Raffles Girls' Primary

[moonee]

bicky:

moonee:

Hi moonee,

Yes, also Shanghai bookshop....Tao nan, so close right? I heard alot about the toilet.... is haunted :!:

Have you been to The Red House (also ask greenbean the same question)... :lol:

Oh yes, the toilets kind of depressing, Im sure its haunted,,, err... dont know what happened there during the Japanese occupation. :!:

Ah, Shanghai bookshop, It was popular back then especially with SJI boys.
I never fail to notice the boys in white. I was kind of restricted so I could only pop in to the bookshop when my mum goes to the dispensary at the corner. Thats red house right?

[ksme]

Wow, all these talks of the old time bring back many memories. I was an old girl who was fortunate to have experienced both the old school at Queen's street and the one at Holland Grove. (hehehe, now you gals know how ancient I am). I love the old school at Queen street. Remember the big winding staircase and we used to play under it. Also remember the big garden. I thought it was the hall that was haunted. I also remember the teeth brushing and milk drinking.


Was so excited that I went to find my old year book from 1976/77 when the school was still at Queen Street. This is the only RGPS yearbook I have. Maybe during those times, they don't print yearbook every year. Anyway, I have scanned these photos to share with you fellow RGPS gals. Enjoy!

http://postimage.org/image/1qwxgk0h0/

http://postimage.org/image/1qxdzxhes/

[ksme]

Few more pages from the yearbook to share. The last one is from \"use your hands\" campaign.


http://postimage.org/image/1r009k9k4/

http://postimage.org/image/1r0a6scis/

http://postimage.org/image/1r0voruxw/

[Funz]

I remember the school at Queen Street as well. Not that I studied there but I used to tag along when my mum sends my sis to school.


And the teeth brushing and milk programme continued at Holland Grove too. I was one of those underweight & under height fellas who had to drink that awful gooey concoction.

Oh and the canteen food. No chance to try the current canteen food but I started eating the mee pok since Queen Street time and at Holland Grove the mee pok and prawn noodles stalls were my fav. I remember the prawn noodles was a very popular item and we had to pre-order. So in the mornings we would write our names on little slips of paper and give to the aunty, at recess time we would rush to find the bowl with our slip of paper. Haha.

[ksme]

Hehe, flipped through the yearbook and found some more nice pictures. These are the ones in classrooms and show how the subjects were taught in those days.




http://postimage.org/image/2x20zb4as/

http://postimage.org/image/2x298zuro/

http://postimage.org/image/2x2ktra84/

[sparkie0209]

yes, yes, i remembered the teeth brushing days at Holland where we lined up in a row, brushed, and spat into the drain before us near the aviary and the rabbit cage… those were the days when we too received the triangular packs of milk from magnolia…

[jtoh]

Thanks for scanning the pages, ksme. I especially enjoyed reading the history of RGPS. So RGS and RGPS were affiliated schools in the old days. And I remember the bit about the school premises being used as by the Kempetai during the Japanese Occupation. The girls studied that during Social Studies.

[greenbean2011]

dear precious sisters of yesterday - jtoh, bicky, moonee, Funz, ksme, sparkie0209,


so glad to have found you sisters back, after long lost years !
thot I was the only oldie around.

kudos to ksme !

alamak !
ksme pain-staking effort in excitement to dig out those black and white photos so fast, coupled with her eager posting / sharing with us on the web here – really start haunting me back those good old days (giggle) …

ksme, dun worry … you only 1976 onwards …I even more antique than you …. kekekkekekeke ….

from 1847 to 1928 - rgps was located at Bras Basah.
this became the first site to house rgps.

at current Hillcrest premises, there is a block named after Bras Basah, in remembrance forever of the school’s rich history, heritage and her first location site.

after 1928 to 1978 - rgps shifted to Queen Street, located opposite CHIJ St Nicholas primary school cum convent church, where Chimes was.

in 1979 – rgps shifted to Holland Grove.

had to shift - because demand for Pri 1 registration continued to soar.
Queen street premises - insufficient classrooms, insufficient facilities to accommodate the growing demand of students’ needs.

In 1984 – rgps started her very first GEP (Gifted education programme), together with Rosyth primary school. These two pioneering schools – rgps and Rosyth, were specially hand picked up by MOE out of so many primary schools in SG, to kick start GEP in 1984.

once proven successful, this same GEP programme was populated across to 7 other GEP centres, slowly phase by phase, comprising Nanyang, Tao nan, Nan Hua, Catholic High, Henry Park, St. Hilda’s, and ACS primary.

in 1999 – rgps shifted to Hillcrest.

in 2014 and 2015 – rgps shift temporarily to Mount Sinai, for 2 years.

in 2016 – rgps start her SINGLE session school.

================================

flashback history …. to 1960s, 1970s

in 1960s, early 1970s - if you see trishaws bring ma jeh and kids to school, means that household is a somebody. Not a nobody. Only the privileged, upper income from well to do families can afford this … normally prominent lawyers or businessmen.

the rest of us stay in HDB cubicles / dungeon – that sprout out quickly like mushroom one by one, built very rapidly in 1960s, to re-solve housing accommodation headache.

back then 1960s… it was common to see my classmates coming from huge family size. When I say huge, means really huge … 6, 7, 8 or 9 kids. An average family having > 4 to half a dozen kids was the norm. Because in those days – our parents were not encouraged to use birth contraceptives, to control SG birth population. The encouragement given by government was - have more, if you are happy about it. The more, the merrier ! (Zi Suang man tang ) Unlike now, whereby an average family give birth to 2, usually stopping at 2.

as early as 1960s, parents came armed with blankets, newspapers and umbrellas, to ensure a place in the queue during primary 1 registration.

if you queue overnight, you are more or less guaranteed a place. That was how my mum got a precious place for me, though she was illiterate. There was no such thing as phase 2b, phase 2c – which was alien/ unheard of.

many mothers camped overnight anxiously and eagerly, as they very much desire their daughters to be educated in this excellent, prominent primary school.

only in the 1970s then start to ballot, as the demand for places start exceeding the number of places available.

================================

flashback history …. to 1970s, Queen street days.

a) that central staircase

indeed, the school was huge and spacious, with so many different sections / different wing. There were so many different staircase. But one really stood out outstandingly, from the crowd…

I close my eyes , Yes, I can see her … that grand white, impressive staircase - winding and curving all the way up /down.

I am always filled with awe, whenever I stood right at the bottom of this central staircase, looking up all the way, to the very top. I fell in love with her, admiring her grandeur, her strength. She is so full of quiet elegance and grace. I don’t recall finding another grand staircase like this anymore.

look at the beautifully carved unique design - with a taste of European design art flavor. See how solid the white staircase pillars were !

during early morning am sing mari kitha national anthem and during recess time, at the foot of each staircase – there was always a prefect stationed there, on guard duty. The prefects were very strict. They won’t let you go back classroom to get something, unless it’s really important or urgent.

downstairs near the staircase is the porch. It is recess time. You can hear children playing in groups happily. Playing under the staircase, playing nearby at the porch. Some were laughing, others shouting loudly in a challenging tone - Come and catch me, if you can. Some shrieked with excitement - as they struggled, after getting caught.

b) canteen

checked - only left 30 cents in my pocket.
what can I buy for food, at recess time ?

5 cents – can buy a cup of cold, soft drink from drink stall auntie.
5 cents – can buy a bowl of piping, hot soupy, fishball noodle.

ask fishball noodle auntie to serve me more noodles bigger portion, since today very hungry after PE, after doing so many push up and flipped the bean bag so many times.

reserve 10 cents – for one way bus fare ticket home.
If no $, then got to walk home liao.

balance of 10 cents – save into my piggy bank.
Mom said I can use savings to buy stationery and new Enid Blyton story books later.

c) classrooms

the classrooms were large, with very high, tall ceiling.
proper well ventilated fans were rotating quietly above our heads, airing, cooling our hot bodies just come back fresh, after PE exercise.

lao shi stood there - holding a piece of small, white chalk in her hand, ready to write on the blackboard. No computer, no pc whatsoever. just conduct lessons, using a simple, white chalk and a blackboard.

but once teacher’s back was turned, my classmate sitting beside me turned mischievous. She opened up a small match box on her table slowly, quietly. Out crawled out a tiny creepy spider insect, with long, hairy legs.

she caught the spider in the garden, during recess time.
we giggled as we watch the spider crawled all over her open books, in and out of her pencil case, and spider almost dropped onto the floor, when it reached the edge of the table.

she used a piece of paper to guide the spider gently – assisted spider make a U turn back slowly, guide spider crawl again.

we don’t own handphone those days. No way to sms.
so we can only played with nature. Cheap and good !

lao shi din realize that we paid more attention on the spider, than on her lessons. kekekeke


d) free milk supply, whole year round.

you are welcome to drink > 1 cup of fresh milk.
you can drink 2 cup, 3 cup if you wish.
choose any flavor you fancy.
.
there is free milk - constant supply everyday whole year round.
drank for 6 years.

drink until xian!
drink until scared.


e)\ttoilet.
there were a few toilets, since school very big.

but there was one toilet which I very scared – the one near the canteen, quite errie, quiet and dark.

dun know why … the toilet floor is always flooding with water, always wet and slippery, with a long corridoor of toilet cubicles.

worse still, some cubicle always kept locked up, dun know why … is it because toilet bowl inside choked, or cleaning lady put cleaning equipment and pails inside for storage ?

when alone, I dare not look into the mirror when I wash hands … in case see someone else face there inside the mirror. So I pee very fast, quickly run back fast to the classroom.

f）Taonan school
was located very near us, near Bible house, Armenian street.

there were some taonan students sitting in our rgps sch bus, on
certain days.


g)\thaunted.

the school was used by Kempetai during Japanese occupation. some of the rooms were torture chambers for prisoners… so, not surprised some rooms haunted.

my mom told me horrendous stories of the cruelty of Japanese soldiers … my goose pimple stood on end. Japanese soldiers turned on water hose tap forced prisoners to drink water non stop until their belly very big, full of water. Then they jump onto their stomach belly … omg

many years ago, heard stories that … strange things happen after 12 midnight onwards:-

i)\tyou can hear piano sound playing, in the middle of the night.
but physically, there is no piano inside school.

ii)\tyou can hear the cluttering sound of tables and chairs being moved / shifted around. But classrooms locked. No one working at that hour.

iii)\tlights can flicker on / turn on, turn off by itself, even though the main switch is off.

later, they get priests & pastors to bless the school. to appease the wandering souls.


h) dun know … what is this Red house ?

[jtoh]

greenbean, you should write an article or novel on RGPS. All this nostalgia is fun to read and meaningful for the younger RGPS girls.

[greenbean2011]

provided i go round interviewing many ex-rgps parents, collate interesting stories from different era,


- 1950 to 1960
- 1961 to 1970
- 1971 to 1980
- 1981 to 1990
- 1991 to 2000
- 2001 to 2010
- 2011 to 2020

different era, different events happening.
different principal, different style of leadership, different set of acheivements for the school.

kekekekekeke