Issue 1 / Jul 2020
THE BROOKSIAN TIMES Latest news from Northbrooks Secondary
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE By Mr Nick Chan
Dear parents and the Northbrooks community, 'Every Brooksian a Champion, Impacting the Community'. This was Northbrooks’ vision when we welcomed our inaugural Secondary 1 batch in 2000. In the blink of an eye, 20 years have passed and the school celebrates two decades of providing a student-centric, values driven and holistic education for all our students. Indeed, Northbrooks has much to celebrate. Our Class of 2019 graduates have done well and are pursuing their next phase of life confidently. Our teachers have also earned recognition for the quality work they have put in. Last year, Mr Ramasamy Venugopal (SH Design & Technology) was a winner of
the Outstanding STEM Teacher Award and Physical Education teacher Mr Sanjay Radakrishna was a recipient of the Singapore Coach Medallion. We are also proud of Mr Alex Ang (SH Student Leadership & Outdoor Education), who is a finalist of this year’s Outstanding Youth in Education Award.
school premises clean and safe. With many school activities suspended or cancelled, the schooling experience for our Brooksians has been altered to some extent. Nevertheless, our teachers have leveraged opportunities for teachable moments arising from Covid19. Our students have also shown their appreciation towards frontline, essential and migrant workers throughout this period of time too. You can read more about the school’s efforts in handling Covid-19 and full home-based learning on pages 3 and 4.
The school has also witnessed growth in several ways. In terms of student enrolment, we have added another Secondary 1 class this year compared to 2019. After a year-long wait, the school can now use our newly-constructed Indoor Sports Hall. You can read more about the ISH on page 2. We are also Finally, as we approach Singapore’s grateful that *Dr T. Chandroo has agreed birthday next month, let us draw to be of our school’s first patron. inspiration from one of our Secondary 3 students, Cindy Lim (below). She was Amid our school's 20th anniversary once a stateless individual and had to celebration, 2020 has also proven to be overcome many hardships before challenging due to the Covid-19 obtaining her much-treasured pandemic. Nevertheless, it has been Singapore citizenship three years ago. heartening to see Team Northbrooks coming together to overcome these As the nation pushes on in its fight unprecedented times. I am encouraged against Covid-19, here’s wishing you a by the professionalism among staff in Happy National Day in advance. Let us carrying out instructions and continue to persevere and emerge precautionary measures effectively. Our stronger and more resilient as a result. EAS team and cleaners have also been working tirelessly to keep the Thank you. Soaring Yet Rooted!
FACES OF NORTHBROOKS Bringing you closer to
Cindy Lim By Chloe Angela Sanchez Jaucian (3G)
Growing up, Cindy Lim's (3E) childhood was unlike many of her Singaporean peers. While they worried mainly about their studies, Cindy and her parents worried about how they would pay her school fees. Cindy’s situation was due to the fact that she was stateless. Though she was born here, she was not recognised as a citizen of Singapore at birth. Cindy’s mother is an Indonesian on a long-term pass while her father was stateless himself because he had renounced his Malaysian citizenship. He was also not a Singaporean as he did not enlist for national service. “I had feelings of anger, sadness and confusion. I was angry at the fact that I
Please treasure your citizenship as it does not come easy for some people. was born and raised in Singapore my whole life yet I wasn’t a Singaporean.” These feelings became even more prominent when she realised how different things were for her in
comparison to her peers. While their red passports meant they could enter or leave the country easily, Cindy’s green ‘passport’ only certified her identity. She would usually have to spend at least an hour at the immigration office before she could travel overseas. Cindy and her family’s biggest worries were, however, related to their finances. Her parents had to pay more for her Continued on page 4.
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The Brooksian Times / Issue 1 / Jul 2020
@ NORTHBROOKS
HIGHLIGHTS COMPLETION OF INDOOR SPORTS HALL (10 JAN)
After a year-long construction, our school's brand-new Indoor Sports Hall (ISH) finally opened its doors to the school community on January 10. Built over the site of the old basketball court, the two-storey ISH features a newly-refurbished basketball court at Level 1 while Level 2 has courts marked out for basketball, volleyball and badminton.
CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION (23 JAN)
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (2 JAN)
Brooksians turn the school hall into a sea of blue, yellow and orange balloons as they usher in the new school year. The balloons signified the students' hopes and dreams for the year ahead. Candice Neo Ler Xuan (1G) marvelled, "I think the balloon activity lit up my first day of secondary school. It made me feel like I was not alone. I had fun."
RECYCLATRON (15 JAN)
4G students are all smiles after collecting recyclables from Yishun residents and sharing the Go Green message with them. "This year’s Recyclatron was the best ever. My friends and I worked well together and we were able to convince a lot of families to pledge towards making a difference to the environment, "said Tran Khoi Nguyen (4G).
The ISH consists of several 'green' features too. For example, the timber frame forming the celiling is aimed at reducing heat build-up in the afternoon. Pai Kah Seng (2I) said he enjoys using the ISH's basketball court. "With the ISH, more students can now play basketball in school at the same time," he effused.
2G students proudly display their class' Chinese doll head during the school's CNY celebration. "The challenge we faced was to find the right day for everyone to create the doll. Despite this difficulty, we were still able to win (the inter-class competition) and I feel good because I know all our efforts did not go to waste,” said Class Chairperson Muhammad Afiq Bin Samat.
CHINGAY (31 JAN & 1 FEB)
Members of the 41-strong Northbrooks contingent pose for a photo at the Chingay 2020 parade. They formed the largest school contingent at the event. "My Chingay experience was exhilarating. I bonded with my friends and got to know people from other schools and organisations,” said Sheila Sim Yee En (2F).
ELECTIVE MODULES (10 - 13 MAR)
Sheikh Faiz Ibni Mohamed (4T, L) and Ng Kah Wee (4E, R) work together to create a dish as part of the culinary elective module. "I learnt that it is not just about cooking but also about responsibility and hard work to make an appetising and delicious dish. I was able to pick up many different skills from the chefs who taught us," said Faiz.
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The Brooksian Times / Issue 1 / Jul 2020
MANAGING The Brooksian Way
C ViD-19 2
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A group of student representatives from 1T1 deliver care packages made by the class to representatives from Tan Tock Seng Hospital. To get ready for full home-based learning, students collect laptops and wifi routers from school staff.
K. Thayalan of 4E passes a gratitude board from his class to the school dentists to thank them for their hard work amid Covid-19. 5G students Bellamy Tan (L) and Maximus Koh assemble masks under the guidance of Mr Shahrin Mansor (centre) in the Makerspace Lab. 2E students Jan Diether Ian Idagdag Sibonga (L) and Eric Nussy perform the wipe-down routine after recess.
ACT OF GRACIOUSNESS
Featuring Jolene Koh (2I)
By Jazmine Claire Balancio Macapagal (3F)
When a call came in February for volunteers to distribute masks to residents living near Northbrooks, Jolene Koh Kai Ting (2I) answered the call without hesitation. She felt it was a good activity to participate in and wanted to play her part to keep the residents wellprotected from the Covid-19 virus.
example, some residents could not speak any of the languages Jolene understood. To overcome this difficulty, she turned to Google Translate and hand gestures to get her message across.
This wasn't Jolene's first experience with volunteerism. She has had past experiences working with organisations As part of the distribution team, she such as Minds. She also expressed that if spent about 10 hours over two days she could volunteer again, she would packing masks. When residents showed bring along her friends and teachers for up to pick up their masks, she had to the meaningful experience. check their identity cards to record their collection based on their block and unit Jolene explained, "I had fun and found number. volunteering meaningful. I would encourage everyone to try volunteering. She did encounter some difficulties Not only will it benefit the community, it during her volunteering stint. For enriches our lives!"
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The Brooksian Times / Issue 1 / Jul 2020
What Say You?
My FHBL experience was fulfilling and I am glad to have had the chance to experience it! During FHBL, I managed to do my work at my own pace. I made sure I had my day planned out in the morning. I also managed to relax while playing games with my friends online. There is no denying that the Yeo Wen Han feeling of knowing there was no school the next (3G) day made me feel more calm and less worried.
By Nur Aisyah Batrisyia Bte Salimi, Nurfalisha Adryna Bte Heriady & Sabrina Bte Amirul Haque (2G)
HOW WAS YOUR FULL HOME-BASED LEARNING (FHBL) EXPERIENCE? The FHBL period was an exciting experience for me. I am proud to see how many Brooksians have adapted, grown and become more tech-savvy. Many have shown their ability to learn anywhere and anytime. The champion learning mindset has also been exhibited by many students as they displayed tenacity and perseverance in picking up new Infocomm and Technology (ICT) skills and continue with a new mode of learning. As a subject teacher, I was presented with unique opportunities to think about how I could integrate technology into lessons effectively in a distance learning setting.
The FHBL period was difficult as I didn’t learn effectively at home compared to from my teachers in a classroom setting. However, I managed to complete the lesson packages and also gained a better understanding of the topics that were new to me. I feel that lessons via Zoom were really helpful as I was able to ask my teachers questions and I also got to see my friends.
Mr William Chan Head of Department (ICT)
One main consideration I had was ensuring that learning continued to take place without increasing student anxiety during the uncertain period. I was also excited and motivated to see many colleagues putting in the extra effort to learn more about new ICT tools that allowed them to design interesting and engaging activities for their students. I am glad to be able to play a part in supporting the teachers by providing suitable resources and conducting ICT sharing sessions that allowed teachers to learn from one other. The enthusiasm demonstrated by the teachers in wanting to learn and share more about ICT has made me understand what it means to be part of this Northbrooks family.
Reyniery Maulana (1T1)
FHBL was a relaxing experience for me as most of the assignments were due by the end of the day and I was able to listen to music while doing my work. My classmates and I had an interesting escape room assignment which was really fun! I am also very proud that I have learnt how to play the guitar.
Learning through the screen was something very new to me. I struggled during the first few days of FHBL as I had issues submitting the assignments on time. I was not used to the new norm. However, I slowly started to adapt to the changes and I finally managed to submit my assignments punctually.
FACES OF NORTHBROOKS: CINDY LIM Continued from page 1.
her school fees and doctor visits as she was not a citizen. They were also not eligible for public housing and she spent her growing up years shifting from one rented room to another. Things took a turn for the worse when her father fell ill and eventually passed away in 2015. However, through the goodwill of relatives, friends and volunteer organisations, her family got by.
COMING SOON!
Domingo Guen (4D)
"My parents went to court many times to try and get my citizenship but got rejected many times. I also felt sad when they had to pay more for school and doctor visits. It was a hard time as my father was really ill at that time. It was difficult to cope with everything," recalled Cindy. Thankfully, Cindy was finally granted citizenship when she was 12. This has helped pave the way for a better life in
Natasha Tan (2G)
Singapore. For example, Cindy is now living in a public rental flat. "Even though we are renting our home, I am glad to have an entire place to call my own." The experience of being stateless has also taught her to never give up on what she wants and to treasure the things she has. It has also shown her how precious citizenship is. Cindy implored, “It was not fun being left out. Please treasure your citizenship as it does not come easy for some people.”
EAGOR says ... I'm glad to be back in school! I miss seeing my friends!
CREDITS
Editors Mrs Carolyn Leong Mrs Cinda Toh Mr Gavin Ler Mrs Jasvindar S. Singh Mr Mohamed Finosh Khan Ishak Ms Sangeeta Tamilarasan Mrs Wright Yi Na Student Contributors Ahmad Mikhail Rauff (3G) Tham Si En (3G) Yohannce Tan Sy (3G) Photography Mr Muhammad Khairi
CONNECT WITH US!
*Footnote: Dr. T. Chandroo is the Chairman/ CEO of Modern Montessori Intl and also Chairman of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry .
www.northbrookssec.moe.edu.sg
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