Alumni
Alumni
Dear TGPS Alumni,
We are thrilled to welcome you back to TGPS for Teachers' Day this year! You may visit TGPS on Thursday, 29 August, from 1045 to 1130.
Please remember to come in either your current school uniform or smart casual attire with covered shoes.
Well-wishes from our Alumni
Cassidy Tan (Class of 2015)
I am Cassidy Tan, an alumni of TGPS, from the class of 2015. After graduating
from TGPS, I got into National Junior College (NJC) IP stream. Currently,
I am a JC1 student studying in NJC. Read all about my invaluable
experiences @ TGPS of my growing up years.
My TGPS Chapter
My primary school life was never boring. I had lots of fun in school and
always went home in high spirits. My teachers always tried their best to
engage the class and make learning enjoyable for us. I could still remember
vividly how the math teachers used magnets to teach us fractions and how,
during science lessons, we would go down to the Eco-garden to look at the
different plants we had there. Those of us brave enough even tried eating
the edible plants, like the butterfly pea flower.
Being a prefect
As a school prefect, I carried out duties during recess. Usually, my duty
was to prevent students from going to the upper levels during recess by
standing guard at the stairs. In case I might get bored, my friends would
always look for me to chat with me while I was on duty. Thinking back,
I really miss those fun, innocent days.
Highlights in TGPS
For me, there were a lot of highlights throughout my 6 years in TGPS,
from the celebrations we had (e.g teachers performing “Let it go” for Children’s
Day celebrations), to the competitions (e.g SYF). These memories are ones
that I really treasure as they have made my childhood a much brighter and
exciting one. If I had to choose, some of the most memorable highlights
for me would be the various projects I had with my friends and also, taking
part in the Little Professor competition. For the projects, though I could
not remember much of it, the experience of going around the Ang Mo Kio
neighbouhoods taking videos and photos, and playing and exploring different
playgrounds with my group of friends in the project, left a great impression.
Beautiful memories
All these experiences and memories have shown me the importance of enjoying
the process of learning. The beautiful memories made during the process
are eventually what I will remember and treasure. Without the hard work
of the teachers in TGPS, I would never have been able to have as much experiences
and therefore, beautiful memories from my primary school days.
Character Building @ TGPS
Team Spirit, Graciousness, Perseverance and Self-discipline - throughout
my 6 years in TGPS, these 4 values have been repeated over and over to
the students.They are inculcated in all Teck Ghee pupils since they first
enter the school as Primary One students. Even after graduating from Primary
School, these are still the values that I abide by unwaveringly. They have
helped me through my toughest times, pushed me to develop myself as a leader
and motivated me to do better than what I believe I can. These 4 values
have stuck with me throughout my growing up years, and will continue to
stay with me in the future.
The end of my TGPS journey
I could still remember how at the end of my P6 journey, the teachers and
parent volunteers worked hard to put together a graduation party for us
to have fun with our friends and create new lasting memories as a cohort
for the last time. We had performances, buffets and different booths set
up in the hall. Everyone, including the teachers, treasured the gathering
one last time before we all went our separate ways. That was one of the
best days in my primary school years. I remember feeling a mix of emotions
-- from excitement at finally completing the first mini hurdle in my life,
to reluctance at having to leave the school where I had spent 6 years of
my childhood in.
The beginning of a new chapter
Thanks to the wonderful job done by the teachers in TGPS, providing me
with various platforms and opportunities to develop and show my potential,
I continued performing well in my secondary school. I joined the student
council and took part in projects and competitions from various fields.
Although not all have outstanding results, I really enjoyed myself every
single time and made the most out of each experience, just like what I
did in primary school. The teachers in TGPS have left a huge impact in
my life, always showering me with support and encouragement even when I
have already graduated since, and for that, I am always grateful to them.
Till now, I still return to TGPS every Teachers’ Day with my old friends
to visit the teachers that have taught me and watched me grow in the 6
years I was there.
Thank you, TGPS!
Lynette Tan Yun Ting, Class of 2012
2007 to 2012: Teck Ghee Primary School
2013 to 2016: the School of Science and Technology, Singapore (SST)
2017 to 2018: Raffles Institution (Junior College)
Since 2019: just completed Year 1 @ National University of Singapore,
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
Lynette Tan is one of the pride and joy in Teck Ghee's fruits of labour.
Read all about Lynette’s experiences and perspective about Teck Ghee Primary and find out more about her current status and achievement.
Growing up @ TGPS
My primary school years definitely comprise some of the fondest memories
I have of my childhood. I always looked forward to going to school to see
my friends and teachers and enjoyed the warm and caring atmosphere. I remember
how there was once the ex-principal Mr Tan Say Kiat saw my friends and
me eating plain noodles for lunch and bought us extra fishballs before
we could even refuse and how teachers would spend time listening to our
trivial rants and take time to talk to us as equals, well beyond our graduation.
This culture was definitely reflected by the student body, which allowed
me to make many lasting friendships, including with 2 of my dearest friends
– Tricia Ong and Toh Si Jia (6 Care 2012), who are still close to me 14
years after we first met.
My Learning Experience @ TGPS
Apart from caring for their students, teachers not only inspired us to
learn more, but also provided us with the platforms to reach our full potential.
I remember being given the opportunity to run around the school with cameras
and microphones with my peers to help film a montage video for the school’s
10-year anniversary. We were also given the chance to plant seeds in the
eco-garden for science lessons, to watch musicals and perform outside of
school as a Choir member. Other experiences include the opportunities to
fly to Taicang for a week-long overseas mmersion programme and to take
part in multiple scientific competitions where my friends and I received
personal help and training to make sure that we were prepared for the invaluable
experiences we had.
Nurturing my passions in science
Apart from caring for their students, teachers not only inspired us to
learn more, but also provided us with the platforms to reach our full potential.
I remember being given the opportunity to run around the school with cameras
and microphones with my peers to help film a montage video for the school’s
10-year anniversary. We were also given the chance to plant seeds in the
eco-garden for science lessons, to watch musicals and perform outside of
school as a Choir member. Other experiences include the opportunities to
fly to Taicang for a week-long overseas mmersion programme and to take
part in multiple scientific competitions where my friends and I received
personal help and training to make sure that we were prepared for the invaluable
experiences we had.
Character Building @ TGPS
TGPS also helped build my character. In primary 5/6, a few of us were
selected to be mentors in the Learning Support Programme. We arrived in
school 30 minutes earlier and headed to the library where we read to the
lower primary students who had trouble coping with their studies. Although
I did not fully understand the meaning of volunteerism back then, this
experience provided a stepping stone for my future endeavors as it taught
me the concept of empathy and gave me the chance to help others. As I learnt
more about what empathy and compassion truly meant over the years, I began
to take part in more community involvement projects including tutoring
underprivileged primary school students and spending time with patients
undergoing dialysis while I was in Raffles Institution (Junior College).
Ultimately, I’d like to think that it was all these experiences combined
that landed me a position in the National University of Singapore Yong
Loo Lin School of Medicine where I’m receiving an education that will enable
me to help as many people as I can in the future.
Conclusion
At the end of my first year of university, as I look back, there have
been many experiences and people that I’m extremely grateful for – including
my primary school teachers. To Mrs Lydia Lye, Ms Lee Li Min, Ms Priscilla
Pan, Mr Tan Kian Tee, Ms Michelle Ng, Ms Chee Qiu Xia at Teck Ghee Primary,
and all other teachers who have taught me, thank you for inspiring me,
for believing in me and for nurturing and shaping me into the person that
I am today.
Nur Afiqah Bte Ahmad
Afiqah is a pupil with exceptional grit. In spite of her family's financial
difficulty, she continued to explore different ways to learn, without any
tuition. She made it a point to learn on her own.
She visited the bookstore daily to read Math questions from the assessment books, visualized her answers and cross-checked them with the answers found at the back of the books. She was able to stay focus at all times, even when she needed to help out with family chores. She was also able to balance her intensive choir practices and her studies.
Finally, Afiqah aced her examinations and emerged as the top Malay pupil in school for 2013 Primary School Leaving Examinations. Because of her exceptional performance, she was placed into the Integrated Programme (IP) of Cedar Girls’ Secondary School.
Her ‘can-do’ spirit and grit has shown us that all things are possible.
Nur Amirah Nabilah Mohd Hidir
Life is not easy for any of us. But what’s of that? We must have perseverance
and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted
for something and that this thing must be attained - Marie Curie '
10 year-old Amirah, then a primary 5 student found herself in a totally new environment. After being taken care of by her paternal grandmother, Amirah was uprooted and placed in the care of her mother and transferred from Ahmad Ibrahim Primary School to Tech Ghee Primary School. Adapting to the new environment proved to be quite difficult. Amirah the eldest of the 7 children stayed in a one room flat. She had to make new friends, learn new rules and learn from new teachers. For many, the noisy neighbour who loved to play loud music at any time of the day and the one room flat may be factors that made studying a challenge. Not to Amirah.
The year she took her PSLE, her mother and stepfather separated. It was a real test to her for it happened when PSLE was just around the corner. Despite the struggle, she aced it and made it to Anderson Secondary School.
In secondary school, she excelled in public speaking. The year she took her O’level, she shifted to her father’s place, in Bukit Batok. That did not deter her. She travelled despite the distance and it paid off. In 2014, she was enrolled into Victoria Junior College where she excelled in the debate team.
While her personal life is not a bed of roses, she continues to press on in school. What kept her going? Her reply was, “Even amidst the darkness, there is a horizon that awaits me. There will be obstacles along the way and I will fall. But I will always remember to get back up. I will never give up because nobody really cares if I choose to whine and stay where I fall. I must make that decision to get up.”
Chen Hui Zhu
The sky's the limit - that is the motto that Chen Hui Zhu lives by. Having
to overcome setbacks and the absence of a mother-figure in her life has
never deterred Hui Zhu from excelling in her studies. In fact, she has
never failed to set yet a new target for her to keep challenging herself.
She is source of inspiration to others.
Without tuition and having to face personal issues, she took it upon herself to seek and expand her skills beyond the textbooks. Her resourcefulness in using available resources and those to recommended to her is exemplary. Very often, she is willing to share her new-found knowledge which is an extension of classroom learning humbly with others.
She found solace in writing her inner thoughts and this was where she honed her flair in writing. As a senior prefect, she was able to sharpen her leadership skills. Having earned excellent results in the PSLE in 2011, she is currently in the Integrated Programme Junior College. Despite the hectic schedule, she is coping remarkably well, and most importantly, she is equipped with the right attitude, values and mental strength to bring her goals to greater heights. Being 'average' is never in her vocabulary.