Sec 1 Welcome Talk

Q. How does the school manage disciplinary issues such as vaping, bullying, etc.?

A: [Addressed during Parent Engagement]

Whenever we manage any misconduct committed by the students, be it bullying or other unacceptable behaviour, even in the cyber environment, we always place the child at the center of what we do. Every misconduct surfaced is an opportunity for us to guide our students to strengthen the 5 Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) domains- self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

At the end of the day, we want every child in the school to be able to self-manage and feel happy to come to school. To achieve this, we need parents to keep calm and trust the school to conduct a thorough investigation before updating you. Consequences, when meted out, serve to let the students involved take responsibility for their actions and work towards the repair of a strained relationship.

Should your child highlight any wrongdoings committed by fellow Peirceans, please alert us immediately so that prompt measures can be carried out to curb the misbehaviour.

Q. Would the school be able to encourage the use of hp only after school instead of during recess time where they use it to play games?

A: In general, the school takes a balanced approach toward the usage of personal devices, such as the students’ personal learning devices (PLD), handphones, etc. Students are taught to use their devices responsibly, including habits to self-regulate their device usage, so that they can focus on their learning in the classroom, and to spend time with their friends. Students may also use their devices for learning tasks during breaks.

Q. Why did the school not practice name tags?

A: Peirce does not have a name tag on the school uniform. This is because we do not want teachers to spend time managing students without their name tags on the school uniform. Hence this precious time could have been channelled to build strong teacher and student relationships (TSR). Countless research has shown that strong TSR helps to make students feel happy and will lead to more effective learning, enhancing students’ motivation and improving emotional well-being and self-esteem.

Q. Under what circumstances, form teachers will call/inform parents about the student's wellbeing?

A: When a child does not report to school, Form Teachers will exercise their duty of care on the same day to call parents to find out the reason for absent from school or it can be to share their concerns with you on areas where your child did not manage herself/himself well despite a few sessions of pep talk with them. For example, personal grooming offence.

Q. What is the timeline for CCA try-outs, submission of CCA choices, enrolment in CCAs, and starting of CCA programme?

A: [Answered during parent engagement] Please refer to the briefing materials distributed via Parent Gateway.

Q. How does the school assign students to their CCAs? Are their primary school CCA experiences taken into consideration?

A: [Answered during parent engagement] As part of the Orientation programme, students had the opportunity to attend CCA trials to demonstrate their skills and find out more about each CCA. Based on their interests and performance at the CCA trials, the school will try to match them to a CCA that best suits their needs. Not every CCA will have another selection trial, if they do have it, it would be in week 4 for students who are shortlisted into CCAs which are over-subscribed.

Q. Is there a trial period for CCAs? Can students change their CCA if they do not like the CCA they were assigned to?

A: In general, students will benefit from staying with the same CCA throughout their four years. However, if a student would like to switch CCA for valid reasons, please approach the CCA teacher-in-charge. Please also refer to slides distributed via PG for details on LEAPS 2.0 and other CCA matters.

Q. How do students gain the two bonus points for ______ CCA?

A: [Answered during parent engagement] Refer to slides distributed via PG for details on LEAPS 2.0

Q. What are the leadership paths in Peirce? Are they selected by the school or they can volunteer if they show the desire to serve?

A: The 3 main leadership positions we have are (1) Class leaders, (2) Student Councillors, and (3) CCA leaders. For class leaders (8 vacancies), they are usually picked by form teachers, or the class may be asked to nominate and vote. For Student Councillors, candidates are nominated by teachers, peers and students may also self-nominate. We will shortlist and interview those who are keen. CCA leaders are usually picked by CCA teachers or in some cases, members will be invited to vote for their leaders.

Q. What is the homework policy at Peirce Secondary School? With school ending later in general, how does the school ensure that students have sufficient time to complete homework?

A: We try to give homework once a week and have a more flexible deadline, so that students have more time to complete the assigned work. For subjects like Math where homework may be assigned more frequently, shorter pieces of work are assigned.

Q. Do students need to bring their PLDs to and from school daily?

A: As the PLD is an important device for accessing learning materials in class and for homework, students should bring their PLDs (fully charged) to and from school daily.

Q. How does the school support students who are struggling academically at the end of Sec 1? Can a student drop a subject level if he/she is struggling?

A: [Answered during parent engagement] Under Full SBB, students may take subjects across different subject levels. If students are struggling for a subject, they may consider dropping the subject to a lower level at the end of a semester or the school year. However, academic resilience is an important part of students’ holistic development. We encourage students to discuss with parents and teachers on how they can overcome their learning difficulties, before considering dropping a subject level.

Q. What is the assessment schedule for Sec 1? Will this be shared with parents?

A: [Answered during parent engagement] The assessment schedule has been uploaded on the school website. The End of Year (EOY) Examination will be between Term 4 Week 3 to Week 5. Students will be given the exam timetable a month before the start of the EOY Examination.

Q. What are the school’s 2023 N- and O-Level results for graduating cohorts?

A: 2023 O level- 85% of our 4E students qualified for admission to JCs/MI and more than 95%, for polytechnics.

2023 N level - 70.4% of our 4A students were eligible for 5A and 15.6% were eligible for PFP

Q. How is Full SBB conducted in Peirce? Will students be moving between venues a lot?

A: [Answered during parent engagement] Under Full SBB, students will need to attend lessons at their subject level, which may not be in their home classroom. Most of the movement will be between classrooms on the same level, thereby reducing movement time. Currently, lower secondary students end their lessons by 2 pm.

Q. What is the assessment like for students who are taking Higher MTL? Will they need to take both the MTL and Higher MTL exams at the end of Sec 1?

A: [Answered during parent engagement] The assessment schedule has been uploaded on the school website. Students taking Higher MTL will only sit for the Higher MTL exam at the end of the year.

Q. How does Peirce communicate with parents and how can parents share information with Form Teachers? Will there be chat groups?

A: [Answered during parent engagement] In general, we encourage parents to communicate with teachers via email. Teachers’ email addresses can be found on the school website. If parents wish to communicate with teachers via their mobile number, please only contact teachers during working hours (i.e. 8am - 5pm on weekdays).

Q. Under what circumstances will the school contact parents regarding student well-being matters?

A: The school takes into consideration several factors, including the individual student’s well-being, the severity of issues faced, if a student needs to return home due to health reasons, etc.