MILO : Going Beyond Grades – Nurturing Resilient Singapore Children Who Never Give Up
[Media Invite]
On 1 September 2016, MILO also had a panel discussion “Going Beyond Grades – Nurturing Resilient Singapore Children Who Never Give Up”, of which I had also attended.
Spearheaded by key opinion leaders like Dr Sanveen Kang-Sadhnani (Principal Clinical Psychologist at Thomson Paediatric Centre), Dr Kalpana Bhaskaran (Manager for Nutrition Research under the School of Applied Science and Head for the Glycemic Index Research Unit at Temasek Polytechnic), Mr Edmund Lim (previously a principal of a primary school and vice-principal at both the primary and secondary schools), and the moderator of the discussion, Ms Amy Cheng (actress and mother-of-two).
The discussions are aligned with the recent reforms by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to the PSLE scoring system and the admission scheme into secondary schools. The changes mark a decided shift away from the excessive focus on grades to developing a child’s skill and talent.
All the key opinion leaders here agreed that we should all encourage our children to try their best in pursuing their personal goals, cultivating desire to fulfill their potential and optimize their capabilities. Building character and tenacity in children is crucial in the development of a well-rounded adult.
MILO also shared some highlights from SGBreakfast Study – A Study of Breakfast Habits of Singapore Primary and Secondary School Children. The study examined the breakfast habits of Singapore primary and secondary schools children, and it revealed that 12.3% of Singapore children aged 6-12 years old skipped breakfast. There was also a tendency for the number of breakfast skippers to increase with age. This is a worrying trend as skipping breakfast impacts a child’s mental and physical strength to deal with everyday challenges. The study also showed that more than 50% of the children and adolescent felt irritable, tired and were not able to concentrate without breakfast.
“What our children consume in the morning for breakfast is vital in sustaining them throughout the day and in helping them focus in school. Eating breakfast is a key to maintaining a healthy weight and people who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight,” said Dr. Bhaskaran. She also highlighted that not all breakfasts are created equal and parents should look for healthier breakfast choices that are low in Glycemic Index (GI) as food with low GI releases energy slowly and prevents sugar level from rising or dropping too rapidly, thus helping us feel full longer. Food choices such as oats, multi-grain bread, and even MILO powder prepared with milk are low-GI options which make a convenient and healthier breakfast choice.
I always make it a point for AJ to have his breakfast before going to school. If he has a long day ahead, the breakfast will be heavier (chia seeds pudding, oatmeals, eggs with bread, noodles, etc), if he has a short day, his breakfast will be lighter (bread with chocolate spread/butter, breakfast cereal with milo, etc).
Recently MILO launched a new social campaign to inspire and instill the values of perservance and a #NeverGiveUp attitude among school-going children this exam season. It is such as timely campaign that reinforces MILO’s core values of nurturing and nourishing kids in Singapore to do their best despite challenges.
On 1 September 2016, MILO also had a panel discussion “Going Beyond Grades – Nurturing Resilient Singapore Children Who Never Give Up”, of which I had also attended.
Spearheaded by key opinion leaders like Dr Sanveen Kang-Sadhnani (Principal Clinical Psychologist at Thomson Paediatric Centre), Dr Kalpana Bhaskaran (Manager for Nutrition Research under the School of Applied Science and Head for the Glycemic Index Research Unit at Temasek Polytechnic), Mr Edmund Lim (previously a principal of a primary school and vice-principal at both the primary and secondary schools), and the moderator of the discussion, Ms Amy Cheng (actress and mother-of-two).
The discussions are aligned with the recent reforms by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to the PSLE scoring system and the admission scheme into secondary schools. The changes mark a decided shift away from the excessive focus on grades to developing a child’s skill and talent.
All the key opinion leaders here agreed that we should all encourage our children to try their best in pursuing their personal goals, cultivating desire to fulfill their potential and optimize their capabilities. Building character and tenacity in children is crucial in the development of a well-rounded adult.
MILO also shared some highlights from SGBreakfast Study – A Study of Breakfast Habits of Singapore Primary and Secondary School Children. The study examined the breakfast habits of Singapore primary and secondary schools children, and it revealed that 12.3% of Singapore children aged 6-12 years old skipped breakfast. There was also a tendency for the number of breakfast skippers to increase with age. This is a worrying trend as skipping breakfast impacts a child’s mental and physical strength to deal with everyday challenges. The study also showed that more than 50% of the children and adolescent felt irritable, tired and were not able to concentrate without breakfast.
“What our children consume in the morning for breakfast is vital in sustaining them throughout the day and in helping them focus in school. Eating breakfast is a key to maintaining a healthy weight and people who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight,” said Dr. Bhaskaran. She also highlighted that not all breakfasts are created equal and parents should look for healthier breakfast choices that are low in Glycemic Index (GI) as food with low GI releases energy slowly and prevents sugar level from rising or dropping too rapidly, thus helping us feel full longer. Food choices such as oats, multi-grain bread, and even MILO powder prepared with milk are low-GI options which make a convenient and healthier breakfast choice.
I always make it a point for AJ to have his breakfast before going to school. If he has a long day ahead, the breakfast will be heavier (chia seeds pudding, oatmeals, eggs with bread, noodles, etc), if he has a short day, his breakfast will be lighter (bread with chocolate spread/butter, breakfast cereal with milo, etc).
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