MS ELEANOR CHIA

Dear Springfield family,

It has been an eventful and memorable first year as Principal of Springfield Secondary School. The year has been focused on providing our students with a conducive and enabling environment to learn, and key experiences to experience the joy of learning and grow in skills and competencies.  

Face to face activities took the school by storm, with the Covid situation becoming endemic. From starting the year off with the “Start-it-Right” programme, to ending the year with the Graduation Ceremony and Grad Fest for the Secondary 4 and 5 students, and post-exam STEM-related activities for the other levels, there has been no lack of experiences that have enriched our students’ learning. Through the numerous activities such as sporting events, camps, learning journeys etc. that one can see in this yearbook, our students honed skills and competencies like communication and collaboration, critical and inventive thinking, and global and cross-cultural awareness, and they had opportunities to display the school values of graciousness, responsibility, resilience, integrity and diligence.  

The students had various platforms and opportunities to showcase their talent and efforts by participating in Singapore Youth Festival presentations, National School Games, other national level sports competitions and academic and STEM-related competitions. I am proud of the achievements of our students in these areas, not so much for the awards and titles they have won, but for how they have persevered and pushed themselves to keep being a better self. They have gained invaluable learning, made irreplaceable friendships and bonds, and the memories of their experiences and accomplishments will stay in their hearts and minds for a long time.   

It would not have been possible to provide our students with such rich experiences without an important group of people – our Springfield staff! Adjusting back to “pre-Covid” activities, whilst still dealing with the new work the “Covid years” have generated has not been an easy feat, and the staff have truly risen to the challenge. The staff have been guided by a strong desire to educate our students beyond the classroom, to meet the varied needs of our students and to inculcate values and develop skills and competencies that would serve our students well beyond their school years.  Thank you, Springfield staff, for your heart and hard work for the students. 

There is so much to be grateful for at the end of my first year in the school. I am grateful for the support and unity of the school management team, in helping to move the school forward; I am grateful for the school staff for giving their best in supporting our students and role-modeling the spirit of lifelong learning; I am grateful for the earnest and warm nature of our students, and their willingness to learn from both new experiences and mistakes; and I am grateful for the support of our partners – the School Advisory Committee, parents, in particular Springfield Parents Network, Alumni and community partners, in helping to uplift our students. It has been an incredible year, and a year where some key foundation pieces have been set, to set the school in good stead for the journey ahead. 

Wishing all a wonderful close to 2023.