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Speech Day 2013 - Principal's Report
Speech Day 2013 - Principal's Report
“Just last Saturday, we celebrated our 60th Anniversary with a gala dinner that reconnected some 500 TKGians. It was officiated by Mdm Halimah Yacob, our first woman Speaker of Parliament, and an alumnus of TKGS. Today, we are happy to hold this Speech and Prize-Giving Ceremony which is no less important than the dinner, given that this is a platform that will honour the achievements of TKGS girls in the academic, sporting, artistic and service fields. I warmly welcome Ms Tricia Huang back to TKGS as Guest-of-Honour. Ms Huang graduated as the top student when she was here and has gone on to a very successful career in the field of the Sciences.
Let us imagine that the year is 1957 and we are at the first Speech Day. The founding Principal Mrs Maude Scott speaks. She says “…three years ago, at the official opening, I gave parents the assurance that they could expect solid work from the Staff of the school and a genuine concern for the welfare of every pupil. I am satisfied today that we have honoured that promise and have laid sound foundations, on which much more has yet to be built. For every girl to look upon the school as her community; to practice to live alongside her fellows in a spirit of cooperation, tolerance and unselfishness, remembering that no man can live unto himself when he lives with others. This above all is what we have strived to inculcate into our pupils.”
Today it is 2013 and I believe her vision still stands. It therefore gives me great pleasure to deliver the School Report. In the area of academic achievements, the graduating batch of 2012 did well, maintaining the high percentage of students gaining places in ‘A level’ institutes as well as Polytechnics. TKGS has again retained its edge in providing a value-added education for our girls. At the pinnacle of educational achievement, the highest number of girls scored between 6 to 10 A1s in the 2012 O level Examinations in the last 3 years.
Even as we are encouraged by the results, we will have to tackle issues that require reframing, including a fundamental approach to teaching that remains faithful to what lies at the core of each discipline. Learning must transcend the objective of purely meeting the demands of the O level exams to one that equips them for life. It will be a challenge that my teachers and I will gladly take up.
In the area of Sports, TKGS girls have continued to excel, with a greater number of teams making their mark in Zonal and National School Games. The Sailing, Softball and Bowling teams clinched top 3 places in one or both of the B and C Division National School Games season earlier this year. Badminton and Netball made their way into the top 4 positions in the Zonal competitions.
In sum, Team TKGS, (comprising also of the Basketball and Tennis CCAs), has certainly exhibited the school values and truly lived out the TKGS spirit! In the Uniformed Groups, the Girl Guides, Red Cross and National Police Cadet Corps have continued to develop girls into resilient and disciplined leaders with a heart for service. They maintained Silver awards in all their respective categories, reflecting an attempt at living out what the winged shoe in the school crest signifies: physical and mental agility, ingenuity and adaptability.
The Clubs & Societies and Service Boards remain an important part of TKGian school life. The TKGS debating team was crowned the champions of the Singapore Secondary School Debate Championship (Division 3). This harks back to the first time they did that, which was in 1973! We will continue to grow this area, in line with the TKGS being the East Zone Centre of Excellence for English Language.
To complete the school’s report, I am pleased to announce that all the performing arts CCAs, namely, the Drama Club, the String Ensemble, the Dance Club, Choir and Band proved their mettle by receiving Certificates of Distinction at the 2013 Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation. This is a sterling set of results that will certainly call for new benchmarks to be set and for us to define success in ways that go beyond a medal tally.
These are indeed remarkable achievements, made possible only because of dedicated staff and coaches, supportive parents and committed partners. Thank you for dedicating your time, energy and resources to helping TKGians realise their potential.
You would agree with me that it has been a great 60 years! As we celebrate, we cannot rest on our laurels. TKGS has put forth 3 key strategic initiatives, in order to prepare our students for the future.
The first is TKGS+. TKGS+ stands for Programme for Leadership, Understanding and Stewardship. It aims to develop deep understanding in subject disciplines and encourages leadership and stewardship of students’ talents. The result of this is an ethnography study that the school had done in the earlier part of the year to establish the learning habits, motivational levels, interests and aspirations of talented TKGians. TKGS+ is a result of this study.
As part of the 60th anniversary celebrations, the TKGS+ Fund has been set up, with generous contributions from partners, parents, Alumni and School Advisory Committee members. This fund will enable TKGians to access learning in the platforms mentioned above. It will also support the advocacy efforts of TKGians in giving back. We thank all donors for their support.
Many of you prize-winners are where you are because o
Let us imagine that the year is 1957 and we are at the first Speech Day. The founding Principal Mrs Maude Scott speaks. She says “…three years ago, at the official opening, I gave parents the assurance that they could expect solid work from the Staff of the school and a genuine concern for the welfare of every pupil. I am satisfied today that we have honoured that promise and have laid sound foundations, on which much more has yet to be built. For every girl to look upon the school as her community; to practice to live alongside her fellows in a spirit of cooperation, tolerance and unselfishness, remembering that no man can live unto himself when he lives with others. This above all is what we have strived to inculcate into our pupils.”
Today it is 2013 and I believe her vision still stands. It therefore gives me great pleasure to deliver the School Report. In the area of academic achievements, the graduating batch of 2012 did well, maintaining the high percentage of students gaining places in ‘A level’ institutes as well as Polytechnics. TKGS has again retained its edge in providing a value-added education for our girls. At the pinnacle of educational achievement, the highest number of girls scored between 6 to 10 A1s in the 2012 O level Examinations in the last 3 years.
Even as we are encouraged by the results, we will have to tackle issues that require reframing, including a fundamental approach to teaching that remains faithful to what lies at the core of each discipline. Learning must transcend the objective of purely meeting the demands of the O level exams to one that equips them for life. It will be a challenge that my teachers and I will gladly take up.
In the area of Sports, TKGS girls have continued to excel, with a greater number of teams making their mark in Zonal and National School Games. The Sailing, Softball and Bowling teams clinched top 3 places in one or both of the B and C Division National School Games season earlier this year. Badminton and Netball made their way into the top 4 positions in the Zonal competitions.
In sum, Team TKGS, (comprising also of the Basketball and Tennis CCAs), has certainly exhibited the school values and truly lived out the TKGS spirit! In the Uniformed Groups, the Girl Guides, Red Cross and National Police Cadet Corps have continued to develop girls into resilient and disciplined leaders with a heart for service. They maintained Silver awards in all their respective categories, reflecting an attempt at living out what the winged shoe in the school crest signifies: physical and mental agility, ingenuity and adaptability.
The Clubs & Societies and Service Boards remain an important part of TKGian school life. The TKGS debating team was crowned the champions of the Singapore Secondary School Debate Championship (Division 3). This harks back to the first time they did that, which was in 1973! We will continue to grow this area, in line with the TKGS being the East Zone Centre of Excellence for English Language.
To complete the school’s report, I am pleased to announce that all the performing arts CCAs, namely, the Drama Club, the String Ensemble, the Dance Club, Choir and Band proved their mettle by receiving Certificates of Distinction at the 2013 Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation. This is a sterling set of results that will certainly call for new benchmarks to be set and for us to define success in ways that go beyond a medal tally.
These are indeed remarkable achievements, made possible only because of dedicated staff and coaches, supportive parents and committed partners. Thank you for dedicating your time, energy and resources to helping TKGians realise their potential.
You would agree with me that it has been a great 60 years! As we celebrate, we cannot rest on our laurels. TKGS has put forth 3 key strategic initiatives, in order to prepare our students for the future.
The first is TKGS+. TKGS+ stands for Programme for Leadership, Understanding and Stewardship. It aims to develop deep understanding in subject disciplines and encourages leadership and stewardship of students’ talents. The result of this is an ethnography study that the school had done in the earlier part of the year to establish the learning habits, motivational levels, interests and aspirations of talented TKGians. TKGS+ is a result of this study.
As part of the 60th anniversary celebrations, the TKGS+ Fund has been set up, with generous contributions from partners, parents, Alumni and School Advisory Committee members. This fund will enable TKGians to access learning in the platforms mentioned above. It will also support the advocacy efforts of TKGians in giving back. We thank all donors for their support.
Many of you prize-winners are where you are because o