SWIMMING TOGETHER IN SCHOOL

A FISHY STAFF RETREAT

The mid year staff retreat came about after the middle management staff retreat at Hort Park. This time the whole school was down at MERC Evans Road where we had to examine the school's strategic thrusts, gather feedback from the staff and work towards improving the data collected.

It was not only work but we had fun too. There was good food and collegiality around us. There were games to be played and reflection time through the Fish Philosophy made famous by Seattle Pike Place Fish Co.

What is the FISH! Philosophy? Watch the video before this posting to get an idea.

The FISH! Philosophy includes four simple, interconnected practices:

Be There is being emotionally present for people. It’s a powerful message of respect that improves communication and strengthens relationships.

Play taps into your natural way of being creative, enthusiastic and having fun. Play is the spirit that drives the curious mind, as in “Let’s play with that idea!” It’s a mindset you can bring to everything you do.

Make Their Day is finding simple ways to serve or delight people in a meaningful, memorable way. It’s about contributing to someone else’s life, not because you want something out of it, but because that’s the person you want to be.

Choose Your Attitude means taking responsibility for how you respond to what life throws at you. Once you are aware that your choice impacts everyone around you, you can ask yourself, “Is my attitude helping my team or my customers? Is it helping me to be the person I want to be?”

Through The FISH! Philosophy, we build stronger relationships with the team members we work with, the customers we serve, the students we teach and the people we love.

SERENE IN GREEN @ HORT PARK

HOT @ HORT PARK

Everything you see here is welcoming to the eyes

A bunch of banana flowers

The water seems to fall at the edge

The silver garden with the wintry look

Ferns and more ferns at the Hort Mart

It can be quite foggy in the early morning

Sharing my reflection through a selected photo

The pond at the entrance of the foyer

An eco-room to rest and rent

With friends before the start of the retreat

Taking a breather before the meeting

Surrounded by a peaceful setting

The herb and spice garden

A blue pool is so cool amidst the hort park

A bed of cacti at the carpark

RETREAT IN SERENITY

Hprt Park was chosen as the venue for our middle management retreat to review our strategic thrusts. Hort Park is a short form for Horticulture Park -a one-stop horticulture hub that joins gardening-associated, amateur, educational, research and selling actions under one big fabric in a park circumstance.

Hort Park is a knowledge hub for plants and gardening and provides the platform for the industry to share best practices and showcase garden designs, products and services. This 23-hectare regional park in south-western Singapore is also a park connector, connecting Telok Blangah Hill Park to Kent Ridge Park.

We were at Hort Park for two days and for both mornings we had a chance to amble around the greenery admiring the Silver Garden, Bamboo Labyrinth, Floral Walk and the Fruit Tree and Fruited Vegetable Garden. The walks got us more energised and we were in full swing for the review. It was also an outlet for us to bond more with one another as the atmosphere was more relaxing and pleasant to the eyes.