OCTOBER 2009

ISSUE 2

www.riversidesec.moe.edu.sg
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
A n ew s letter by Riv x: 6368 3
67 7

e Ac h ie ves Th e School Distinction A

id ward!
R i ve r s
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 Best Practice Award (Staff Well-Being)

for Riverside Secondary in 2009 is an
The Lee Kuan Yew Award affirmation of its work-life strategies for staff
For All-round Excellence and efforts in their development.

Kelvin Khong Yu Kai has

People Developer Standards
done the school proud (Recertification)
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 Riverside was recertified for the People
well-rounded students Developer Standards Award for the period
who have excelled in both of 2009 to 2011. This award is a recognition
academic and non-academic spheres, and who of Riverside’s on-going effort in training and
exemplify the qualities articulated in our desired developing its staff.
outcomes of education.
2 OUR SYF ACHIEVEMENTS
Congratulations to SYF Winners - You Shine Again!

Modern Dance - Gold with Honours

Chinese Dance Malay Dance Indian Dance

(Gold) (Gold) (Gold)
 OUR SYF ACHIEVEMENTS
3
Symphonic Band (Silver)

Choir (Silver)

Drama
(Bronze)
4 OUR UG ACHIEVEMENTS

NPCC (GOLD) SJAB (GOLD)

BOYS’ BRIGADE JM Fraser

Award (Silver)
NCC (SILVER)

GIRLS’ BRIGADE Company Award (Bronze)

 OUR 22ND SPEECH DAY 5
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

Benson Chong
2009 Outstanding Riversidian,

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
6 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
Day. This year, National Students creating the NE Corn
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
National Day celebration ended with Day in the
Classroom
a closing speech by Mr Chen, Vice- National Day March-In Parade
Principal which highlighted the importance of unity and
racial harmony. e Harmony Tree
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”
 NATIONAL EDUCATION 7
Free Media Design Competition 2009
Riverside has won the 2nd prize in the Free Media Design The wining RHD pro
ject
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.
ning
hind the win
The group be
The idea which the girls came up for the above competition is entry.
“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. 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 NE Champs holding
onto the
select the Learning Journey of bus cards for identifi
cation.
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 Students at
Mint and Haw Par Villa. the Marina
Barrage
Breakfast with Students answering
the quiz questions fro
m the

Team Singapore guide at Haw Paw Vil

la 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
Riversidians with some of Team Singapore players. pose questions
to them.
Riverside participated in the Breakfast with Team Singapore event on
26 May 2009. The first half of the programme included a presentation Amin, An NE Champ,
posing a question to the
cum NE Forum and the second half consisted of Basketball and Netball guest speaker during the
athletes from Team Singapore interacting with Riversidians. NE Forum.
8 RS INNOVATION WEEK
Sharing their masterpiece to their classmate 25E students preparing intensively for Inno
Our Innovative Challenge

Riversidians
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 Sec 2 Inter Class debate on Innovation
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.
rk during the
Participants at wo
ra ry Club
The Innovation Week dovetailed with Inno Quiz by Lib
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.

artment
nglish Dep
Booth of E Preparations for IP Inn
ovation
Showcase

Visit to the Singapore Discovery Centre

Breakfast with Team Singapore Athletes 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 hands-
on inventions that also emphasised on Singapore’s need to keep abreast of
technological developments. The visit was especially enriching as we learnt more
Creative Souvenir Ma
Competition by D&T
king about our Singapore Story, and it inspires in us a greater desire to contribute to
Department
Singapore’s future.
 RS INNOVATION WEEK 9
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.

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
MT booth 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.
getting money -wise tips
Our Sec 3s students

Someday we will build one at Participating in SDC’s NE Quiz

Riverside too! Quiz time durin
g the Financial
Talk Literacy

By Mr Andy Koh,
The little red dot that innovates all the time HOD/Curriculum & Innovation
1
10 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

with N5
Riverside Fabric
techniques
Sharing storytelling
primary school pupils
Pupils in groups were tasked
to design an art piece which
depicted what Singapore
On 6 April 2009, the Humanities meant to them. The art pieces
Department and the Mother were then collected and pieced
Tongue Department co-organised together to form the ‘Riverside
the Mother Tongue Storytelling Fabric’ – a symbol of the
Competition for N5 cluster schools. ary aspiration and dream of every
iding the N5 prim
Before the actual competition, Riversidians gu eir story writing. Singaporean.
in th
Riverside conducted a school students

storytelling workshop for

the N5 primary schools.
Our student leaders, the A students showing
NE Champs and COE her creation to
the class
Champs were involved in
training the primary school
pupils in basic storytelling
techniques.
 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
PROGRAMME 111
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 KL Service Learning trip to
Selected students from Pure Life society
the Secondary Four classes
volunteered their service
for the Asian’s Women
Welfare Association once
a week from February 2009
Getting ready the foo to March 2009. Together
d for the
Sports Carnival
with student leaders from
SMU, they interacted with
the children at AWWA and
From 16 to 19 March 2009, a group of 29 Secondary
helped to organise a Sports
4 and 5 students went for their Overseas Service
Carnival for the children.
Learning trip to Kuala Lumpur. The students visited
Playing with the Pure Life Society and interacted with the children
the
children during
Sp or ts Ca rn iva l. 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
.
Secondary 2 Jumble Sale
“Rice that binds” CIP project
- 23 July 2009
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.

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.
on the Folding the crane
Briefing the class s By: Sulaihah, 2/5E
project
1
12 ENRICHMENT AND FIELDTRIPS

Humanities Day 2009

On 26 May 2009, the Humanities Department held its In addition, Secondary 1 History Students had a “Back
inaugural Humanities Day. The theme was Enriching Lives, in Time” experience with a visit to the Asian Civilizations
Expanding Boundaries. Various activities were organised Museum. It was History coming alive, watching the actors
for our first Humanities Day which was held in conjunction and actresses dressed up in the costumes of the Ching
with the first Storytelling Fest in Riverside Secondary. Dynasty. The students were captivated by the exhibits of
treasures from the Kangxi Period.
There was a talk on the achievements and innovations of
Dr Lim Boon Keng by Mr Alex Tan and a showcase of the Humanities Day was a success as it saw inter-departmental
Lower Secondary Humanities students’ Problem Based collaboration such as the EL Department coming up with the
Learning (PBL) projects at the Instructional Programme (IP) Public Speaking Competition for the Secondary 3 students.
Display in the school library. These two events were tied in
with the RS Innovation Week.
Humanities Field Trips
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.
 COMPETITIONS 13
3
Secondary Inter-Class Debates Variety Show @ RS
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. The Variety Show @ RS organised by the Music
Department, provided pupils a platform for their
It was a stiff competition this year as all the debaters were well- creative expressions. Held every Wednesday at the
prepared and ready to challenge their opponents. The electrifying amphiteatre in the afternoon, this event showcased
atmosphere in the Dance Studio was palpable as the audience, our pupils’ musical talents. The finale of the 6-week
which consisted of Secondary Two students, hung on to every series of variety show was a performance by our very
argument presented by the strongest two teams during the own staff. This event indeed delighted the enthusiastic
competition. crowd.
By Mdm Geraldine Chang 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 Our club members pitting their skills with other Club members with their winning trophies
schools! competitors at S’pore Vex Robotics Championship

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.
1
14 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

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
Riversidians entertaining the staff CCAs. Students and staff
then watched a concert
put up by Riversidians to
show appreciation to the
teachers.
a skit
New staff performing By K. Kanageswari,
4/9E

Riversidians rocking to the audience

Riversidians doing the RS Dance

 STUDENT LEADERSHIP 15
5
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

The Campus ChangeMaker Project,
a collaboration with National Youth
New Level 4 Leaders Council was introduced at the start of
The 3rd batch of Level 4 Leaders emerged this year.
after a round of voting by their Level 3 peers This is a student initiated project in
and being interviewed by School Leaders. which Level 2 and 3 Student Leaders
They are Ang Rui Xia (3/5E, President of would propose an improvement for the
Student Council), Sri Rahayu (3/1N, Deputy school. This project leverages on the
President), Muhammad Syariffuddin (3/6E, bottom-up approach in which students are
Deputy President), Debbie Stuart (3/6E, Head active problem-solvers.
of Performing Arts), Chelsea Yong (3/7E, Head
of Sports and Games), Zhenbagam Murlly To prepare the leaders for the project, they
(3/4E, President of NE Champs), Phoebe Tan were sent for a 2-day training workshop
(3/5E, Head of Clubs and Societies) and Wang whereby they learnt what service learning is
Zheng Xiong (3/5E, Head of Uniformed Group). and how they can work as a team.
These student leaders will be involved in the
These students then came up with proposals after planning and
organisation of the National Day Celebration,
conducting surveys with the rest of the school. These proposals
Teachers’ Day Celebration and Secondary 1
were then presented to a student panelist who would advise them on
Orientation Camp. They are expected to be
the possible problems in planning and executing the plans. After the
role models to the other students and to assist
student panelist had voted, the selected projects would be carried out
teachers and mentor their Level 3 peers.
with the assistance of the teacher in charge.

The students are currently working on providing all CCA groups with
Outstanding All Round first aid kits so as to be better equipped during an emergency. Another
Student Awards approved initiative is to provide more visible signages at various
locations in the school so as to facilitate visitors to locate the different
On 27 May 2009, three Riversidians
venues.
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
1
16 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

Holistic Approach to
Director’s Visit 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 two-
day 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