Since SSDB 2021 theme is ‘Stay Connected, Make a Difference’ while the focus of our centre is ‘CommUNITY starts with me’, and we are facing unprecedented times, it is times like this that the human spirit thrives. Thus, it is important for the children to learn about gratitude and to have generosity of spirit. It is important that we rally together to show our appreciation to workers who are working extra hard during this difficult time. We hope that our support here will influence more children and families to come forth and show care to those who need them.
As the objective of this Start Small, Dream Big (SSDB) project is to promote character building by instilling the spirit of giving and values, such as care for others, humility, kindness and compassion, we hope to educate and create awareness in our children to enrich their learning opportunities through service to others.
The children learnt to show their big hearts and expressed their gratitude to those at the front line of the fight against Covid-19 for keeping our community safe and running. Parents were invited to prepare a care pack and a letter of appreciation for them. Each care pack contained healthy beverage, snacks and personal hygiene products like sanitiser.
The care packs and letters were given to the security and cleaning staffs of Rochester Mall, where our school is located at. Initially, some of the workers were quite confused when we approached them. But it wasn’t long before the confusion turned to smiles. The care packs and thank you notes were very well-received, and we saw staff with tired faces whose eyes lit up as we offered them a note of thanks. The children were also very glad that they were given the opportunity to thank the front line workers.
The care packs and letters were also given to SMRT staffs. Initially, the kids were supposed to make a trip to Buona Vista Station Mainline and Circle Line to show appreciation to our unsung heroes. However, in light of recent developments and for the safety of the children, the school had to put a pin on the station visit. We even had to cancel the station visits twice.
As the children were not able to go down to the station, the SMRT staff sent a representative to come and collect the care packs and thank you letters. Check out their happy faces upon receiving the care pack!
The children even had a zoom session with the SMRT staffs. They even shared some useful tips on safe and gracious commuting. During the zoom session, our little cubs performed ‘The Road Ahead’ (National Day Song 2021)， ‘听我说谢谢你’ and ‘月亮代表我的心’ to thank the SMRT staffs for working so hard to keep the train moving, as well as keeping our ride safe and clean. The children had lots of fun. It was really heartening when we saw the children connecting with the SMRT staffs. This zoom session taught the children to be more appreciative towards frontline workers who played a huge role in making Singapore a wonderful place to live in. Thank you, Shaminah and Lilian from SMRT for coordinating with us on this project!
This was made possible because of the help and support of our parents and children too!
Let’s say thank you to our everyday heroes who have come forward to help Singapore fight COVID-19, including our frontline staff, essential workers and fellow Singaporeans in our community. Every simple act counts! A little goes a long way.
