Ernice soo

It is never an easy task when it comes to selecting a secondary school for your child. When it came to choosing a secondary school, Ernice made Juying Secondary School her choice and I supported it fully with no regrets.

After her PSLE, Ernice always brought home with her piles of brochures and tokens from different secondary schools that gave talks at her primary school. Naturally, our daily conversations revolved around choosing the right secondary school. One day, she came home showing me a brochure and said, “Mummy, this school has the best hip hop dance group!” That was the day I was introduced to Juying Secondary School. I went to find out more about this school. Ernice was attracted to the school hip hop team while I was drawn to the school’s core values. We decided to go to their Open House.

We were received with a warm welcome. Students were well-mannered, and the staff and members of the Juying Parents’ Support Group were friendly. They were like a big family. We were impressed at the end of the school tour and decided to make Juying Secondary School our first choice.

Education is about learning and cultivating values; academic achievement is the by-product of character building. This has always been my belief. Within ten months of her first year here, I saw changes in her. Her studies improved and she was even more responsible, gracious and thoughtful as compared to before. Juying Secondary School has the ability to impart knowledge and inculcate values in their students. That’s impressive!

Having your voice heard gives you a sense of belonging, both for students and parents. The school culture is such that both students and parents are given opportunities to give feedback or to share ideas. Take for example, the mobile phone rules in school – I learnt that the students themselves came up with rules governing the use of mobile phones.

As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. The environment contributes for better or worse to a child’s well-being. JYSS makes great effort in building relationships with the community and parents. We have opportunities to serve the community as parents are always in the loop of what is happening and even to be part of the activities. There are workshops organised for both parents and children. Bonds are developed and values are inculcated.

The school was featured in the 13 January 2015, Straits Times article “O-level Results: Tough Struggle of Work and Study Ends Well For Teen”. It is not the first time that JYSS is in the news. This is an affirmation of the JYSS educators’ work as they care for students from their hearts.

There is a unique culture here. During the ‘O’ level examinations, parents make effort and time to prepare sandwiches for students who are taking the examinations. Don’t you find this heart-warming?

To parents who are cracking their heads now over choices of schools, ask yourself what you desire for your child. Do the school vision and mission align with your beliefs? Is the school environment conducive for learning? Although attaining good academic qualifications is important, it is not the only thing about education.

We made JYSS our choice, and we hope it’s yours too.