Unity Secondary School Newsletter. Unity...completion of at least 25 years of service. ... Wishing...

Calendar of Events for Term 4

# School of Opportunity

Unity Secondary School

Newsletter

Volume 20 | Issue #04 | 09 September 2019

Message from Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians

Term 3 commenced on an exciting note with students

from various Co-curricular Activities (CCAs), like our

Uniformed Groups, Performing Arts, PA & Media Resource

Clubs, as well as our talented students from Leaders of

English Programme (LEP) and Aesthetics Education

Modules (AEM), rehearsing for Unity’s 20th Anniversary

commemoration.

Mdm Aini Maarof

Inside This Issue

PG. 2

Principal’s Message

PG. 11

Department Initiatives &

Achievements

PG. 26

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School Volume 20 | Issue #04 | 09 September 2019

The celebration, held on 5 July, was graced by Mr Alex

Yam, MP for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC. It was attended by

former Unitians from different cohorts, former school leaders

and teachers of Unity, and members of the Yew Tee

community. The Uniformed Groups started-off the evening

celebrations with a parade. It was followed by an

impressive showcasing of talents by our Performing Arts,

and AEM students for whom the script was written by

students of Leaders of English Programme (LEP).

The night ended with a pervasive sense of the Unity Spirit,

laced with encouraging comments and praises from our

guests, staff and students, both past and present.

20th Anniversary Celebration, 5 July 2019

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Sports Fiesta 2019

The Unity Spirit continued with the

whole school’s participation in our

Annual Sports Fiesta held on 12 July. It

was an opportunity for our students to

apply the knowledge, skills and values

learnt during their PE lessons in games

such as netball, football, volleyball and

floorball.

There was a resonating display of class

spirit and ample demonstration of the

Olympic values of Excellence, Respect

and Friendship.

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Racial Harmony Week 2019

As for the annual commemoration of Racial

Harmony Day (RHD), our students were

engaged in a variety of traditional games

and savouring of ethnic foods at the

Harmony Fest.

On 19 July (RHD), students came to school

dressed in various ethnic costumes.

Students also had the opportunity to display

their creativity with Fusion Ethnic Costumes

in Runway Show.

Our students were treated to a good

spread of delicious ethnic delicacies

specially prepared by our Parents’ Support

Group (PSG). The food fair helped our

students to appreciate the richness and

diversity of our multicultural society.

Proceeds from the sale of food were

donated to the Needy Students’ Fund. We

would like to thank the PSG for raising

$1, 245.

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National Day Celebration

cum Awards Day 2019

On 8 August, our staff and

students celebrated the nation’s

54rd birthday with utmost pride

and joy. On that day, we also

celebrated the academic

successes of our cohort of 2018

Sec 4 and 5 students. We also

recognised the contributions of

our CCA student leaders as well

as our Volunteer Adult Leaders

(VALs) and Partners of the

School.

2019 Yew Tee National Day Observation Ceremony

Our students from the 5 Uniformed Groups joined the Yew Tee residents in the National Day Observance

Ceremony, held at Chua Chu Kang Stadium on 9 August.

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Achievements & Awards

Students

One of our former students, Esther Lim, who

graduated in 2018, was awarded the Lee Kuan

Yew Award for All-Round Excellence (LKY-ARE).

The national level award recognizes students

who have excelled in both academic and non-

academic spheres, and who exemplify the

qualities articulated in our Desired Outcomes of

Education (a confident person, a self-directed

learner, an active contributor and a concerned

citizen).

Esther is a talented basketball player who has represented the school and the nation at local as well as

international competitions. Despite having to juggle between her studies and frequent basketball trainings,

Esther did well academically to qualify for the Polytechnic Foundation Programme. She is currently pursuing

a business course at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Congratulations to Esther!

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Our ‘C’ Division Basketball Boys did the school proud again by clinching 3rd position in the recent 2019

National Basketball Championships. Our ‘C’ Division Basketball Girls were among the top 8 in the National

Championships. Both teams demonstrated resilience, commitment and teamwork as they pitted

themselves against very strong teams.

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This year, six of our Unicorn Scouts were awarded the Chief Commissioner’s Awards. This award is the

pinnacle award conferred upon the most outstanding and distinctive scouts in recognition of their

exemplary performance, dedication and service to the scouting movement.

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Staff

All the school and community events as well as achievements cited above would not have been possible

without the efforts and contributions of our teachers. Our teachers have demonstrated great pride and

commitment in delivering holistic education to our students.

I am pleased to announce that 3 of our staff were conferred

National Day Awards:

Ms Jenny Ng, Vice-Principal – Public Administration Medal

(Bronze) for outstanding efficiency, competence and

industry

Mr Scott Chew, HOD,

Student Management &

Guidance – Commendation

Medal for commendable

performance and devotion to

duty

Mdm Norafizah bte Shariff, Year Head (Upper Secondary)

– Long Service Medal for irreproachable character and

completion of at least 25 years of service.

Please join me in saluting the selfless service and unwavering commitment of our teachers and in wishing

them a ‘Happy Teachers’ Day’.

The GCE ‘NA’ and ‘NT’ Levels Exams, End-of-Year Exams and the GCE ‘O’ Level Exams will be held in Term 4.

I appeal to all parents to ensure that the students manage their time well and revise their subjects diligently,

in preparation for their exams.

I would like to thank all parents for your partnership in your child’s educational journey. I look forward to your

continued support in our efforts to develop your child holistically.

Wishing all a restful term break!

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Strategic Thrust 1: Grow As a Team with Passion and Professionalism

All staff are committed to grow as a team with passion and professionalism

1.1 Staff Appreciation Day

Teachers’ Day celebration will be held on Thursday, 6 September 2019. The school would like to take this

opportunity to thank all staff, both teaching and non-teaching, for their dedication and commitment to

the holistic development of the students.

Strategic Thrust 2: Every Student, An Engaged Learner Every student can be an engaged learner and we are committed to develop all students to be

self-directed learners and to achieve academic excellence

2.1 End of Year Examination Schedule

The End of Year Examination for the Sec 1, 2 and 3 classes will be held from Tuesday, 1 Oct 2019 to

Thursday, 10 Oct 2019. The examination time table will be issued to the students. The timetable will also be

made available on the school website.

The Marking Day will be on Friday, 11 October 2019 and students need not come to school on that day.

Checking of exam scripts will be on Monday, 14 October 2019 and Tuesday, 15 October 2019.

2.2 September Holiday Lessons

The schedule for the coming September holiday lessons can be found in ANNEX A.

2.3 English Department Initiatives

2.3.1 Unity Young Writers Festival (UWF) Day 2

UWF Day 2 was held on 24 May 2019 at the Woodlands Regional Library Auditorium. Welcoming 28 schools

from all over Singapore, it was indeed a gathering for like-minded educators and students to celebrate

the triumphs of literary arts. Not only did the budding poets have an enriching dialogue session with our

panel of distinguished poet-judges, our audience were treated to a wonderful recital of the winning

entries. We even had the honour of listening to Marc Nair’s (one of our esteemed poet-judges) recital live

on stage!

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Indeed, UWF 2019 was a great learning experience for all students. We hope that more students will

continue to be inspired and be heard. Stay tuned for more updates for UWF 2020!

Celebrating the

successful run of

UWF 2019 with

our students!

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2.3.2 Our inaugural attempt: 33rd YMCA Plain English Speaking Awards 2019

This year, our Leaders in English Programme (LEP) has launched a Speakers Division, a new branch with

the revamp of our department’s talent development initiatives. In order to hone the thinking and

presentation skills of our Secondary 1 students, Jerald Tan (1E3) and Natalie Yap (1E4) have been selected

to participate in the annual national level PESA speaking competition. Both of them put up a splendid

speech on “I have a superpower” and had the privilege of exploring their own personal voice and style!

Unity Young Writers

Festival 2019 concluded

with our inaugural public

exhibition at Jurong West

Library! The exhibition

was a showcase of local

literary works to spread

our love for reading!

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2.3.3 Aesthetics Education Module for Secondary 2 Students

The Aesthetics Education Module (AEM) aims to inculcate resilience, confidence and creativity through

the Exposure, Enrichment and Experience approach in our students. The Secondary 2 modules are

conducted after school hours on Tuesday and students continue to learn to play the ukulele, to dance or

to sing, at an advance level over 9 one-hour lessons.

This will culminate in an AEM Showcase on 17 October 2019, when each group of ukulele ensemble, hip

hop dance and pop vocal will apply what they had learnt in AEM in a performance. An invitation letter

to attend this showcase will be sent to you at a later date.

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2.3.4 Battle of the iBands

The Secondary 2 students celebrated the music production ibands with each class’s group representative

taking part in the Battle of the iBands on 26 July 2019. The objective of these lessons was to allow students

to perform in an ensemble of at least 3 parts, namely, guitar, keyboard and drums. We are proud of these

students as they had practised hard during their music lessons to perform cover versions of their chosen

popular songs on GarageBand (an ipad application used for music production and composition).

Congratulations to Class 2N2 for becoming the champions of the Battle of ibands 2019!

Secondary Two students during music lessons

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Battle of iBands on 26 July 2019 at

school Assembly Programme

2.3.5 Phantom of the Opera Musical Experience at Marina Bay Sands Theatre (17 May 2019)

Our Leaders of English Programme (LEP) students were given the opportunity to immerse themselves in

the musical extravaganza of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s award-winning musical, Phantom of the Opera. This

musical is one of the longest-running shows on Broadway and has won 70 major theatre awards, including

one for Best Musical. Not only were they mesmerised by the theatrical mastery showcased during the

musical, they also had a ball of a time singing along to the haunting tunes of memorable songs like ‘Think

of Me’ and ‘Angel of Music’. It was indeed heartening to see the students traversing the intricacies of the

sophisticated storyline in the musical. Truly, it was a night to remember!

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2.3.6 LEP Scriptwriting for 20th Anniversary Musical

Our Leaders of English Programme (LEP) students in the writing committee worked hard behind the scenes,

honing their creative writing skills to produce a script in its entirety for the 20th Anniversary Musical on the

5th of July, 2019. The team, led by Andrea Tan and Andrea Rebareyo from 3E3, worked tirelessly under the

tutelage of their experienced Secondary 4 seniors to conceptualize the script. Not only were they adept

in generating ideas for the musical, it is remarkable that they were able to construct and deliver the script

for the musical in a manner that suited the theme of the evening. The performance was a big hit with the

audience, with its poignant and heartfelt themes resonating with many. Kudos to the LEP students for the

brilliant piece of work!

2.3.7 Books to Go & Books to Screen

The start of Term 3 saw a series of activities planned for our Unitians. These included our "Books to Go"

sessions @USS library, movie screenings and Book Buzz.

The Book Buzz session held on the second day of Term 3 featured some new and good reads to hit the

shelves of our USS library. These include:

1) Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

2) The Slated trilogy by Teri Terry

3) Mortal Engines by Philip Reeves

Here are some snapshots of Unitians with their good reads during the "Books to Go" sessions on 9th and

10th July 2019.

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2.3.8 National Schools Literature Festival (NSLF) 2019

On July 26, literature students from Secondary 1, 3 and 4 participated in the National Schools Literature

Festival. It is the largest school-based literary event every year and it did not disappoint! Students had the

opportunity to go through a series of competitions including debate, choral reading and many more!

While the teachers transformed into judges for the various activities, the students gave their all for the

event, spending their precious afternoons rehearsing and practicing, taking the initiative to do more. We

are proud of how much they have learnt and benefited from this experience, especially when they

promised they will make a comeback in 2020!

As part of our "Books to Screen" tie-in, two movies were

screened, namely, Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar

children and Fantastic beasts and where to find them.

To reinforce our commitment to the Reading Programme,

on 16th July 2019 Unity Secondary School also took part in

the "Read for Books Charity Drive" organised by the

National Library Board as part of the Read Fest 2019. Our

students were captured on photo, engrossed in their

reading for a total of 20 minutes!

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2.3.9 Literature Learning Journey to Institute of Mental Health

To learn more about their literature text, our very passionate Secondary Three Pure Literature students

went on an exciting learning journey to the Institute of Mental Health at the start of Term 3. This learning

journey, conducted by the professionals at IMH, provided the students with an accurate and insightful

understanding of mental health in Singapore, correcting students' misconceptions and also revealing to

them the truth about the plight of mental health patients. The students interacted with volunteers who

were themselves IMH patients in the past and saw historical artefacts that revealed the disturbing and

heartbreaking history of this taboo topic. At the same time, they were heartened to see how society's

attitude towards the mentally ill has changed in recent years. With this learning journey, the students have

matured both in their literary journeys and as

members of our society.

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2.3.10 Secondary 2 Theatre Assembly Programme

The Secondary 2 Express and Normal Academic students attended a Theatre Assembly Programme in

Term 3. As a follow-up activity, the students performed a short script based on the plays, Imperfect Family

Recipe & Drunken Prawns respectively, in front of their classmates. Not only did they enjoy the

performance, they also enjoyed the preparatory process of rewriting the script using relevant and requisite

stage directions.

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2.4 Department Academic Achievements

2.4.1 Mathematics Department

Advanced Mathematics Program (AMP) – Singapore Mathematical Olympiad 2019

In June 2019, the students from AMP took part in the Singapore Mathematical Olympiad (SMO - SENIOR)

2019 competition. It is our pleasure to announce their commendable results.

The students are:

SN Name Class Award

1 CHA YONG KIT 3E2 HONOURABLE MENTION

2 CHEW MING HONG, GORDON 4E1 HONOURABLE MENTION

3 LI CHENGYU 4E2 HONOURABLE MENTION

Congratulations for their achievements!

Principles of Account (POA) The POA students participated in the following competitions –

Global Money Week Financial Literacy Competition 2019

Venue: Republic Polytechnic

Date: 29 March 2019

SN Name Class

1 Chee Shu Ting Joanne 3E4

2 Goh Yi Xuan 3E4

3 Jillian Lee Xin Yi 3E5

4 Koh Chee Chean 3E5

National Accounting Challenge: Amaze 2019

Venue: Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Date: 11th July 2019

SN Name Class

1 Rishi Kumar S/o Sathi Kumar (5N2) 5N2

2 Zhao Ruixin (5N2) 5N2

3 Tan Jun Yan, Benjamin (5N2) 5N2

4 Ng Jun Cheng (5N2) 5N2

5 Teo Yew Kiat, Maurice (5N2) 5N2

Although the teams did not achieve the top few placings, the experience from participating and

applying their knowledge in POA would have enriched their experience and made learning of the

subject more meaningful.

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Strategic Thrust 3: Every Student, An Inspiring Leader Every student can be a committed and inspiring leader and we are committed to develop all

students into leaders guided by sound values and effective life skills

3.1 Unity Students’ Values-In-Action (VIA) Program

Students put their values and leadership skills into action by organizing Student-Initiated VIA

activities. The Sec 2 students will be organizing fun fair in October to raise fund to support social

enterprise and also to collaborate with the social enterprise for their food distribution activity.

3.2 Character and Leadership Development (CLD) Awards

In line with the school’s focus on the character and leadership development of our students, the school has

put in place a number of character and leadership awards to recognise our students’ efforts and

contributions as well as their exemplary behaviour and leadership. These include the Unity All-Round

Excellence Award, Outstanding Unitian Award, the Leaders of Leaders Commendation Award, Student Role

Model Award and Unity Leadership Award.

MOE also gives out the Edusave Awards to recognise students who have shown exemplary values,

character and civic responsibility through their actions; who strive to overcome the odds; who excel in

academic and non-academic areas and who display leadership qualities. These include the Edusave

Character Award (ECHA) and the Edusave Award for Achievement and Good Leadership and Service

(EAGLES).

We look forward to recognising your child’s efforts and contributions, as well as their exemplary character

and leadership through the various CLD Awards.

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Strategic Thrust 4: High Care, Strong Discipline, Actualising Potential Through high level of care from the school, our students exude strong discipline and are able to

realise their potential

4.1 Graduation Day for 4N, 4T, 4E and 5N pupils

The school will be holding the Graduation Day on 4 October 2019. The Graduation Day is a day in which we

commemorate the students’ four or five-year journey with us at Unity Secondary School. We will take a trip

down memory lane with them as we relive some of their experiences in the school before they proceed to

the next stage of their lives. This will be the last day of school for the graduating students. The Sec 4E/5N

students will be having their study leave after this day to prepare for their ‘O’ Level Examinations. Selected

students will be called back for extra intervention and support programme to help them in their upcoming

national examinations.

Students are to report to their respective classrooms by 2.15pm on 4 October 2019 in full school uniform.

Attendance is compulsory. We will also be giving out the Preliminary Exam result slips on that day. The event

will end by 6.30pm.

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Strategic Thrust 5: Strong Organisational Capabilities, Effective Administration We develop strong organisational capabilities and effective administration to support students’

and staff development

5.1 School Operating Hours during the September School Holidays

General Office: Mon – Fri from 0700 – 1800hrs

Bookshop: Thu – Fri from 0800-1200hrs

Printing Services: Thu – Fri from 0800-1200hrs.

5.2 Extension of Concessionary Travel for all Sec 4s & Sec 5s Please note that the concessionary travel for all Sec 4E/NT & Sec 5NA students who are taking the GCE "O"

Level examinations in 2019 and all Sec 4NA proceeding to Sec 5NA in 2020 will expire on 31 December 2019.

Sec 4 (Express and Normal Technical) & Sec 5 (Normal Academic)

Students are advised to present their School Smart Card (SSC) at any Transit Link (TL) Ticket Office,

Concession Card Replacement Office (CCRO), Passenger Service Centre (PSC), Add Value Machine (AVM)

or the General Ticketing Machine (GTM) to extend the concession validity of their SSCs to continue enjoying

concessionary travel till 31 January 2020.

Sec 4 (Normal Academic)

As the concessionary travel for all Sec 4NA students proceeding to Sec 5NA in 2020 will also expire on 31

December 2019, students are advised to present their School Smart Card (SSC) at any Transit Link (TL) Ticket

Office, Concession Card Replacement Office (CCRO), Passenger Service Centre (PSC), Add Value

Machine (AVM) or the General Ticketing Machine (GTM) to extend the concession validity of their SSCs till

31 December 2020.

All students can start to activate the extension with immediate effect and the last day for extension of

concessionary travel is 15 September 2019. They should call TL-Hotline at 1800-2255 663 for assistance if they

encounter problem extending the concession validity. TL's Hotline Operating hours are from 8am - 6pm

daily and they are closed on Public Holidays.

Students who are paying their fare charges through GIRO or Auto Credit Card are also required to extend

the concession validity of their SSCs at any of the machines/offices mentioned above.

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5.3 Application for Financial Assistance Scheme 2019

Students requiring financial assistance are encouraged to apply for the MOE and the School Advisory

Committee (SAC) Financial Assistance Scheme.

Application forms are obtainable from the General Office from Monday, 16 September 2019. In order for

your application to be approved by the end of Term 4, all completed application forms must be submitted

to the General Office by Monday, 30 September 2019.

Application criteria are as follows:

Type of Assistance For Whom Benefits

MOE Financial

Assistance Scheme

Singapore Citizen

Gross Household Income (GHI) not

exceeding S$2,750 or Per Capita

Income (PCI) not exceeding S$690

Waiver of School Fees

Waiver of Standard

Miscellaneous Fees

Free Textbook

Free School Attire

Transport Subsidy

Meal Allowance

School-based Financial

Assistance Scheme

Singapore Citizen

Per Capita Income (PCI) between

S$691 – S$899

Free Textbook

Free School Attire

Transport Subsidy

Meal Allowance

Strategic Thrust 6: Synergistic Partnerships We build synergistic partnerships with parents and other stakeholders to support students’ and

staff learning and growth

6.1 November-December Holidays CCA Protected Time

The schedule for the CCA protected time during the year-end holidays can be found in ANNEX B, so that

parents can use it for your holidays planning.

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Calendar of Events for Term 4

The following calendar of events aims to provide parents an overview of the events and programmes planned

in Term 4. It is accurate at the time of publishing. Should there be any changes, the school will inform parents

through the students.

Date Event Level

16 – 25

September GCE ‘N’ Level Written Examination (Part 1) Sec 4N & 4T

17 September Sec 2 AEM Session 6 Sec 2

18 September GCE ‘N’ Level English Language Syllabus T Listening

Comprehension Examination

Sec 4NT

19 September GCE ‘N’ Level CPA Practical Exam Sec 4T

20 September GCE ‘N’ Level English Language Syllabus A Listening

Comprehension Examination Sec 4N

20 September End of Prelim Exam Sec 4E & 5N

20 September PSG Games & Sports Session

23 September GCE ‘N’ Level Mother Tongue Languages Listening

Comprehension Examination Sec 4T & 4N

23 September GCE’O’ Level Mother Tongue Syllabus B Oral Exam Sec 4 & 5

24 September GCE ‘N’ Level CPA Practical Exam Sec 4T

25 September GCE ‘N’ Level Basic Mother Tongue Languages

Listening Comprehension Examination Sec 4T

25 September – 3

October GCE ‘O’ Level Foreign Languages Sec 4E

26 September – 3

October 4N Hot-Housing (Part 2) Sec 4N & 4T

27 September PSG Games & Sports Session

1 – 10 October End of Year Examination Sec 1, 2 & 3

2 – 16 October GCE ‘O’ Level Science Practical Sec 4E & 5N

4 October Graduation Ceremony Sec 4 & 5

7 – 18 October

GCE ‘N’ Level Written Examination (Part 2) Sec 4N & 4T

11 October Marking Day (students need not attend school) All Levels

11 October PSG Games & Sports Session

11 & 14 October GCE ‘O’ Level Listening Comprehension Exam Sec 4E & 5N

14 October Sec 2 AEM Session 7 Sec 2

14 – 15 October Checking of Exam Scripts Sec 1, 2 & 3

15 October Sec 2 AEM Sessions 8 & 9 Sec 2

16 October Checking of draft Result Slip (First Period) All Sec 1, 2 & 3

16 October Super Chef Challenge Sec 2

17 October Sec 2 AEM Rehearsal & Showcase Sec 2

18 October PSG Meeting 4

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Date Event Level

21 October – 15

November GCE ‘O’ Level Written Examination

Sec 4E & 5NA

Selected 4N & 3HMTL

21 October Progression Exercise (students need not attend school) All Levels

21 - 24 October Sec 4N AEM Sec 4N

22 – 25 October End-of-Year Leadership Learning Week All Sec 1, 2 & 3

25 October Last Day of School All Levels

28 October Deepavali Holiday

29 October – 1

November Overseas Learning Journey Selected Sec 3

29 October – 1

November Lower Sec Bridging Programme Sec 1 & 2

11 – 15

November Outward Bound Singapore Sec 3

20 – 22

November EAGLES Camp Unity Councillors

23 November Unity Open House

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Annex A

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Annex B

Unity Secondary School Newsletter. Unity...completion of at least 25 years of service. ... Wishing...

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Transcript of Unity Secondary School Newsletter. Unity...completion of at least 25 years of service. ... Wishing...