2021 School Events

First Day OF SCHOOL

After a year of grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic, the school population returned to the school with hesitant anticipation, with the Sec 2s, 3s and 4s eager to reunite with their peers and new Sec 1s looking forward to what is in store for them in this new environment. Even though the first day of school this year was more muted compared to previous years, the spirits of the students were hardly dampened. In class, the activities conducted focused mainly on students’ physical and emotional well-being, with peer support leaders being introduced to be a greater source of support to the student body.

SECONDARY ONE Orientation

This year, the school welcomed a bumper crop of Secondary 1 students. Although the orientation activities were largely carried out in the classrooms, teachers and student councillors put in much effort to expose apprehensive Sec 1s to the lively and caring Bendemeerian culture. Meal times possessed an element of surprise as teachers and students obtained the rare glimpse of one another’s full faces. The students also tried their hands at various sports and performing arts during the CCA trials, which allowed many of the Sec 1s to discover new interests and strengths.

Chinese NewYear

CELEBRATIONS

The Chinese New Year celebrations this year took place within the individual classrooms. The school population was treated, via Zoom, to an array of stunning performances by the Performing Arts CCA groups, namely, Dance, Choir, Wushu and Band. Students also obtained a glimpse of how Chinese calligraphy and Chinese painting is done. The highlight of the day was when our very own Bendemeer God of Fortune, accompanied by celebratory sounds, went on his rounds to bless the various classes, much to the delight of Bendemeerians.

Speech Day & Prize-giving Presentation

Bendemeer Secondary School’s Speech Day and Prizegiving Presentation was held on 16th April 2021. We celebrated the achievements of staff and students and witnessed the Student Council Central Executive Committee of 2020-2021 hand the reins to the Student Council Central Executive Committee of 2021-2022 during the Student Leadership Investiture.

National Day

This year’s National Day theme, Together, Our Singapore Spirit, evokes our common Singapore identity and Singaporeans coming together as one united people. It calls on Singaporeans to draw new strength from our ‘cando’ spirit, amidst challenging circumstances from COVID-19 and potential disruptions in the new decade. We look to reinvigorate the Singapore Spirit - encouraging Singaporeans to embrace a ‘dare-to-try’ attitude and reinvent to overturn our natural and geographical constraints.

Elective Modules

In Bendemeer, Elective Modules (EM) are offered to all Normal Academic (NA) and Normal Technical (NT) students. The EMs are structured such that they “educate” by allowing the students to apply what they have learnt, “encourage” by allowing the students to have a choice to choose what they want to attend and “empower” by allowing students to “learn by doing” through learning experiences. The EMs help students to extend their academic learning, expose them to Science and Technology related courses and widen their knowledge of the various career paths in various industries to prepare them for postsecondary education. This year the Sec 2s enjoyed 4 days of fun filled and enriched learning going through the Young Baker, Maker as Entrepreneur, Maker in Product Design or Digital Animation modules. Through the hands-on experience and interaction with the experts from the various industry, the Sec 2 normal course students got to extend their learning beyond the classroom and connect their academic knowledge with skills in real life situations. The Sec 4 students were also given a chance to have an enriching experience either with doing car maintenance in the Automotive module, fying a drone in the Engineering in Drones Technology module, setting up a dinner table in the Hospitality in F&B and Hotel Industry module or trying out their nursing skills in the Pharmaceutical and Health Care module. The EMs are used as a precursor and provide insights into the different pathways the students can embark on in post-secondary institutions.

Teachers'Day

CELEBRATIONS

This year’s Teachers’ Day Celebrations, although still held in the individual classrooms, did not hamper students’ creativity and efforts in showing appreciation for their teachers’ year(s)-long sacrifices. The teachers were also treated to a High-Tea set from Grand Park City Hall Hotel.

ASE

PROGRAMME

The After School Engagement (ASE) Programme aims to: • Provide a safe space for students to participate in meaningful self-directed learning and activities after curriculum hours • Enhance students’ positive school experience by strengthening teacher- student relationship and peer relationship • Provide opportunities for students to acquire new skills and knowledge

The school has adopted a proactive approach to engage a target group of students in the ASE programme after school hours. An external youth worker with a team of 3 teachers and the school counsellor assist in coordinating the activities conducted during the programme which runs from Monday to Thursday between 2.30pm and 5.30pm. The activities for the ASE programme can be categorised into 4 broad areas, aimed mainly at equipping the students with leadership and social skills. They are: 1) Appreciation for others, 2) Sports & Games, 3) Visual Arts and 4) Self-exploration Some of the activities that have been conducted are: • Appreciating non-teaching staff in the school by making Thank-

You cards • Teachers’ Day appreciation - the students did a recording of their singing performance and dedicated it to their teachers during the Teachers’ Day celebrations • Making waffes and sandwiches for teachers • Tennis • Badminton • Tchoukball • Nature Walk • Bowling • Painting • Terrarium workshop • Study skills • Presentation skills • Photo booth for Friendship Day • Origami

The Purple Parade

This year, Bendemeer Secondary School displayed support for The Purple Parade movement - a unifying national platform to promote awareness and celebrate abilities of Persons with Disabilities. The core of The Purple Parade movement is to ensure that Persons with Disabilities are included in the main chapter of Singapore’s growth and have equal access to education, employment, transport and social networks. The spirit of the movement seeks for Persons with Disabilities to be fully included, valued and celebrated in our country.