Fwd: Quarter-Finals - Things to note

[Barton Millar]

remember one hour and 20 minutes early

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Singapore Secondary Schools Debating Championships <secschool...@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Apr 10, 2013 at 6:10 PM
Subject: Quarter-Finals - Things to note
To: Christina Raj <christ...@acsindep.edu.sg>, Gregory Stenta <gregory...@acsindep.edu.sg>, Jacob Mok <jacob...@acsindep.edu.sg>, Ritchell Choong <choong_ee_l...@moe.edu.sg>, Yeo Joon Han <yeo_jo...@moe.edu.sg>, Lee Pei Yong <lee_pe...@moe.edu.sg>, Josh Wong <wong_h...@moe.edu.sg>, Denise Chung <chu...@hci.edu.sg>, Anuradha Boyanapali <anur...@hci.edu.sg>, Arvie Guaring <arvie...@rgs.edu.sg>, Tan-Tham Kum Chee <kumch...@rgs.edu.sg>, Kelvin Yap <kelvi...@ri.edu.sg>, Kyra Jucovy <kyra....@ri.edu.sg>, Kavita Hundal <kavita_deep...@moe.edu.sg>, Mala Minjoot <mala_s...@moe.edu.sg>, Alvin Tay <alvi...@gmail.com>, Cecilia Vaz <vaz.ceci...@dhs.sg>, Sangeetha Gangadharan <gangadhara...@dhs.sg>, Harprit Singh <harpri...@fairfieldsec.org>, Salimah Mohd Haniffa <salima...@fairfieldsec.org>, Mark Chia <mark_chi...@moe.edu.sg>, Sylvia Soh <soh_huiqi...@moe.edu.sg>, Bart Millar <bmi...@sas.edu.sg>, Devin Kay <dk...@sas.edu.sg>, Cheryl Lim <lim_...@moe.edu.sg>, K Veerapandiyan <k_veera...@moe.edu.sg>, Robyn Yang <yang_lil...@moe.edu.sg>, Yap Ling May <lee_li...@moe.edu.sg>, Caroline Sng <caroline.s...@vjc.sg>, Celine Leow <cheong.sie...@vjc.sg>, Ten Yu Ping <ten_y...@moe.edu.sg>, Arlianny Sayrol <arliann...@moe.edu.sg>, Fatima Jaini <fatima...@moe.edu.sg>, Chan Hwee Leng <chan_hw...@moe.edu.sg>, Vincent Kwan <kwan_wei_x...@moe.edu.sg>, Cheong Ngan Leng <cheong_n...@moe.edu.sg>, Rohana Mohamed Salleh <rohana_moh...@moe.edu.sg>, Siti Nur Nadira Binte Asmadi <siti_nur_na...@moe.edu.sg>, Nadiah Song <shafiqah_na...@moe.edu.sg>, Lim Wei Ming <lim_w...@moe.edu.sg>, Juyda Noor Mohamad <jnj...@gmail.com>, Adyanti Adanan <yant...@yahoo.com.sg>, Priya Prasad <priya_...@moe.edu.sg>, Tuty Asmary Subarjono <tuty_asmar...@moe.edu.sg>, Sarasvathy Rajah <sarasvat...@moe.edu.sg>, Tan Yen Leng <tan_ye...@moe.edu.sg>, Smahon-Ng Lai Fun <ng_la...@moe.edu.sg>, Kugapriya Ramakrishnan <kugapriya_r...@moe.edu.sg>, Hareesh Methil Bhaskaran <hareesh_meth...@moe.edu.sg>, Jeanne Nah <nah_chor_h...@moe.edu.sg>, Anjali Thevi Muthiah <anjali_the...@moe.edu.sg>, Nora Awang <nora_...@moe.edu.sg>


CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School have asked me to pass on some
information regarding transportation to the schools involved in this
Friday's quarter-finals.

If you have hired a bus to bring you to the school, the bus should
drop your team off at the bus bay by the school's main gate at Ang Mo
Kio Street 13. From there, your team should walk to the secondary
school general office. The registration desk will be immediately
outside the secondary school general office.

If you are coming by public transport, you can take bus 76 or 268 to
Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4, which is a short walk away from the school's main
gate at Ang Mo Kio Street 13

Alternatively, you can take bus 265 to Ang Mo Kio Avenue 2. There is a
side gate to the school for pedestrians near the bus stop at Ang Mo
Kio Avenue 2 - but be aware that this gate will only be open until
7.00 pm.

Also - one further reminder that teams should arrive at least one hour
and 20 minutes before their debate is due to begin.

Audience members can arrive closer to the start time of the debate if
they want to, but the team must be there at least one hour and 20
minutes in advance (otherwise they may lose out on some of their
preparation time).

Regards,

Mark Gabriel
Tournament Director


---------- Original message ----------
From: Singapore Secondary Schools Debating Championships
<secschool...@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 9:29 AM
Subject: Quarter-Finals - Draw & further details.

Congratulations on your team's qualification for the quarter-finals of
this year's Singapore Secondary Schools Debating Championships!

The draw and timetable for the quarter-final round can be found in the
attached document.

The quarter-finals will be held this Friday (12th April) at CHIJ St
Nicholas Girls’ School, 501 Ang Mo Kio Street 13, Singapore 569405.

A map showing the location of the school can be found here:
http://goo.gl/maps/jOfHD

The quarter-finals (and semi-finals) of the Singapore Secondary
Schools Debating Championships are a "short-preparation" round. The
teams involved will be given the motion for their debate only one hour
before the debate begins.

That being the case, you need to ensure that your team arrives at the
host school AT LEAST ONE HOUR AND 20 MINUTES BEFORE THE SCHEDULED
START TIME OF THEIR DEBATE in order to register and begin their
preparation for their debate. The registration desk will be located in
front of the secondary school General Office at CHIJ St Nicholas
Girls’ School.

As has been the case at all earlier rounds, your school will be able
to bring up to 20 people to watch your team's quarter-final debate.


DRAW

The draw can be found in the attached document. The teams who finished
in the top 4 positions in each division's preliminary rounds league
table have been kept apart in the quarter-finals. Each of them has
been randomly drawn against one of the teams who finished in 5th - 8th
positions in their division.


RULES AND LOGISTICAL NOTES FOR QUARTER-FINAL DEBATES

Unlike the preliminary rounds, the quarter- and semi-finals will be
"short-preparation" debates for which the teams will be informed of
the motion only one hour before the debate begins. Teams must
therefore arrive at the host school at least one hour and 20 minutes
before the scheduled start time of their debate. If any team arrives
late, the start time of their debate will NOT be delayed. They will
simply have less time to prepare.

During the preparation hour, the teams (speakers AND reserves) will be
held in preparation rooms and will be allowed no contact with
teachers, debate coaches, or anyone other than designated stewards and
tournament officials. Each team will be given its own preparation
room.

The teams are not permitted to make use of any electronic devices
(e.g. handphones, smartphones, pagers, laptop computers, ipads, etc.)
during this hour. The teams should therefore not bring any electronic
devices into their preparation room, otherwise they risk
disqualification. (Checks will be conducted.) If a debater brings a
phone or any other electronic device with them on Friday night, they
should leave them with a teacher or student audience member from their
school to look after BEFORE going to the preparation room.

The only reference materials teams may use are whatever books,
magazines and written notes they have chosen to bring with them.

Unlike other rounds, the teams are not required to decide which of
their squad members will be speaking in the debate and which of them
will be reserves before they arrive at the host school. Nor do they
have to decide which order their speakers will be speaking in. Teams
can pre-determine this if they want to, or they can wait until they
discover the motion and then decide which of their squad members will
be best suited to each of the roles given the nature of the topic. If
they do not make these decisions beforehand, however, the team members
will have to make these decisions themselves without consulting their
teachers or debate coaches.

Advice on putting together a debate case for a "short-preparation"
debate can be found on pages 8 and 24 - 25 of the Tournament Handbook.
We stronly recommend that your team has at least one practice session
during the next few days in which they put together a debate case in
one hour without any assistance so that they are prepared for what
they will be doing on Friday.


SEMI-FINALS & BEYOND

If your team wins their quarter-final debate, they will move on to the
semi-finals, which will be held on Friday 19th April at Raffles
Institution.

The semi-finals will also be a "short-preparation" round where the
teams will receive their debate motion only one hour in advance.

Details of the semi-finals, including the draw and the timing of the
debates, will be e-mailed to the schools involved on Monday 15th
April. (In the semi-final draw, the 2 teams left in each division who
were the highest ranked in the preliminary rounds league table will be
kept apart, and each of them will be randomly drawn against one of the
other 2 semi-finalists in their divison.)

The Grand Finals will be held on the evenings of 26th April (Divisions
II & III) and 3rd May (Division I). During the prize-presentation
ceremony at the end of the Grand Final events, the members of all the
teams which reached the quarter-finals or further will be called up on
stage to receive small tophies and certificates. So whether or not
your team makes it all the way to the Grand Final, please make
arragements for them to be there for the Grand Final of their division
so that they can collect their trophies and certficates during the
prize-presentation ceremony.

(In Division I, there will be a Third-Place Debate between the 2
losing semi-finalist teams immediately before the Grand Final. In
Divisions II and III, there is no Third-Place Debate and the 2 losing
semi-finalists are considered to have finished jointly in third
place.)


Please feel free to e-mail me or call me at 8339-0475 if there's
anything you'd like to clarify.

I wish your team the best of luck in the quarter-finals.

Regards,

Mark Gabriel
Tournament Director

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