Orion Preschool Open House (27 June 2015)

It is apt that we end this blog with a report on the Orion Preschool Open House event. Started with the purpose of documenting the process through which our Preschool was set up, the blog has served its purpose with the completion of that phase of development. For future news of Orion Preschool, please visit our website (orionpreschool.com.sg) or our facebook page (www.facebook.com/orionpreschoolsg).

And so we celebrated the Open House in the presence of new and prospective children of Orion Preschool, as well as children who were previously with us at Mothergoose. On a day where past meets present, we once again acknowledge the contribution from Mothergoose children and parents in the setting up of Orion Preschool. Wherever you are in Orion, you will find traces of Mothergoose, from the toys and books donated by Mothergoose parents, to the plants in the garden planted by Mothergoose children, to the furniture that were unloaded with the sweat of a Mothergoose parent, and soon a uniform that is designed by a Mothergoose parent.

And this is how we want it to be - for Orion to be infused with the spirit of togetherness that we shared at Mothergoose.

 

 

It Takes A Village 2

Over the weekend, we made our way to the home of the Chuah's, whose daughter Megan was previously enrolled in Mothergoose. Mr and Mrs Chuah very kindly offered to contribute some appliances, shelves and children's books to Orion since they were moving house.

Anticipating a hard day's work, we enlisted as many helping hands as we could to assist in transporting the items. Ms Kiang helped to arrange for a lorry, and also came to help with the moving. Our friends from Rose Running Club also turned up to provide some muscle. And not forgetting Mrs Poh, who although not quite the heavy lifter, turned up to help with the odds and ends.

Mr and Mrs Chuah were busy giving instructions to their movers, but we managed to grab them for a moment. From left: Mrs Poh, Ms Kiang, Mrs Chuah, Mr Chuah, and Mrs Low (also ex-Mothergoose, mother of Ezekiel and Eleree).

And then it's time to get down to serious work. We were really grateful to have the strong people from the running club, especially in loading the heavy items such as the refrigerator, washing machine and dryer, onto the lorry.

And they also took care of the delicate stuff, ensuring that the smaller items were properly secured before loading up.

Arriving back at the school, the refrigerator was placed in the kitchen and switched on. Finally we can have cold drinks!

The other items will be sorted out in due time.

The running friends still looking as fresh as they were before we started. That hardly broke a sweat!

We'll probably have to say this over and over again, but we're really thankful for the contributions and support from the Mothergoose community of parents and friends. Every contribution helps us in managing our expenses especially at this initial starting-up stage. More invaluable though, is the encouragement that we get from knowing that we remain in the thoughts of parents and children.

The teachers show their appreciation for the contributions that we received, including the washing machine and dryer. The real beneficiary is Aunty Chai Hong, who will be quite relieved that she will henceforth not need to wash the floor towels by hand every day, as was done previously in Mothergoose.

It Takes a Village 1

Mrs Jen Hoult, mother of William, Edward and Lachlan, described Mothergoose as a "community for those of us with children who attend it." Looking back, we were really fortunate at Mothergoose to be able to rely on the goodwill and network of relationships with parents and families, that have been built up over a period of 26 years.

Orion Preschool, while inheriting a large chunk of the Mothergoose DNA, will now embark on a journey to build a name for ourselves. As we tread along a path that is unfamiliar and at times daunting, it gives us great comfort and encouragement when old friends turn up along the way to cheer us on, be it in terms of material, physical, or even just words of support.

Even before the dust has settled on the renovation works, we had an impromptu morning visit from Mrs Khee and Evann. Evann was previously attending Nursery One at Mothergoose, before the school ceased operating. Making their way carefully between piles of construction debris and tins of paint, they thus became our first visitors to tour the school premises!

Evann posing for a photo with mummy in front of the school building. Like many parents, Mrs Khee has always kept in touch with messages of support and encouragement throughout this time.

A few parents have informed us that they will be contributing used toys, books and even kitchen equipment to the new school. Mr Yong, father of Ryan and Keith, patiently waited more than a month for our premises to be ready, and then personally delivered the materials to the school last week.

Mr Yong brought a whole carload of things that Ryan and Keith have outgrown, including furnitures, toys, books and DVDs. It'll take us some time to sort through these stuff!

Fortunately (or unfortunately), Mr Yong arrived just before the lorry came to deliver our new school furnitures, and was therefore unwittingly roped in to help unload the packages from the lorry. As the delivery was confirmed at short notice, we had only managed to find another gentleman to come and assist with the heavy lifting. Interestingly, Wee Siong, who readily answered the call for help, also has links with Mothergoose. He is the uncle of two Mothergoose alumni.

BEFORE: Our unloading crew, posing quite happily before the lorry came. They still don't know what's to come! From left: Xiao Laoshi, Mrs Poh, Mr Yong, Wee Siong.

AFTER: Spot the difference. The same team, after unloading 46 packages from the lorry.

These are just part of the 46 packages. How did preschool furnitures become so huge and heavy?

There will be many more parents and families to acknowledge and thank by the time we get our licence to operate. But, even if you just happen to be in this area, do pop in and say hello!

Our first visitors

Ever since we announced the location of our new premises, a few Mothergoose parents with their children would probably have driven past or stopped by at the gates, out of nostalgia or curiosity. But since this is the first photo published, we are therefore pleased to designate our two Mothergoose alumni, Gwyneth and Sofia, as the first official visitors to Orion Preschool.

Gwyneth and Sofia became part of the Mothergoose family in 2010 when they were really tiny. From attending preschool together, they are now in the same primary school, and it seems, still spend many weekends together enjoying their favourite activities, one of which is visiting under-renovation school premises.

We'll love to sign them up again. Sorry girls, we'll make sure we're home the next time round.

Turning the clock one year back to December 2013. Our two young ladies posing in front of a different set of gates, on the final school day in the existence of Mothergoose.

From Mothergoose to Orion

This post is written for the benefit of those who are not familiar with the background of Mothergoose Preschool.

Mothergoose was established in 1987 and has since then, been operating in the Upper East Coast area. Unfortunately in 2013, the lease on our premises was not renewed. Efforts to secure alternative locations in the East for the preschool were unsuccessful, despite the combined efforts of the preschool management and diehard parents.

Page 1 of The New Paper article (22nd November 2013)

Page 2 of The New Paper article

So, after 26 years of history, Mothergoose Preschool ceased operating at the end of the 2013 academic year, with the children continuing their education at other preschools. Similarly, our teachers and aunties found employment at different preschools, but continued to keep in touch.

Now, the establishment of Orion Preschool represents a second chance for all of us to come together again. Using the same team to deliver the same approach, program and curriculum, our aim is to recreate that special Mothergoose experience for children, their families and our staff at Orion Preschool.