For the students….

International students, who make up about 40 percent of the student population, hail from 19 different countries. Some are in Singapore alone.

The parents in the Students’ Welfare Subcommittee of the PSP gained better insight into their needs through a survey before they launched a programme of organized activities. The events were to integrate the international students with the local cohort as well as their host families.

They included Chinese New Year celebrations, a games evening, bowling day, movie night and family potluck. Parents in liaison with the teachers-in-charge coordinated and organized several other student activities: study camps for students who were behind in their studies to prepare for examinations, community service and work placements for students. Parents dived into craft workshops to create hand-made gifts with students and coordination of the end of the school-year mug shots of students and class photographs.

Starting this year, parents become cookery teachers in the students’ life skills programme. They continue to facilitate or participate in student welfare and life skills activities.

For the teachers….

Parents paid tribute and thanks to the teachers at a high-spirited celebration of last year’s Teachers’ Day with a skit and high tea. Sporting teachers and parents participated in the games for the afternoon, followed by parents recounting experiences of their children at ACS (International).

Teachers also shared their most memorable moments from when they joined the school. The event ended on a high note with all singing the ACS anthem. A nice surprise is in store this year for Teachers’ Day, the details of which are Akan Datang.

For the parents….

The website, created by parents for the parents, is loaded with information, news and digital photo albums. This has been a great boon and is especially useful for the international parents. The PSP web link is at www.acsinternational.com.sg. An occasional coffee morning, organized with a talk on aspects of parenting, provided an opportunity for parents to gather and chat over mutual concerns about children. Praying parents formed a group, the PPG, to contribute to a supportive and loving environment for staff and students. They meet monthly to pray and give moral support to the school, staff and PSP, create alternatives in pastoral care and pray for all other ACS schools at combined ACS prayer sessions.

For the school….

A successful promotion of the school with parent-testimonials helped in last year’s ACS (International) Open House. In a bold move last year, the parents together with the Student Council and a fledgling school of nine months, pulled together to stage a fun fund-raising carnival “CeleFest” in September. It was a wonderful success and an event that provided great public relations for the school. This year, the focus is on family fun, a Family Fiesta with telematch games, a gourmet competition and dinner with student performances in the school.

With a growing number of parents involved in PSP, a facilitation process using “Open Space Technology” gathered parents to share ideas and to take responsibility for them in collaboration with school. Groups of parents with similar agendas and passions work together on a plan. Each group takes collective responsibility for solutions to meet these objectives: encourage parents to support and be involved in school activities; voice their opinions to provide feedback to improve the school; create channels for communicating school decisions and policies; foster rapport and support among parents; foster parent-child relationships; promote the general well-being of the students; and to further the cause of intellectual, cultural and spiritual growth for the students.

A good parent-school partnership is an important way to enhance students’ learning, and a student’s outcome is a shared interest of both parents and teachers. When schools and parents team up in the education system, the winner is always the student.

Parent-School-Partners
ACS (International)

ACS (Independent)

PARENT SUPPORT GROUP (PSG) at ACS (Independent)

PSG @ ACS (Independent) has been busy as ever in 2006, with a full slate of activities running in tandem with the School’s amazing schedule.

We continue to make further headway in the fund-raising for the new school facilities. To date, our brass name-plate sponsorship project has netted $20,000 and counting! Intended as an avenue for maximum participation from community individuals, whether parents or even students, this donation drive has seen heartwarming results. We praise God for how so many others have come to share the vision of taking ownership of the new facilities!

For ACS (Independent)’s drama production this August, “The Haven,” the PSG will be hosting dinner, on site, for 250 hardworking student actors, teachers and crew.

Next up is the 05 September Golf Fellowship at Laguna Country Club. Those who went on the fairways with us 3 years ago will tell you it will be a barrel of fun AND for a good cause too! Proceeds raised will fund all PSG activities for ACS (Independent).

Finally, Healthy Food Week will be held in late September when dedicated parents, renowned in ACS (Independent) for their appreciation of fine food, will go on ‘food patrol’ to encourage students to eat healthily. School life hasn’t been the same ever since PSG gate-crashed teenage diets with brown rice, raw salads and banana sandwiches the last few festivals!

In the pipeline are also Nature Walks, for parents and students, to be led by trained guides from our PSG, and Overseas University Education Talks by official representatives from the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and Canada.

PSG at ACS (Independent) plays hard, works hard, and gives praise to God for His wonderful blessings!

Mr Joey Yeo
PSG—ACS (Independent)

ACS (Barker Road)
Crossroads@Barker: Celebrating Partnerships

Every Friday, the teachers and a very special group of individuals from our Parent Support Group conduct the ACS (Barker Road) Personal Development and Civics & Moral Education programme.

Parents planning the lessons.

Known as the Lighthouse Ministry, the parent volunteers have been working in collaboration with the school’s Personal Development/Civics & Moral Education Group committee in lesson planning and delivery since 2002.

At the same time, they also cook for our students in the Food Ministry once a term, to encourage our students to join in a time of sharing and thanksgiving.

The basis for their passion to be in the ACJC PAT is grounded on prayer; God-centeredness has been a source of strength for the past 12 years (children's education at ACS schools). God in His boundless mercy has affirmed this group of parents, who share our experiences both in good and difficult times, and always desiring to meet the needs of every student as best they can! To say the least, this is the fifth year of our exam food ministry conducted in term 4; and this year they have started to provide food for the 2 weeks preceding the JC2 preliminary examinations. In 2003, they also saw the need to support our increasing number of foreign scholars and many parents signed up as host parents to these scholars. Our PAT is also involved in projects at departmental levels like drama, dance, band, choir, project work community projects and other CCA's too attending the various competitions.

To the teachers, one touching act each year is the Teacher's Day lunch, where a sumptuous spread is promised by the PAT, for the last 5 years now. Since 2002, at FUN-O-RAMA, the PAT team would also hold a food stall themselves and this year they raised more than $21,000 from their food stall sales alone. At least 80 fathers and mothers helped before and during this physically strenuous event. But they enjoyed every moment of it!

Parents Action Team is certainly playing a pivotal role in the overall wellbeing of the college. It has helped to build a close bond between parents-teachers and parents-students. We are thankful to have them as part of our ACJC family.