Both the Sat Chinese and Sat English School will have the above event from 2pm-6pm at Hall of No Form, 4th floor Venerable Hong Choon Memorial Hall (VHCMH).

Parents will meet with the Teachers on this day. There is no Dharma class for the students.

The school closes for the month of May and reopens in June on the following dates:

• 16 June ( Sat )  for the Sat Chinese and Sat English School.
• 10 June ( Sun) for the Sun English School.

1)   No School for next two weeks

No school on last weekend of Mar and First weekend of Apr   31/3, 1/4, 7/4, 8/4

2)   Traffic Congestion

Due to Qing Ming Festival, it is expected that there will be traffic congestion. Please park your cars somewhere. Also, please leave home half an hour before your normal time.

This is due to the Plum Village Family Retreat which happens from 14 to 18 Mar 2012.

Synopsis:

Living in a society like ours today, we are constantly busy and in a hurry. We always have something to do and somewhere to go, often very quickly.

Adults experience pressure in the workplace, be it from the piles of work, tight and numerous deadlines, or from demands to be ever more productive and efficient. Young people who have just entered or are about to enter the workforce often find that competition, instead of cooperation, seems to be the underlying principle behind success. Teenagers not only have to live daily with the stress of having to “perform” well in school, but they also feel the pressure to maintain an outer show of “coolness” by having to get the latest gadget or wear the coolest brand name clothing. After an already long day at school, children are shuttled from one class to the next – remedial, tuition, ballet, piano, art, dance etc. – “for their own good”, so that they do not lose out to the neighbour’s or to the colleague’s children.

Faced with these challenges, how can we as parents, teachers, children, young people, friends or colleagues find ways to deal with them? How can we work, but in joy? How can we study, but in a balanced and nourishing way? In this retreat, we will learn together the art of mindful living. The various mindfulness practices that we will learn will offer us practical and useful tools that we can integrate into our daily, stressful lives. We will get a chance to explore how we can live in today’s society, yet not be carried away by its stresses and demands. We will learn how to embrace our anxieties, worries and stress, and learn how to bring wellbeing and meaning back to our lives. Even though we may have “something to do, somewhere to go”, we can also do it in the spirit of having “nothing to do, nowhere to go”.

This retreat will be offered by the monks and nuns of Plum Village in a light-hearted and joyful atmosphere. It is a retreat for young and old alike. Families are encouraged to join, but this retreat is also for young people or singles. A special children’s and teenagers’ programme will be offered, and there will also be opportunities for the young people of this retreat to come together to share their joys and experiences.

Date                : 14 Mar (Reporting: 1pm) – 18 Mar (Ends at 12 noon)
                           (Wednesday – Sunday)

Venue             : Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery

                           88 Bright Hill Road Singapore 574117

Medium          : English

Closing Date : 4 March 2012 or when registration is full

Registration & Enquiry: 6849 5300, Email sem@kmspks.org

Retreat Offering:

S$150 per adult

S$70 Full time student*/Senior citizen*

*Document for verification is required.

Saturday English and Saturday Chinese School will re-opened on 4 Feb 2012

Sunday English school on the 5 Feb 2012.

Please send your children to Ten Thousands Buddha Hall 2nd floor Hall 5 mins earlier ie.

• at 1.55pm for the Saturday Chinese School and
• at 3.25pm for the Saturday English School and
• at 9.55am for the Sunday English School.