School Rules - Part 2

Uniform
The complete school unifrom must be worn at all times in the school. The school uniform must be worn at all school functions and games outside the school unless special permission is granted. Once the pupil is in school uniform, she is not to let down her hair, remove her badges and bows or wear other shoes besides her school shoes.

The following must be observed:

1. correct colour
2. unifrom - clean and ironed
3. skirt - not more than 2" above the kness
4. white blouse - not shirts, no pockets
5. sleeves - not to be folded in or up
6. proper buttons, no pins
7. bows for 6th formers - 1/2" to 3/5" wide, 45" long
8. shoes - white/brown/black (clean). At special functions only white shoes are to be worn by girls in Forms One to Five. Slippers or shoes with heels are not allowed. Black shoes and a maximum of 1 1/2" heel are allowed for 6th formers only. A fine of 5 cents is imposed on dirty shoes, 10 cents per shoe for 6th formers.
9. white socks - clean, turned down ankle length
10. a) long hair - tied up and tidy. If possible, hair must be plaited. No hair must touch the eyebrows b) short hair - well brushed and tidy. No hair must touch the eyebrows. No hair to touch shoulders. If it is shoulder length, it must be plaited.
11. no fancy or coloured clips. Only black or white ribbons allowed.
12. no jewellery except earrings and watches to be worn.
13. Badges - Every pupil must possess 2 badges i.e. school badge & house badge to be worn at all times on the left hand side with the school badge above the house badge, not overlapping.
14. nails - short and clean. No nail varnish. 6th formers are allowed long nails & colourless nail varnish
15. Baju kurung to be worn only on Fridays. Slits in front must have a clasp, not a school badge.

All images courtesy of Poh Ching Suan (Class of 1985)

School Rules - Part 1

Here's an image that is bound to send shivers down many a spine. Yes...it's the BBGS School Rules Book!


Strange creature that I am, this familiar green book sent me into spasms of delight because I used to memorise its contents, and have been hunting high and low for it since the blog began. Thanks to Poh Ching Suan (Class of 1985), this "ancient relic" is now available in digital format and will be shared on this blog as a series of posts.

Love it or hate it, we can't deny that it played a big part in how we chose to behave (or not!) during our BBGS years. Enjoy this trip down memory lane with me, as we journey through the yellowed pages of the BBGS School Rules book.

School Hours
Our school hours are as follows:-

Forms 1 & 2 1.20 p.m. - 6. 15 p.m.
Forms 3 - 6 7.30 a.m. -1.10 p.m.

All pupils should be in school at least 5 minutes before the bell.

Girls from Forms One & Two should try not to come to school too early as the older girls are still in session. All afternoon pupils must make their way straight to the Canteen/Hall where they will wait till their bell summons them.

No pupil is allowed to leave the school compound during school hours, including recess, without the permission of the Principal.

No pupil is allowed to absent herself from school without permission from the Principal. In case of illness or any emergency, a medical certificate or letter of explanation from either the pupil's parent or guardian must be produced as soon as possible.

The habit of asking permission to leave school in order to bid relations farewell/welcome is greatly deplored. Far too much time is wasted on this and pupils would be much better employed at school.

Silence
Silence must be observed:

a) during Assembly
b) in or near the office
c) in or near the Library
d) when moving from one class to another
e) on the stairs
f) once the bell rings at 7.30 a.m/1.20 p.m. and after recess

Discipline

1. The highest code of behaviour is expected from every BBGS girl.
2. Courtesy, sincerity and uprightness should characterise every pupil.
3. Respect all teachers. Greet them and offer help whenever the opportunity arises.
4. No pupil is allowed to participate in any outside activity without the permission of the Principal.
5. No pupil is allowed to linger outside the classrooms or the hall when there is a class in session.
6. Pupils are to line up as soon as the bell goes and wait for the teachers before entering the classrooms.
7. No dashing along the corridors and up and down the stairs. Keep to the left when moving up or down the stairs and along corridors.
8. All books, comics and magazines considered harmful will be confiscated.

Classrooms

1. All classrooms must be kept clean.
2. Flowers in the classroom must be fresh and well-arranged.
3. All pictures should be changed at least once a term.
4. Charts/diagrams/News items must be up-to-date.
5. Desks & chairs must be straightened before school begins and during recess.
6. Chairs must be used properly. No jigging of chairs is allowed
7. The corridors immediately outside the classrooms must be kept clean by the pupils concerned
8. Class cleanliness shields for both morning and afternoon sessions are presented weekly to the classes which are considered cleanest.
9. No pupil may switch on any light or fan before recess in the morning without the teacher's permission. On leaving a classroom all lights and fans must be switched off.
10. No pupil is allowed to write or draw on the blackboard without the teacher's permission.
11. All pupils must vacate their classrooms during recess, before and after school and during physical education. No pupil is allowed upstairs during recess.

Hall
Pupils are not allowed to use the stage or the piano without permission. No entry to the hall during recess

Sick Room
The clinic is meant for those who are ILL. Anyone who wishes to use it must get the necessary form completed and signed by a teacher. Any girl found in the clinic without a form will be severely punished. No eating is allowed in the clinic.

Toilets
Every pupil is responsible for the cleanliness of the toilets. Only use the toilet allotted to your class. Report any damage to the office immediately.

Posters
All posters on the notice boards must bear the signature of the Principal. All out-dated posters must be removed.

Canteen

1. The canteen must be kept clean at all times.
2. Line up for food. No pushing.
3. Don't eat behind the canteen.
4. All bottles and cups must be returned to the counter.
5. No rubbish is to be left on the tables.
6. Pupils who stay back after school are not to make noise in the canteen.
7. Pupils are not to linger in the canteen when the bell rings after recess

Happy Birthday Miss Chua!

I just received a delightful email from Betsy Li that I can't wait to share with you. Remember our beloved Miss Chua? She served BBGS faithfully for many years as a lab assistant, accounts clerk, CU Camp kitchen coordinator (P/S: She was the master cook responsible for the delicious nasi lemak we enjoyed annually!)

Miss Chua Saw Eng turned 80 recently and a celebration dinner was held at Overseas Restaurant on 3 July 2010. Here are some photos of the special day that was celebrated in the company of many BBGS teachers.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS CHUA!

Greetings from Singapore

Eleven fellow migrants to Singapore sharing a common BBGS heritage came together this weekend. In addition to the Singapore residents, we also had visitors join us from KL and Melbourne.

Over glasses of sparkling wine and apple tea, girls ranging from Class of 1983 to Class of 1992, quickly got down to the business of introducing each other and sharing our favourite BBGS stories. It didn't take long for us to discover many interesting professions and subject matter experts including insurance, financial planning, dental, occupational therapy, jewellery and interior design and plastic surgery - which incidentally got the longest airtime (wonder why?)

Let's meet some of the ladies shall we?

Van Kit Meng and Poesy Liang

Van Kit Meng has settled in Singapore for over 20 years, having come across the causeway to study at the National University of Singapore. Her family has recently re-located back to the island state from the Middle East. She even remembers me clinging to my mother's skirt during her days in primary school so to honour that amazing memory, I called my mom in the middle of dinner and had Kit chat with her!

Poesy Liang travelled all the way from KL to join us. She had us in stitches with stories of her escapades in school such as spending hours at the Royal Selangor Golf Club instead of attending geography class, and missing her Home Science exam. She vividly recounts the tale of making up for the exam by cooking char koay teow - "I remembered to add the si ham last!"

Moonlake Lee and Mrs Chew Hai Hong

Moonlake (and her sister Tinkerbell) had the most well-remembered names in BBGS, thanks to her hippie parents. After living in US and Canada for almost 15 years, she's been in Singapore now for over 6 years and is part of the management team for her husband's multi-specialty dental practice in Mount Elizabeth Hospital.

We also had the privilege of catching up with Mrs Chew Hai Hong, who taught Modern Maths and chemistry. Mrs Chew, whom we affectionately called Mrs Chew Ha Ha because the amount of laughter that emanated from her classes, took early retirement from BBGS to travel with her husband to Abu Dhabi and Singapore. Her principal occupation nowadays is looking after her 3-year old grandson.

CLASS OF 1987 (Seated L-R) Seto Wai Ling, Tan Lu Meng (Standing L-R) Joanna Yeoh, Loh Yee Git, Chang Wei Fun

The Class of 1987 was the most well-represented at the gathering. Apart from myself, the other guests included:

Seto Wai Ling, who flew in from Melbourne to join. She describes herself as a "professional student" and is currently pursuing postgraduate studies in Japanese

Tan Lu Meng (Jaclyn) is an occupational therapist with her own private practice. She's lived in Singapore for over 17 years and never fails to amuse us with her stories of the infamous 3C1 vs 3K hockey game and Puan Naaimah impersonations.

Loh Yee Git (Jean) just moved back to Singapore from KL and manages regional Marketing Communications for a telco. She remembers being very quiet and shy in school and only broke out of that mould when she went to college in the US.

Change Wei Fun (Patricia) is a qualified actuarist (thanks to career advice from Miss Yeap!) and Financial Controller of a major insurance company in Singapore. She joined BBGS from Kuen Cheng and remembers being baffled about why BBGS school rules were so strict and couldn't understand why the girls were more interested in Bible Knowledge instead of Hong Kong Cantonese serials?

CLASS OF 1988 (L-R): Audra Khoo, Jeanette Poon and her daughter Jasmine

The Class of 1988 was represented by:

Audra Khoo, who's best remembered in BBGS for flouting all rules with regards to hair length, colour and school uniform, turns out to be a beautiful glamorous fashionista (of course!) We had a good time laughing over the number of offence slips she used to get from me :-)

Jeannette Poon, who brought along her daughter Jasmine, is a qualified nurse who currently works with one of the top aesthetic (i.e. plastic) surgeons in Singapore. Of course, she gave plenty of advice about botox, liposuction and face lifts....not that any of us need it but we'll keep her phone number...just in case!

All in all, it was a FANTASTIC reunion which lasted till 1 am for some of us. We can't wait to get together for the next one...KL Hokkien Mee at Big Eater Simpang Bedok anyone?

Back2BBGS @ SG

Calling all BBGSians...it's party time in Singapore!!!*

So many of us have migrated to Singapore that it's time to come together for a reunion. It's time someone gave those RGS and CHIJ girls a run for their money :-)

You're invited to fun-filled evening guaranteed to turn sophisticated women into shrieking teenagers the moment we see long-lost friends.

Date: Saturday, 22 May 2010
Time: 5:00pm - 8:00pm (or later for those of us who want to party on)
Venue: Cappadocia Cafe Restaurant - Hotel Rendezvous
Activities: Catching up and chilling out
Cost: SGD70 (estimated price includes 3 course dinner + 1 glass of bubbly)

The restaurant serves excellent Turkish cuisine (halal) but we'll make sure that there's champagne to start the evening.

You may contact Joanna Yeoh at joannayeoh@gmail.com or visit our Facebook event page to RSVP. Please reply by 10 May so that we can confirm bookings.

SEE YOU THERE!!!*

* I know Mrs Abraham said we should only use one exclamation mark at the end of a sentence but I can't help it, I'm so EXCITED!!!