Term 3 Bulletin – Going Places

Dear Parents and Alumni Members,

First steps can be unnerving. Over the past eight months, we have embraced the challenge. Momentum has set in. With each further step, we emerge more confident and more determined than ever to make our mark. The Eunoia family has grown steadily in the same period, with new staff, an ever stronger student population, parents and alumni of our partner schools moving together towards our shared vision.

There were many opportunities in Term 3 for us to share the progress we have made so far. The month of July alone gave us three meetings with our Joint Integrated Programme (JIP) students from Catholic High School, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School and Singapore Chinese Girls’ School. At each session, we introduced our new members of staff to our budding Eunoians, who seemed just as excited to meet their future teachers for the first time. The excitement could be felt and heard when our Heads of Department introduced some of our special programmes: our students can look forward to finding Chanseys, Charizards, and actual living creatures along the Green Corridor, and engaging with the community over a plate of chwee kueh when they join us. They will play an active part in a long line of programmes, moulded to their interests and designed to develop their intellect, courage, and sense of purpose.

Capital Eunoia

The college uniform process, the resourcing of the library, and the design of student spaces animate our vision for every Eunoian. The design of the uniform concepts, the voting process, and focus group discussions are testament to the college’s strong belief in student voice. Our students have led the way from the ideation stage to the making of refinements to the chosen design, and will soon have a uniform they can call truly theirs. In the same spirit, our current Year 4 students have each selected two books for the library to enrich their own learning and that of their peers. We will extend this to our future cohorts, and aim to empower our students even further in their college experience. Furthermore, our staff are planning to collaborate with students on the Code of Conduct, so that it will be an aspirational, meaningful piece of the Eunoia culture, much like the passion projects, artworks, cheers, and traditions our Eunoians will bring to life soon enough. With enabled, empowered and emboldened students on the journey, we are surely on the up and up.

First Class

As we write our introductory chapter with our JIP students, we are also keen to grow the Eunoia community. In August, we were thankful to have had the chance to meet the Secondary 4 O-level students from our three partner schools, whom we regard as part of the extended family — potential trailblazers who are keen to build a legacy with us. In addition to sharing the unique programmes we have to offer and the philosophy that anchors each, we attended to their eager questions about Orientation and the transition between the O-level and A-level curricula. It is clear to us that every student who enters Eunoia Junior College is foremost a Eunoian, and not an Integrated Programme student or an O-level student. We prize a diversity of backgrounds, interests and perspectives, and hope to reach out to even more students nationwide in the coming months.

Listening to different voices is important to us, especially as our programmes gather pace. In July, we had the pleasure of meeting many parents, alumni, and board members from the JIP schools, who generously gave us their time and suggestions. We were very encouraged by their desire to contribute to the college, whether they were alumni members who attended a different junior college or parents with children in Years 1 to 4. Subsequently, we had the privilege of sharing more about the college at a networking night organised by Catholic High Alumni, which was also attended by their sisters from the SNGS Alumnae Association and SCGS Alumni. Even as we acknowledge that Eunoia Junior College is a new school, we hold firm that our pioneering Eunoians should have an education that is second to none, with a rich and unique array of attachment opportunities, career talks, masterclasses, service opportunities, and learning journeys. We believe that partnering our parents and alumni members spurs us towards that vision, and welcome you to email us at eunoiajc@moe.edu.sg with possible opportunities for partnership that will benefit our Eunoians in the long run.

Prepared for Launch

The recent launch of Parents@Eunoia at our pre-opening engagement session paves the way for a purposeful, collaborative partnership between parents and the college. This would not have been possible without the keen support of over twenty parents, who came forward at an engagement event in July. Behind the scenes they proposed and decided on the name Parents@Eunoia, collaborated on the principles, structure and outreach efforts, and laid the foundation for a Parents’ Creed. Amidst the preparations, they even took the time to create gifts for our teachers, and to bake mooncakes to symbolise the union between parents and staff. We are grateful for their stellar generosity, and indeed inspired by their openness, togetherness and strong pioneering spirit. Our students certainly need not look far for role models.

Space Exploration

Our first cohort of Eunoians will soon be able to play the part of community leaders. Through the Community Engagement Programme, our students will learn to map the community of Ghim Moh, interacting with residents, shop owners and hawkers in the area. We see them giving back in ways youth know best: sharing stories on social media, creating a mobile app, documenting a food trail, hosting tours for the public and possibly publishing a coffee-table book. They will also learn to connect with nature, experiencing the vibrant Green Corridor first-hand, and conducting geographical and biological research into the area around our Mount Sinai campus.

Mount Sinai Campus

With interior fittings, painting works, canteen, lecture theatres and a brand new running track all complete, the rejuvenation of the Mount Sinai campus is now entering its final phase. The furniture will soon be moved into our teaching and learning spaces, the garden landscape will be revamped, and the facilities housed within the new academic block will all be ready by the end of the year. As soon as October, our staff will be moving into new offices. Our first cohort of students will also have the opportunity to tour the campus, the Ghim Moh estate and the neighbouring Green Corridor. Several parents have expressed interest in the developments at our campus, and the college will be conducting a tour for parents on 15 November 2016 from 4.30pm to 5.45pm. You can register your interest for the tour at https://tinyurl.com/ejctour. Details are available on our website and in our F!RST Information Booklet.

Bishan Campus

Just as Mount Sinai provides a beautiful environment and opportunities for our students to grow, our permanent campus in Bishan will do the same. Piling works at the site began in July and have been progressing smoothly. With Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park next door, the campus will be the foundation of our vision — the holistic development of every Eunoian to become a Youth with Purpose, Thinker with Heart, Leader with Courage. The abundance of nature at our doorstep is indeed a blessing, and will serve to remind our students about their larger responsibility as individuals and leaders.

To lead is to be mindful and to place people at the centre of what we do. We believe the opportunities to connect with the residents of Bishan and Ang Mo Kio, and the rich learning that comes with serving the community, will form a piece of our identity cherished by generations of Eunoians. At Bishan, we look forward to Bishan North Community Centre being co-located with our campus, and to our students fostering strong bonds with residents of Bishan and Ang Mo Kio. The college will be deliberate in shaping the community experience for all our students, whether they are in Mount Sinai or Bishan. In the same way, we hope they will be deliberate in making a positive impact on the world around them.

Our next newsletter will give you a glimpse of our Eunoians taking flight and a more comprehensive view of both campuses. We look forward to meeting you at the campus tour in November and our Open House in January 2017. As always, do leave us your thoughts and suggestions at eunoiajc@moe.edu.sg. Thank you for your continued support.

Mrs Wong-Cheang Mei Heng
Principal