HOLY INNOCENTS’ HIGH SCHOOL A Community with Courage to Lead, Compassion to Serve 4 January 2016 Dear Parents/Guardian of Sec 3 Students,

Welcome Back (Notification 1c/2016) On behalf of all staff, I would like to welcome back your child/ward and you as we begin the new year. We hope 2015 was a year blessed with peace and joy for your family. We would like to inform you of some upcoming programmes for this year for your child/ward. 1. BRIEFING ON NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS AND POST-SECONDARY OPTIONS (15 JAN 2016) I will be briefing the Upper Secondary parents/guardians on the requirements and expectations for post-secondary education and the implications for Sec 3, 4 and 5 students. These include the use of Sec 3 results in Direct School Admission to Junior Colleges and Direct Polytechnic Admission, the Polytechnic Foundation Programme, and the Direct-Entry-Scheme to Polytechnic Programme. The briefing is scheduled on 15 January 2016 (Fri) at 8.00 pm to 9.00 pm in the School Hall. I look forward to seeing you at the briefing. 2. SCHOOL PROGRAMMES i.

Sec 3 Camp (20–22 Jan 2016)

The Sec 3 Adventure Camp will be held at the Jalan Bahtera Outdoor Adventure Learning Centre. In line with the aim of our Good Samaritan Programme, the experiences planned for the camp will allow our students to demonstrate the courage to lead and compassion to serve. In addition, our students will be challenged to move out of their comfort zone and grow in personal leadership and resilience. The planning of the camp is guided and carried out by the senior student leaders in our school, with professionals and teachers overseeing the safety and well-being of the participants. More details will be provided prior to the camp. ii.

Language Literacy Development Programme

As part of the school’s language literacy development programme, all students will spend time during curriculum hours in reading newspapers, magazines or short stories extracted from various sources. The programme aims to:    

cultivate an interest for reading, enhance their general knowledge, keep abreast of latest developments in the local and global contexts, and improve their command of the languages.

Students will read The Straits Times IN pullout segment, and all Higher Chinese Language and Chinese Language students (Express and Normal (Academic)) will read Lianhe Zaobao ‘Comma’ 《联合早报—逗号》. Higher Malay Language and Malay Language students will read Berita

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Harian. Besides setting aside time for reading of newspapers every Monday morning, students will also be directed to read specific articles of special interest, followed by questions for reflection on these articles in class. As part of the programme, students will also subscribe to English magazines for the year. iii.

Catholic Activities

As part of the school’s Catholic Programme, we have planned for monthly masses and masses on Days of Obligation for Catholic students throughout the year. We have also planned to conduct RME lessons at certain times of the year. We encourage students who would like to deepen their faith to join the Young Christians Society (YCS), where they will spend time with like-minded youths to explore faith and contemporary issues. iv.

Chinese New Year Celebrations (5 Feb 2016)

The school will celebrate Chinese New Year on 5 February 2016 (Fri) morning. This is a normal school day, but no lessons will be conducted on that day. There will not be any CCA or enrichment programmes planned for that day. The dismissal time will be conveyed to parents at a later date. v.

HIOSA Carnival (20 Feb 2016)

The Holy Innocents’ Old Students’ Association (HIOSA) will be organising a Carnival on 20 February 2016 (Sat) in the school, for alumni to get together and catch up with one another. This event will start in the late afternoon. If you are an alumnus of the school, do consider setting aside time to join in this event. vi.

Common Test for Term 1

The Common Tests for Term 1 will be held tentatively on Weeks 7 and 8 (15 February to 26 February 2016). The schedule for the classes will be distributed to students once confirmed. vii.

Elective Modules for Sec 3N(A) and Sec 3N(T) (May and Oct)

To broaden the learning experiences of our Sec 3N(A) and Sec 3N(T) students, elective modules will be conducted as part of the Post-Examinations Enrichment Programme in May and October. These modules will offer students opportunities to be exposed to an applied area of study, so as to expose them to possible post-secondary and career options in future. Students will report to school for morning flag-raising in school uniform at the usual reporting time on these days. More details will be given in due course. 3. ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS i.

Home-School Collaboration Protocol (see attached)

The school has a Home-School Collaboration Protocol introduced in 2015, which outlines the various roles and responsibilities for the school and parents in relation to student matters. For example, the school will contact parents to discuss issues and update on the child’s/ward’s general progress, through PTM, SNAAPP and/or calls; if parents wish to contact teachers, they can choose to contact through various means outlined in the Protocol. An updated version of the Protocol is available on the school website.

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ii.

Financial Assistance for Needy Students

Parents who have yet to apply for the MOE Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) for their child/ward can do so by obtaining an application form from the general office. Eligible students will receive textbooks, uniform and shoes under the scheme. In addition, students who take public transport to school will also be provided with a transport subsidy. All students under the MOE FAS will also be eligible for additional assistance from the school. FAS students will be given additional subsidies for selected enrichment programmes via the Opportunity Fund. In addition, the school provides the Pocket Money Fund for FAS students, which comes from donations from the Ren De Foundation (set up by the Holy Innocents’ Old Students’ Association) and the public. The Pocket Money Fund is meant to defray the cost of meals consumed in the school. We are currently in the process of setting up an e-meal coupon system in the canteen, which will be used to provide credits to FAS students instead. More details will be provided subsequently. Students who are not eligible for the MOE FAS can also apply to tap on the Opportunity Fund for additional subsidies for selected enrichment programmes and overseas trips. Students given approval to tap on the Opportunity Fund may be eligible to purchase computers at subsidized prices under the NEU PC Plus Programme. iii.

Taking Student Daily Attendance

The school uses a mobile app (SNAAPP) to mark student attendance, and sends alerts to parents if their child/ward is absent from school. We also tap on the app to communicate with parents on certain occasions. Please download the app on your smartphone. Thank you for your strong support. We wish you a very pleasant and fruitful year ahead.

Mr Yap Wai Meng Principal

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