Overview
Discover how Bendemeer Primary School builds character and citizenship in students through values-based programmes, mindfulness practices, and career guidance.
Introduction
Character Development @ Bendemeer Primary School
Our school strongly believes in its mission of nurturing and inspiring students to love learning, lead confidently, and make a difference in the lives of others. To develop our students to be passionate learners and confident leaders, we provide opportunities for them to develop into responsible individuals and understand their roles in shaping the future of our nation.
Learning Outcomes (LOs) for Character and Citizenship Education (CCE)
Guided by our school vision, mission and the principles in developing a student-centric, value-driven education, the educational years students spend in our school takes them through their social roles in the various domains of self, family, school, community, nation and the world. We hope our pupils will exhibit the following behavioural traits at the respective portion of their schooling years.
Desired Behaviour Outcomes of a BPS Pupil
School Values | P1 & P2 | P3 & P4 | P5 & P6 |
Adaptability | Student respects and is open towards the views of others. | Student is positive towards feedback given and finds ways to overcome challenges. | Student is able to respond positively to changes and challenges and seeks solutions to problems. |
Self-discipline | Students is able to control his impulses and demonstrate some form of self-control in the way he interacts with others. | Student is able to think before reacting and exercises patience. | Student sets clear goals and follows through on his words and plans. |
Passion | Student shows love and concern to self, family and nation. | Student forges meaningful friendships and demonstrates an appreciation of the people from multi-cultural society. | Student develops a sense of national identity and an awareness of global issues. |
Integrity | Student is honest and tells the truth. | Student is reliable and makes responsible decisions. | Student is reliable and makes responsible decisions. |
Resilience | Student does not give up easily when facing difficulties. | Student handles conflicts and setbacks well to maintain positive relationships with others. | Student perseveres in the face of challenges and is able to manage conflicts effectively. |
Empathy | Student shows understanding and shares the feelings of others. | Student shows care and kindness within his /her community. | Student is responsive to the needs of others and takes initiative to help. |
Programmes
1. ASPIRE Wednesdays
Objective
At Bendemeer Primary School, we strive to develop our students to become persons of good character with sound moral values. As part of values education and to provide an opportunity to strengthen teacher-student relationship, we conduct our department designed ASPIRE sessions every Wednesday mornings. Teachers share and explore contemporary and social issues with the focus of creating teachable moments to inculcate values in our students.
2. Mindfulness Practices - ‘Start Each Day With A Grateful Heart’, Bendemeer Student Pledge and Daily Quiet Time Exercise and 'Thankful Thursdays'.
Objective
Aimed to develop in our students a sense of gratitude in their lives and equip them with the competency to stay positive amidst challenging times, students seek to start each day with a grateful heart and be mindful to take stock and appreciate the littlest things in their lives. Teachers and students are encouraged to pen down notes in which they indicate what they are grateful for. 'Thankful Thursdays' mornings are alternated with grateful exercise and bucket filling exercise. In the former, our Peer Support Leaders share gratitude notes from their peers to lead the school in a moment of gratitude. In the latter, students who have been caught filling their teachers' buckets by doing the right things are affirmed and recognised for their efforts.
Our Bucket Fillers
Gratitude Notes with different themes
After every recess, students recite the Bendemeer Student Pledge that serves to remind them of their purpose as a student, as a member of the school committee and are engaged in deep breathing exercises after that to refocus their state of mind to respect one another and to learn as one Bendemeer Family.
3. Our Everyday Responsibilities
Bendemeer Primary belongs to all our students. To inculcate a sense of responsibility in keeping their shared environment clean and pleasant, students are involved in various activities at the start and end of each term, such as ‘Groom My Class’ and ‘Use My Hands’ that provide opportunities for students and their form teachers to bond by tidying up their classroom and demonstrating a commitment to this collective effort together. The daily end of day classroom cleaning and canteen cleaning also cultivates a good habit to be disciplined and follow-through in ensuring that the state of their classroom and canteen remains clean after use. While recognising that mistakes can be made, through the Happy Mop programme, students learn to develop the value of Self-Discipline by taking responsibility for the water spilled and taking the initiative to locate the nearest mop to clean up after themselves.
4. Be like BEN
Objective
To create an immersive environment whereby students can be reminded of how they could emulate the school mascot, Ben, in exhibiting the school ASPIRE values.
5. Enhanced CCE lessons (ECCE) Lower Primary
As the name suggests, ECCE lessons aim to enhance the character development of our students in our school ASPIRE values and CCE R3ICH values (Responsibility, Respect, Resilience, Integrity, Care and Harmony). ECCE lessons differ from the usual CCE curriculum in that the lessons are conducted by form teachers and this provides opportunity for the form teacher to strengthen teacher-student relation and peer support relations. The lessons are designed and customised to meet the needs of the students and explicitly integrate school values into it to communicate to students the expected observables.
6. Education and Career Guidance (ECG)
As part of our Education and Career Guidance (ECG) efforts, our upper primary students actively engaged with the MySkillsFuture portal — a dynamic platform designed to help them discover their interests, strengths, and aspirations. The portal also introduced students to Career Quest, enabling them to explore various industries and professions in a fun and engaging way. Through interactive features such as avatar creation and career exploration tools, students gained valuable insights into their personal profiles and future possibilities.
These sessions play a crucial role in nurturing a sense of purpose by helping students understand the skills, attitudes, and knowledge needed to achieve their goals. With greater awareness of the Singapore education landscape and career opportunities, students are empowered to make informed, responsible decisions about their future learning and career pathways.
By the end of the sessions, students expressed greater confidence in navigating the platform independently to further explore their options and set meaningful goals.
