MAY 2008

www.riversidesec.moe.edu.sg
chool • 3 Woodlands Street 81 Singapore 738524 • Tel: 6269 963
e Secondar y S 1 Fax: 6
s l e t t e r by Riversid 368 36
A new 77

Riverside Achieves the Lee Kuan Yew National Education Award 2007
Today, NE programme in
Riverside has matured to
become an interwoven
tapestry of the staff’s and
students’ efforts in building
a caring community that
is ready to serve the
community. Through a
whole-school approach
in the integration of NE
in the curriculum as well
as the co-curriculum, our
pupils know and believe in
Our Principal, Mrs Sng, receiving the LKY NE Award from
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Singapore, uphold respect
for all people and embrace
WE are greatly honoured to be the spirit of volunteerism.
the recipient of the Lee Kuan Yew
National Education Award 2007 which To promote racial and religious
is the highest level of recognition harmony, we provide a unique dance
for Singapore schools in National curriculum for all lower secondary
Education (NE). students that allows them to appreciate
the fine arts of Chinese, Indian, Malay
We have indeed come a long way and other traditional dances. Malay
since 2004 when we first embarked and Chinese Special Programmes
on developing a more structured as well as Conversational Mother
NE programme. Back then, the Tongue Language programmes also
focus was mainly on celebrating the contribute to developing respect and
commemorative days and NE was understanding among the races.
infused sporadically in the academic
and co-curricular programmes. Serving the community is another key
component of the NE programme. All
pupils have the opportunity to engage
in various Community Involvement
Programmes including local and
overseas service learning. The NE
Champs is a group of student leaders
who initiate and run NE activities for
the student body such as the learning
journeys.
This year, with our internationalization
programme, we have provided
opportunities for more than 30% of
our pupils to go on overseas trips so
that they will become more culturally
savvy and develop a greater sense of
rootedness to Singapore
We have had the pleasure of hosting
Singapore Chinese Girls’ School,
Millenia Institute and Dunman
Secondary School to share our NE
journey with them. With the continuous
support of our SAC, parents, alumni
and other stakeholders, we will
continue to strive to scale greater
heights in our National Education
programme!
By Mrs Hilda Thong, Vice-Principal

Riverside is Awarded Niche Programme Status for Dance!

ON 23 April 2008, Riverside Secondary School was awarded
Niche Programme status by the Ministry of Education for
our Dance programme. For many years, our dance groups
have excelled at the Singapore Youth Festival Competition.
Last year, the Chinese, Malay and Indian Dance groups
clinched the Gold awards while the Modern Dance achieved
a Silver award. To develop talents in dance, we provide
a structured ethnic dance curriculum for all Sec 1 and 2
pupils as well as for selected Sec 3 pupils. Pupils also have
the opportunity to undergo accreditation through the Arts
Grade Examination of China.
As a niche school in dance, we are now inviting Primary 6
boys and girls who are talented in Chinese Cultural Dance
(including Martial Arts), Malay Cultural Dance, Indian Cultural
Dance and Modern Dance to participate in our Direct School
Admissions Exercise 2008. Application forms and details are
available from the school’s General Office or at our school
website at http://www.riversidesec.moe.edu.sg. Application
is open from 12 May to 31 July 2008.

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 NATIONAL EDUCATION NE AT RIVERSIDE
Our Heritage
Gallery
NE Forum
THE annual National Education forum at Riverside
Secondary School on 29 January proved to be an
enlightening event for the graduating classes. The topic,
“What roles do newspapers play in helping to safeguard
a country’s national security?” definitely sparked off an
animated discussion. Members who participated in the
forum were our very own NE Champs, teachers (Miss Chen
Ying and Mr Andy Wong), our school’s full-time counsellor,
Mr Rajamogan, and our guest speaker, Mr Dharmalingam,
a PSG member who is also an editor of The Straits Times.
The Forum highlighted ambiguous issues like the recent
terrorist threats and how The Straits Times could break the
news to the public in a more sensitive way.
By: Uma Magheswary d/o Pandyan (4/4E)
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NE Speakers’ Corner
THE purpose of the NE Speakers’ Corner is to provide
students with a platform to discuss national issues. Every
week a different class under the charge of an English
teacher will conduct the Speakers’ Corner at
the library during the Silent Reading period.
After the appointed speakers have shared
their views on the national issues, the class
can join in the discussion. Through
this open discussion, it is hoped
that students will forge a closer
identity with their country.
By: Nadiah Nadhirah (4/4E)
Our passionate and
animated speakers,
Nadiah (4/4E) and Iffah
(4/5E).
 LEARNING JOURNEYTHE FUN WAY!

Duck Tour Kusu Island

Johore Battery

FOR the first time in Riverside, staff and students could choose where they
would like to visit on their one-day learning journey on 24 January. Some of the
places selected were Changi Airport Terminal 3, Kusu Island, Changi Prison, local
Duck Tour, Sentosa, Johore Battery, Tiger Beer Brewery, The Supreme Court and
cemeteries.
Changi Airport Terminal 3

Tiger Beer Brewery

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 OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
2007 GCE ‘O’ & ‘N’ Level Examination Results
Sec 4E & Sec 5NA
■ 97.2% eligible for JC/CI & Poly
■ 86.2% with 5 ‘O’ passes compared to 80.3% (National)
Sec 4NA
■ 81.6% promoted to Sec 5NA compared to 72.5% (National)

Sec 4NT
■ 100% with at least 3 subject passes
■ Mean L1B2 Aggregate is 7.1 compared to 9.4 (Similar schools)

Chan Wan’er, Sec 4/4 Wong Sook Han, Sec 5/1 Aisyah Azman, Sec 4/3
Top 4E Student One of the Top 5N Students One of the Top 4NT Students
in Singapore in Singapore

Achievements by Malay Unit

Gema Puisi Artistik : Artistic Poetry Competition 2008 Advertisement Competition
RIVERSIDIANS had only one thing in mind when they took was organised to encourage
part in the Artistic Poetry Recital (National Level) organised students to be innovative
by Nanyang Junior College on 8 March, and that was to and yet, critical. Students
give of their best and more. They focussed on each team from all participating schools
member’s strength and worked together as one despite showcased the different
their differences. They wrote their own poetry, came up perspectives based on the
with the slogans and even choreographed the dance and theme ‘Pencemaran’. Riverside
‘silat’ steps for this competition. It was truly a Riversidian Secondary School managed to Congratulations to our
effort! Their hard work and dedication helped them clinch capture the judges’ hearts with Sec 3E students!
the 1st Runner-Up position. their presentation and emerged
the CHAMPION!

Peraduan Deklamasi Sajak:

Poetry Recital Competition 2008
RIVERSIDE took part in the Poetry Recital Competition
organised by Woodlands Secondary School on 29 March.
We sent two
students from both
lower and upper
secondary level.
Congratulations Md Shahari from
to our Sec 4E Sec 3/7 clinched
students!
the 2nd Runner-
Saluran-i: Creative Advertisement Competition 2008 Up position in the
RIVERSIDE Secondary Malay Unit organised her first Upper Secondary
Md Shahari and
North Zone Cluster Competition on 26 March. The Creative category. Siti Wan Su’aidah

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 OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
National Po
Police
Cadet Corp
Corps

NPCC Unit Overall

Proficiency Award
2007 (Gold)

St. John Ambulance

Brigade

Corps Achievement
Award 2008 (Gold)

Boys’ Brigade Nat

ational
ional Cadet
det Corp
Corps (Se
(Sea)
J M Fraser Award 2007 (Silver) Best Unit Competition 2007 (Silver)

Winners of NEA Competitions

TWO teams of students participated in the NEA
Competitions in 2007 and 2008 and won the following
awards:

1. Environment Champions Series 2008 Presentation

Skills Workshop
2. Clean and Green Singapore Living aRRRt (Secondary
Category, First)

Our winning product

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 SCHOOL EVENTS
P6 Open House CCA Open House
RIVERSIDE’S P6 Open House was held on 17 November RIVERSIDE’S CCA Open House was held on Saturday, 5
2007. The aim of the Open House was to attract P6 students January. At the annual Sec 1 CCA Orientation Day, both
to join the school by showcasing our pool of talents and parents and their Sec 1 children took the opportunity to
promoting our wide array of CCAs. While our outstanding check out the various co-curricular activities offered by
performing arts groups entertained the audience with their the school. After the welcome speech by the Principal, Mr
dazzling dances, the clubs and societies and sports groups Andy Wong came on stage to talk about
excited the public with their exhibitions. Although the rain the importance of CCA. The audience
prevented the uniformed groups from performing their was treated to a fantastic concert put
traditional fancy drill, it failed to dampen their spirit. They up by some of the CCA
took the opportunity to decorate their booths with zest and groups. Parents and
gusto. students were invited
to view the various
By: Nadiah Nadhirah (4/4E) decorated CCA
booths after the
concert.

By: Nadiah
Nadhirah (4/4E)

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 SCHOOL EVENTS
Secondary One Orientation Camp
WE were all excited about our first camp as Riversidians. As we gathered in
the hall, the orientation group leaders (OGLs) taught us our first cheer. We
played several ice-breaker games to learn more about one another. It was
fun! We stayed up past midnight as we were all excited and could not sleep.
On the second day, we woke up at the sound of a loud horn. We had to do
the Chicken Dance. It was hilarious! We were then treated to a concert.
I especially like the tribal dance performed by the Chinese dance group.
We had a campfire that night. It was an energetic night filled with screams
and cheers. On the last day of the camp, we had our breakfast and then
packed our belongings. We learnt our last cheer and bade farewell to our
seniors. We went home exhausted but
nevertheless, it was an unforgettable
weekend.

By Sulaihah Bte Abdull Rahiman (1/5E)

Chinese New Year Celebration

OUR school ushered in the Year of the Rat with an exciting concert featuring
a wide range of performances. Unlike previous years where only our Chinese
dancers enchanted the audience with their performance, this year’s concert
showcased the best of our performing arts groups, with almost all of them
performing. It is an incontrovertible fact, though, that Chinese New Year will not
be complete without the eminent God of Fortune who is none other that our
full-time school counsellor, Mr Rajamogan. Moreover, the colourful lion dance
performance was put up by our very own boys from the Chinese Dance. Kudos
to all who ensured that the audience were entertained.

By: Nadiah Nadhirah (4/4E)

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 AESTHETICS APPRECIATION
RS Arts Fest
ON 23 October 2007, 720
Riversidians, mainly from Sec 1 to
3s trooped from our school to the
nearby Theatre at The Republic
Cultural Centre, Republic Polytechnic
to attend the RS Arts Fest. The Arts
Fest is essentially a celebration of
the arts in the school. The audience
was treated to a wide array of
musical and dance performances
by their talented peers ranging
from Bhangra and Hip-hop dances
to Accappella singing and songs
written by students themselves.
Performers ranged from students
from the Band, Choir, GCE ‘O’ Level
Music course and Sec 4NT. It was
notable that the Sec 1 students
also put up 2 dances to showcase
what they had learnt in their Dance
curriculum.

By Mdm Ho Hui Ping,

HOD Aesthetics

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 AESTHETICS APPRECIATION

Dr Teo Ho Pin
(Centre) with Ms
Ellen Lee (4th from
right)

1st Multi-Cultural Music Marathon at Republic Polytechnic

THE inaugural Multi-Cultural Music Marathon, jointly organized by Riverside
Secondary School, Republic Polytechnic (RP) and the Woodlands Citizens’
Consultative Committee’s Arts-At-Woodlands, was a splendid showcase of the
passion and musical talents of 75 budding young musicians, aged between
7 and 18 years, at the Republic Polytechnic’s One-Stop Centre. The five-
hour long concert, which featured a total of 22 musical instruments from
both Western and Eastern traditions, including the Chinese erhu, Malay
talempong and Indian tabla, was graced by Dr Teo Ho Pin, Mayor of North
West District and Member of Parliament for Bukit Panjang Constituency.
Ms Ellen Lee, MP for Sembawang GRC (Woodlands), was also present at
the occasion.

By Uma Sankgery d/o Pandyan (4/4E)

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 SCHOOL EVENTS

Mass Run
RIVERSIDE held its first ever Mass
Run on 4 April at Innova Junior
College. Participants from Sec 1 to
Sec 5 took part in the event. All of
them had to complete a distance
of 2.4km. Despite the challenging
race to the finish line, the runners
enjoyed the challenge.

By Chee Li Min (2/4E)

Sec 3 Adventure Camp

ALL Sec 3 students attended an Adventure
Camp at Kota Tinggi, Malaysia, from 7 to 9
March. The students found the experience
exhilarating as it was the first time the school
organized an adventure camp in another country.
Besides building their stamina, the camp also
aimed to foster greater camaraderie among
the students. To achieve these objectives, the
students were provided with many exciting
activities such as Extreme Sports Tower, Low
Rope Course and Nature Training Elements. It
was indeed a thrilling and memorable camp for
all the Sec 3 students.

By Lim Rui Xian (3/5E)

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SCHOOL EVENTS
Sports Carnival
FUN. Friendship. Fairplay. This was the
theme for our annual Sports Carnival
which was held on 20 March. The
main objective of this event was to
promote mass participation in sports
so that students could ignite their
passion in sports and to foster team
spirit. It was certainly a thrilling day for
all Riversidians.

By Uma Sankgery d/o Pandyan (4/4E)

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 GOING INTERNATIONAL!
RIVERSIDE’S Internationalization Programme has the following objectives:
a) To develop pupils to be culturally savvy;
b) To expose pupils to the world and sensitise them to the place of Singapore in relation to
its global context; and
c) To deepen pupils’ commitment and rootedness to Singapore.

Suzhou Twinning Programme

ON 26 October 2007, 22 students,
accompanied by our Principal Mrs
Sng Siew Hong, and 3 teachers, left
for Suzhou Nan Huan Middle School.
This was our 4th batch of students
to participate in the Suzhou Twinning
Programme. Through the cultural and
historical visits, home stay and school
immersion programme, our teachers
and students were able to gain a good
understanding of the local culture
and education system. The various
assignments such as reflection journals,
project work and presentations have
enabled our students to consolidate
what they learnt during the trip. Our
students’ participation in the combined Tea plantation
performances and workshops has also
cemented our friendship with the staff
and students of the school.
By Miss Sim Yeng Suann

Workshop for our students

Song Presentation

Kota Tinggi Here We Come!

DURING the March holidays, the Boys’ Brigade 58th
Company went on their first overseas 3-day 2-night
Adventure Camp at Kota Tinggi, Malaysia. 29 students
comprising Sec 1, 2 and 3 students participated in
the rigorous programme involving raft-making, solo
night-walk and a group hike up and down Mt Panti
- a mountain of about 500 metres. It was especially
challenging for the Sec 1 boys as they did not have
any experience in trekking or outdoor camping.
Away from the comforts of home, the boys learnt to
appreciate their company-mates better; cooperate
despite differences; and encourage each other to
soldier on. At the end of the camp, all of them brought
home fond memories of camaraderie and friendship.
BB Adventure cum Recruit Camp 2008 - Kota Tinggi Rainforest
Adventure Centre
By Miss Jasmine Lim
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 GOING INTERNATIONAL!

Exchange Programme with India (Chennai)

A group of thirty students with 3

teachers (Dr Subhashini, team leader,
Mdm Rekkha and Mr Tsung) went
on the exchange programme with
SBOA School in Chennai, India, from
10 to 16 March. The objectives of this
programme were:
(a) to enable our students to appreciate
and understand a different culture
from theirs and
(b) to expose our students to a foreign
learning environment so that they
could enhance their own learning
through different teaching
methodologies.
The highlight of the trip was the home
stay. It was certainly a wonderful
and unique experience. The home
stay had enabled us to understand
the Indian culture and tradition
better. Apart from the home stay,
we also visited many interesting
places. Being in Chennai for a week
had also given us the opportunity to
taste the various Indian cuisines. All
of us felt that it was a meaningful
and unforgettable trip.

By Bianca Gloria Consigliere (2/4E)

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 GOING INTERNATIONAL!

Malacca Trip
FROM 6 March to 7 March, all Sec 2 pupils and their form
teachers went on a trip to Malacca as part of the school’s
Internationalization Programme. Apart
from appreciating the tradition and
culture of Malacca, the pupils also
visited places of interest such as
Porta de Santiago and St Paul Church.
Although the trip lasted only 2 days
and 1 night, the experience will stay
with the pupils for a long, long time.

By Nurulain Bte Rashid (2/4E)

Service Learning Trip to Yunnan

FROM 13 to 21 March, 29 students under the
charge of Miss Chithra and two other teachers, Mrs
Lee Ai Hoon and Mr Foo Her Min, embarked on
a service learning trip to Da Bo village in Yunnan.
Their sole aim was to volunteer their services to the
needy. Apart from teaching the children some basic
English, they also helped to paint part of the school.
The whole experience has taught
them to appreciate what they have
in Singapore. It has also made them
realise the importance of voluntary
service. Their greatest joy was
to be able to
help those in
need.

By Nur Sakinah
(4/9E)

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 SCHOOL VISITORS
MT Dept Shares with Tanjong Katong Girls School
Visit by Jiaxing Jishui Middle School
17 students and 3 teachers from Jiaxing Jishui Middle
School in Zhejiang Province, China, visited Riverside from
30 to 31 January. They were eager to learn more about our
school culture as well as the education system of Singapore.
The students were paired up with Riverside “buddies”
who acted as their guides during their visit to Riverside.
The Chinese students also had to attend lessons with their
“buddies”. The two-day immersion programme was not
only an enriching experience for them, but it was also an
exciting experience for us.
By Mr Du Xin,
Senior Teacher
ON 18 October 2007, eight teachers from Tanjong Katong
Girls’ School visited Riverside to learn how to improve
their MT results from our MT teachers. Mdm Huang Jiebo
(former HOD, MTL), Mdm Leow (covering HOD, MTL),
Mdm Noorbaya (Subject Head, MT & TL) and Dr Subhashini
(TL Coordinator) were present to share their experiences
and teaching methodologies with the teachers. After the
sharing session, the group of teachers were invited to view
the Elective Module exhibition in the hall.
By Mdm Leow, HOD (covering) MT
Hong Kong Students Visit Riverside
FROM 3 to 5 March, a total of 3 teachers and 14 students
from Tin Shui Wai Methodist School (Hong Kong) visited our
school on a school immersion and educational exchange
programme. They attended lessons with their “buddies”.
When asked about their experience, the students from
Hong Kong said they enjoyed the trip a lot and were
very impressed by the facilities we have. The teachers
complimented our students on their being well-behaved and
independent. They were also impressed by the initiatives
which our students showed in one of the classroom
observations. This exchange programme has certainly been
an enriching experience for all of them.
By Mrs Angela
Tong, HOD
(Maths)
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 STAFF NEWS
Welcome to the Family Wedding Bells
CONGRATULATIONS to Angie and Haslinda

December 2007 Brides

WE warmly welcome five new teachers to the Riverside

Family. They are:

(L-R)
Ms Shen Lifeng (Chinese Language),
Ms Mendy Kok (Mathematics),
Ms Nelly Guo (Design & Technology), Mdm Haslinda
Ms Tang Wai Yin (Science) &
Mr Alan Low (Science),

Our New Head of Department

(Covering) for English Language,
Mrs Clara Sim

MRS Clara Sim was a Level

Head (Eng/Lit) before coming to
Riverside Secondary in January
2008. It was the challenge of
the job that brought her here.
She believes in the character
development of students, besides academic excellence,
and feels that Riverside has the potential to soar to greater
heights in the coming future.

Farewell to Mrs Mohinder Singh

THIS year we bade farewell to
our vice-principal, Mrs Mohinder Mrs Angie Tan
Singh, who had been with the
school for the past 7 years. Her
invaluable contributions to the
school had certainly helped the Staff Award /
school to scale greater heights. Recognition
Besides her busy schedule as a MOE Service Excellence Award
vice-principal, she also took the
time to guide and mentor the young teachers. Her warm CONGRATULATIONS to Mdm
and affable nature had indeed won the admiration of both Doris Soh on receiving the MOE
teachers and students. We will miss her and we wish her Service Excellence Award
all the best in her future endeavours. Mrs Singh is now the
Vice-Principal of East Spring Secondary School

ADVISORS : Mrs Sng Siew Hong, Principal and Mrs Hilda Thong, Vice-Principal
Editorial Team EDITORS : Mrs Clara Sim, Mr Tsung Kkok Cheng and Mrs Jasmine Yeo
WRITERS : Members of the Young Journalist Club
page 16 the riversidian Designed & Produced by P D ADDISON