WITH THE LATEST OFS NEWS

MUNOFS XVII, held from November 8 to 10, has been a resounding success. The conference featured 13 diverse committees, including UNICEF and the U.S. Senate, and welcomed nearly 400 delegates.

We are NATIONAL CHESS CHAMPIONS!!

Congratulations to OFS' U10 chess team for winning Singapore's 65th National Inter-School Team Chess Championship, held on 3rd September at Rulang Primary School. The young OFS Chess Knights stunned their opponents by winning their first five games and securing the championship with a 2-2 draw in the final round against Catholic High School.

Outstanding IB Results 2024!

We are thrilled to announce the exceptional performance of our Grade 12 students in the IB Examinations this year!

On May 24, 2024, we celebrated our annual high school graduation ceremony. This joyous occasion is a time-honoured tradition, as we gathered with our Grade 12 students, their families, and friends to honour their achievements. The ceremony featured enlightening speeches, special performances, as well as the conferral of High School Diplomas, recognizing the hard work and dedication of our students as they transition to university and beyond. We look forward to a bright future for each of them, filled with endless possibilities and success.

This year's Battle of the Bands was a musical treat of genres and musical styles. The bands in the competition performed some wild and energetic new songs and some old classics that we all rocked the night away to. What a treat! We had guest artists performing to add contrast and showcased some amazing musical skills. It was a real luxury to welcome the alumni band ‘Pencil Battery’ performing some of their own material. Another guest performer was local legend Mel Ferdinands who sang a lovely ballad that we all sang along to. The last alumni guest performer was singer songwriter Dru Chen. He blew the audience away with two of his own beautiful songs at the very end of the evening. The winning band was 'Kinda Qualified' and was composed of grade nine students. They were very shocked and delighted to be awarded the best overall band. Their energy, enthusiasm, and musical skills indeed impressed the judges. Overall, this was a feast of music, colour and energy.

In March, OFS High School Dance presented Kindred Beginnings. Our Grade 9 -12 dancer students took the stage by storm with a variety of dance styles, ranging from Contemporary dance, Charleston to Hip Hip. More than celebrating the culmination of students' learning in dance at OFS, audiences got to take a peek into what our dancers experience behind-the-scenes!

The IB Visual Art Exhibition was a celebration of each student's conceptual journey and creative application of media and techniques to craft their intentions into a visual form. There were over 120 pieces on display in the exhibition and collectively they cover a diverse range of creative forms, including, digital and traditional drawings, textile works, sculptural forms, film work, painting, printmaking and installations. The students’ final portfolios consisted of these pieces of artwork, and were submitted to IB for external assessment. Throughout the week that the exhibition was on display, aspiring artists in lower grades were able to view and be inspired by their senior peers' designs. Parent’s evening offered OFS families and community members the chance to appreciate the artwork and support our talented artists.

MUNOFS XIV, held on February 3-4, 2024, brought together 24 schools from around the globe. With 13 committees and over 365 delegates, this event offered a unique platform for middle school students to engage in diplomacy and debate. The conference was expertly organised and managed by our Executive Committee, led by Secretary General Saksham Verma (Grade 11), showcasing their leadership and commitment to solving contemporary global issues.

In February, the OFS Black Box Theatre proudly hosted the HS Theatre Production of Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring, a fast-paced farcical black comedy widely revered as a theatre classic. This play saw the participation of many HS students, from across all grade levels, who undertook roles not just on the stage but also behind the scenes too. The roles were varied from helping to apply special effects make-up, painting set, organising props, and sewing costumes to composing all the music/sound effects for the play, as well as designing the lighting states. Audiences revelled in the spectacular set, alongside the outstanding performances from the talented cast, in a chaotic story of bumps in the night, unannounced visits from police officers and the ideas that some things are not always as they seem! This riotous, comic masterpiece had audiences laughing from beginning to end and is an experience which the students will remember for a very long time, along with the permanent bonding of special new friendships that have been gained along the way. We are all very proud of everything we achieved and we hope you enjoy some images of the play, in all its glory!

The Musical Soirée was an intimate event that showcased some incredible talent from Grades 9-12. The evening began with a performance by the orchestra performing a piece composed by our very own Myra Singh (G11 music student). "Floating Alone" was a real treat and demonstrated that we not only have great performers amongst us but great composers. We were exposed to music from every genre you could imagine: folk, pop, traditional Chinese, Classical Music (Chopin, Bach and more), old school rock ballads, musical theatre and some singer-songwriters who performed their own numbers. We were also given a lesson on how to compose using Logic Pro by our very own Rohan Chakkarwar (G11 music student). It was a lovely evening filled with beautiful music and quite spectacular melodies and lyrical moments. Thank you to all the talented musicians who contributed to such a fabulous evening.

During the Grade 7 Model United Nations conference, students learned about challenges that governments face in ensuring equitable access to finite resources. During their deliberations, students put forward solutions to ensure that everyone has access to food, water, health, technology, clean air, education and jobs. Their conference followed an interdisciplinary unit exploring demographic trends and comparative data between regions and within countries. MUN conferences provide a great way for students to learn about international relations and global issues while building research and debating skills.

Middle School students enjoyed an action-packed day filled with thrilling games and some healthy competition! Students got to test their skills and teamwork in basketball, football, dodgeball and other sports games. The team spirit was alive and well, but it was also nice to see the camaraderie between the students helping each other along throughout the day. There was much laughter, high-fives and celebrations as all students contributed to an amazing day of sports and action.

Our Middle School students celebrated the several languages and vibrant cultures represented at Overseas Family School through fun games, exhibits and activities. The Middle School students have the opportunity to learn more than ten languages at OFS and thoroughly enjoyed showcasing their language skills and understanding during the activities. Each language tells a unique story and lets us connect to our roots and traditions. The celebration of language helps us build our identity and enables us to understand ourselves and others.

The 2024 MADD Concert saw Middle School students put on a spectacular show full of music, arts dancing, and drama. Our students put their hearts into all their performances resulting in an amazing celebration of all things arts. Our students overcame their fears and went outside their comfort zones - it was great to see how much they enjoyed showcasing their talents to parents, staff and friends. The performances took place after weeks of hard work and dedication by students and staff alike. The amazing results made it all worth it!

Our Grade 8 students delved into issues related to sustainability and globalization during their final Model United Nations conference in Middle School. The conference followed an interdisciplinary unit that delved into the inherent problems of a linear supply chain and the need for a more circular economy to protect people and the environment. Our students represented different countries and reflected on several perspectives when finding solutions to ensure our world is more sustainable. All Middle School students participate in one conference each academic year and build skills linked to research, communication and collaboration.

The chess boom in Singapore continues with another milestone record of 1600 students successfully competing in the recent 75th National School Individual Chess Championship from 16-17 March 2024. The spacious OFS campus turned into a carnival ground for chess lovers once again welcoming students, parents and teachers from all across Singapore.

Internationalism comes alive in our Elementary School each year when we celebrate nationalities and cultures through song and dance at the Global Concerts. Each concert showcases the incredible musical and dance talents of our young performers as they promote awareness of the diversity in our global community here at OFS. Each of these celebrations also reminds us of the important role the Performing Arts play in nurturing a balanced child.

Our Elementary School Performing Arts Concert celebrated the wonderful talents of our students. We had fabulous performances from our ES Choirs, Ensemble Groups and our Rock Band. We were treated to solo items ranging from the piano, to dancing to drums amongst others. All the aspiring musicians have demonstrated resilience, cooperation and thoughtfulness through their commitment throughout the year.

On 16 April 2024 our students performed in the final of three lunchtime concerts during the year. Getting up on stage and to showcase your talents in front of a student, parent and teacher audience of over a hundred people can be a daunting experience. Our students played, sang and danced their way through the lunch break in our Auditorium with great confidence. Well done to all our performers.

On the evenings of 12 and 13 March 2024, the Elementary School proudly presented a theatrical production of Winnie the Pooh Kids, a story of friendship and teamwork. The cast of the show consisted of 128 Grade Four and Grade Five students; with rehearsals that started back in October 2023. Our wonderful students performed over the two nights and showed tremendous confidence and energy. Both shows drew large crowds of parents and families. From the amazing costumes, colourful set designs and lighting and stellar performances from our students, it was a production not to be forgotten.

Global Picnic, the most highly anticipated school event of the year, brought together all the OFS families to celebrate as one international community. The Parent Association organized this event with the help of the entire school community, including parents, administrative staff, teachers, and students.

Every year, our 'CultureFest' concert is a highlight of the High School calendar, showcasing not only the cultural diversity but also the considerable talent within our student body. Different student groups have been working all semester on a range of cultural dances, music, and performances.

Our Grade 5 Model United Nations (MUN) unit culminated in a General Assembly Conference last week. The MUN simulation is a fantastic opportunity for students learn about diplomacy, international relations and the United Nations. Model United Nations is fully embedded into the Grade 5 program here at Overseas Family School.

The campus was a buzz with excited elementary school students eager to participate in fun filled and challenging sports morning activities for each Grade level. Students in their grade levels were actively engaged in events that highlighted the development of their gross motor skills.

The OFS whole school Food Collection was a great success! We collected 2,644 items for the entire school. This included over 349 kgs. of rice, 344 packets of noodles, and over 937 canned items. All of the food donated has been given to Food From the Heart where it will be distributed to families in need.

Our stage came alive with holiday songs and dances from around the world during our Grade 1 to 5 Holiday Concerts. Respecting, understanding and appreciating others cultures and beliefs are an important part of our International Primary Curriculum. The holiday concert is an expression of that focus as we celebrate festivals and holidays from around the world.

Unplugged was an exciting event that happened on Wednesday 15th November 2023 in S06-07. It has been many years since we showcased this event so it was a great opportunity to hear some of the musical talent in the High School.

The Kindergarten had a lovely time celebrating Deepavali. They enjoyed a short programme where they learned a cultural dance and watched a story about Deepavali, and then spent time making their own rangoli and diya crafts.

Global Politics students and teachers at Overseas Family School (OFS) High School orchestrated an enlightening week-long celebration culminating in a powerful assembly centered on the theme of achieving Sustainable Development Goals for global peace.

This weekend our HS hosted a 3 day MUN Conference 3-5 November. MUNOFS XVI hosted schools from all over the world, including schools from Australia, Azerbaijan, Switzerland and Cambodia. Our conference was completely full with 400 delegates in 13 committees including the US Senate, Arab League, where delegates discuss contemporary global issues in the attempt to find an innovative resolution. Our Secretary-General, Vivaan Kapoor and his team worked tirelessly over the past year to put this conference together.

An Unforgettable Day at Overseas Family School with the National Danish Performance Team! Friday, October 20th, marked a transformative day in the history of Overseas Family School. We had the distinct honor of hosting the globally acclaimed National Danish Performance Team at OFS, creating a hybrid event that merged athletics, academics, mother tongue speakers and community engagement.

Our Elementary School students took part in our very first Lunchtime Concert of the year.
We are so proud of our amazing group of talented students.

TEDxYouth@OFS 2023, the annual student-run event facilitated by High School staff, was streamed live from the OFS Black Box on Friday, 8 September. Student leaders in Communications, Speech Delivery, Events and Production together with their crews were responsible for the creation of the logo, the advertising posters, rehearsals and promotional events.

Congratulations to all 17 OFS Chess Teams from Elementary, Middle and High School for competing in the prestigious 64th National School Team Chess Championship held at Rulang Primary School. This year's biggest team event was played from 6-8 September and featured 260 teams from local and international schools with students aged between 7 and 20 years old.

Parents were treated to an extraordinary Elementary School Global Concert recently showcasing the remarkable talents of the ES students. Culturally diverse performances, meticulously rehearsed in music classes throughout the second semester, took center stage. While the vibrant energy of the event reverberated through the air, the audience marveled at the harmonious fusion of different cultural traditions and influences. From the rhythmic beats of Taiko drums to the enchanting melodies of different traditional songs, students transported their parents on a captivating journey around the world. This unforgettable concert left the audience filled with pride, celebrating the boundless creativity and unity in our community and on display from our talented performers.

Global Picnic, the most anticipated school event of the year, was back in full scale since the pandemic! This international fair, where all the OFS families gathered together to celebrate as one international community, was organized by the Parent Association with the help of the whole school community (parents, admin staff, teachers and students).

The Kindergarten Concert was held on Friday 28 April, 2023. To the theme of "Let's Dance", the children performed different dance styles from 'ballet' to 'country & western' to 'hip-hop'.

Middle School celebrating Music, Art, Drama and Dance during MADD week. In addition to lunchtime activities such as 'Just Dance', 'Tuesday Tunes' and 'Improv', over 100 students participated in our MADD concert. Students were able to show off their impressive artistic skills and the concert was enjoyed by all.

On Tuesday 11 April and Wednesday 12 April students, teachers, parents and visiting gradewide homebase classes attended the 2023 Grade 5 EXPO. The Expo was developed through the IPC Unit of Work, The Holiday Show. Expo is an opportunity for each student to celebrate their knowledge, skills, understandings and personal goals that they have developed during their time in the Elementary School, through their exhibits.

This year's High School Battle of the Bands took place in the black box theatre on Thursday 30th March. We were lucky enough to have Roo from Songwork International as lead judge and mentor. The bands did a great job of performing with such confidence and they really did rock! We had all grade levels performing, and the musical genres ranged from Taylor Swift to The Gorillaz. The winning band 'The Dead Rainbows' featuring Akshath, Akaash and Tanishq will get a free recording session at Songwork International.

Students and teams across the globe joined in for the international online chess event “Checkmate to Racism” on 25 March 2023 to take a stand against racism. Being organised for the third year in a row by the chess department of FC Bayern Munich and Overseas Family School, 13 teams from Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Hong Kong, Bhutan and Germany played simultaneously across several time zones for the good cause to raise awareness and tackle racism.

High School Dance presented 'The Last Dance' on Friday 24th March.Every Dance student participated in the performance which included original choreographies and taught works. The Grade 12's especially contributed their compositions as a tribute to their hard work and their departure from OFS. It was also Miss Heather Garside's last Dance show and she was especially proud of this moving and diverse final performance.

Overseas Family School once more organised an amazing chess event for its students by inviting Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Managing Director of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) and former minister of Finance of the Republic of Latvia.

A record-breaking number of 1364 students successfully competed in the recent 74th National School Individual Chess Championship. From 11-12 March, the spacious OFS campus turned into a carnival ground for chess lovers welcoming students, parents and teachers from all across Singapore.

The Grade 8 Camp took place from Wednesday, 8 February to Friday, 10 February. This was the first camp for most, if not all, of the students. Fortunately, the weather was excellent and allowed for all the activities to run as planned. The students were excited from the very beginning and showed their enthusiasm in all the activities they tried. Those who were hesitant to try the high elements activities managed to overcome their fears and prove to themselves that they were more courageous than they previously thought. The kayaking adventure was a wonderful opportunity to learn about the mangrove ecosystems on Pulau Ubin. As part of the MYP Action Program, the students were also involved in removing plastic and fishing nets that had been collected on the mangrove branches. On the last night, the students barbecued together and ended the night with a disco arranged by 8.01. The students were positive throughout and made significant strides in deepening relationships across their peer group. Overall, the Grade 8s had a challenging yet rewarding camp and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Last night's musical adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling family favorite, The Jungle Book, was a feast for the senses. With fantastic sets, costumes and a score featuring well-loved songs, the jungle sprang to life. At times funny but always exciting, our young Grade 4 and Grade 5 performers had the audience howling with laughter and wildly entertained as they joined Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves, and his friends Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear, on an adventure through a magical world. Congratulations to all our talented performers and everyone who contributed to make this production a rousing success!

The Middle School held its annual sports day last Friday. Even the wet weather could not dampen our students' excitement or competitiveness as they gathered in their team colors ready for the events to start. They demonstrated fantastic athleticism and skills playing sports such as football, basketball and water polo. It was also great to see the displays of sportsmanship as teams cheered for each other and shook hands after matches. As the day went on, students were to be congratulated on their adaptability, playing modified games because of the worsening conditions. At the end of the events, the points were tallied revealing the victorious grade winners: 6.07, 7.04 and 8.05. A huge thank you to the Middle School staff for making the day one students will treasure forever!

Recently, we welcomed parents and students on campus to enjoy the High School Theatre Production's performance of William Shakespeare's ethereal romantic comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Presenting a heady mix of love, magic, trickery and confusion against a backdrop of an enchanted forest, audiences discovered why this is Shakespeare's most popular comedy. Take a look at some of our fabulous footage!

The 13th Middle Years Model United Nations conference at Overseas Family School - known as MY-MUNOFS XIII - took place in late February for the first time in person since 2019. More than 400 students from over 20 schools were involved in discussions on topics linked to solving territorial disputes, combating drug-trafficking networks, mitigating climate change, upholding human rights and addressing the legacy of colonialism. Students travelled from India, Cambodia and Malaysia to attend the conference.

The OFS Food Collection for Food from the Heart was held in November 2022 and was a great success. Food insecurity is a problem in Singapore especially during pandemic times. OFS staff, teachers and families gave generously, and many student volunteers spent hours packing donations. This event is a good reminder of the change we can make in service when we work together. The generous donations really showcased the giving spirit of the OFS community. Overall a total of 3,637 items were collected by the entire school. This included over 350 kgs. of rice, 225 bottles of oil, and 1,000 canned items.

The Grade 7 Camp in Sentosa took place from 2 to 4 November. The atmosphere among the students was positive and encouraging as they participated in the range of activities on offer. The students had to work well as a team in their dragon boating and their team building exercises. They had to utilise effective communication, leadership, decision making and empathy as they participated in activities like the Silent Tea Experience, archery tag, laser games, tent building and cooking their food on the barbecue. The Grade 7s particularly enjoyed dancing together on the final night and finishing the camp with a refreshing visit to Adventure Cove. Overall, the Grade 7s showed great positivity and camaraderie during their time together.

From September 19 to 21, the Grade 6s underwent the Grade 6 Camp at Sentosa. This is the first camp we have been able to have in the last two and a half years, and the first camp for all of the Grade 6s in their school career. As expected, the students were full of enthusiasm as they participated in a range of activities such as kayaking, low elements, recycling projects, scavenger hunts, Hydrodash, campfire performances and multiple team building activities. The students had to overcome their homesickness and show resilience. They all developed their collaboration skills as they pooled their talents to solve problems. The highlight was the Homebase performances on the final night where students showed their peers their special dance moves and celebrated their time together on camp. Overall, the Grade 6s showed great courage and camaraderie during their time together which made for an excellent camp.

OFS High School observed the United Nations' International Day of Peace with a full school assembly in the Auditorium. This was organized by students and teachers of IBDP Global Politics.

After three long years, our TEDxYouth@OFS event was back to having a live audience!
This year our theme was "Kaleidoscope". We felt it was a fitting theme as it encompasses OFS' changing culture and mirrors how, together, each and every one of us, no matter how we look at it (or "turn the OFS kaleidoscope"), we create a wondrous community.

We would like to express a well deserved congratulations to our OFS High School Diploma 2022 cohort. The OFS IB Diploma results are truly outstanding, and despite the IB announcing that they would be returning to pre-COVID-19 grade distribution levels, our students managed to outperform the fantastic results from the previous year and once again achieve significantly above world averages. Many of our top scorers have been at OFS since Pre-K2, while others joined us in the Study Preparation Program (SPP) in Middle School and High School. This highlights the effectiveness of our fully integrated inquiry-based curriculum taught from Kindergarten to High School. We pride ourselves on having highly skilled teachers with a wealth of IB experience, who are ardent advocates of our OFS Master Policy to maintain a happy, safe and effective school for overseas families living in Singapore, and are dedicated to working in our open partnership with both parents and students, with parents as the senior partner in having the final say in decisions affecting their own child's learning.

During the 63rd National Inter-School Team Chess Championship from 3-6 September, 25 OFS teams competed against Singapore's best and achieved an amazing 11 team medals. Teams from OFS competed in both the Open and Girls categories, bringing home two gold, four silver, and five bronze medals in the International School Category. Special congratulations go out to Ashwath Kaushik, Aarav Sharma (3.04), Seher Sethi, Wang Mengze, Riddhi Riyansika Das, Heamish Kanha Sakthivel and Harshdeep Shandilya for achieving five or more points out of six games.

This is a major milestone for all our Grade 8 students, to celebrate their completion of Middle School. We have been fortunate enough this year to be able to invite parents for this 'mask on' event. For those students that transitioned through the Middle School years, it has certainly been a journey of resilience.

Last week, our wonderful Grade 5 students graduated from Elementary School. They attended the Grade 5 Graduation Ceremony that celebrated and reflected on the past academic year, as well as the entire learning journey that the students have been on since entering Elementary School. Our guest speakers, Ms. Suzanne Bentin (Head of School), Ms. Penny Liew (ES Principal), Mr. Chris Gilbert (G5 Team Leader) and Mahi Vora (Student Representative), crafted thoughtful and motivational speeches, that provided our Grade 5 students with the opportunity to reflect on and celebrate their social and learning successes throughout their Elementary School years.

On 1^st June, our happy and independent K2 children graduated from Kindergarten. It was a wonderful day, filled with pride, laughter and dance. We are so proud of everything they have achieved this year. We will miss them dearly and wish them well as they continue their learning journey in Grade 1.

At our first full, in-person May graduation ceremony with guests since 2019 and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were finally once again able to celebrate this momentous occassion with our Grade 12 students and their families and friends. The High School Graduation ceremony included the conferral of High School Diplomas to celebrate our students' achievements and their transition to university and beyond, with our hopes for a bright future ahead for all of them.

Our ES Performing Arts concert was live-streamed from our auditorium today! Our students had the opportunity to showcase their amazing musical talents. It was wonderful to have singers and instrumentalists perform. We were treated to a few Ensemble groups as well - our Grade 2's on the Xylophones, our Grade 5's on the Ukulele and our ES Rock Band.

Internationalism has come alive through dance in our Elementary School Global Concerts as the students have performed to a live audience again after 2 and a half years. The dances have helped us celebrate the many nationalities and cultures at OFS. Each concert showcases the dance talents of our young performers as they promote awareness of the diversity in our global community here at OFS. Leading up to the concerts, the music department and home base classes were a flurry of activity with dancing, costume and prop making. It was wonderful to be able to take to the stage in person after all this time. There was plenty of hand clapping and feet tapping from our audiences to the lively and upbeat dance items.

Yesterday was a very special day in the Kindy, with the children performing on stage for the very first time in over 2 years! And what a magical morning it was! For their Kindergarten Concert, the children danced through the seasons, each year group performing together. The Pre K1s waddled like penguins in the first dusting of winter snow!

From May 1st to May 3rd, the World Chess Federation FIDE organized the Blitz and Rapid World Chess Championship for cadet players of various age categories on the beautiful island of Rhodes, Greece. Under the age of eight years, Ashwath Kaushik from Grade 1 made history by becoming the World Rapid Chess Champion. He achieved a fantastic score with eight wins and one draw. Ashwath's games were watched online by his coaches and family from around the world and they might have been more nervous than he was! In the final ranking he was half a point clear of the second ranked player whom he beat in round 3 and was even two points ahead of the player in the third place.

The OFS Tigers Gymnasts leapt into action last Friday evening at our inaugural OFS Tigers Gymnastics Exhibition. Gymnasts were given the fantastic opportunity to perform their intricate routines in our gymnastic hall in the presence of their parents and guests. External gymnastics judges presided over the exhibition, ensuring that competition etiquette and expectations were upheld and scoring the junior and senior gymnasts on their routines and skills. The OFS Tigers gymnasts performed their routines on the Uneven Bars, the Balance Beam, the Vault and the Floor. For many of the gymnasts, this was their first time competing and the event serves as a prelude to competitions against other international schools and private clubs in the coming weeks. Filled with nerves yet with loads of smiles and excitement, everyone was ecstatic about the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience.

Earlier this month, our High School musicians swaggered back on stage with heart-pumping, feet-stomping performances to duke it out at the annual Battle of the Bands competition. Live-streamed to the High School, the bands entertained with blistering vocals and epic drum and guitar solos. A huge shout-out to the winners Lucy and the Ladies, with Lucy McConville, Remus Fung , Akshath Ranganathan, and Roman Segalowitch owning the stage with their fire-hot outfits and brilliant rock and roll vibe! Well done! Special awards also went out to Akaash Banerjee for Best Vocalist, Rayn Kodithodika for Best Guitarist, Remus Fung for Best Drummer, Lucy McConville for Best Bassist (with a special award for her commitment to the BOTB over the years), and Akshath Ranganathan for Best Outstanding Musician. Great job guys!

Outstanding achievements by all 67 OFS students who competed in the online 73^rd National School Individual Online Chess Championship 2022 from 13 to 17 March 2022. Our students earned an incredible 31 medals for Top-10 finishes in the different age-group categories for International Schools. Half of these medals were won by OFS Chess girls who competed in the age groups from Under 8 years to Under 14 years old. Topscorers for the girls were Riddhi Das and Aryana Hernando. For the boys, Ashwath Kaushik, Miransh Vyas and Shamyak Biswas in Elementary School, Heamish Sakthivel for Middle and Kunaal Sood for High School were among the best of their peers. All other OFS students showed an equal determination and can pride themselves on having completed a full-day, seven rounds long, Online Chess Championship against Singapore's Best.

An international online chess event for children organised by FC Bayern Munich and OFS chess teachers brought together children from Argentina, South Africa, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, and Germany. Following last year's first "Reds against Racism - Checkmate to racism" event, schools, clubs, and chess organizations have once again used this event to spread awareness about this important topic. The pre-tournament program included a video conference featuring contributions from all participating teams. The main sporting event was the team battle, where almost 300 students took part. The race for the tournament win was close for a long time, but a team from Argentina eventually came out on top! A Junior team from the United Kingdom scored 227 points, a team from Werder Bremen scored 212 points and our OFS team was placed 4th with 195 points. All teams did very well, and of course this event is not primarily about winning the competition. Having fun and using the opportunity for an exchange across cultural and political boarders is the main purpose. And this makes all participants winners!

High School Dance presented 'Wordless confessions' on 1st April, 22. A variety of student choreographies and Performance Dances were presented by all Dance students from Grades 9 - 12.

Since August 2021 the High School Student's have been busy rehearsing our first Musical Theatre show since before the pandemic. Despite the challenges of distance learning and varying SMMs, the students could finally showcase their fabulous talents by performing the 'Disney's High School Musical'. The live recording was streamed Friday 25th. at 7.30 pm to the OFS community and was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. Go Wildcats!

Netball took to the courts for the first match in more than two years! The 19U & 16U OFS Tigers Netball teams hosted the Australian International School "Sharks". After a nervous and frenetic start in the first quarter against a highly experienced well drilled and somewhat older opponent, our Tigers regrouped, re-positioned themselves and clawed their way back into the game. By the end of the 2nd quarter the Tigers were back in it, were gelling as a team, supportive of each other, making accurate passes, exciting interceptions, frequently finding the net and forcing their opponents into making errors. The Tigresses' work ethic and refusal to quit despite the stifling heat was inspiring and this new and young team under the expert guidance of Coach Healy and Coach Woollard look set to become a formidable force in the forthcoming league.

Our Grade 7 students recently explored the concept of equitable access to finite resources such as education, healthcare, food, water and technology. Using their Humanities and Mathematical knowledge, they were able to explore the impact of local and global decision making on fair development and equal opportunities. Students were tasked with creating action-orientated solutions to some of these real-words issues.

Our Elementary School students showcased their talents at our third lunch time concert for the year. The lunch time concerts give students an opportunity to share their talents with the wider school community. We had a variety of dances as well as students playing the piano, keyboard, drums and the ukulele.

On Thursday March 17th, the OFS Tigers U14 Basketball team hosted The Lions from Stamford American International School. The teams were separated in three pods to comply with the current Covid-19 SMMs. The teams were excited to don the new Tigers uniform and represented themselves and the school well.

The Kindergarten Games Days on Thursday for the PK and K1 students, and on Friday for the K2 students were a great success. The events highlighted the children's developing gross motor skills, balance and coordination as they participated in different sports stations. It was wonderful to see the children cooperating, taking turns, supporting their team mates and showing good sportsmanship.

Watch our short video highlights of the Winter Camp 2021.

Middle School students showcased their many talents and skills in the end of semester Talent Show. From the many students who auditioned, it was a tough job to select the final 9 performers. The array of acts showed us just how talented our students are. We were treated to performances from musicians, song writers, magicians, ventriloquists, poets and dancers to name a few! Congratulations to all students who made it such a fantastic show.

Gold, Silver and Bronze for OFS Chess Teams
OFS celebrated a successful return to competitive chess by fielding 16 Teams and contesting all age groups in the 62 National Inter-School Online Team Chess Championship organized by the Singapore Chess Federation.

As part of our internationalism celebrations the High School held its first CultureFest on Monday, December 13^th. It was a happy and meaningful day of cultural Homebase activities and fun workshops. The day ended with the fabulous CultureFest video, which involved the hard work and creativity of over 250 students and teachers. It was wonderful to see the students back on stage!

In the last week of November and early December, our students from Grades One to Five performed in our annual Holiday Concert. Over the last few weeks the music and homebase classes were a flurry of activity as students prepared for this event. Respecting, understanding and appreciating other's cultures and beliefs are an important part of our school's curriculum and this helps our students develop and understand the IPC international learning goals. The Holiday Concert is an expression of that focus as we celebrate festivals and holidays from around the world. It was a wonderful opportunity to share the great cultural diversity within our school.

OFS students take 2nd place!
524 students in 13 teams from four continents participated in our big online Chess Tournament on World Children’s Day on 20th November.

Our Grade 5 Model United Nations (MUN) unit ended with our General Assembly Conference. MUN is a simulation in which students learn about diplomacy, international relations and the United Nations. Model United Nations is fully embedded into the Grade 5 program here at Overseas Family School.

Today the children have enjoyed taking part in a variety of activities to celebrate the festival of Deepavali. They used colourful sand to create rangoli, decorated their own diya to take home, made flower garlands and had beautiful mendhi drawn onto their hands. The children will be bringing home a small Indian snack to share with their family. The Kindergarten would like to wish everyone a very Happy Deepavali!

In a tropical land far, far away there was a school. It was a beautiful and magical place, filled with fun and laughter. In this school, there were 44 children who all wanted to become Superheroes. So they listened to their teachers, cooperated with their friends and set to work. They created capes, terrific t-shirts, marvellous masks, brilliant belts and shiny shields. They trained and trained. They were kind and helpful, appreciated others and they never, ever gave up. They tried and tried with all their might and…WHOOSH, BANG, POW, KABOOM! You did it K2! Superheroes to the Rescue!

Read our Chairman's message and watch our commemorative video on this important milestone.

We would like to express huge congratulations to our High School IB Diploma 2021 cohort. There is no doubt that the last two academic years have been extremely challenging for our school community, especially our Grade 12 Class of 2021, who have had to constantly adapt to the changing environment.

The Kindergarten Graduation was held on Wednesday, 2 June 2021. It was a very proud day for our K2 students. Congratulations to the K2 Toucans, K2 Doves and K2 Swans on your graduation!

Congratulations to the OFS Class of 2021! Monday 24 May was a whirlwind of 4 socially distanced graduation ceremonies, the first of which commenced at 9am and the last of which ended at 4pm!

Internationalism has come alive through dance in our Elementary School as the students have performed and been recorded during our Global Concerts. The dances have helped us celebrate the many nationalities and cultures at OFS. Each concert showcases the dance talents of our young performers as they promote awareness of the diversity in our global community here at OFS. Leading up to the concerts, the music department and home base classes were a flurry of activity with dancing, costume and prop making.

The Kindergarten presents Sounds of the Circus! Through dancing, movement and instrumental playing, the children will perform their favourite circus acts for you.

At OFS, Model United Nations (MUN) is uniquely embedded into our Elementary, Middle and High School curriculum to provide students with exciting opportunities to enhance their leadership, diplomacy and collaboration skills, and explore the issues and challenges that impact our planet today. Last week, the Grade 4, student-led Model United Nations General Assembly was held after weeks of diligent preparation in committee and country rooms.

The ES musical is always a highlight in our annual calendar. This year we are proud to present Moana JR. It is the story of how Maui a shapeshifter and Moana a young girl from the village of Motonui journey together across the ocean to restore the heart of Te Fiti to save the village of Motonui.

A record-breaking 363 students from seven countries came together under the motto "Checkmate to Racism" to play a 1-hour online chess tournament. OFS fielded 116 students from K2, ES, MS and HS and reached a fantastic third place. We competed against strong teams such as FC Bayern Munich from Germany, Suffolk from England and Wasa from Sweden. The top spots went to "School Chess Professionals" from Switzerland and Dornbirn from Austria.

Watch our short video highlights of the Gymnastics Easter Camp 2021.

In the last week of November and early December, our students from Grades One to Five performed in our annual Holiday Concert. Respecting, understanding and appreciating other's cultures and beliefs are an important part of our school's curriculum and help our students develop and understand their international learning goals. The Holiday Concert is an expression of that focus as we celebrate festivals from around the world. It was a wonderful opportunity to share the great cultural diversity within our school.

The Grade 5, Model United Nations (MUN) is a simulation in which students learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. The Exit Point of the MUN Unit of Learning, is a two day General Assembly Conference.

Our first Elementary School lunchtime concert was live-streamed on Thursday, 1 October. We had the pleasure of being entertained by many talented performers who showcased their music and dancing skills. Items ranged from the piano, violin and drums to traditional and modern dances.

The Elementary School celebrated International Day on Thursday, 1 October 2020. This event was formerly called United Nations Day. It was an exciting day for our students as they celebrated the diverse cultures within our school community. Our students participated in homebase-centered activities to promote international mindedness and diversity and each grade level had a different theme or focus to guide their activities on this day.

Languages' Week is an annual event to celebrate the linguistic diversity in our OFS community and the benefits of language learning. OFS offers study in 15 languages, and for each day of this special week, students were engaged in activities prepared by our dedicated Foreign Languages and Mother Tongue teams. The theme this year was 'Click and Speak'. Students enjoyed morning quizzes with their Homebase teacher and then themed activities in Languages classes. Learning about animals, colours, fruit and vegetables in another language was fun for all. It was a wonderful week of celebration!

This week, the Kindergarten celebrated Book Week. A range of exciting activities were planned for the children throughout the week. The children were surprised by 'Mystery Readers' who came to share stories with the different classes. The children also became authors and illustrators - creating their very own class and individual storybooks. We rounded off the week by dressing up as our favourite book characters, showcasing our creative costumes and sharing our favourite stories from home.

Congratulations to all participants in the Elementary School Chess Championship on 18th January. We had 208 participants in two groups who played seven rounds each. In Grade 1 and 2 the final ranking of the top players showed:

The Kindergarten celebrated the end of the first semester and the upcoming holidays with a Christmas Carolling session on Wednesday, 11 December 2019. The children were very excited to sing their favourite Christmas songs and celebrate this festive season with their parents and with our special guest Santa! There was even a special performance by the Kindergarten Choir.

From 5.45pm, parents, students and teachers enjoyed tasting delicious food from all over the world. Organized by students from each country represented in the HS, with a lot of help from home, we had tables laden with specialties throughout the atrium.

Over the last seven weeks the K2 children have been engrossed in our IEYC Unit of Learning, "Animal Rescuers". They have been finding out about four different animal habitats: Rainforest; Desert; Grasslands and Polar Regions. They have looked at the similarities and differences between these habitats and have discovered which animals live in each. For the Unit of Learning Exit Point, the children had great fun taking part in an animal parade, wearing costumes created by their parents. The parents then joined the children in the classrooms so that they could share their animal riddles and the dioramas or trioramas they had created of their chosen animal, in its natural habitat. This was a great end to the unit, allowing the children to demonstrate what they have learnt and to have fun at the same time.

Our 15U Cricket team made the final for the Last Man Standing (LMS) competition and the final was as close as it gets, losing by just 5 runs to SG United Juniors. Gyan Dev Balaji was awarded Man of the Match and our lads can be very proud of their runner-up position in this exciting cricket league.

Members of the Middle School Choir and Orchestra, along with the OFS Staff Choir performed a festive celebration last Thursday, December 5th. Students and staff stopped to listen to the celebratory music as they made their way into school on this day. "Deck the Halls", "Carol of the Bells", "Frosty the Snowman", and other songs resonated through the atrium welcoming all and setting the mood for a safe and happy holiday season.

Saturday mornings are usually quiet at OFS, but on 30 November 2019, droves of excited OFS parents and students descended on our Auditorium with single-minded purpose: to get valuable face time with Singapore's favourite son, Olympic gold medallist Joseph Schooling.

In the last week of November and early December, our students from Grades One to Five performed in our annual Holiday Concert. Respecting, understanding and appreciating other's cultures and beliefs are an important part of our school's curriculum and help our students develop and understand their international learning goals.. The Holiday Concert is an expression of that focus as we celebrate festivals from around the world. It was a wonderful opportunity to share the great cultural diversity within our school as students sung and danced songs in celebration of the various holidays close to this time of the year. The students looked amazing in their costumes and all students should be commended for their efforts and commitment in making each concert memorable.

The Grade 7 Camp in Sentosa took place during the week of November 25 to 29. The atmosphere among the students was positive and encouraging as they participated in the range of activities on offer. The students had to collaborate effectively as a team in their dragon boating and their team building exercises.

The Grade 4 mother tongue students had an assembly sharing all the wonderful things they have been learning in mother tongue classes this semester. A variety of wonderful performances were presented, ranging from a song and sign language from the Hebrew group, plays and a quiz from the Russian students...

Temasek Junior College visited today and midway through the 6 team competition, both our boys and girls teams have racked up some wins but need close out the competition with victories to claim a podium position. The 19U girls had a tight tussle but eventually went down 30-41 against TJC. In the boys games, OFS was able to turn the tables with a 49-23 win.

This was the very first badminton tournament we have held at Pasir Ris and we can safely say there will be many more. What an event! 16 international school teams competed for the girls and boys titles.

It's always great to strengthen sporting relationships with east side international school neighbours. Each school fielded 2 teams for a total of 4 close matches within an hour of getting underway. The relaxed environment allowed coaches to guide their players throughout and match and allowed players to catch their breath between matches.

OFS has just completed our 3-Day 12th Model United Nations at Overseas Family School (MUNOFS XII) conference over the recent weekend. This was a huge event in the life of the OFS community, involving 17 schools from Singapore.

10 teams from international schools all over Singapore competed in this year's closely fought edition. On the boys side, AIS secured gold through 2 wins and 2 draws, ahead of GIIS Punggol and LFS respectively.

Delegates from 8 countries assembled in the Auditorium for the Grade 5 Model United Nations at Overseas Family School's (MUNOFS) General Assembly. Dressed in formal attire students looked very professional and ready to tackle big issues. Ambassadors shared country speeches and Chairs of committees read final resolutions, which were voted on.

We celebrated Deepavali (or "Diwali"), the Festival of lights, on Thursday, 24 October 2019. With the help of our parent volunteers, the children learned about the significance of the celebration through a Deepavali story and an Indian dance. Children then participated in activities such exploring clothes and props related to the celebration, decorating rangoli patterns and getting their hands decorated with tattoos and designs (mehndi).

Twelve lucky High School Theatre Arts and Drama students had the amazing and exciting opportunity to work with a troupe of professional actors, specialising in the Italian Art form of Comedia dell'Arte, in their interactive presentation of The Decameron. The students became members of the ensemble for the evening by creating characters, interacting with audience members and participating in the performance with the cast.

The Kindergarten's United Nations Celebration is a special event held annually to recognise and celebrate the cultures and diversity of our students and their families. This year's celebration started with flag parade followed by a presentation of songs and cultural dances performed by the Kindergarten children. The children looked dazzling, dressed in their national attires and with the colours of their flags.

The Middle School United Nations Concert is used to celebrate the diversity of our community at Overseas Family School. The depth of cultures in our own community offers us the rich vibrant and dynamic environment we are so lucky to have.

The OFS girls team claimed the title by winning all their matches. As for the boys, it came down to a very close final game. To clearly come out on top of the round robin format, the OFS boys needed to beat SJII in the last round. They drew 1-1. This made them first equal but GIIS had a slightly favourable goal differential. GIIS first, OFS second, SJII third.

This month, Grade 11 Theatre Arts students performed in a teacher directed class presentation of Twelve Angry Jurors by Reginald Rose. It is an impacting and powerful play about justice, the legal system and the power of determining the fate of a suspect accused of murder. "… did he or didn't he, that is the question…?"

While we had netball matches on the courts, Touch was on the turf with a lot of very closely fought matches. On the day, The UWC Dover teams were the teams to beat taking first and second. LFS edged out OFS for the third spot. Well done to all 8 teams on an action packed afternoon.

It is a unique privilege to host such tournaments that welcome neighbouring schools as well as teams from our international community. Yumin Primary School showed they have been training hard by winning all of their round robin games without conceding a single point. Whitesand Primary School came second while our OFS team claimed bronze.

A huge afternoon of basketball! 11 teams consisting of neighbouring local schools and our usual Internationals school rivals made for great competition and opportunities to learn from each other. Bedok Green Primary stood out as the school to beat, they came away as winners of both the Boys and Girls divisions.

It is a unique privilege to host such tournaments that welcome neighbouring schools as well as teams from our international community. Yumin Primary School showed they have been training hard by winning all of their round robin games without conceding a single point. Whitesand Primary School came second while our OFS team claimed bronze.

Elementary School students had a chance to showcase the skills they learned this semester during their sports mornings. Grade 1 students played fun cooperative games such as finding their way through an obstacle course and Team Clean Up where they practiced overhand and underhand throws.

From September 23 to 25, the Grade 6s underwent their annual camp at Sembawang. The students were full of enthusiasm as they participated in a range of activities such as rafting, geocaching, laser tag, archery, clay design, newspaper dress-up, team building activities, low and high elements. Many students had to overcome their fear of heights as they walked across elements ten metres off the ground. They all developed their collaboration skills as they pooled their talents to solve problems. They also displayed their concern for the environment by participating in a MYP Action beach clean-up along the Sembawang shore and Sembawang Park. The highlight was the Homebase performances on the final night where students showed their peers their special dance moves and celebrated their time together on camp.

We celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival on Thursday, 19 September 2019. In small groups, the children participated in a variety of fun-filled activities organized by Ma Luo Shi (Ms Marina) and our parent volunteers. The children learned about the Moon Goddess and the meaning behind the Mid-autumn festival through a shadow puppet play performed by their friends from the Mandarin Mother Tongue class. Other activities included decorating a colourful lantern, making their own lotus mooncake and learning how to play traditional Chinese children's games.

The Middle School caters for students from Grades 6 to 8 (ages 11 to 14). We follow the first three years of the five year IB MYP course. To certify the completion of the Middle School years, we have our Middle School Grade 8 Graduation to celebrate the students' achievements.

On Tuesday, 4 June 2019, 211 students from Grade 5 Graduated from Elementary School. We had a wonderful ceremony of celebration to commemorate these students finishing Elementary School and moving to Middle school starting in August. The Graduation included, musical items, inspiring speeches from our Student speaker Suh Yekeon (Timothy), our parent representative Mr Anurag Hans, teacher speaker Mr Matthew Young and a beautiful Piano performance by one of our Grade 3 students, Fang Wenyu.

On Monday, 3 June 2019, we celebrated the Kindergarten 2 Graduation in the OFS Auditorium. On this lovely morning, we also celebrated the culmination of the parent-teacher partnership in student learning. Together, we witnessed and acknowledged the acheivements of the K2 children, presenting them with individual certificate of achievement.

High School Graduation marks a turning point in the lives of our young adults. Also called Commencement, this very special ceremony with conferral of High School Diplomas celebrates our students' fine achievements and also the beginning of a new life. Parents and teachers are proud to mark their transition to university and beyond.

On Thursday May the 16th, we had our annual Musical Soireè which took place in the auditorium in the evening. There were eight talented soloist who stole the show on stage with their singing and playing skills. We had a fantastic team effort from the Ukulele Ensemble, Rock Band, Chamber Orchestra, Keyboard Ensemble, Beginner Strings Orchestra and Choir for their outstanding performances at the event.

Students participated in grade level Sports Mornings during the week of 13th-17th May which acted as a combined exit point for their Semester 2 PE units. The events pitted color teams against each other for some friendly competition, emphasizing many of the Personal Goals we have been focusing on during the year.

Our Pre-K2 and K1 concert was held on Friday, 10 May 2019. The themes of the concert reflected the IEYC Units of Learning 'Animal Rescuers' for Pre-K2 and 'Blast Off!' for K1. The Pre-K2 children showed us how to shake, flap and stomp to the beat as they danced to the 'Jungle Boogie' and 'Crocodile Rock'.

Internationalism comes alive in our Elementary School each year when we celebrate nationalities and cultures through song and dance at the Global Concerts. Each concert showcases the incredible musical and dance talents of our young performers as they promote awareness of the diversity in our global community here at OFS. Each of these celebrations also reminds of the important role the performing arts play in nurturing a balanced child.

OFS Chess enthusiasts had a unique opportunity to meet the current Women's World Chess Champion and Rapid Champion, Grandmaster Ju Wenjun, who visited our school on Saturday, 27 April 2019.

This year, the High School Dance Show was entitled 'Moving on..' in honour of our graduating dancers. It showcased a variety of curriculum work from Grade 9 to Grade 12. The MYP classes showed adaptations of their assessed work and the Grade 12's shared their original DP Dance compositions.

The Grade 7 students recently participated in a Model United Nations inter-disciplinary unit. The overriding theme was fair development and human rights. Science, Language and Literature, Performing Arts, Maths as well as Individuals and Societies all supported inquiry into various research questions which would in turn facilitate the student's understanding of their allocated topic. Topics that were debated amongst the represented nations included introducing a sugar tax, free water as well as mandatory electric cars. The aim was to find solutions that all countries would agree to which would in turn support the development of various SDGs.

Every academic year, OFS celebrates the school's cultural diversity through Global Picnic, an international fair where the entire OFS community comes together to celebrate being part of an international culture. This annual event is organised by the Parent Association, together with the school's vibrant parent community.

The theme of this year's concert reflects the IEYC Unit of Learning, "From A To B", which looked at different types of transport and the journeys that people take. Through a showcase of songs and dances, the K2 children shared their musical journey as they explored different styles of dance and musical genres. In class, the children listened to different styles of music and worked with their teachers to plan the appropriate dance moves to synchronise with the music. They displayed the Personal Goals, such as communication, resilience, adaptability and cooperation.

During the week of 25 - 29 March 2019 the annual Music, Art, Drama, and Dance (M.A.D.D.) Week took place in the Middle School.
Many activities occurred throughout the week, including 'Dreaming Up Shapes' where students created dangling like ornaments and were used as interactive visual activity during the Middle School Art Exhibition; an evening showcase of Art in the Activities Room, Drama in the Black Box Theatre, and a Music and Dance Concert in the Auditorium; a dance workshop; a singing competition; Theatre sports; and to culminate the entire week a Maddhatter's Day and Battle of the Bands.

On Friday 22nd March, students, teachers, parents and visitors attended the 2019 Grade 5 Expo. The Expo was developed through the IPC Unit of Work, The Holiday Show. It was a celebration of the students' elementary school experience, where they engaged in a collaborative, self-initiated enquiry, based on a travel destination of their choice. The main focus of their enquiry being sustainable tourism.

Girls rugby kicked off at home on March 20th against AIS as well as club teams Valkyries and Aonyx. Players and spectators were excited to see new skills and confidence being put to the test with many girls playing rugby for the first time. All matches were intensely tight battles and coaches were very happy with their squads moving forward as they develop for future competitions. Well done Girls!

Our recent Games Day on 7 March 2019 for our K2 students, and on 8 March 2019 for our Pre-K2 and K1 students, were thrilling events for the children. In their colour-coded teams of red, blue, yellow and green, the children participated in different sports stations displaying their developing physical motor skills, balance and coordination. It was a great experience for the children to cooperate and work together in teams.

On Friday 15th March, students, teachers and parents attended the 2019 Grade 4 MUN General Assembly. It was here that they voted on resolutions that were drafted in Committees. This completed the students first full experience of the Model United Nations program at OFS and built a strong basis for continuing on with MUN in Grade 5 and beyond.

More than 100 girls are taking part in netball this semester from Elementary and High School. A huge thank you must go out to the Meridian Secondary School netball squad that not only took part in the senior tournament but helped officiate the junior matches between OFS and local primary schools. The junior fixtures were a great introduction for our students to competitive netball and our senior teams shone, both finishing on the podium.

We hosted 18 teams for an afternoon of fast and furious basketball. A series of 3 pool matches determined which teams would move onto the final trophy round. One of the great things about the invitationals we host is the mix of participation we have from both local and international schools. It is particularly special to be able to support and offer opportunities to schools in our Pasir Ris community. OFS teams hustled hard during pool play with wins and tight finishes losing to teams that ended on top. This experience will only make them better for the next competition.

6 teams took part this year in an afternoon of round robin football. Global Indian International School (Punggol) were too good for the competition remaining undefeated while our local neighbours, Tampines North Primary School edged out Singapore American School and the home team for the next spot on the podium. Well done to all teams for not only their efforts but also their organization. We pride ourselves on running smooth and efficient tournaments and this can only happen with full support from participating teams and coaching staff.

Our recent Games Day on 7 March 2019 for our K2 students, and on 8 March 2019 for our Pre-K2 and K1 students, were thrilling events for the children. In their colour-coded teams of red, blue, yellow and green, the children participated in different sports stations displaying their developing physical motor skills, balance and coordination. It was a great experience for the children to cooperate and work together in teams.

On the evenings of 5 and 6 March, the Elementary School proudly presented a theatrical production called HONK! Jr. It chronicles the tale of a duckling, Ugly, who hatches looking quite a bit different from his siblings. He sets off on a journey of self discovery and learns about true beauty and self acceptance. The cast of the show consisted of 160 Grade Four and Grade Five students; with rehearsals that started back in October 2018.

The OFS 11U Boys Football Invitational was held on March 5th. All 7 seven teams played great football and OFS A captured gold ahead of Ngee Ann Primary School. A lot of these players we part of the squad that took silver at the GESS VW Futsal Tournament the week prior in the 12U Boys division.

Middle School sports day is an exciting and action packed event, which lasts for the full school day. Students will compete in their Homebase in a range of activities, including Basketball, Football and Water Polo. The aim of the day is for students to have fun and bond with their Homebase. Points are awarded for each match and teams can score extra points for showing good teamwork and sportsmanship; the Homebase with the most points in each Grade level will be the winners. It's great to see the Middle School students take on new challenges and learn how to work together as a team.

The Kindergarten celebrated Book Week from 18 to 22 February 2019. Some of the exciting activities organised for the children included storytelling sessions, an Act 3 drama workshop for K2 students, short skits performed by the Kindy teachers, Mystery Readers, Buddy reading and Mother Tongue story sessions.

Book Week in the Elementary School took place from 18 to 22 February and the celebrations included a variety of fun-filled activities in classrooms and the Elementary School Library. These activities included guest readers by teachers and parents, buddy-reading between grade levels and schools, sharing class-made stories and grade wide activities such as the Grade Five Hall of Holograms.

The Grade 8 Camp took place from Monday, 21 January to Friday, 25 January. The students were excited from the very beginning and showed their enthusiasm in all the activities they tried. Those who were hesitant to try the high elements activities managed to overcome their fears and prove to themselves that they were more courageous than they previously thought.

Our Elementary School Holiday Concerts, across all five grades, provided a wonderful opportunity to share the diverse holidays and festivals celebrated by our families and students across to our school community.

Elementary school students had a chance to showcase the skills they learned this semester during their sports mornings. Grades 1 and 2 sports morning focused on cooperative games and Athletic events including relays and long jump. Grade 3 students played invasion and target games. Grade 4 students played invasion games and the Grade 5s participated in a mini-Olympics. Students had fun in the hot sun as they joined in the events and tried to achieve their personal bests alongside their friends. Children practiced the Personal Goals by playing cooperatively, communicating with teammates and showing respect for one another.

The Grade 7 Camp in Sentosa took place during the week of October 29^th to November 2^nd. The atmosphere among the students was positive and encouraging as they participated in the range of activities on offer. The students had to work well as a team in their dragon boating and their team building exercises. They had to utilise effective communication, leadership, decision making and empathy as they participated in activities like the ‘Incredible Race’ and ‘Blind Man’s Trail’. The students also climbed the 35 metre tall ‘Hourglass’ which certainly tested their courage. One of the highlights was a visit to an Elderly Care Home where the students interacted with the residents and performed songs and dances for them, much to their appreciation. Overall, the Grade 7s showed great courage and camaraderie during their time together.

"Thank You" to all the parents who came along to our Christmas caroling event to celebrate the end of the first semester and the December holidays. Dressed in their favourite party clothes, the children entertained their parents and our special guest, Santa Claus, with a medley of Christmas songs.

From 5.45pm, parents, students and teachers enjoyed tasting delicious food from all over the world. Organized by students from each country represented in the HS, with a lot of help from home, we had tables laden with specialties throughout the atrium.

Model United Nations (MUN), is a simulation in which students learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. MUN is now fully embedded into the Grade Five program in the Elementary School.

Thank you to Dunman High School for coming out to add flavour to the largely internal tournament we hosted to help prepare our girls Touch teams for the prestigious Pan Pacific Touch tournament held at SAS.

While the 19U girls team did face face stiff competition in the Lion's cup, the experience did do the team well for 16U fixtures that were to follow. Exciting news for a team that can remain largely intact for the following seasons. The 19U boys did a fantastic job to take second to a very strong Meridian Junior College team.

What a way to end the OFS 16U Boys Basketball Invitational! In the dying seconds of the final Chi Tek Lam nailed 2/2 free throw to topple ACS Barker by a single point. A fantastic 6-team round-robin competition during October and November. These 16U Boys repeated the feat they achieved last year.

With many students new to the sport joining this semester, a friendly rugby exchange with ACS Barker was a great way to expose them to competition. While ACS had size and power on their side, our lads showed a high level of skill and a great turn of speed to hold their own against the more experienced team.

On Monday, 5 November 2018, we celebrated Deepavali (or Diwali), in the Kindergarten. Our sincere thanks to the wonderful parents who volunteered their time to help make the Kindergarten Deepavali celebration a rich and memorable experience for the children. The short video clip, dance and displays set up by the parent volunteers, gave the children an opportunity to explore Indian culture and learn about the significance of the "Festival of Lights". The children had a fantastic time, dancing to a Happy Diwali song, making rangoli patterns and getting their hands decorated with mehndi and tattoo.

Model United Nations at Overseas Family School (MUNOFS) is regarded as a top quality conference, and this year MUNOFS XI will be remembered as superb, providing excellent experiences for all participants.

In preparation for Languages' Week a poster competition was launched in Quarter 1 for students to advertise the event in the language they are studying and to reflect on why we celebrate Languages' Week. All completed posters decorate the Language Acquisition floor (Level 5, S-Block) and classrooms of the Middle School.

To prepare for upcoming invitational tournaments, the 16U and 19U boys were grouped into teams for this intramural competition 10 minutes games with 10 minutes rest between each match gave students time to shine in front of the coaches as well as take a deserved drinks break.

With around 100 students from grades 9 and 10 registered for badminton this semester, it is a huge undertaking to run an internal carnival. We gave it a good go and students can look forward to more permanent badminton lines in semester 2.

Many different celebrations are planned in the Kindergarten throughout the academic year. The United Nations (UN) Day celebration celebrating our diverse cultures in OFS, is one of our favourites.

The Middle School United Nations Concert aims to develop intercultural awareness amongst the students. All Middle School students and staff are involved in this event.

Many thanks to GESS for coming out to Pasir Ris for this early season friendly. Rather than halves, the coaches decide to play 20 minute thirds which allowed teams a greater opportunity to use the match as a coaching and learning opportunity.

On Tuesday the 2nd of October the Elementary School celebrated United Nations Day. The students looked vibrant in a sea of colours representing countries and cultures from all over the world. The students wore traditional costumes as well as modern outfits including their favourite national sports teams. UN Day is one of the many opportunities we have throughout the year to embrace and celebrate the cultural diversity at our school. The students led the way as they showed curiosity and interest through our activities and parades during the day.

It was non stop action for 2 hours on 5 courts for the 11U girls and boys OFS basketball invitational this semester. It's always a wonderful opportunity to welcome both local and International school to our Pasir Ris campus in a celebration of sports, having fun and keeping fit. At the end of the day, there were winners and special congratulations must go to GESS boys and the Bedok Green Elementary girls for winning their respective competitions.

The K2 children have been learning about superheroes and real-life heroes, and how they too can be a hero. Towards the end of the unit, the children were especially enthusiastic about designing and making their own superhero costumes.

On Tuesday the 27th of September our students performed in the first of three lunchtime concerts during the year. Getting up on stage and playing in front of a student, parent and teacher audience of over a hundred people can be nervous experience. Well you wouldn't know it with our lunchtime concert performers. They played, sang and danced their way through the lunch break in our Auditorium with such confidence, they looked like seasoned performers.

K2 children were very lucky to have some important visitors from Pasir Ris Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) visiting them in school recently.

At the beginning of the school year, there is always a lot enthusiasm but also apprehension due to the fact that the students may not know each other well in their new classes. The team building exercises in the first week are a wonderful opportunity for the Homebases to strengthen their unity and have fun while doing so. They are involved in a range of activities which challenge their problem solving skills and lead them to join forces to maximise their potential. Overall, it makes for an exciting first week of school.