Fairfield Methodist Primary School

Infobox Singapore School
name = Fairfield Methodist Primary School


motto = Pure & Honest
established = 4 August 1888
type = Government-Aided
session = Single
principal = Charles Tong
city/town = Dover
school code = 5020
enrollment = 1855
homepage = [http://www.fmps.moe.edu.sg/]
colours = Yellow and Blue

Fairfield Methodist Primary School (Abbreviation: FMPS; zh-s|s=花菲卫理小学) is a government-aided primary school in Singapore. It is located in Dover in western Singapore.

Fairfield Methodist Primary School has been in Dover for more than two decades, at the present campus since 1983.

It has affiliations with Fairfield Methodist Secondary School.

School Crest & Motto

The Emblem of the heart which forms the central motif of the school crest represents the highest of all emotions - Love - the love of God for Man and the love of Man for his neighbour. When the heart is Pure and Honest, the Holy Spirit can dwell within and transform the nature of the individual, ennobling it and refining it. Surmounting the heart is the torch of Knowledge and Wisdom which can illuminate the mind and broaden the vision of all who seek its light. Emblazoned in a band of burnished gold across the emblem of the heart are the initials of the school; this represents the Loyalty for the Alma Mater. The two stars that are at the base of the crest reflect the school motto, PURE & HONEST.

The Beginning

Fairfield was started in August 1888 by Miss Sophia Blackmore, a 31 year old missionary from the Methodist Mission. Her mandate in 1888 was to start a girls' school in Singapore in an enclave called Telok Ayer. She finally managed to start a class for 8 Nonya girls in a little room at Cross Street. During that time, education for girls was definitely not favoured by the early traditional Chinese immigrants, even among the liberal-thinking Baba merchants. Miss Blackmore then started going house to house, trying to persuade families to enroll their girls in her school. However, little by little, they suspected that she was a government spy sent to catch them secretly gambling at cards. They had started to pass the word that the young missionary lady was in fact a 'mata-mata' agent who was helping the British government enforce its new law against gambling.

Miss Blackmore's habit of asking for the women's names and writing them down in her notebook seemed to have alarmed the women. This was actually done as a record of who she visited, but still, the parents were suspicious of her. In spite of the differences and even suspicion from parents, Miss Blackmore persevered in her vision for a girls' school, and fund that the parents were starting to welcome her more cordially, and even invite her to sit down and chat over a cup of tea. They started to become more receptive to the idea that it would be good for their daughters to get a little education.

In June 1888, Miss Blackmore finally managed to get her first pupil. She recalls, " How pleased we were when one little girl, hearing of the school, clapped her hands and begged her mother to let her attend. She had been nicknamed 'Gondol', which means bald, because her head had been shaved during sickness. Not much knowledge entered that little bald head, but her own willingness to come to school helped others to decide." And after Gondol's mother agreed to send her daughter to school, a few other mothers followed her lead. Altogether, seven more pupils were signed on.

Soon, more of her prayers were answered and she managed to rent out the front room of Nonya Boon, a rich widow's front room. The Telok Ayer Girls' School was finally founded.

Early years

The school had a mini-crisis in 1893, when then principal Miss Emma Ferris found that all their furniture had been removed. Their landlady had decided to rent it out to someone else to be used as a shop. Eventually, Miss Ferris found a new site for the school in a corner house at Telok Ayer. By 1894, the school had 30 students. But, the school still had problems trying to recruit and retain students. Many parents took their daughters out of the school when they were 12.

Soon, in 1902, when Miss Edith Anna Hemingway was principal, the school moved into a big, airy house on Neil Road. However, they were told to move out a year later. There was a problem, because there were now 93 students in the school.

Thankfully, their problems were over. In 1905, They were able to move from their corner house at Telok Ayer and move in to a big, leafy house at Neil Road. In 1907, after Miss Luella Anderson's tenure as principal ended, the school was without a principal. But, they found a woman who was suitable called Mary Olson. She had originally come to Singapore to head the Methodist Girls' School. But when she saw the plight of Telok Ayer Girls' School, she decided to take charge as well. In 1910, Miss Olson was appointed principal of Telok Ayer Girls' School only. Also, the school was promoted to a 'first-rate school' by the government.

Soon, Miss Mary Olson realized that she needed more space in the building and decided to try to raise funds for a new building. The biggest pledge (US$5000) came from a Mr. Fairfield from New England. The school was renamed Fairfield Girls' School.

In 1917, sheer congestion had forced 100 Fairfeld girls to study in a dark shophouse. finally, in 1924, a new block of the building was completed. It consisted of six classrooms and a chapel hall.

After the War

"to be added..."

The Sixties

Lim Geok Kheng

Ms Lim Geok Kheng was the fourth Fairfield Builder.She was the senior Mathematics teacher who took charge in 1960.She was the first Old Girl to head Fairfield Girls' School.She was a Fairfield student of the 1930s and had the benefit of misssionary principals Mary Olson and Carrie Kenyon.

On to Dover

In 1983, the school moved its premises to its current Dover campus. No longer is the school one but two - Fairfield Methodist Primary School and Fairfield Methodist Secondary School - each with its own separate administration but under the same Fairfield Methodist School Board of Management. Miss Cheong Yuen Lin, an old girl of Fairfield, became the principal of FMPS.

In that same year, the school went co-educational and saw its first intake of boys.

In 1989, Miss Dorothy Ho became the Principal of FMPS.

In 1998, FMPS embarked on a PRIME Building Project (1998 - 2002) to build a new Extension Block and upgrade the existing facilities to enable the school to go single session by 2005.

Miss Dorothy Ho retired in Dec 2001 and was succeeded by Mrs Tan Shook Fund. Mrs Tan, however, died unexpectedly in 2003. The baton was succeeded by the current principal, Mr Charles Tong in 2004.

Fairfield celebrated its 120th Anniversary in August 2008, deeply conscious of God's many years of Blessing on the school.

Activities

Fairfield Methodist Primary School holds many programs throughout the year for its students. They contain many activities such as sports day, sports carnival, and many more.

On the 120th anniversary countdown, Fairfield Methodist Primary School has joined Fairfield Methodist Secondary School on breaking the world record of the most number of people playing a card game, and entered in to Singapore's Book Of Record for having 5000 people make a Fairfield Badge. FMPS also broke the world record for forming the longest contra line of people dancing to the song 'New Age Girl', and the record for the longest painting the same day.Fairfield also broke a record for the most number of people playing Sudoku.

Higher Management Staff

Principals-Mr Charles Tong Cherng Jye-Ms Shellong (Vice)

DeaneryMr David Chan (Character Development)Mrs Pearlyn Gan (Special Projects)

Head of DepartmentsMrs Lim Wei Wei (English Language)Mrs Pearlyn Gan (Mathematics)Mrs Jenny Quek (Science)Miss Seah Hwee Binn (Mother Tongue)Mrs Gladys Jiow (Physical Education & CCA)

External links

* [http://www.fmps.moe.edu.sg/ Fairfield Methodist Primary School Website]