Dear Colleagues,

We have finally come to the last week of the Semester. First of all, I want to thank everyone for working together to organise our Founder’s and Honours Day, as well as our Concert for Hope. Next week we have the Sports festival for P3 and P4, as well as the P5 Retreat on Friday. Do begin to start clearing your workstations, and you can start moving some of your T&L-related materials to your classes. We will give more details this week after finalising the movement plan. It is going to be a busy time, so let's also remember to be kind, patient and compassionate with each other and the boys.

“My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who and how you are, 

to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness. 

Continue to allow humor to lighten the burden of your tender heart.”

~ Maya Angelou

Credere et Servire!  

Keep Believing and Serving,

Timothy Goh

By:   TLC and SLs  

Relevant Levels:   All Staff

Date and Time of Event:   To complete before end of Term 2 Week 10

Information Details: 

Dear everyone,

Reminding everyone to complete our T&L surveys with our classes before the end of the Term, if we have not done so yet.

Together, let's continue to keep improving and enjoying our T&L craft and lessons in our classrooms!

Thank you.

By:  IPE  & P6 YH

Relevant Levels:   P6 level

Date and Time of Event:   22 May 2023, 1240pm to 1310pm

Information Details: 

Dear colleagues,

There will be a PSLE briefing for the P6 boys on Monday, 22 May 2023.  During the FTGP period at 1230pm, form teachers are to gather the boys and proceed to the hall for their PSLE Briefing with their school bags.  Then, they will continue to be in the hall for assembly till dismissal.  They will be issued their PSLE booklets and are required to highlight and take notes of important details during hte briefing.  Names of absentees are to be surfaced to YH for arrangement of a make-up session.

Thank you!

By:     SWB

Relevant Levels:   P1 to P6 levels

Date and Time of Event:   22 May, Monday

Information Details: 

Dear colleagues,

It is the end of the semester, the Student Well Being Team will be posting the following assignments. Besides checking on their well-being, we are also surveying their Online Experience (Cyberwellness) and Online Habits (Personal Digital Usage).  All FTs are to remind their form class that these SLS assignments will need to be completed from 22 May from 1300pm to 2 June 2359pm.

1) Well Being Check-Out Survey (P1 to P6 levels)

2) Online Habits Survey (P3 to P6)

3) Online Experience Survey (P3 to P6)

Thank you!

By:   SDT Team  

Relevant Levels:   All levels

Date and Time of Event:   22 May, Monday

Information Details: 

Dear colleagues,

The coming assembly programme will be an award ceremony for CCAs which have completed the NSG recently.  P6 levels to be in the hall (there will be a PSLE Briefing in hall prior), the rest of the levels will be via zoom. P6's dismissal will be from the hall after assembly, the boys should bring their school bags along.

Please note the following details:

Date: 22 May, Monday

Time: 13:10pm to 1330pm (20 mins estimated)

Zoom details: 

Meeting ID: 862 8817 8070

Passcode: CCA

Thank you!

By:     CCE -VIA

Relevant Levels: P1 to P6   

Date and Time of Event:   25 and 26 May 2023

Information Details: 

Dear Form Teachers,

It is time to spring clean our classrooms! Due to various programmes happening for the levels on the last 2 days of school, we have scheduled Term 2 UYHC across 2 days. Timetable will be suspended for your level on the scheduled day from 1230 to 1330. All FTs should be with your classes unless due to timetable challenges or official duties, at least 1 FT has to be there:

25 May, Thursday - P3 and P5 

26 May, Friday - P1, P2, P4 and P6 

Classroom activities from 1230 to 1330:

• 10 min - Go through the slides to set the tone for the session. The slides are differentiated for lower primary and upper primary and can be found in sharing folder: 

S:\@DEPT_CHARACTER AND CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION (CCE)\Subcommittees\Values-in-Actions\School-Wide Programmes\UYHC\2023\UYHC Term 2

• 35 min - Assign roles and guide pupils to clean up the classroom

• 15 min - Pupils are to reflect and complete the reflection worksheet. Do collect it back as they will need to do page 2 in Term 3. The worksheets will be in your class pigeonholes by Wednesday. 

Thank you!

By:     VP

Relevant Levels:   All Staff

Date and Time of Event:   Post Event Sharing

Information Details: 

Dear everyone,

Sharing here some of the salient points and takeaways from the DSS Session earlier this month, for our information and growth.  We have earlier shared this with our colleagues who had attended the session.

From DSS's sharing in response to the various issues and areas raised, herer are notes on the frame(s) of thinking that he applied and articulated, which we could apply too - 

1) The ideals that we aim for versus the implementation practicalities, sensibilities and flexibilities

2) Through broad and clear policy guidelines, supported by specific stipulations/explanations/articulations where required, and always cognizant too of deliberate leeway/autonomy given to schools

3) Trade-offs considered in each decision, considering various competing factors-demands and developing landscape changes/trends, with the focus on the child's holistic education as a core

4) Role of teachers as "learning coach"; learning not just about academic subjects but even more so about character and 21CC in today's and future world

5) Looking at which node/factor to change - e.g. if not salary, then the scope and work-environment; if the number of teachers cannot be further increased, then to look at what teachers do and what technology to be harnessed; etc

6) Reliance on range of data points - e.g. research, data, anecdotal inputs and feedback. 

7) Areas/Issues covered include:  

- Contracts

- Public-Private Partnerships

- Teacher-Student Ratio & Number of Teachers (SG versus OECD; SG workforce)

- Jobs of the Future / Future of Learning & Teaching / TWA Plus

- TQ for all-boys schools,  inclusivity and SEN support

- Workload and Flexi-Arrangements

- Acad-vs-CCAs/Others; Holistic Education and Character/Lifeskills/21CC

- Role of Teachers as "Learning Coach(es)"

- ICT / SLS / AI Learning Companion

- Removal of MYE, intent and schools'/parents' various responses & external tuition responses

8) Some interesting phrases used by DSS:

- The system taking time to adjust (note: in response to policy changes)

- Balance & Fairness to both parties (note: reference to decision making)

- Interesting transition problems (note: in response to policy changes)

- Non-trivial issues/feedback 

- Work on 'xxx issue' rather than to avoid it

- Healthy tension and discussion (note: reference to various/conflicting needs-demands-views)

- Once given, cannot take back

- Extreme behaviour in response to policy (note: akin to knee-jerk reaction, short-term)

- Arms race (note: reference to tuition, education etc)

- Needs basis versus entitlement basis (note: reference to factions to consider in decision making)

- Rigour versus Fun / Equilibrium. (note: reference to Assessment and Curriculum)

Hope the above is useful, and also trigger further thoughts in each of us in our learning and reflection growth, be it in our understanding and implementation of the education policies, in mapping our own programmes, or in shaing our classrooms and students. 💪😀🥂

Thank you!