Westwood Secondary School

Westwood Secondary School (Abbreviation:WWSS;Chinese:维林中校;Malay:Sekolah Menengah Westwood) is a government secondary school in 11 Jurong West Street 25, Singapore 648350 which started off in 2000 at a classroom block in Hua Yi Secondary School and by some teachers of that school before moving to its present premises in 2001.^[1]

The school has a good reputation in the neighbourhood for its strict attitude towards discipline, education and curriculum. Over 80% of its Secondary One students made this school one of their top 3 choice schools during the Secondary One Posting Exercise. In 2011, according to an interview with the school by Lianhe Zaobao, the cut-off aggregate to its express stream was 217. During the 2010 GCE O level Examinations, about two-third of its candidates scored L1R5 points lower than 21 and were able to enter the A level course.^[2]

Introduction

Westwood offers choice and flexibility to cater to students of different abilities and talents. In addition to existing subjects such as Economics and Physical Education at 'O' Levels, there is also a range of in-house enrichments, elective modules and advanced elective modules offered, as well as a flagship programme introduced by the school called "Westwood Bytes".

Westwood Crest

The tree featured in the Westwood crest is the pandanus furcatus, a unique tree occasionally found in Singapore.

Westwood Values

• Resilience
• Innovation
• Compassion
• Integrity
• Continual Learning

Westwood Mission

The Westwood Community Builds Confident Communicators and Critical Thinkers who are Anchored in Sound Values and Connected Locally and Globally

Westwood Colors

• Brown
• Green
• Silver

Professional Development Of Teachers

Westwood places strong emphasis on continual learning, a school value, for both teachers and students. The school has developed a structured approach in the professional development of the staff and students. It has also moved towards building a Professional Learning Community (PLC) by setting up staff into professional learning teams to look into various curricular and pedagogical aspects of teaching and learning.

Teachers have the opportunity to share the outcomes of their areas of research through various platforms at the school, cluster, national and international level. In 2010, three PLC teams had the opportunity to present their findings in Brunei, Malaysia and another two will be going to Japan at the end of 2011.

Staff Profile

Westwood has a high percentage of teachers who have completed or are pursuing further studies.^[3]

Level programmes

Secondary 1

• Orientation
• Dance

Secondary 2

• National Youth Achievement Award
• Drama
• Adventure Camp
• Theater Studies

Secondary 3

• Overseas Camp
• Overseas Study Trip
• Work Experience Programme
• Learning Style Profiling
• Advanced Elective Modules (AEM)

Secondary 4 and 5

• Motivational Workshop
• Education in Career Guidance
• Service Learning

Dynamic curriculum

Business Studies Department

The Westwood Business Studies Department offers Economics, Principles of Accounts (POA) and Elements of Business Skills (EBS) to upper secondary students. Business students are offered various opportunities to engage in authentic learning experiences to develop an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit.

Teaching and learning highlights

• Work experience programme with industry partners for different programmes
• Financial literacy programmes
• Entrepreneurship programmes
• Business bazaar
• CABIN V.I.P cafe (students operate their own cafe in school)
• Experiential learning
• Hip Hop dance classes for secondary 1 students
• Drama Enrichment
• Leadership camps and workshops

Science Department

The science department uses a two-pronged approach in its quest to improve the teaching and learning of science for Westwoodians. This includes engagement in learning and encouragement through value-added programmes such as additional classes on certain subjects for students during the school holidays.

Teaching and learning highlights

• Science Day started in 2011 as a day of learning science beyond the classroom hands-on experiences and in-house science workshops conducted by teachers.
• 4-year Science curriculum that begins at secondary two level where the physics and chemistry syllabuses are re-designed to establish a stronger science foundation. However, this would mean that Westwoodians would be at the disadvantage when attending science classes at tuition centres with students from other schools.
• Advanced Elective Modules conducted by Singapore Polytechnic and Republic Polytechnic for secondary three students in the express stream.

Physical Education department

After gaining approval from Ministry of Education in 2010, Physical Education at 'O' Level was introduced in 2011. This subject includes both theoretical and practical aspects of Physical Education. The objective of this is to develop students' passion for sports and inculcate the values of sportsmanship in Westwoodians. It also promotes a healthy lifestyle, enriches sporting culture and sport talent in the school. Only students who attain at least a Gold for NAPFA Test in secondary 2, well-liked by teachers, and meet all requirements can take this subject.

Holistic education

Westwood Bytes Programme

It offers Westwoodians different activities on Wednesday and Friday each week to develop different domains towards holistic education for all and also to gain points for their house.

• Rev-up on Wednesday

A whole school work-out session in which each house takes on different physical exercises every week: road run (outside school), vertical run (in the school building), tchoukball (quadrangle), captain's ball (hall) and push ball (in the school field), in order to build both physical capacity and mental tenacity. It is managed by the Physical Education department.

• In-touch on Wednesday

Through this, students stay attuned to local and global happenings, thinking on one's feet and express their own views, while engaging in class discussions and presentations on current and global issues dealing with themes ranging from education to technology to politics, to develop their critical thinking skills and the capacity to express their views and opinions coherently. It is also a vehicle to promote National Education and as such it is managed by the National Education department.

• Home@Westwood

Through this programme, students get to build bonds with their class and teachers. It also inculcates life skills for personal effectiveness in the future.

Achievements

These are the following achievements Westwood has achieved:

Academic Value Added Award

• Silver - Express
• Bronze - Normal Academic

Aesthetics Sustained Achievement Award

• Distinction - Choir, Concert Band,Guitar Ensemble
• Accomplishment - Guzheng Ensemble, Language & Communication Club

Uniformed Group Sustained Achievement Award

• Gold - Boys' Brigade
• Silver - NCC (Land), NPCC (Land), SJAB
• Bronze - Girls' Brigade

Co-curricular activities

These are the co-curricular activities Westwood offers:

Sports and Games

• Netball (girls only)
• Basketball (boys only)
• Badminton (mixed gender)
• Hockey (boys only)
• Soccer (boys only)
• Bowling (mixed gender)
• Tchoukball (girls only)

Aesthetics

• Concert Band (mixed gender)
• Guitar Ensemble (mixed gender)
• Choir (mixed gender)
• Chinese Orchestra (mixed gender)

Clubs and Societies

• English Language Drama and Debate Society (ELDDS) (mixed gender)
• Youth@Cabin Recreational Club (mixed gender)
• Westwood Youth Flying Aeromodelling Club (all boys mixed gender CCA as of 2015)
• Robotics Club (all boys mixed gender CCA as of 2015)

Uniform groups

• Boys' Brigade (BB)
• National Cadet Corps (NCC)
• National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC)
• Saint John Ambulance Brigade (SJAB)
• Girls' Brigade (GB)

School's Website

References

http://www.westwoodsec.moe.edu.sg

• Link to Westwood Residences EC