Mayflower 2017 artwork

Mother Tongue
Department Vision:
Effective global communicators rooted in values with a love for the languages and cultures
Department Mission:
To nurture Active Learners, Proficient Users anchored in values who embrace their ethnic identities
To develop Forward Thinkers with a global outlook and appreciation for unity in diversity
The Mother Tongue teachers of Mayflower Secondary School believe that language and culture is intertwined and the
former is essentially an expression of a culture. Hence all teachers work hard to create and maintain an immersive
environment for the learning of these languages in school.
Other than using Assessment for Learning (AfL) strategies to stretch students to their fullest potential, the department
has focussed on developing themselves professionally. Through the Collaborative Inquiry Projects, the CL Unit looked
at students’ work to ascertain areas for improvement in the learning of reading, oral and writing. The Malay Unit
worked on developing lesson packages for narrative writing techniques.
A plethora of activities such as aesthetic outings, enrichment programmes, and competitions were also organised to
better engage the students.
COMPETITIONS
Selected Sec 1 students took part in the 14th National Xin Lei Writing Creative Writing Competition and were stretched
in terms of having to think quickly and creatively on their feet. Four Sec 2 students participated in Zoombara 2017,
an Amazing Race-type game to promote the use of the Malay Language. The exposure gave the students a sense of
achievement and the chance to forge new friendships with students from other schools. Our first foray into the National
Sahibba Challenge, (Piala Cendekia Sahibba 2017), was a success for us as our team of four Sec 3 pupils clinched the 4th
place in the Zonal competition just missing the National Finals by a spot! As a newcomer in this competition, we look
forward to doing better in next year’s competition.
Mayflower secondary school 24
yearbook 2017