Dear parents,
Welcome to our big family of St. Rose of Lima’s. It is true that the kindergarten is only a 3-year journey – and some of us might not be staying together after this short-lived journey – yet it would be wrong to think that these 3 years are anything but crucial to the growth of our children. We must understand that this is the first time they leave their immediate family and live in another community since their birth. It means a lot of adaptations, both mentally and physically. And this journey of adaptation is both important to and impactful for the rest of their lives.
Our children have bathed – even spoiled – in love and attention for the first 3 years of their lives, until they enter a kindergarten. It is a new environment with a lot of strange faces; faces that belong to adults and peers, same-sex and opposite-sex. Therefore, the job of a kindergarten teacher (and other staff members) requires a big, loving heart in order to provide a perfect environment for children to grow in love and attention. Surely since a teacher needs to face a whole class of children, they cannot get as much attention as they do with their parents and relatives. Yet this is exactly growth happens: that they learn about sharing instead of owning everything.
The big family of St. Rose of Lima’s is an education institute rooted and grounded in love. Mother Mary of the Passion, the founder of our order, once said, “Love can only be understood through love”. We can only love well when we have experienced love, even as a child. As our children experience, learn about, treasure and are even grateful for the love they receive, they will be able to share with the people around them this most precious gift – love. Our world is desperate for love, to get rid of wars, contentions, hatred and jealousy.
Let us all try our best to pass love on to the next generation, and, hopefully, the generations after. Thank you.
Supervisor, Sr Lucia Mak
