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2021 Leading Foundation Teacher Award

On 24th November 2021, Teacher Sulochanah received the Leading Foundation Teacher Award at NIE (National Institute of Education) in Nanyang Technological University. This award honors outstanding early childhood, special needs and allied educators who made significant contributions in teaching and caring for the well-being of their students, bringing out the best in every child in their learning journey. Teacher Sulochanah was honored for her efforts in knowledge building. Photo


2020 SPARK re-certification with Commendation for a period of 6 years

The Singapore Preschool Accreditation Framework (SPARK) is a quality assurance framework to assist preschools in Singapore in raising their quality. 

SPARK aims to provide recognition and support for preschool leaders in their efforts to improve teaching and learning, and administration and management processes to enhance the holistic development and well-being of young children. It serves as a guide for preschools to understand what they should be striving to achieve. It also provides a benchmark for preschools to measure themselves against, and establish for themselves the extent of their achievement.
 

2019 SkillsFuture Employer Award 2019

 
This award has been given to us in recognition of our exemplary efforts in championing skills development in our employees. We are the first Early Childhood Institution to receive this Award.  Photo

 

2017 Roll of Honour for Early Childhood Innovation Mentor Centres Award        *8      Photos

 


2017 SPARK Recertification with Commendation

 

 

2016 ECDA Outstanding Teacher Award – Commendation        *7      Photos      Video



2015 ECDA Outstanding Innovation Award – Distinction       *6      Photos



2015 NLB (National Library board) Reading Innovation Award – Distinction      Photos



2014 ASSETS (Association of Early Childhood and Training Services Services) Best Employer Award 2014 – Runner-up with less than 50 employees      Photos      Video


Award Citation
‘Ramakrishna Mission Sarada Kindergarten is a not-for-profit organization. Its leadership’s consultative style empowers teachers and staff as active contributors to its decision- making process. This has facilitated the development of a culture of innovation which enables staff to take ownership of projects and initiatives as well make recommendations for improvements to practices and policies.

Leadership values staff well-being and, TAPAS (Teachers and Parents Association of Sarada) works in close partnership with the kindergarten to promote the well-being of everyone at Sarada. This is evident in the regular dialogues with staff to gather feedback.

Staff are also provided with several opportunities for their professional development and the kindergarten has a structured career progression path. In addition, Sarada has a strong culture of mentoring and coaching.
In the area of operations excellence, Sarada has developed systems to efficiently manage its finances, databases/repositories and information dissemination to staff and parents.

With a dedicated team Sarada aspires to grow from strength to strength.”


2014 ECDA Outstanding Innovation Award – Distinction      Photos      Video
 

2014 The Leading Foundation Teacher Award      Photos 
 

2014 SPARK Recertification      Photos      Video  
 

2013 ECDA Awards for Excellence in Early Childhood Development      Photos      Video
* Outstanding Centre for Teaching & Learning Award
Outstanding Early Childhood Leader: Ms Pushpa

 



2012 MOE-AECES Awards for Kindergarten Excellence      Photos      Video
* Outstanding Kindergarten Teacher Award (Merit): Mrs Kala
Outstanding Kindergarten Innovation Award (Distinction): “Setting Our Own Goals”
      *1

 



2011 MOE-AECES Awards for Kindergarten Excellence      Photos      Video

* Outstanding Kindergarten Teacher Award (Distinction): Miss Nadiya

Outstanding Learning Centres Award (Distinction): “Writing Centre – Learning through Photography”      *2

  Outstanding Kindergarten Innovation Award (Merit):“Flying High With Imagination - Stories around Stories-”      *3

 

2011 SPARK (Singapoe Preschool Accreditation Frame Work) Certification

The Singapore Preschool Accreditation Framework (SPARK) is a quality assurance framework to assist preschools in Singapore in raising their quality. 
 
SPARK aims to provide recognition and support for preschool leaders in their efforts to improve teaching and learning, and administration and management processes to enhance the holistic development and well-being of young children. It serves as a guide for preschools to understand what they should be striving to achieve. It also provides a benchmark for preschools to measure themselves against, and establish for themselves the extent of their achievement.

 

2010 MOE-AECES Awards for Kindergarten Excellence      Photos      Video1      Video2

* Outstanding Kindergarten Teacher Award: Ms Archanaa (Merit)      *4
* Outstanding Kindergarten Innovation Award (Distinction)      *5

* Best Practice Award for Learning Centres (Merit)
 

2009 MOE-AECES Awards for Kindergarten Excellence      Photos

We were the finalists in all the three categories: 
* Outstanding Kindergarten Teacher Award: Mrs Uma
* Best Practice Award for Learning Centres 
* Kindergarten Innovation Award


*1:

2012 Outstanding Kindergarten Innovation Award

“Setting Our Own Goals

It all started with our teachers’ conviction in being child focused and the importance of nurturing dispositions. The saying “Stop not till the goal is reached” set our kindergarten and the children on a goal setting journey with wonderful results.  


The children were led through three stages:
(1) identifying the area or areas he would like to develop further, set a goal and review and reset new goals;
(2) being encouraged to reflect, persevere and appreciate; and
(3) setting a new challenge and learning success through many bite-size victories. 


Goals varied from working on monkey bars, cutting out circles, speaking in Mother Tongue, reading to understanding number bonds. The children understood that each of their goals was unique.


The children also helped each other achieve their goals. As children made achievements, the bite-size achievements spurred them on to set higher goals.  There was a multiplier effect.  During Sports Day and Annual Concert events, children learnt to align their individual goals to team goals and vice versa. ‘Setting our own goals’ built confidence and nurtured self-directed learners. 


Teachers engaged the children through the processes of reflection, perseverance and created opportunities for children to achieve their goals. They also reflected upon the children’s learning journeys and incorporated the myriad voices of the children into the planning of curriculum, lessons and the environment. 


‘Setting our own goals’ built confidence and nurtured self-directed learners by empowering  each child to reflect and identify what he or she know sand does not know. They would learn to set a goal and persevere till it is achieved. 



*2:

2011 Outstanding Learning Centres Award

“Writing Centre – Learning through Photography”

What is “Learning through Photography”?

 

Basically, learning through photography involves children taking photos and writing about the photos in the Writing Learning Centre. There are two key objectives to this photography:

 

a)  without any specific objective – children are free to take photos of anything and write about the photos.

 

b)  with a specific objective – is structured around a concept – such as “Take photos to show far/near, opposites or emotions”. 

 

Children take photos to represent their understanding of these concepts.

 

Children generally work in pairs with one camera taking turns to take photos of their environment in and around the school.  

After taking the photos, the children select and with the assistance of teachers they print the photos Next, the children proceed to the Writing Learning Centre to cut, paste and write about their photos. 

 

Children’s enthusiasm and focus on the task at hand is amazing.  Their ability to express their ideas through the combined media of photography and writing has been very encouraging. Their ability to share, take turns, learn from each other and work with a peer builds on children’s social-emotional competencies.

 

Outcomes:

Creativity, Thinking Out of Box, Self Confidence, Different Learning Styles, Phonemic Awareness, Expanding Vocabulary and Integrated Learning.

 
Elements of Innovativeness
Children creating stories is not a new phenomenon in an early childhood classroom. However, what is new and innovative about Flying High with Imagination – Stories around Stories is the concept and methodology which incorporated with the following elements of innovativeness:

 

1) Children were empowered to revisit and edit their stories which were facilitated by the teacher. The stories underwent an average of three to four editions before the children were satisfied with the final story. Nothing was to be cast in stone.

 

2) Children were given the opportunity to translate their story into the MotherTongue (MT). This process was facilitated by the MT Teacher and peers who were more fluent in the language (Bilingualism).

 

3) Children were given the options to choose the different modalities to represent their written stories. These included:

a) Audio recordings (in English and MT)
b) Information & Communication Technology in creating the e-book.
c) Illustrations (photographs, play-dough, drawings, collage or others)

d) Creative dramatization (in English and MT)
e) Play – puppetry, block play or others

 

Summary
In summary, the innovativeness of this project is the empowerment of children to explore and expand their imagination because we believe that creativity begins with imagination. This innovation project capitalizes on multiple intelligences, multi-literacy and mind & body interdependence using their stories as the core.



*3

Outstanding Kindergarten Innovation Award (Merit):

“Flying High With Imagination - Stories around Stories-”
In “Flying High with Imagination – Stories around stories” the children from the K2, K1 and Nursery classes were involved in and engaged in a wide repertoire of skills:

- Expressing ideas
- Communicating
- Making thinking visible
- Extending their learning
- Enacting their ideas

 

Through this children took ownership of their learning and became uninhibited.
The short term impact of this project has far exceeded our expectations.

Long Term Plan
As this project has been introduced to our K2, K1 and Nursery children this year, it is our intention to continue with this project in 2012 to observe and monitor the children’s learning and development as they go from K1 to K2 and from Nursery to K1 and K2 in the areas of:

 

1) Imagination and creativity
2) Bilingualism – fluency of self-expression and literacy skills (oral,reading and writing in English and MT. 
3) Thinking skills (including problem solving)



*4: 

2010 INNOVATION Award: Children in Action
This project empowers children to identify, plan, execute and re-plan to solve a problem (running and jumping down stairs) that affects them directly. The children (we call them Researchers) learnt to share ideas, work co-operatively in a team and reflect.

 

Their first solution was to video the inappropriate behaviour. The Researchers screened it to their peers to try and increase children’s awareness and solve the problem. However, when this solution was not 100% successfully the Researchers reflected and pursed the next solution and this cycle was repeated.

 

The Researchers’ subsequent solutions were –
Solution No. 2 Create posters to be placed around the school & a rhyme for children to sing as they move in the school.
Solution No. 3 Create a skit that they dramatized during assembly.
Solution No. 4 Reward good behaviour with a STAR Letter.


In this project, children took ownership of the problem and developed their thinking skills and the PRAISE dispositions
(P = perseverance, R=Reflectivenss, A= Appreciation, I=Inventiveness, S=Sense of Wonder and E=Engagement).

 

*5:
2010 Best Practice Award forLearning Centres - MERIT AWARD 
In 2010 we incorporated socio-dramatic play as one of the learning centers in the classrooms. Socio dramatic play gives children opportunities to develop their social skills which include turn-taking, oral skills and imagination.


Some examples of socio-dramatic play centers include: Puppet theatre, Hair Dressing Saloon and Kindergarten Office.
Additionally, materials in the learning centers are graded into 3 levels from simple to complex.

 

*6:
2015 Innovation Award: MY SPACE
Teachers continue to reflect on these strategies both individually and in teams. Along these lines, MY SPACE was conceptualized in 2013, piloted in 2014 and matured into a centre-wide practice in 2015, extending beyond children to teachers and staff. MY SPACE is similar to MY BLOG. MY SPACE features photos, drawings or writings that children choose to display in their personal fixed space and conversations emerge. MY SPACE values individuality and empowers children to make choices. Children have opportunities to express themselves within their comfort zone, focusing on a topic of discussion and they experience asking and answering questions. Oral skills, peer learning, incidental learning and improved self-esteem are some of the benefits children have gained. Teachers better understand “the Child” and can model thinking and questioning techniques. Thus, children become Active Learners. The Ramakrishna Mission Sarada Kindergarten has a child centered approach focusing on developing “the Child” holistically. This is achieved primarily through differentiated teaching and learning strategies, teacher-child and child-child interactions.



*7:
Our teacher Mrs Priyaa received ECDA Award for Outstanding Early Childhood Teacher (Commendation).



*8:
During 2017 ECDA Conference we received the prestigious Roll of Honour for Early Childhood Innovation Mentor Centres Award. This award recognises our innovation culture and the award was given to only four centres among about 2000 centres in Singapore.