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1 SCHOOL INFORMATION FENGSHAN PRIMARY SCHOOL School: Fengshan Primary School School Website: Principal: Mrs Soh Mei Foong Principal s Address: wong_mei_foong@moe.gov.sg Contact Person: Mrs Soh Mei Foong Contact Person s Address: wong_mei_foong@moe.gov.sg Office No Fax No School Address: fsps@moe.edu.sg Brief History of School: Fengshan Primary School s history dates back to 1945 when officials of the Hong San Temple started a school in Lorong Tai Seng to meet the educational needs of the children who had lost out as a result of the Second World War. In 2001, Fengshan Primary merged with Ping Yi Primary School and the name of Fengshan Primary was retained for historical reasons. To forge a strong sense of belonging among the pupils and teachers of the two schools, a brand new identity was adopted, embodied in a new school logo, vision, mission, core values, aspirations, school song, school rules and a new uniform. The school population currently stands at 1984 pupils with a staff strength of 96 teachers and 9 adjunct teachers in 61 classes. The school has 17 EAS to support its operations and programmes. The school operates on a 4-2 system with Primary 3 to 6 in the morning session and Primary 1 and 2 in the afternoon session. SCHOOL VISION Anchored Hearts, Driven Minds, Leaders of Tomorrow. SCHOOL MISSION To nurture loyal individuals with strength of character and determination to succeed in the spirit of lifelong learning. CORE VALUES PR²ICE: Perseverance, Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Compassion, Equality STRATEGIC FOCU The school has identified 3 Strategic Thrusts for the next 3-5 years: Quality Programmes Inspiring Staff Excellent Systems

2 School Features (Programme & Achievement): 1. TLLM Journey Since 2005 TLLM became a key approach in our academic focus. Together with the staff, we defined TLLM as Differentiated Learning and Experiential Learning. Customised Instructional Programme The school adopts a school-wide differentiated approach to ensure the pupils do well and have a good foundation in the core subjects. We have customised programmes to support the learning of the academically weak pupils e.g. the Learning Support Programme and school-wide remedial programme. We also have enrichment programmes to stretch the potential of our high ability pupils e.g. Math Olympiad programme. Experiential Learning Our instructional programme has a strong emphasis on experiential learning. Opportunities are provided for all pupils to go for at least two field trips a year. These field trips provide learning experiences in subjects such as English, Mathematics, Science and National Education and are planned to provide authentic learning opportunities for the pupils. Mathematics and Science learning centres have also been set up in the school compound to encourage pupils to engage in discovery learning. Lower Primary English Programme In the lower primary we have a new approach in the teaching of English Language. Teachers use story books of various themes and genres to teach English. There is a strong focus on the teaching of reading, writing and process skills. A variety of assessment modes is used to evaluate the pupils performance and progress. These include pupil portfolios, process skill checklists, non-pen and paper assessments (NPPA) and pen-paper exams. Integrated Programmes We also take an integrated approach in delivering the instructional programme. For example, the Pri 4 pupils go for an outdoor adventure camp (3-Miles) where they will learn academic subjects through doing outdoor activities. 3-Miles, an innovative approach towards integrated learning, is wholly conceptualised and planned by our teachers. To ensure IT is used effectively to support and enhance teaching and learning, our teachers and pupils access interesting learning resources on the school s Learning Management System (LMS). We are also exploring a mobile-computer lab where the pupils will have ready access to use imacs in the classrooms to make their learning more interesting and effective. 2. Citizenship & Character Development Values Education and Pupil Wellbeing It is our school vision to nurture in our pupils anchored hearts of good character and loyalty to the country. We have a school-wide character development programme that is anchored on

3 PR²ICE, our school values. We adopt a Moral-Knowing and Moral-Doing approach where the pupils will learn the values thematically through the year. The pupils then apply the values they have learned through Moral-Doing ; that is to participate in the Community Involvement Programme (CIP) which is organised for all pupils. Important life-skills as identified in the Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies are integrated in the academic and non-academic programmes. Citizenship education focuses on getting to know Singapore and racial harmony. It is done through Social Studies lessons, Learning Journeys, Integrated Project Work (IPW), the Aesthetics Programme, celebration of major festivals and commemoration of events such as Racial Harmony Day. We have pupils who exhibit behavioural and learning needs. We set up a Pupil Activity Centre in our school where identified pupils attend an after-school programme to help them develop more self-discipline and better manage their time through games and activities. The pupils also attend workshops conducted by social workers from Trans Centre (Bedok) to learn anger and conflict management skills and develop more positive self-esteem. CCA CCA plays an important role in character development. The school has put in place a framework that ensures a structured and holistic approach in delivering the various programmes. The framework has five domains: Technical Skills, Teamwork, Sportsmanship, Leadership and CIP/Entrepreneurship. Through this framework, we ensure pupils acquire relevant and important life-skills through meaningful learning experiences in their CCA. Some of the CCA we have are Concert Band, Dances, Choir, Soccer, Netball, Red-cross, etc. To encourage our pupils to live a healthy lifestyle, a Modular CCA structure has been put in place where pupils from Primary 2 to 5 are invited to learn a variety of sporting skills throughout the year. These activities include Silat, Wushu, Rollerblading, Swimming and Frisbee, where important skills of resilience and teamwork are acquired. Leadership The school believes that every child has the potential to be a leader and has defined a leader as one who has good character and excels in whatever he chooses to undertake. We have a two-pronged approach in nurturing the leadership qualities in the pupils Lead Myself and Lead Others. Under Lead Myself, a student leadership development framework is in place to ensure that all the pupils are equipped with sound social-emotional competencies and values. Pupils are constantly encouraged to demonstrate the PR²ICE values and a recognition system is put in place to give the PR²ICE Leaders awards to pupils who consistently demonstrate the values. Under Lead Others, all pupils are given opportunities to lead in one area or another. All student leaders such as prefects, peace-aiders, NE ambassadors, CCA leaders and core values ambassadors are given modular leadership training and school-based platforms to apply the skills acquired. Talent Development Programme (TDP) In alignment to the school vision of instilling the leadership qualities in every child, we have put in place a Talent Development Programme (TDP). The TDP is a modular programme for the lower

4 primary pupils. The pupils learn basic game skills, creative movements and explore playing some musical instruments. Through the TDP, pupils who demonstrate potential in the areas of music, dance and ball skills will be recommended to join the school s key CCA. The CCA then serve as platforms to ensure the potential in these pupils are developed and stretched. 3. Inspiring Staff Staff Development & Competency In the TLLM journey, Teacher is Key. The school therefore continually builds the teachers pedagogical skills and expand their repertoire of teaching strategies. Wednesday is set aside as Staff Development Day. Staff Development comprises school-based training, departmental workshops, professional sharing. Timetabled time is also scheduled weekly for teachers to work on projects with the focus on Innovation in Teaching & Learning. Key personnel, LMs or teacher leaders lead in these professional discussions. Some of the projects include Lesson Study in English, Lesson Study in Reading in CL, Exploring Effective Use of ICT in Teaching, etc. The school holds a yearly Learning Festival for the teachers to share best practices. This is well-received by the staff. In the effort to equip our teachers with more pupil-centred pedagogical skills, the school has adopted a school-wide approach in the use of Cooperative Learning (CL) strategies. The middle management and selected teachers conduct termly CL workshops for the teachers. To encourage our teachers to be more reflective on their pupil management, classroom pedagogy and professional growth, the school has replaced the weekly Lesson Record File with fortnightly Teacher Reflections. Every teacher is encouraged to keep a Growth and Development Portfolio (GDP). Teachers who are keen to pursue the Senior Teacher Track, in particular, are encouraged to track their own professional growth through documenting and reflecting on successful strategies used in the classroom as well as projects they have been engaged in. Staff Motivation and Morale An Inspiring Staff is professional, competent and motivated. The Staff Well-being Committee looks into different areas of staff well-being and to enhance staff morale. The school seeks to understand the needs of our staff through our yearly Staff Survey and the bi-annual Climate Survey. Their feedback and views are important and have led to efforts in enhancing the working environment and organising termly game sessions and activities for the staff to get together and gel better as a team. An open culture is built in the school where staff members have many platforms to contribute their views and ideas for work improvements and more effective programmes for the pupils. Teachers, led by a team of capable LMs, play an active role in managing pupil well-being, planning and integrating the various programmes at their respective levels. As a result, there is synergy and collaboration among the teachers. Staff-initiated projects that have been well-received include the 3-Miles Project, Health Education, Maths and Science games, Learning centres and Resourced Classrooms.

5 Achievements Netball (Junior and Senior Girls): 4 th position in the East Zone 2. Soccer (Junior Boys): 4 th position in the East Zone and 6 th position in National 3. Wushu: Individual Gold (Spear); Individual Silver (Sword); Individual Silver (Taijiquan) 4. Performing Arts: Singapore Youth Festival Competition Chinese Dance: Gold Indian Dance: Silver Malay Dance: Gold Modern Dance: Bronze Choir: Silver Concert Band: Gold with Honours 3. Sustained Achievement Award for Aesthetics (SAA): 3rd Award Conclusion We want the pupils educated in Fengshan to acquire a strong foundation in literacy, numeracy, good values and important life skills so that they can be a leader in their own learning and development, with these they will take flight and soar. We aim to build an effective team of happy teachers who are committed to the holistic development of our pupils. Through collaborating with our various stakeholders, Fengshan will become a dynamic and exciting learning environment in which every staff and pupil will develop, grow and reach their fullest potential. School-Based Curriculum Innovation (SCI) Title : WINGS Curriculum Focus : Problem Based Learning (PBL) Approach Synopsis of SCI (not more than 150 words): Fengshan Primary is one of the TLLM Ignite schools. Our curriculum innovation WINGS is a customised curriculum using the Problem Based Learning (PBL) Approach. It involves 240 Primary 3 to 5 high-ability pupils. The rationale of WINGS is we host pupils with very varied & diverse abilities. Based on analysis of internal examination and PSLE trend data, 20% of the pupils in each cohort achieve outstanding results in their academic subjects. Since 2004, the school has identified these pupils for the High Ability (HA) classes to allow for greater customisation of the curriculum & teaching to stretch their potential. However there was a need for a more structured approach towards maximising the potential of this group of HA pupils beyond dependence on individual teacher strengths and passion therefore the conceptualization of WINGS. In WINGS teachers adopt a multi-disciplinary approach, integrating themes from English Language, Mathematics & Science to a curriculum that is based on principles of inquiry-based learning, authentic learning and constructivism. Appropriate assessment instruments were developed to monitor the learning outcomes of the pupils. In WINGS, pupils are empowered

6 to make decisions and create meaning in learning as they exercise thinking & decision making skills in choosing differentiated tasks & the design of investigative approaches. There are 6 key features in this curriculum aligned to the learning nature of a child: Authentic - (REAL) as pupils solve contextualised probems that resemble real-life Inquiry or Problem Based - (ENGAGING) as pupils are required to generate new knowledge based on prior personal experiences Differentiated - (OPTIMAL) as pupils select tasks that challenge their current developmental stage Done individually - (AFFECTIVE) influenced by self-awareness, individual beliefs & motivation Done in groups - (SOCIAL) as pupils learn best when perceptions and information are shared Reflective - (METCOGNITIVE) learning allows for deeper, more meaningful and sustained learning.

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