Principal's Message
Dear Parents / Guardians,
The year 2022 has tested all our resolve and mettle, but we have come out the stronger for it. Despite having to cope with evolving safe management measures and the demands of gradually living with endemic COVID-19, we are heartened that our staff, students and families have forged on with great positivity and resilience, and have adapted well. The school leaders would like to convey our deepest gratitude to the school community and all our partners for the magnitude of efforts, sacrifices and collaborations that have made it possible for us to journey to where we are today.
With the further relaxation of safe management measures since August 2022, the school has lost no time in restoring most of our learning programmes to allow our students to be developed in domains they had missed out in the past three years. It is certainly heartening to, once again, see joyous faces and hear spontaneous laughter as our students embark on indoor activities such as Speech and Drama, and welcome back their favourite outdoor activities, especially the residential cohort camps.
Even as we move to the endemic COVID-19 phase, let us continue to practise good personal hygiene and exercise social responsibility. Through working together and looking out for one another, we can certainly make the school a safer place for all students and staff as we gradually return to normalcy. In addition, let’s remember to keep our COVID-19 vaccinations up-to-date as they protect us against the disease, minimise the risk of transmission, and protect our healthcare system from being overwhelmed.
Moving forward, we are cognizant that the world has changed and will continue to evolve at an accelerated rate. This calls for us to alter the way our students learn and how we teach. In this context, FTPPS has taken steps to drive improvements in our teaching and learning. We have broadened our definition of success, shifting from an over-emphasis on academic and material achievements, to teaching our students the skills they need to be future-ready.
With the removal of the mid-year examinations across all levels, the school has leveraged our ALP in “Literacy Through Photo-journalism”, LLP in “Character Building Through Outdoor Experiential Learning”, and other programmes such as Tinkerlution to nurture confident, self-directed and creative learners. Through the concept of play, explore and discover, and the opportunities to connect, collaborate and create, we invest in inculcating in our students open-mindedness, curiosity and a collaborative learning disposition. In facilitating opportunities for them to overcome challenges through unstructured activities, our students learn to be resilient, adaptable and courageous in navigating new frontiers and changing circumstances.
Our teachers have also leveraged technology and deepened their pedagogical skills to facilitate the learning of values and socio-emotional competencies. The culture of care has also been sustained and strengthened to enhance the well-being of our students. Focusing on student-centricity, the school has taken great efforts to leverage School-Home Partnership and the strengths of our community networks to unleash the potential of our students in alignment with our school philosophy that Every Child Matters.
We are confident that as a cohesive school community and working in close collaboration with the School Advisory Committee, parents, stakeholders and partners, we will continue to provide rich and meaningful experiences for our students to achieve the desired outcomes of a confident person, self-directed learner, concerned citizen and active contributor.
We wish everyone a fruitful 2023.
Mr Chua Choon Guan
Principal
First Toa Payoh Primary School