January 2021
Mother Tongue Fortnight Programme 2021
The Mother Tongue Fortnight Programme 2021 was held on 27th and 28th January. It allowed all PL-Lites to display their enthusiasm and dedication to the various languages.
The various activities were:
Sec 1
CL - Narration of Drama Script
ML - Podcast Workshop
TL - Pot Painting
Sec 2
CL - Interviewing Skills
ML - Podcast (Journalism)
TL - Short story writing workshop
Sec 3, 4/5
3 CL - Critical Thinking Skills
4/5 CL - Seal Cutting
3, 4/5 ML, TL - Drama Workshop
The Mother Tongue Fortnight Programme is part of the efforts in promoting the spirit of Bilingualism, developing students to be highly proficient in the use of their Mother Tongue Language with a passion for the understanding of their Mother Tongue Culture.
Innovation Programme 2020 Prize Presentation
The annual Innovation Programme (IvP) is open to Primary 5 and Secondary 2 and 3 students from those schools that emphasize innovation in the areas of science and technology. PLMGS (Secondary) was invited to participate in this programme in 2019 and has been involved for the past 2 years.
In 2020, the theme chosen by the school was ‘Towards a Sustainable and Liveable City’ where the girls explored common issues in the society and solutions to them. Our four Secondary 2 teams were encouraged to think outside the box in order to devise simple yet innovative solutions to everyday problems. The students engaged in planning and designing prototypes of products that could solve such problems.
One of our teams, comprising of Ally Candra, Carrissa Tan & Micayla Thevathasan devised an innovative solution to eliminate puddles caused by rainwater puddling. Another team comprising of Amatatsu Shoko, Joelle Tan & Grace Leong designed a product to help dog owners with physical constraints pick up their dog’s faeces. To solve the problem of applying plasters to one’s injured hand with the other, one team created a prototype to ease the process. This was created by Chan Sihui, Sandra Quek & Raeanne Tan. The last of the four teams comprising Isabelle Gan, Neo Meng Yao & Ariel Lim created a product to arrange messy wires on the worktables.
Two of the group’s prototypes was selected to be featured at the 2020 Young Innovators Fair, held online. Of the four teams, three were awarded Certificates of Distinction and the fourth received the Certificate of Merit.
We are very proud of the long and arduous journey the team members have taken and are certain they are now more adept at thinking outside the box, and thus better prepared and able to be of service to their country and humankind in general. Congratulations girls on a job well done!
Transitioning into Secondary School Life
Fathers play an integral part in the growing development of their daughters. To celebrate fathers and their involvement, we had our first Fathers@School Talk via Zoom at 0800 on 20 January 2021. The talk was entitled “Transitioning into Secondary School Life”, catering mainly to the needs of the fathers of our Secondary 1 students.
Mr Tan Tiah Hui, the HOD of Design and Technology, a father of a PL-Lite himself spoke on the following:
1. Outcomes of Secondary Education
2. Life in a Secondary School
3. Transiting into Secondary One
4. Home-School Partnership.
The next Fathers@School Talk will be on 17 February 2021 titled “Understanding the Mind of Girls”, by our Principal Mrs Quek Li Gek. See you then!
Temasek Leadership Showdown 2020
The Temasek Leadership Showdown is a nationwide leadership competition which provides a platform for primary and secondary school leaders to hone their leadership skills and competencies through activities.
Eight student leaders from the Prefectorial Board and Peer-Lites represented PLMGS(S) in this competition. It was held over Zoom over five days at the end of November 2020 and was hosted and facilitated by student leaders from Temasek Junior College. Over the course of the first three days, both teams from PL were split up into different groups with leaders from other primary and secondary schools to go through different activities to encourage them to step out of their comfort zones to lead the group.
One of the final tasks in the competition finals required the team to come up with a campaign to raise funds for their chosen beneficiary, the Rainbow Centre, by coming up with a one minute pitch video to attract donors to their cause. They also presented their pitch to representatives of the Rainbow Centre over a Zoom call. It was extremely nerve-wracking for the girls, as they rushed to complete editing the video, as well as coming up with a pitch that was both persuasive and creative. In the end, their efforts paid off as they managed to raise $1410 for their beneficiary which will go towards building the Rainbow Centre’s third campus in Admiralty. The PL team was also named the top fund-raiser in the competition!
In addition to raising funds for their beneficiary and making a difference, our student leaders benefitted greatly from this experience too. While it was certainly very stressful to undertake the tasks, with encouragement from each other and mental resilience, they managed to complete the tasks on time and to the best of their abilities. They also had a chance to use their leadership skills not just in the school context, but in the community too, where they could help others in need.
It was especially heartening to see our students donating their prize money to the Rainbow Centre, and continuing their fund-raising efforts in our school this year.
Overall 2nd place: Ashlee Chee (4.1), Letitia Liow (4.1), Alethea Wee (4.2), Kelly Rose Tan (4.3)
Certificate of participation: Joelle Tan (3.2), Elizabeth Lim (3.4), Alisha Hamid (3.7), Jeri Ong (4.3)
2021 CCA Fair and Exploration
PL’s CCA Fair was held on 13 Jan 2021 and this was followed by the CCA Exploration. This year, it was indeed uniquely different. All leaders took the opportunity to creatively and enthusiastically present all 22 CCAs. Being part of a CCA is an integral part of secondary school life as it gives each student a holistic school experience. Secondary 1 students were encouraged to keep an open mind and learn new skills and explore as many CCAs as possible during this period. It is important for them to choose wisely as they go about this exciting journey to learn more about themselves and to give themselves the chance to grow within the CCA and form lasting friendships.
We wish all Secondary 1 students a fruitful CCA Exploration experience as they embark on yet another important part of their journey into Secondary School life!
Secondary 1 iDiscover Camp 2021
Every year, PLMGS(S) warmly welcomes our Secondary 1 students with our iDiscover camp. This camp is lovingly planned by our student leaders with the guidance of their teachers. However, unlike other years, this year we had a non-residential 5-day camp planned with Safe Management Measures in place. Nonetheless, our girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves!
Aligning with the theme of our Secondary 1 cohort, the camp was titled ‘iDiscover’ where students were engaged in activities that helped them to discover more about themselves, their peers, their school and their community.
For the camp finale, our Student Leaders proudly presented our Secondary One students with their school badges. This was followed by the annual candle lighting ceremony, which encourages our Secondary One PL-Lites to shine in their own unique ways and be a blessing in their community.