Values in Action

Discover how Haig Girls serve their communities through VIA, from daily classroom duties to the Bags of Blessings initiative for the elderly.

Last updated on 11 September 2026

The HGS Values in Action (VIA) Experience

Values in Action (VIA) is a key component of Character and Citizenship Education (CCE 2021), nurturing socially responsible citizens who actively contribute to their communities. VIA encourages students to explore their identity, understand their impact on others, and take ownership of their role within their families, school, and the broader world.

Guided by our motto, Ars Potens Est (Knowledge is Power, in Service to Others, the School and the Community), and our vision of empowering every Haig girl to learn and lead in service of others, VIA fosters advocacy, gratitude, and leadership. Through these experiences, students develop meaningful relationships, deepen their sense of responsibility, and grow into individuals who make a difference.

Circular school framework diagram with a three-tier pyramid showing values like Respect, Humility, Compassion, and Resilience.

The HGS VIA Framework

The HGS VIA Framework illustrates how we empower every Haig Girl to learn, lead, and serve, underpinned by our six school values. The tiers represent school-wide, cohort-wide and project-based, while surrounding the framework are the SEL competencies that support and deepen the VIA experiences.

Two key school-wide VIA activities that every Haig girl can look forward to are:

Everyday Responsibilities

A clean and organised environment reflects a sense of responsibility, respect, and care for the spaces we share. Through Everyday Responsibilities, students take ownership of their surroundings by actively contributing to the cleanliness of their classrooms and school environment.

Each student plays a role in maintaining the classroom through daily duties, ensuring that shared spaces remain tidy and conducive for learning. Before dismissal, everyone takes part in a 5-minute clean-up, working together to restore order to their work areas and common spaces.

Beyond keeping the school clean, these daily routines are a form of Values in Action (VIA), reinforcing responsibility, teamwork, and respect for shared spaces. By making cleanliness a habit, students develop a sense of accountability and pride in their environment, fostering a culture of care within the school community.

A primary school girl in a yellow pinafore uniform leans over a desk, using a small pink hand brush and dustpan to sweep the surface clean. She is wearing a smartwatch. In the background, other students in the same uniform are also engaged in cleaning activities in a brightly lit classroom with yellow walls and a display board.

Students Taking Responsibility and Cleaning Up at their Classroom, Fostering a Sense of Ownership.

Two primary school girls in yellow pinafore uniforms are sweeping the classroom floor together. One girl holds a yellow broom while the other holds a purple dustpan to collect the debris. A projector screen and classroom furniture are visible in the background, with greenery seen through the window.

Students Taking Responsibility and Cleaning Up at their Classroom, Fostering a Sense of Ownership.

A primary school girl in a yellow pinafore uniform and pink-framed glasses, wearing a white and brown backpack with plush toy keychains, stands at a classroom door. She is reaching toward the door handle, on which a colourful plush toy and a small sign reading "This Classroom Has Been Cleaned" are hanging. Colourful educational posters are visible on the wall beside the door.

A Green Leader Displaying the Cleanliness Placard after Observing a Spotless Classroom.

Bags of Blessings

Bags of Blessings (BoBs) is a uniquely Haig Girls’ initiative that brings our school community together in the spirit of joy and kindness. In celebration of National Day, Haig Girls, along with our dedicated staff, Parents Support Group, and School Advisory Committee, unite to create thoughtful gift bags for elderly residents in selected homes. Each carefully curated bag, filled with essentials like toiletries, snacks, and comfort items, is a heartfelt reminder of the power of giving back to the community.

This project also offers our students the meaningful opportunity to connect with the elderly, engage in heartfelt conversations, and spend quality time with them. As part of the initiative, students write personalised notes or cards to accompany the gift bags, adding a personal touch that brightens the recipients' day and reminds them that they are valued and appreciated. Through Bags of Blessings, Haig Girls not only learn the importance of service and community but also deepen their understanding of respecting and caring for our elderly.

Aligned with our motto Ars Potens Est (Knowledge is Power) and the school’s vision of empowering every Haig Girl to lead in service to others, Bags of Blessings serves as a powerful reminder that regardless of their age, every Haig Girl has the ability to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

A group of approximately fifteen primary school girls in yellow pinafore uniforms pose cheerfully in a school courtyard, each holding up a blue tote bag. Some students are smiling and giving thumbs up. Additional blue bags are on the ground in front of them. A multi-storey school building is visible in the background.

Students bought essential items and packed Bags of Blessings (BoBs) demonstrating teamwork and community spirit.

A large group photograph taken in a school corridor at Haig Girls' School. Approximately forty primary school students in yellow pinafore uniforms and face masks sit and crouch in the foreground, many making peace signs and heart gestures, with blue tote bags beside them. Behind them, a group of around fifteen adult volunteers and teachers stand smiling. School values murals reading "Leadership," "Creativity," "Our HGS Family," and "Our Pride" are visible on the walls in the background.

Community Collaboration - Parent Volunteers, teachers, and students ready to deliver their Bags of Blessings (BoBs) to Serene Nursing Home.

Outdoors at a school, an adult volunteer hands a blue tote bag to a primary school girl in a yellow pinafore uniform and face mask. A large collection of blue tote bags filled with items is laid out on the ground in the foreground. A queue of similarly uniformed students wearing face masks waits in the background along a pathway lined with trees and school buildings.

Students experienced the joy of giving as they distributed Bags of Blessings and hand-made National Day buntings.

Cohort-Based VIA Experiences

Table showing four school programs by grade level, from Little Hands Big Actions in Primary 1-2 to Eco Stride in Primary 6.

A handwritten student worksheet titled "My Favourite Task," dated 19 May 2025, completed by a student named Jabine from class P1. The task chosen is "Water the plants." The student writes: "I like watering the plants because they give us oxygen and help keep the air clean. By doing this task, I have learned to be responsible and care for living things regularly." The student has ticked "Responsibility" and "Compassion" under the school values displayed. The worksheet is decorated with a colourful drawing of flowers and a tree. At the bottom, the worksheet reads: "I may have little hands, but I have shown big actions and great values!

P1 VIA: Little Hands, Big Actions.

A handwritten and illustrated student worksheet titled "My Favourite Task," dated 20 May 2025, completed by a student named Elly Wu from class P2. The task chosen is "Sort and fold the laundry." The student writes: "I enjoyed sorting and folding the laundry because I could fold lots of clothes and washing them." The worksheet features a detailed pencil and crayon drawing of a wardrobe, washing machine, laundry basket, and a child figure with a dog. At the bottom, the worksheet reads: "I may have little hands, but I have shown big actions and great values!

P5 VIA: Community Champions.

Three primary school girls in yellow pinafore uniforms conduct a litter-picking activity along a residential street. Two girls use long-handled litter pickers to collect rubbish from the ground, while a third holds open a clear plastic bag to collect the waste. Green rubbish bins and a road sign reading "Tuku Road" are visible in the background.

P6 VIA: Eco Stride around Joo Chiat.