Westwood Primary School Welcomes Its First Pupils

Westwood Primary School, a new school located at Jurong West Street 73, opened on 2 January 2013. Its very first Primary 1 Orientation was held on 7 December 2012 for 240 Pri 1 pupils joining the school. This was also the first time these young ones and their families were visiting the school’s brand new premises.

Upon entering the school, the children and parents were greeted by the Westwood Mural, a mosaic art installation in front of the general office that was put together by the pioneer team of Westwood Primary School staff. The design of this art piece incorporates sequoias, which are trees that can live up to 3,000 years and grow as tall as 27 storeys. These visuals were included because they aptly tie back to the vision for Westwood Primary School to thrive and be exceptional.

For the Orientation day, the incoming Pri 1 pupils were divided into their eight classes and taken on a school tour, led by their form and co-form teachers. This was followed by a class activity where they took Polaroid shots with their new friends and designed a postcard for their parents. It was a good way for the children to familiarise themselves with a place where they will spend much time next year, as well as to get acquainted with their future classmates. They also met their “seniors”, Westwood Secondary School students who had volunteered to assist the primary school with the orientation event.

A promising start

While Westwood Primary School only officially opened in 2013, school leaders and staff have been in contact with the parents of their first batch of pupils ever since Pri 1 registration took place earlier this year. The Vice-Principal, Mrs Sarah Seow, and I met some of them in September for a coffee session to get feedback on the design of the school uniforms, and the school is hoping to establish a Parent Support Group by the middle of next year. A school’s Facebook page has also been set up to provide online communications with parents regularly and to deal with any queries they might have.

The school team is excited about the new learning experiences they will be offering to their Pri 1 pupils. For example, their flagship Values in Action programmes will empower children to be more proactive. In one term, they plan to work with parents to engage the pupils in doing household chores at home. In another term, the pupils will have to come up with a donation project and they will be taken through the process of helping others in need.

In the pipeline are plans for the school to actively engage with the Jurong West community. Already, the school is working with four kindergartens in the area to bring their kids for a primary school excursion to Westwood Primary School in July, as part of their ongoing outreach and partnership efforts.

The team of 16 teachers bring with them a variety of experiences to offer unique student development programmes for pupils, including wushu and dance. They also planned and carried out a three-day induction programme for all Primary 1 pupils during the first week of school in 2013.

All in all, the school team is excited about the possibilities at Westwood Primary School, to realise their goals in nurturing pupils to have a resilient mindset, a passion for community, future-ready confidence and a heart of gratitude!

Contributed by:
Mr Ng Yeow Ling
Principal, Westwood Primary School