the green link Inside this issue:

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1 the green link BGSS NEWSLETTER 360 Bedok North Ave 3, Singapore Tel: Website: For internal circulation only Issue No. 02/2011 Editorial Committee: Mrs Helen Lee Mr Teo Kim Seng Ms Norfarhana Vision: A School of Choice and a Community of Life-Long Learners Mission: To provide a nurturing environment where pupils are imbued with sound values, a passion for learning and confidence to face future challenges School Values: Resilience, Integrity, Compassion, Humility Inside this issue: School Events SYF Central Judging Results BGSS Sports Day 2011 Newton Apple Tree Project 2011 Partnership Feng Shan Neighbourhood Community Day Yu Neng Primary School Kampung Senang BGSS Alumni Staff Movement The second term of each academic year is always an exciting time. This is the period in the school year where many National competitions take place, and this year specifically, we have the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Central Judging Competition for secondary schools, a biennial event where performing arts groups of secondary schools across Singapore showcase their abilities. I am happy and proud to share with you that once again, the students of Bedok Green Secondary School have done well we managed to obtain a Silver award for our Modern Dance, Concert Band, Guzheng and Choir, as well as our very first Gold award for our Malay Dance! Congratulations! That all our performing arts CCA groups managed to achieve good results, is a testament to the kind of environment we, as educators, constantly strive to nurture a culture of excellence and high expectations. More than just the achievements, though, I strongly believe in the values and skills that the students would have learnt in the preparation for and during the competition teamwork as they perform together, resilience as they put in the constant hard work, excellence as they put in their very best. More so than the achievements, I hope that the students would hold on to these lessons in years to come. You might have come across the term 21st Century skills, which refers to the kind of skills our children would need to be future-ready in a global economy that is increasingly unpredictable. Since its inception, the staff of Bedok Green Secondary has strived to prepare our students as such. The good academic performance of our students so far is one important part, but over and on top of this, developing the right kind of values and skills is just as important. Even now as I am writing this, while our students are busy focusing on their mid-year examinations, our teachers are hard at work planning the post-exam and June holiday activities, such as the annual BGSS Carnival and the Sec 3 Overseas CIP trip, to complement our students learning. As educators, we believe that our students are more than just their academic results, that they need to grow as whole persons. This is a belief that I know we share with all parents in our Bedok Green Secondary community and I look forward to our continued partnerships in this journey. Learners Today, Leaders Tomorrow 1

2 SCHOOL EVENTS 2011 SYF Central Judging Results Gold Award - Malay Dance On 13th April 2011, the Malay Dance group performed for the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Central Judging. Through their hard work and constant actice sessions held three times a week, the Malay Dance was able to achieve their first ever Gold Award! Malay Dance Alumni members, namely, Muhsin, who always mentored the students, and Raudha, Syeddah and Fazilah, also lent their support to help train the students. Sharing sessions were also held with other schools such as Yu Ying Secondary and Damai Secondary to prepare for the event. The Malay Dance would like to thank Mdm Tay, Mr Lim and Mrs Loong, for all the support and encouragement given to the them. Ms Abidah also wishes to thank Mdm Norlindah, all the Malay Dance members as well as the other teachers who also played a part to ensure that their performance was a success. Last, but not least, the Malay Dance would like to give a heartfelt thank you to their instructor, Huda, without whom the award would not have been possible. A constant reminder to the Malay dancers, especially to calm their nerves before the competition, was, When you want something so badly, the whole Silver Award - Concert Band On 8th April 2011, our school s Concert Band participated for the fourth time in the 2011 SYF Central Judging for Concert Bands. Despite the intense competition faced, our Concert Band received a Silver Award! This is the second Silver Award for the two consecutive SYF Competitions. Well done, BGSS Concert Band! Silver Award - Choir Practice sessions were indeed gruelling for the choir students and many of them became anxious and nervous as the date of the SYF Central Judging drew near. All around the school, the choir members singing could be heard echoing down the hallways, in preparation for the event. Finally, as the day of the Central Judging arrived, the Choir Instructor, Teachers-in-Charge as well as students, looked back at all they had been through in the past months leading to the event and did their very best to impress the judges. Belting out melodious tunes with their voices in unison, the BGSS Choir achieved a Silver Award for their SYF Central Judging. Congratulations! Learners Today, Leaders Tomorrow 2

3 Silver Award - Modern Dance Our Modern Dance members participated in the SYF Central Judging (International Dance Category) on 30th March We managed to clinch a Silver Award for the participated category. The dancers demonstrated resilience and determination in mastering the intricate and complex choreography. Ultimately, they put on a remarkable performance. This success would not have been possible without the guidance and tutelage of our competent and creative instructors, Mr Shahbirul Zaki and Ms Wee E-Chiing. In addition,we wish to express our deepest gratitude to our school leaders, Mdm Tay Siok Hwa, Mr Lim Yu Kee and Mrs Loong-Lim Tze Mien who gave us their tremendous support and encouragement throughout this whole journey. Silver Award - Gu Zheng Ensemble The BGSS Gu Zheng Ensemble participated in this year s SYF Central Judging competition. The Ensemble managed to clinch the Silver Award despite the intense competition faced. The Gu Zheng Ensemble would like to express their deepest gratitude to Mdm Tay, Mr Lim and Mrs Loong for their unwavering support and encouragement throughout the SYF competition period. Congratulations to the all the Performing Arts CCAs in achieving excellent awards for the SYF Central Judging! Learners Today, Leaders Tomorrow 3

4 BGSS Sports Day 2011 On 4 March this year, the whole school gathered at Bedok Stadium for our school s annual Sports Day. After the customary competitors march-past, the Sports Day was declared open by our Principal, Mdm Tay. The whole stadium was filled with excitement and energy as students cheered for their friends who were taking part in the 100m and 4x100m relay events. This year,the teachers and staff competed in a 400m race, with 10 teachers, parents and staff from each house. In addition, the Alumni team raced against the teachers and staff from all 4 houses. After a hard-fought battle on the field and tracks, Ruby House emerged as the overall champion! Learners Today, Leaders Tomorrow 4

5 Newton Apple Tree Project 2011 The Newton Apple Tree (NAT) Project is an initiative by the Science department that aims to allow Science representatives of Secondary One classes to take up a greater leadership role by igniting their fellow classmates interest in the subject. Throughout the entire period of one month in Term 2, the Science reps actively encouraged and motivated their classmates to contribute to the development of the tree by writing scientific facts on apple cards and cutting out relevant newspaper articles. Some classes even took the initiative to decorate their tree with elements of nature such as clouds, sun and animals. The trees, which were located at the back of the classrooms, provided a vibrant and lively sight as one walked past the Secondary One classes. At the end of one month, the Gold, Silver and Bronze tree were awarded to the winning Science reps based on their presentation, relevance as well as creativity of the entity. The Gold award winner of the NAT project 2011, Regine from Sec 1E2 added, In the process of growing the apple tree, I learnt that I can be vocal and more outspoken as I engage my classmates and give them different tasks to do. PARTNERSHIP Fengshan Neighbourhood Community Day On the 19th of March 2011, the Guzheng Ensemble performed for the Feng Shan Neighbourhood Community Pari BurongPark. This is one of the many ways in which we, in Bedok Green believe that our CCAs can serve our community. Learners Today, Leaders Tomorrow 5

6 Yu Neng Primary School In line with the school s strategic thrust to promote and strengthen collaborative partnership with its stakeholders, the Partnership Committee continues to build good relationships with its fellow external partners. For 2011, long term external partners that the school has duly continued to support would include Yu Neng Primary School, Fengshan Community Club, Kampung Senang and Southeast CDC. For Semester 1, the school s collaboration with Yu Neng Primary School was evident in the Conversational Mother Tongue Programme (CMT). Where the CMT programme is concerned, a total of 30 Sec 3 Express pupils were identified as studentteachers assisted Yu Neng Primary School in the teaching of CMT to Primary 3, 4 and 5 pupils. The above-mentioned students have been dutifully reporting to Yu Neng Primary School every Monday, from 31 January to 11 July 2011, to teach a total of 12 CMT lessons. Kampung Senang Bedok Green Secondary, the school also extended its service to Kampung Senang in Semester 1. More specifically, 2 Chinese Language teachers from the school rendered their skills as they assisted Kampung Senang in editing its recent newsletter. BGSS Alumni On 24 Mar 2011, the Chairperson of the Alumni Exco, Mr Sean Chew Han Siang, handed over the baton to the Secretary, Miss Siti Nurul Ain Hussain as part of the renewal process. Sean will continue to contribute to the school as an Alumni exco member. In her speech, Ain thanked the school leaders and teachers for putting their trust in the committee and for their guidance. In addition, on behalf of the committee, she would like to extend her gratitude to Sean for serving the committee for the past year. She expressed her hope that the committee would grow and contribute effectively to the school. The new Secretary will be Mr Amir Syafiq Bin Shaharuddin, who was originally the Deputy Secretary. STAFF MOVEMENT We warmly welcome the following staff to the Bedok Green family: Mdm Amy Wong (Chemistry & EOA) Ms Kwek Yan Ling (AED/T&L) Mr Foo Da Yao (Maths/Physics) Ms Xue Jia Li (Homec) Mr Desmond Ho Kheng Chan (AM2) We would also like to thank the following staff for their contributions to the Bedok Green family: Miss Lim Ker Sin (EL &Lit) Miss Teo Min Zhi (EBS & EL) Learners Today, Leaders Tomorrow 6