myschoolDays - Singapore Memory Project

Transcription

iRemember
myschoolDays
2012
P R I M A R Y SCHOOL E DI TI ON
CAMP S & E XC UR S I O N S
2
FRIENDS
4
H O M E WO R K
7
N OW & T H E N
9
REMINISCENCE
11
SCHOOL EVENTS
19
T E AC H E R S
22
4
FOOD & RE CE SS
5
GA M E S & P RA N KS
8
L E SSON S & DI A RI E S
11
P UN I SHM E N TS
18
RE S ULTS
21
S PORTS
23
COM I CS
SECTION
2
CAMPS & EXCURSIONS
I R E M E M B E R M YS CHO O LDAY S 2012
P R IMA R Y SC HO O L E D I T I O N
Japan Exchange Programme Memories
ST. ANDREWS JUNIOR SCHOOL: Julian Chun
PEICHUN PUBLIC SCHOOL:
Guo Ruixuan
On the first day of the Japan
Exchange Programme, we had to
go to Changi Airport to “fetch” our
Japanese buddies. It was early in
the morning and we were each
given a flower garland and a Saint
Andrew’s school badge to give to
our Japanese buddy as a welcome
gift for them.
Five of my six years in Pei
Chun have passed. I have had
many memories over the few
years and some of them will
be etched in my memory for
the time to come.
The third day was also the first
day our buddies visited our school.
Once we stepped into the school,
the pupils who were walking by
looked at us with weird stares and
it was obvious they did not know
about the exchange program.
There was a welcome concert
by the Japanese students in the
school hall after assembly. In the
afternoon, we had a trip to the zoo.
We had an awesome time looking
at different animals around the
zoo and watching the animal
performances.
For the next few days, we had
different journeys to different
places in Singapore ranging from
the cultural places in Singapore
like Chinatown and Science Centre
for learning. For relaxation, we
went giant sandcastle building and
even Pulau Ubin.
On the last day, we went to the
airport to send our buddies off.
It was hard to say goodbye after
getting to make good friends with
them. We took one last group
photo and said goodbye to them.
Primary 5 Camp at Jalan Bahtera
Adventure Centre
XINGNAN PRIMARY SCHOOL:
Wendy Chiu, Siti Sarah, Joyce Lim & Tan Shi Hui
It was a sunny and bright day.
Cheryl Tan, a 5A student was
excited and all ready for the P5
Camp held at Jalan Bahtera
Adventure Centre.
The instructors of the camp
were from High Achievers. They
reached her school and picked
the P5 students up. On the way to
the campsite, the students played
some team bonding games and
had real fun. Cheryl’s instructors
were Instructors Haney and
Raudah. After the games, they
then headed to the campsite
and settled there. They had an
introductory session to make
them familiar with the place. They
were debriefed and the instructors
told them what to do when there is
an emergency.
They had their activities till late
evening. It unexpectedly rained
and they were disappointed that
they could not proceed with the
Blind Man Walk activity. They
carried on with their campfire
preparation till 10.30p.m.. Then,
they were debriefed before
they had their supper. They had
delicious banana cake and hot
Milo for supper. They appreciated
every single food that was served
to them.
On the second day, they had
campfire. It was excellent! They
had group activities and some
fun sessions. At night, they slept
soundly as they were really tired.
On the third day, they were all set
to go home. They had to do area
cleaning together. At 11.30 a.m.,
they headed back to school and
back to home. This camp had
taught them to be independent,
patient and the importance of
teamwork. “This camp has taught
me a lot. I hope others have
enjoyed the benefits from this
camp too,” said Cheryl.
However, the memories
that hold the most value
are outings. They are much
more fun than being cooped
up indoors. Recently, I took
part in an art competition
and went on an excursion to
the ACM (Asian Civilizations
Museum) .There was many
galleries for us to view. I had
a lot of fun exploring in the
galleries, taking shots of
the interesting artifacts on
display. I completed a trail and
received a small magnet with
a picture of an ‘animal’ on it.
The ‘animal’ was made up
of different parts of different
animals. The trip was an
eventful one.
Apart from outings,
performances during
assemblies are also funfilled and always capture
our attention. There was a
captivating performance on
sand art. It was not the best
sand performance I have ever
seen, but it indeed is not easy
to perform in front of a hall full
of students.
Interesting things also happen
on normal school days. My
friend told me that one of
her classmates actually took
his pen and notebook to ask
a painter painting the walls
for his autograph! On other
days, my teacher would hold
competitions (Boys versus
Girls). Once we had to write
Chinese characters on the
whiteboard. Somehow, it
always gives us great joy to
win the opposite gender.
Pei Chun would always hold a
place in my heart be it in the
past, present or future.
SECTION
CAMPS & EXCURSIONS
P R IMA R Y SC H OO L E D I T I O N
First story
9-01-2012 (Day 1)
ST. ANDREW’S JUNIOR SCHOOL: Jotham Wong
The day of the P5 camp had finally arrived. My classmates and I were
very nervous and excited about our camp. I was especially thrilled about
the many activities I would get to try. I had high expectations of the camp.
We arrived at the camp by bus. When we reached there, we were asked
to assemble under the dormitory. The camp instructors briefed us on the
campsite. After the briefing, we put our belongings in the dormitories
and did a lot of interactive activities. After the activities, we had a
delicious lunch before our lesson on rock climbing.
We put on our gears and the first person in my team immediately started
to climb. After I had finished my turn, my friends said that I was fast in
the rock-climbing. But to be truthful, I could climb even faster. We also
learnt zip-lining and abseiling. Some of my friends went zip-lining but I
went abseiling. At first I thought abseiling was cool but it got boring after
two tries. I decided to go for the zip-line but it was too late as we had run
out of time!
We were all very tired after the rope elements and needed to refresh
ourselves so we all squeezed in the toilet to take a bath. A lot of people
did not get to shower because there was not enough time, as some were
taking their own sweet time in washing up. Luckily for me, I managed to
bath. We had dinner and we went to our dormitories to sleep. We could
hardly sleep because the instructors kept coming in to check on us!
Trip-Hooray
Excursion!
YISHUN PRIMARY SCHOOL: Nur Laila Maisarah
“All eyes were on me as I explained to the
class that we were going to the Zoo for an excursion. I could see how they beamed
and smiled widely.”
When I gave out consent forms, some of my students could not contain
their excitement and squealed. Excursions generally mean a lot of fun
and doing something different outside the classroom for them. One
question that was always asked was do they have to pay anything. I could
see the expression of the student who asked was so hopeful of a
no for an answer. Of course it was a no and the students started
chattering happily among themselves.
Excursion day came. All students were geared up, clad in school’s PE
attire and bringing along a knapsack of goodies. Some wore caps while
others choose to hang their caps on their bags or simply hold the cap.
Their excitement could be felt the moment they gathered for attendance
taking. When they were in the bus, they would sing any song familiar to
them all the way till we reached our destination. They were very eager to
alight the school bus. There was a student who came up to me and said,
”Teacher, this is my first time here. My parents always say the tickets are
too expensive for my family of six.“. I could feel how this excursion meant
a lot for this student.
After walking and watching animal shows, it was break time. The
teachers gathered all students in a shaded area before allowing them
to take out their food and drinks. This part is very interesting. Some
students came so well-prepared complete with picnic tablecloth or
newspaper to lay on the ground. They would eat finger foods they
brought as told on the pre-excursion briefing. Amazingly, some students
could bring a lot of food which seemed they compressed the entire
kitchen in their small knapsack. After the food and toilet break, we
continued exploring the zoo.
The moment they hit the bus to end our day at zoo, all of them were
already exhausted. They trip back to school was super quiet with
sleeping children in the bus. Looks like, they really enjoyed
the excursion.
3
SECTION
4
FOOD & RECESS
Recess
Time!
RIVER VALLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL:
Low Kian Chye
I still remember fondly that when
I was a student in River Valley
Chinese School, the canteen would
have two ping pong tables which
would be packed like sardines with
people wanting to play. I would
play with other students there
every day. The girls would usually
play zero point or skipping ropes.
These were some of the game
facilities we had in the past.
The food sold in my tuck shop
was all quite nice but my favourite
would be the curry potato bun
sold at 20c each and a Kickapoo
at 20c per cup. Occasionally, I
would also buy my school’s fish
ball noodles. Although it is called
fish ball noodles, it does not have
fish balls at all! Instead, it only has
fish cake.
As I have a huge appetite, I would
order the biggest serving which
costs 60c. Usually, I would add
some crispy pork lard which is
provided for you at the side.
Sometimes, my friends and I
would cheekily go to River Valley
English School for fun just to go
there and try their tuck shop food
but every time we go there, the
prefects on duty would not let us
in. Even if we tried persuading
them, they would not give in.
These are the fun things I did in
school last time.
Now the ping pong tables are
made of cement and girls do not
play zero point or skipping ropes,
the food are also slightly different,
and the students are not allowed
to fool around anymore.
SECTION
FRIENDS
Akash’s
Recollection
on when he
first came to
Singapore
Friendship Forged
PRINCESS ELIZABETH PRIMARY SCHOOL: Sim Wenxi, Nichele Liong, Kristen Kee Xing Man & Micole Liong3
PRINCESS ELIZABETH PRIMARY
SCHOOL: Akash Mattupalli
Akash first came to Singapore
when he was eight years old. He
really had some difficulties when
he attended a local school.
Akash was weak in his English
when he attended a school named
Chua Chu Kang Primary School.
He could not communicate
well with his classmates due
to his poor english and often
had no one to talk to. Without
crying about it, he tried to talk in
English with his parents. After a
month, he managed to talk to his
classmates. While talking, they
even shared their information
on Singapore. With that, he got
used to Singapore’s lifestyle and
believed that Singapore was where
he belonged. Now, Akash is a
very confident pupil in Princess
Elizabeth Primary School.
I remember when I was in primary
2, my friend and I were sitting at
the canteen table during together
eating macaroni. We were stirring
our food, feeling really bored. To
relieve the boredom, I suggested
to her that we play a hand game.
Before starting, I did not check if
the bowl of macaroni was at the
edge of the table. So we began
playing the hand game. Out of the
blue, my friend’s hand hit the bowl
of macaroni and it spilled all over
my skirt. All the small pieces of
chicken and vegetables were on
my skirt too! The soup dripped
through the tiny holes of my skirt
and trickled down my legs. I was
furious and I kept blaming her
repeatedly until she cried. She
tried to explain that I was the one
who suggested to play a hand
game but all I did is interrupt
her before she even could say
a word. I stood up slowly and
rushed to the general office with
my other friends to get my skirt
changed, leaving my friend crying
at one corner bitterly, without
remembering that it was my fault
by suggesting we play a hand
game. From that day onwards, our
friendship was forged for 2 years…
SECTION
GAMES & PRANKS
Amazing Game
At recess, many boys will wolf
down their food as fast as possible
so that they have time to play
a game of basketball. They will
only stop when the bell signalling
the end of recess sounded in
their ears. Then they will saunter
to the courtyard drenched in
perspiration. Sometimes, they
will be late in assembling and the
discipline master will reprimand
them, but that did not stop them
from spending every second they
can playing basketball. I always
wonder what is so fun about
tossing balls into hoops.
About thirty years ago, when
my father was still in school, he
would, without fail, sneak out of
his house every Saturday to go to
school for a game of basketball.
There were three basketball
courts, at my father’s school but
most of the hoops did not have
nets attached to them. Also,
the paint on the boards would
be peeling off. The courts in his
school were much smaller than
the ones we have in schools now.
They were rectangular in shape
and about the size of a bus.
Apparently, they were there just for
the students to exercise and not
for competitions.
Even without a good court, my
father would be playing all the
time, sometimes in the rain. When
dark clouds blanketed the sky
and when huge drops of water
blurred their vision, they continued
playing. I doubt my schoolmates
would play in the rain, but the
basketball court in our school is
sheltered, so I might never know.
MAHA BODHI SCHOOL:
Chua Fang Wei
When the ground was slippery,
my father sometimes slipped
and went skidding across the
hard cement floor, scraping their
arms and legs. The minute this
happened, the others would rush
to help him get to his feet, and,
despite his injuries and the pain,
he would resume the game within
a matter of seconds. He was really
hardy. His parents, my paternal
grandparents, thought that there
was nothing wrong with him
playing basketball. They did not
know that my father played in the
rain. My father was indeed lucky.
Now, when I see people sprinting
after that bright orange basketball,
I still wonder why it is enjoyed by
so many. It is amazing that a game
like basketball can be enjoyed by
people of different generations.
Games and pranks
done by the previous
generation
FENGSHAN PRIMARY SCHOOL:
Soo Wan Cheng and Rena Ng
In this issue, Mr Ng tells us about
the pranks he used to play: Mr Ng
would use glass powder to coat
the string of the kite to cut his
classmate’s kite to let their kites
get blown away by the wind.
Mr Ng Seng Chang, 46, was from
Sembawang Hill Estate primary
school. During recess, Mr Ng and
his friends would play police and
thief. during police and thief, the
‘thief’ who was Mr Ng, would run
to a muddy pool of dirty water
and when the ‘police’ who was his
friend, was near him, he would
make a sharp turn to the right or
left. The ‘police’ would be muddy
from head to toe. Mr Ng would use
glass powder to coat the string
of his kite to cut his classmate’s
kite, to let their kites get blown
away by the wind. I bet the people
whose kites were cut by Mr Ng
would have spent their money for
nothing. He also played soccer and
basketball.
Well, the life of Mrs Ong Wang
Keng was the other way round.
Instead of pranking others, she
got pranked by her friends very
often. Once, Mrs Ong’s friends put
chalk powder on her seat. Once
she sat on the seat, her skirt was
all white, what a laugh her friends
would have had! She played
skipping, hopscotch, five stones
and with paper dolls.
Mr Soo Chee Woon, 45, had a
gang formed in his school. They
went around bullying weaker
and smaller pupils. The gang
went around pranking others etc.
pulling other people’s seats away
when they are sitting down. Mr
Soo stopped pranking others and
bullying others. Mr Soo played
with spiders and other insects,
although that was cruel, Mr Soo
and his friends found it really fun.
So although pranking others is
something funny, did you ever
think that your friend might get
hurt and get sent to the hospital
and you will probably get a
good dressing-down from like,
everybody?
We should not prank people
although it’s OK to have a laugh
just once in a while. Why not try
a few games listed above? You
might get a feeling of those
times back then when most of
the children were poor and had
to make do with certain stuff all
around us.
WRONG
CLASS?!
SCHOOL: Shen Zhuoxian
Whenever Madam Lim Hwee
Hoon remembers what
happened in her primary school,
she laughs her head off.
It was the 1st of April. As
everybody knows is APRIL
FOOL’S DAY, the perfect
time for tricking a person,
especially our teachers...
Madam Lim’s primary school
had only 2 classes. Before
April Fool’s Day, the 2 classes
had made a plan. It was a plan
so tricky that the students
would die of laughter after
they see the look on the
teachers’ faces.
1st of April - April Fools. That
morning, the 2 classes came
to school so early that even
the teachers had not reached
the school yet. The bell rang
and the teachers came into
class. “Good morning class,”
the teacher greeted them,
even before the teacher looked
at the class. She looked at the
class and realized that she
was looking at different faces
as before. She looked puzzled
and scanned the sea of faces.
They all started giggling.

The
teacher went out of the
class and checked to see if she
was in the correct class. She
WAS in the correct class. But
the pupils were in the wrong
class! Then she remembered it
was April Fools and went over
to the next class were HER
pupils were and asked the 2
classes to switch classrooms.
The pupils went back to their
correct classroom.
Madam Lim says, “The look on
the teacher was so funny I burst
out laughing when I remember
that face. I sometimes even
dream about it.”
From then on, none of the
pupils forgot that incident and
the teachers too, still had that
incident etched to their minds.
5
SECTION
6
GAMES & PRANKS
My Time at
Raffles Girls’
Primary School
– By Jenny Advanti
RAFFLES GIRLS’ PRIMARY SCHOOL:
Teo York Tiang Andrea, Go Jia Lin Kellisa & Valeska Tan
Oh! My time at Raffles Girls’ Primary School was definitely fun and
enjoyable. I used to live in close proximity to the school and I walked to
school everyday. I remember those happy times when the school still
had the animal farms! There were rabbits and little kittens in the open
field and I would often spend my entire recess just playing with the
adorable pets.
Ask me about my most memorable experience? Well, the most comical
thing that happened to me was once when I was around twelve years old.
I was in the canteen during recess. To my surprise, everybody started
screaming frantically and running frenziedly in all directions. Then I
realized that the source of the commotion was a dog. My dog! It had
presumably scampered from my home all the way to my school! I could
not believe my eyes. Then, I hurried to the public phone and quickly
called my mother, not daring to own up to the others that that was my
dog in the canteen, out of sheer embarrassment. This has been one of
my most unforgettable experiences in the school.
When I was in primary school, there used to be a prawn noodle stall in
the canteen. It was my favourite food stall. The vendor, whom I always
addressed as “Auntie”, was very kind. I would frequently arrive at school
early in order to “reserve” a hot, steaming bowl of delicious prawn mee
for recess.
I certainly miss the good old days when I was in primary school. The
Holland Grove campus was definitely a good school, providing me with
much laughter and memories to carry with me for a long time.
An embarrassing moment
PASIR RIS PRIMARY SCHOOL: Shawn Lee
Has your father had an
embarrassing moment
before?
Well, Mr. Lee Soo khoon has. He
was pushed into the girl’s toilet
when he was primary 5.
One day, Mr. Lee was playing with
his friends when the school bullyJohn walked by and had him into
an arm lock. He tried to escape
but in vain. When they reached the
entrance of the girls’ toilet, John
released him and threatened him
to walk into the girls’ toilet.
He slowly walked into the girls’
toilet, but to his horror, there was
a girl inside! The girl screamed
and Mr. Lee tried to calm her
down. The girl did not calm down
so he ran out of the toilet, pushed
the bully, John, aside and ran
away. He did not tell anyone about
it but the girl did. The bully was
reprimanded by the discipline
master but he did not learn his
lesson and continued his wrong
doings.
He bullied another pupil by
taking all his money and asking
him to walk into the toilet again.
This time, he was caned by the
principal and he learned his
lesson- to not bully anyone again.
Fun Moments
@ Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’
– Sarah Yu Xueli
ANG MO KIO PRIMARY SCHOOL: Melody Lee, Nur Anishah Bte Mohd Aidi,
Chung Jing Chun, Aw Kai Lin
I attended Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School as it was situated just
opposite my house. In my school, there was a rule for all of us to
keep our hair short and neat. I have very fond memories of my
secondary school life as it was fun-filled and packed with activities.
Some of these memories were funny, others were touching and a few
were sad.
On April Fool’s Day, we swapped classrooms with another class,
trying to confuse our teacher for the day. Surprisingly, our teacher
who taught us for many years did not suspect anything unusual and
we managed to trick her. Following that, all of us went forth to shake
hands with her to wish her Happy Teachers’ Day. Little did she expect
that we had more up our sleeves. Our hands were all covered with
soap and when we shook hands with the teacher, her hand became
soapy. She was a real sport and played along with us. She did not
scold us even though we played pranks on her.
Another funny incident that I recall was when I was playing in the
Eco-garden with my friends. We were having fun stepping on all the
pebbles when I lost my balance and fell forward. As a result, I hit my
friend in front of me and she fell into the pond. She was soaked to the
skin when she came out of the pond. It was a rather hilarious sight.
Even though I caused her to fall into the pond, my friend did not blame
me. We continued to remain as friends after the incident and up till
now, the memory remains etched in my mind.
Do you think older brothers
are great cheaters?
– Anathi Balah Krishna
PRINCESS ELIZABETH PRIMARY SCHOOL: Venkatesan Samyuktha
It was the eve of Youth Day. I was busy helping my teacher so I was
neither in class nor in assembly. Thus, I missed all the announcements.
I rushed home after school and did all my homework and slept late. Next
day, I woke up by myself and got ready to go to school. I noticed that
neither my brother nor my sister got ready to go to school. My brother
asked me where I was going. I replied that I was going to school. I then
asked him why he did not get ready to go to school. Snickering, he
replied “My school has a special programme so we will took the bus to
school start a bit later than usual.”
Of course he lied and he did it so well. I rushed out of the house and took
the bus to school.
On the bus, many people were staring at me. However, I was too
engrossed in my book that I did not notice their stares. After alighting
from the bus, I felt strange. The whole road looked deserted. Then, I
walked up the slope that led me to the school gate which would take
me fifteen minutes. However, the school gate was closed. I stood there
beside the gate for a while not knowing what was happening. So, I
walked back to the bus stop with a lot of questions on my mind. When I
boarded the bus, the bus conductor kept asking me where I was going
and why I was in my school uniform. So, I poured out my story to her. She
explained to me that it was youth day, meaning school was closed. I put
my head down the whole bus trip. When I reached home, my brother was
laughing and teasing me. I was so angry at him initially for not telling me
the truth but later joined in the laughter.
SECTION
GAMES & PRANKS
Missing
my Old
School Days
WOODGROVE PRIMARY SCHOOL:
Samuel Tan
“You will miss
your school days
the most after you
come out to work”
– How true this
words sound when
finally we embark
on our career life?
The things that I miss most at
my school are the numerous
fun games that were invented
despite the lack of modern
technology gadget such as
iPad, Xbox, PCs, etc. Games
such as marbles, board
games, tikum….Outdoors was
always fun…catching spiders
for fighting with others with
their spiders, catching tadpole
to witness their growth to
frog, putting red and black
ants to fight to see which is
more superior.
My teachers are very strict
then, use of cane and chalk
flying through the classroom
aiming at mischievous pupils
are common and always are
favorite topics during old
classmates gathering. We sure
get a good laugh whenever we
chat about those moments.
“Good” Boys!!
GREENRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL: Nicholas Ting, Raynee Tham & Li Ying
Nathaniel and Jia Le are the naughtiest boys in our class. Whenever they have the opportunity to be
mischievous, they will run around and scream like maniacs. Despite their playfulness, they often help out.
Whenever they see someone in need , they will always be there for them. They are smart too! Most of the time,
they top the class!
“Never judge a book by its cover!”
I am sure there are many “good” boys
like them in your class!
Trading Marbles
ROSYTH SCHOOL: Randelle Ong
In 1975, there was a school
called Bradell Rise Primary
School. Most of the boy and
some girls would bring their
marbles to school and trade
them secretly during their
recesses. If a teacher saw the
marbles being traded, he or she
would confiscate them. However,
despite the teachers’ warnings,
they still continued the act as
they loved trading marbles.
Therefore, trading marbles
became common in primary
schools, including Brad Rise
Primary School. Mr. Poh Kok
Wee (Kyna’s father) was caught
by his grandmother, and she
confiscated all the marbles. It
was an unforgettable moment.
SECTION
HOMEWORK
Homework Complaints
Now a lot of children are complaining about that they cannot finish
or have no time to finish their homework. They can complete it in an
extremely short time like 30 minutes or at the most 1 hour.
Mrs Lim said, “Nowadays, teachers are not so strict with children and
give them very less homework to do. The children make use of this and
finish their homework so fast in order to play.”
PRINCESS ELIZABETH PRIMARY SCHOOL:
Dang Chee Wen, Mao Yudi, XueTingkai & Lim Jin Feng
In the past, a lot of homework would be given by teachers and it must
be handed in before the deadline. If not, the teacher would punish the
child severely. Mrs Lim said, “Sometimes, I need to do my homework
until midnight in order to finish.”
7
SECTION
8
HOMEWORK
i love homework!
Whenever a teacher mentions homework, the pupils will groan as
they dislike homework. They think it is time-consuming and a dreadful
burden. In fact, just because of homework, some even attempt to escape
from school during school hours. You may think that everyone in this
world hates homework given by teachers. My sister, Nur Izzati, loves
homework instead of being a hater of it.
She thinks of it as a challenge, just like racing against an opponent. She
likes homework, but she prefers teamwork because she can do assigned
tasks together as a group. Also, she can learn from each other, realising
each other’s mistakes. There, she can also learn more about the spirit of
teamwork.
You may be wondering why she likes homework unlike the other students
now. She likes homework as she can practice the topic she just learned
in class and homework also helps her to remember the lesson that she
had learned. When doing homework, she can also practice managing her
EVERGREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL:
Nur Nafisah Bte Nasharudyn, Amirul Astraff B
Baharuddin, Ong Yao Zhi, Irvine, Wee Mu Yan,
Muhammad Izzat Haqim B Zulkifi
time by giving time limit when she does her homework. Also, she must
understand how important homework is as it would be able to help in
various ways. Without homework, everyone will not really get to practice
at home. With homework, she can know her mistakes and learn in a
better way.
Even a hardworking student like her sometimes needs assistance
when she does homework. In fact, asking is learning too. She gets the
assistance to her family members like her father, mother, or sometimes
her sister.
She has learned a lot from them and she is thankful as she is now
better in studies than before. However, she thought that she cannot
be depending on her family members only. She has to try doing her
homework by her own in order to realise her mistakes. To her, it would
be way better if she is able to do her homework without asking for a
single assistance as it shows that she is an independent student.
SECTION
LESSONS & DIARIES
School Memories
18 May 2012 – Friday
ST. ANDREW’S JUNIOR SCHOOL: Titus
9:00am
10:04am
12:00pm
I got kicked while playing rugby.
The opposition team kicked me
in the leg, causing me to get
injured. But, it was natural. You
would naturally get hurt while
playing rugby. At that moment,
I felt very happy.
We were doing some worksheets
while Mr Zhang, our form teacher,
was collecting some forms and
money for the Science Center
Learning Journey during the
holidays.
9:15am
Mr Zhang was talking about some
jokes to entertain us. One of the
jokes was: Why did Mr Left turn
Right? No one could guess the
answer. In the end, the answer
was: Because Mr Left’s wife is Mr
Right. Everyone laughed to their
hearts content.
Time for Mother Tongue! I was
studying Higher Mother Tongue.
So, my friends and I who are
studying Higher Mother Tongue
had to walk down one level and
walk to the class that we were
supposed to be in. On the way
down, we were talking about some
happy occasions that each of us
had experienced. One of them
said: I was watching a show on my
home television and I was laughing
until I nearly wet my pants.
Everyone laughed and did not stop
laughing for 15 seconds.
I was feeling slightly better. My
injured friend tickled me and I
started to laugh as if I was in my
own world.
9:30am
Recess time! I could not walk that
well, but the support from my
classmate made me continue to
stay firm.
10:00am
Time to return to class! While
I was walking up to class, our
form teacher, Mr Zhang, was also
walking up. I did not have much
strength, but I ran up to class as
fast as my footsteps could carry
me. I was laughing as my friend
was telling me jokes as we ran up
to class.
10:10am
10:30am
Mr Zhang was going through
corrections. My friend, Brennan,
was telling me that I dropped my
green pen on the floor. I did not
even realize that I was using a
pencil to write my corrections.
How dumb! While I was about to
take my pen, Brennan tickled me
and I started to laugh as if I was in
my own world.
1hr 30mins later……
12:02pm
Time to begin lessons! Our
teacher walked into the class with
some books, and her computer.
She was holding an idioms book in
her hands. I was thinking: Could
she be teaching us idioms or
idiom stories?
12:10pm
We were doing our own work when
the teacher suddenly announced:
Do your own work while I call
some boys for corrections. At the
same time, please write an article
about Chapter 12 and submit it
to me by the end of the lesson. It
must be minimum 200 words. You
can discuss with your pair.
12:29pm
Our class was ready to collect
our work. I counted the number
of words and there were 269
words. Though there was not a
big difference in number, I still
exceeded the number of words
required to write. Our teacher was
happy with us and immediately
told us that we could be released!
I was so happy at that time to be
dismissed slightly earlier.
12:36pm
I just finished my food. I was
washing my hands, ready to play
soccer with my class. It was a
really fun afternoon as some
of our classmates were going
to depart on Saturday for some
learning/training program/trip.
That afternoon was meant to
have fun.
END of story. Hope story/article
attracts you. :D
SECTION
NOW & THEN
My
father
An Interview
with Mrs. Chng
TAO NAN SCHOOL: Faith Chng
PRINCESS ELIZABETH PRIMARY SCHOOL: Qui Xin Zhi
What was it like in the 1980s? Maybe you could get the answer by reading
this article. This is a story on my father who was now around 40.he was
born in china. When he was a child, he studied in a local school in china
for both primary and secondary. For university, he studied in the capital
of china, Beijing. Those days what their snacks was something that had
some cold cream on a stick. It is around 5 cents, according to my father.
Those days, they do not buy food from school. They always brought food
from home. That time, a dollar was a lot of money. It could buy a lot
of things. At that time, they don’t play on computers like us today. As
most people were poor, they could not afford to buy toys too. So, they
played simple games like hide and seek and catching. Sometimes, their
teachers would chastise them for being dirty as there is mud all over
their playground and they would fall into the mud and made their shirts
dirty. But boys are boys.
Their playground does not have any equipment like those today. They
used to have a vacant playground. My father often climbs trees to play
too. That time, they will climb trees to get the eggs of birds as there
used to be many birds at that and they would built their nests on trees.
Some naughty ones even used a catapult to aim at a bird and shot it
down. Although it is against the law now, it is not against the law then.
Although he did not have a chance to go to the schools, the memory will
still be forever etched to his mind.
According to Mrs. Chng, 38,
children nowadays are not
as street smart, and are less
adaptable and flexible, as
compared to those growing up
in the 1980s. She also added
that back in the old days, she
played many games with her
friends during recess time
that have been lost over time.
Mrs. Chng recalls fondly how
they even improvised and
used old attap leaves to build
an actual house - right in their school car park! The house was big
enough to accommodate 3 friends. This was something she is sure
that primary students these days may never even think of.
Mrs. Chng believes that children nowadays are more ‘study smart’
and would probably score remarkably better compared to children
in the past if a project was handed to them. She also said that the
education system nowadays is more competitive - students have too
much tuition, but sadly not enough time to play together in a group.
In fact, she is grateful that the Internet was invented or all most
Singaporean children would spend countless hours in the library
digging through mountains of books.
Now, with a few clicks, one can get access to whatever information is
required for school projects. However, with less opportunity to pick
up values through interaction, Mrs. Chng hopes that children these
days can still learn to be disciplined, and that schools can teach
things like right behavior, learning attitude and social skills.
9
SECTION
10
NOW & THEN
Planting Trees
RIVER VALLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL: Chan Chin Ying
the
local news
those were the days
XINGNAN PRIMARY SCHOOL: Pang Eng Ming, Wyzley, Cheang Yu Heng,
Sze Shuyuan & Milim
During the 1960s, the learning
environment in classrooms was
very outdated. The classrooms
had no fans; they depended on
the windows of the classrooms for
lighting. The walls were stained
yellow and the paint was peeling.
Teachers also used blackboard
and chalk to teach. The whole
level consisted of only two classes,
each separated by gender as
there was shortage of classrooms
and to avoid distractions such as
boy-girl relationship. The boys
back then were well-mannered,
so teachers found little need to
scold them often, unlike boys
today. Unfortunately, there were
no trees surrounding the school,
only construction sites. This was
not only distracting; it was also
making the air more polluted and
dusty.
The reason for the poor learning
environment was because the
school had very little resources
and equipment. It had limited
resources, so it was unable to
repaint the walls or buy fans. The
students in the school thought
that the learning environment was
not good and the school should
put in more effort in upgrading
the school’s aesthetics, making
sure the environment in the school
was conducive for learning. In the
end, my father and his friends
Behind Block one of Xingnan
Primary School, there was a row of
bushes. Inside the row of bushes,
there were tiny spiders. Mrs. Tan
and her friends would catch them
and put them in matchboxes and
observe them before releasing
them back to where they were.
They liked doing that as it was fun
and exciting.
decided to improve the school’s
environment by panting some
trees. They bought some seeds
and borrowed shovels from their
parents to carry out the plan.
Every day during recess and after
school, they would dig the soil
near the school until it was deep
enough to plant the seeds. They
watered it every day and kept a
close eye on its growth.
The tree was growing well and
very soon when my father and
his friends were Primary Six
students, the tree was about three
metres high. They were proud of
themselves for planting this tree.
They got closer as they worked
together and their friendship got
stronger. The tree was always
there, and sometimes my father
would sit by the tree, relishing the
times of his childhood days.
MRS TAN PEI SHAN
Mrs. Tan Pei Shan, an ex-student
of Xingnan Primary School and a
teacher in Xingnan now, recalled
that in the past, the hopscotch
was in the parade square. The
hopscotch in the past was much
bigger than the current one
near the Sin Nan Public School
Heritage Museum.
There was also a long drain at the
school field that had tadpoles in
it. Mrs. Tan and her friends liked
catching tadpoles and bringing it
home to foster them.
It is rather hard to imagine that
Mrs Tan is a teacher now as she
seemed to spend her time playing
and catching tadpoles and spiders
rather than studying. Mrs Tan
also admitted that she did not
focus very much on studying.
She considered herself as a late
bloomer but was very fortunate to
have patient teachers. She hopes
that being a teacher, she has
made her teachers who are now
her colleagues proud.
Mrs Tan also mentioned that
the Xingnanians now are very
fortunate to have an eco-garden
as there was no eco-garden during
her times.
SECTION
PUNISHMENTS
What a DAY!
27 August 1981 is a memorable
date for Foo Piau Sheng,
otherwise known as P.S. Foo.
“That Thursday,” he recalled,
“was bizarre.” He and his two
close friends were selected to
solicit for donations to help the
needy. Expecting the wealthy to
be generous, they approached
them for donations. However,
they were disappointed as they
collected only a meager amount.
“My friends and I thought that
nothing worse could have
happened when we spotted
a canine coming towards us.
Initially, it appeared to be
RIVER VALLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL: Sydney Foo
harmless, but we were proven
wrong. In the nick of time, we
managed to seek refuge up in
the nearest tree. Phew! Another
moment later, we would have
been dead meat!”Reminisce
Mr Foo.
After the dog left, the three boys
raced towards a nearby park
rested on a bench. While they
were thinking about how they
could get more donations in the
last remaining fifteen minutes
before they had to return to
school, One of Mr. Foo’s friends
jumped up and said, “Why don’t
we go to the shop with the mini
jackpot machine and try our
luck?” All of them agreed that it
was a brilliant idea. They rushed
to the shop and used all of the
money from the donations on that
single machine. Initially, Lady
Luck smiled on them. Alas, they
left the shop empty handed.
Reaching the school compound,
they saw their teacher waiting
for them. Mr. Foo explained the
situation to his teacher while
his two friends look down at the
ground sheepishly. They received
an earful from their teacher in
the end.
Carrying their now empty
donation tins, they walked
towards their school compound,
trying to think of excuses their
empty donation tins. “The
moment we lost our last coin, I
knew we were in hot soup.” Mr.
Foo replied when asked about
his feelings at that point in time.
The three of them were made to
do housework for three days and
the money they earned was used
to pay for the money they had
lost. “This is one experience that I
would never forget,” said Mr. Foo.
SECTION
REMINISCENCE
Old School Days…
RAFFLES GIRLS’ PRIMARY SCHOOL: Tan Hui Shan Denise, Vera Quah Li Qi
Mrs Anna Tan was in Raffles
since 1949 to 1959, ten years as
a Rafflesian. Her first impression
of RGPS was clean and quiet. She
highlighted to us during her school
days, she recalled the picture
on the school was the Queen of
England instead of the portrait of
our President and the First Lady.
Back then, their examination to
secondary school was known as
Secondary Entrance Exam (SEE),
unlike now it is Primary School
Leaving Examination (PSLE). Her
principal was a British citizen.
Mrs Tan would go to school by
trishaw where it was located at
Queen Street. There were only
female teachers and art class was
taught at National Library that is
close proximity to the school. Only
a handful of classes were available
with only two stalls; a drink stall
and the other selling cake and
fried rice. Tomato ketchup and
chilli sauce was a luxury.
Games played were Rounders,
skipping, hopscotch and Police
and Thief. These common
games are free and can have the
participation of as many students
as they can.
Games played in the past:
11
SECTION
12
REMINISCENCE
ang mo kio primary
– Past and present (Elfi Mamli)
ANG MO KIO PRIMARY SCHOOL: Nur Alifah, Ilyana Bte Kamsani, Hasmath Thameena, Teo Jing Ye, Tan Si En, Melissa
In the past, Ang Mo Kio Primary
School was located at the field
next to its current site. The current
location of Ang Mo Kio Primary
School used to be the grounds of
Mayflower Primary School. There
was a field being shared by three
Primary Schools in the vicinity.
The current uniform of Ang Mo Kio
Primary looks very different from
what it used to be. The current
uniform definitely looks better
than before.
The classroom furniture was all
made of wood and there were
no floor tiles in the classroom.
We sat on concrete floors in the
classrooms. In class, once we had
completed our work, our teachers
would hand out cross-stitch kits
for us to complete. We learnt how
to stitch pouches, pencil cases and
even curtains! Besides learning
cross stitch in class, we could
maggie lim (1988)
MARYMOUNT CONVENT: Chloe Kuan, Isabelle Liew, Annie Yip, Elyssa Ng
the present PE attire, Maggie
much preferred old PE attire which
had shorts made of stretchy cotton
and white trimmings.
Maggie Lim, a sporty, vivacious
woman, graduated from MCS in
the year 1988. She enjoyed her
time in Marymount Convent, along
with a good buddy, Azrina and
was always the butt of all jokes.
She greatly treasured her favorite
teachers, Mrs Dharma, her
English teacher and her Literature
teacher, Mr Siva. She strived
very hard to be a top student,
but competition was tough and
she could only fare as an
average student.
Maggie might be a DJ, but she was
actually the netball school player
and took part in both sporting and
non-sporting ECAs (now called
CCA). It might seen a tad too queer
for a DJ, but maggie was the
netball school team captain and
actually excelled in sports during
her time in Marymount Convent, it
was also her favorite class. Unlike
When feeling down, Maggie would
pretend to play the odd piano at
the back of the former school
hall, which gives her time to be
alone. They used to have their
sports days with St. Joseph’s
Institution with the band being
invited, where there were boys
in the band playing instruments
and the Marymount girls usually
teased them. There used to be a
sheep hill which led to the foyer,
and many other staircases around
the school, excluding a flight
of stairs that led to the openconcept canteen in the basement.
Maggie still remembers fondly
the time when she and her friend
went tumbling down the hill and
she ended up having cuts on
her knees! Making graduation a
jacket in Secondary 4 was also
one of the things she thought was
memorable.
Lastly, she sends her words of
advice to the present Marymount
girls – Make as many memories as
you can from Marymount Convent
School. Live every moment here in
Marymount with love and laughter.
Study Hard and also, Play Hard.
choose as many ECAs (Now it’s
called CCAs) as we wanted as
long as we can balance our school
work with ECAs. I was an active
pupil and grabbed the opportunity
to participate in numerous ECAs.
One of the ECAs that I participated
in was Malay Dance. We would
often perform in front of the whole
school during assemblies.
During recess, we could get a
plate of nasi lemak for 30 cents
and a piece of chicken for 20
cents. After recess, all of us had to
participate in the tooth brushing
drill. Each class will either squat
beside the drain or stand along the
basin to brush our teeth, guided
by the dental nurse on the proper
techniques of tooth brushing.
Article about Mr. Lim Kok Kee
– An old boy from St. Gabriel’s
Primary and Secondary Schools
and an ex-teacher from
St. Gabriel’s Primary School
ST. GABRIEL’S PRIMARY SCHOOL: Dominic Sua
Mr Lim Kok Kee is an old boy from St. Gabriel’s Primary and Secondary
Schools. He is also an ex-teacher who started teaching in 1965 and
stopped in 2003. He started teaching again in 2005 and finally retired at
the end of 2011. During his primary school days, he would usually mix
with his friends and talk during recess.
His favourite subject was mathematics. His favourite teacher was Mr
Paul Lee, his primary one teacher, who was a nice man and was very
patient with his students. The Principal was Brother Emmanuel, who is
now the supervisor of schools. He had learnt many lessons and virtues
from the talks the brothers gave. There were fun fairs held annually,
which Mr Lim enjoyed tremendously. He said that the school has
changed a lot since his time in school. There were no such places like
the air conditioned library, computer labs and other facilities taken for
granted these days.
During his secondary school days, during recess, Mr Lim would always
go to his favourite place without fail — the basketball court to play
basketball with his friends. That was his favourite sport as well as
pastime. He thought that playing basketball would not only help him
to keep fit and healthy, but also help him to bond with his friends. Mr.
Lim has no specific best friend, but his best friends are those in the
basketball team. As a student, he would be very happy whenever he
achieved good results in his examinations. Mr Paul Lee, his favourite
teacher, inspired Mr Lim to become a teacher. Soon, in 1965, he started
teaching his favourite subject, which was of course - Mathematics. After
teaching for about 39 years, he retired in 2003. Mr Lim started teaching
again in 2005 until 2011, when he finally retired. As an old student and
ex-teacher, he would like to encourage boys to be honest. After many
years, Mr Lim still makes phone calls to his friend to keep in touch with
each other...
SECTION
REMINISCENCE
I Remember
my School Days
– Koh Eng Kah
TAO NAN SCHOOL: Koh Jin Hao
Whenever I walk past the former
Parry Primary School, now a
hostel for foreign students, I
remember my school days there. I
studied there more than 30 years
ago. Parry Primary was actually
formed in 1980 by combining three
schools: a Boys’ school, a Girls’
school and a Chinese school. I
spent the first five years in the
Boys’ school and my last year
in Parry Primary when it was
eventually formed. I have many
interesting memories from my
days there.
Parry Primary was a big school. It
had a large field equal to the size
of nearly two football pitches with
huge trees along its perimeter.
Almost every day, I would play
games with my friends at the field,
before class and during recess. We
played football, “zero point” and
“police catch thief”. Those games
were fun. The big tress provided
us with shade and some such as
the flame of the forest had flowers
that were very nice to look at. Now,
sadly, most of the schools do not
have such big fields.
I lived in the kampong. Every day,
I had to walk to and from school
either on my own or with other
children who lived nearby. There
were many “obstacles” along the
way such as barking dogs, fierce
geese and occasionally rain that
turned the tracks muddy. Once, I
even had a chameleon jump onto
my back. It turned white to match
the colour of my school uniform
and I turned green with fear. It was
scary. Now, most children have
their parents send them to school.
The food at Parry Primary was
cheap. A bowl of noodles was just
30 cents! There were only a few
stores in the canteen. My favourite
food was the “goreng pisang” with
curry gravy.
Every day after school, I would
buy an ice-cold treat from a small
store just outside the school. I
would either buy a “bird’s nest”
drink, an ice pack filled with
syrup, or an ice ball sprinkled
with colourful syrup and milk.
These were refreshing and tasty
especially when the weather
was hot!
In terms of study, I did quite well
overall, but this was not so at the
beginning. At the end of Primary
1, my results were not so good,
especially myEnglish. I could still
remember the teacher’s remarks
in my report book that I needed to
improve on my English. My English
was poor because I mostly spoke
in the Hokkien dialect with my
family, neighbours and friends,
and I only attended one year of
kindergarten. Nowadays, kids go
to childcare centres from as young
as 18 months old! Fortunately, I
improved from Primary 2 onwards.
With hard work, I became the top
in my class from Primary 4 to 6.
I miss my days at Parry Primary.
They were thoroughly enjoyable.
Although the lives of primary
school children then are very
different from those now, I believe
they are equally, if not more,
interesting.
Mrs. Lee-Goy
NORTHLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL: Lekha Bengeri, Zhu Hong Yue, Gao Sitian
I used to study at Park Road Primary School in Chinatown.
Surprisingly, it is now a local hostel! I went to school in trishaws
(less than $40 per month!).
In school, I was the teacher’s pet, the monitor and the head prefect.
Apparently, my family was famous in school as nine out of twelve
of my siblings studied there and they were all known for their
outstanding results. I was very proud to be chosen to read out a script
on “stop the breeding of mosquito campaign“
My CCA was the brownies. After every practice on a Saturday, I would
play “crocodile”, the olden-days version with my friends. Usually, all
homework forgotten; we just played!
We all looked forward to our sports day! Nowadays, children request
for more on their Sports Day. Our Sports Days in those days were so
simple. There were only simple running competitions-no long or high
jumps. We always looked forward eagerly for the packet of biscuits
they give to everyone!
The canteen in my school had only 3 stalls- an ice-cream shop, a
snack shop and a drink stall. A bowl of noodles was 20 cents or so.
Hence, to go to school armed with 10 cents is a blessing already!
Class picture of Mrs Lee-Goy at Primary 1
In those days, my family was very poor and all my clothes and books
were hand-me-downs. When my skirt was torn, my sister would just
have to sew it up for me. I had my first parker ball pen when I was
primary 4. My pencil case only contained a pencil, an eraser and a
pen. Forget Mr. Whiper (a branded correction tape). I feel that the
students nowadays are taking things for granted. Most students
aren’t satisfied with what we have and want more. If we could survive
our childhood without computers and smart phones, I believe they
could too.
Mrs Lee-Goy
winning a prize
(left) and with her
schoolmates (right)
13
SECTION
14
REMINISCENCE
School life in the past
PEI HWA PRESBYTERIAN PRIMARY SCHOOL: Yong Le Tong
My mother, Jean, had studied in
Bukit Batok Primary School for 6
years. Although she stayed very
near the school, she took the
school bus to school because her
parents did not have the time to
fetch her there.
Her favourite subject was Chinese
as she found it very interesting
and her Chinese teacher was very
aspiring whom always told them
lots of interesting stories. She said
that Chinese was very important
at that time as her parents only
knew how to communicate in
Mandarin. My mother’s school
uniform was white and blue. She
liked her uniform very much as it
was very comfortable to wear.
She participated in the Choir
CCA in her school because she
loved singing very much. Till
now, her singing was still terrific!
She was a prefect in school.
She said that being a prefect
was a very important job as they
needed to maintain order in
school at all times.
Every day during recess, she
would play the game ‘Zero-Point’
and catching. However, she
preferred playing Zero-Point more
than catching. She and her other
friends would always play ZeroPoint and challenged against the
boys. The girls team always won
the game as girls were taller than
the boys and were all very good
at jumping. The food sold in the
canteen at that time was very
cheap and it cost only around 50
cents. How I wish that the food
now are still sold for 50 cents!
One special incident was when
she was among the few selected
to do a Children’s Day song music
recording at Rediffusion Radio
Station, which the end product
was ultimately distributed to all
primary schools in Singapore. She
felt exceptionally proud and excited
for having given that chance to do
song recording in a professional
studio setting. Through this, she
gained the experience of how a
song was being recorded.
My mother also had nice
memories when she took part in
the school’s Singing Competition
in which she was selected to enter
the final round. Although she did
not win any big prizes in the final,
she gained the terrific experience
of performing in front of the whole
school. However, I was still proud
of my mother’s achievement and
bravery to participate in those
competitions.
My mother said that she loved
her school life very much as she
had made many friends during
that earlier part of her study life.
My mother said” Gone were the
days when I can have fun with my
friends and enjoy my school life.
I really miss my childhood times
and hope that I can go back to the
past.”
1950s School Days
PRINCESS ELIZABETH PRIMARY SCHOOL: Teo Wee Lin
Ex-pupil of Princess Elizabeth
Primary School, Mrs Lim Choon
Hui, talked about the school
days in 1950s. At that time, she
was a prefect and also a class
monitress as she had leadership
skills. Having this quality, she
also had good academic results.
She was top in her class for three
consecutive years, Pri 4, 5 and 6.
She received storybooks from her
school. They were given to her as
an encouragement to read more
books.
Not only is Mrs Lim good in
academic studies, she is also
good in sports. Hence, she
joined the school’s volleyball
team. After practicing for some
time, her team participated in a
competition. Due to their hard
work and effort put in, they
managed to clinch the first place.
Mrs Lim was so delighted; it was
her first time winning an award in
volleyball.
Remembering the times during
recess, Mrs Lim would play
traditional games with her friends.
Some of these games were
chapteh, five stones and playing
with marbles. “These games are
fun. It will be fun for children now
to play these games than playing
computer games,” suggested
Mrs Lim. Mrs Lim enjoyed these
games very much. She liked
playing five stones. She found the
game challenging and fun. She
always had hard time catching all
five .She hoped she might get a
chance to play again. Mrs Lim’s
favourite canteen food would be
fish ball noodles. It only cost $0.10
at that time. But for Mrs Lim, it
was quite expensive. Her parents
gave her $0.20 daily for her pocket
money. In order to save money,
Mrs Lim could only afford to buy
food. She did not have enough
money to buy drinks. Recalling
that, she felt that her school days
were quite interesting.
A Hole
in My Pants
ROSYTH SCHOOL: Jaime Pang,
Wong Yoke Ting, Ng Shuo Ling,
Amber Rose Pillay & Ji Xin Yi
INTRODUCTION
In the past, most families had a lot
of children, and the family income
and intake was very little. Children
wore hand me downs. The
textbooks, books and dictionaries
were handed from sibling to
sibling, from family to family.
Those books could last for a few
decades. Sometimes those books
could be very out of date. Since
there was not enough income
coming in, those elder children
although having new books, had to
sacrifice their education so their
younger siblings could have a
chance to go to school. OH NO! TWO HOLES AND I STILL
DON’T KNOW!
Mr. Ng Cheek Chong fondly recalls
that his cousin, Mr. Jack Ng, wore
hand me downs from his eldest
brother and went to school in
those pants. Wherever he went,
people laughed. Only when he
got home, he found out that there
were two holes in the pants, one
on each side. Even so, he did not
throw away the pants. Instead,
he mended the pants with a few
pieces of cloth and wore them to
school the next day. That was a
great embarrassment for him.
Mr. Ng still recalls that he was
trying very hard not to laugh too as
he was afraid that he would hurt
Mr. Jack Ng’s feelings.
SECTION
REMINISCENCE
15
Top Gabrielite 2010
– Lennon Goh
ST. GABRIEL’S PRIMARY SCHOOL: Auric Seah Hong Rui
Lennon Goh is an old boy from
St. Gabriel’s Primary School from
2004 to 2010. He was our school’s
head prefect when he was in P6
and was also our school’s PSLE
top scorer for that year. With his
excellent results, he was admitted
to Raffles Institution (RI).
During his primary school days,
Lennon would usually play soccer
with his friends. He considered it
as an investment of sorts as it was
invaluable in helping him to relax
when the curriculum became too
intense and stressful. It was also
good for maintaining his physical
fitness.
The most memorable place for
him in the school was the hall.
Almost everything was held in the
hall. All his band concerts, school
events and the pledge-taking every
Tuesday, every Reap the Laurel
and even his last official event as
a Gabrielite, the P6 graduation
ceremony, was held in the hall.
The hall had seen him through his
primary school days.
Lennon struggles with his mother
tongue language, Chinese, even
now, Chinese was what always
pulled his results down and he
felt disappointed. He felt that no
matter how hard he tried, he still
could not excel in it.
To Lennon, all teachers had a
significant impact on him.
Primary school is when most
children are still very malleable
and he was no exception. Teachers
like Mr. Soh, Mdm. Shofia and
Miss Woo, who were in charge
of the prefectorial board, had a
My life
in school
Although it is a long time after I
have completed primary school,
once I look back at my class
photograph, memories of my
primary school will flood into
my mind.
The butterflies in my stomach
fluttered even harder as I
approached the school for the first
time. What would happen in class?
There was no kindergarten, so
everything and everyone seemed
foreign. Even so, I felt a tinge of
excitement as I like to experience
a new environment and I wanted to
make new friends.
After some time in school, I
realized that school was actually
relaxing and enjoyable. There was
a little homework and no project
work at all. The lessons were
fun. They were well explained
significant impact on his personal
discipline and character. The
academic teachers, Mdm. Shofia,
Mr. Koh, Mr. Goh, Mr. Sng, Mr Loy,
Ms Woo, Mrs. Chee, Ms Koh and
Mdm. Yes, all had a significant
impact on his academic foundation
and also helped him to excel in his
studies and external competitions.
The most significant event that
happened to him was the school
moving to another location in 2005.
This to him caused a repeat of
the foreignness and nervousness
of P1. He had to adapt to a whole
new environment. The streaming
also affected him, as essentially,
every two years, it was almost like
resetting the friendships he had
worked to develop and built over
two years. But in a way, it had
also helped him to develop even
more friendships and now, he has
“3 sets” of friends. Another event
that affected him was the failure
to enter RI via DSA. This motivated
him to work harder and enter RI
through results, the main door,
and not the back door.
Lennon has a lot of teachers to
thank, and I believe he would
always remember someone - St.
Gabriel’s Primary School’s founder
“St. Louis Marie de Montfort”.
TAO NAN SCHOOL: Chen Jingwen, Loh Pei Yi & Jermaine Wong
and the pace of teaching is good.
Every word that was pronounced
was clear and concise. In a
short lesson a lot was taught,
discussions always came along.
However, when the teacher asks
a question, it is always impossible
to answer it. The teachers were
kind and friendly but strict. She
could also be extremely fierce.
When we did something wrong,
the teacher would punish us
severely. When we did badly for
a test, the teacher even made us
carry our schoolbags over our
heads and stand on the table for
a whole period.
The schedule was also wellorganized. Lessons started from
7.30am to 1pm after flag raising
and there was recess in between.
During recess, my friends and I
would play games like ”chapteh”,
“zero-point”, hopscotch, hide and
seek and catching. There were
hardly any activities in school.
There were only Co Curricular
Activities (CCA), and netball
was my CCA. Life was free, easy
and happy. Our lives were rich
in childhood. My classmates
were extremely cooperative and
generous. We treated each other
like siblings. They were never
jealous about other who was
strong in certain subjects. Special
occasions, special lessons like
dance lessons as well as field
trips held by school would always
jazz up the fun and excitement of
school. School was pleasing, but
there were still some weaknesses.
I disliked the way the teachers
punished us and the lack of
facilities in school.
Nevertheless, there were still
some difficulties that I face. As
there was no tuition last time and
my parents were unable to help,
there was no option but to rack
my mind for answers whenever
I was stuck in a tough question.
When other problems, maybe at
home, happen to me, I talk to my
sympathetic family members,
teacher and good friends to
their advice. I also solved some
problems myself.
As I keep my class photograph,
I think school is the best place
to learn after all. We should be
thankful of school for bringing us
up, feeding us with knowledge.
-Winnie Koh-
SECTION
16
REMINISCENCE
My father
remembers
his school
days.
YU NENG PRIMARY SCHOOL:
Kai Yue
My father told me that during
his school days, his teachers
used the blackboard instead
of the whiteboard we are using
now and that notes were written
in chalk instead of marker and
when the teachers erased the
chalk, the chalk powder flew in
all directions. In the end, some
teachers got lung cancer and
skin problems and in order not
to get these problems, some
teachers quit.
All of the subjects, except
English were taught in
Mandarin while now it is the
exact opposite and there was
nothing like the projector during
his times and they even had
lessons on Saturday (half day,
e.g 8-10) instead of us having
no school on Saturday. They
had class duty like sweeping
the floors and cleaning the
blackboard, just like us.
The library was as small as
a classroom, it had no airconditioner and the resources
were not advanced while our
library is the exact opposite.
They had no AVA room, no IT
lessons, no computer and no
CCA and if you wanted to do
research during his times you
could only read books and there
was only one public library (at
Stamford Road) which was the
former national library.
In 1962 the school held its
opening ceremony when it
was relocated to Tampines St
11. Today, the school’s website
allows him to look back at his
primary school days with fond
memories. By the way, my
father’s name is Lim Yu Toh and
he is 48 years old.
Memories
– Good and Bad:
ANGLO CHINESE PRIMARY SCHOOL
MARYMOUNT CONVENT: Daphne Chang
My brother, Joshua Chang, remembers his primary school, Anglo Chinese
Primary School, fairly well. Now, at 17, he tells me about his life at school.
Unlike my father, the school bully, he was a good boy in class. Though he
was quiet in class, he was attentive and obedient. Always hardworking and
achieving the best marks in class. He was the ‘teacher’s pet’.
As he was quiet and good, others constantly played tricks on him. But he did
not mind, as his best friend always stayed by his side, helping him whenever
he needed help.
My brother misses his school days, and he tells me to cherish mine.
Those were
the days......
– Mdm Kwok Sock Tee
PARKVIEW PRIMARY SCHOOL: Cheryl Kwok
I spent my entire primary and secondary education in Kuo Chuan Girls’
School in Joo Chiat Lane in the 70’s unfortunately, the original school
building has been demolished and private houses are built on that site.
Today, I am staying far away from there but I will never forget the
memories there.
In 1968, I started schooling in Kuo Chuan Girls’ School. In those days, I loved
to play hopscotch and five stones. We made five stones using pieces of old
cloth that people did not want any more, put green beans inside and sew
them up. During the recess, we would bring our five stones out and played
along the corridor. In the morning, we would walk to school as it was very
near to our house.
When school ended, we had to go to Tanjong Katong Technical School for
technical classes. I remembered having lunch in school. A bowl of dry
noodles cost only 30 cents. 40 years later, a bowl of noodles cost $3, $3.50 or
even more. We were living simple lives. Definitely we faced less stress than
the children of today.
What did you do
in old school
that is most
memorable?
SCHOOL: Lim Yi Ann
Mr. Vincent Lim, a manager with
2 daughters and a wife. The most
memorable time was during
secondary school where all boys
will gather to do boys’ stuff. (Not
seriously studying unfortunately)
However, that was the most
memorable as it was fun, enjoying
playing football, runs at the beach
and play squash together. There
used to be a canal beside the
school and we used to gather
during low tide when there are
many mud-skippers. That is where
we perfected our stone throwing
skill until one day a teacher came
by gently and speaks the right
moral value into their hearts. The
school also created opportunities to
spend time with parent especially
father. He remembered doing a
school history project with his dad,
building a ship model Sainta Maria,
one of the ship with Christopher
Columbus. Till now, he still
remember, not much of the ship but
the time spent with his dad.
Well, as for study, not much until
it comes to examination time, they
would gather at the chapel to study
together, asking question to each
other and finally getting it through
amazingly. That was a bonding
that they had & was the greatest
memories. When he recalls all this,
it is a good advice to the younger
generation to put the priority right,
Study first, play later & keeps your
relation close with your parents.
Interviewed by Lim Yi Ann
SECTION
REMINISCENCE
Precious Thoughts
and Memories
BALESTIER HILL PRIMARY SCHOOL
Raymond felt very nervous, wanting his mother to be outside the classroom.
During recess, his grandmother bought pastries for him to eat. It was
his favourite pastry ever. When Raymond saw his teacher at first sight,
he thought she was beautiful but fierce like lioness. He said that female
classmates were very obedient while the male pupils were very mischievous.
Some of his classmates cried, wanting their mother to be by their side.
Raymond’s kindergarten provided biscuits and Milo for the students to eat.
He found them quite delicious.
Raymond adapted quickly to his primary school. He found it beautiful
and clean. Raymond saw the cleaners working very hard to maintain the
cleanliness of the school. He got seventy cents as his pocket money every
day. Raymond would save up all his remaining money so that he could get
presents for his parents on their birthdays. Raymond would help out at the
noodle stall which his parents own after school. He had to work harder than
other students because his family had not enough money to give him tuition.
They only had sufficient money for them to pay for their school fees.
Raymond found all his classmates in secondary school very rebellious
because they often hang out at shopping malls after school. They had invited
him to join them for once but he rejected their offer because he had to help
his parents out at the noodle stall. Raymond had learnt more about filial
piety and decided to provide for his parents after they retire.
Schooling in Kampong…
ROSYTH SCHOOL: Iqah Shakira, Katryn Asri & Nur Diyanah
How are the toilets there?
Well...The toilets are far from their houses! The toilets are very smelly! In the
morning everyone will line up in 1 queue! Why? The thing is that there is only
one toilet! Can you believe it?
Mama J’s School days
YU NENG PRIMARY SCHOOL: Nurul Atikah Zulfeflee, Ong Yi Xin, Kelly,
Tan Qing Rong, Ammar Ridzuan Bin Rahiman
I am so lucky Mama J still have her old school day’s photographs.
They were amazing and she looked so sweet!
17
SECTION
18
RESULTS
PSLE,
“A” AND
“O” levels
RIVER VALLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL:
Aidan James Cheah, Bryan Low Kian Heng & Chen Haoming
“I remember very fondly the time when I was
taught by a teacher named Mrs. Seow from
Primary One to Primary Six at Gan Eng Seng
Primary School.” said the 27 year old Phua Cheng Kiat (name has
I remember how
proud we were
when the Brass
Band achieved
a Gold with
Honours award…
XINGNAN PRIMARY SCHOOL: Koh Hui Wen
been changed to protect identity of interviewee) with a sense of nostalgia.
He remembered her as a teacher who would try her very best to teach him,
as he was very weak in all his subjects. He explained that even though he
had been failing his subjects, she said she could see the potential in him to
succeed unlike other students who never really cared about their studies.
Mrs. Seow started to stay back after school and teach English, Maths,
Chinese and Science when Cheng Kiat was in Primary 4 until 6 o’clock then
she would send Cheng Kiat home.
Mrs. Seow would normally teach Cheng Kiat in a room at the school library
which only closes at 7 o’clock. If the room was taken by someone they would
use their classroom. For the first few days Cheng Kiat did not like the idea of
staying back as he wanted to go home and play. So he would try all means to
waste time by going to the toilet or walking around. Even though he wasted
a lot of time but Mrs. Seow did not mind, she knew that it would take some
time before he could settled down as he was a very active kid. Slowly, he
got interested in her classes and began to look forward to it unlike other
students, who always wished the teacher was absent. Even if the teacher
was absent, Cheng Kiat would do his own revision.
When Cheng Kiat was Primary 5, his marks started to improve. In SA1 he
got A for Maths, Chinese and Science but B for English. In SA2 he managed
to score A* for all his subjects. None of his family members believed that
he could do it except Mrs. Seow as she could see the vast improvements in
his work. For PSLE he obtained a good aggregate of 272 that enabled him
to enter Hwa Chong Institution. At HCI he continued to work hard and never
lost contact with Mrs. Seow. Cheng Kiat scored 8 points for “O” levels and 6
points for “A” levels. Now Cheng Kiat is a very successful business man and
through the years he has never forgotten Mrs. Seow.
After lots of tedious practices, the Xingnan Brass Band has finally done the
school proud by achieving a gold with Honors award in the recent Central
Judging (2012) for concert bands.
“I am really proud of them, to see them achieving a gold with Honours Youth
award. And one more thing which I am also really happy to see is the change
in the number of pupils in the Xingnan Brass Band. In 1982, there were only
20 pupils. Now, there are about 100 pupils,” said Mr Tan, teacher in-charge
of Xingnan Brass Band and also Head Of Department for Chinese.
One of the Brass Band pupils who took part in the Singapore Youth Festival
recalled that they increased their practice sessions from twice to thrice
weekly. Although they were asked to take a break from their daily buzzing
exercise the day before the Central Judging, they persevered and requested
to have their routine buzzing exercise. Although all the practices were
tedious, it was worthwhile since they were rewarded with a Gold with
Honours award.
Mr Tan, the other teacher in-charge and the band members had not
expected to achieve Gold with Honours award as one of the pupils had
dropped his mute during the judging. According to their teacher, their marks
might be deducted. So when they found out that they got gold with Honours
award, they were quite surprised.
The Xingnan Brass Band has achieved many awards over the years. In 2004,
2006 and 2008, they achieved Gold while in 2010, they achieved Sliver. It was
only 2012 where they achieved Gold with Honours.
SECTION
SCHOOL EVENTS
Song-and- Never give up
dance
cultural
treats for Ai
Tong pupils
DA QIAO PRIMARY SCHOOL: Pranav
I recalled the day my mother told me about her days in school. Every
time she talked about it, there were sparkles in her eyes.
“I still remember that my school were divided into three houses for
Sports Day – Gabriel, Bosco and Monfort. Each house has its leader.
I was in Gabriel. My house members and I used to have names for the
other houses such as “Monfort Redfort” and “Bosco Disco”. We created
those names to tease them. It may sound silly now but it was our way
to make them angry. I was very proud to be in Gabriel as we always
emerged the champion.
Our Sports Day is in the month of December. However, I still remember
how my friends and I would look forward to the month of October where
the training began. I especially like the huge March Past. To me, it was
like the Singapore’s National Day Parade. We would hold the house flag
and marched tall and proud.
AI TONG PRIMARY SCHOOL: Low Geng Yan
It was a lesson in two culturesby children for children. About
10 pupils of Chongfu Primary
School and majority of them
are Malay and Indian. Yesterday
visited their sister school. Ai Tong.
Complete with ethnic costumes
and musical instruments. Their
aim is to introduce their customs
and cultures to the Ai Tong pupils
who are all Chinese except for
one, Malay. The Chongfu pupils
presented an hour long show
depicting various aspects of Malay
and Indian cultures through skits,
costume parades, Games, dances
and songs.
Chongfu·s principal, Mr ChonagSui
Tiam said that their school has a
fair proportion of Indian and Malay
students but Ai Tong has almost
100 per cent Chinese students.
They thought it would be good to
expose the Chinese students to the
cultures of the other races. Ai Tong
and Chongfu are considered sister
schools as both are members of the
Hokkien Huay Kuan Association.
Most of the Ai Tong pupils said
that they did not have non-Chinese
friends. One mentioned that all
his schoolmates and neighbours
are Chinese. But he wanted to
make friends with children of other
races too, for he hung around the
Indian girls before the concert. He
thought that the Indian girls were
very graceful when they danced.
Most of the Ai Tong pupils did more
than watch and listen. A Malay
singing item, the dikir barat, which
involved creative hand movements,
had many of the pupils trying out
the routines too. And they needed
little prompting when invited by the
Chongfu performers to dance the
ronggeng, a Malay dance.
There were also performances from the band, dance groups and uniform
groups. It was meant to welcome the parents, visitors and special guests.
Some of the dance performances were slot in between the sports events
to allow us to have a short break for refreshment.
There were also stalls selling ice-creams, cakes, fruits and juices. I love
the popsicles the most. Those who are not involved in the sports events
would cheer for their houses members. The sports events include
running races for 100m and 200m, disc throw, short put relay and pole
vault. I participated in the disc throw and short put relay. I remember
feeling so proud of myself for having won prizes for both events.”
That was my mother’s childhood story. And at the end of the story she
would never fail to tell me that winning a competition is not everything.
The most important thing is to participate and to put in your best effort.
-Pranav
Enjoyable times in school
GREENRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL:
Tan Xiang Ping, Dion Phang, Zosia Thong & Chan Jia Hui
The school currently conducts
classes for Malay conversational to
teach pupils basic Malay language
and to learn their culture.
On every Wednesday, there will be very interesting assembly! There was
once when we are P2, the birds in Jurong Bird Park came to our school and
those people in the photo above are looking at the bird called Sasha! It is a
parrot and it could repeat what we say. It is very cute! As you can see in the
photo it can perform many tricks.
19
SECTION
20
SCHOOL EVENTS
A Wonderful Concert by…
PRINCESS ELIZABETH PRIMARY SCHOOL:
Claire Low Qian Ling, Dhwani Umeshchandra Shah, Aiswarya Panda & Seah Ying Xiang
I was in Primary 6 when my school
celebrated its silver anniversary.
At the end of the year our school
was having a concert and as I was
the pet of my teachers. I got the
lead role. I was ecstatic and excited
about the concert as it was my last
year in my primary school. The
concert was going to have a drama,
music and dance. The drama was
about a primary one boy coming to
school being very rude and rowdy.
As the years passed by, and the
boy was in primary six, he was a
polite and helpful boy. The boy had
turned over a new leaf. My teachers
had chosen me to play the lead
role about the boy as I had boy-like
features when I was young. When
the day had finally arrived, I was
very excited and thus kept checking
the wristwatch to see if the concert
had started and eventually after all
the guests had arrived, the concert
began. Soon, the drama team
was asked to come to the stage
to perform the drama. As I was
nervous, I took a deep breath and
went to the stage to perform the
lead role.
As the time passed by, I grew less
nervous and finally the concert
ended. The audience cheered
and clapped for us for putting up
such a nice drama. All the drama
members swelled with pride as
we had put in a lot of effort. After
we went backstage, I was very sad
that I would not be able to perform
again as it was last year in school
and the silver anniversary comes in
a lifetime. I can still remember that
day clearly as this concert boosted
my confidence and a wonderful
opportunity to overcome my state
of nervousness when performing in
front of a large audience.
I am really thankful to the teachers
who selected me to be in the
drama team as this wonderful
experience has taught me a lot
of core values which I have been
carrying till now. Nowadays, a lot
of opportunities have been created
by schools to provide a platform for
students to be self confident and
practice the school core values.
Although I am in Secondary 4 right
now, I still treasure my precious
primary school memories. My
fondest memory of my primary
school life is the prank my class
played on April fool’s Day. As
young kids, playing pranks was the
highlight of our day and what better
excuse to play pranks on teachers
than April fool’s? I was in Primary 5
when we staged the prank. We had
discussed our idea with a primary
3 class and were elated when they
agreed to go along with our plans.
On the day before, armed with our
books, we set out to put our plan
in action.
On that faithful day, my class
swapped classes with the Primary
3 class. No teacher was aware of
the switch. Since the classes were
far apart, we were quite confident
that the prank would work. Soon
assembly was over and we were
left waiting eagerly for class to
start and for our first prey to enter
the class.
Before we had planned to change
classes with the primary 3’s, we
had ensured that the teachers
teaching the class were teachers
we were familiar with. As it
happened, I had been taught by all
the teachers before and was voted
to sit right in the middle of the front
row so that the teachers would be
able to identify the prank. We sat
awaiting the impending arrival of
the first teacher.
As he walked, eyes on his
computer, preparing himself for
the lesson he was about
to conduct.
“Good Morning class.”
He greeted us, distracted.
at the Prefect
Commendation
ST. ANDREW’S JUNIOR SCHOOL: Ryan
Wong, Ethan Leung & Benjimin
“Good Morning Mr Goh.”
We greeted back, in glee.
Unaware of the change, he started
lessons as if it was normal to have
primary 5’s present in a primary 3
classroom. A few minutes into the
lesson, he looked up, searching for
an unsuspecting victim to trap with
a question. His gaze landed on me.
Confusion clouded his face.
“Ankita, what are you doing in
this class? Aren’t you in Primary
5? Why are you in my primary 3
classroom?” he asked, perplexed.
“Mr Goh, please look around.” I
said, trying to hide the grin that
was climbing its way onto my face.
He looked around clueless.
Puzzled, he stepped out of the
classroom to ensure that he was
in the right class. Confirming the
class, he stepped back in baffled.
Looking around the class once
more, reality dawned upon his face.
“I am presuming this was a cruel
joke on your part to confuse the
teachers?” He scolded in a mock
stern voice.
“Well…. If your idea of cruel is just
swapping classes then we are
guilty. We admit to our crime.” I
said giggling.
That did it. Everyone started
laughing. Mr Goh soon left the
class and went to where the
primary 3’s were, just as our
teacher entered the class.
“Are you trying to kill me?”
Ms Chia asked, entering the class
huffing and puffing. That just set
off the entire class into another
laughing fit.
It truly was an amazing memory,
one that I will never forget.
Tens of Prefects commentated
at commendation
A few hundred peoples were
involved in the Prefects
Commendation which was held
earlier in the year. The school
commended quite a few prefects as
they were ‘sworn’ in by the Chaplain.
As the prefects walked in, they were
hearing the school hymn that was
played as the students in the hall
stood up and welcomed the prefects
into the hall. When Zachary Lim,
the school captain was sworn to
do his duties, he was given a tie
of office, otherwise known as a
vest. This was followed by the vicecaptains, the section and assistant
section leaders and last but not
least, the prefects of SAJS. The
school was witnessing the ‘helpers’
of the school getting commended
and agreeing to serve god and
the school.
SECTION
SPORTS
A rewarding
experience
THUMBS FOR
MINI SPORTS
21
AI TONG PRIMARY SCHOOL:
Jordan Chiang
RIVER VALLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL: Tan Yun Han
An ex-student of Catholic High
School, Tan Tiong Peng recalls his
days as a secondary Two pupil.
At 50, he could still remember
every vivid detail of his school life.
He may no longer be a student
now, but at the mention of things
related to school, his eyes would
brighten up as memories of a
happy time would flash through
his mind.
With a sigh, Tan recalled, “I can
still remember what happened
on that day. I was in class during
recess and had nothing to do. Out
of sheer boredom, I snuck into
my friend’s bag and took his table
tennis bat that was made of heavy
duty wood.
Due to the fact that Tan has a
strong passion for table tennis, he
claimed that he plays table tennis
after school everyday. The only
thing that is different, apart from
using a proper table tennis bat,
was that Tan used his textbooks as
a substitute because he could not
afford table tennis bats when he
was young.
“Using a bat that I have never
used before, I thought that it
would be easier for me to play
table tennis against the wall of my
classroom. However, much to my
astonishment, a teacher happened
to be eyeing me for the whole
time. But instead of reprimanding
me, he chose me to represent the
school in the upcoming national
table tennis tournament as he
found my table tennis skills
terrific!” he exclaimed, in a gleeful
and exuberant tone.
Tan, who personally found the
teacher different from other
teachers, notes that teachers
in schools now should be more
aware of students’ aptitudes
besides academics. He agrees
that students with these natural
skills should be given open doors
to opportunities in life. If so, he or
she would at least have something
to strive for in their aspirations.
After clearing his throat, Tan then
continued, “Being in the school
team does not actually mean it is
a bed of roses. After school every
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday,
I have to stay back in school for
more table tennis training and
they last for about five hours! But
I persevered throughout these
gruelling training sessions. On the
fortnight before the tournament, I
acquired new skills from the coach
since I was always the apple of his
eye.”
With the help of his patient coach,
Tan managed to overcome many
obstacles he encountered during
the intensive training sessions.
One of them was on how to be
agile and swift so that Tan could
swerve his feet and hit the ball
that was approaching him in the
nick of time. This was considered a
difficulty to Tan as he would sprain
his ankle almost all the time when
he attempts to do that move, but
with the right techniques from his
coach, it was no longer an ordeal.
Finally the day of the tournament
came. With a slight tinge of anxiety
in his voice, Tan spoke, “On that
particular day, I remained calm.
I told myself that losing was not
all. That seemed to do the trick
as I did not start off with high
hopes and achieved a gold trophy
as a result.”
As a reward, Tan could still vividly
recall that he was treated to the
famous local delicacy “Sze Char”.
It was definitely a feast
to remember.
While the lower primary pupils are not involved in the SHHK Combined
Schools Sports Meet, pupils from all Primary 1 to 3 classes take part in
the Mini Sports Race on the eve of National Day. It is held in the school
campus. There are a total of 9 races; 3 races are held for each level.
To prepare the children for the upcoming races, they usually train for a
month during their P.E. lessons.
Besides participating in SHHK Combined Schools Sports Meet, the track
and field members also took part in another inter-primary schools track
and field championship.
She shared how track and field has progressed over the years, one of
which was the facilities. Ms Jan and her peers did not have the luxury
of training in the right facilities back then. She related that her form of
training in preparation for the championship was to run around a field a
few times.
She remembered a different aspect of the event too. In conjunction with
the Youth Olympics held in Singapore in 2010, Ai Tong School introduced
the torch relay which was similar to the Olympics. A few students who
were selected to be the torch bearers ran around the track, under the
supervision of a teacher. After which, the principal, using the torch would
then commence the event.
That etched in her mind and it is without a doubt, a sporting event that
the lower primary children look forward to every year.
SECTION
22
TEACHERS
Meaningful Three Years
in Xingnan
XINGNAN PRIMARY SCHOOL:
Adri Faris, Jessica Khong, Ryan Yuen & Sim Zhi Kai
Dzikri Adam, a Primary three
student said excitedly that his
best memory in Xingnan was in
Year 2010 when his team won a
trophy during Sports Day. During
the interview, Dzikri shared his
memorable moments during the
Sports Day proudly. Dzikri enjoys
his days in Xingnan as there are
so many activities lined up for the
students.
He hopes that the school will build
an indoor basketball court as he
loves play basketball. With an
indoor basketball court, he could
play basketball when it is raining
too. Recently, the mathematics
times tables are painted on the
staircase. This way, students
could learn them while climbing
up the stairs! Xingnan also has
many colourful learning walls for
students to read and gain more
knowledge.
Dzikri has pleasant memories of
his Primary One and Two teachers.
He commented that his teachers
were very caring and helpful
towards him. He remembered he
was very apprehensive to attend
school when he was Primary
One. Fortunately, his teacher
was very patient towards him.
He remembered how his teacher
went through the school rules with
him and everyone is expected to
behave well. The importance of
school rules was also conveyed
to him during the first day of
school. He remembered reminding
himself to follow the school rules
closely so that he would not be
punished.
Now, Dzikri is in Primary Three
and is glad that Miss Azura is his
teacher as she will include a lot
of educational games to make
lessons more enjoyable. Dzikri
commented that the school has
quite a number of facilities, and
more things are being added now.
Fear- The bane of my life!
EVERGREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL: Wesley
COURAGE IS RESISTANCE TO FEAR,
MASTERY OF FEAR, NOT ABSENCE
OF FEAR. Mark Twain
Living in fear of school would not
be a fond memory but walking
down the path of Madam Isnarti’s
school life, experiencing her
fear and relishing her success in
overcoming it is something that
we could do.
You would have seen pupils
crying when they report to school
for the first time. Madam Isnarti
was no exception. She was
terrified and went to class with
trembling legs but managed not
to cry.
Many would be afraid of their
form teachers or subject
teachers but Madam Isnarti was
different. She was afraid of the
teacher next door who went by
the name of Mrs Tan.
She saw the way Mrs Tan scolded
and punished her students and
dared not even look that teacher
in her eye. She would scamper
away if she ever caught a glimpse
of Mrs Tan heading her way.
The best part was Mrs Tan did
not even know that Madam
Isnarti existed!
Madam Isnarti’s fear of Mrs Tan
never left her. It was a fear that
she was unable to conquer.
Nevertheless, she managed to
conquer another fear; the fear of
bullies. This incident happened
when she was in Primary 6. A
few annoying students started
taunting their classmates by
calling them names, hitting them
on their heads and tripping them.
Mdm Isnarti also encountered
this incident. She was a prefect
then and even though she was
afraid of him, she did not cower
but took a bold step towards him.
In her most authoritative voice,
she told him off.
The boy shrunk away and never
disturbed her again. It was then
that Madam Isnarti realized that
facing her fears was the best way
to deal with it. She wished she
had done the same for her fear of
Mrs Tan.
Some people have the opinion
that students should have a
healthy fear of their teachers
while others think that having
a friendly relationship with
teachers is better. What do
you think?
Introducing
Mrs Tan
GREENRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL:
Celest Chee and Vicky Soh
Our form teacher is Mrs Tan
Po Lean. She retired not long
ago. Many students missed
her and our class added her to
our group on facebook to get
in contact with her. On the last
day, she gave us a correction
tape and there is a meaning
behind it. She said that when
you write something wrongly,
you can correction tape it. It
is the same thing where when
you make a mistake, you
can erase it. We will always
re-member her.
SECTION
COMICS
comics
time!
MARYMOUNT CONVENT:
Preethi Kumar, Aviel Tey, Portia Tan,
Audrey Ng & Wong Chia Yun
SAINT MARY EUPHRASIA
WAS BORN ROSE VIRGINIE;
ROSE FOR LOVE, AND
VIRGINIE FOR PURITY. THIS
IS THE STORY OF HOW ROSA
VIRGINIE BECAME SAINT
MARY EUPHRASIA, THE
FOUNDER OF OUR SCHOOL.
Rose Virginie’s parents were
banished to the island of
Noirmetier for harboring a priest
who had refused to take an oath
of fidelity. Rose Virginie was then
born at the island.
Soon, Rose Virginie was able to go
to school, as the Ursaline Sisters
came to the island and set up a
school for girls.
23