Ready For The World Programme

World Ready Youths – the school’s vision attests to our commitment to ensuring that every North Star graduates with the necessary knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that will hold them in good stead for their future. Thus, it is only apt that for their final lap with the school, the Secondary 4 and 5 students go through the Ready for the World Seminar – a three-day programme specially organised to equip them with the necessary life-skills to thrive upon graduation.

The seminar, conducted from 9 to 11 March 2016, was designed with several objectives in mind. First, it is to enable students to gain self-awareness of their unique personalities and recognise its implication. Next, it aims to enable students to gain a better understanding on the importance of planning for their finances, career and marriage and finally, to equip them with the knowledge, skills and values required to help them make informed and responsible decisions.

To achieve these objectives, different important aspects of their life were focused on each day of the seminar. The first day put a spotlight on their personality and financial literacy. The second day concentrated on education and career guidance. The seminar rounded off with an emphasis on sexuality education.

Day 1 – Personal Effectiveness Lifeskills

The seminar kick-started with a keynote address by our very own former student – Mr Stanwin Siow [Assistant Vice President, Investment Banking Technology Risk (Asia Pacific), Barclays Bank], who shared with the current North Stars on how they could and should get themselves ready for the world. They listened with awe and were enraptured by the advice he gave, as he related learning points from his life journey as a North Star till his current role in Barclays.

Two workshops – Personality Profiling and Financial Literacy – were conducted for the students. The Personality Profiling Workshop allowed students to understand the importance of knowing oneself – their strengths and weaknesses – so that they would be able to make more informed decisions when mapping their tertiary education and career. Through the hands-on activities, the diverse ways that each personality functions were made apparent to the North Stars. “Trust my own instincts as even though they are different from those made by my friends, it is alright since we have different personalities,’ wrote Valerie Yong of Sec 4E3, in her reflection journal.

The North Stars also attended the Financial Literacy workshop which was organised with the goal of getting them to realise the need to be financially prudent and to impart them with skills to manage their finances. An overwhelming majority of the North Stars agreed that they would be able to apply the knowledge that they gained from the workshop. As Lim Siying of Sec 4N3 reflected, “I will spend whatever is within my means and not overspend but I must have some savings. I will then have money for rainy days.” The same message was also conveyed by Richard Ben of Sec 4T1 who shared that _“The session has taught me to differentiate my needs from wants and to plan my finances wisely.”

As the most senior members of the school, our Sec 5 students went through a workshop on Resume Writing and Interview Skills. Through the workshop, students learnt the proper way to conduct themselves during interviews and how to prepare a good resume. They had an enjoyable and fruitful time through role-play activities. Joel Lee of Sec 5N2 noted, “To be better prepared for interviews in the future, I must be aware of my attire and my body language so that I would score a better chance in getting a job.”_

Day 2 – Educational & Career Guidance Day

On 10 March, there was a buzz of excitement in the air as North Stars were able to choose the concurrent sessions that were conducted by the various post-secondary institutions, including Meridian and Temesak Junior College, 4 out of the 5 Polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education. They were given a better idea of the various pathways that await them upon graduation. Rushing from one venue to the other, the North Stars wanted to make sure that they were able to attend the sessions that they were interested in. They were also eager to get the collaterals that were provided by the different institutions so that they would be able to get to know about them in detail. Muhd Irfan of Sec 4E5 shared, “With these new information, I am better able to make informed decisions on my choice of institution. I now have clearer goals in mind which motivates me to work harder to achieve them.”

During the ‘In Conversation with The Professionals’ segment, specially identified alumni members were invited back to give the North Stars a glimpse into the working life and what each career entails. They represented the different industries they came from, including the engineering field, banking and marketing sector, healthcare industry, and entrepreneurship. Through the many questions raised by the North Stars through the forum, it was apparent that their interest in the related fields was piqued.

North Stars from Sec 4T1 had a special programme where they embarked on a learning journey to the Sengkang Depot, to gain exposure to the job opportunities in SMRT. During the trip, they went on an exciting tour around the depot. With a peek into how our MRT system runs in Singapore, our North Stars gained a new-found respect for the staff who works at MRT to ensure the smooth running of daily trains.

Through the day’s programme, not only did our North Stars gain a greater insight into the various post-secondary institutions and possible career options, it also sparked in them the need to plan for their future, as reflected by Loh Yang Xian of Sec 4E4, “I’d focus on my area of interest in Poly. The education pathway I choose now will affect my opportunities in the workforce… so I need to choose carefully.”

Day 3 – Sexuality Education Day

The Sexuality Education Day aims to imbue North Stars with the necessary values and attitudes that will help them build lasting life-long relationships, in particular marriage, so as to enable them to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives.

 After an engaging workshop which focused on the value of commitment as a necessary ingredient in marriage, the North Stars were invited to a forum that comprised of several of our very own CVSS teachers, where their questions were answered and misconceptions clarified. With the teachers’ honest and candid sharing of their personal experiences in handling relationships, the teachers provided students with an understanding of the responsibilities involved and the challenges faced in dating relationships and marriages. “I (realised) that I am not ready to be involved in a BGR (now). If I (wait till I am older), I believe I would be able to make better choice(s) in my future relationships,” shared Lam Xinyi of Sec 4E3.

A long seminar it might have been, but a rewarding three days it must have been for our North Stars who are on the last lap of their secondary school education, raring to enter the VUCA world!

Inaugural ECG Parents’ Forum

On 10 March 2016, our school organised an Educational & Career Guidance (ECG) Parents’ Forum for the first time for all parents, as part of our efforts to better engage parents in helping them to guide their children make decisions for their future.

The forum started with an opening address by our Vice-Principal, Mr Wong Jia Wang, followed by a comprehensive sharing by our school-based ECG Counsellor, Ms Wang Pheck Hoon, about the current educational landscape and the crucial role that parents play in providing ECG at home. The forum panel, comprising Mr Wong, Ms Wang and representatives from Singapore Polytechnic and ITE College Central, then fielded questions raised by parents during the forum.

Feedback from parents was positive and all agreed that the objectives of the forum had been achieved.  They were pleased that the forum was informative and an eye opener to the opportunities and possibilities that are available for their children, and provided them an interesting channel to ask questions.  One parent expressed that her most meaningful takeaway was the knowledge that would enable her to kick start conversation with her child and to be open-minded about her child’s choices and more understanding about her child’s anxieties.

The ECG Parents’ Forum has brought the school one step closer to greater, more fulfilling involvement of parents in our school programmes and our vision of every parent a supportive partner for the school!

Champions in 2016 ITE College West EBS Amazing Race Competition

The EBS (Elements of Business Skills) Amazing Race is an annual event organised by ITE College West in collaboration with the National Institute of Education for all secondary schools. The competition was held on 23rd March at ITE College West. Our team comprises Maliyanah Bte Mahadi, Nur Nadiah Bte Abdul Rahman, Nur Shazwani Tina Bte M S and Lo Xue Qi, Emmalee, all from Sec 4T1, competed against teams from 30 secondary schools and emerged champions in the tough competition!  This is all the more remarkable as our school has only one Sec 4 NT class.

The objective of the race was to engage participants through experiential and self-directed learning. The race tapped on the use of ICT tools and incorporated aspects of Financial Literacy, Retail, Tourism and Hospitality as well as Marketing Mix. In this year’s race, participants were required to answer higher order questions. It was indeed a difficult challenge as students had to apply their knowledge learnt from EBS and Mathematics to answer the questions. Our North Stars demonstrated critical and inventive thinking, teamwork, graciousness, respect and resilience. They have certainly realised their star within through this platform that has helped to motivate them to persevere and do their best.

Parent Support Group’s Welcome Brunch for Secondary One Parents

Our Parent Support Group (PSG) organised a Welcome Brunch on 20 February 2016 to welcome the parents of Sec One students into the CVSS family. The event was well-received with close to 50 parents turning up, which was the largest in recent years.  The parents also appreciated the presence and support of Mr Khor Chee Kok, our SAC member who is also an ex-parent and now an honorary member of the PSG, the school leaders – Mr Chia, the Principal and Mr Wong, Vice-Principal, and our Parent Engagement Team - Mrs Lee Sing Yee, HOD/Character & Citizenship Education, Ms Tan Pei Kee, SH/Pastoral Care and Miss Suraiya Bte Izharul.

The event started off with an interactive segment for parents to get to know one another. The parents had a wonderful time exchanging notes about parenting their teenagers.  It was also a good opportunity for parents to get to know more about the PSG and its activities from the Chairperson, Mdm Alice Wi, and members of the PSG executive committee.  The atmosphere was further livened up with the ice-breaker games. Not only did the parents enjoy the games, they were also able to get to know one another better.

The highlight of the event was the Chinese New Year ‘Lo Hei’ session. While tossing the ingredients enthusiastically in the air, there was a common thread that strung the wishes of the parents together – that their child would turn out to be the best that they can be in CVSS, be it in academic studies, CCA or character development, and to realise the NORTH STAR within and achieve their fullest potential. With more activities for parental engagement coming up, such as the welcome brunch for Sec 1 parents, it would certainly help our parents fulfil their wishes!

Presentations by CVSS at the International Conference of Teaching & Learning with Technology

The 5th biennial iCTLT 2016, organised by the Ministry of Education and Academy of Princpals, was held in Singapore from 28 - 31 March 2016 at Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre.  The conference focused on the use of technology in advancing 21st Century teaching and learning, with the theme of ‘Future Ready: Inspire, Connect, Transform’.  It invites delegates from local schools and the international community to engage in sharing their insights, good practices, experiences and research studies so as to envision and share emerging trends in the field of educational technology.

For the last eight years, iCTLT has been successful in gathering and connecting more than 2000 delegates and exhibitors across the world with a wide range of interests in educational technology. iCTLT 2016 continues the tradition in elevating educational standards among educators, researchers, policy makers and industry partners.

Under the rigorous selection process by the iCTLT organising committee, three good practices from our school were selected for presentation at the prestigious international event. The titles of the three sharing sessions were:

1. Technology, Pedagogy Content Knowledge (TPACK) approach to facilitate teacher’s development in AfL (Assessment for Learning)” by ICT Department and Staff Professional Development Committee
2. ‘The Extent to which ICT Tools can facilitate AfL feedback’ by ICT Professional Learning Team
3. ‘The Extent to Which Google Application can facilitate AfL in Oral Practice’ by Mother Tongue Department

The response to the presentations were overwhelming and we received good feedback from teachers, school leaders and foreign delegates! We look forward to sharing more of our good practices with the teaching fraternity in iCTLT 2018!

Sharing on “Technology, Pedagogy Content Knowledge (TPACK) approach to facilitate teacher’s development in AfL” by our ICT Department and Staff Professional Development Committee Overwhelming responses at our concurrent sessions! Sharing on “The Extent to which ICT Tools can facilitate AfL feedback” by our ICT Professional Learning Team Sharing on ‘The Extent to Which Google Application can facilitate AfL in Oral Practice’ by our MTL Department CVSS Staff who presented at the conference. From left: Ms Leow Deng Li (Lead ICT Mentor), Mdm Zhang Wei (Lead Teacher/Chinese Language), Ms Teng Siew Lee (Lead Teacher/Chemistry covering Staff Development), Mr Derek Tan (Science Teacher), Mr Aaron Ho (Science Teacher), Mr Phang Chee Kheng (Vice Principal/Admin overseeing ICT), Mr Tang Hui Boon (Head of Dept/ICT) and Mr Clement See (CL Teacher)