On 26 April 2004, the Principals, Vice-Principals and members of the Board of Governors from the ACS family of schools participated in a strategic planning workshop conducted by Ernst & Young Associates. The aim of the workshop was to decide on the strategic thrusts for the ACS family of schools and to formulate action plans to meet any gaps in the light of Singapore’s current educational reforms.

After brainstorming and sharing their expectations on a number of issues, the participants agreed that while it was acknowledged that the schools all take direction from the spiritual drivers inherent in ACS’s Methodist tradition, the importance of ensuring coherence and continuity in ACS’s delivery of holistic education to its students as they move up through the individual schools cannot be overemphasized, particularly with regards to the enthusiastically debated question of maximizing student retention rates.

To bring about the ONE ACS ONE FAMILY concept, five key strategic imperatives were identified. These are summarized below:

• The ACS Family Vision – The aim is to provide a holistic education centered on Methodist values that will allow our students to develop as future leaders and model citizens/citizens of the world.

• The ACS Family Values – God-Centered (doing the right thing in the eyes of the Lord), Loyal (remaining true to family, school and country), Integrity (always doing the right thing), Stewardship (knowing when and how to lead and serve), and Respect (always knowing when to accord appropriate regard)

• The ACS Brand of Education – Holistic education that fosters a strong community amongst students and teachers, promulgate Christian values and secular ACS values, inculcate recognition of diversity, and develop leadership and the spirit of enterprise.

• The ACS Boy- Enterprising (having a sense of adventure and risk and daring to succeed), Passionate (possessing a zest for life in everything that we undertake), Confident (possessing the courage to try and achieve), Team Player (knowing how and when to leverage on the strength of others), and Empathy (the ability to place ourselves in the shoes of others and to care for one another).

• The ACS Synergy – Work closely together and leveraging on the synergy within the ACS family of schools and the OBA by mutually recognizing, developing, enhancing and sharing unique capabilities & niche areas.

The above strategies are a framework for developing policies and plans for moving forward to meet future challenges and reinforcing ACS’s core strengths. As a follow up, another workshop will be held for the next level of leadership to further develop a system and structure to kick-off “ONE ACS ONE FAMILY”, including policies, practices and procedures.

Mr Tan Wah Thong

Chairman, ACS Board of Governors