Secondary 1 Orientation (2-3 January 2020): Students Say

I knew that attending Sri KDU Secondary School was one of the best decisions I have ever made from the moment I stepped into the huge school hall on my first day as a Form 1 student. Mr. Lam Chee Fong, who is our secondary school principal warmly welcomed the newcomers. He delivered an inspiring speech to motivate the students so that they will strive to achieve outstanding grades while also participating in co-curricular activities that will teach students about the importance of good time management and staying organised. There was a variety of interactive games that were held for Form 1 students on that day too.

My personal favourite activity was Treasure Hunt. This activity required lots of teamwork among our classmates as we had to work together to earn points. Each class had to find the specific stations which were set up around the building and complete the task given by the friendly teachers in the shortest time possible. Some tasks such as completing a challenging sudoku puzzle or filling in Chinese characters to create phrases required cooperation and team effort among students. The class which had earned the highest number of points won the whole game. I think this activity was very beneficial for the newcomers because it helped us familiarise ourselves with the secondary school building layout and formed friendships with our new classmates as well as getting to know the teachers and responsible school prefects who were willing to help us when we needed help. Overall, I had an unforgettable first day at Sri KDU Secondary School and I hope for an amazing year ahead.

-Farah Nuryn bt. Raslan Haniff (1 Dickens)

On the second day of the orientation, the most interesting activity that caught my attention was the Guardian Angel programme. From my perspective, the objective of the Guardian Angel Programme was for the senior and junior students to bond together more closely despite the age gap. We, juniors, could share our personal problems, such as cyberbullying, depression, motivational issues, etc. with our guardian angels. As we are still new to the school, we can seek help from our guardian angels throughout this new journey. We were also allowed to exchange contact numbers and communicate with them through the social media.

As a peek to the Guardian Angel Programme, there was an ice-breaking session and we played a game of ‘splat’ which has improved my ability to concentrate. I really enjoyed this programme as my guardian angel, Caressa Chee, has helped me boost my confidence and encouraged me to participate in more activities. This is a great program for new secondary students like me and I hope it will benefit other students in their character building and equip them with necessary life skills. Over time, the programme will positively impact the students’ academic grades and well-being”.

-Anggun Soracca Jaya (1 Aristotle)

Anggun Soracca Jaya (1A) & Farah Nuryn bt. Raslan Haniff (1D) found the orientation programme very beneficial for the newcomers because it helped them become familiarised with the Secondary School building layout and formed friendships with new classmates, as well as getting to know the teachers and responsible school prefects who were willing to help them.

On the first day of school, we walked up to our class and it felt really different from being in primary school because everyone in the secondary school is way older than us. We were the oldest in primary school and now we are the youngest. During our Contact Time, the teachers told us what we were going to do for the day and took our attendance. For the rest of the day we had orientation with our SPA and PE teachers. We also had a briefing about how the Paramount Championship runs. We then had a mini treasure hunt that led up to the second day of orientation. On the second day, 1 Mozart finished the treasure hunt in first place followed by 1 Aristotle in second place and 1 Edison in third place. Earlier that morning, we had the Guardian Angel Programme briefing. We were put into our groups with a guardian angel who are the prefects of the school. In a span of just two days in secondary we are already enjoying it. All fun and games aside we also got to know our classmates and the teachers. This orientation programme definitely made us look forward to more school days”.

-Christabelle Choa (1Aristotle) and Mika Kirsten (1 Mozart)

After the orientation programme, Mika Kirsten (1M, left) and Christabelle Choa (1A, right) are looking forward to more school days