The news bulletin ofSt. Anthony’s Canossian

Secondary School

I n s p i r i n g a s p i r i t o f e x c e l l e n c e , N u r t u r i n g a c u l t u r e o f c o m p a s s i o n 2017 | Issue 2

CAN

OSSI

AN

SCHOOLS

VIA V ERITAS VITA

IN THIS ISSUE:

Pg 2-3

MAKINGLEARNINGMEANINGFULThe Teaching andLearning of Sciencein SACSS

MOTIVATINGSTUDENTSThe Joy in Learningthe Humanities

MOTHER TONGUE(MT) FORTNIGHT

Pg 4-5

PROPAGATINGGROWTHGreening SACSS

EMBRACINGSUSTAINABLEPRACTICESWater: A PreciousResource

Pg 6-7

CELEBRATINGOUR CCAACHIEVEMENTSPerforming ArtsGroups at SYF 2017

■ Angklung■ Choir■ Concert Band■ Drama■ Indian Dance■ Guitar Ensemble■ Modern Dance■ Percussion Band

Uniformed Groups

■ Girl Guides■ St. John Brigade

Sports

■ Handball■ Taekwondo■ Track & Field

Pg 8

ARTICULATINGTHROUGH VISUALEXPRESSIONSCanossian Art UnitesExhibition – Faith,Hope and Love

The dynamic learning environment at SACSS

Leveraging on Singapore’s Science Curriculum Framework, theteaching and learning of Science is grounded on the national visionof Scientific Inquiry learning and our whole-school approachincorporating brain-based learning principles. The departmentfocuses on the relevance of the subjects and emphasises on students’experiential learning with the application of knowledge and life skillsin their daily lives. Our instructional programme adopts effectiveteaching strategies and pedagogies in Biology, Chemistry and Physicslessons to equip students with an inquiring mind, to think like ascientist and to solve real-world problems by using scientific-engineering thinking processes. Interactive science lessons facilitatedby the integration of ICT are conducted in the classroom, sciencelaboratories or in the open areas to increase the level of engagementin students.

Customised programmes catering to the different levels – fromSecondary 1 to 4 – provide an engaging continuum for studentswith different learning abilities. Our Science Research Programmeallows the higher ability students to experience different facets ofscientific research. Students excelling in the three branches of purescience are given the opportunity to participate in challengingcompetitions. As part of the Exploratory Science Programme, acluster of programmes that serves to expand our students’ authenticlearning experiences has been built. These include two dedicatedgardens for medicinal and ornamental plants, an ecological trail,science playground and a hydroponics farm.

By Dr Yap Ann Teck, HOD, Science

MAKING LEARNINGThe Teaching and Learning of Science in SACSS

2 CORRIconnections

M E A N I N G F U L

In recent years, students have expressed that while they dohave the passion for the Humanities, the rigour and tediumof assessment has sapped them of the joy of learning. Toaddress this, we focussed on making the learning ofHumanities fun and meaningful at the lower secondary level.

We removed examinations to provide the time and space forthe Secondary 1 cohort to learn Geography and Historywithout the pressure of pen and paper tests. Besides allowingthe students to discover the joy of learning, the HistoricalInvestigation (HI) and Geographical Investigation (GI)programmes also serve to develop our students’ ability toquestion, reason and think critically.

The Secondary 1 Geographical Investigation programmeexposes our students to field work focussing on evaluatingthe water quality in the nearby canal. Guided by their teachers,the students use various techniques and apparatus to carryout the investigative work.

The Secondary 2 Express students are tasked with theGeographical research project that focusses on HousingProvision and are given three weeks to conduct their researchindependently and gather reliable data. For the HistoricalInvestigation projects, the students learn to build on theirfindings gathered from both print and non-print resources andduring Learning Journeys to World War II sites such as theChangi War Museum.

The department has also tapped on ICT tools to engage thestudents. The interactive platforms include Padlet, Kahoot orNearpod for peer-learning and evaluation. The Assessmentfor Learning (AfL) provides students with instant feedback andmotivation to build students confidence in their learning.

M O T I V A T I N G

STUDENTSThe Joy in Learning the Humanities

“Through the GI fieldwork, we are able to relate what welearn in geography to the real world context. It is extremelyenjoyable learning outside the classroom and experiencingthe work of a geographer.” – Verona Chua (1.8)

By Mdm Rasheada Begam, HOD, Humanities

The MTL department organised a series of activities that weremeaningful and engaging for the students as part of MT Fortnight inTerm 1. The Secondary 3 students had the opportunity to gain insightsinto the colourful customs of a traditional Chinese wedding. Six HigherChinese Language students in traditional Chinese wedding costumesof the past role-played the intricacies of traditional customary rites onthe stage, which was also decked with an elaborate wedding altar.

The Secondary 3 cohort also had the opportunity to interact with theprofessional singers during a Xin Yao music appreciation workshoporganised by Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning(CPCLL). With songbooks in hand, the students joined in the singingand learnt about the origins and development of the Xin Yao movement.

MOTHER TONGUE (MT)

CORRIconnections 3

The ML department also presented a series of programmes anchoredon the theme Etiquette customised for the students from differentlevels to experience authentic learning through the hands-on sessions.

The Secondary 3 students, attended a nasi ambeng workshop wherethey made begedil (potato cutlets) and in the process learnt toappreciate the labour of love and care that goes into the foodpreparation. The girls also learnt to observe the proper Malay customof handling and partaking in food together.

The graduating cohort of Malay Language students had the privilegeof attending a calligraphy workshop. The students learnt to calligraphtheir names in Jawi, the Arabic script. They also gained deeper insightsinto Malay traditions and culture from this programme.

By Mdm Tay Hui Cheng, HOD, Mother Tongue

F O R T N I G H T

To cultivate a reading culture, thirty Secondary 2 students were selectedto be part of a special reading club. Coordinated by the Secondary 2Express CL teachers, the group meets once a month to exploreand discuss the themes and issues in the prescribed book titled, ��

�� (Tear Capsule) by �� – a local lyricist and writer. Filled withinteresting and insightful reflections, the themes in the book are closeto the hearts of students.

Desmond Ng, Bonnie Loo and Michelle Wong from The CelebrityAgency visited St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School onThursday, 17 August as part of MT Fortnight. The celebrities sharedwith the students on the importance of Chinese Language.

P R O P A G A T I N G

Greening SACSS

4 CORRIconnections

GROWTH

The Greenery@SACSS drive has come a longway from the initial greening when theschool relocated to the rejuvenated campus.With the aspiration to be become a greenmodel school, the emphasis from the onsetwas to fill the grounds with verdant treesand colourful flowering shrubs. Thegreening process evolved from thetransformation of the grounds into pocketsof thematic gardens thereby extendingteaching and learning beyond theclassrooms. A herbal garden, a sensorygarden and an evolutionary ecological trailwere added. The gardens became a rallyingpoint for the SACSS community to connect.Coordinated by Mr Hamzah Bin Mohamed,the parent-volunteers, staff, students andlandscapers were tapped on to care for thegardens to ensure their sustainability.

To broaden our knowledge in setting up themultifaceted garden, the school got in touchwith Mrs Ivy Singh-Lim, the owner ofBollywood Veggies and a former student ofSACSS. Mrs Ivy Singh-Lim welcomed avisiting group comprising teachers andparents led by our VP (Administration), MsGrace Chew, at her farm on 3 March. Theaffable hostess also generously shared withus her extensive knowledge in setting upgardens. She offered to come on board toassist us on the improvement works for ourgardens and later became our advisor. Sheengaged Jolly Green Agriculture to carry outthe necessary works, including the re-designing of the five stations within theevolutionary ecological trail and re-creatinga 100-metre footpath. All this is scheduledto be completed by end August 2017.

To provide our staff and parent-volunteerswith the necessary gardening skills tomaintain the gardens, we partnered withNParks and Fengshan RC to organise a seriesof hands-on workshops. In July 2017, theVertical Gardening Workshop was conductedfor our staff, parent-volunteers and studentsfrom the St. Magdalene’s Club as well asthe Green Ambassadors. Their effortstransformed a sidewall of the HydroponicsGreen House into a vertical garden featuringthe bottled plants.

The school also partnered with ChungCheng High (Main) School and NParks – aspart of their Community in Nature (CIN)Programme – to establish a butterflysanctuary along the ecological trail.Following the planning stage, a ButterflyBreeding Programme was implementedunder the charge of Ms Ang Hwee Chiehwith the recruitment of Secondary 1 and 2students to study the life-cycles of butterfliesand attract different species of butterfliesto add to the thriving gardens.

By Dr Yap Ann Teck and Mr Hamzah Bin Mohamed

Despite having built a robust andsustainable water supply from fourwater sources (the Four National Taps)– comprising water from localcatchment, imported water, reclaimedwater (known as NEWater) anddesalinated water, Singapore still needsto conserve water through efficientusage and good habits. To supportour National agenda to conserve water,the school has embarked on acomprehensive school-wide initiative.

E M B R A C I N G

CORRIconnections 5

Water: A Precious Resource

SUSTAINABLEPRACTICES

Assembly talks on Water Conservation areheld regularly throughout the year toshare with everyone the latest initiativesand developments. The differentdepartments take ownership of their ownwater usage. The Science Departmentwhich looks after the school’s extensivegarden does its part to save water bykeeping the plants pruned and wateredusing a watering can during the earlyhours of the morning to minimiseevaporation. In the Cookery Studio, wheredishes and utensils are washed followingFood and Consumer Education (FCE)lessons, water pressure is reduced acrossall the faucets so that water no longergushes out. Students wash food in a basinrather than under a running tap whilewashing of dishes is done all at one goinstead of one at a time. Throughout theschool, all faucets are installed with water-saving aerators and tap heads to reducewater wastage. The school cleaners playtheir part by using recycled water to mopthe common areas in the school.

The school’s concerted efforts to conservewater have produced impressive results.A year-on-year comparison over the sameperiod from January to June shows thatwe saved 1331.1 m3 of water (equivalentto almost half an Olympic-sized swimmingpool) which in turn translated to a savingof $3181.33 in the monthly utility bill.

By Ms Grace Chew and Mr He Junhao

AngklungThe Angklung Band’s unfl inchingdedication and efforts paid off with aCertificate of Distinction at the SYF. Beyondbringing honour to the school, the bandmembers also deepened their awarenessof the CORRI values learnt and forgedstronger bonds among themselves.Summing up their journey leading up tothe award is Jamirah Bte Shaik Mohamed(2.5), “It was a fulfilling feeling whenwe garnered the award as a result ofall the hard work by putting our heartsand minds into the performance.”

By Ms Sandy Lee

ChoirThe school Choir was also awarded theCertificate of Distinction. Under the musicaldirection of their conductor, Ms JenniferTham, the Choir diligently attended thriceweekly practice sessions leading up to theSYF. Choir President, Clara Fong (4.4)proudly attributed the Choir’s success to,“hard work, teamwork along withgood time management which ensuredthat the practices were productive.”

By Mrs Jane Tay

Concert BandDuring the course of the rigorous bandpractices, we grew together as a tight-knit

Performing Arts Groupsat SYF 2017

group. The efforts put in underpin ourdesire to continue to do our best assummed up by Nicole Quah (2.8), CornetSection, “The SYF experience hasreinforced my pursuit of being a bettermusician and kept my passion for theband alive.”

By Thien My (2.8)

DramaDrama enriches students with the abilty togain deeper insights into the humancharacter, while other-centeredness andcompassion are the key values that areentrenched as part of the school culture.The synergy has strengthened ourstudents, making them more sensitive tothe characters they portray duringrehearsals. Isabella Louise Rose Stoddart(4.6) appropriately articulated this in herstatement, “Drama and the opportunityto portray different roles has made memore understanding of the strugglesand the mistakes made.”

By Mr Michael Ee, Teacher-in-charge Drama CCA

Indian DanceClinching the SYF Certificate of Distinctionwas a result of the months of hard workand commitment put in by the thirty dancerscomprising students from Secondary 1 to4, the teachers and Mrs Vijaya, our danceinstructor. The fluidity of the enchantingperformance depicting the gracefulness oflotus blooms gently drifting on the watersurface was magically mesmerising.

By Ms Nurfaeza Rahmat

Guitar EnsembleWe did our very best at the SYF and eventhough we did not attain our goal of

getting a Certificate of Distinction, we aregrateful for the words of encouragementfrom our teachers and instructors andmost of all, we are thankful for theopportunity to showcase the amazingsongs as an ensemble and the manymemorable moments forging newfriendships and honing our skills in theprocess.

By Tsui Sing Lei (3.7)

Modern DanceReceiving the Certificate of Accomplishmentis commendable for the Modern Dancetroupe that spent months perfecting themovements for the SYF. Memories of thepowerful performance evolved from themelding of talents and the deeper emotionsthat surfaced through the powerful strainsof the musical score – Mindfulness.

By Ms Daisy Tan

Percussion BandThe Percussion Band (PB) participatedin the SYF Arts Presentation for the firstt ime and garnered a Cert i f icate ofAccomplishment. The PB journey hasbeen a challenging one in preparation forthe presentat ion. We rose to thedemands and in the course of it, weexperienced honour, fostered friendshipsand bonds as well as acquired strengthssuch as perseverance, self-discipline andteamwork. We are grateful for all theefforts put in by the graduat ingSecondary 4 students, Mr Juraimi, our PBInstructor and the PB teachers.

By Christel Teo Ling Lin, President (4.7),Garcia Lee Jia En, Vice President (4.8)

6 CORRIconnections

CELEBRATINGOUR CCAACHIEVEMENTS

CORRIconnections 7

Uniformed Groups

Girl GuidesThe Girl Guides troop received the PuanNoor Aishah Award (Gold) for the 2016year of assessment in recognition of theunit’s overall quality programmes. For theindividual awards, Regina Chua (4.8) wasawarded the Baden-Powell Award andwill receive her award from the ChiefCommissioner in November. Meanwhile,Crystabel Chua (4.8) was awarded thePresident’s Guide Award, the highestaccolade presented to Girl Guides inSingapore. She will receive her awardfrom the President of Singapore, at aceremony to be held at the Istana on6 December 2017.

By Ms Aileen Tan Ai Lian

Sports

HandballThe SACSS Handbal l ‘B’ div is ionteam earned their 3 rd consecut ivechampionship t i t le through theirconsistent resolve and res i l iencedisplayed throughout the competition.The t ight-knit team also impressedeveryone with their camarader ie,teamwork and school spirit.

For the girls, committing to Handball astheir second CCA was something thatkept them mot ivated to do wel l ,especially for those from non-sportsCCAs. The physical demand of the sportprovided them with the motivation tobecome champions. And theyaccomplished it. “All I did was believe,and they did the rest”, Miss Ng Shilin

By Faridah Bte Isnin (4.3),Rachel Ow and Shanice Lim (4.7)

Track & FieldThe Track & Field team blazed a trail asfinalists in the National Schools Track andField Championships for 3 consecutiveyears. The athletes made the school proudby clinching 10th position overall for the‘B’ Division this year by qualifying for thefinals for Long Jump, High Jump, Discus,Javelin and the 4x100m Relay events!“We pushed ourselves beyond our limitsboth physically and mentally. I amimmensely proud of how far we havecome and I am certain we will continueto grow.” – Lin Peiqin (4.6), Ex Vice-Captain.

By Ms Fatin Atiqah Abdullah

TaekwondoSACSS Taekwondo students participated inthe Poomsae and Kyorugi competitions andbrought honour to the school with a host ofcommendable results. For the IndividualPoomsae category, Doris Lim (2.6) and HuangXuxun (3.8) finished in 1st position for theirrespective category. For the Team Poomsaecompetition, the SACSS team secured acommendable 2nd position. For the Kyorugi(Individual) competition, Anselina Tay (4.8)achieved 1st position in her category whilethe ‘B’ Division students achieved an overall2nd position. Keep up the good work, girls!!

By Mr Rion Tan

St. John BrigadeThe SACSS St. John Brigade (SJB) wasawarded the Bronze Award for the yearof assessment in 2016. The award is atestimony to the commitment and hardwork of teachers as well as the students,both past and present. We are especiallygratfeul to our ex-students who providedmuch support and encouragement to thecurrent cohort.

By SJB Teachers

Faith, Hope and Love – an art exhibition featuring 70 artworks contributed by studentsfrom the three Canossian schools was held at the Visual Arts Centre at Dhoby GhautGreen from 21 to 27July 2017. The themes of the works on display showcased theartistic experiences that Canossian students would have been exposed to in the threeschools. The repertoire of media ranged from the traditional acrylic paint, colouredmarkers and paper to more complex expressions such as cyanotypes, paper pulpsculpting and ceramics.

Gracing the Opening Ceremony was Guest-of-Honour, Ms Sim Ann, Senior Ministerof State and Member of Parliament, who was visibly impressed by the artworks ondisplay. Art Enrichment student, Akansha Thakur (2.8), engaged with Ms Sim Annand shared with her insights on the making of I Have A Dream – a montage of inkrenderings on cardboard depicting the Pakistani activist championing for femaleeducation and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate, Malala Yousafzai.

By Mdm Goo Lay Hoon, Mr Michael Ee, Ms Fiona Chiu Yun Ting

ARTICULATING THROUGH VISUAL EXPRESSIONSCanossian Art Unites Exhibition – Faith, Hope and Love

8 CORRIconnections

Des

ign

: Ate

lier

Synt

hesi

s

Ms Fatin Atiqah AbdullahMdm Goo Lay HoonMs Grace ChewMr He JunhaoMrs Jane TayMr Michael EeMs Nurfaeza RahmatMdm Rasheada BegamMr Rion TanMs Sandy Lee

SJB TeachersMdm Tay Hui ChengDr Yap Ann TeckChristel Teo Ling Lin (4.7)Faridah Bte Isnin (4.3)Garcia Lee Jia En (4.8)Rachel Ow (4.7)Shanice Lim (4.7)Thien My (2.8)Tsui Sing Lei (3.7)

Editorial Committee

Coordinating Editor:

Mrs Monica Menon

Teacher Facilitators:

Ms Jean Puspalm

Mr Mohd Ramlee Samsudin

ContributorsMs Aileen Tan Ai LianMs Daisy TanMs Fiona Chiu Yun Ting

Published by

St. Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School

1600 Bedok North Avenue 4

Singapore 469700

Tel: 6449 0616

www.stanthonyscanossiansec.moe.edu.sg