Principal’s Message
It is with great pride and joy that I pen this message as an alumna of CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School, and as its principal. I still recall the day I received my secondary school posting slip and how overjoyed I was to learn that I had been successfully posted to my dream school, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’! Fast forward a few decades, I am blessed to be received once more by the St Nicholas family to become its 8th principal since the school started in 1933.
In the ensuing years since I was a student here, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ (fondly known as St Nicks) has continued to provide a well rounded and vibrant education experience which focuses on character development and values inculcation as well as academic excellence. As an SAP school, St Nicks is steeped in rich cultural heritage and Chinese traditions, with a strong emphasis on developing our girls into bilingual and bi-cultural individuals who can be the conduit between the east and west. As a full school, St Nicks has the privilege of being able to nurture some of our girls from Primary 1 and see them blossom into fine ladies at the end of ten years. And as a school that offers both the Integrated Programme (IP) and ‘O’ level programme at the secondary level, St Nicks is proud to receive students from primary schools across the island who contribute to an academic environment that nurtures lively inquiry, creative thinking and cultural intelligence.
St Nicks girls exhibit extraordinary talent in various arenas - academia, sports, arts, leadership, service. Their achievements are testimonies of the hard work and dedication, not just of themselves, but also of their teachers, coaches and parents. But beyond the accolades, what makes me most proud is that our girls embody our school motto in all their endeavours: Simple in Virtue, Steadfast in Duty. At St Nicks, we value fair play above triumph, humility in glory, and graciousness in defeat. Being resilient, inventive and adaptable in the face of challenges is also what sets the St Nicholas girl apart.
The St Nicks girl is also a Girl of Grace, as espoused in our vision. Whatever stage our girls are at in their educational journey with us, they will not only be able to uncover their potential for academic excellence and co-curricular achievements, but also discover themselves and come to a deeper understanding of their aspirations, how they can fulfil them and how they can in turn give back to the society and community that have nurtured them.
Indeed, raising our students’ awareness of the importance of gratitude is a major theme in the St Nicks education experience - a deeply-ingrained spirit of 饮水思源 (giving thanks for the sources of our blessings). The St Nicks Gratitude Project, which began in 2014, devotes some time each week for every student and member of staff to pen down things for which we are grateful. Over time and with practice, this conscious focus on being grateful for our blessings is becoming a way of life for our students, who are also becoming more positive influences on others around them. I hope that the girls who pass through our school gates will leave being grateful for everything in life, from the little to the big.
This year, we look forward to yet another new year of cultivation of mind and character as well as conscientious learning. We are also focusing on reinforcing the fine qualities of Women of Strength. I have launched the Strength 2-1-5 campaign to encourage all St Nicks girls to reflect on and challenge themselves to tackle their fears or inhibitions in order to overcome the obstacles they face. They will constantly ask one another 2 hard questions about a particular fear, and challenge themselves to tackle that fear 1 more time in the next 5 days. If we persevere and repeatedly tackle the challenges we set for ourselves, challenges will cease to appear quite so challenging, and our anxiety about them will also diminish; we will have developed new ‘muscles’ and capabilities to deal with difficult situations. It is my hope that Strength 2-1-5 will become a rallying call for all of us to be courageous in the face of challenges and to persevere until we fulfill whatever goals we have set for ourselves.
St Nicks will continue to be Steadfast in our Duty and be grateful for everything in life, from the little to the big. We aim to live each day, whether in our second home of CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School or elsewhere, with a loving spirit that embraces all. As we look forward to 2015, may we all continue to be inspired by the work of the entire school community: students, teachers and staff, alumnae and parents, without whose unwavering support our achievements would not be possible. With the entire St Nicks family united as one, I am confident that 2015 will be another successful and meaningful year as we strive forward, always united in spirit as a cohesive family determined to give our best in all our endeavours.
Mrs Tan Wai Lan
Principal
Information Credit: CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School
It is with great pride and joy that I pen this message as an alumna of CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School, and as its principal. I still recall the day I received my secondary school posting slip and how overjoyed I was to learn that I had been successfully posted to my dream school, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’! Fast forward a few decades, I am blessed to be received once more by the St Nicholas family to become its 8th principal since the school started in 1933.
In the ensuing years since I was a student here, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ (fondly known as St Nicks) has continued to provide a well rounded and vibrant education experience which focuses on character development and values inculcation as well as academic excellence. As an SAP school, St Nicks is steeped in rich cultural heritage and Chinese traditions, with a strong emphasis on developing our girls into bilingual and bi-cultural individuals who can be the conduit between the east and west. As a full school, St Nicks has the privilege of being able to nurture some of our girls from Primary 1 and see them blossom into fine ladies at the end of ten years. And as a school that offers both the Integrated Programme (IP) and ‘O’ level programme at the secondary level, St Nicks is proud to receive students from primary schools across the island who contribute to an academic environment that nurtures lively inquiry, creative thinking and cultural intelligence.
St Nicks girls exhibit extraordinary talent in various arenas - academia, sports, arts, leadership, service. Their achievements are testimonies of the hard work and dedication, not just of themselves, but also of their teachers, coaches and parents. But beyond the accolades, what makes me most proud is that our girls embody our school motto in all their endeavours: Simple in Virtue, Steadfast in Duty. At St Nicks, we value fair play above triumph, humility in glory, and graciousness in defeat. Being resilient, inventive and adaptable in the face of challenges is also what sets the St Nicholas girl apart.
The St Nicks girl is also a Girl of Grace, as espoused in our vision. Whatever stage our girls are at in their educational journey with us, they will not only be able to uncover their potential for academic excellence and co-curricular achievements, but also discover themselves and come to a deeper understanding of their aspirations, how they can fulfil them and how they can in turn give back to the society and community that have nurtured them.
Indeed, raising our students’ awareness of the importance of gratitude is a major theme in the St Nicks education experience - a deeply-ingrained spirit of 饮水思源 (giving thanks for the sources of our blessings). The St Nicks Gratitude Project, which began in 2014, devotes some time each week for every student and member of staff to pen down things for which we are grateful. Over time and with practice, this conscious focus on being grateful for our blessings is becoming a way of life for our students, who are also becoming more positive influences on others around them. I hope that the girls who pass through our school gates will leave being grateful for everything in life, from the little to the big.
This year, we look forward to yet another new year of cultivation of mind and character as well as conscientious learning. We are also focusing on reinforcing the fine qualities of Women of Strength. I have launched the Strength 2-1-5 campaign to encourage all St Nicks girls to reflect on and challenge themselves to tackle their fears or inhibitions in order to overcome the obstacles they face. They will constantly ask one another 2 hard questions about a particular fear, and challenge themselves to tackle that fear 1 more time in the next 5 days. If we persevere and repeatedly tackle the challenges we set for ourselves, challenges will cease to appear quite so challenging, and our anxiety about them will also diminish; we will have developed new ‘muscles’ and capabilities to deal with difficult situations. It is my hope that Strength 2-1-5 will become a rallying call for all of us to be courageous in the face of challenges and to persevere until we fulfill whatever goals we have set for ourselves.
St Nicks will continue to be Steadfast in our Duty and be grateful for everything in life, from the little to the big. We aim to live each day, whether in our second home of CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School or elsewhere, with a loving spirit that embraces all. As we look forward to 2015, may we all continue to be inspired by the work of the entire school community: students, teachers and staff, alumnae and parents, without whose unwavering support our achievements would not be possible. With the entire St Nicks family united as one, I am confident that 2015 will be another successful and meaningful year as we strive forward, always united in spirit as a cohesive family determined to give our best in all our endeavours.
Mrs Tan Wai Lan
Principal
Information Credit: CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School