CHIJ Our Lady Of Good Counsel

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The Convent of Our Lady of Good Counsel, also known as the Cooling Close Convent, was established in 1960 with 220 students led by Sister Catherine Hendricks.

Due to increasing demands for secondary school education, CHIJ OLGC became a full school in 1967. However, after three years, the secondary students were transferred to SJC and OLGC functioned as a primary school again.

With plans underway for a new extension in 1985, a Singathon was organised to raise funds, while the school was at its holding site at Punggol Road.

A new wing consisting of a Student Care Centre, special rooms and classrooms was completed in 2018. The new facilities will continue to support and nurture our students to be Ladies of Character and Leaders for Tomorrow.

School History

CHIJ Our Lady of Good Counsel is one of the 11 schools set up by the Infant Jesus (IJ) Sisters in Singapore. The Convent of Our Lady of Good Counsel, as it was originally called, was established in 1960 in a single building block at Cooling Close in Serangoon Gardens. The school was built to cater to the schooling needs of the families living in Serangoon Gardens as well as the rural areas of Yio Chu Kang and Seletar Hills.

An extension was added in 1964 to accommodate an overwhelming enrolment. For a short period from 1967, the school became a full school with primary and secondary classes. In 1970, the Convent of Our Lady of Good Counsel and St Joseph’s Convent, another IJ school at Hillside Drive, switched from full school status to become a primary school and a secondary school, respectively. The secondary pupils were transferred to St Joseph’s Convent, while the primary pupils at St Joseph’s Convent joined the Convent of Our Lady of Good Counsel.

In the mid-1980s, the school was renovated and the extension was completed in 1988. In 1992, the name CHIJ (Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus) was prefixed to all the IJ schools in Singapore to show a common identity. The name of the school thus became CHIJ Our Lady of Good Counsel.

In June 2004, the school was relocated to a holding school in Ang Mo Kio to facilitate the rebuilding of a new school at Burghley Drive in Serangoon Gardens. The new school was completed in 2007 and the official opening was held the following year. The school celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2010.

Under the PERI recommendations, the school was upgraded with a new wing consisting of a student care centre, special rooms and classrooms. The new facilities were unveiled in 2018.

Principals:
- Sr Catherine Hendricks (1960–1964)
- Sr Aidan Dempsey (1965–1966)
- Sr Josephine Healy (1966–1967)
- Mrs Mavis Yetts (1968–1971)
- Sr Bernard Aw (1972–1976)
- Ms Isabel Rodrigues (1977–1984)
- Mrs Josephine Colacao (1985–1996)
- Mrs Christina Sim Sze Vui (1996–2005)
- Mrs Catherine Seah (2006–2017)
- Ms Grace Tan (2018–present)

Key Milestones

School Motto

_Simple Dans Ma Vertu, Forte Dans Devoir (French Version)
Simple in Virtue, Steadfast in Duty (English Version)

To be Simple in Virtue is to cultivate a personal honesty which helps us relate to others with respect, openness and sincerity. Virtue is nobleness of character nurtured by a genuine desire to live according to God’s will as revealed in the Gospel.

To be Steadfast in Duty is to be faithful in fulfilling our obligations and having the capacity to rise above difficulties or obstacles to execute and complete a task in the service of others.

School Crest

The CHIJ badge or crest (called the Blason, in French) was designed by Mere Saint Aloysia, Superior General (1877 – 1901) and her senior students of 1894.

At the centre of the school crest lies a red shield with a silver band edged in gold. On the right side of the shield is the Book of Gospels with a silver rosary. On the left is a golden distaff and spindle. The shield, surmounted by a gold cross, is encircled by a garland of marguerites. Emblazoned on the crest is the motto of all CHIJ schools:-

Simple in Virtue, Steadfast in Duty

The cross is the symbol of our salvation and the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The open Gospel represents the teachings of Christ and is a source of inspiration that guides the school community. The silver rosary symbolizes prayer and is the story of the Gospel as seen through the eyes of Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

The golden distaff and spindle are symbols of womanly labour and remind us of the dignity of work and the satisfaction and fulfilment to be found in a task well-accomplished.

The red shield symbolizes God’s all-embracing message of love.

The garland of marguerites is symbolic of purity and simplicity – charming traits of girlhood.

School Song

Here’s a rousing cheer for our Convent dear
in Burghley Drive so fair.
May we be faithful to every rule
to each tradition true.

Through joy and woe we forward go,
united great and small.
In virtue simple and duty strong,
is the motto for us all.
(Repeat)