Character & Citizenship Education

Vision

Rooted in virtues, branching far and making a difference

Mission

To nurture actions that become habits, which shaped our character and lead us to making the world a better place.

Programmes

Character and Citizenship Education in CHIJ (Katong) Primary embodies the spirit of our founder, Blessed Nicholas Barré. We go forth committed to nurturing every student to realise her potential and to make a difference to the society.

The CCE Department has 2 main domains: Character Development and Citizenship Education.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
In nurturing our girls to be Women of Grace and Substance, our character education focuses on the four School Virtues (Self-Discipline, Compassion, Respect, Integrity). These virtues are upheld and expressed by our staff and students in our daily lives.

VALUES EDUCATION

Values Education seeks to lay a strong moral foundation for students so that they will be well-guided by strong principles which are rooted in universal and timeless virtues. In the face of life’s challenges, they will be able to make the right decisions.

The School Virtues Programme and Values-in-Action Programme are the two key drivers in CHIJ (Katong) Primary. These programmes provide a rich learning experience through a variety of learning activities, some of which are collaboration with our community partners. The two key objectives of these programmes are to imbue our students with the virtues necessary for them to lead a flourishing life and to provide them with opportunities to serve the community and to appreciate the joy in contributing to society and enrich the lives of all.

To promote inclusiveness and racial harmony, our school started on the Be a Buddy Programme and the Integration Buddy Programme to provide opportunities for students to build mutual trust and understanding and to highlight the importance of openness and respect for all cultures and nationalities.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP

The school-wide student leadership programme is targeted at all students to develop a range of self-management and leadership skills progressively from Primary 1 to Primary 6. It helps to value-add to the students’ quality of school experience as they apply the skills learnt in level activities or programmes.
Our student leaders from Primary 3 to Primary 6 are trained in many areas to enhance their leadership skills so that they are involved in planning and carrying out school activities to promote the school virtues. They are also in-charge of promoting and carrying out student-led projects to improve the school environment.

PASTORAL CARE

In the belief that every child is capable of learning, given the necessary guidance and support, additional learning support is provided by programmes such as the Learning Support Programmes. The Counselling Programme, Rainbows Programme and the RSVP Programme seek to provide students with emotional support as they face new challenges in life.

In addition to the Form Teacher Guidance Period (FTGP), the school has a school-wide Life-skills Programme from Primary 1 to Primary 6 to build socio-emotional competencies in our students, equipping them with the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to face challenges or changes. We aim to develop students who are able to recognise and manage their emotions, develop empathy for others, make responsible decisions, establish positive communication and relationships and handle challenging situations effectively. Furthermore, programmes and activities, such as Sexuality Education and Career Awareness, seek to guide our girls to make wise, responsible and informed decisions, to discover their capabilities and potential and to encourage them to work towards their aspirations.

No student is denied the opportunity to learn due to financial constraints. Students in need of financial support can seek help through the MOE Financial Assistance Scheme, the school-based SMC Financial Assistance Scheme and other additional financial assistance grants from MOE.

GRACE & LOVE PROGRAMME

For our Catholic students from Primary 1 to Primary 6, Catechism classes are conducted by our Catholic teachers and Parent Volunteers. The lessons, from the Walking with Jesus series, are aimed at helping students to understand their faith and live the gospel values in their daily lives. Apart from the lessons, school activities such as visiting of churches, retreats, Praise and Worship sessions and Rosary devotions are conducted for the Catholic students to help them deepen their faith. The Catholic students also attend termly Family Masses and all students attend the School Masses.

Concurrent with Catechism lessons, Ethics lessons are conducted for our non-Catholic students.
These lessons are aligned with our school virtues. Through sharing of selected stories and discussions of real life situations and lives of famous people, students learn about moral values and ethical principles. Class activities such as group discussions, sharing and reflection on self and others will be conducted for the students to share their experiences with one another.

CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION
Under the domain of Citizenship Education are the three sub-domains of Cross Cultural Skills, Global Awareness and Civic Literacy. The four main National Education (NE) commemorative days, such as Total Defence Day, International Friendship Day, Racial Harmony Day and National Day, aim to cultivate appreciation of cultural diversity and to develop students as concerned citizens who stay rooted to Singapore.

Ms Jasmine Tan
Head of Department (Character & Citizenship Education)