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PUNGGOL SECONDARY SCHOOL
培 道 中 学 From the Principal’s Desk
July 2015
Dear parents and students,
We are glad to share with you highlights and
achievements during the June holiday period and
Term 3. Our students have made us proud with
their resilience, creativity and willingness to
serve.
Academic Achievements
Last issue, we highlighted our students’
achievements in the Polytechnics. This issue, we
are pleased to announce that 3 of our ex
students who pursued an ITE education received
Course Medals for their outstanding
performance in their respective courses:
a) Muhammad Akied B Mohamed S – Nitec
in Facility Technology, ITE College West
b) Muhammad Raqiib B Jusri – Nitec in
Visual Effects, ITE College Central
c) Sim Rong Xing – Higher Nitec in
Accounting, ITE College East
Science Challenge
At Punggol Secondary School, we believe that all
students can love and learn science well. We sent
3 teams of NA students to participate in the
ignITE Science Challenge, the only national
Science & Technology competition for the
Normal Stream students in Singapore. They were
supported by our teachers Mr Tay Koon Hua, Mr
Kelvin Lee and Mr Daniel Chye.
We are pleased to announce that 2 of the teams
entered the Finals and emerged as prize winners
among the 50 over participating schools.
One team of students participated in Chemistack,
where students experienced Chemistry in action by
bonding the given elements to form compounds
and molecules. These students received a
certificate of participation:
Irwin Tan Jun An, 2N1 Vahini Manivannan, 2N1 Sivanee Elango, 2N1
Two teams of students from 4N2 participated in
Keep Kool, where they explored how a refrigerant
chemical formed ice as they designed a
refrigeration coil and created an SG50 ‘ice
sculpture’. One team achieved Best Workmanship
for their outstanding poster:
Chick Rui Wen, 4N2 Charlotte Lim, 4N2 Rachel Tay, 4N2
Last but not least, the team which achieved 3rd
national placing for their cooling pipes design:
Pavinthren S/O Parameswaren, 4N2 Brandon Yang Ze Ru, 4N2 Nixon Teo Soon Wei, 4N2
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July 2015
Character and Citizenship Education
Internationalisation Programme
On 29 May 2015, 22 Secondary 3 students and 3
Humanities teachers embarked on a week‐long
cultural immersion trip to Jogjakarta, Indonesia. The
trip was a good introduction to Indonesian culture
as students were able to visit culturally significant
sites, such as the magnificent Sultan’s Palace and
Castle, the Independence Museum which is
situated within a colonial‐era Dutch fortress, and
the two UNESCO World Heritage sites ‐ the
Prambanan and Borobudur temples. Students were
also able to interact with local children at an
orphanage, forging friendships through
conversation and play. In addition, the students
were able to experience the majesty of Mt. Merapi
from an observatory and learn about the effects of
its recent eruptions. They were also involved in
agricultural activities at a local farm.
“From this trip, I learnt a lot of life lessons that are
priceless. The visit to the farm was an eye opener to
me and gave me the opportunity to experience the
hardship of farming, even though it was just a little
bit of it. This makes me appreciate what I have on
my plate and not to waste food. It may seem easy
to trade rice, but the process to make it is not easy.
This trip also allowed me to be exposed to many
different cultures and learn about their origins. This
valuable experience can never be experienced in
Singapore.” Jeremy Tan, 3B
Mount Kinabalu Expedition
A select group of student and CCA leaders had the
rare opportunity this year to climb Mount Kinabalu.
After months of progressive and arduous training,
which included walking up and down many flights
of stairs, the team embarked on the expedition in
May. Everyone worked as a team, shared food and
supported one another.
“My greatest takeaway is the resilience and
teamwork we built together as a team. Together,
we managed to conquer the mountain. We trekked
at least 8km from the base camp to Pendant Hut.”
Elfreda Lim, 3A
“To me, climbing the mountain is just a challenge. It
is not about reaching the summit but how well you
work with your peers under pressure. That’s what
leadership is about.” Elvis Yeo 3E
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July 2015
members stepped down for the secondary 3
Student Councillors to carry on the highest
leadership platform managed by students in
Punggol Secondary School. 33 Sec 4 Student
Councillors also passed on their responsibilities to
53 Sec 3 and 33 Sec 2 Student Councillors.
We are proud to announce the following
appointments, supported by the students’ votes:
President – Shaun Leow Jun Hao (3B) Deputy President ‐ Elfreda Lim Rui Hsin (3A) Deputy President – Nadelyn Ong Wan Er (3A)
Academic Programmes
While a lot of learning takes place outside the
classroom, our regular lessons are still the key to
our students’ learning. In this aspect, our
departments and teachers have also put in much
effort to make learning engaging and active for
our students.
For example, over Term 1 and 2, Science
Department teachers collaborated and created an
authentic learning package to engage students in
their learning of Science, by helping them to
connect academic knowledge with the real world.
ISD Exhibition
An exhibition by the Internal Security Department
was held in Punggol Secondary School from 20 to
24 July 2015 as part of Humanities Week and
Racial Harmony Commemoration. Cluster schools
were invited to view the exhibition. Our students,
the NE Ambassadors, served as student guides for
the exhibition.
The exhibition included the following:
Security Timeline from 1940s to 2000s to
give students an overview of the security
threats faced by Singapore
Communism (communist terror activities)
International terrorism and the Jemaah
Islamiyah Plot
A booth on the “Battle for Merger”
“I have benefitted in many ways from the ISD
training. I have gained general knowledge, how to
deliver information to my school mates, and how
to be a confident speaker. I have also learnt to
collaborate with my fellow NE ambassadors and
work towards a common goal: to inform
Punggolites about the history of Singapore and
what our ancestors went through in the past.
Overall, this experience was an enriching one, and
I would like to thank the teachers for believing in
and selecting me”
Mageswari, 2A
Student Council Investiture 2015
Punggol Secondary School’s Student Council
Investiture took place on 14 July 2015. The
Student Council Investiture is a platform to
recognise and appreciate the outgoing secondary
4 Student Councillors for their invaluable service,
time and effort in building our school into a school
of achievers with character. 14 Sec 4 executive
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July 2015
The Secondary 1 students read up on case studies and discussed the importance of having clean water.
They were then tasked to carry out research on the conditions necessary for the survival of Koi fishes.
For the hands‐on component, students investigated if there were bacteria in the school’s Koi pond. They
also investigated other parameters such as pH, temperature and the Biological Oxygen Demand of the
pond water using data loggers.
For an Art lesson on the importance of texture in art work, students spent time in the school’s canteen
and the courtyard to capture on paper different textures in the environment. They then used these
different textures to create their own art work.
In Term 3, week 3, our Sec 2 students joined the Sec 3 students in the 1‐1 computing environment
where every child uses ICT as a window to the world to enhance their learning. Our teachers designed
lessons in which students used ICT to do research, collaborate, take notes, organise information, or
create products to showcase their learning.
Upcoming Events/Programmes
The Mid‐autumn Night Festival is a yearly event celebrated in Punggol Secondary School. Last year,
parents, students, alumni and staff came together for this joyous celebration. Students put up exciting
performances and booths of traditional games. The mooncake making booth was very well received. The
night event ended on a high with everyone carrying paper lanterns under the night sky, lighting up the
quadrangle with colourful lights. This year, the annual celebration will be held once again on 18
September 2015.
Punggol Secondary will also be celebrating our 58th Speech Day on 6 August, in celebration of our
milestones and achievements in nurturing the 21st century 君子 jun zi (gentleman or lady).
Digital Immersion 22‐24 July