Innovation, Design and Engineering (IDE) Robotics Competition 2019

Our North Stars emerged as Champions in the annual IDE Robotics competition held at F1 Building on 21 March 2019.  It is a national technology and engineering competition organised by Nullspace. The competition challenges students on problem solving across domains such as electronics, programming, and mechanical design, with the emphasis on innovativeness, design element and engineering. There was a total of at least 30 participating teams from many schools including School of Science & Technology, Anglican High School, Nan Chiau High School etc.

Our North Stars took part in a surprise mission competition using the Mindstorms platform, which required them to program their robot to fulfil as many quests in the playing field. It was a challenging task as they had to strategize and think on their feet to decide which quests to tackle and how to program their robot to achieve it withiin a limited time.  Our North Stars trained hard for the competition and demonstrated their use of critical and creative thinking in building and programming their robots. They also displayed resilience, dedication and good sportsmanship throughout the competition.

SEC 4/5 VALUES IN ACTION SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS

Our Sec 4/5 students carried out their annual Values-In-Action service learning projects in Term 1 this year. Besides showing their support, care and love for the residents of our partners (Bright Hill Evergreen Home, Sunlove Home & Ling Kwang Home), our North Stars were also tasked to work with our new partner, Bethesda Care Seniors Activity Centre at Compassvale Crescent, to care for the elderly living in studio apartments nearby.

The VIA champions of each class were given the opportunity to take the reign this year by leading their classmates in their project discussions. The classes prepared goodie bags and hampers containing necessities such as wet wipes, muscle rubs, snacks and drinks.  They also prepared hand-written notes for the home residents and the elderly at the SAC. Each class was allocated a budget depending on class size for the projects and some classes went the extra mile by either donating more items or doing a simple fund-raising within the class.  Our North Stars did themselves proud by completing the projects successfully. Through this initiative, we hope to instill the values of empathy, gratitude and responsibility as well as nurture morally upright students who care for the community.

LAUNCH OF NEW CCA - COMMUNITY YOUTH LEADERS (CYL) CLUB

Our school introduced a new CCA - Community Youth Leaders (CYL) club in 2019 as an extension of the school’s Learning for Life Programme in Community & Youth Leadership.  The club aims to provide an additional avenue for students passionate in community work to do more than the usual level-wide values-in-action projects carried out by the students or various CCA groups.  The club’s mission is “To inspire and encourage North Stars to serve the wider community” with the vision of “Every Community Youth Leader a Champion for Change”.  It was well received at the Sec 1 CCA recruitment exercise and we have to cap the membership to optimize resources.

Through learning experiences such as dialogues, workshops, projects and reflection, every club member will get to develop the passion and skills to organise community projects, advocate for social causes and lead their peers to initiate actions to meet the needs of the community.  When they graduate from CVSS, we envision our members to continue their passion in community work and be active change agents for the betterment of the Sengkang Community and beyond.

BOYS BRIGADE THAILAND EXCHANGE PROGRAMME 2018-2019

Our Boys Brigade has formed a long term partnership with a BB Unit in Chonburi (Thailand) through the liaison efforts between the BBHQ from Singapore and Thailand recently. To kickstart the partnership, 10 of our BB boys led by 3 teachers i/c and an adult officer went on a 6D5N exchange trip to Chonburi from 31 October to 5 November 2018. The boys spent a fruitful time interacting and learning with their BB counterparts from the 1st and 2nd Chonburi BB Units.  They planned and taught simple English lessons to two classes in a secondary school where the 1st Chunbori BB unit is stationed in. The boys also spent a day helping the needy families of some of their BB counterparts and learnt the value of care and empathy. They planned for the budget and logistics requirements, bought the items in a supermarket and packed a total of 10 hampers before personally delivered the hampers to the needy families in their homes. It was a heartwarming and humbling experience. In return, our school’s BB unit hosted a delegation of 19 BB boys from various BB units in Thailand and 7 BB Officers from BBHQ Thailand, led by Mr Lam, Executive Director of BBHQ Thailand on 5 April 2019.  The Thai delegation interacted with our 60 BB boys through various activities such as a cultural sharing session, archery tag and buffet lunch.  They also had a taste of our school lessons making a handphone sound amplifier using cardboards and keychains using 3D printers as well as a tour of our school facilities.

STAR Programme 2019

In the last week of Term 1, our North Stars went through our signature STAR programme for student development: Seek Out Our Strengths; Take Responsibility; Adopt an Enterprising Spirit; Ready For The World. The programme comprises a series of varied and out-of-classroom experiences to develop students’ character, social-emotional competencies and the 21st Century Competencies.

Seek Out Our Strengths

The Sec 1s went through the TetraMap profiling, where they discovered their personal and inter-personal strengths. This helped them identify the element that best describes them and their classmates, enabling them to identify classmates of similar strengths and learn how to interact with classmates with different personalities. Through the Social Skills training, the students learnt how to make positive self-statements and give compliments to others. They created a personal strengths card and took turns to practise giving compliments to one another as a reminder to themselves of their strengths and positive personal qualities, and also as an affirmation for their classmates.  Similarly, the Sec 4s and 5s went through ‘Discovering Who I Am’ as part of their Ready for the World Programme, where they took part in experiential learning activities to understand their strengths and learning styles. Take Responsibility

The Sec 1s learnt to take responsibility as a leader through The Leadership Challenge workshop, where they learnt how to model the way, inspire a shared vision, and challenge the process through games and activities. For example, students exercised their communication skills and learnt the importance of teamwork in order to achieve a shared objective.  The Sec 3s attended a design thinking workshop and mentoring session as part of their Service Learning Project. This was to equip them with the relevant competencies and know-how to identify needs, plan and successfully execute a meaningful Service Learning Project with our VIA partners, so that they can take on the responsibility of doing their part for the community.

Adopt an Enterprising Spirit

Sec 1s attended a 2D1N camp in school and participated in activities such as ‘39 Minutes To Win It’ challenge and an Amazing Race outside the school, where they had to work together in teams and be innovative as they raced around the Sengkang neighbourhood to complete the tasks set out for them.  To complete the challenges, they needed courage to interact with members of the public and the ability to think out of the box.  They also set up tents to sleep in at the school field under the stars during their overnight camp.

Sec 2s went through a 3D2N outdoor adventure camp at the PA-Water Venture (Sembawang), where they learnt camp craft, worked on problem solving activities and participated in land and water activities such as Orienteering and raft building. They also cycled for 8km across the Kallang and Stadium region and tried their hand at dragon boating in the Kallang basin, experiencing a new and exciting challenge that allowed them to build camaraderie and develop confidence in themselves. The Sec 4s and 5s had ‘Strengthening the Entrepreneurial Dare’ as the theme for the final day of their Ready for the World Programme, where they underwent a series of challenges by applying problem solving and communication skills as well as teamwork in the Modern Ninja Warrior learning carnival.

Ready for the World

Sec 3 Express/NA students attended various Advanced Elective Modules (AEM) at different polytechnics based on their interests to discover their strengths and have a taste of polytechnic courses. These modules include aerospace/aviation, design/modelling, smart devices/virtual reality, hospitality/tourismand culinary skills/pastry/bakery. There were many hands-on learning opportunities such as project planning and presentation, learning journey to Sentosa and the Flight Simulator at the Singapore Flyer.   Sec 3 NT students attended various Elective Modules on Hospitality, Culinary and Pastry & Baking at Shatec Institutes where they learnt Asian and Western culinary skills.  There was also a career talk on the hospitality and culinary industries and a learning journey to a local 5-star hotel to learn about interacting with guests and creating a good first impression. Sec 4s and 5s attended our Ready For The World Programme aimed at equipping them with knowledge, life-skills and attitude such as personal branding and interview skills to be ready for the world after graduation. ‘Exploring My Education and Career Pathways’ was another focus where speakers from various post-secondary institutions and industries shared about post-secondary courses and career options. Students also visited either Temasek Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic or St Andrew Nursing Home to find out more about their courses and career opportunities All in all, our North Stars had many memorable and enriching experiential learning experiences during the entire STAR programme, where many made personal discoveries, stepped out of their comfort zones to embrace new challenges and developed the grit to be ready for future challenges.

Parent Engagement in Term 1/2019

Sec 1 Parents’ Talk - Helping your child transit to secondary school life

As part of the school’s orientation programme for Sec 1 students, a Parents’ Talk was planned to enable parents to gain an overview of secondary school life in CVSS, and also provide them with an understanding on how they can support their children in the transition. After the talk by various key personnel and sharing by Mr Christopher Lian, Chairperson of our Parent Support Group (PSG), parents proceeded to their children’s form classroom to interact with their children’s form teachers as well as get to know fellow parents in the same class.

PSG Parenting Talk- “Managing Screen Time without Scream Time”

Arising from an interest from some parents to be equipped with the skills on how to manage their teenage children’s usage of mobile phone and computers, the Parent Support Group organised a talk on this topic by our Senior School Counsellor, Mdm Farah Shalin.  The talk was held on a Friday evening, 18 January, in the school library and attracted more than 30 parents. They had an engaging segment of Q&A, where they had their queries answers and went home with useful tips in helping their teenagers to be responsible users of electronic devices.

PSG Co-Hosting of Elderly Guests at Chinese New Year (CNY) Celebration

Our PSG carried on with the tradition of co-hosting elderly guests at our annual CNY celebration when members interacted with 40 guests from Henderson Heights and made them feel welcomed. In fact, the preparation started earlier when PSG members collected gifts and put together a hamper gift-pack for every guest. While many parents donated the gifts, others came to school on a Saturday morning to pack the hamper.  Some even brought their children along to help out in the packing. These parents have definitely role-modelled good values for their children!

PSG Welcome Brunch for Sec 1 parents

Our PSG organised the annual welcome brunch for Sec 1 parents, who were interested in joining the PSG, on a Saturday morning, 16 February. About 30 parents and their children turned up for the event and enjoyed the ice-breaking, family bonding games as well as a buffet lunch. The event culminated with lohei where the parents expressed their common desire for their children to excel in both the academic and non-academic domains, as they tossed the salad in the air!

Parents’ ECG Forum

A Parents’ ECG Forum was organised for parents of Sec 4/5 students on 14 March, where they learnt tips on post-secondary course selection from the talks and had their questions answered by speakers from post-secondary institutions and our Senior ECG counsellor, Mdm Wang Pheck Hoon, at the panel discussion. Parents who attended the forum felt that they have picked up useful tips on guiding their children in making educational and career decisions.