tions and words by the ICARE

values of Integrity, Courage,

Accountability, Respect, Excel-

lence and Care so that you can

be the standard-bearers for oth-

ers to emulate.

The school will continue to be

steadfast in our mission to

‘Build Character, Develop

Leaders of Tomorrow who will

Serve with Conviction.’ We

know that through our perse-

verance in our efforts, all of you

will emerge as better and self-

less individuals who will active-

ly contribute back to the com-

munity and help build a more

inclusive and cohesive society.

As 2017 unfolds, we are happy

to have all of you on board with

us. Together, let us have a suc-

cessful and fulfilling year ahead.

Have a very Happy New Year!

~School Leaders

Bedok South Secondary School

A very warm welcome to our

new cohort of students and your

parents. We understand how

the change in the environment

may be unnerving to some of

our Sec 1 students but all of you

should be assured that in this

caring BDS family, you will be

well supported by your school

mates and teachers. We are

certain that all of you will enjoy

your next few years in BDS. To

our existing students, welcome

back to Bedok South after the

December holidays. I am certain

many of you would have spent

the holidays meaningfully.

Increasingly, the school recog-

nises our obligation to prepare

our students for the future. We

are cognizant that our mission

must go beyond the academics.

We must be resolute in our

endeavour to prepare you for

life ahead, and eventually help

you become impactful citizens

who will fulfil your responsibili-

ties to your family, the commu-

nity and the country. To future-

proof you, we are committed

first to update ourselves and our

areas of work so that we can

keep pace and be relevant for the

future. While there is no way we

can predict what lies ahead, the

school is devoted to the task of

providing you with a well-

rounded education and aims to

imbue in all of you the 21st cen-

tury competencies and skills. We

believe in developing you to

your fullest potential so that all

of you will gain the competitive

edge beyond school. Work hand

in hand with your teachers as

they desire nothing but the best

for you. Be appreciative of your

parents’ support, and know that

they are doing their best to guide

you so that you are equipped

well for the future. So as we

begin our new term, start the

year well with positivity in your

attitude, be confident in facing

new challenges and remember

that you have your parents and

teachers to turn to for support to

alleviate your stress and worries.

It is also important for you to be

anchored in your thoughts, ac-

Foreword

Grad Camp 2016

Our Graduation Residential

Camp this year was held on 23

-24 Nov 2016. The camp was

aimed to provide the last

bonding session for all graduat-

ing students. With the help of

the prefects and peer leaders,

the campers had fun playing

games together and enjoyed a

barbeque in the canteen. This

camp allowed them a chance

to reminisce on their journey

in Bedok South Secondary

School

1 JAN 2017

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

In Touch

Inside this issue:

Release of GCE N Level Results 2016

2

Honours Day 2016 2

MAAD Event 2

SINO-SIN Exchange 3

BIND 2016 3

PSG Retreat 3

BDS Family 4

On the afternoon of 19 Dec 2016, the school

hall was filled with anxious Sec 4 NA and NT

students. This year, there were a number of

subjects which the students had done well and

performed above the national average. All in

all, congratulations to our seniors who had

worked hard for the entire year, allowing them

to reap the fruits of their labour. We wish them

all the best in

their pursuit of

higher educa-

tion.

Release of GCE N Level 2016

MAAD Event

Honours Day 2016

were part of the entrepreneur-

ship and innovation programme

in the Spring Singapore and

YES! Schools initiative which

provides opportunities for

them to apply their D&T skills

and expose them to business

design. The students conducted

their micro business, creating

their own designs and testing

the viability and marketability

of their designs at the MAAD

On 4 Nov 2016, D&T teachers

and students were at the Red

Dot Design Museum for their

MAAD event. MAAD stands

for Market of Artists And De-

signers. The event is the largest

creative marketplace organised

for Singapore's art, design and

craft community to showcase

its works and talents.

Our teachers and students

event.

Award ; Sus-

tained Achieve-

ment Award and

Best Progress

Award.

The school celebrated Honours

Day on 28 Oct and 1 Nov

2016. The aim of Honours Day

was to recognise outstanding

students and classes which had

done well in 2016. There were

four different types of awards

given out during Honours

Day : Good Class Award (for

classes with good record in

attendance, conduct and school

participation) ; Top Student

PAGE 2

IN TOUCH

In Nov 2016, 21 Sec 3 stu-

dents had the opportunity to

travel to Chongqing, China,

for the SINO-SIN Student

Exchange Programme which is

a government to government

programme aimed to foster

international understanding,

collaboration and bonding

between students of Singapore

secondary schools and People's

Republic of China (PRC) jun-

ior middle schools. Bedok

South Secondary School is

proud to be selected as one of

the two schools in the nation

to participate in the SINO-SIN

Student Exchange Programme

this year.

Through this exchange pro-

gramme, our students ac-

quired new global perspectives

and gained first-hand insights

on how China had progressed

as a nation. During the trip,

our students also developed

precious friendships with their

schoolmates and their PRC

counterparts

mingling and catching up with

one another whilst enjoying

the food, ending the year on a

high note.

A BBQ gathering was held on

19 Nov 2016 for the Parents

Support Group members to

come together for the last time

before parting ways as some

members saw their children

graduating from the school this

year. The response for the

BBQ gathering was very posi-

tive with 66 members and

their families attending it. At

the gathering, everyone was

SINO-SIN Exchange Prog ramme

PSG YEAR-END RETREAT 2016

BIND 2016

cance of the places they had

visited such as Jonker Street

and Johor Lama. In both

waves, the students were host-

ed by two local schools and

they had a very meaningful and

enriching experience interact-

ing with the Malaysian stu-

dents. A visit to an orphanage

as part of their VIA project

further reinforced the value of

compassion and touched the

hearts of our students as they

interacted with the orphans. Our last two waves of BIND

were held between 25-28 Oct

and 5-8 Nov 2016. In both

waves, the participating stu-

dents from Sec 3 NA and NT

classes went to Johor Bahru

where they were exposed to

various cultural experiences

such as makan berdulang

(communal eating from a tray)

and ketupat (rice dumplings)

weaving. They were also made

aware of the historical signifi-

PAGE 3

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

On 24 Nov, the BDS Executive Administrative Staff

(EAS) embarked on a learning journey to Hort Park to

develop a greater awareness, appreciation and love for

nature and the environment. The school firmly believes

in environmental education, having achieved the Sus-

tained Lotus Achievement Award, Sustained 3R Award

in the SEC-Star Hub School Green Awards (SGA) and

recently in 2016, the Community in Bloom Award

(Silver).

The learning journey offered a good opportunity for the

EAS to not only strengthen their relationships with one

another but also to get some exercise as they embarked

on a guided tour led by two nature guides. Different

types of plants, spices and heritage trees were intro-

duced to the staff during the hour long exploration

around the park. All in all, it was a meaningful learning

journey for the EAS staff.

cultivating in them an intrinsic

motivation to keep learning

even after graduating from

school.

The School Management Com-

mittee (SMC) visited Sentosa

on 15 Nov 2016 for their year-

end retreat. It was a fun-filled

day as the SMC competed

intensely in teams to complete

all the pre-assigned tasks which

were aligned to the key themes

discussed during the Work

Plan Seminar this year at vari-

ous attractions on the island. It

was not all play and no work

though as SMC members had

to bring back their learning

points from the activities to

the discussion table at the end

of the day, brainstorming how

the school could provide more

opportunities for student inno-

vation and ways to promote

students’ joy of learning while

Year-End SMC Retreat

The annual year-end staff seminar (YESS) was held on 21-22

Nov 2016. On the first day, the seminar was hosted at National

Design Centre (NDC). This place was strategically chosen to

allow the staff to embrace change, creating for them a different

but meaningful experience. The seminar started off with a key-

note address by Dr Tay Hui Yong from NIE/ CTL. It was fol-

lowed by a series of sharing sessions by BDS staff. The first day

ended with a guided tour by the NDC docents. On the second

day, the staff, together with some student leaders, embarked

on 4 different VIA programmes, in which they worked closely

with key personnel and members from Movement for the Intel-

lectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS), Muhammadiyah

Welfare Home, Waterways Watch and Chee Hoon Kog Moral

Home For The Aged Sick.

Year End Staf f Seminar 2016 EAS Lear ning Jour ney