Singapore American School


Singapore American School is a non-profit, independent, co-educational day school located in the Woodlands area of Singapore. It offers an American-based curriculum for students in preschool through high school. One of Singapore's first international schools, SAS was founded in 1956 and started with a hundred students in a colonial house. It has since developed into a school of over 4,000 students on a 36-acre campus. SAS is accredited by the US-based Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
The SAS student body is made up of over 60 nationalities, with over half of the students being United States citizens. Singaporean student numbers are limited as Singapore government regulations prevent most local students from attending international schools within the country. The majority of the teachers come from the US, and staff members from twenty other countries also work at SAS. Most are hired overseas, and 80% hold master's degrees. The maximum number of students per class in preschool and pre-kindergarten is 16, while for kindergarten through grade 12 it is 22.
SAS offers classes in the standard academic subjects as well as foreign languages, music, art, physical education, dance, sports, and technology. The high school offers over 20 AP courses, including the AP Capstone program. The campus has both air-conditioned and open-air spaces. Facilities include gyms, cafeterias, libraries, and theaters, as well as courtyards, playgrounds, playing fields, swimming pools, tennis courts, a rainforest, and an eco-garden.

History

Singapore American School was established by the American Association of Malaya in January 1956. It was originally intended as a school for the children of American executives, missionaries, and diplomats who did not want to follow the British practice of sending school-aged children home to boarding schools. In the beginning, around a hundred elementary and junior-high students attended classes in a colonial house on Rochalie Drive, on the edge of downtown Singapore. High school classes were soon added, and the school grew quickly, attracting students from a wide variety of backgrounds.
Over the next half-century, the school moved several times:
By the late 1980s, SAS again faced space constraints, as enrollment continued to outstrip capacity at both the King's Road and Ulu Pandan campuses. In addition, the Ulu Pandan lease would soon expire, and the Singapore government wanted the school to accommodate more students, as part of its push to attract foreign talent to help develop new industries. While SAS opened the temporary Baytree campus as a short-term solution, the government offered three sites for a brand-new campus, and the school selected a large plot in the developing Woodlands neighborhood. The school received a 90-year lease, with the stipulation that the new campus be able to accommodate 3,700 students. The site was developed at the cost of $150 million, and the Woodlands campus opened in the fall of 1996. To the surprise of many in the American community, enrollment quickly rose to capacity, and the western end of the campus had to be redeveloped into a new high school and early learning center, which opened in 2004.

School governance and finance

SAS is a non-profit, member-based independent school. It is incorporated in the Republic of Singapore and recognized under the Singapore Charities Act. Parents, guardians, teachers and administrators are members of the school unless they opt out; currently there are over 4,900 members. All members are invited to the annual general meeting in October, at which the superintendent reviews the school's progress and finances. Members participate in school governance by electing the board of governors. These twelve parents of enrolled students serve in a volunteer capacity for terms of three years. The board is responsible for hiring the superintendent and providing strategic oversight for the school, while the superintendent and administrative team are responsible for the school's day-to-day operations.
The school's finances are managed by the chief operating officer under the guidance of the superintendent and board. An independent financial audit is conducted annually and presented at the AGM. The school maintains financial reserves and an endowment to ensure long-term financial stability. An investment advisory committee supports the board in managing these funds. Two philanthropic organizations support educational programs, operations, and capital initiatives at SAS. These are the SAS Foundation Limited, and the Singapore American School Foundation. The SAS Annual Fund solicits donations to these foundations from current and former parents and employees, as well as from SAS alumni and friends of the school. Foundations funds make possible special opportunities for students, as well as providing for the long-term financial health of the school.

School organization and divisions

SAS is organized into three divisions: The elementary school for preschool through grade 5; the middle school for grades 6–8; and the high school for grades 9–12. The primary school, which included grades preschool-2, and the intermediate school, which included grades 3–5, were combined into the elementary school in 2014 to minimize transitions for students, support research and development work, and promote better co-ordination across divisions. A principal and deputy principals guide each division.

Elementary School: Early Learning Center

The SAS ELC serves three- and four-year-old students in a self-contained set of learning hubs, activity spaces, and playgrounds adjacent to the high school. Students in preschool and pre-K have a shorter school day than those in the rest of the school. The ELC program is inspired by the Reggio Emilia schools in Italy. Two classes of 16 students each are combined to form a hub, and each hub is guided by two teachers and two teaching aides. Parent volunteers often help with classroom activities and projects.
Besides spending time in their individual classrooms, students have two recesses every day, which take place on the two ELC playgrounds and in the large central hall. They also have a separate Chinese class and a perceptual motor class in the Move and Groove Room. Once a week students have library time in the ELC's own library corner. Students also have "buddy time" with older students, counseling lessons to develop social skills, and special celebrations. They eat in the high school cafeteria at a designated ELC-only lunchtime.

Elementary School: grades K-5

Students in the elementary school are organized into classes with a maximum of 22 students. Teachers are supported by instructional aides. Students receive instruction in reading, writing, math, social studies, and science in their classrooms. The elementary school’s literacy program is based on the Columbia Teachers’ College program, and students use the enVision math common core program. Outside their home classrooms, students attend their choice of daily Spanish or Chinese language classes. A Chinese-immersion program started in Kindergarten in August 2017. Art, music, and PE classes occur in a three-day rotational schedule, with library, science laboratory, technology, and counseling lessons at longer intervals.
A 1:1 iPad program ensures that each K-5 student uses technology to support learning, and students have service learning opportunities based on grade-level themes. Special events include United Nations Day, PTA Book Fair, Halloween parties, winter holiday parties, Chinese New Year celebrations, and an end-of-year Play Day. Students in grades 3–5 may participate in the science fair. In each grade students go on several field trips. Destinations include the Singapore Zoo, Little India, the Asian Civilizations Museum, Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve, and various plays and theatre offerings. Parents are welcome to help in classrooms, as field trip chaperones, and with parties and special events throughout the year.
The elementary school occupies the eastern end of the SAS campus, and includes its own language, art, music, and science classrooms, as well as a library, an auditorium/theater, two pools, two gyms, two cafeterias, and several playgrounds.

Middle School: grades 6–8

The SAS middle school offers a foundation of academic classes complemented by elective courses and after-school activities. “Homebase” meets every morning, giving each group of a dozen students a daily connection with one teacher. With over 900 students, the middle school is organized into teams, called A Side, B Side, and C Side, each supported by a set of teachers. These smaller groups within the large middle school are intended to help meet students’ social, emotional, and academic needs. Besides the required courses students may take Chinese, French, or Spanish, strings, band, or choir, or a selection of electives including drama, art, technology, and cooking.
Student learning is supported in a number of ways in the middle school. A 1:1 laptop program was implemented in 2013–14. "Classroom Without Walls" takes each grade level to a regional destination for several days in the first month of school, and students develop relationships with peers and staff. Learning support teachers, school counselors and the school psychologist work with small groups and individuals needing specialized support. The school uses a standards-based grading protocol.
The middle school occupies the central area of the SAS campus. Core classes are taught in classrooms grouped around large-group activity areas. Art, band, orchestra, choir, technology, cooking, health and dance occupy specially designed rooms. The middle school has its own playing field and library/media centre. Students share a 25-meter pool, gymnasiums, and fields with the high school, and eat in the open-air elementary-middle school cafeteria.

High School: grades 9–12

The SAS high school offers a foundation of academic classes complemented by elective courses and after-school activities. Like many US college preparatory schools, course requirements ensure a comprehensive liberal arts education. The “international perspective” central to the school's mission statement is reflected in academic offerings, service opportunities, and extracurricular activities. Students with different learning styles, interests, and skills are accommodated. In recent years, the high school has launched several programs to ensure student wellbeing and foster community spirit. These include the advisory program, the house system, and the reorganization of the counseling department into two offices: one for social, emotional, and academic counseling and one for college counseling.
The high school offers 180 course options, and class size averages 17.1 students. Required credits include English, math, science, social studies, visual and performing arts, physical education, and health education. American citizens must earn one credit in American Studies or US History. All students must take two years of a foreign language or demonstrate proficiency in another language. Students also participate in a weeklong "Interim Semester" every year. This is a required off-campus experience that provides high school students with experiences beyond the traditional classroom. Beginning with the class of 2018, all students must complete a Catalyst Project. Elective options include classes in technology, engineering and robotics, journalism and media, and independent studies. Students may also take specialist courses through the Global Online Academy; may enroll in SAS's Summer Semester program; may enroll in the yearlong, nontraditional Quest program; and may study abroad in China, France, Italy, or Spain through School Year Abroad.
SAS currently offers 22 AP courses, as well as the AP Capstone Diploma program. In May 2018, SAS students took 1,846 AP exams, with 96% receiving a score of 3 or higher, and 79% receiving a score of 4 or 5. The high school also offers 20 Advanced Topic courses. Developed by SAS teachers and vetted by university partners, these courses meet college-level standards of rigor and depth and emphasize student agency, project-based learning, and skills relevant to students' futures.

Faculty

Approximately 395 faculty members work full-time at SAS. These teachers come from 21 different countries, with 59% being American and 13% Canadian. Other countries of origin include Australia, China, the United Kingdom, Singapore, New Zealand, and Spain. Eighty percent of SAS teachers have a master's degree in addition to a bachelor's degree, and 18 teachers hold a PhD. Teachers tend to be experienced, with over 70% having at least six years of teaching experience before arriving at SAS. SAS teachers' average stay at the school is 8.4 years. Currently, 60% of SAS teachers have over five years' tenure at the school, including 34% who have stayed a decade or more. The student-teacher ratio is 10.2:1, and class sizes are limited to 16 in the ELC and, with few exceptions, 22 for grades K–12.

Academics

Curriculum

All curriculum at SAS is standards-based and aligned to current recommendations of US professional associations. Faculty are organized into professional learning communities that set essential learning targets and develop common assessments. PLCs also refine academic offerings to ensure that all students are appropriately challenged and supported in their learning.
SAS has identified seven critical skills it believes students need to be prepared for academic, professional, and interpersonal success in the twenty-first century. These seven "desired student learning outcomes," or DSLOs, include content knowledge, cultural competence, character, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity. Five "core values" are instilled in SAS students through programs, practices, and adult modeling. They include compassion, fairness, honesty, respect, and responsibility.

Testing

SAS student test scores consistently show a high level of academic achievement. Students in grades 3 through 9 take the Measures of Academic Progress assessments in math, reading, and language use twice yearly. SAS students' average MAP scores are higher than average scores of students in the US and comparable regional international schools.
SAS began offering Advanced Placement courses in 1968, and over the years it has developed an extensive AP program. Today, over 90% of high school students take at least one AP exam during their time at SAS. Offering around 25 AP courses each year, SAS has one of the largest AP programs of any school outside the US in the spring of 2017, SAS students took 1,761 AP exams, with 93% receiving a score of 3 or higher, and 76% receiving a score of 4 or 5. 337 SAS students received an AP Scholar award from the College Board. This award recognizes students who score 3 or higher on at least 3 AP exams.

College admissions

Students graduating from SAS overwhelmingly go on to college or university, and the application process is supported by a comprehensive college counseling program. Of the class of 2017, 89% went directly on to college or university, with 8% completing Singapore's National Service requirement and 3% taking a gap year. Of those going directly on to college, 85% chose a US institution, 6% went to Canada, and the remainder attended British, Australian, and Asian universities.

Co-curricular and extracurricular activities

Athletics

SAS offers physical education classes across all divisions, starting with perceptual motor classes in the early grades. Younger students may participate in after-school sports through the Elementary Activities and Athletics program, which offers weekday, pay-as-you-go classes such as soccer, baseball, and karate.
Middle school students have PE every second day. The all-inclusive MS after-school program includes many sports opportunities. Representative teams in soccer, cross-country, rugby, badminton, basketball, volleyball, track and field, tennis and swimming require try-outs and compete against other teams in the Athletic Conference of Singapore International Schools, of which SAS is a founding member. Clubs and intramural teams offer climbing, ultimate frisbee, soccer, lacrosse, table-tennis, dodgeball, basketball, volleyball, and cricket.
High school athletes try out for boys’ and girls’ freshman/reserve, junior varsity, and varsity teams, depending on age and ability. Sports include cross-country, soccer, volleyball, basketball, rugby, touch rugby, swimming, tennis, badminton, golf, softball, and track and field. Teams compete against ACSIS teams, teams from local schools, community teams, and sometimes teams from other international schools in the region. Besides playing locally, varsity teams participate in the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asia. This organization, composed of six international schools with similar histories, was founded in 1982 to provide an organized, co-ordinated athletic conference for international competitions. Besides SAS, IASAS includes the International School of Kuala Lumpur, the International School of Bangkok, the Intercultural School of Jakarta, the International School of Manila, and Taipei American School. Each sport's season culminates with a competitive final tournament at one of the IASAS schools, hosted on a rotating schedule. Students stay with host school families, and develop both rivalries and friendships with the competition.
SAS students have many other sporting options. The SAS Community Sports and Activities program offers sports such as baseball, swimming, volleyball, and soccer after school and on weekends. American football enthusiasts can play in the Singapore American Football League, organized by the Singapore American Community Action Council. Many SAS students participate in local teams and leagues, or take lessons from private coaches or through Singapore social clubs such as the American Club.

Extra-curricular clubs and activities

Students in the elementary school have a range of after-school options available to them through the EAA program. This provides pay-as-you-go participation in a number of extra classes in areas such as music, arts and crafts, and cooking.
Middle school students participate in teacher-led after-school activities at no extra cost. These include activities such as Caring for Cambodia, National History Day Club, Chess Club, Spanish Language Club, and Junior Model United Nations. Middle school students may also audition for the annual fall dance show and the annual spring play or musical. SAS National History Day Club students won prizes in the Junior Group Project division at the National History Day competitions in 2015 and 2016.
High school students run and participate in more than ninety clubs, organizations, and activities. These span a wide variety of interests and talents, and include athletic clubs, academic honor societies, academic interest clubs, environmental clubs, fine arts activities, language and cultural clubs, media and publications, music, dance, and theatre performances, service clubs, social clubs, and student government. SAS high school students participate in Model United Nations and compete in a variety of math competitions as well as Knowledge Bowl and Academic Quiz Club. Students compete in debate and forensics in the annual IASAS Cultural Conventions, which also include dance, drama, art and music. Student editors of The Eye school newspaper won the Straits Times National Youth Media Competition in 2014. In June 2017, six SAS high school students were the first in Singapore to send a science experiment to the International Space Station.

Community service

Community service has been part of the SAS experience since students began volunteering at a local hospital in the 1960s. Currently, the emphasis at all levels is for students to have hands-on service experiences. Elementary students participate in local charities’ efforts by visiting local schools and care homes and conducting fund-raisers like walkathons and readathons. Middle school students support causes they learn about in social studies and science classes, and also design independent service projects. Over half the high school extracurricular organizations are service clubs, such as Migrant Workers Outreach Program, Leprosy Home, Blue Planet Initiative, Medical Explorers Club, Global Issues Network, and Youth for Girls. Elected high school students make up the Executive Service Council, an umbrella organization providing logistical and funding support for service clubs. Student fundraisers, parent organizations, and philanthropic donors also provide funding for service club efforts.

Environmental initiatives

SAS incorporates environmental initiatives in its facilities planning and classroom activities. Sustainability measures include a large photovoltaic array, the conversion of a formerly air-conditioned cafeteria to an open-air space, enhancements to the school's rain forest and eco-garden, and the installation of low-flow faucets, more efficient chillers, and "green walls." The school's one-megawatt solar photovoltaic system includes nearly 3,500 panels on the school's rooftops, and earned the school a 2013 Solar Pioneer Award from Singapore's Economic Development Board. Singapore's Building and Construction Association awarded SAS a Green Mark "Gold" Award for sustainability in 2013. Student participation in the school's sustainability includes science projects studying how to cut down on paper-towel usage, student clubs running recycling efforts, and students helping with island-wide efforts such as the annual Coastal Cleanup Day.

Food services

SAS students eat in three cafeterias: the elementary school cafeteria for grades K-2; the elementary-middle school cafeteria for grades 3–8; and the high school cafeteria, where the early learning centre children also eat in a designated area. Food provider Hoe Brothers Catering has been working with the school since the 1960s, and alumni remember signature dishes with fondness. High school students also have the choice of purchasing food from on-campus outlets such as Subway and Baja Fresh.
The SAS cafeterias provide a variety of meals, including Asian, Western, and vegetarian options. Younger students buy set meals, while older students can choose from set meals or a la carte items. SAS works with a school nutritionist, and in recent years has moved toward alignment with USDA standards for school meals and snacks. Healthy changes include increasing amounts of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in meals, using healthier oils and less sugar and salt, and eliminating sodas and sugary drinks from campus. In 2014, these changes were featured in an episode of MediaCorp Channel 5's TV show The Food Detectives.

Parent support organizations

SAS Parent Teacher Association (PTA)

The PTA was founded in the same year as the school, and continues to encourage community participation in school events and support student learning opportunities. It is a separate legal entity with an elected board, and membership is automatic for school families and faculty members. The PTA organizes classroom holiday parties, field trip chaperones, and special community events such as the Open House Ice Cream Social, the International Fair, and informative parent coffees. Volunteers also run the on-campus uniform store. Funds raised by the PTA support visiting authors and artists, library acquisitions, and scholarships.

SAS Eagles Booster Club

The SAS Eagles Booster Club is a parent organization that supports SAS high school students. It started in 1985 to support student athletic teams, and quickly expanded its mission to include boosting school spirit and promoting teamwork and sportsmanship. Volunteers run the Booster Booth, which sells high school uniforms, spirit items, and school supplies. They also organize barbecues, spirit events, scholar luncheons, and the annual Trivia Night. Funds raised by the Boosters are used to support student clubs, productions, and teams, recognize academic achievements, and provide scholarships.

School facilities

SAS occupies a 36-acre parcel of land near Singapore's northern coast. Opened in 1996 and expanded in 2004, the Woodlands campus is divided into three divisions: the elementary school for preschool through grade 5; the middle school for grades 6–8; and the high school for grades 9–12. School facilities include air-conditioned classrooms and purpose-designed spaces for science, language, music, drama, dance, art and cooking classes. The campus is about a 25-minute drive from downtown Singapore.
Other facilities of note include: