Countdown to Camporee - 4 Days to Go!

In the midst of the many fun Camp activities, most boys will forget to drink water. But it is very important that you drink water otherwise you will be dehyrated. Drink at least 1 water bottle worth of water in the morning, another in the afternoon and one more in the evening. Of course, you can drink more water if you want!

Countdown to Camporee - 5 Days to Go!

A Campfire is not a concert to entertain you.

You have to participate in it by singing along and doing the actions. Please go through the songlist I've given you and try to memorise the Scout songs.

One Scout song that is not on the songlist but which is sung at every Campfire is "Campfire's Burning". In fact, it's the first song of every Campfire!

Campfire’s burning, Campfire’s burning
Draw nearer, Draw nearer
In the glooming, in the glooming
Come sing and be merry
(Repeat 3 times)

Countdown to Camporee - 6 Days to Go!

Today's tip is on how to make more friends in Camp (and in general).

Never laugh at others because they are different.

Maybe they are slow, fat or hairy and you find them funny and can't stop laughing. You may even laugh together with a group of other boys - probably your own gang or clique.

But your actions will come back to haunt you in the end. You (and those boys who laugh along) will be seen as being mean and nasty. Other people will not respect you. They won't want to befriend you. And in the end, you stay forever stuck in your circle of "friends".

Just in case you don't believe me, remember the survey I did for individual Cub Scouts? Which P4 and P6 boys scored the highest for the Scout values of friendliness, trustworthiness, consideration and loyalty? Something for you to think about.

Countdown to Camporee - 7 Days to Go!

As most of you realise, December is monsoon season. So there is bound to be rain everyday. It's a matter of whether light shower or heavy thunderstorm. Don't worry about getting wet in Sarimbun. If it rains, the activities will be conducted instead under shelter at the activity sheds.

However, constant rain presents a problem for campers. As you know, Sarimbun is a Campsite where the ground consists of grass and soil. So this means that the ground will become VERY MUDDY during rainy days.

So, today's Camp tip is to be careful of where you walk. Don't step on muddy soil. Most of all, don't slip and fall into any mud pool!

Countdown to Camporee - 8 Days to Go!

Today's Camp Tip:

No matter how tired you may feel or how cold the weather, you must bathe EVERY DAY!

Remember that you are sleeping with 25 other boys in an A-hut. If you don't bathe, you will stink up the whole place!

After you bathe, please remember to bring all your clothes and toiletries back.

There have been instances of T-shirts, soap and even underwear (yes, it's true!) left behind in the Field Toilet!

A very honest message from your Scoutmaster

Message to P6 boys
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Congrats to Daniel and Jerrell for scoring above 250 points for PSLE. For the other P6 boys, as long as you studied hard and did your best, you shouldn't be too sad if you didn't score what you or your parents expected. Remember that the most important thing for a Scout is to try his best! Work hard in Secondary School and do well in your O levels! I hope that as many of you will decide to continue in Scouting in Secondary School then you can come back to help us in hikes and camps!

Update on next year
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Girls will be allowed to join Scouts next year. As long as there are girls who want to join, we have to accept them. This decision was made by Scout HQ, MOE, Principal and HOD(PE/CCA). If it was up to me, only boys will be allowed in Scouts.

I will be teaching afternoon session (most probably P5) so I will still look after Derrick, Noel and gang. Ms Foo, Mr Tang and Mr Yee will be in morning session. Mr Yee is transferring to Robotics and Ms Foo may take over Red Cross because of shortage of teachers there. Their 3 Uniformed Groups may end up conducting meetings as a combined group! But don't worry for us - as long as I'm your Scoutmaster, we will always hold our activities separately from the Brownies and Red Cross!

Scout Meetings for P3 & P5 next year are scheduled for Friday mornings 8am-10am. But I foresee we will have fewer meetings because of P5 Supplementary classes, House Practices and whatever "extra" activities on Fridays. So I'm thinking of holding meetings on Saturday morning once a month. Instead of 2 hours, it will be 4 hours (8am-12pm) so we can have longer activities such as excursions and hikes. Daniel, Feng Yuan and the other Sixers will be invited to help. But I have to get Principal's permission on this. As long as she says no CCA on Saturday, then cannot.

It all sounds very depressing, right? The school doesn't give us the support and instead gives us a lot of restrictions. Might as well everyone quit then I can close down the unit!

But we must always remember that we are Scouts. We continue on and persevere no matter how unfairly we are treated. If the school says we cannot do something, I will think of alternative solutions. Daniel, Feng Yuan and Gerald know what I'm talking about. Shhh!

I have always tried my best to give all you boys a proper Scouting education. But some of you are, honestly speaking, spoilt brats and your silly actions are giving us a bad name. It is no wonder that the school doesn't treat us seriously. However, I don't believe in sacking Scouts. That is not the Scout way.

But what I can do is to restrict excursions, camps and hikes to only those boys who are loyal and good. And for goodness' sake, please don't accuse me for showing favouritism. That is such a lame excuse for your own shortcoming and failure.

In short, next year is going to be a tough year. So I need everyone to chip in and do his part so that we can win the Frank Cooper Sands Gold Award. Here are my targets for Derrick, Noel and gang.

- All to earn Silver Arrow Badge & Assistant Sixer rank
(before Founder's Day, 22 February 2007)
- All to take part in Job Week and earn at least $20 each (March 2007)
- All to attend Sixer Training Camp (Sarimbun Campsite, May 2007)
- All to attend Temasek Cub Scout Camp (June 2007)
- All to earn Gold Arrow Badge & Sixer rank (by end of 2007)

Then in 2008, when they to go to P6, they will work towards getting the Senior Sixer and Akela Award. I would like at least 3 Akela Award winners from our school.

Of course, all these are just plans. Anything can happen along the way. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and am posted to another CCA or another school? LOL!

Countdown to Camporee - 9 Days to Go!

Always look after your scarf and woggle well. What distinguishes a Scout from another Uniformed Group (NCC, NPCC, Red Cross, Boys Brigade) is the scarf. Scouts are identified by the scarf.

Even if a boy wears only shorts but has the scarf around his neck (yes, it has happened before in some Secondary School Scout Camps!), that shows that he is a Scout.

So, the advice for you during the Camp is this:

Always look after your scarf. Keep it in your pocket when you are not wearing it. Do not separate the woggle from the scarf. Attach them together. It is also advisable to write your name on your scarf so that it can be returned to you if it is dropped.

One final thing - anyone from Temasek without a scarf and woggle on the final day during the Closing Ceremony, be prepared to do push-ups as punishment before you are allowed to board the van back to school!

Countdown to Camporee - 10 Days to Go!

Today's Tip:

The day before you go for camp, make sure you empty your bowels completely. If you're lucky, you will not need to do any "big business" during the 4 days at Camp. Field toilets are notoriously dirty and smelly!

Of course, if you gotta go, there's no choice - you just gotta go!

Countdown to Camporee - 11 Days to Go!

As you already know, at the Camp, you will be working, playing, eating, sleeping and even bathing(!!!) with boys from other schools whom you don't know.

So it is important that you learn to get along with them. Especially since you will be with them for 4 days and 3 nights.

Be friendly. Be considerate. Be open-minded. But the most important thing that you need to do when meeting other people for the first time is this:

Be HUMBLE.

Simple sound advice but many boys don't practise it. We should never think of ourselves as being better or smarter than others. There will always be someone else who is better than you at something.

Countdown to Camporee - 12 Days to Go!

Today's Camp Tip:

Never ever, ever, ever use disposable underwear.

The feeling of paper stuck to your *toot* is not nice at all!

Countdown to Camporee - 13 Days to Go!

Here's some tips on getting yourself ready for Camporee. For the next 2 weeks, do the following as practice so that you will get used to staying in a Camp.

1) Don't sleep in air-con room.

2) Bathe in cold water at night after 9pm.

3) Sleep with towel as pillow.

More suggestions tomorrow.

Camp Grouping

The groupings for the Camporee has been released. Here are the groups and the name of the Camp Counsellor for each group. Sean and Noel are lucky to be in the same group and will be looked after by You-Know-Who. The rest of you are on your own!

Derrick - Jeebi (Ghost) - Mrs Sarah Wu (De La Salle School)
Mervyn - Shada (Pelican) - Mr Matthew Lai (Huamin Pri)
Christian - Ahdeek (Reindeer) - Ang Huey Chia (Concord Pri)
Mun Keong - Dahinda (Bullfrog) - Mr Loy Kah Tai (Red Swastika Pri)
Joshua - Karela (Bitter Vine) - Mrs Agnes Lim TT (Townsville Pri)
Sean Ang - Kotick (Seal) - Mr Bernard Lee (Temasek Pri)
Noel - Kotick (Seal) - Mr Bernard Lee (Temasek Pri)
Shawn - Shaw Shaw (Swallow) - Mrs Doreen Foo (Radin Mas Pri)
Lance - Ko (Crow) - Ms Wendy Ong (River Valley Pri)
Kenrick - Jacala (Crocodile) - Tang Yong Cheong (Yio Chu Kang Pri)
Adam - Mang (Bat) - Mr Fong Meng Hong (Rulang Pri)
Bharath - Rikki (Mongoose) - Mr John Koo (Gongshang Pri)
Wei Han - Suggema (Mosquito) - Yip Ying Keong (Gongshang Pri)
Oscar - Mysa (Buffalo) - Mr Kenneth Ng (Gongshang Pri)
Gerald - Ferao (Woodpecker) - Ms Goh Siew Lin (Yumin Pri)
Daniel - Keneu (Eagle) - Raakesh Menon (Woodlands Ring Pri)

Amazing Akele Challenge at Singapore Mandai Zoo

Badge & Award Ceremony

Congratulations to the boys who received awards yesterday.

Daniel (Cub Scout of the Year - Winner)
Feng Yuan (Cub Scout of the Year - Winner)
Jerrell (Cub Scout of the Year - Runner-up)
Amos (Cub Scout of the Year - Runner-up)
Derrick (Junior Cub Scout of the Year - Winner)
Chaderic (Junior Cub Scout of the Year - Runner-up)
Noel (Junior Cub Scout of the Year - Runner-up)
Sean (Junior Cub Scout - Best Recruit)

All the best to the Sixers as they officially graduate from Cub Scouting. May they continue in Scouting in Secondary School. And hopefully (fingers crossed!) some of them will come back to Temasek Primary as Ventures or even President's Scout!!!

visit to Changi War Museum

P2 Open House

Year-End Evaluation Survey - Comments

Here are comments about this year's Scout activities from the year-end evaluation survey. Have fun reading them! The question was: "Comment about the Scout activities this year. Which ones did you like and dislike and why? Suggest activities for next year."

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"I did not really attend a lot of activities but it is still very fun. Go more cycling during next year." - Lance

"Hike. Go 4 more hikes. No more combined CCA camp." - Gerald

"The Scout activities is quite good. I like all of the activities because they are fun." - Mervyn

"The scout activities of this year is quite good. I like all the activities because they are very interesting." - Derrick

"I liked the Job week. I dislike the MacRitchie hike as I had to wake up very early." - Mun Keong

"I liked the East Coast cycling and Bedok District Activity Day because Bedok district activity day had fun activities and I enjoy cycling. I do not like the banner making because it is boring." - Joshua

"I liked the East Coast Cycling because we got chased by some crazy people. I disliked the Combined CCA because it was boring." - Jerrell

"I like the MacRitchie Reservoir hike because it was interesting." - Christian

"Good. I do not dislike anything. Next year activities more camps." - Noel

"The Scout activities in 2006 are very exciting and fun. I especially like the Gold Arrow test. I would suggest more campfires." - Zhi Xuan

"I loved the hike. Go for more hikes." - Sean Ang

"Nothing in particular. No more combined CCA Camp. More hikes in forested area." - Daniel

"I like the tent pitching and outdoor cooking. I don't dislike anything. In other words, I like everything in Scouts. More hiking. More outdoor activities (outside school)." - Amos

"The Scout activities is very good this year. I like the MacRitchie Reservoir hike because I have not been to a long distance for the hike. I dislike the national day banner-making because I did not do much and it was a lousy banner. I suggest to have more activities like camping and campfire." - Chaderic

"The activities were nice. I liked Job Week and East Coast Cycling. More outdoor activities." - Zhi Yong

"I like National Day Banner-Making because it was fun and uses creativity. I dislike Bedok District Activity Day because it was hot and stuffy." - Feng Yuan