6 December 2018

Dear Parents, Teachers, and Students, Now that the mid-year review is over and exam papers carefully reviewed, what’s next? On most occasions when students receive back their marked papers, they focus on a single feature – the score they earned. This focus on scores or grades is understandable because for many years grades have been perceived as a form of communicating and reflecting student mastery, and to a certain extent some believe that it’s a representation of student’s intelligence. So instead of obsessing over grades, why not reflect on the learning opportunities that such an assessment can provide? It is important for students to be able to reflect on their performance, be it good or bad, in order to truly learn from the experience. Self-reflection is a higher order thinking which is a part of the critical thinking process referring specifically to the processes of analysing and making judgments about what has happened. As teachers and parents, we can support our students by assisting them in reflecting on their exam performance. Extracted from https://www.ggs.wa.edu.au/News-and-Events/Blog/Senior-School/January-1/Exam-Reflection, listed below are some relevant themes and reflective questions that students may like to use in order to assist in reflecting on their exam performance: Preparation

Which study activities/strategies were the most helpful? Which were least helpful?

How realistic was their study schedule? Were they able to complete tasks in the time allocated?

Were they able to predict the topics in the exam? How could have they been more informed in the lead up?

Performance

How well did students understand and follow the instructions given for the exam?

Did they have the correct equipment for the exam?

Did they have enough time to answer all the questions?

Was the right amount of time allocated to questions that were worth significant marks?

Which concepts and topics were they the most/least confident answering?

What kinds of questions did they find easier to answer? Which were more difficult?

What kinds of emotions did students feel during the exam? Did they have any stress management techniques?

And most important of all…What will they change in the future?

Which study activities and habits will they continue to use in future?

Which study activities and habits will need to change? Why?

What have they learned about themselves as a student from this experience?

Encourage your child to think about the support they may need from family, friends, teachers, mentors, counsellors and fellow students and how this can be utilised to assist in future exams. Ensure they write down and post in a high vision/traffic area (e.g. the fridge or their study desk) three or four strategies they will commit to putting in place to enhance preparation and performance during the next series of exams. Three of the most common ‘roadblocks’ students can encounter during exams (especially when completing examinations for the first time). The suggestions below may prove valuable if these issues were raised through their reflection. If students ran out of time

Time management is very important in exams and cannot be overstated. In future make a tentative plan in reading time by assessing the exam structure and number of questions. Give more time to questions worth more points.

Answer the easier questions first to build confidence.

Mark the questions you can't answer easily and come back to them later.

Don't spend too much time on a single question.

Keep an eye on the clock.

If students misread or misinterpreted questions

Slow down and read the questions carefully.

Highlight/underline key words in the question to help you focus.

Write down your ideas before you write your answer.

Review the question and your answer before moving on.

If students felt very stressed and anxious during the exam

Be prepared, it will help calm your nerves.

During the exam, put your pen down and take

some deep breaths. Concentrate on your breathing and try again.

Don't look around at others in your exam. Stay focused on your exam paper.

If you know exam stress is a common theme for you, make a time to see a counsellor who can help you with some relaxation techniques to ease anxiety.

Hopefully you are able to find something useful here to assist your daughters and sons to feel better prepared and more confident about future examination performance, and also to remind them that they can learn from their exams regardless of their result. If grades are still all that matter, here’s an article to mull over.

Grades Should Not Define Our Kids

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/grades-should-not-define-our-kids

By Jenny Yeo - The writer was a principal for 18 years in Kheng Cheng School, Radin Mas Primary and South View Primary. She is a lead associate, focusing on partnerships and engagement, in the engagement and research division of the Ministry of Education, Singapore. "Your grades do not define you," said Mr Jack Cook. That was Debbie's defining moment. Debbie, a perfectionist, always had the best academic results in her earlier years at school. However, when studying economics at junior college, she was thrown off balance. Despite putting in more effort - hard work as well as getting extra coaching from her teacher, Mr Cook - Debbie just could not grasp the subject. She could not understand nor accept the poor grades she got for her economics examination. She felt ashamed and guilty, so much so that she avoided her teacher and did not visit the school after graduation. A few years later, when Debbie heard that Mr Cook was retiring and leaving Singapore, she plucked up the courage to visit and bid him farewell. Mr Cook greeted Debbie with a big smile and warmly welcomed her. She asked him sheepishly if he remembered her as the only student who had scored a D in his economics class. Mr Cook simply replied: "I hope that you didn't let the D define you." In that moment, Debbie learnt a valuable lesson about self-worth.

She realised that her apprehension and fears were unfounded and unnecessary. Her teacher remembered her well and fondly, not for her grades, but for her attitude, efforts and character. "I am always pleased to see students return to visit and stay for long chats, especially those who supposedly did 'badly' in my subject," said Mr Cook. "It meant that they didn't hold it against me; but more importantly, they weren't holding it against themselves and had moved on. "Many of the happiest, most fulfilled people I've met have had their moments of self-doubt and failures as students. That setbacks are there to be learnt from is a terrible cliche, but true." This episode changed Debbie's perception about herself and her values. She realised that her focus on academic excellence had set her up for failure precisely because she was so afraid of failing. Debbie learnt that people had different talents and strengths. The key was to accept and work on one's weaknesses, and develop one's strengths. She understood that it was more important to be resilient, enjoy learning and pursue it passionately. Later, Debbie became a teacher and her experience shaped her approach. At a secondary school, she noticed that a student, Dan, was struggling with mathematics and science but was incredibly gifted in art. Debbie spoke to Dan's parents during a parent-teacher meeting, encouraging them to recognise his talent and not focus only on his grades. She was confident that Dan could be a successful artist in the future. Dan was encouraged because his teacher recognised his talent and did not penalise him for aspects he struggled with. Over time, he honed his artistic skills and was also motivated to do his best in his academic subjects. Every child is unique. Forcing them into areas that are not their forte is more likely to destroy rather than build them up. Our job as parents is to help them identify their

gifts and preferences and help them bloom. Another way we can help is to guide them to discover and access the different paths that their talents and passion can lead to. As parents, we also need to be careful about the implicit signals we send our children through what we say and ask. When the child comes home with a test, is the score the focal point? Do you discuss how the results were achieved, acknowledge any progress or talk about how to tackle the challenges? Dr Carol Dweck, psychologist and professor at Stanford University and a pioneering researcher in the field of motivation, says: "Praise the process that kids engage in: their effort, their strategies, their focus, their perseverance, their improvement. This process praise creates kids who are hardy and resilient." In other words, focus on the process, not the end result. Dr Dweck cited the results of a game she created which rewarded process. "We got more effort, more strategies, more engagement over longer periods of time, and more perseverance when they hit really, really hard problems." This means that by focusing on the process, we are actually increasing our children's chances of success in life. Just like Mr Cook and Debbie, we all need to look beyond academic success for our children. As parents, we must not let grades define our child but, instead, focus on their attitude, effort and strengths. Above all, show them that we love them unconditionally, that we accept them for who they are, regardless of their grades. Shared by. Shirin Salleh Dean for Academics (Acting)

>> SCHOOL CALENDAR (DECEMBER) 5 : CHRISTMix Party 6 : NHJS Performance @ ICA 6 – 7 : Semester 1 PTM 8 Dec - 06 Jan’19 : Term Break 7 January 2019 : Beginning of Term 3

>> CHANGES TO SCHOOL CALENDAR IN SEMESTER 2 8 Jan CCA (Semester 2) commencement 28-31 Jan IPW Presentation & Judging Day 1 Feb CNY Celebration 23-29 March iPSLE Immertion 27-28 May PTM 29 May P6 Commencement Ceremony 31 May School closed (start of school holiday)

>> NHJS OPEN HOUSE (3 December 2018)

>> Christmas Party at NHJS Seasons Greetings! NHJS just celebrated Christmas party on December 3rd 2018. Students really enjoying the party in each classrooms.

>> Youth Soccer Singapore League (JSSL) 2019, Singapore Please be reminded that JSSL will be on 19-21 April 2019. With this team we plan to participate in the Youth Soccer Singapore League (JSSL) 2019 in Singapore (jssl.singapore@gmail.com ). This will be a fantastic platform for our students to pitch their skills against an international host of students. It will also be an opportunity for our students to grow in character by competing on an international platform. The itinerary is as follows:

Kindly see parent’s letter for details.

>> BIMBEL Parent Letter We would like to inform you that there are 23 students who will join the supplementary lesson. Supplementary lesson will start by January 2019 until April 2019. The schedule is attached in the parent’s letter. Please kindly see parent’s letter for details.

>> 2018 ICAS Medal Presentation Ceremony Congratulations to all the gold medalist for the 2018 ICAS!

>> BLAZE Cup 2018

>> Parent-Teacher Meeting from Primary 1 to Junior College 2 Please be informed that the Parent-Teacher Meeting will be conducted in Week 10 Term 2. The details of the meeting are as follows: Date of Event: 6 th and 7 th December 2018 First appointment: 8.30 am (Thursday and Friday) Last appointment: 4.30 pm (Thursday and Friday) You may contact Ms. Amie, Mr. Rustam and Ms. Sri (CSO Team) to make an appointment to see the mentors or subject facilitators. Kindly see parent’s letter for details.

>> NHJS 4th Chinese Singing Competition We are glad to announce the participants who will continue to the finals on January, 18th 2019.

Kindly see parent’s letter for details.

>> NHJS Participation in WSC Tournament of Champions (ToC) in Yale University, USA

The Debate Club came home with several accolades from ToC held at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA from November 16-22 which was attended by 1,200 junior scholars (400 teams) from fifty-seven countries. NH fielded sixteen scholars from secondary 2 -3 as well as primary 6. The best team composed of secondary 2 students Jasmine Kurniawan, Ashley Oetomo and Nadine Kei Inara was awarded top 4 team in Southeast Asia and top 18 team overall, across

all six subjects and four events. They also garnered team awards such as top 5 in bowl and top 14 in challenge. Kei was also declared earned the top 49 rank in debate. In debate, secondary 3 Gillian Soekawan ranked 76 out of 1200 juniors, while for team debate, Kei, Ashley and Jasmine’s team finished 102nd, followed by the Secondary team of Bianca Maesa Romangsuriat, Angelina Allyson Muliadi, Calysta Ningtyas Harmawan who ranked 127th, closely followed by the team of secondary 2 students Natalie Wijaya and Giselle Setiawan with Secondary 3 team mate Nadya Lumy who ranked 131st. Allyson, Bianca and Calysta’s team also ranked 110th for team writing. For bowl, Gillian’s team; Natalie, Giselle, Nadya’s team; Primary 6 Jaythaneal Skylar Sutrisno, Ignacio Rayden Yap, Denzel Edward Mardjuki’s team; and Nadya Suwarno, Charlene Chang Kurniawan, Rayya Hadisurya’s team ranked 52nd, 80th, 81st , and 92nd respectively. All participants also received numerous individual medals for the challenge.

The club was trained by English teacher Mara Barbra Nanaman.

>> Debate Club CCA Debate CCA is open for interested students for Term 3. If you are interested to join the debate CCA, please fill out the CCA form under non-sport CCA and submit the accomplished form to Mr. Bambang by January 9, 2019. If you have any questions, please approach Ms Mara.

>> SC Training Camp 2

>> P1 Learning Journey @FaunaLand

>> P2 Learning Journey @Sentul Fresh Farm

>> 2019 SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL PRIMARY SCHOOL LEAVING EXAMINATION

Please kindly see parent’s letter for detail.

>> Harvard Model Congress - Asia 2019 (HMCA) The Harvard Model Congress will be held on 4 – 6 January 2019 at National University of Singapore (NUS). This event will be a very enriching and challenging experience for our students as they will be learning extensively about international issues, public relations, politics and diplomacy as well as the rigors of negotiation, public speaking and critical thinking. Kindly note that training schedule will be released once we receive committee assignments of HMCA participants. For further inquiries, please email: Ms. Khassiyat (khassiyatsaidiganiyeva@nh.piagetacademy.org) Please read the parents’ letter for details.

>> Christmas Carol We are glad to inform you that our P1-P2 students (as per list of confirmation) will be performing Christmas Carol for Christmas Event held by ICA Preschool. Kindly find the schedule below: Date : 06 December 2018 Time : 10.30-finish Venue : ICA Preschool

>> GROW CORNER SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAMMES There are many benefits to participating in enrichment programs. You will get a taste of college life, you will live in dorms and take college-level classes. You might get college credit or placement for courses. You might also get ahead in high school by learning new material over the summer. You are showing colleges that you enjoy learning and are serious about your academic future. You will also meet like-minded students who are focused on their education too. No mater what your reason or interest is, there are plenty of enrichment programs that are perfect for you. Below are a few benefits of participating in one, and a list of programs NationalHigh is offering. Here are a few examples of the top benefits:

Increase self-confidence.

Develop language skills.

Tend to your specific educational needs.

Support your university application.

Understand independent learning.

Study in a famous international city.

Improve your grades.

1. SCIENCE-AGRICULTURE CAMP with i3L in collaboration with INAGRO, Bogor December 17-20, 2018 This program is an edutainment immersion camp where they combine science experiments with fun nature activities. Students will learn about Indonesian local agriculture through hands-on activities such as traditional plowing, hydroponic, fish breeding, plant tissue culture, and many more.

2. SUMMER SCIENCE RESEARCH PROGRAM by ALL-IN EDU Mid-June 2019 (dates are TBC)

A nine-days program

3. GENERATION GIRL PROJECT by GO-JEK Winter Club (December 17-21, 2018) – A pilot

program (currently on waiting list already)

Summer Club (to be announced soon)

4. AERONAUTICAL SUMMER CAMP by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Summer camp programmed for high school students covering various topics including

robotics, flight exploration, engineering, 3D Printing, computer coding, athletics, etc. Please check out this link to register: http://summercamps.erau.edu/camps/index.html

5. SUMMER PROGRAMS by UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON American Culture and English (ACE) program - Focuses mostly on

English preparation

with some other activities for three weeks

in Madison. Please check out this link for

more information:

https://continuingstudies.wisc.edu/ameri

can-culture-english-program/

- Career Preparation Track Summer Program

with EducationUSA Academy Students will spend about three weeks on campus learning about different college majors they like. Please check out this link for more information: https://continuingstudies.wisc.edu/education-usa-academy/

6. Berkeley Summer Sessions is one of the largest summer programs in the United States, hosting students from all over the world. In fact, about 3,000 of our 16,000 students are international visitors. Berkeley Summer Sessions offers more than

800 courses, including Summer-only

certificates, English as a Second Language, and

online options. Explore the Bay Area,

experience American culture, and make friends

from the US and around the world.

7. BROADWAY INTENSIVE DECEMBER CAMP December 10-14, 2018

December 17-21, 2018

December 15-16, 2018

*there is a possibility of early January dates as

well

For students aged from 7-17 years old. It is such

a unique opportunity for the students to

experience Broadway theatre and shows

together with actresses and choreographers

from California and New York.

8. HABITAT LEADERSHIP ACADEMY by Habitat for Humanity In partnership with Centre for Creative

Leadership (CCL), this program focuses on

growing and empowering our youths to

become strong and effective leaders.

Dates are to be confirmed soon (most likely in

February 2019)

INTRODUCING SpeakUp! Club Created by Kenneth Liyanto BACKGROUND Many students have different interests and talents beyond the subjects taught in schools such as Art, Computers, Theatre, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship. However, they don’t have the opportunity to explore their passions outside the school environment. Most students do not know their passions yet as they did not have the chance to explore. Many students are also too afraid to take the next step to pursue their passions. They need to realize that they are not too young to pursue their passion. PROPOSED SOLUTION SpeakUp! is a bi-monthly event where speakers, usually people successful in their own fields are invited and encouraged to speak up and share their inspiring experiences and passion with NationalHigh students. Students if inspired, may also share their own stories and experiences. The event will usually come with a specific theme that should be talked about during the event. Objective 1. To inspire and encourage students in pursuing their passions 2. Learning through other people’s experience 3. Answering questions students may have about their future Event Format A 60-90 minute Informal, Town Hall format meetings where speakers would share their experiences and students will have the opportunity to interact with and ask questions, directly to the speakers. Speakers will first get to share a meaningful story in their journey to success. The students can then ask questions they may have to them after the stories are shared.

Ivy Malena Likjono is a talented

16-year-old artist helm from

NationalHigh. Her art portfolio

includes pencil drawing,

watercolor art, and observation

art. There will be an exhibition

showcasing Ivy’s artwork in

January 2019.

Ivy will be championing our first Arts & Design Club

where like-minded students can come together

and support each other’s talents. This newly

minted club will include commercial arts,

animation, architecture, cartooning, fashion, film,

graphic design, illustration, and photography. We

will be working closely with local institution such as

Esmod Jakarta to further develop NH talents.

Talk to us at GROW or reach out to Ivy if you are

interested in joining The Art & Design Club.