Mdm Tan Lee Choo,
Principal, CHIJ (Kellock),

Teachers,

Parents,

Pupils,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

It gives me great pleasure to be here today together with the community of CHIJ Kellock Primary to commemorate this double celebration, the official opening of CHIJ Kellock Primary at No 1 Bukit Teresa and the 40th Anniversary of the school.

2 The Holy Infant Jesus Sisters founded CHIJ Kellock Primary at Kellock Road in 1964 to provide a Christian education for girls. Pupils were taught the values of simplicity, humility, charity, strength and gentleness by the sisters. Today, 40 years on, the school continues to provide this values-based education. It lays the foundation for the holistic development of the girls, in areas like the academic, sports and the aesthetics.

3 Through the years, the Kellock community was strengthened, with ex-students returning to serve and perpetuate the IJ education, a legacy of the IJ sisters. The Kellock community also played a part in designing the new school, to ensure that it provides an environment conducive to learning for the girls, whether in the classrooms, the multi-media laboratory, the library or the gymnasium.

4 As we progress in the 21st century, our schools have to prepare their students for a fast changing landscape. They are well positioned to do so. We have a sound education system, with dedicated teachers, rigorous curricula at each level and branch of the system, and students who take education seriously. These strengths have enabled us to keep looking ahead, sizing up the changes taking shape around the world, identifying the skills and attitudes that require emphasis, and making refinements and adjustments so that we move forward with confidence.

5 One of the key priorities of our schools as we prepare for the future is to develop independent learners. We have been shifting in recent years from preparing students to be academically competent to helping them to learn independently, so that they can thrive in a constantly changing future. How they learn while at school will matter more than what they learn. We will help them develop a passion for learning from young, and a desire to keep on learning. A curiosity that goes beyond their books. And a willingness to try out new approaches and experiment where there is no tried formula, and no rules to guide them.

6 The learning programme in CHIJ Kellock, like other schools, aims to stimulate its girls’ interest in learning, so that they ‘want to’ and not just ‘have to’ learn more about a subject or a topic. To engage pupils in learning, the teachers have made “Learning to read and loving to read” central to the learning culture of the school. The school believes that reading is the window which opens the world to pupils. At primary 1 and 2 levels, pupils go on the `Learning Trek’ programme to learn the basics of reading, spelling, speaking well and asking good questions. To further promote a love for reading, a literature programme for primary 3, 4 and 5 levels was introduced. Pupils are exposed to different kinds of poetry, plays and novels. And their interest is stimulated further through projects which build on their exposure to reading and literature. The performance this evening of a full-length Shakespearean play (“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, adapted in modern English) is a fine example. Projects like these are wonderful ways of helping pupils to develop self-confidence, to persevere and take pride in their endeavours.

7 While acquiring knowledge and skills is essential to the education our schools provide, no education will be complete without character development. In CHIJ Kellock, every child is taught to be gracious and truthful. The school also aims to nurture in each child a desire to serve society, and be an active citizen. It is heartening to note that the pupils in the Oratorical Club share their gift of reading on a regular basis with the other children at the Bukit Merah Library. By extending beyond themselves, they learn empathy. I am told that the pupils will also be putting up Macavity, an excerpt from the Broadway Musical ‘Cats’, at the Library @ Esplanade in July. It will I am sure be a most enriching experience.

8 It is also noteworthy that some of the school’s pupils have taken up the responsibility to reintroduce and propagate indigenous flora in the Bukit Batok Forest Reserve. Understanding the greater need to preserve our natural environment and to love and respect it is another facet to learning and developing the character of our young.

9 Through the years CHIJ Kellock Primary has developed her strength in Sports and Physical Fitness. The school has integrated physical fitness and aesthetics in its keep-fit programme. The pupils enjoy Artistic gymnastics and games like netball and tennis during their PE lessons. These programmes not only keep the pupils physically fit, but also develop poise and confidence. I understand that netball remains the Convent sport in CHIJ Kellock Primary. Many friendships and characters have been formed, on and off the court, through the training and competitions over the years.

10 The school could not have achieved all this without the strong support of parents. I am happy to see CHIJ Kellock Primary has forged strong links with its parents. I am told that parents are not only welcomed in the school, but are actively involved in a variety of school activities such as the ‘Eat Healthy’ programme, where a group of mothers manage the tuckshop fruit stall and encourage the girls to eat more fruits and be healthy. In the school library, parents and even grandparents act as role models, as readers and users of the library, besides helping with library promotion. These strong links between the school and parents allow the pupils to engage freely in learning, knowing that their parents give full support to what they do in school.

11 In conclusion, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to the School Management Board, the Principal, teachers and staff, and pupils of CHIJ Kellock Primary on the official opening of the new campus and the 40th Anniversary of the school. I am sure all the pupils will emerge from the school carrying the values that are reflected in the school motto: ‘Simple in Virtue, Steadfast in Duty’.