Saturday, September 1, 2012

Happy Teachers' Day on 31st August 2012

11:03 PM Posted by mavischeng No comments
On this special day, all classes in SST, School of Science and Technology proceeded to their classrooms after the usual bustle of the morning assembly and set up their wonderful surprise for their beloved teachers. Besides appreciating the teachers, 31st August 2012 also express their acknowledgement for all supporting staff of the school for all their hard work for all these years. The theme to this year's Teachers' Day celebration is "Heroes". Our teachers have always been there for us, an unsung hero whom has helped us achieve what we have today. The supporting staff put in their best efforts in working hard behind the scenes for the school, overcoming the challenges like a superhero.



Prior to this event, the classes were to invite their teacher, plan a surprise class party for their teachers, create an appreciation card and a weapon for their teachers. All classes celebrated and appreciated their teachers each in their own unique way, expressing their heartfelt thanks to their teachers. Classes proceeded to cleaning up their classrooms after their joyous class party and headed towards the multipurpose hall for an exciting concert being put up in the hall.



Kicking off the start of the concert, Mark Tay from S201 sang "  " while the academic, management and supporting sauntered on the red carpet laid from the middle of the hall, leading to the stage. Everyone clapped and cheered as they spotted their teacher ambling across the red carpet, a truly memorable moment.



Mr Chua makes a speech to thank the teachers and acknowledge their immense efforts that they have put in through out their years of teaching in SST. He also appreciated the hard work of those student leaders, colleagues and admin staff in making the celebration possible.







Millie ( Chairman of the Peer Support Board), Calvin Heng and Hardy Shein went up on stage to present about how is their teacher their hero and what does it mean to them. Handmade paper flowers were presented to the teachers and staff through the PSL. 

Last but not least, a appreciation video for the supporting staff of SST is shown to the school. The funny imitations of SST's teachers brought back wonderful memories for everyone. In SST, we also demonstrate our gratitude towards them in making the school a great and comfortable environment.



Let the fun begin now! SST’s very own show choir group put up a dance and sing performance, donning on silvery vests on their black shirt and pants as they put in their very best performance, full of vibrancy and energy. Next up is a soothing song sang by Abu, accompanied by the skillful piano skills of Neo Wei Hong, a marvelous combination. SST’s first A Capella team performs on stage, comprising of Mark Tay, Fathiah, Abu, .... sang Secrets by One Republic. It was a stunning experience for all of us. SST’s newly formed dance group also put up a revitalizing performance. Another solo singing performance was also sang a song on the theme Heroes.





















A quirky and entertaining quiz by two emcees, Harindrar and Jia En from S207 asked questions and the teachers answered. Everyone anticipated the teacher’s responses as each question was spoken ending with a round of applause. The great emcees entertained everyone immensely and everyone was engaged in the round of answering and questioning.
Last but not least, the show choir bought to their
 last performance of the day, Edge of Glory. They cladded in a new red glittery vests as dancing as enjoyable as before. As the song came to an end, the finale of the Teachers’ Day celebration came. The finale of this year’s event was the singing alongs session of Ain’t no Mountain High Enough. This song symbolises that no challenge is too large to overcome and no goal is too big to achieve. Everyone stood up and clapped along to the tune. As the song comes to an end, everyone settled down and soon the students were dismissed. This year’s Happy Teacher’s Day celebration is planned by the Peer Support Board. On this special day, we would like to appreciate and put across our sincere words of thanks to all academic and supporting staff.

Article Written by Mavis Cheng S201 

Photos by : Owen and Sandy S201 

Friday, August 10, 2012

National Day Celebrations @ SST 2012

9:24 PM Posted by mavischeng No comments
On this special day, the 8th of August 2012, SST commemorates the nation’s 47th birthday in the new premises of the School of Science and Technology at 1 Technology Drive. This year’s celebration was newly organised by the PforSST group, comprising of voluntary parents of students here in SST and the event takes on a new concept today. Instead of the usual performances and singing of the national day songs routine, the PforSST planned a series of new activities like a booth stall styled carnival where students and teachers were free to move about to explore each different themed stall.

Mr Chua kicked off the event in the morning with the reading of the Ministry of Education’s message for the National Day 2012. Next, Ms Tay presented a video that was submitted for Hi-Story, My Story Filmmaking Competition. The film was to show the evolution of Bras Basah Complex throughout the years. The film was produced by Matthew, Luke, Ben and ... from S202, who had sacrificed parts of their June Holidays in producing the inspiring film. Following, was the inviting of Mr Chua and Mrs Chew to pen down their wishes for Singapore on a huge banner that was specially hung up on a side of the Multi-purpose Hall.

P For SST with Mr Chua and Mrs Chew

Mr Chua and a Parent signing on a banner


Upon the emcee’s cue, everyone was dismissed and disperse off to the various booths set up in the Multi-purpose hall and the Indoor Sports Hall. Every student participating will collect a special card where the station master at each booth will stamp on the card upon completion of the activity.

To introduce, there were booths set up  to promote culture and appreciation of heritage for the Chinese, Malay and Tamil, traditional games competition region and the food centre. At the Chinese heritage booth, students can experience calligraphy on traditional paper fans or paper. The three races also displayed their traditional costumes for students to try on and snap photos for remembrance. Traditional games like Skipping, Gasing (Spinning Top), Five Stones, Chapteh and Zero Point also set up stalls to hold mini competitions to stand a chance to win prizes. The food centre sold traditional authentic food like Mee Goreng, Bee Hoon and small snacks.





Attractive prizes can be won when presenting one’s card at the prize collection area. With different number of stamps collected will determine the prizes that can be redeemed.


Lastly, the prizes were given out to the top three winners of each game in the Multi-Purpose Hall. The parents volunteer and PforSST members involved in the preparation of this event were gathered on stage for a photo shoot following by a sing-along session to the 2012 National Day Themed Song - Love at First Light and the familiar tune of Stand Up for Singapore and Count On Me Singapore.

The celebration closed off with loud bangs of confetti poppers after the final singing of the National Anthem and the recitation of the National Pledge. Together as a SST community, we had observed and rejoiced over Singapore’s remarkable spirit in overcoming challenges and strived for success today, 8th August 2012. SST would sincerely like to wish Singapore a Happy Birthday!

Article by Mavis Cheng S201
Pictures by William Ming, Meredith Teo, Jericho Manguan
Date : 8th August 2012

Monday, July 30, 2012

I&E Bazaar 2012

11:48 AM Posted by Genevieve 1 comment

20th July 2012
On this day, SST celebrates the annual Racial Harmony Day again.This year, the Racial Harmony Day celebration is divided into two parts: the Racial Harmony Day Concert and the I&E Bazaar. It started off with our emcees for the day, Sarah from S1-04 and Marcus from S1-05 by introducing this year Racial Harmony Day theme, “People, Places, Memories”.
First up, the guitar ensemble will be performing ‘Di Tanjong Katong’ , which is one of the more popular but now rarely heard songs form Singapore in the past and it is also about one of the famous place in Singapore.
Next up, a group of Malay students will be giving a Creative Poetry Recital named ‘Dunia’, which is written by Singapore-born poet named Jaka Budi. This poem is about changes that happen in the world. The world has seen people of different characters- people who love the power, people who struggle in life and people who gave up in the life. 
Following up, is a video about the Maria Hertogh Riots, one of the racial riots in Singapore    
After that, the wushu club presents a performance which brought a thunderous applause from students and teachers. 
The final item of the concert ends off with a Malay Drama Performance by Sri Warisan Group, entitled ‘Unity in Diversity’ . Sri Warisan presented to us a series of creative dances that highlight the colourful diversity of the various ethnic traditions, customs in multi-racial Singapore and different parts of the world. Through this performance, they  introduced dance as an innovative medium to convey different social themes and concepts.
After the performance, there is a Q&A followed by students going up on stage to learn the several steps for Malay, Chinese and Indian dance and dance to the song, ‘chan mali chan’.
Following up is the I&E Bazaar, where all classes set up stalls to sell food, present games and many more in the canteen and the Atrium. Students can be seen walking around shouting and even carrying posters to advertise for their stalls.
One very unique and creative stall is the stall from S2-03. S2-03 presented song dedications. Requests for any songs and they would play it. Pupils crowded around the podium as G.R.E.G and friends, winner of SST got talent danced along. Jee Hoon did beat boxing and both of them recieved an appplause from everyone. 
Overall, this I&E Bazaar not only brings out the creativity in students, it also enables students to learn more about Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which is what this bazaar aims to achieve. 

Friday, April 13, 2012

EduCamp @ SST

6:53 PM Posted by Genevieve No comments
On 13th April 2012 , SST had an EduCamp held at Learning Oasis 2 for students to sit in and listen to the talks given by their fellow schoolmates. This year, the students present would vote for the topics they want the students who are presenting to talk about.

Some of the topics they offer were:
a) Protection of networks
b) Are we controlled by Big Brother?
c) Photography and the modern social media
d) Smart devices taking over
e) Augmented reality + face detection
f) Fundamentals of SQL
g) Mobile devices liberate education
h) Game development theory
i) Basic game development
j) The integration of Aesthetics in OSes.
k) Tech startups
l) Hardware/Software programming.

At around 2.30, the EduCamp was about to start and people were doing last minute discussions and just hanging around, chatting with their friends. Soon, everyone got seated and the event started. First up was the introduction to EduCamp. EduCamp is somewhat barcamp where everything is related to Technology. However, EduCamp is related to education and has NO alcoholic drinks compared to a BarCamp.

SST EduCamp is about sharing ideas on Technology. Next up, they played a short video on how a normal EduCamp would look like. They introduced the special guest, Mr Daniel Chee, to the students.

After the short introduction, each present student was given a sticker to vote for the topics they would like to have present. The topics with the 4 most number of votes would be presenting their topic later on in another classroom. Each topic would have a session all to themselves. Each session lasts about 20 minutes.

As students got up table by table to vote, there are more talking between them and the whiteboard is getting covered by

However, all topics would be presented. 3 presentations would be taking place at the same time, only at different venues.

For the first session, we have Argumented reality and face detection in classroom 307, which started with them showing how one of their applications work with showing how they turn something into a 3D object. In classroom 308, we have Smart devices taking over. They showed graphs and talked about how computers would affect the world, for example, the amount of time it takes for people to adapt to the changes if PCs die out. And since they ended earlier, they had a little dialogue session with the students who were listening on to their presentation. And in classroom 309, we have The integration of Aesthetics in OSes. They talked about the Mac without the use of slides and talks about the trackpad, such as introducing an idea they have to "replace" the trackpad.

For the second session, we have Hardware and Software Programming in classroom 307. They started off by introducing Programming, like the History of Programming and the types of programming. They then moved on to introducing and letting us know more about Hardware and Software programming. And in classroom 308, we have Are we controlled by Big Brother? They played a video to talk about the cyber threats such as threats to shut down the site. The video talked about how cyber threats come about etc. After that, they talked about the video and they elaborated and talked about the main points in the video. They also talked about the differences of the different "companies". And in the 309 classroom, we have Photography and the modern social media. Jurvis, the presenter for this topic, talked about how children these days are glued to social media. He shared his project, which involves taking pictures of Kids in playground. He talked about how Social Media helps Photographers and NPOs to spread messages, how effective it was. He gave the example of Kony 2012, which turned out to be a hoax. However, he talked about how effective it was and how it drew people's attention.

For the third session, we have Fundamentals of SQLs in 307 classroom. They talked about what is SQL, how does it work etc. Which really is an introduction to SQL and what it does. It gives more information about SQL for the students to learn more about. In 308 classroom, Protection of Networks was being presented. They started off with giving an introduction on how website security works and how it is being solved. They also gave examples and the different ways that Hackers use. They came up with a story to show about hacking. After that, a Q&A happened. They also talked about the features. And in 309 classroom, Mobile devices liberate education is being presented. They used statistics and they posed a FAQ and gave their opinion. They posed questions and gave their main opinions on the question to help the audience understand more about their topic. They used a timeline to show the different restraints the parents give. They stated that it was the users that determine whether technology corrupts them or not.

And for the last session, we have Basic Game Development. They first introduced about Games, whether online or not. They talked abou\t Games Opposition, by saying how it is important to the game. They mentioned Game Rewards, which would keep the player on the game. They then talked about how games require an engine to run. In classroom 308, Game Development theory is presented. They pose questions, and answer them. They introduce what defines a video game, and what makes games interesting. They are talking about how one should make a video game. Like choosing an audience to aim the video game is at, where the game should be published etc. And lastly, we have Tech Startups in 309 classroom. After talking about Tech Startups and going through the Powerpoint Slide, they played a video on why Facebook snatched Instagram.

After all the groups have presented their topics, they went back to the Learning Oasis and had a dialogue session with Mr Daniel Chee. He talked about the different engines used to run Games. Of course, we have students asking him for his opinion.  Mr Chee gave examples of games and the things he does. He also talked about how he got into the game industry. He talked about the amount of money involved in making a video game. After that, the students were dismissed.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Celebrations@SST- Evening event

9:34 AM Posted by Genevieve No comments
On the 8th of March, SST held its very third Celebrations@SST for the first time in the new campus. This year, we had a morning event for all students and teachers and a evening event for the award ceremony and the parents of the prize winners. The evening event started around 6pm. Parents started coming in and headed towards the Indoor Sports Hall (ISH)for the reception where they interact with other parents and the teachers.


The Peer Support Leaders(PSLs)were stationed along the way to usher the parents towards the ISH and in the ISH, there were more PSLs stationed at the food stations, helping to serve the parents, the teachers and the prize winners. Tables were set up in the middle of the hall for parents, teachers and prize winners.


Some parents and teachers were also standing around. Not long after, Mr Chua led the Guest of Honour to the ISH for the reception. After the reception, parents were ushered by the PSLs into the Multi Purpose Hall(MPH) for the award ceremony and the performances. By 7.30pm, most of the parents were seated in the hall, waiting for the GOH to arrive at the MPH.

The emcees announced the arrival of the GOH and everyone stood up to welcome him. Next, the emcees introduced Mr Chua Up on stage to give a speech on the school's progress. Following that, our GOH went on stage and gave a short speech. Then, we had a short prize ceremony for the excommittee of PforSST to thank them for all the things that they have done for us. After that, we had the prize ceremony for the student prize winners.
Mr Chua and the GOH


One by one, the students went up on stage to get receive their prize for the acheivements they had done last year. The last award, the mot Outstanding Student award goes to Kimberly Ong from S309. Mr Tan Hoe Teck gave a short speech about Kimberly and reasons why she got the Ost Outstanding award. Then, we had Kimberly herself to give a short speech. Then, we had the Chronicles of a SST Student, done by Celine Chee of S302.

The chronicles talked about Celine's life on SST up til now. In between, we had performances by Jee Hoon to show off his finger techniques, SST Drama Club for their own re-enactment of Steve Job's life, SST Show Choir and lastly, SST Dance Troop. All these performances recieved lots of applause from the parents, the teachers and all students present.




 After the performances, the emcees have a closing speech before the GOH left and the remaining parents and students slowly left the hall.

Pictures by Bing Jue and others
Article by Genevieve Foo

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Getting to know your new teachers - Miss Karen Ng

1:35 PM Posted by Zhi Chao No comments
1. Why did you choose to teach at SST?
As a Science teacher, it is exciting to be teaching in a school with the focus on Science and Technology. The liberty to plan and innovate lessons is one of the main reasons why I chose to be teaching in SST.

2. What are some of your past experiences as a teacher?
I have been teaching Upper Secondary Chemistry for 3 years. In the 3 years, I was fortunate to have the experience in teaching both 'N' and 'O' levels syllabus.

3. What do you think of SST so far? In terms of teaching methods, people, facilities?
The facilities available to the teachers and students in SST create an environment that promotes innovative teaching and learning. This allows teachers to explore various ways to teach. It is also heartening that teachers are sharing good practices to enhance students' learning. In SST, students are inquisitive and are willing to explore the different ways of learning.

4. How would you define "learning in a whole new way"?
Instead of the traditional "memorising" and "drill and practise", SST students are taught to understand and apply the concepts. Students learn how to solve problems and provide solutions.

5. What are some of your dislikes?
My pet peeve would be people who have bad attitude and like to waste time.

6. Can you tell us the most memorable thing that has happened in your teaching career?
When an ex-student wrote me a card telling me, how she changed from hating Chemistry to loving and appreciating Chemistry.

7. What are your expectations of the students? In terms of grades, learning attitude, etc?
Students with positive learning attitude will excel.

8. If you were able to go back in time, would you still have chosen to come to this school to teach?
Yes, definitely I would.

Getting to know your new teachers - Miss Evelyn Teo

9:06 AM Posted by Unknown No comments
Q) Why did you choose to come to SST?
A) Prior to joining SST, I was lecturing at National Institute of Education (NIE). At NIE, I was teaching trainee teachers, mainly on the use of inquiry in their lessons. My teaching experiences at NIE and as well as in Integrated Programme (IP) schools will certainly aid me in my teaching at SST.

Q) Is there anything you especially like about this school?
A) The small class size and the integration of ICT during curriculum time.

Q) Are you comfortable with SST’s different way of learning and teaching with an LD?
A) I am certainly comfortable and thrill with the use of LD at SST. I feel that LD is not only an useful device for learning by the students, it also allows students to gain new knowledge through the availability of information on the internet as well as collaboration with their peers with the use of various software and Google sites or groups.

Q) Is there anything you think the school can improve on?
A) The school can have more collaboration between the stakeholders like the community and the parents.
   
Q) Do you think the new campus this year provides a conducive learning environment?
A) The new campus certainly provides a conducive learning environment with the availability of air-conditioned classrooms and the well-equipped laboratories specially catered for the different sciences.

Q) How do you usually teach?
A) I usually teach with the use of LD and student-centered activities. I feel that pedagogy used in teaching must value-add students in their learning.  

Q) Do you think anything can be done so that learning can be done more efficiently?
A) Instructions for any activities must be clear and disseminated at the beginning. Students must also do their part in order for learning to be efficient.

Q) Where do you think is a good learning environment in SST, other than the classrooms?
A) Lecture theatres, various science laboratories, the ecogarden and ecopond.

Q) What applied subjects in SST are you interested in and why?
A) Biotechnology and Environmental Science. These two subjects are only unique to SST and it is a collaboration between Ngee Ann Polytechnic and SST. With the knowledge and skills gained for the two subjects, it will give SST students an edge over others in their pursue of higher education and careers in the future.

Q) Do you think the school is on the correct path to achieve its mission, which is ‘To Develop World-ready and Future-looking Leaders through Innovative Technology and Applied Learning.’ ?
A) With the well-planned curriculum and the implementation of new initiatives, it is on the correct path to achieve its mission.

Q) How long have you been teaching and where were you teaching before coming to SST?
A) I have been teaching for more than 12 years. I was teaching at mainstream schools for the first six years and thereafter an IP school. I was lecturing at NIE before coming to SST.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Getting to know your teachers - Mr. Liu Yi Jie

12:25 AM Posted by Unknown No comments
Among the new batch of teachers joining the SST family in 2012 was Mr. Liu Yi Jie. He used to teach at River Valley High School before his journey in SST begun. Here's more about him!

Q: Why did you choose to join SST?  
SST offered me the platform to explore teaching using ICT resources, which was something which I have been trying to develop and work upon in my previous school.

Q: As of now, how do you find SST? 
I'm lucky to be taking the good classes. The students I see are very motivated and outspoken, and ironically, most of them have the attitude to blossom in an IP school environment. The environment is small and cosy, and colleagues are always willing to help each other out.

Q: What is your opinion on the integration of ICT in our learning? 
So far, there are different views among different teachers regarding how ICT should be appropriately integrated into students' learning. There seems to be no right / wrong answer as of yet. Ultimately, when you students graduate as the first batch of SST "O" level students, your results will be the best reflection on how successful the integration was.

Q: Tell us more about your family?
My dog stays with my mum and grandmother, while I stay with my wife. I have a younger brother who is currently serving in MFA.

Q: What did you do before you started teaching?
Give tuition, go for training, do tutorials. In other words, a university education.

Q: Tell us more about your education career (Inspiration, where you taught)
No inspiring / happy story here. Teachers from my secondary school were fairly straightforward in their teaching. When I started, I actually promised myself that I will not be as dull as some of them. I previously taught in Assumption English School as a contract teacher for 6 months. The students there exposed me to a whole different environment, and 6 months have now stretched into 6 years. 

Q: What are your hobbies?
Sports / riding my motorcycle / spending time with my dog

Q: What were some of your childhood dreams?
To play in the NBA.

Q: What sort of music do you fancy?
Hip hop / reggae / heavy metal / rock. Current song put on repeat is Fun's "We Are Young"

Fun: We are young
 
Q: What are the expectations do you have for your students?
Used to be results. But now, results are a given. I hope that all students grow up to be good and sensible people whom I can be proud to say that I have taught.

Q: Do you like to travel? If so, what countries do you specially like?
Yes I do. Quiet and scenic countries with few tourist traps e.g. Hokkaido, Tasmania etc

Monday, February 20, 2012

Getting to know your new teachers - Miss Magdelene Sng

4:10 PM Posted by Cherin No comments


In the new school year, a batch of new teachers have entered SST and be part of the SST family. However, what are their thoughts about us? 
So here is an interview segment with two of our new teachers, Mr Yeo and Miss Sng. 


Miss Magdelene Sng has joined SST as an English Language teacher. Her hobbies includes running, rollerblading and surfing the net. She enjoys having a chat over a cup of coffee with her friends.


Q: What is your opinion of SST students compared to other previous(if any) school's students?


Ms Sng: Students here are definitely more tech-savvy. They are also more well-behaved and innocent and there is not as much discipline cases as the schools I have seen previously. However, I find that students are not as resilient as many of them are sheltered heavily.


Q: What made you join teaching as your career?


Ms Sng: Before I came to teach, I spent a lot of time working in the corporate sector and there was once I have to rush a project overnight and went to sleep at 8 in the morning yet I have to get back at 12 noon. It was a lot of time spent and I might as well spend the same time on living things(human beings) like teaching. It's more meaningful that way.


Q: How do you feel about being in a new school with a different kind of learning experience?
    Ms Sng: It feels too good to be true! I knew that I have a lot to learn here and has been eagerly attending loads of workshops.


    Q:  Has SST students impacted you in any way? Please share your experience(s).


    Ms Sng: I feel motivated to teach again, and students here really want to learn and are willing to give more. I feel passionate about teaching again.

    Ms Sng currently has a Degree in English Language and Socialogy. She has also completed NIE training.

    Sunday, February 19, 2012

    Getting to know your new teachers - Mr Teoh

    1:52 PM Posted by YLBOICE No comments
    Mr Teoh is one of the new teachers that had recently joined the SST family. He teaches Chemistry. Before coming to SST, he has done research work. 
    So here's more about him!


    Q: Can you do a brief introduction about yourself?



    Mr Teoh: I graduated from NUS Department of Chemistry and did my research paper in NUS as well as in Eindhoven University of Technology in The Netherlands. 


    Q: What do you like to do during your free time?


    Mr Teoh: I read, played badminton and watch movies during my free time. I enjoyed traveling and exploring new places.

    Q:What makes you want to teach in SST?


    Mr Teoh: The reason I chose SST was because of the new environment. A new way of teaching and learning, the classroom size, the students, and of course the new campus makes it all exciting to be in. It is always a privilege and an honor to be one of the teachers in a new school. I can experience the transformation which takes place and it is really dynamic. 

    Q: What's the difference between teaching in SST and in your previous school?

    Mr Teoh: I enjoy the different way of teaching and learning, the classroom size as well as the students.

    Q: What was your first impression of SST students?


    Mr Teoh: They are very polite. 

    Q: What do you think about the enormous new campus?


    Mr Teoh: The new campus is very impressive. There are a lot of facilities which the community can tap such as the huge Indoor Sports Hall, the Lecture Theatre, Auditorium and the Science Labs. It is also very tiring to move in such a huge campus. =) 

    Q: Do you think students having the learning device would make them learn better?


    Mr Teoh: Not necessarily. 

    With learning devices and internet, the whole learning experience had changed. Teachers are no longer the only person who provides the students with information. The internet such as google, wikipedia, yahoo answer, blogs and youtube are platforms where students search for more information. And if the students just take the time to read a little more, they will be "smarter" than the teachers in term of information.

    On the other side, this also makes the student a "reluctant thinker". They expect to know the answer immediately and no longer think or organize their thoughts in an orderly manner. Information is everywhere. This is where the teacher comes in to "facilitate the learning and thinking". 

    However, the learning device has help tremendously in the daily teaching and learning. But learning devices do not necessarily make the students a better learner. 

    Q: How has your teaching experience been so far in SST?

    Mr Teoh: So far, my teaching experience in SST has been positive. I have more attention for my students and they are "closer" to me thanks to the classroom size and Facebook. The school has really made an effort to forge a strong relationship between teacher and students. 

    Q: Is there any particular student or class that has left a deep impression?

    Mr Teoh: Not at the moment. I'm still getting to know my students better. In general, most of the students are wonderful. 

    Q: What’s your new year resolution for your classes or personally?

    Mr Teoh: My new year resolution is to read more, learn more, and relax more.

    Getting to know your new teachers - Mr Thomas Yeo

    12:10 AM Posted by sandy No comments
    In the new school year, a batch of new teachers have entered SST and be part of the SST family. However, what are their thoughts about us? 
    So here is an interview segment with two of our new teachers, Mr Yeo and Miss Sng. 


    Mr Thomas Yeo has joined the SST family as a math teacher and is also a teacher mentor for Media Club CCA. He has taught perviously in schools like Woodlands Secondary. He plays computer games(PS3 and Xbox) and board games in his free time.

    Q: How do you find SST so far?


    Mr Yeo: I find it fun. Students here are very vocal and like to ask a lot of questions. I have realised I knew so little compared to the students and I'm still learning from them. They have impacted me positvely.


    Q:  What made you decide to come to SST/teach students?


    Mr Yeo: I was attracted to the tech-savvy environment like the learning devices as I am a tech-savvy person myself so I like to use technology to teach.


    Q: As a teacher, what are your qualifications?


    Mr Yeo: I have a degree in Computer Engineering and also a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education.


    Q: What kind of qualities do you want to find in students?


    Mr Yeo: I feel that students must be able to be willing to learn and willing to try. They also have to put in effort in whatever they do.


    Mr Yeo has also claimed himself as a shopaholic and have more clothes and shoes than his wife!

    Saturday, February 18, 2012

    Congratulations NEMation!

    8:25 PM Posted by Justin Potato No comments
    Recently, the results for NEMation, an annual animation competition, were announced at West ITE. A total of 13 student supporters had went to the event to support SST's team: Dreamation. Dreamation had got into the top 10 of NEMation 6, and were now competing for first place. After a long period of hard work and waiting, the results were released and Dreamation achieved Second Place!





    Dreamation comprised of four students: Kok Yin (Leader), Jing Heng, Ren Chang, Celine.
    NEMation had the students working hard during the December Holidays on their final product, and when it was finally released, voting begun.
    SST students encouraged each other to vote for Dreamation, and at the end Dreamation managed to snag second place!



    Being their first time animating and the school's first team to get into the top 10, they were overwhelmed with excitement.
    Interview with Leader of Dreamation, Kok Yin:

    1. How do you feel about winning the place of 1st runner up?
    Kind of disappointing as we wished to aim for the first place but I am also happy. For a
    small school like us, to be able to get 1st runner up right when we participated for the first
    time ever. LOLOL.

    2. What were your thoughts before the results were announced?
    When we knew that we were either champions or 1st runner up, I was trembling. Super
    nervous. I walked forward slowly and had to take deep breaths in order to stop myself from
    shaking.

    3. Is there anything that you guys feel that you could have done better or improved on?
    Our art. I feel that our art isnʼt as nice. If we drew it nicer, we could have won

    4. Would you join N.E.Mation 7 this year?
    Yes if I am able to find a team

    Once again, Congratulations to Dreamation for achieving 1st runner up in the competition. And also, congratulations to the other schools who have worked equally hard on their animation projects.
    Here is a link, to the results video: Results Video!

    Wednesday, January 25, 2012

    Chinese New Year 2012

    10:47 PM Posted by Unknown No comments
    On the 20th of January, SST celebrated it's first Lunar New Year in the new campus! Students were invited to wear red for the day to mark the yearly occasion. The day started of normal, with the main difference being the sea of red in the hall instead of the usual blue. Classes resumed as usual, until the real celebration began during assembly. 


    At about 11 am, students were streaming into the hall, excitedly awaiting the start of the concert. Soon, the concert began. The curtains opened, and the audience were treated to spectacular renditions of Chinese New Year songs by the guitar ensemble. Led by their conductor, they certainly brought the concert to a great start. 


    Carol Chen performing
    Following which, Carol Chen from S3-09, performed a traditional Chinese song famous in China called 大地飞歌. The song started off with a technical glitch, but nonetheless, after it was resolved, Carol still brought a inspiring song. When asked why she selected that song, she responded, "因为我觉得这种歌是在中国很出名,也很流行。然后每一个名族的歌手都很希望以这首歌来出名,因为这首歌很高难度。之前我也学过大概几年的(类似),然后我觉得我可以handle了啦,这首歌,所以我就选者了这首歌。" In other words, she decided to sing this song as it is very famous and popular in China. As the song is rather difficult to sing, many singers use this song to make their mark. As she has learnt many related songs in the past few years, she feels that she can handle it well. When asked about her Lunar New Year wishes for the teachers and students, she responded, "老师可以工作顺利,同学可以学业进步吧." In other words, she wishes that the teachers would not have many problems in their job, and that the students continue to improve in their studies. 


    Following that performance, the finalist team of the N.E-mation competition gave a presentation regarding their entry, hoping that out fellow SST students will vote for their entry. To vote, simply visit http://nemation.sg for more details.Their presentation brought lots of laughs to the audience. 
    Kok Yin and Celine presenting for their N.E-mation entry
    After that, the wushu CCA honed their skills with a spectacular and intense display of martial arts. They certainly kept the audience at the edge of their seats with their use of swords and weapons. When asked how he felt about this year's celebration, Preston from S3-08 and also from the Wushu CCA responded that, "I feel that it was a major success, all of the events that were planned for the celebration went very well, and the audience were great - they were very supportive. " He also reminds SST students to study harder and at the same time, make sure that they have better health. 


    Wushu Performance
    Following the wushu display, the students were into another treat of vocal talent. The SST Show Choir performed a re-written version of Gong Xi Fa Cai. The innovative twist to the song was definitely a refreshing change to the traditional song. 
    Show Choir Performance
    Following the Show Choir performance was one of the highlights of the show. The lion dance had begun. The loud noises accompanying the 2 lions and a man in a costume certainly wowed everyone, especially when they were on the floor interacting with the audience. It certainly brought the festive feeling up to another level! 
    Photobucket
    Lion Dance

    Lions "playing" with students
    Soon, the lion dance ended and that marked the end of the celebration. Ms. Alice Lim, the organizer of this event, feels that this performance is "refreshing apart from last year because we have a rather short time to prepare but everything actually come together very nicely. All the performance, the performers all put in their best effort and put on a brilliant show." When asked about her New Year wishes for SST Students and teachers, she responded, "I wish SST students and staff a happy Chinese new year, may all the wishes come true."


    Overall, this celebration had been a spectacular one and with the lack of time the school had, considering how early the lunar new year is this year and our move to the new campus, it certainly made this celebration a much more impressive one. All of us, students and teachers had fun this celebration, and it was a great one to mark the first ever lunar new year celebration in our new campus. Congratulations to all involved in the celebration for the hard work put in! You certainly had outdone yourselves!

    Students enjoying themselves watching performances
    Written by Lee YuChong
    Photos by Reuven Lim and Issac Lim
    Vetted by Cherin Tan

    Saturday, January 21, 2012

    Monday, January 16, 2012

    CCA Fair 2012

    3:59 PM Posted by Keming No comments

      The SST CCA fair takes place once a year. It is an event where the Secondary 1 students of SST choose the CCA (Co-Curricular Activity) which they want to join. The Secondary 2 and 3 students, who already are in their respective CCAs, demonstrate and show what happens in their own CCAs and persuade the Secondary 1 juniors to join their CCA.



    There all sorts of CCAs for the Secondary 1 students to choose from, ranging from Robotics to Taekwondo. The students and teachers of the different CCAs set up booths to promote and show off their CCAs in order to entice the juniors to join the CCA of their interest. Set-up began around 2 and the CCA fair officially begun at 2.30. Even during the set-up time, many Secondary 1 students had begun streaming into the Indoor Sports Hall (ISH) to take a look at the many different CCAs on display.


    The Robotics' Club form of advertisement.

    When the fair officially began, Secondary 2 and 3 students went around the ISH with their different methods of advertisement. The Robotics CCA had their very own remote-controlled robot going around the ISH and advertising the CCA. The students in the Taekwondo CCA sparred with one another in order to demonstrate what goes on in their CCA. Each CCA booth attracted groups of juniors to learn more about the different types of CCA in SST and to help them with their choice of CCA. Some CCAs went around with banners and displays promoting their CCA, and others went around giving out flyers advertising the various CCAs.


    Members of the Taekwondo CCA spar with each other.
    In the end, the juniors got an idea of what goes on during CCAs in SST and also had a better idea of which CCA they would join. Many seniors had shouted themselves hoarse at the end of the day in order to get the attention of the juniors amidst all the noise during the CCA fair.


    Written by Tan Keming
    Photos by Issac Lim
    Vetted by Cherin Tan

    Wednesday, January 11, 2012

    SST Orientation

    12:14 AM Posted by Abu Ubaidah No comments
    SST Orientation
    -by Abu Ubaidah


    The orientation programme 2012 for the Secondary 1 students was a great success. Students from different backgrounds come together to experience a new environment, that is, the new site of SST. Very exciting activities were carried out throughout the course of the orientation to bond, nurture values of SST and shape the students to their new learning environment. But let's take a look at the highlights of the whole orientation programme which made it a very pleasant experience for all the Secondary 1 students.

    For the first day of orientation, obviously, Ice-breaking games were held out. These games helped classmates familiarize themselves with each other and overcome obstacles as a class. Students also named their classes and came up with a class cheer. They were also taught some cheers which were constructed by some of the Secondary 3 students and they displayed strong spirit and strength with the unity of their cheers.


    The second day of orientation was focussed mainly on SST values such as the 10 Cs and what it meant to be an SST student. They had an SST Race, which was like an amazing race between classes to familiarize the new student body to SST. After that, they were briefed on the Concert @SST and Badge Ceremony and started rehearsing. After all, these two events were to be showcased to the parents of Secondary 1 SST Students. 
    The third day of orientation was packed with games and activities. After the flag raising ceremony, a few energizing games were held out and Secondary 1 students set off to West Coast Park for a fun-filled race with some obstacles that they had to pass. Wet and dry games were held out and the purpose of all these activities was for the students to bond and get to know each other and have fun while going through the process, essentially.
    The last day of the orientation programme consisted of the Secondary 1s constructing "Thank You" cards for their parents and preparations for the long awaited Badge Ceremony and Concert @ SST. After twilight, it finally begun. Students were presented with SST collar-pins/badges by our very own principal, Mr Chua Chor Huat, symbolizing their arrival to the SST community. Looks of awe were given by parents as students gathered for the final moment, as the Secondary 1s cheered with unwavering spirit as a batch of SST Students in unison. Much more happiness was received afterwards, especially from parents, who were teary eyed upon receiving "Thank You" cards from their children.

    The orientation programme was very well planned and surprisingly, it was planned and mapped out by solely the Peer-Support-Leader(PSL) community of SST, not comprising of too much. This dedicated bunch of students made the orientation a success and their dedication to the whole event throughout the holidays is indeed admirable.


    Friday, January 6, 2012

    SST Ceremonial Move

    1:04 AM Posted by Unknown No comments
    With the start of the new year, SST students have one more thing to look forward to - a new campus. 3rd January 2012 marks the first day SST students will have their lessons in the new, permanent campus at 1 Technology Drive, and is also the day where we welcome new students and teachers to the SST family! Such important events have to be celebrated and that was exactly what the day was dedicated to. 

    The day started off with anxious students meeting their classmates for the first time, at the atrium at the morning. Then, the flag raising ceremony began, with a 600 strong student body singing the national anthem and saying the pledge with pride. Mr. Chua, the principal, then addressed the students and gave a welcome speech, encouraging the student body to work harder. Following which, the Peer Support Leaders(PSL) involved the students and taught them 2 cheers, entitled 'SST Cheer' and 'SST Dynamite'. It wasn't before long that it was time to go up to class, to get to better know our form teachers and for the Year 1 and 3s, our new classmates.
    Students paying attention to the speech by Mr. Chua
    At 9, after class, the Year 1 students had their mass cheer session in the field, where they spent a good 50 minutes cheering and playing games with their fellow PSLs. The Year 2 and 3 students were not going to let the Year 1 students have all the fun! During the mass cheer session, the Year 2 and 3 students had their recess, where they spent time bonding with their new classmates. Before long, it was time to gather in the hall for the Formal Ceremonial Celebration.

    Mass Cheer session
    The Formal Ceremonial Celebration could very well be said to be the most exciting event of the day. Firstly, the Guest of Honor for this event is Mrs. Edelweiss Neo, the West Cluster Superintendent, arrived, and gave a speech, about our school's outstanding achievements and our unique education system. Formalities aside, the celebrations began.

    Mr. Chua leading the GOH to the hall
    SST Staff watching the ceremony attentively
    A photo montage was shown of a compilation of photos from the temporary campus, relieving the memories of the campus in everyone's minds. Following which, a long anticipated event, was going to happen. SST's school flag was unveiled! At that very moment, S2-09 of year 2011 performed a cheer, with S2-02 of year 2011 going afterwards. The end of the cheers marked the end of the Formal Ceremonial Celebrations.


    SST School Flag
    Students enjoying the ceremonial items
    While everyone were enjoying the celebrations, another event was taking place in the school. In the indoor sports hall, food was being packed by the Service Learning Co-ordinators. The food was collected during the December holidays by student volunteers, and packed for 'Food for the Heart'. We, as students, should always remember to give back to the community and the drive is a great way for doing so.

    SL Co-ordinators packing the food
    Overall, the first day of school at SST has been a meaningful one, with events ranging from the celebration of our school to giving back to the community. 3 January 2012 is a day to be remembered by all students, teachers and staff of SST. Kudos to people who put in tremendous effort to make the event possible!

    Written by
    Lee YuChong