Unity Sec Term 2 Newsletter (2023)

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Unity Secondary School Termly Newsletter

Featured inside Awards Day (p.10) Unity Council Handover Ceremony & CCA Leaders Appointment Ceremony (p.18) Unity Young Writers Festival (p.22) Leadership Learning Week (p.27)

As part of the Applied Learning Programme (ALP) carried out during the Leadership Learning Week, the Secondary One students showcased their creativity and coding capabilities when they designed a prototype for their smart home farm system.

From the Principal's Desk (Term 2)

Dear Parents, Guardians and Unitians, Term 2 was the season of celebrations when we took stock and celebrated our school’s pinnacle of success and achievements in various domains.

Our students’ sterling achievements shone through at the individual level subject awards and in academic competitions such as the Science International Elementz Fair and Maths Olympiad. Our CCAs demonstrated tenacity and teamwork in bagging home: 4 Golds/Distinction and 1 Silver for our Uniformed Groups;

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4 Distinctions and 1 Accomplishment for SYF Performing Arts and 2nd – 4th placings in the National School Games Zonal and League Tournaments for Basketball, Table Tennis and Football CCAs. Every effort and success attested to our Unitians’ strive to achieve our school motto to ‘Lead Self, Serve Others. Actualise Self, Inspire Others.’

In line with our school’s vision to nurture ‘lifelong learners,’ our school’s assessment tasks are designed to be purposeful with the intention of deepening students’ learning. Our Active Learning process forms the bedrock in the design of three reinforcing Learning Activities (LA) within each Weighted Assessment. Students have testified that this approach disciplines them to study and allows them to taste mini successes in LA 1 and LA 2 before they finally attempt a more demanding task in LA3. We urge parents to reflect on your child’s/ward’s academic performance together with them, and continue to support your child/ward in cultivating deliberate practices in their areas of growth, as well as to consolidate their learning before the new term begins.

Term 2 ended on a high note with these experiences: Sec 4E & 5NA: Our Mother Tongue Language (MTL) teachers prepared students for their ‘O’ Level Mother Tongue exams through our intensive MTL revision.

Sec 4NA & 4T: Our Elective Applied Learning modules exposed Unitians to the world of work in readying them for their postsecondary education.

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Sec 1-3: Unity’s Leadership Learning Week Sec 1: Unitians experienced the Aesthetic Appreciation Programme and Sports Exposure Modules.

Sec 2 & 3: Level-wise Camps fostered a sense of adventure and exploration as Unitians embarked on activities such as low elements, water sports and campfire. For many of them, the camp was a first and a unique experience, as they had not had the opportunity to experience a camping adventure due to the pandemic. The shared experiences with their classmates strengthened their bonds and friendships with one another.

May I encourage you to take this June holidays to have a welldeserved break and bond together with your child/ward as a family.

Stay strong and we look forward to welcoming our Unitians back to school again in Semester 2.

Stay upbeat, curious and keep exploring.

Mdm. Adel Ong Principal

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Mother Tongue Fortnight To deepen students' understanding and appreciation for their cultural roots and to hone their Mother Tongue Language skills, a plethora of fun activities and workshops were organised for different levels by the Mother Tongue department.

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Hari Raya Celebration The school was delighted to celebrate Hari Raya with a mini concert consisting of a variety of performances. These included an artistic Silat performance, a violin rendition of a popular Malay song called Balik Kampung, which exuded the excitement of returning home from the city to celebrate Hari Raya with family members, dance by Uniquefusion as well as a Dikir Barat performance. We were also entertained by song renditions by our Unitians and teachers.

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Leaders of Leaders Development Camp Our prospective Secondary Three CCA Leaders participated in a leadership development camp from March 13-14. The camp, which was organised and executed by our Unity Council Alumni, aimed to instil the integral qualities expected in a CCA leader – one who embodies leadership practices and serves as a role model for fellow Unitians. Students were trained in communication and presentation skills, as well as to effectively apply the Leadership Challenge Model (LCM) in their leadership journey. In addition, they acquired skills on building relationships, conflict resolution and collaborating in teams.

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Awards Day The school celebrated our students' academic achievements with mini ceremonies for each level during morning assembly, before the main event for 2022 graduates on Friday, 5 May. The audience was enthralled by SYF musical pieces presented by our different Performing Arts CCA groups. We were also deeply honoured to be graced by our distinguished guest, Dr Francis Chin, a radiation oncologist from Mount Alvernia Hospital and School Advisory Committee Member, as well as parents of our awardees. Congratulations to our outstanding Unitians!

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Our Valedictorians Secondary One Level 2022

Secondary Two Level 2022

Secondary Three Level 2022

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Our Valedictorians Secondary Four/Five Level 2022

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Unity Bonding Day Spending quality time with your peers as well as teachers is what Unity Bonding Day is all about. There were many fun activities organised by the Unity Council, enabling participants to foster closer bonds with each other and promote harmony and a sense of belonging to the school. Other than movie screening, there were several games conducted such as 'Destroy or Build it', 'Flip it, Place it' and 'Hit it to Win it'.

Unitians and school staff came together to have fun playing sports like volleyball and badminton.

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International Friendship Day Unity celebrated International Friendship Day (IFD) on 14 April with varied activities to sensitise students on the importance of friendship and mutual understanding to promote peace among nations. The lower secondary students learned about how Singapore builds strong diplomatic ties with ASEAN and the rest of the world. The Secondary Three students tapped on their knowledge of geopolitical conflicts to discuss the implications of such conflicts on Singapore. Students made and exchanged friendship bands, a decorative bracelet that symbolised friendship. The Secondary Four students attended special sharing sessions by Vice Principal, Mr Lim Cheng Tju, on regional and global issues that affect Singapore and also by international students on integrating into Singapore.

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Unity Council Presidential Election Four outstanding student leaders from diverse CCAs ran for the Student Council Presidential Election this year.

Riko Lim, a dedicated Uniformed Group member from Girls' Brigade, exhibits passion for service and leadership.

Clarine Ng, a talented musician from Symphonic Band, displays excellent organisational and communication skills.

Rachel Lim, a skilled Volleyball player, excels in teamwork and shows strong commitment to her sport.

Finally, Jiliana Sky, a talented singer from Choir, demonstrates creativity and ability to inspire others.

All four candidates brought unique strengths to the table and are committed to serving the student body. It was an exciting election in which Clarine Ng from Symphonic Band emerged with the highest tally of votes.

Congratulations Clarine on your successful election as the 13th Unity Council President and we are excited to see the positive changes you will bring to the school!

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UNITY COUNCIL Presidential Election Candidates

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Unity Council Handover Ceremony & CCA Leaders Appointment Ceremony Change is the only constant in life. On 21st April, a new batch of Unitians were officially appointed during the Unity Council and CCA Leaders Appointment Ceremony. We would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to members of the 12th Unity Council and our former CCA Leaders for all their hard and heart work. We would also like to welcome our new batch of leaders as they embark on their exciting leadership journey, embracing the Leadership Challenge Model as their compass to become resilient, future-ready and inspiring leaders. It has been our school’s vision to develop all Unitians to be inspiring leaders, and CCA has become one of the platforms to hone their leadership skills. Continue to Model the way, Inspire a shared vision, Challenge the process, Enable others to act and Encourage the heart.

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Unity Young Writers Festival On 12 May, the school opened its doors to participants from over 40 schools as the English Language Department hosted the second day of UWF Festival. Participants were able to enjoy recitals by winners of the UWF competition, for both poetry and flash fiction categories, and were engrossed in a dialogue session with three esteemed judges from SingLit Station - Mr Desmond Kon, Dr Yeo Wei Wei and Ms Jennifer Anne Champion.

Additionally, participants had literary fun by participating in fringe activities conducted by LEP students and Library Club members.

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Tamil Language Festival Unity’s Indian Orchestra CCA performed at the closing ceremony of the Tamil Language Festival, Kavimaalai 2023, organised by the Tamil Language Council and Tamil Heritage Board on 30th April at Umar Pulavar Language Centre. They played the songs 'Sinthu Bairavi' and 'Zest for Desh'. Selected students sang Valthu (vazhthu) song while the rest played the background score. The event served to promote Tamil language and culture among youth.

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Aesthetics Appreciation Programme The Aesthetics Appreciation Programme (AAP) (formerly AEM) aims to inculcate resilience, confidence and creativity in our Unitians. As part of our co-curriculum programme for all Secondary One students, dedicated time during school hours was set aside to learn a skill related to the Performing or Visual Arts.

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Leadership Learning Week The Secondary One students had all their hands on deck on the first day as they participated in the ALP activities related to food sustainability which had been organised for them. They were required to build and test a prototype of a smart home farm system before creating a digital product to feature it, and hence, the application of relevant coding skills. On subsequent days, students learnt the importance of building a growth mindset when they faced challenges through their participation in sports activities like archery and inline skating and Art Appreciation Programme (AAP) modules like hip hop dance and polymer relief art

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The Secondary Two students had a three-day, two-night camp in school. Students learnt to step out of their comfort zone and develop positive attributes like self-confidence, perseverance and teamwork through their participation in a range of outdoor activities like Rafting, Orienteering, Low Elements and Ultimate Survival Challenge at Camp Challenge, Sentosa. Students had an exhilarating time with their peers, performing, cheering and dancing during the campfire session on the second night. On the final day, they participated in more team-bonding games such as the Rollercoaster Challenge activity.

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As part of the Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE), the Secondary Three students had a four-day, three-night residential camp at Camp Christine. Students participated in outdoor activities like kayaking and beach games at Sentosa. At Camp Christine, they were engaged in Orienteering, Low Elements, Space Odyssey, Trekker's Challenge, Mad Max and Outdoor Cooking. Students had a productive time developing knowledge about the outdoors, applying values of commitment and perseverance, and honing skills in collaboration, communication and critical thinking.

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Our Secondary Four students also had the opportunity to participate in Leadership Learning Week activities like Sports and Adventure, Aerospace, Fun with Coding, Drones Operations @Holland Road and Headrock VR Game @Sentosa. These activities provided exposure to students which enabled them to better understand their interests, skills and aptitude.

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CCA Achievements Performing Arts (Singapore Youth Festival 2023) Uniq Voices (Choir): Certificate of Distinction Indian Orchestra: Certificate of Distinction Speech & Drama: Certificate of Accomplishment Symphonic Band: Certificate of Distinction Uniqfusion (Dance): Certificate of Distinction

Sports (National School Games 2023) Table Tennis: 'B' Division Girls - West Zone 4th Football: 'B' Division Boys - League 5 Runners-up

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See you in Term 3!

12th & 13th Unity Council

Visit our school website: http://unitysec.moe.edu.sg/ Follow our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/unitysec/