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6

Jan 2014
RE: START OF YEAR 2014

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We warmly welcome your child back to Yishun Secondary. This letter serves to inform you
of the key events in 2014, specifically Term 1.

(A) School Timetable Structure for 2014

School begins at 7.30 am from Tuesday to Friday. Students are expected to be
seated at the parade square at least 10 minutes before the start of school.
Please note that Mondays will be designated school late start day. Your child/ward
must report to school by 8.30 am on Mondays, and lessons will end at 2.30 pm.
We hope you will make use of the time on Monday morning to have breakfast with
your child. Please note that teachers will make use of the 7.30 - 8.30 am slot on
Mondays for their Professional Development.
From Tuesday to Friday, school will begin at 7.30 am. The dismissal time for all
students will vary as follows:

Level Day Dismissal Time
All Levels Mon 2.30 pm*
All Levels (except Sec 3E, 4E, and 5N) Tues, Wed, Thurs 2.00 pm
Sec 3E, 4E, and 5N Tues 3.30 pm
All Levels Fri 12.30 pm
* For Monday, Sec 1T, 2T and 4T will be dismissed at 2.00 pm.

Remediation for selected students will be after class dismissal. All selected
students will be notified by their respective subject teachers.
CCAs will begin at 4 pm and end by 6.30 pm on Mon - Thurs. On Fridays the
timing is 3.00 - 6.30 pm.

(B) School Attendance Policy

The school has attained good academic performance over the past few years. One of
the main reasons for our childrens improvement is the schools attendance policy, and
we wish to take this opportunity to thank you for your past support in this matter.
Medical Certificates are required if your child/ward is absent from school. Parents
letters are generally not accepted. In addition, students with less than 75% attendance
in each semester may be barred from sitting for school and/or national examinations.

In addition, all students should be punctual for all school activities. Students who are
late for school, by more than half an hour, will be sent home, and not be allowed to
continue with the school day.








YISHUN SECONDARY SCHOOL
4 Yishun Street 71, Singapore 76!16 "e#$ 67671%& 'a($ 67!!774
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(C) Co-Curricular Activities (CCA)

We value your childs holistic development and as such, participation in CCAs is crucial
for your child. Every student is expected to choose a CCA of his/her interest and
attend training sessions (usually twice a week). If a child attends less than 75% of
CCA training session, he will be awarded a FAIR conduct grade and will be ineligible
for Edusave Awards. In addition, students who miss CCA training without valid
reasons will be deemed to have played truant, and will be dealt with firmly according to
the schools discipline processes.

(D) School Safety Matters: Traffic Situation

If you drive your children to school, do drop them off near the side gate (i.e., along the
HDB car park connecting Chong Pang to Yishun Street 71) rather than near the
schools main gate. The area around the main gate is a busy thoroughfare every
morning with many pedestrians. Both motorists and pedestrians will be
inconvenienced should you drop your child off at the front gate or the front bus stop
gate. We seek your co-operation in this matter.

If your child is in the habit of cycling (to school or otherwise), we strongly encourage
you to invest in protective gear (at least a helmet), and encourage your child to use it.

(E) Safety of Our Children: Temperature Taking Exercise on Tues 7 Jan 2014

In line with our continued vigilance against health-related threats, the school will be
conducting a Temperature Taking Exercise during Term 1 Week 1, on Tues 7 Jan.
Please ensure that your child has a working Oral Digital Thermometer packed into
his/her school bag on the 1
st
day of school. There will be checks to ensure the
serviceability of your child/wards thermometer during the week. Do note that Sec 1
students will be issued with a working ODT on the day itself.

On 7 Jan morning, please note that only one entrance to the school will be open the
front bus stop gate. Our staff will conduct visual screening at the gate, and all students
are to proceed directly to their classroom that morning.

(F) Keeping in touch with the school and teachers

In addition to information letters and SMS, the school uses its official website to
disseminate timely information to parents and students. Please visit us online at
http://www.yishunsec.moe.edu.sg/ to keep in touch with the latest developments in
Yishun Secondary.

If you wish to contact your child/wards Form Teacher or Subject Teacher, you can
email the school at Email: yishun_ss@moe.edu.sg, addressing your email to the
teacher. Alternatively you may call the General Office at T: 6876 7129 and leave a
message for the teacher. We value your feedback and clarifications to benefit our
children.

(G) Class Test and Common Test Schedule

Please see the attached for the Class Test Schedule (Semester 1). In addition to these
class tests, do note that there will also be Common Test 1 in Term 1 Week 8 (26 Feb
4 Mar). The Common Test will take place during the first two periods of each day, with
normal lessons after the tests. Both schedules will also be available at the school
website.
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(H) Meet-the-Parents Session (MPS) for Secondary 2, 4 and 5 on Fri 24 Jan 2014

In line with our core belief to establish strong partnerships with parents, we are
organising the MPS in Term 1 for Secondary Two, Four and Five students and their
parents.

The session aims to provide an opportunity for teachers and parents to come together
to discuss various issues such as your childs academic performance, conduct and
progression to post-secondary institutions. As such, we would appreciate it if you
could set aside some time to attend the session. You will be informed of more details
in due course.


(I) Chinese New Year (CNY) Celebrations on Thurs 30 Jan 2014

The school will be celebrating CNY on Thurs 30 Jan 2014. We look forward to your
child/wards participation in the days program, which will emphasize cross-cultural and
values education in a fun and memorable way. Please also take note that school will
resume on Tues, 4 Feb 2013.


(J) Sports and ArtZ Carnival on Fri 14 Mar 2014

For the 7
th
year running, Yishun Secondary will be holding our unique alternative to the
Sports Day of yesteryears. During the Sports & ArTz carnival, students will have
access to a wide array of activities that will engage them in a minds-on and hands-on
manner to drive home the importance of holistic health. This event will be on the last
day of school in Term 1, i.e. Fri, 14

Mar. School dismissal time will remain as 12.30 pm
on that day.


(K) Family Matters @ School (FMS) Programme

The school works closely with Ministry of Social and Family Development, so that our
pupils' parents can easily get access to family life programmes that help them better
connect with their children. Family Matters @ School equips parents with skills to
nurture positive family relationships, and also helps students improve their social and
relationship skills.

You will have received a letter through your child to inform you of Term 1 FMS
activities. Sec 1 parents will have received the letter in the Sec 1 Orientation Package.
We encourage you to indicate your interest and join us in these events specially
organized for you and your child.

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(L) Collection of Money for 2014

The school will be collecting cash from your child/ward for the year 2014, to cover one-
time costs (for Students Group Insurance, Student Passport-Sized Photo [for Sec 1
only], Student Organiser and School Publications) and recurring costs (Worksheet
Printing Costs to be collected half-yearly).

S/N Level and
Class
Students
without
Siblings in
YSS

Students
with
Siblings in
YSS
Students
under MOE
FAS
Remarks
1 Sec 1 $38.00 $30.50 $3.50 Includes Student
Passport-Sized Photo and
ICT Applications for T&L

2 Sec 2, 3NA &
3NT

$34.00 $26.50 $3.50 Includes ICT Applications
for T&L
3 Sec 3E $32.00 $24.50 $3.50 Includes ICT Applications
for T&L

4 Sec 4 & 5 $30.00 Nil $3.50



Please pay to your childs Form Teacher the amount indicated in the table by Fri, 10 Feb
2014.

Breakdown of Costs (for information only):
Students Group Personal Accident Insurance policy $3.50 (GST Inclusive)
Student Organiser 2014 $4.28 (GST Inclusive)
Diorama Newsletter and Panorama Magazine $7.49 (GST Inclusive)
Worksheet Printing (for First Semester) $14.73 (GST Inclusive)
Student Passport-Sized Photo for Sec 1 $4.00 (GST Inclusive)
ICT Application for MTL $2.00 (GST Inclusive)
ICT Application for English Language (EN(a)BLER) or we-Learn $2.00 (GST Inclusive)



We look forward to working with you to make 2014 a fruitful year for your child.






Ms Ng Ngoing Keng
Principal