The Founder and Principal of Sunbeams School Niloufer Manzur had sent letters to her students in April during the lockdown, before she herself fell ill from Covid-19. She passed away on Tuesday. In two separate letters to younger children and for teens in class 10, her message is of being grateful, maintaining discipline and of caring for others.
The two letters that she sent to her students to is given below:
For class 10 students
"Take the time now to be grateful for the blessings around you. Be grateful to be safe and secure at home. To be together with parents and family who give you unconditional love and security despite their own stress and anxiety. Take this time together to show them you care for them too. How often we neglect to do that! Do your part in making their days easier. Lend a helping hand with simple household chores. Talk and listen to each other. Share thoughts, hopes, and worries. Be a family. Be patient and kind with those at home with you who couldn't or didn't go to their own. Help the less advantaged ones. Most of all, develop healthy habits and take care of yourself. I am counting on you to do all of the above and much, much more. I know you will not disappoint. I know you will do us proud.
Mrs Niloufer Manzur
For the junior section students
My dear girls and boys,
How are you? I know you want to get back to school as much as I do, but we have to be patient and wait a few more days. When school reopens we want to start off from where we stopped on the last day of classes. So while at home, it is important for you to revise the lessons you have already learnt at school. Your teachers have sent you a set of work to do at home. Follow the instructions carefully and complete the work they have set for each day. If you do, new lessons will be easy for you when we begin classes and we shall all be ready and better prepared for a new class when we end the term. So, why wait? Start by setting up a work schedule or time table for yourself. Ask for help if you need any. Remember the class rules. Sharpen your pencil before you begin any written work. Write the date each day. Write your name if you are working on loose paper. When you finish the work for the day, keep it away neatly in a folder and wash your hands with soap and water.
My dear girls and boys, staying at home all day does not mean you have to work all the time. Take time now to do the things you really enjoy. Do you like reading? Find a book that looks interesting. Would you like to write? Write a story. Begin a journal. Write about your day. Is it a happy day? How can you make tomorrow even happier? Think about it and write your thoughts in your journal. I would love to know more about you so if you want to share your journal or your book with me, bring it with you when school reopens. Your class teacher will give them to me. I am sure I am going to enjoy reading them. This time at home is also the perfect time to do things together as a family. To talk and to listen to each other. To play, sing and exercise together. To laugh and have fun together. Now that you are growing up, you can be a little ‘helper’ at home. Try simple things. Make your bed, fold your clothes, tidy your room, and pick up your plate after eating. That’s not too difficult, is it? This is the time for sharing and caring and I know for certain that you will know just what to do. Will you? Your teachers and I send you our love and prayers every day because you are special. Stay home and stay well.
Mrs Manzur
