Rivers Id Ian Newsletter (oct 09)

OCTOBER 2009 ISSUE 2

www.riversidesec.moe.edu.sg

A n ew s

r y School • 3 Woodlands Street 81 Singapore 738524 • Tel: 6269 9631 Fa e rs i d e S e c o n d a x: 6368 3 letter by Riv

es Th v e i h c A e d i R i ve r s

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e School Distinction A ward! The School Distinction Award recognises high-achieving schools with exemplary school processes and practices. It is a prestigious MOE award for schools. The achievement of this award marks another key milestone in Riverside’s journey towards excellence.

Best Practice Award (Staff Well-Being)

The Lee Kuan Yew Award For All-round Excellence Kelvin Khong Yu Kai has done the school proud by winning the Lee Kuan Yew Award for All-Round Excellence for 2009. This award is a national-level award for achievement in education and was given out for the first time in 2005. The award, issued at the end of Secondary education, is to recognise well-rounded students who have excelled in both academic and non-academic spheres, and who exemplify the qualities articulated in our desired outcomes of education.

The Best Practice Award (Staff Well-Being) for Riverside Secondary in 2009 is an affirmation of its work-life strategies for staff and efforts in their development.

People Developer Standards (Recertification)

Riverside was recertified for the People Developer Standards Award for the period of 2009 to 2011. This award is a recognition of Riverside’s on-going effort in training and developing its staff.

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OUR SYF ACHIEVEMENTS Congratulations to SYF Winners - You Shine Again!

Modern Dance - Gold with Honours

Chinese Dance (Gold)

Malay Dance (Gold)

Indian Dance (Gold)

OUR SYF ACHIEVEMENTS Symphonic Band (Silver)

Choir (Silver)

Drama (Bronze)

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OUR UG ACHIEVEMENTS

NPCC (GOLD)

NCC (SILVER)

SJAB (GOLD)

BOYS’ BRIGADE JM Fraser Award (Silver)

GIRLS’ BRIGADE Company Award (Bronze)

OUR 22ND SPEECH DAY

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Speech Day and Prize-giving Day Riverside celebrated her 22nd Speech and Prize Giving Day on 25 April 2009. It was a grand affair with Ms Ellen Lee, MP for Sembawang GRC gracing the occasion as the Guest of Honour. Apart from recognising students who succeeded academically, it was also an occasion to honour the staff of Riverside for their years of service to the school. The recipient of the Outstanding Riversidian Award was Benson Chong. Besides thanking the teachers, Benson also urged all Riversidians never to give up in achieving their dream. The event also saw the performances by the various SYF winners such as the Chinese, Malay, Indian and Modern Dance groups as well as our Symphonic Band and Choir. Through the team effort of our staff and students, this year’s Speech Day was indeed a spectacular day to remember. By Sulaihah Bte Abdul Rahiman, 2/5E

2009 Outstanding Riversidian,

Benson Chong

Our Guest of Honour Ms Ellen Lee, MP for Sembawang GRC

Students receiving prizes from Ms Ellen Lee

Malay Dance members

performing the dance

of Unity

ce which tells the ers performing a dan Chinese Dance memb heroes. stories of legendary

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NATIONAL EDUCATION

National Day Celebration A sea of red and white flooded the classroom corridors in the morning of 7 August 2009. It was the day when all school in Singapore celebrated Singapore’s 44th National er Students creating the NE Corn Day. This year, National Day at Riverside was celebrated in the classrooms. Every class had a NE Champ giving a presentation of the history of Singapore. Besides this, a competition was also held to choose the best decorated classroom based on the National Day theme. The fun-filled Celebratin g National Day in the National Day celebration ended with Classroom a closing speech by Mr Chen, ViceNational Day March-In Parade Principal which highlighted the importance of unity and e Harmony Tree racial harmony. messages on th Students pasting By Chee Li Min 3/4E

Racial Harmony Day Riverside celebrated Racial Harmony Day on 21 July 2009. Most of the students turned up in their ethnic costumes and that of other races. Due to the recent H1N1 outbreak, we did not celebrate it in the hall. Instead, we celebrated in our own classrooms with our form teachers. Although it was sorely missed, Riversidians still managed to have fun in their respective classrooms with their peers, showing off their costumes and picking the best dressed male and female students. Students were also given the opportunity to pick the best dressed male and female teachers! We also learned a little more about our friends’ races through the creation of the Racial Harmony tree. By Lhavanya Dharmalingam 3/4E “Unity in Diversity”

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NATIONAL EDUCATION Free Media Design Competition 2009 Riverside has won the 2nd prize in the Free Media Design competition 2009 organized by NE Branch. Congratulations to these Art Club members who have worked hard to design the winning entry. They are Jean Leong Jin Yi, Daphne Tan Jia Hui, Amanda Wee and Chanel Oh. The idea which the girls came up for the above competition is “Cupcakes – Just for you”. This 3D assemblage of cupcakes symbolizes friendship, kindness and love. Cupcakes are presented as gifts to someone we care and love.

The wining RHD pro ject

ning hind the win The group be entry.

RHD Orange Ribbon project On 2 July, Riverside participated in the Racial Harmony Day Orange Ribbon project organised by OnePeople Singapore. NE Champs led the Secondary 1 and 2 classes to write RHD messages and to fold stars for the event.

ars.

lding the st

Students fo Students writing RHD message s.

Learning Journey Riverside’s Learning Journey on 11 Feb 2009 is conducted annually. Before the trip, the students were given the opportunity to select the Learning Journey of their choice. On the day itself, the whole school, including the office staff, went out for their Learning Journey during curriculum time. They visited places such as the Singapore Museum, Singapore Mint and Haw Par Villa.

Breakfast with Team Singapore

NE Champs holding onto the bus cards for identifi cation.

Students at the Marina Barrage m the the quiz questions fro Students answering la guide at Haw Paw Vil

Riversidians with some of Team Singapore players.

Riverside participated in the Breakfast with Team Singapore event on 26 May 2009. The first half of the programme included a presentation cum NE Forum and the second half consisted of Basketball and Netball athletes from Team Singapore interacting with Riversidians.

NE Forums The NE Forums on 26 May 2009 are conducted annually for all levels. The objective is to engage the students in active citizenry and critical thinking in NE matters. External speakers are invited and the students are given opportunities to pose questions to them.

Amin, An NE Champ, posing a question to the guest speaker during the NE Forum.

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RS INNOVATION WEEK

Our Innovative Riversidians

Sharing their masterpiece to their classmate

RS Innovation week was an inaugural event, held from 25 May to 28 May as part of the school’s post-examination programme. It aims to develop in RS students an out of the box mindset which is an essential competency in the 21st century. There were planned activities for different levels and target groups to enhance and excite RS students in their learning through a range of activities that includes mini-competitions (Inno Challenge, Innovate@RS Poster Design and Creative Souvenir Making Competition), talks by professionals, IP Innovation Showcase, and a learning journey to the Singapore Discovery Centre. The Innovation Week dovetailed with Humanities Day and Storytelling/NE Fest on 26 May 2009. RS students were free to participate and to sign up for as many activities as they were interested in so as to encourage learning and self-reflection.

25E students preparing intensively for Inno Challenge

Sec 2 Inter Class debate on Innovation

rk during the Participants at wo ry Club ra Inno Quiz by Lib

artment nglish Dep Booth of E

Preparations for IP Inn ovation Showcase

Visit to the Singapore Discovery Centre Breakfast with Team Singapore Athletes

Creative Souvenir Ma king Competition by D&T Department

One focal point of this year’s Innovation Week was the visit to the Singapore Discovery Centre on 26 May 2009. 140 students signed up and visited this “edutainment” facility where one can explore what keeps Singapore going. This is especially relevant to RS students as it infuses the Innovation and National Education aspect. The guided tour around the facility brought us to check Singapore’s past, see the present and to touch the future. Our students were able to try many handson inventions that also emphasised on Singapore’s need to keep abreast of technological developments. The visit was especially enriching as we learnt more about our Singapore Story, and it inspires in us a greater desire to contribute to Singapore’s future.

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RS INNOVATION WEEK Project Display

Part of the Innovation Week showcase was the Instructional Programmes (IP) Display in the library on 26 and 27 May 2009. The various Departments showcased their best practices and innovations. For example, the Science Department displayed two projects by students who took part in the North Zone Elementz Competition this year.

MT booth

The Humanities Department displayed their Problem Based Learning projects while the Aesthetics Department provided their tactile hands-on experience for students with their printmaking displays – kudos to the Art Unit and students for making it fun to get our hands dirty!

The most entertaining booth was the POA and EBS’ Accounting Jeopardy. Staff and students were challenged to answer a current affairs quiz to score points! By Mr Lim Cheng Tju, HOD/Humanities

Learning by observation Another highlight of the Innovation Week was the financial literacy talk to our Secondary 3 students. The talk was interesting as it was done through a series of movie clips and was innovative because of its focus on the current economic downturn. Our students were also taught tips to manage money and to differentiate between needs versus wants. Everyone was also given a financial ruler to help them take control of their finances and budgeting. -wise tips

getting money Our Sec 3s students

Someday we will build one at Riverside too!

The little red dot that innovates all the time

Participating in SDC’s NE Quiz

Quiz time durin g the Financial Literacy Talk

By Mr Andy Koh, HOD/Curriculum & Innovation

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STORYTELLING

Storytelling Through Dance In the “Storytelling Through Dance” activity, modern dancers were invited to showcase their SYF dance item which expresses the suffering experienced by the Sichuan earthquake survivors.

Modern dancers expressing the pain of the Sichuan earthquake survivors in their dance movements

Competitors eagerly waiting for their turns

Storytelling Workshop

N5 Pupils telling their story at the competition

techniques Sharing storytelling primary school pupils

Riverside Fabric

with N5

On 6 April 2009, the Humanities Department and the Mother Tongue Department co-organised the Mother Tongue Storytelling Competition for N5 cluster schools. Before the actual competition, Riverside conducted a storytelling workshop for the N5 primary schools. Our student leaders, the NE Champs and COE Champs were involved in training the primary school pupils in basic storytelling techniques.

ary iding the N5 prim Riversidians gu iting. wr ry sto eir th in school students

Pupils in groups were tasked to design an art piece which depicted what Singapore meant to them. The art pieces were then collected and pieced together to form the ‘Riverside Fabric’ – a symbol of the aspiration and dream of every Singaporean.

A students showing her creation to the class

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PROGRAMME

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Community Involvement Programme All Secondary 4 and 5 pupils participated in the Flag Day for the Singapore Sports Disability Council on 7 March 2009 as part of their Community Involvement Programme. The event started at 8 am and ended at 1 pm. After a few hours of hard work, all the pupils returned to school rattling their coin-filled tins with satisfaction. It was a memorable day for all of them as they had played a part in contributing their service to the community.

Asian’s Women Welfare Association Service Learning

Getting ready the foo d for the Sports Carnival

Selected students from the Secondary Four classes volunteered their service for the Asian’s Women Welfare Association once a week from February 2009 to March 2009. Together with student leaders from SMU, they interacted with the children at AWWA and helped to organise a Sports Carnival for the children. Playing with the the children during l. iva rn Ca ts or Sp

KL Service Learning trip to Pure Life society

From 16 to 19 March 2009, a group of 29 Secondary 4 and 5 students went for their Overseas Service Learning trip to Kuala Lumpur. The students visited Pure Life Society and interacted with the children there. Apart from playing games, they also conducted English and Science lessons for the children. Playing outdoor gam es.

the children. Interacting with Brainstorming ideas

for the Sports Carnival

.

“Rice that binds” CIP project - 23 July 2009

Secondary 2 Jumble Sale

All Secondary 1 to 3 students were involved in the “Rice that binds” Project to help needy families. For every crane that a student folded, SongHe company would donate 100g of rice to the needy families. The project was initiated by Chea Yee from class 2/5 and Gigi Thiam from class 3/4E. The girls planned and organised the entire project which involved training students to fold the cranes.

Briefing the class project

on the

Folding the crane s

As part of their Community Involvement Programme, all Secondary 2 students were involved in the annual Jumble Sale on 21 May 2009. Teachers also joined in the fun by purchasing and helping to sell the donated items. Before the end of the day, most of the items were already sold. Proceeds from the Jumble Sale went to the Pocket Money Fund for the less fortunate students. It was indeed a fulfilling day for teachers and students alike. By: Sulaihah, 2/5E

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ENRICHMENT AND FIELDTRIPS

Humanities Day 2009 On 26 May 2009, the Humanities Department held its inaugural Humanities Day. The theme was Enriching Lives, Expanding Boundaries. Various activities were organised for our first Humanities Day which was held in conjunction with the first Storytelling Fest in Riverside Secondary. There was a talk on the achievements and innovations of Dr Lim Boon Keng by Mr Alex Tan and a showcase of the Lower Secondary Humanities students’ Problem Based Learning (PBL) projects at the Instructional Programme (IP) Display in the school library. These two events were tied in with the RS Innovation Week.

In addition, Secondary 1 History Students had a “Back in Time” experience with a visit to the Asian Civilizations Museum. It was History coming alive, watching the actors and actresses dressed up in the costumes of the Ching Dynasty. The students were captivated by the exhibits of treasures from the Kangxi Period. Humanities Day was a success as it saw inter-departmental collaboration such as the EL Department coming up with the Public Speaking Competition for the Secondary 3 students.

Pet Rocket Project On 27 May, 224 Secondary 3 students participated in the PET Rocket Enrichment Programme. Besides learning the scientific principles of propulsion, the students created their rockets from 1.5 litres soft drink bottles. Soon, their water-powered rockets could be seen arching across the sky. It was indeed a fun and educational activity.

“Going Back In Time”

“A Walk In The Park”

On 26 May 2009, 40 selected Secondary 1 history students had a “Back in Time” experience with the visit to the Asian Civilization Museum. It’s history coming alive, watching the actors and actresses dressed up in Manchu costumes (the Ching Dynasty). The aim of the activity is to instill interest in history in the students. The students were excited as they studied the artifacts of the ancient past. The highlight of the trip was the viewing of treasures from the Forbidden City during the reign of Emperor Kangxi.

On 17 and 18 February 2009, all Lower Secondary social studies students from Sec 13NT, 14NT, 23NT and 24NT had a very enriching learning experience walking in the Botanical Gardens, learning and appreciating Nature with all its glory. The aim of the activity is to widen students’ horizon beyond the four walls of their classrooms.

Humanities Field Trips

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COMPETITIONS Secondary Inter-Class Debates Competition 2009 The much anticipated annual Secondary Two Inter-Class Debates Competition 2009 was carried out in April, culminating in the Finals showdown on 25 May in the Dance Studio. It was a stiff competition this year as all the debaters were wellprepared and ready to challenge their opponents. The electrifying atmosphere in the Dance Studio was palpable as the audience, which consisted of Secondary Two students, hung on to every argument presented by the strongest two teams during the competition. By Mdm Geraldine Chang

Variety Show @ RS

The Variety Show @ RS organised by the Music Department, provided pupils a platform for their creative expressions. Held every Wednesday at the amphiteatre in the afternoon, this event showcased our pupils’ musical talents. The finale of the 6-week series of variety show was a performance by our very own staff. This event indeed delighted the enthusiastic crowd. By Mdm Ng Chor Joo

Character Development Corner (Sec 1 Interclass Competition)

CD Corner is a place for the Secondary One students to demonstrate their understanding of the school values – RSP2IRIT. In semester one, an inter-class competition for all the Secondary One classes was held. The classes were given the theme, “Responsibility” or “Team Spirit” to work on. The classes proved to be creative in decorating the boards – using photos, pictures, stories, comic strips and even CDs. The winners are: 1st: Class 12N 2nd: Class 15E 3rd: Class 18E For Semester Two, pupils will continue to express their creativity for the other school values.

Robotics Club Wins! On 27 May 2009, 15 students from the Robotics Club participated in the Underwater Robotics Olympiad 2009 organised by Republic Polytechnic. A total of 60 teams from 42 schools took part in the competition. Riverside was placed 1st Runner-up among the 42 schools!

Our club members pitting their skills with other competitors at S’pore Vex Robotics Championship

Club members with their winning trophies

On 4 and 5 June 2009, the Robotics Club also participated in the Singapore Vex Robotics Championship held at Rulang Primary School. Riverside clinched the Championship as well as being placed the 1st runner up.

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SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Olympic Education Camp At Riverside On 3 and 4 June 2009, Riverside’s PE Unit organised the Olympic Camp for about 200 students. The aim was to impart the spirit of Olympism to the students. During the 2 - day camp, Riversidians participated in novelty games, designed Olympic tees and even competed in our very own mini-Olympics! Everybody’s takeaway was lovely memories of friendship, excellence and respect.

Teachers’ Day Celebrations 2009

Riversidians entertaining the staff

On 31 August 2009, Riverside proudly celebrated Teachers’ Day to recognise the teachers’ efforts in moulding students’ lives. The day kicked start with the ACES Day exercise which is our very own RS Dance. There was also a competition to pick the class for each level which could perform the best RS Dance. Following that, students returned to their classes to commemorate CCA Honours Day, an event to present awards to Riverisidians in recognition of their invaluable service to their CCAs. Students and staff then watched a concert put up by Riversidians to show appreciation to the teachers. New staff performing

a skit

By K. Kanageswari, 4/9E Riversidians rocking to the audience

Riversidians doing the RS Dance

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

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Prefect Training for Primary School The inaugural Primary School Prefect Training @ Riverside was successfully carried out on 8 June 2009. A total of 59 primary school students from Innova Primary School, Qihua Primary School, Woodlands Ring Primary School and Woodgrove Primary School attended the training planned and organised by our student councilors. Primary school students were taught interaction skills and critical thinking skills through a variety of games, presentations and a movie. The event ended with a prize presentation and reflection. It was indeed a memorable and valuable learning experience for all.

Campus ChangeMaker Project New Level 4 Leaders The 3rd batch of Level 4 Leaders emerged after a round of voting by their Level 3 peers and being interviewed by School Leaders. They are Ang Rui Xia (3/5E, President of Student Council), Sri Rahayu (3/1N, Deputy President), Muhammad Syariffuddin (3/6E, Deputy President), Debbie Stuart (3/6E, Head of Performing Arts), Chelsea Yong (3/7E, Head of Sports and Games), Zhenbagam Murlly (3/4E, President of NE Champs), Phoebe Tan (3/5E, Head of Clubs and Societies) and Wang Zheng Xiong (3/5E, Head of Uniformed Group). These student leaders will be involved in the organisation of the National Day Celebration, Teachers’ Day Celebration and Secondary 1 Orientation Camp. They are expected to be role models to the other students and to assist teachers and mentor their Level 3 peers.

Outstanding All Round Student Awards

The Campus ChangeMaker Project, a collaboration with National Youth Council was introduced at the start of this year. This is a student initiated project in which Level 2 and 3 Student Leaders would propose an improvement for the school. This project leverages on the bottom-up approach in which students are active problem-solvers. To prepare the leaders for the project, they were sent for a 2-day training workshop whereby they learnt what service learning is and how they can work as a team. These students then came up with proposals after planning and conducting surveys with the rest of the school. These proposals were then presented to a student panelist who would advise them on the possible problems in planning and executing the plans. After the student panelist had voted, the selected projects would be carried out with the assistance of the teacher in charge. The students are currently working on providing all CCA groups with first aid kits so as to be better equipped during an emergency. Another approved initiative is to provide more visible signages at various locations in the school so as to facilitate visitors to locate the different venues.

On 27 May 2009, three Riversidians were presented with the North-West Outstanding All Rounder Student (OARS) With more proposals on their way, we know that Innovate @ RS as our Award at The Grassroots’ Club. Tim Wei focus of the year is at work. Loke (4/5E, President of the Student Council), was presented with the OARS Award at the CDC level. Koh Tong Jun (4/4E, Head of Level 4 Sports) and Melody Mak (4/4E, Head of the National Police Cadet Corps) were presented with the OARS Award at the school level. This prestigious award honours students with outstanding academic results and exemplary leadership achievements in Co-Curricular Activity and Community Service. OARS Awardees with our Principal, Mrs Sng Siew Hong and Miss Jasmine Lim, HOD/EL in charge of Student Leadership

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STAFF NEWS

Welcome to the Family

Public Service Day @ Riverside Riverside observed Public Service Day on 7 May 2009 with Mrs Sng Siew Hong, the Principal, and staff pledging their allegiance and duty to the Public Service by taking the Public Service Oath. After the observance, the staff were encouraged to go to the website “My Forum” to participate in the discussion threads on the Public Service Week.

(From Left): Mr Poh Chee Jian, Mdm Gan Yen Pin, Miss Cheoh Pin, Mr Mohd Faizal Omar, Miss Fareesha Mazian, Mr Muhd Khairul BM, Miss Renuga D/O Konasegaran, Mr Lim Keng Soon Eugene

Director’s Visit

Holistic Approach to Discipline (HAD) Workshop

On 3 August 2009, the Deputy Secretary (Policy), Mr Loh Ngai Seng visited Riverside Secondary School and had a dialogue session with the staff. This informal session provided a platform for the staff to ask pertinent questions about education and the latest policies of the Ministry of Education. It was indeed an enlightening session for the staff.

The staff of Riverside revisited the key elements to discipline when they attended the Holistic Approach to Discipline Workshop on 16 and 30 April 2009. The twoday workshop not only equipped teachers with the skills of affective questioning but it also allowed them to reflect on their current disciplinary practices. The teachers were impressed that they could be empowered with such holistic approach to discipline.

Editorial Team

ADVISOR : Mrs Sng Siew Hong (Principal) EDITOR : Mr Tsung Kkok Cheng WRITERS : Members of the Young Journalist Club