East Spring NL07 Issue8.pdf

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Issue 8 October 2007 T he eighth Annual Speech and Prize Giving Day held on 29 April, was indeed a special occasion. Recognition of the good work done was given to not only students and staff but also the many stakeholders that had contributed to the good name and well being of the school. The evening began with the school report by the principal, Mrs Sng Ong Teck Hui who proudly announced the outstanding 2006 academic achievements in both the O levels and N levels. Next came our outstanding achievements in the various co-curricular activities (CCAs). In her speech, Mrs Sng did not forget to compliment the staff members and stakeholders who had helped in making these achievements possible. The occasion would not have been complete without the Speech Day concert to not only entertain the audience, but also showcase the wealth of talents that East Spring is proud of. The repertoire began with the graceful dance of the Chinese Dance Troupe followed by a rousing performance entitled, ‘In You And In You’ by the Drama Club members. The Malay Dance Troupe never failed to brighten the event with their very colourful performance. The concert ended in a high note with a spirited version of the song titled ‘This Little Light of Night’ by the ES Chorale. Perhaps, the highlight of the evening was the first ever busking performance by the Circus Arts team and their daring stunts. In tow to entertain the guests and all those present while they enjoy the buffet spread, was also the Military Band with their delightful medley. The heavy downpour at the start of the Speech Day certainly failed to dampen the mood. It was evident that everyone had a good time in one way or another. Malyanah Manap, 4E2 Nur Farahain Ngadnan, 4E2 Rising Beyond - The Eighth Annual Speech and Prize Giving Day The prize-giving ceremony recognized the hard work of our students who had excelled in the various subject areas. CCA Awards were also given out to students who were outstanding in their CCA. Awards Ceremony ANNUAL

Transcript of East Spring NL07 Issue8.pdf

Issue 8 October 2007

The eighth Annual Speech and Prize Giving Day held on 29 April, was

indeed a special occasion. Recognition of the good work done was given to not only students and staff but also the many stakeholders that had contributed to the good name and well being of the school.

The evening began with the school report by the principal, Mrs Sng Ong Teck Hui who proudly announced the outstanding 2006 academic achievements in both the O levels and N levels. Next came our outstanding achievements in the various co-curricular activities (CCAs). In her speech, Mrs Sng did not forget to compliment the staff members and stakeholders who had helped in making these achievements possible.

The occasion would not have been complete without the Speech Day concert to not only entertain the audience, but also showcase the wealth of talents that East Spring is proud of. The repertoire began with the graceful dance of the

Chinese Dance Troupe followed by a rousing performance entitled, ‘In You And In You’ by the Drama Club members. The Malay Dance Troupe never failed to brighten the event with their very colourful performance. The concert ended in a high note with a spirited version of the song titled ‘This Little Light of Night’ by the ES Chorale.

Perhaps, the highlight of the evening was the fi rst ever busking performance by the Circus Arts team and their daring stunts. In tow to entertain the guests and all those present while they enjoy the buffet spread, was also the Military Band with their delightful medley.

The heavy downpour at the start of the Speech Day certainly failed to dampen the mood. It was evident that everyone had a good time in one way or another. Malyanah Manap, 4E2 Nur Farahain Ngadnan, 4E2

Rising Beyond - The Eighth Annual Speech and Prize Giving Day

The prize-giving ceremony recognized the hard work of our students who had excelled in the various subject areas. CCA Awards were also given out to students who were outstanding in their CCA.

Awards CeremonyA

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We extend our best wishes to Mr Chia Hai Siang, SH, Literature who left to pursue his further studies

at Harvard University. Our appreciation also goes to him for his contributions in the holistic development of our students. Mr Chia shared his feelings with ESPress:

Although I am excited at the prospect of going overseas to further my studies, I do so with a tinge of regret at leaving East Spring Secondary school. The staff and students have

given a very fulfi lling and enriching experience to take away from my 1 year and 8 months here. My short time here has been sometimes frustrating and sometimes heart-breaking, but

on the whole it has been a privilege to work with many wonderful students, standing at the cusp of adulthood, each with their unique struggles and special potential.

To all the students of East Spring Secondary, particularly those whom I

Long Service AwardsThe following teachers received the Long Service Awards for their

contributions and dedication to the teaching service:

Mr Emmanuel LourdesamyMdm Too Jye YuinMr Mohd Jailani b MokriMr Leong Chou Keen

Ms Tahiya A RahmanMdm Latifah WongMs Foo Yong Lai

Bes

t Wish

es!

A group of East Spring teachers took a walk to East Spring Primary on 25 May. The visit to the school broadened the teachers’

perspective on Innovation and Enterprise. The teachers benefi ted from their tour around the school as they learnt how the primary school optimized space to create a vibrant learning environment.

NE Engagement Workshop

The workshop was held on 20 June. Led by the Principal, Mrs Sng, the participants including student leaders and

EAS, revisited the six NE Messages and how they have been incorporated in classroom lessons.

On 11 April, the English Language Department led by Mdm Noreha Nordin, HOD, EL, played host to a

group of EL key personnel from Junyuan Secondary School. The interaction allowed for the exchange of ideas on how to improve the teaching of English in both schools.C

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Learning Journey

National Day AwardsThe National Day Public Administration Medal (Bronze)

was conferred to our Principal, Mrs Sng-Ong Teck Hui, for her contribution to education.

The Commendation Medal was awarded to our HOD, PCCE, Mrs Pamela Ong, for her efforts in promoting pastoral care in school.

Mrs Pamela Ong presents a token of appreciation from Chaoyang School, for the services rendered by the school.

Congratulations!

02 ESPress

A warm welcome to the following teachers who joined East Spring in the Second Semester:

Mr Mohd Azuan TanMiss Cloven OngMiss Lim Ting FangMiss Nur Syazwani bt AhmadMr Teo Joong Jiat

Welcomehave taught, work hard and always believe in yourselves! You are in the place where your ‘aspirations (can) become reality’. To all the teachers, continue to have the same passion and drive in your teaching. While the school has improved in so many areas and introduced many positive learning structures and processes during my time here, for me, it has been the big heart that you show for your students, day in and day out, that really shines through. Beyond platitudes, all of you have taught me the true meaning of what it means to truly educate the ‘whole child’.

Lastly a special word for the students in Publications – all the best and let’s make sure that our magazine continues to ‘espress’ the hopes and dreams of our school! Best Wishes!

Staff Movement

Publication Publication CommitteeCommittee

ESPress 03

The sky was dark as East Springians started streaming into Tampines Stadium for the Annual Sports Day. But the impending

rain did not dampen the spirit of the participants and spectators, especially the cheerleaders of the various Houses. They were already at the front of their contingent orchestrating the House cheer.

As soon as the participants of the different events received their number tags, the fi rst few events commenced without delay. Before long, the dark clouds broke into a heavy downpour which put the day’s proceedings on hold. Still, the cheerleaders and the non-competitors cheered on, keeping the spirit alive.

When the rain fi nally stopped and the grounds were suffi ciently dry, the events resumed. Unfortunately, some events had to be cancelled due to the shortage of time. The much anticipated staff event was one event that many spectators would have liked to watch.

However, not all were disappointed especially Jupiter House, who emerged Champions of the day. It became clear that they would win the coveted trophy when more and more Jupiter House winners strode up to the winner’s rostrum to get their prizes. One could just imagine the loud cheers that followed the announcement for the Champion House.

Indeed, the bad weather had not dampened the spirit of the day.

Qammarul Izzat, 3E2Muhd Redha, 3E1

Hig

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SPORTS DAY

Teacher Advisors: Mdm Noreha Nordin

Ms Tahiya A Rahman

Mr Goh Cheow Miang

Mr Wang Junyi

Members : Muhd Redha A. Rahman, 3E1

Lim Tse Hao, 3E1

Georgia Ho, 3E2

Wong Xu Hui, 3E2

Jasper Sim, 3E2

Qamarul Izzat Zulkifl i, 3E2

Li Zhi Pei, 3E4

Najam B Tahar, 3N2

It was three days of high adventure, literally.

That was how the Secondary Two Camp could be described. Ask the participants and many would agree. Just look at the line-up of activities on Day 1.

Day One: Dragon Boat at Kallang Sea Sports Centre, High Elements at Dairy Farm MOE

Adventure Campsite, Rock Wall Climbing, Abseiling and Flying Fox. Are you convinced?

On day two, the participants wound down by taking a Nature Walk at Bukit Timah nature reserve. In the night, they indulged in a spot of singing and play acting at the Campfi re.

On the last day, the participants spent some time cleaning the area and rounded the camp off with a Prize Presentation. Then it was Home Sweet Home.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. That was the CIP project the secondary three students embarked on. On a warm afternoon of 2 August, East Spring

students went knocking on the doors of neighbouring blocks collecting newspapers and old clothes.

A few days before the collection, fl yers were distributed to the residents informing them of our project. This certainly helped as some residents had already piled up their old newspapers for us. But others who were not prepared also kindly obliged us with whatever old newspapers that they could collect for us.

It was tough and tiring work because these newspapers were bulky and heavy to be brought down to the pick-up point where we had to load them up a truck, but we were glad that we were doing it for a good cause, in particular our benefi ciary, METTA. Besides, as they say, many hands make light work. Lim Tse Hao, 3E1

Project

Welcome to East Spring

This year’s Literature students got more than what they had expected for their Literature lessons. They got to watch two plays,

namely, ‘Off Centre’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.

‘Off Centre ‘sheds light on the unfair treatment mentally-challenged patients are subjected to, and made us realize that they aren’t different from any normal person.’ Vinod and Saloma are the two main characters in the play suffering from schizophrenia and depression. In the play, the people around these two characters either shun themselves from them or refuse to acknowledge the fact that they’re mentally ill.

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged cupid painted blind.” ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ is a play originally written by William Shakespeare some time in the 1590s, but has been adapted by Singapore Repertory Theatre to appeal to the more modern audience. As a result, we saw characters running around in football jerseys instead of the typical Elizabethan tights. Therein lies its appeal.

L i t era ture A l i ve ! L i t era ture A l i ve ! We also watched the movie, “Rain Man”, about an autistic man who fi nds his long-lost brother who wants to know where his father’s inheritance goes to after his death. As a result of their meeting, a bond is forged between them. The movie shed much light on the book, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” that we are studying.

‘Literature Alive’ had certainly made learning the subject more meaningful for us. Georgia Ho, 3E2

Character Development

When the plight of a student from a lower secondary class came to light, the teaching and non-teaching staff

including the Principal and Vice-Principal, responded.

The donation drive initiated by the form teacher, resulted in a total amount of $2,914 being collected. On 18 June, Mrs Sng, on behalf of the staff, handed the donation to the parent, Mr Mohamad Rafae b Asral.

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ESPress 05

International Friendship Day held on 19 April, was celebrated in a carnival atmosphere. At the atrium, there were a food-tasting corner with snacks like murruku, a song dedication

corner and a display of people of different countries made of cardboard. The colourful atrium was packed with students who were curious of the buzz created there and those who came to support their friends.

There were also two performances at the atrium. The fi rst one was by our East Spring Chorale. Next was a mime about a courtship of a boy and a girl. The skit evoked much laughter from the audience because the characters were funny.

At one of the classrooms, a Wayang Kulit which is a shadow puppet show, performed by the Art Club members, was taking place. Their play was entitled ‘The Invasion of the Swordfi sh’ which was based on a well-known Malay legend. Although the participants were a bit nervous, it was interesting and entertaining. The play of light and shadow on the makeshift screen was very effective despite the participants being new to this form of art.

Our appreciation goes to all the students who had made the day memorable for the many of us who had gone to support them. Jasper Sim, 3E2 Wong Xu Hui, 3E2

On 8 August East Spring rejoiced in Singapore’s 42nd year of nation-building with a mixture of fun and meaningful

activities.

At the fi eld and hard courts were teams of students playing friendly games of soccer, captain’s ball or basketball. At the school hall, a singing competition ala Singapore Idol or Star Search, was going on.

A presentation on “Important People of Singapore” to honour our national heroes, was put on by the various Secondary Three Express classes. Members of the Drama Club were also there to spice up the show with their animated introductions as hosts for the concert.

A National Day celebration is not complete without a sing-along segment. Led by our Music teacher, Ms Clara Sng and our PE teacher, Mr Azuan Tan who gamely showed his singing side, the hall burst into a medley of national songs. It was a fi tting end.

Many happy returns of the day, Singapore!

Goh Jiayin, 3E2

Racial harmony was commemorated during the week with activities to remind the students of the importance of racial

harmony. Instead of the usual day’s celebration, the school felt that East Springians can learn more when they immerse themselves in another culture.

On Monday, the assembly programme featured a dance performance by professional dancers who showcased traditional Chinese, Malay and Indian dances. The graceful dancers not only explained the origins and signifi cance of the dance steps and props used, they also invited students on stage to dance with them.

During our SFL period on Thursday, the Sec 1s and 3s were taught some strokes of Chinese Calligraphy and Jawi Writing used by the Malays. We had a lot of fun producing those strokes. We then proceeded to the hall to learn “Qi Gong” and Malay dance led by professional instructors and students from the Malay Dance Troupe, respectively.

The library was also a hub of activities as students moved around to view the displays or sample certain ethnic food prepared by members of the PSG. The displays were based on the MT project on Chinese and Malay Traditional Weddings and Culture. This mini exhibition marked the end of a fruitful learning journey. Li Zhi Pei, 3E4

Happy 42nd Birthday, Singapore!

INTERN

ATION

AL FRI

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Racial Harmony Day

National Education

06 ESPress

Pada cuti bulan Jun yang lalu, 32 pelajar yang ditemani empat guru dan seorang kaunselor telah ke Kuching, Sarawak. Lawatan

selama lima hari itu bukan sahaja bertujuan untuk mendedahkan kami kepada budaya orang-orang Sarawak tetapi juga bertujuan untuk mengeratkan lagi hubungan antara guru-guru dan para pelajar.

Banyak aktiviti yang telah dirancangkan untuk lawatan itu. Satu daripada aktiviti tersebut adalah melawat rumah panjang Bidayuh. Pada mulanya kami takut untuk berjalan di perkarangan rumah tersebut kerana kami sangkakan bahawa rumah panjang itu akan roboh tetapi setelah diberitahu bahawa rumah itu boleh menampung beratus-ratus orang, kami berasa lebih lega. Jangan sangkakan kehidupan orang-orang asli ini masih kuno atau terkebelakang. Ini adalah kerana mereka sebenarnya mempunyai peralatan elektrikal seperti ketuhar, karaoke dan sebagainya. Kami juga berpeluang untuk mencuba minuman dan makanan orang-orang asli ini dan yang paling seronok, kami dapat mempelajari tarian tradisional budaya mereka!

Selain itu, kami juga melakukan kerja kemasyarakatan di sebuah kampung yang diberi nama Kampung Telaga Air. Ada yang menolong di perpustakaan manakala ada yang memungut sampat di kawasan pantai. Kami juga belajar membuat kuih-muih tempatan seperti kuih cincin dan kuih baulu. Makanan kampung sungguh menyelerakan dan kami berpeluang belajar daripada para nelayan cara menangkap ikan dan ketam. Orang-orang kampung yang ramah-tamah ini juga mengajar kami bermain boling dengan menggunakan kelapa dan beberapa botol!

Secara keseluruhan, kami amat berpuas hati dengan lawatan ini. Kami amat berterima kasih kepada guru-guru yang menganjurkan lawatan ini kerana memberi kami peluang untuk mempelajari budaya lain di samping menjalin persahabatan utuh sesama sendiri. Detik-detik manis yang kami lalui akan sentiasa tersemat di dalam sanubari.

29/05/07 ~ 05/06/07

Bilingual Page

ESPress 07

The guests from Suzhou Jingfan High School were introduced to our school vision, mission and school

programmes when they paid us a visit on 9 July. The visit came soon after East Springians visited their school in June. This was followed by classroom lesson observations. There was a lot of buzz when it came to student interactions. Both sides were shy at fi rst, but they soon warmed up to each other and before long smiles were pasted on their faces.

On the last day of the fi rst semester, we spent the morning in a very unique way. We had breakfast with our form teachers and form tutors. So we put

our books aside and spent the time eating our breakfast and chatting with our teachers and classmates. Some of the classes were also privileged to have the principal, Mrs Sng and the vice-principal, Ms Chew having breakfast with them.

Some classes ordered their breakfasts from MacDonald’s but most of them brought their homemade sandwiches and fried noodles, to name a few, to their classrooms. Teachers also made their contributions with their homemade cakes and ‘kaya’. We also learnt that some classes showed their neighbourliness by sharing their food with the classes next door.

What a satisfying way to end the semester! Not only were bonds strengthened between teachers and students during the breakfast, a lot of excitement and enthusiasm about school were also generated that morning. We hope this will become an East Spring tradition. After all, a happy family is one that eats together.

Xu Hui, 3E2

After the school tour, the Suzhou students and their teachers were invited to the school assembly in the hall where they were treated to a drama presentation by the lower secondary classes.

Our guests then gamely returned the favour by showing us some deft dance moves which they presented on stage, much to the appreciation of the East Springians.

Exchange of visits such as this augurs well for our school in her efforts to promote learning beyond the classroom.

Visitors from China

Koh Li Ying (Class 4E4, 2003) has been presented with a Merit Award for her excellent achievement in the Accountancy course, by Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

The award is given to the top 10% of the graduates in each course.

The letter from Ngee Ann Polytechnic read: “The success of the student is due in no small part to the fi rm foundation and excellent training she had received at your secondary school.”

Seet Lai Mun (Class 4E5, 2003) has also been presented with a Merit Award for her outstanding academic performance by Singapore Polytechnic. She also won EM Services Prize for her excellent contribution.

The letter to the Principal read: “ We congratulate you and your school for having provided her with a very good grounding that has enabled her to excel in her studies at the Singapore Polytechnic.”

Yvonne Yap (Class 4T2) graduated in 2004 from the Normal Technical stream and enrolled in the Nursing course at Simei ITE. With her excellent GPA of 3.6, she has qualifi ed for further studies at Nanyang Polytechnic. A GPA of 3.5 and above will allow a student to enrol at a polytechnic.

East Springians Continue To Shine

08 ESPress

The Basketball players have much to crow about.

After beating some of the more established

schools in the East Zone, they clinched Third

Place in the Zonal Championship.

Four schools qualifi ed for the national tournament

and after a tough round of eliminations, East

Spring was the only school that made it to the

National Championship which saw the Team

emerging as one of the top eight schools in

Singapore. Heartiest congratulations to our boys

in white!

Our Victorious Basketball Team

The Malay Dance Troupe took part in the yearly Inter-School Malay Dance Competition (Fiestari) organised by Cheng San Community Centre on 21

July. Their efforts and enthusiasm paid off when they clinched top honours by winning 1st Place in the competition. The victory was even sweeter because they had beaten 12 other schools and tertiary institutions such as Temasek Poly, Republic Poly, ITE Bishan and MacPherson as well as schools such as Raffl es Girls School. Their dance was also awarded the Best Choreography, a testimony of the dance instructor, Mdm Hartini Md Yusof’s creativity.

Besides the Championship Trophy, they had also won $500 for the school.

The completion of this year’s Singapore Youth Festival saw East Spring bagging

medals in the Performing Arts. Two Silver Medals were won by Malay and Chinese

Dance Troupes. Three Bronze Medals were won by our East Spring Chorale, Band

and Drama Club.

The school is proud of these East Springians and their instructors and teachers who

have worked very hard to prepare for the various competitions.SYF Achievements

East Spring Uniformed Groups have also proven their mettle with fi ve

medals to their name. Three Silvers were achieved by the NPCC, NCC and Scouts. The two Bronzes came from Girl Guides and SJAB.

Congratulations to all of them!

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