Tao Nan School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article (tagged May 2008) needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling.
You can assist by editing it now. A how-to guide is available. (May 2008)

Tao Nan School
道南学校 (Dàonán Xuéxiào)
Motto	Sincerity & Perseverance
Established	08 November 1906
Type	Government-Aided, Double
Principal	Mr Tan Choon Kheng, Tony
MOE Code	5240
Colours	Blue and white
Locale	Marine Parade, Singapore
Enrollment	approximately 2,500
Website	Link .
Ministry of Education
Republic of Singapore

Tao Nan School (Abbreviation: TNS; Chinese: 道南学校), is a co-educational primary school in Singapore. One of the five Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan schools, along with Ai Tong School, Chongfu Primary School, Kong Hwa School and Nan Chiau Primary School, Tao Nan School is among the 30 popular primary schools listed by the Ministry of Education. [1]

Tao Nan School is also one of the primary schools in Singapore offering the Gifted Education Programme.This programme had started i 1996. It has also started the BiCEP (Bi-cultural Enrichment Programme), which aims to develop Pupils to speak both languagesThe school celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2006 with a carnival held on November 4.The current building lies in Marine Crescent. The Founding stone was laid by then -Prime Minister Goh Chock Tong

1 School song
2 Motto
3 Metaphor
4 School crest
5 History
6 Culture
7 References
8 See also

[edit] School song

We belong to Tao Nan School and we always obey the school rules

The task of nation building we shoulder

Wisdom of sages past we deliver

In harmony we work and play

For Tao Nan will show us the way

Onwards we march towards success

Towards greatness Tao Nan will progress

To Tao Nan, Tao Nan, we will go

Where the torch of knowledge burns aglow

To Tao Nan, Tao Nan, we will go

Where the torch of knowledge burns aglow

[edit] Motto

The school motto reads "诚毅", Chinese for "Sincerity & Perseverance".

[edit] Metaphor

Palette of Colours: - The child is the artist who acquires the whole range of values, skills and knowledge which are the colours on the palette to create his future masterpiece. While the palette is the school, which not only offers a wide spectrum of colours, but also the space and opportunities to experiment and make mistakes with the consistent support and guidance given by the brushes which represent the teachers. The child learns to love the colours that are not his favourite as he mixes and blends them to complete his masterpiece.

[edit] School crest

The school crest consists of a leaping lion and an open book on a blue shield. The lion represents the Lion City, or Singapore. Its leaping position symbolizes bravery and continuous progress and advancement in the face of difficulties. The open book represents the unquenchable thirst for knowledge. At the base of the crest is the school's motto: "Sincerity and Preseverance". The entire crest signifies the acquisition of abundant knowledge and the training of a strong and healthy body.

[edit] History

Tao Nan School once occupied this building on Armenian Street from 1911 to 1981. The old building now houses a wing of the Asian Civilisations Museum, and has been gazetted as a national monument.

Tao Nan School at its current premises in Marine Parade.

The Hokkien Clan Association started Tao Nan School on 8 November 1906. It was one of the six modern Chinese schools in Singapore with a curriculum influenced by the educational reforms in China at the end of the 19th century.^[1]

Classes were first held at the residence of Tan Kim Ching in North Bridge Road. With the generous support from the Hoklo (Hokkien) community, a purpose-built school was constructed. Benefactors include Tan Boon Liat, Lee Cheng Yen, Low Kim Pong, Tan Kah Kee, and Oei Tiong Ham, the sugar magnate from Semarang, Central Java, whose donation largely financed the purchase of land in Armenian Street.^[1]

The move to Armenian Street coincided with the 1911 overthrow of the Qing dynasty. Tao Nan became the first Chinese school to change the medium of instruction from dialect to Mandarin. Among the teachers was the philanthropist Lee Kong Chian (1894 - 1967).^[1] Pioneer artist Pan Shou was the headmaster from 1932 to 1940.

In 1982, Tao Nan School moved to a new campus in Marine Parade, where it still resides today. It was named a SAP school in 1990 and a Gifted Education Programme Centre in 1996.^[1] With 100 years of history (as of 2006) it is one of Singapore's oldest primary schools.

[edit] Culture

[edit] Uniform

Boys wear white shirts and blue shorts. Girls wear white blouses and light blue pinafores. Both uniforms have the school crest emblazoned on the left. While school shoes and school socks can be purchased, any white-based shoes or socks are also allowed. Tao Nan School students are not allowed to wear ankle socks to school.

For days with physical education lessons, students wear a white t-shirt with dark blue shorts to school. The t-shirt has the initials of the school on the back and the school initials is also sewn on the shorts. There are house t-shirts which are the same as the normal shirts except that instead of having the school initials printed on the back, it is a picture of the animal of the house. e.g. shark house t-shirt has a picture of a shark at the back.

Prefects wear a blue velcro tie around their necks and a name tag/junior prefect badge above the school crest. Depending on the Prefect's status, the number of white lines printed on the tie would differ: the Head Prefect has 3 stripes, the Vice-Head Prefect and other members of the Executive Committee have 2 and the others have either 1 or no stripes. The prefect name tag is blue with the students name carved in white on it. The old junior prefect badge is the same with the word 'junior prefect' engraved on them. The new one however, is classier, with the school crest and 'prefect' written in gold in a black background together with the Prefect's name. The frame of the badge is also gold. A prefect t-shirt has also been introduced. It is white with a blue collar, with the word prefect on the left side of the t-shirt and on the back. It also sports a high and tight collar. Prefect in Mandarin (学长) is also printed in blue on the left sleeve of the t-shirt. The prefects wear this shirt with their P.E. shorts on events during which they have prefectorial duties, such as Pesta Sukan and Swimming Carnival.

[edit] Houses

There are 4 houses in Tao Nan, each named after a marine animal. The 4 houses are Dolphin (Blue),Killerwhale (Red),Marlin (Orange) and Shark (Green) . These houses are mainly for organising the annual Swimming Carnival and Pesta Sukan or other special events.

For several years, the Shark house has been the champion in Swimming Carnivals.However, this year(2008), Marlin has emerged first while Shark was last. In the area of cheerleading, however, Marlin has emerged as first.