2023 Term 4 Message

12 September 2023

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Term 4 has just started, and before we know it, 10 weeks of the term will pass by very quickly. And because “time” is such a priceless commodity that we would like all our young Admirals to cherish and fully utilise, I hope that we can discuss three reflection questions with our children:

1. What have I achieved in the past 8.5 months that I can be proud of?
2. What else do I wish to achieve for the rest of the year?
3. How should I go about achieving my goals?

If our children’s responses and reflections centre mainly on tangible achievements like academic results, awards and medals, I would like to encourage them to think even deeper – how about intangible achievements in areas like learning attitudes, habits and values? Over the course of the year, have they become more independent, motivated to learn, and compassionate towards others?

“Excellence”: What it is and what it isn’t

My message to parents this term focuses on how we should view “Excellence”, one of three traits in our 2023 School Theme (Growing Together: Gratitude, Courage, Excellence). The following poem is one view about excellence:

In case you were wondering, this poem was not written by me. The poet is “ChatGPT”, a very famous tool that is powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. It took ChatGPT less than 5 seconds to generate this poem, with a simple prompt from me that said: “Write a poem on “Achieving Excellence” in less than 100 words”! Beyond this example that I have illustrated above, you might have heard of many more instances where AI technology is able to replicate what human beings can do, and maybe do even better. Our children are growing up in a world that is becoming increasingly complex, driven by technologies like AI.

While technology like AI can help humans reach higher levels of excellence by producing increasingly better-quality products in a shorter time, we need to remember that excellence is more than making good products or collecting achievements. Rather, it is the spirit of excellence that we want our children to embody. We can support our children in their quest for excellence in the following ways:

1. I am in full agreement with ChatGPT that “Excellence is not a moment but a lifelong dream.” The pursuit for excellence is a journey and we want our children to find joy in this journey. It is not a one-off moment that you forget about once you have achieved it. It would hence require a lot of patience, support and encouragement from parents and educators alike, as we work with one another to support our children in this journey.
2. Striving for excellence is not the same as aiming for perfection. If our children are constantly aiming for perfection, they lose sight of the progress and growth that they are making along the way. We want our children to be able to celebrate the small wins and successes in their excellence journey because these actions will motivate them further and allow them to enjoy the journey. Another simple, yet impactful, way that we could help our children here: instead of overly focusing on the results (academic and non-academic) in our daily conversations with our children, why not ask them about one interesting incident in school, one new thing they have learned, or how have they been helpful towards others.
3. Excellence is therefore a spirit that we want our children to embody. It is not a one-time achievement or action that defines our children. To achieve excellence, it is crucial that our children start from the seemingly smallest and simplest of habits as daily habits build positive dispositions. I have mentioned some of these habits this year, but we should revisit them:
   • Punctuality is an extremely basic but important virtue. The school environment is well set up for us to work with parents to inculcate this habit in all our children. Our children are expected to be punctual not just for school, but all the lessons that they attend throughout the day as well.
   • Reading is the foundation of learning. Let’s work together to grow our children’s love for reading. If educators and parents can role-model our love for reading in school and at home, our children will be positively influenced over time.
   • The right nutrition for our children ensures that they are ready for school every day. In our children’s formative years, they should have a proper breakfast to start the day, as well as the consumption of a healthy snack during their Healthy Snack Break (HSB). We understand that the mornings can be a little rushed for some and not all children can have breakfast at home before coming to school; one option is for our children to purchase their breakfast and consume them in the canteen.

Lastly, I would like to emphasise to all our young Admirals and parents that the examinations and accompanying grades at the end of the day do not define who our children are. As mentioned above, the pursuit for excellence is a journey, and it is this lifelong journey that matters most at the end of the day. As our P3-P6 students prepare and sit for their End-of-Year examinations/PSLE this term, let’s continue to encourage and support them, while helping them understand that this is only one small part of an exciting educational journey that they are currently on.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership, parents and guardians. Our strong collaboration bodes well for the holistic growth of our young Admirals. Have a great Term 4!

Yours faithfully,

Mr Chen Zhongyi
Principal