Letter to Parents term 1 (2020)
15 Jan 2020
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Welcome to 2020!
On behalf of the staff and students of Gan Eng Seng School, I would like to extend a warm welcome to our Sec 1 cohort and to new staff who have joined us this year. 2020 is another milestone year for GESS as we celebrate our 135th anniversary, honouring our mission to nurture the best in each student and strive ever onward while building on our heritage and legacy left behind by our founder, Mr Gan Eng Seng. Our 135th anniversary celebrations cum Founder’s Day will be held at the Mrs Lee Choon Guan Concert Hall at ACS (Barker) on the 13th of March 2020. On this day, we will celebrate our students’ varied talents through music, song and dance.
I am also happy to share with you that Dance Ensemble will be involved in the National Day dance segment this year. We are looking for parent volunteers to support us for the various training sessions and rehearsals. If you are keen to come on board, kindly email Mdm Asnur at asnur mursalin aspar@moe.edu.sg
Farewell and Welcome
I would like to thank Mdm Jenny Tan, former principal of GESS, for her strong, love embodied and inspiring leadership. Her belief in holistic education and character excellence has indeed laid a strong foundation for the school to move ONWARD! I wish her all the best in her new posting. I would also like to thank Ms Jessica Cheng, Mr Joshua Loke, Ms Petrina Cheong, Ms Foo Lee Wee, Mr Joshua Kim Kwan and Mr Ahmad Salleh, who have moved on from Gess, for their invaluable services to the school.
Joining the Gessian family this year are Mdm Jacqueline Tham as Adjunct Corporate Support Staff and Ms Wee Pey Woon as Math/EBS teacher.
GCE ‘N’ and ‘O’ Level Results 2019
Our Normal (Academic) and Normal (Technical) students achieved commendable results in the GCE N- Level examination 2019. 91.7% of our 4NA students are eligible for Sec 5NA with 87.5% qualifying for the Direct-Entry-Scheme to Polytechnic programme (DPP). 15 NA students obtained ELMAB3 of 10 points or less, with 7 from this group obtaining an ‘Excellent’ grade for their CCAs too. 100% of our Sec 4NT students are eligible for entry to ITE while 8 NT students have obtained at least 3 As. James David Tucay Lum Jing S, Nur Amirah Nisha Binti Azmi, Rajmohan Shivendra and Tan Jin En, Mignon, from 4NT deserve special mention as they have qualified for lateral transfer to the 4NA course.
The 2019 cohort of Sec 4Exp/5NA students performed well at the GCE O-Level examination 2019 too. 98.7% of Sec 4 Express and 54.1% of Sec 5NA students achieved 5 GCE ‘O’ level passes. 80.5% of 4 Express students are eligible for JC while 99.4% qualify for Polytechnic education. 16 students from 4 Express obtained L1R5 equal to or less than 9 points while 7 students from the 5NA course achieved L1R4 equal to or less than 15 points. 8 students in the graduating cohort received the MOE Edusave Character Award (ECHA).
Gessians’ good performance in the national examinations is an affirmation of the good work of our teachers (both Lower and Upper Secondary). Special thanks goes to the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), Alumni (GESSOSA), the School Advisory Committee and parents/guardians who worked with the school to bring out the best in our students.
School-Based Assessment
In line with the Ministry of Education’s direction to reduce high-stakes testing and free up curriculum time to foster deeper and more engaged learning, the school has removed the Mid-Year Examination for Sec 3 this year. In 2019, Mid-Year Examination for Sec 1 was removed. Student learning for these two levels (Sec 1 and Sec 3) will be assessed through Weighted Assessments (WA) conducted during the course of the year, before students sit for the End-of-Year Examinations.
Details of the GESS Assessment Weighting Distribution for all levels are given below:
GESS Assessment Weighting Distribution (for 2020)
| Level | Term 1 | Term 2 | Term 3 | Term 4 | ||
| WA1 | WA2 | Mid-Year Exam | WA3 | WA4 | End-of-Year Exam | |
| Sec 1 | 10% | 15% | – | 15% | 10% (Alternative Assessment) | 50% |
| Sec 2 | 10% | 10% | 20% | 10% | 10% (Alternative Assessment) | 40% |
| Sec 3 | 10% | 15% | – | 15% | 10% (Alternative Assessment) | 50% |
| Sec4 | 10% | – | 30% | – | – | 60% (Prelim) |
The intent of WAs is both formative and summative. While they assess your child’s/ward’s proficiency in the subjects, they also provide teachers with information on the learning gaps they need to address. Hence, we seek your active partnership in ensuring that your child/ward does his/her best in every assessment.
Key Events and Important Dates for Term 1, 2020
Kindly refer to Annex A for key events and important dates for Term 1.
We look forward to your continued support to realise our vision of Gessians of Excellence, Standing and Significance.
Onward!
Yours in partnership,
Ms Tan Hwee Pin
Principal
Important Dates for Term1 (2020)
Annex A
| Dates | Event | Remarks (if any) |
| 13-17 Jan 2020 | All Sec 1 classes: GESS Camp Sec 1 (13-16 Jan)13-15 Jan: Normal Curriculum for all Sec 2 to Sec 5 students16 Jan: E-Learning Day for all Sec 2 and 3 students Normal Curriculum for all Sec 4 & 5 students17 Jan: E-Learning Day for Sec 1 to Sec 5 students | For E-learning day, students would complete the online lessons/ assignments from home. Students without internet access at home should approach their form teachers to sign up for use of computers in the school computer labs, or in the school library. |
| 24 Jan 2020 | Chinese New Year (CNY) Celebrations | All students will be dismissed at 10am on this day. |
| 27-28 Jan 2020 | 27 Jan is a public holiday. 28 Jan is a school holiday. | Students will report to school on 29 Jan 2020 |
| 7 Feb 2020 | Sec 1 Welcome Session for Parents ( 5 pm to 8 pm) | Venue: School Hall Light refreshment will be served to all parents/guardians. |
| 14 Feb 2020 | Total Defence Day Commemoration | |
| 17 Feb-21 Feb 2020 | Elective Modules for 3NT and 4NT | Modules covered are Culinary Skills, Hospitality, Digital Photography and Business Services. |
| 21 Feb 2020 | Meet Parents cum Prize Presentation-Sec 2 and 3 | Venues: Sec 2: School Hall Sec 3 : Rifle Range (in GESS) |
| 3 Mar 2020 | CCA dismissal by 4.30pm to prepare for Sec 2-5 GESS Camps | |
| 4 Mar-6 Mar2020 | GESS Camp (Sec 2 – 5) Details of Sec 2-5 GESS Camp will be given to parents/ guardians in a separate letter at a later date. Sec 1: | Sec 1 students will participate in e-learning from home on 5 & 6 March. Students without internet access at home should approach their form teachers to sign up for use of computers in the school computer labs, or in the school library. |
| 13 Mar 2020 | 135th Anniversary cum Founder’s Day Celebrations | Venue: ACS (Barker) |
| 14-22 Mar 2020 | Term Break | Selected CCAs will be conducting camps on certain days of the holiday. Parents would be notified in due course by the CCA teachers. |