Jaya Mahesh, Singapore

Toys “R” Us celebrates their Great World City Store Grand Re-Opening with islandwide HALF-PRICE offers from 24-28 Jan 2019. Expect great deals on LEGO, Nerf, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Tomica and more!

A former MOE teacher, Lenny Rehman, has hit out at parents who don’t teach their kids to read. In a Facebook post she expressed her disappointment at the fact that, “In this day and age that there are kids in p1 who DO NOT KNOW HOW TO READ.” Clarifying that she wasn’t referring to special needs kids, Lenny reveals that, “They cannot even recognize simple sight words such as "he", "she", "it", "the", "is".” She asks why parents can't spend a few minutes every day to teach their children how to read. Reading is one of the most essential skills they can teach their children, she says. “You CANNOT spare 30 mins every day to read to/with your child?! Wouldn't or rather SHOULDN'T you as parents want your kids to have a better life than you did?!?” And she has a strong word of advice for parents who are too busy working and don’t have the time to spend - “Don’t have kids.” “Busy working but you CANNOT spend time with your kid? Then why have kids in the first place?!” “BTW, reading IS a basic necessity besides food, clothes, shelter. Depriving your child of basic education, is depriving your child of a better future”, she says. This is her Lenny’s full post on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lenny.syafawatie/posts/2232810843416771 Parents, here are some simple tips to teach your child to read: -Set aside some time every day to read to your kids. This will help increase their vocabulary and expose them to new words. -Make your reading sessions interactive. Talk to your kids a lot and ask them questions. The best way to learn a language, is to hear it a lot. -Teach phonics or letter sounds. Kids are usually ready to learn phonics when they are 4-5 years old. Once they can grasp the concept of joining these sounds to form a word, reading becomes fun and easy! -Teach them sight words. Sight words are those which don’t follow the laws of phonics, and which the child is required to memorise by sight, so they can recognise them immediately. They include words like “who”, “the”, “he”, “does”, “their”, “me”, “be” etc Mums and dads, do share how you taught your children to read!

DBS/POSB announced that "new and good-as-new notes", traditionally used during Chinese New Year, will be available in POSB pop-up ATMs islandwide, from January 15, 2019. Customers will be able to withdraw these notes at 42 POSB new notes pop-up ATMS, an increase from the 36 last year, according to a media statement. These ATMs will be located in 20 community clubs, and will be open 24 hours, apart from the ones located at Chong Pang and Teck Ghee, which will be available from 9am to 9.30pm daily. Additionally, customers can also reserve their new notes online and select collection dates from full-service branches. From Jan 15, customers can visit www.go.dbs.com/sg-cnynotes or www.posb.com.sg/cnynotes to reserve their new notes. Priority queues will be set up at full-service branches to cater to the elderly and those with special needs. Customers will be able to use their DBS/POSB cards to withdraw new notes in sums of -S$100 (S$2 x 50) -S$300 (S$10 x 30) -S$500 (S$50 x 10) -S$600 (S$10 x 20 and S$50 x 8). Here are the 20 pop-up locations: Bedok Community Centre Address: 850 New Upper Changi Road S'pore 467352 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs Bukit Batok East Community Club Address: 23 Bukit Batok East Ave 4 S'pore 659841 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs Bukit Panjang Community Club Address: 8 Pending Road S'pore 678295 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs Changi Simei Community Club Address: 10 Simei Street 2 S'pore 529915 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs Chong Pang Community Club Address: 21 Yishun Ring Road S'pore 768677 Pop-Up ATMs: 4 Access Hours: 9am to 9.30pm Ci Yuan Community Centre Address: 51 Hougang Ave 9 S'pore 538776 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs Clementi Community Centre Address: 220 Clementi Ave 4 S'pore 129880 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs Henderson Community Club Address: 500 Bukit Merah View S'pore 159682 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs Keat Hong Community Club Address: 2 Choa Chu Kang Loop S'pore 689687 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs MacPherson Community Club Address: 400 Paya Lebar Way S'pore 379131 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs Pasir Ris Elias Community Club Address: 93 Pasir Ris Drive 3 Singapore 519498 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs Sengkang Community Club Address: 2 Sengkang Square S'pore 545025 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs Taman Jurong Community Club Address: 1 Yung Sheng Road S'pore 618495 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs Tampines West Community Club Address: 5 Tampines Ave 3 S'pore 529705 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs Teck Ghee Community Club Address: 861 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 S'pore 569734 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 9am to 9.30pm Toa Payoh Central Community Club Address: 93 Toa Payoh Central S'pore 319194 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs Whampoa Community Club Address: 300 Whampoa Dr S'pore 327737 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs Woodlands Galaxy Community Club Address: 31 Woodlands Avenue 6 S'pore 738991 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs Yew Tee Community Club Address: 20 Chua Chu Kang Street 52 S'pore 689286 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs Yuhua Community Club Address: 90 Boon Lay Way S'pore 609958 Pop-Up ATMs: 2 Access Hours: 24hrs

Parents Gateway – the mobile app that connects parents and schools on key administrative matters – was officially launched by Minister for Education, Mr Ong Ye Kung, on 2 Jan 2019, at Huamin Primary School. In partnership with the Government Technology Agency (GovTech), the Ministry of Education (MOE) has developed Parents Gateway - a one-stop mobile app for parents and schools to better support their children’s educational journey through improved communications. The app, available on IOS and Android for parents, allows schools to send updates on programmes and activities. It also allows parents to perform administrative functions such as providing consent for their children to participate in school activities. Parents can use their SingPass accounts, SMS 2FA or OneKey Token1 to gain access to Parents Gateway. Parents using Android devices are advised to log in using SMS 2FA or OneKey token. Through this dedicated account, parents will be able to receive information and perform administrative functions for their children, even if the children are in different classes, or from different schools. Currently, there are 66 primary and secondary schools taking part in the initiative. MOE will progressively extend the app to all schools Additional services will be added to the Parents Gateway portal incrementally. For example, by the end of 2019, parents can look forward to completing travel declarations on their mobile devices, and updating their contact details.

About 900,000 Singaporean HDB households will receive the next instalment of the GST Voucher – Utilities-Save (U-Save) rebate in January 2019. The U-Save rebate helps HDB households by offsetting part of their utilities bills, and therefore lower their overall household expenses. It is disbursed every three months. In January 2019, eligible Singaporean households will each receive a GST Voucher – U-Save rebate of up to $100, depending on their HDB flat type. As announced in Budget 2018, eligible households will receive an additional $20 per year ($5 per quarter) for 3 years, from 2019 to 2021. For more information on the GST Voucher – U-Save, members of the public can call SP Group at 6671-7117, or email [email protected]. More information on the GST Voucher can also be found at www.gstvoucher.gov.sg.

Peppa Pig is all set to celebrate Chinese New Year come February 2019. And why not, it is the Year of the Pig after all! The new Peppa Pig movie (Co-produced by Alibaba Pictures and Canadian media company Entertainment One) will feature a dragon parade, fireworks display and cute red scarves, which represent good luck in China. In line with Chinese traditions, the film will include the entire 'Peppa Pig' cast and two new characters named 'Jiaozi' or dumpling and 'Tang yuan' or glutinous rice ball.

Come New Year's Eve, Marina Bay and the Civic District will once again be transformed into Singapore’s largest countdown celebration venue as people from all walks of life get to ring in 2019 with a variety of exciting events taking place in the heart of our city from early evening till past midnight. With Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2019, members of the public can look forward to a whole host of activities across various partner event hubs around Marina Bay and Civic District. These activities include: -Light projection shows on key landmarks around the bay -Let's Celebrate 2019 countdown concert by Mediacorp at The Promontory, made free for the public for the first time -Food Truck Fest at the Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza offering modern local gastronomical delights -Esplanade Presents Come Together outdoor performances by local acts at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre -Prudential Marina Bay Carnival at the Bayfront Event Space -Car-Free New Year's Eve at the Civic District where the roads around the Padang will be closed to vehicular traffic for activities such as movie screenings, live performances, bazaars, salsa dancing and more -STAR ISLAND Singapore Countdown Edition bringing you an awe-inspiring fireworks display set against the iconic Singapore's city skyline In addition, Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2019 is partnering with National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre for the Build a Dream initiative, a collective effort to support the less fortunate in fulfilling their dreams and personal development. As part of the initiative, artworks created by students and beneficiaries of local schools and welfare organisations will be transformed into a series of dazzling light projections on the facades of key landmarks around Marina Bay. For more information, visit www.marinabaycountdown.sg.

Ring in the New Year away from the bustling city and join Coastes for its annual Beach BBQ Countdown Party at Siloso Beach, Sentosa. Party by the beach and indulge in an all-you-can-eat spread of freshly-grilled seafood, succulent meats, hearty mains and sweet treats at just $75 per adult and $35 per child. Toast to a new year with a wide selection of premium drinks and unbeatable drink promotions with Heineken Jugs at $28 each, $9 for a glass of housepour spirit, $44 sparkling wine bottle, $48 for selected red/white/rose wine bottles and more. Enjoy live music and dance the night away on Coastes' sandy dance floor as SF-XPRESS led by music maestro, Stephen Francis, and featuring powerhouse vocals of Lily Anna Nuris, fill the starry night with upbeat Pop classics and chart-toppers with a twist of Rock, Funk and Soul. Date & Day: 31 December 2018, Monday Time: 6pm till Late BBQ Buffet Price: $75 (Adult), $35 (Child aged 12 and below) Address: Coastes, 50 Siloso Beach Walk #01-06 Singapore 099000 Tickets Availability: Coastes Shopify Store (https://coastes.myshopify.com/)

Mums and dads, do you feel a little lost when you are unable to help your kids with their Math homework? Those Math sums seem to be getting tougher by the year! Have you considered "going back to school" to refresh and re-learn some Math? A new pilot programme helps parents learn Math concepts, so they can support their children better. The KelasMateMatika @ CC programme (KMM) is an initiative of three key Malay/Muslim organisations: Mendaki, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) and the People's Association Malay Activity Executive Committees Council (Mesra). It is a free educational programme, and an enhanced version of self-help group Mendaki's existing Tiga M programme. The first pilot phase is running at three divisions in Marsiling, Nee Soon East and Pasir Ris East. The KMM programme is targeted at families with children aged between four and six years, and whose household per capita income is $450 or less a month. Over six sessions, parents learn basic numeracy concepts as well as techniques to build the child's self-esteem and confidence as they learn. There are also interactive activities for the children to pick up math concepts better. The sessions aim to encourage family bonding as well, through fun activities like playing games, making a halal bento set or fairy lamp, and doing zumba exercises.

Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay is happening from 30th November to 26th December 2018! Enjoy an authentic festive experience with an exciting array of free live performances, tantalising food and beverage options and attractive prizes! Event: Christmas Wonderland 2018 @ Gardens by the Bay Event Dates: 30 November – 26 December 2018, 4pm to 11pm daily Admission Ticket Price: 30 NOV - 6 DEC $4 ONLINE / $6 ONSITE 7 DEC - 13 DEC $6 ONLINE / $8 ONSITE 14 DEC - 26 DEC $8 ONLINE / $10 ONSITE *Entry is complimentary for up to 2 children under 0.9m for each paying adult. *Purchase entry tickets online at least 1 day before your visit. Same-day admission tickets can only be purchased at the ticketing counters onsite. *Separate charges apply for certain Christmas Wonderland attractions, OCBC Skyway and Gardens by the Bay conservatories Tickets can be purchased at www.christmaswonderland.sg or at on-site ticketing booths from 30 November. Visitors young and old can enjoy carnival games and rides throughout Christmas Wonderland. Hop on the Christmas train and new attractions including the Snowman Swing, Santa’s Train, Mini Ferris Wheel, Carousel, Ski Gliders or Gingerbread inflatables for a memorable time or test your mettle at the carnival game stalls to win adorable plushies. Tokens are required to play the carnival games and rides. A brand-new line-up of local music talents – Joanna Dong, Rani Singam & Andrew Lim, Lorong Boys, Orchestra Collective, Sobs, Sara Wee x Joie Tan x JAWN and .gif – will perform for the very first time at Christmas Wonderland. Choirs will also ring in the festive cheer with classic choral performances. Over at the Festive Market, visitors will discover unusual food finds, both savoury and sweet, that are exclusive to Christmas Wonderland. With the diverse range of craft vendors at the Festive Market, you can be sure to pick up a unique gift for your loved ones at Christmas Wonderland. From 30 November to 26 December, all visitors will stand a chance to win one of ten prizes in three Christmas Wonderland Giveaway conducted on 7, 14 and 27 December. Prizes include three Genting Dream cruise holidays for a family of four worth $4,600 each, a 3-day trip for two to Bali, Pattaya or Penang, inclusive of a two night stay at Hard Rock hotel and return flight tickets worth up to $2,500 each as well as shopping vouchers. Daily instant wins for various Christmas Wonderland experiences are also up for grabs at the event, including outdoor skating sessions, free carnival games and rides as well as tickets to ‘The Magic of Rob Lake’. Terms and conditions apply. Admission tickets to Christmas Wonderland are available for sale online from $4 per person, with tickets priced at $2 more on-site. Visitors can also save up to 30% with the Family and Friends online bundle for Christmas Wonderland and ‘The Magic of Rob Lake’ admission tickets (subject to availability). For more information and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.christmaswonderland.sg/.