as the fortnightly Eat Fruit Day and Y-
Drink Programme. Also, we have an annual Healthy Lifestyle Week where all pupils
participate in games and pick up useful health information from the various activities
planned for them, in collaboration with Health Promotion Board and other stakeholders.

You may be pleased to know that we have deployed PE teachers to teach Health
Education lessons so that there is a more seamless integration of the subjects to further
reinforce the message to our pupils that physical activity and healthy habits form part of
their holistic education.
Mr Liau Chie Teng
Head of Department PE

Feedback 1: For the school to update the school website regularly (e.g.,
contact person and number for bookshop are not valid for 2 years running),
and more information like CCA schedule to be uploaded to website.

- Communicated to HOD/IT for follow-up. CCA Schedule has been uploaded.

Feedback 2: For the bookshop to be opened during selected Saturdays during

the school holidays to cater to the needs of working parents.

- Communicated to bookshop vendor via Administrative Manager.

Parenting Styles: The Four Styles of Parenting

By Kendra Cherry

Developmental psychologists have long been interested in how parents impact child
development. However, finding actual cause-and-effect links between specific actions of
parents and later behavior of children is very difficult. Some children raised in
dramatically different environments can later grow up to have remarkably similar
personalities. Conversely, children who share a home and are raised in the same
environment can grow up to have astonishingly different personalities than one another.

Despite these challenges, researchers have uncovered convincing links between

parenting styles and the effects these styles have on children. During the early 1960s,
psychologist Diana Baumrind conducted a study on more than 100 preschool-age
children (Baumrind, 1967). Using naturalistic observation, parental interviews and other
research methods, she identified four important dimensions of parenting:

• Disciplinary strategies
• Warmth and nurturance
• Communication styles
• Expectations of maturity and control

Based on these dimensions, Baumrind suggested that the majority of parents display one
of three different parenting styles. Further research by also suggested the addition of a
fourth parenting style (Maccoby & Martin, 1983).

The Four Parenting Styles

1. Authoritarian Parenting
In this style of parenting, children are expected to follow the strict rules established
by the parents. Failure to follow such rules usually results in punishment.
Authoritarian parents fail to explain the reasoning behind these rules. If asked to
explain, the parent might simply reply, "Because I said so." These parents have high
 demands, but are not responsive to their children. According to Baumrind, these
parents "are obedience- and status-oriented, and expect their orders to be obeyed
without explanation" (1991).

2. Authoritative Parenting
Like authoritarian parents, those with an authoritative parenting style establish rules
and guidelines that their children are expected to follow. However, this parenting
style is much more democratic. Authoritative parents are responsive to their children
and willing to listen to questions. When children fail to meet the expectations, these
parents are more nurturing and forgiving rather than punishing. Baumrind suggests
that these parents "monitor and impart clear standards for their children’s conduct.
They are assertive, but not intrusive and restrictive. Their disciplinary methods are
supportive, rather than punitive. They want their children to be assertive as well as
socially responsible, and self-regulated as well as cooperative" (1991).

3. Permissive Parenting
Permissive parents, sometimes referred to as indulgent parents, have very few
demands to make of their children. These parents rarely discipline their children
because they have relatively low expectations of maturity and self-control. According
to Baumrind, permissive parents "are more responsive than they are demanding.
They are nontraditional and lenient, do not require mature behavior, allow
considerable self-regulation, and avoid confrontation" (1991). Permissive parents are
generally nurturing and communicative with their children, often taking on the status
of a friend more than that of a parent.

4. Uninvolved Parenting
An uninvolved parenting style is characterized by few demands, low responsiveness
and little communication. While these parents fulfill the child's basic needs, they are
generally detached from their child's life. In extreme cases, these parents may even
reject or neglect the needs of their children.

The Impact of Parenting Styles

What effect do these parenting styles have on child development outcomes? In addition
to Baumrind's initial study of 100 preschool children, researchers have conducted
numerous other studies than have led to a number of conclusions about the impact of
parenting styles on children.

• Authoritarian parenting styles generally lead to children who are obedient and
proficient, but they rank lower in happiness, social competence and self-esteem.
• Authoritive parenting styles tend to result in children who are happy, capable and
successful (Maccoby, 1992).
• Permissive parenting often results in children who rank low in happiness and self-
regulation. These children are more likely to experience problems with authority and
tend to perform poorly in school.
• Uninvolved parenting styles rank lowest across all life domains. These children tend
to lack self-control, have low self-esteem and are less competent than their peers.

Why Do Parenting Styles Differ?

After learning about the impact of parenting styles on child development, you may
wonder why all parents simply don't utilize an authoritative parenting style. After all, this
parenting style is the most likely to produce happy, confident and capable children. What
are some reasons why parenting styles might vary? Some potential causes of these
differences include culture, personality, family size, parental background, socioeconomic
status, educational level and religion.

Of course, the parenting styles of individual parents also combine to create a unique
blend in each and every family. For example, the mother may display an authoritative
style while the father favors a more permissive approach. In order to create a cohesive
approach to parenting, it is essential that parents learn to cooperate as they combine
various elements of their unique parenting styles.

This article has been extracted from the following website:

http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/parenting-style.htm. For
enquiries regarding any of your parenting concerns, you can contact the school
counsellor Mr. Sean Ng via email at ng_chye_shin@moe.edu.sg, or call him at 67797449.