Our Talent Areas
If you are a Primary Six pupil, you can be considered for DSA if you are talented in one of the following DSA talent areas:
Leadership & Character
We aim to develop character and the ability to lead in all our students. All leadership training activities are designed to develop the appointed student leaders in their skills of management, communication, leadership traits using the five levels of leadership, and the Kouzes and Posner’s model. Therefore, each student leader will lead others in their respective classes, CCAs, student groups or in the student council and reflect on their own leadership journey.
What We Look Out For In Potential Candidates
Applicant must hold leadership roles, for e.g., prefects and CCA leaders, in his/her primary school, and has led school projects.
The school will refer to:
School reports - Academic ability and conduct indicated in school reports and other specific teacher reports.
Any other student leadership-related records of participation and level of representation.
Interview: in-person
➢ Assessment of attitude and aptitude
Tamil Language
Riverside Secondary School is proud to be one of only three schools where the Tamil Language Elective Programme is being offered. The Tamil Language Elective Programme at Secondary Level (TLEP-Sec) was introduced by the Ministry of Education to be implemented in selected Secondary Schools from 2020. It aims to nurture capable and enthusiastic students to attain a high level of proficiency and competency in using the Tamil Language, and enhance their knowledge and understanding of Tamil Literature and Culture. The programme also aims to develop these students to become effectively bilingual so as to better serve the needs of our nation.
What We Look Out For In Potential Candidates
Applicant must be able to demonstrate strong interest and talent beyond the abilities of students in the same age group and/or have a history of consistent high academic achievements in Higher Tamil Language.
The school will refer to:
School reports - Academic ability and conduct indicated in school reports and other specific teacher reports.
Accomplishment - Evidence in the form of awards or experiences in relevant contexts (e.g. competitions at national level) or any equivalent demonstration of talent.
Interview: in-person
➢ On-site written assessment
➢ Assessment of attitude and aptitude
Choir
The Riverside School (RS) Choir was formed in 1988; a mixed choir comprising of members aged 13 to 17. The Riverside Choir has dazzled audiences with its unique blend of musical sophistication, spirited presentation, and ensemble virtuosity. The members pursue a rigorous musical curriculum, aiming to learn at least six new songs a year. While keeping up with their academic demands, the students balance schoolwork with an unwavering determination to excel in choir and embody the choir motto ‘Singing from our Hearts’.
What We Look Out For In Potential Candidates
Applicant must be able to demonstrate strong interest and talent in music beyond the abilities of students in the same age group.
The school will refer to:
School reports - Academic ability and conduct indicated in school reports and other specific teacher reports.
Qualification(s) in music, e.g., relevant certificates (if any).
Accomplishment - Evidence in the form of awards, performances, competitions (e.g. SYF) or experiences in relevant contexts.
Audition and interview: in-person
➢ On-site performance assessment
➢ Demonstration of aptitude and potential
➢ Assessment of attitude and suitability
Concert Band
The Riverside Secondary Symphonic Band seeks to nurture an understanding and appreciation of music in our students through high-quality performances.
Students are sent to music and performance masterclasses to continually hone their technical expertise and also to widen their knowledge of music. All this adds to the cultural vibrancy of life in Riverside Secondary School.
SYF2019 BDS Riverside Sec Sch.mov
What We Look Out For In Potential Candidates
Applicant must be able to demonstrate strong interest and talent in music beyond the abilities of students in the same age group.
The school will refer to:
School reports - Academic ability and conduct indicated in school reports and other specific teacher reports.
Qualification(s) in music, e.g., relevant certificates (if any).
Accomplishment - Evidence in the form of awards, performances, competitions (e.g. SYF) or experiences in relevant contexts.
Audition and interview: in-person
➢ On-site performance assessment
➢ Demonstration of aptitude and potential
➢ Assessment of attitude and suitability
Media
With an eye for detail, our Media Club members never fail to capture significant and beautiful moments we experience in Riverside Secondary School. With courses on storyboarding, photography and media production made available for our students, we hope that every creative Media club members will be able to present their own unique Riverside story through their own lens.
Best Video Story (Junior Category)
“Our Schools, Our Stories” (OSOS) Photo and Video Contest 2022
What We Look Out For In Potential Candidates
Applicant must be able to demonstrate strong interest and talent in the areas of photography, videography, and media production beyond the abilities of students in the same age group.
The school will refer to:
School reports - Academic ability and conduct indicated in school reports and other specific teacher reports. • Qualification(s) in photography, videography and media production, e.g., relevant certificates (if any).
Accomplishment - Evidence in the form of awards or experiences in relevant contexts (e.g. competitions, school/public showcases).
Audition and interview: in-person
➢ On-site performance assessment
➢ Demonstration of aptitude and potential
➢ Assessment of attitude and suitability
STEM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS)
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is a new DSA talent area offered at Riverside. In the 21st century, every job is likely to require some element of STEM. STEM education develops a range of transferable skills such as creativity, critical thinking, digital literacy and communication skills.
Our unique Riverside STEM education is specially designed to provide students with real-world learning experiences to develop skills and values that prepare them for the future. They will enhance their coding literacy, hone their problem-solving skills and be developed to be stewards of the environment and changemakers in sustainability.
As part of Riverside STEM education, our signature Media Literacy curriculum is tailored for students to learn digital skills: Curate (information literacy), Connect (digital collaboration) and Create (fluency in using digital tools). This will enable them to thrive in the digital networked environment.
Students can also look forward to grow their aspirations and passions in STEM through the following ways:
● Robotics Club: Students will learn coding and will be engaged in various hands-on activities to develop their creativity, critical thinking skills and resilience to come up with innovative solutions.
● Environmental Science Club: Students will be immersed in the use of Science to devise innovative solutions through research and scientific investigations to solve environmental issues.
Participating in robotics competitions and workshops can start off easy but become progressively challenging. Despite this, our club members always support one another to overcome challenges through discussions and experimentation. We learned important values such as teamwork and perseverance. We also sharpened our critical thinking skills as we worked through the problems. Now, we seniors are guiding our juniors for their competitions so that they will have a great experience as well! – Nitin
In the Environmental Science Club, I learned how to manage hydroponics sets and use micro-controllers. I also learned the importance of sustainability. This has developed values such as responsibility in my peers and me as we have to clean and refill the water tank weekly. I also had the opportunity to prepare for the school-wide celebration for Earth Day 2023 and contributed to the creation of learning materials used to educate and inspire my schoolmates to reduce their carbon footprint. My time in this CCA has taught me about how we can use Science to reduce Man’s negative impact on the environment. - Chee Chung King, Ehren
What We Look Out For In Potential Candidates
Applicant must be able to demonstrate strong interest and talent in an area of STEM (e.g. robotics/programming, Math and Science), beyond the abilities of students in the same age group.
The school will refer to:
School reports - Academic ability and conduct indicated in school reports and other specific teacher reports. • Qualification(s) in robotics/programming (Lego EV3, Mindstorms, Spike Prime), e.g., relevant certificates (if any).
Accomplishment - Evidence in the form of awards or experiences in relevant contexts such as STEM competitions or projects in school/external events (if any).
Audition and interview: in-person
➢ On-site performance assessment
➢ Demonstration of aptitude and potential
➢ Assessment of attitude and suitability