Principal's Message

Since its humble beginnings in 1987, Riverside Secondary School has grown to become a choice school in the north with its excellent track record. In 2009 and 2015, the school received the prestigious MOE School Distinction Award which was no mean feat. This award recognises high-achieving schools with well-defined processes that lead to sustained achievements in student outcomes. Since then, the school continues to strive for excellence.

I hope to build on the strong foundation of the school. In my professional career over the years, I have played different roles – a teacher, curriculum designer, policy maker and school principal. I was formerly the Director of Curriculum Policy and a Director at the Educational Technology Division at the Ministry of Education. In my MOE HQ stints, I had the opportunity to formulate and shape education policies, and worked across different schools from primary, secondary and junior college and to build the capacity of school leaders, heads of department and teachers in curriculum design and technology integration.

What has been constant throughout my career is my unwavering commitment to the holistic education of children. I am cognisant that each and every child is unique and different. Being an educator is about growing the child as an individual with his or her own self-worth and the moral integrity to do what is right even when no one is watching. We know that education is more than just equipping students with knowledge and skills. At Riverside, we believe in anchoring our students in strong school values (Respect, Service, Synergy, Passion, Integrity, Responsibility, Innovation, Tenacity) to guide their actions in their daily lives, as a student, as a son or daughter, and a member of the community.

Our Riversidians are emerging well as 21st century learners with the heart to care and to serve. At Riverside, we want to nurture in students the love for learning and the motivation to apply themselves well in all areas. The school believes in balancing Mastery Learning with Life-Worthy Experiences. Mastery Learning is about academic excellence with quality instruction and time and support to guide every student to learn well and achieve mastery. The school also provides a range of Life-Worthy learning experiences both in and out of the classroom to develop students’ leadership, aesthetics, physical, meta-cognitive, socio-emotional and moral dimensions. Through our various school programmes, we aspire to develop Riversidians to possess the dispositions, values, skills and knowledge of being future-ready digital learners who are compassionate, creative and ethical leaders, and are active and globally competent citizens.

Our Riverside teachers are lifelong learners who are committed to do their best for our students. They formed communities of practice among themselves to learn, design lessons and reflect using students’ works regularly. They constantly explore student-centric pedagogies, create 1:1 learning experiences, and design better assessment tasks. Over the years, they have also shared good practices with other schools at cluster and zonal platforms, international conferences and works they published.

In 2022, the nation began to open up progressively post-COVID-19. So did the school. The vibrancy and dynamism of school activities returned and we have had an eventful and fulfilling year. Now, as the nation transitions to a new post-COVID-19 era, our Riverside curriculum will continue to stay relevant and responsive to changes as we aim to nurture every Riversidian to realise his or her potential and be equipped with skills that prepare him or her for the future.

In conclusion, we will leverage new opportunities for us to learn and come together as a community. Our Riverside family looks forward to working closely with parents and various partners in learning to provide a quality educational experience for all Riversidians.

Together, we are Riverside.

Yours in education,
Ms Tham Yoke Chun
Principal