On 14 December 2016, laughter filled PALS (Place for
Academic Learning and Support) as students, parents,
teachers, volunteersandstaffparticipated in theannualYear
EndConcert themed “Heartstrings-ABond toRemember”.
Relationships are held together by heartstrings and often
interwoven to form the connections between us even
whenwe are not physically together.
The event got off to a rousing start when everyone
participated in the game “PALS Bingo”, a variation of the
HumanBingo game.
Next up, preschoolers performed “Growing Together”,
where they danced to the tunes of a songabout friendship
“Count On Me” by Bruno Mars. The dance choreography
centred around the children starting off as strangers, then
becoming friends and enjoying their time at PALS. Finally,
they graduated and moved on to different paths of their
lives but retaining the friendship forged at PALS.
Thereafter, the children from the Primary and Secondary
classes showcased their talents in a performance titled
“Learning Together”. They used the Boom whackers
to play two songs, guided by the Singapore Symphony
Orchestra. Boom whackers are multi-coloured tuned
percussion that creates distinct tones when hit against
a surface. As each student was in charge of a particular
note, it tookgreat teamwork toachievesuchaharmonious
piece, and the credit went to the volunteers from SSO,
who gave generously of their talents and time to coach
the children.
Self-ExpressionWorkshop
At PALS, regular group work and workshops are conducted
for our students. In the month of January 2017, PALS
conducted a self-expression workshop over three sessions
to foster students’ creativity and imagination. During the first
session, the students were encouraged to brainstorm about
theirambitions,and todesigncostumes related to theirchoice
of vocation. Theywerealsogivenpseudo-money, withwhich
theyweresupposed tobudget for thematerials they required.
In the second session, the students got to make their own
costumes that theyhaddesignedearlier. Theycouldchoose
the color of their costume and the materials. The students
faced several challenges suchasnot beingable toestimate
their size correctly or cut the materials properly. However,
with teamwork, theywere able toovercome the challenges.
Following this,
the
children
enjoyed
a
magic
show
by volunteer
Aaron Leong,
whose antics
elicited roars
of laughter
from
the
audience. This was the
second consecutive year that Aaron
had volunteered for thePALSYear EndConcert.
This year, two youth survivors from the PALS alumni
volunteered as emcees for the event. They shared
about their experiences at PALS and their journey back
to school.
The highlight of the event was the graduation and award
presentation ceremony. It was a recognition of the
students’ efforts and achievement for the year. Family
members gleamed with pride as the students received
their certificate of graduation.
Thiseventmarkedan importantmilestone for thestudents
because it signified the closure of one major chapter in
their cancer journey and a celebration of their recovery.
It was also an emotional moment as the graduating
students bade farewell toPALS.
The NUSChoir prepared a joyous performance for the
event finale. Together with the PALS students, they sang
songs like “Friends Forever” and “Home”. The NUSChoir
also sang “IrishBlessing”, a song tobless all studentswith
goodhealthandsuccess in theirendeavors.CCF isgrateful
to theNUSChoir for its support atmanyCCFevents.
At theendof theconcert, everyonewatchedamontageof
theyear’sactivityandposed for photoswith the teachers.
In the last session
of theworkshop, a
redcarpetwas laid
for the students to
showcase their
masterpieces to
the audience comprising
teachers, social workers and
caregivers. The students
went home that day not only
with their costumes and
photos, but alsoan increased
self-esteem.
PALSYear EndConcert 2016
Music lessonbyNUSYST
Student InitiativesCommittee
This year, PALS worked with students from Yong Siew
Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of
Singapore toplanafive-sessionmusicworkshopstarting
fromJanuary toJune2017.Themusicworkshopscover
Rhythm, Melody, Harmony, Duet/Trio performance and
String Quartet performance, with the objectives of
cultivating the students’ interest in Singapore’s music
scene, and also to draw out their hidden musical
talents. At the same time, the workshop is infused with
music therapy.
Lunar NewYear EveCelebration
Lunar New Year eve celebration at PALS started with
a Lunar NewYear themed ice-breaker, aPALS reunion
lunch and “LouHei”.
The PALS “Lou Hei” was a special one as the
ingredients comprised the students’ favourite snacks
like “Hello Panda”, Cornflakes, Marshmallows rather
than the usual fare. Each favorite snack symbolized
blessings for the students in areas such as health and
happiness.. The students tossed this unique “Lou Hei”
with excitement, and packed the remaining mixture of
sweets into containers for their family.
Total DefenceDayDiscovery
Total Defence Day is held annually on 15 February in Singapore, to commemorate the anniversary of the surrender of
theBritish to the Japanese. The significance of this is to remindSingaporeans of the importance of defending our small,
multi-ethnic, cosmopolitan island nation.
PALS decided to commemorate this historical event with the objective of making students aware of Singapore’s
tumultuous past and not to takeSingapore’s peace and prosperity for granted.
On that day, the students were divided into five groups at five different defence stations, namely Psychological, Social,
Economic,Civil andMilitaryDefence.At eachstation, they tookpart inan interactivegame. For example, at theEconomic
station, therewas a “Barter TradeActivity” whereeach student was handedabag containing random items, plus a list of
itemshe/shehad toattainat theendof theone-and-a-half-hour session. Someof the studentshadanaptitude in trading
while others struggled in this activity as it required the students to use their negotiation skills and wits to exchange for
the items they needed.
When asked which was their favourite activity, the students had different responses. Some liked the “firefighting and
rescuer” gamewhere they had to usemarbles to “put out” the fire, and a bar magnet and paper clips to “save” survivors
of a fire. Others liked the card-making session for our SAF soldiers in theMilitaryDefence booth.
At theendof theday, studentsgainedknowledgeof thefivepillarsof defence that formed theTotal Defence inSingapore.
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