HOLY INNOCENTS’ HIGH SCHOOL A Community with Courage to Lead, Compassion to Serve 27 May 2016 Dear Parents/Guardians, INFORMATION ON SCHOOL PROGRAMMES IN TERM 3 FOR SEC 4 AND 5 (03D/2016) We mark the end of the first half of the academic year for your child/ward. We hope your child/ward will use the June holidays constructively to pursue his/her interests, rest and spend quality time with family and friends. This letter updates you about upcoming school programmes in Semester 2. (1)

ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES

i.

Direct School Admission Exercise Our school is conducting the Direct School Admission (DSA) exercise for Primary 6 pupils keen to join us. We will consider pupils interested to deepen their interest in journalism and broadcasting through our Applied Learning Programme (Journalism and Broadcasting). Information on the selection criteria and application procedure are available on our website.

ii.

e-library System The school has set up a digital library that will commence in Semester 2. Students can access e-books using mobile devices such as mobile phones or tablets. The digital library has two platforms: Axis 360 and Lightsail. Students can borrow and read the school’s e-books from the Axis 360 app through their mobile devices. Lightsail allows students to read e-books and be assessed on their reading proficiency at the same time. Lightsail is currently only available for use in iPads. You may approach your child’s/ward’s English teacher for more information.

iii.

Sec 4 Express/ 5 Normal June Holiday Lessons As part of our preparation efforts, the school will be organising supplementary lessons during the first week of the June holidays. The timetable has already been given to your child/ward. The details are as follows: Dates Reporting Time Venue Attire

: : : :

31 May to 3 Jun 7.45 am at Parade Square Classrooms School Uniform

These lessons are compulsory for 4 Express/ 5 Normal students. Students absent from lessons should present a MC to their Form Teachers. Those absent without valid reasons will face disciplinary consequences. Please ensure that your child/ward attends the programme. iv.

Preliminary Examinations (4 - 23 Aug) The Preliminary Examinations will be held from 4 to 23 Aug. The schedule is attached with this letter. Please work with your child/ward to plan for his/her revision, and use this platform as a gauge of his/her level of preparedness for the national examinations.

School Values: Humility . Integrity . Respect . Love 1191 Upper Serangoon Road, Singapore 534786 ● Tel: 6283 3381 ● Fax: 6283 1737 ● Email: [email protected] http://www.holyinnocentshigh.moe.edu.sg ● https://www.facebook.com/holyinnocentshighschool

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v.

GCE ‘N’ and ‘O’ Level Examinations 2016 Please refer to the table below for a summary of the national examination dates. Your child/ward will need to bring his/her entry proof and student pass/NRIC for the examinations:

Exam Level GCE ‘N’ Level

GCE ‘O’ Level

Subjects English Language (Oral) Mother Tongue Language (Oral) Basic Mother Tongue Language (Oral) English Language, Mother Tongue Language Listening Comprehension & Written Exams for selected subjects Computer Applications Practical

Examination Dates 7 – 14 Jul 26 Jul – 1 Aug

Written Exams for remaining subjects Mid-year Mother Tongue Language Exams Mid-year Mother Tongue Language B Syllabus Exams Mother Tongue Language (Oral)

3 – 12 Oct 30 May 31 May

Mother Tongue Language (Listening Comprehension) English Language (Oral)

19 Jul

Science Practical Exams End-of-Year Written Exams Source: http://www.seab.gov.sg/

13 – 16 Sep

19, 21 Sep

1 – 18 Jul

15 – 29 Aug 19 Oct 21 Oct – 18 Nov

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CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES

i.

Direct School Admission-JC and Early Admission Exercise (EAE) Students who are interested in applying for direct admission to Junior Colleges or Polytechnics may do so now. More information can be found in the following websites: • Direct School Admission-JC exercise: http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/admissions/dsa-jc/ • Early Admissions Exercise: http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/admissions/eae/ To prepare interested students for the Early Admission Exercise, we are hosting a preparation workshop to guide students through the writing of the 600-character summary and preparation of their portfolio needed in the submission of their application. Students will also be given tips to look out for during the interview. The workshop is on a sign-up basis. It will be held on 2 Jun, 2:30pm to 4:45pm. Students admitted via the EAE will need to meet the following admission criteria: (i) obtain a net ELR2B2 score of not more than 26 points for the GCE 'O' level examinations; and (ii) meet the Minimum Entry Requirements (MER) for their respective polytechnic courses. The MER for each course can be found on the websites of respective polytechnics.

School Values: Humility . Integrity . Respect . Love 1191 Upper Serangoon Road, Singapore 534786 ● Tel: 6283 3381 ● Fax: 6283 1737 ● Email: [email protected] http://www.holyinnocentshigh.moe.edu.sg ● https://www.facebook.com/holyinnocentshighschool

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ii.

Catholic Activities (Fri, 29 Jul and Mon, 15 Aug) Our School Chaplain, Rev Fr Frederick Quek, will be celebrating Monthly Mass on 29 Jul and 15 Aug. All Catholic students should attend the mass as part of their faith formation journey.

iii.

Racial Harmony Day Commemoration (Thu, 21 Jul) We will commemorate Racial Harmony Day (RHD) on 21 July. The theme this year is “Our Cultural Heritage”. We will host a travelling exhibition put up by the National Heritage Board in July. Titled “Romance, Hopes and Dreams”, the exhibition features marriage practices and beliefs adopted by major ethnic communities in Singapore. Students will learn more about the unique heritage and cultural diversity in Singapore from the exhibition. Besides the exhibition, students will also be involved in several activities. These include a classroom lesson, an assembly and recess programme where they will learn about the importance of making choices that promote inter-cultural understanding, and building strong relationships between people of different races, cultures and nationalities.

iv.

National Day Celebrations and Walkathon (Mon, 8 Aug) We will celebrate National Day on 8 Aug. The theme this year is “Building our Singapore of Tomorrow”. We will reflect on how we can work together to keep the society united. As part of the celebrations, we are working with the People's Association Youth’s Movement to hold a walkathon on that day. Titled “Walk for Fund”, the walkathon aims to provide an opportunity for our students to positively impact the school, and engage the community as they walk from the school to Punggol Park with representatives from several VWOs. As part of this event, all students will be issued a “Walk for Fund” donation card in Term 3, where students are encouraged to find supporters to help them raise funds for the construction of our school’s Indoor Sports Hall. We hope you will support your child/ward and the school for this cause.

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PARTNERSHIPS

i.

3rd Parent-Teacher Meeting (Wed, 31 Aug) We will hold our 3rd Parent-Teacher Meeting for identified students on 31 Aug. You will have a chance to discuss with teachers on your child’s/ward’s academic progress and behaviour. This will allow you to help your child/ward plan for the September Holidays.

ii.

Fund-raising for Indoor Sports Hall You would have received a letter dated 5 Apr 2016 appealing for donations towards the construction cost of the Indoor Sports Hall. The target is to raise $300,000. We have currently raised about $19,000 so far. All cheques can be made out to ‘Holy Innocents’ High School’. Donations above $100 will be eligible for a tax-exemption receipt. If you would like a taxexemption receipt, please remember to provide your personal particulars (Name, NRIC and Home Address) along with your donation. We thank you for your strong support in this project, which your child/ward will benefit from going forward.

School Values: Humility . Integrity . Respect . Love 1191 Upper Serangoon Road, Singapore 534786 ● Tel: 6283 3381 ● Fax: 6283 1737 ● Email: [email protected] http://www.holyinnocentshigh.moe.edu.sg ● https://www.facebook.com/holyinnocentshighschool

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ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

i.

Return to School in Term 3 (Mon, 27 Jun) and Temperature-taking Exercise (Thu, 30 Jun) Term 3 will commence on 27 Jun. Please ensure that your child/ward returns to school in proper attire (e.g. name tags, socks and shoes) and appropriate hair styles and colour. The Student Information Booklet has grooming and attire guidelines for reference. If your child’s/ward’s attire and grooming is not appropriate, he/she may be sent home to make the necessary changes before beginning classes for the term. There will be a temperature-taking exercise on 30 Jun. Please help to ensure that your child/ward has a working oral digital thermometer for that day.

ii.

Travel Declaration (by Mon, 27 Jun) Students travelling overseas must submit their travel declaration forms online through our school website, Facebook page or via hardcopy to the General Office, by 27 Jun.

iii.

SNAAPP for Attendance Taking and Notification to Parents The school uses a mobile application, School Notification and Attendance App (SNAAPP), for attendance taking and sending notifications to parents. SNAAPP allows schools to send messages to parents and notify parents when their child is absent or late for school. All notifications or messages will be school-initiated. The app is available for download from Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

iv.

School / Public Holidays Please note the following school and public holidays: 30 May to 26 Jun – School Vacation 4 Jul (Mon) - Youth Day (School Holiday) 6 Jul (Wed) - Hari Raya Puasa 9 Aug (Tue) – National Day 10 Aug (Wed) - School Holiday in-lieu of National Day 2 Sep (Fri) - Teachers’ Day (School Holiday)

Please contact your child’s/ward’s Form Teachers if you have queries on your child’s/ward’s progress. Yours faithfully

Mr Yap Wai Meng Principal Cyberwellness Parenting Tip #3 Teach your children to stop what they are doing if they encounter anything that makes them feel uncomfortable, fearful or hurt.

School Values: Humility . Integrity . Respect . Love 1191 Upper Serangoon Road, Singapore 534786 ● Tel: 6283 3381 ● Fax: 6283 1737 ● Email: [email protected] http://www.holyinnocentshigh.moe.edu.sg ● https://www.facebook.com/holyinnocentshighschool