SAS Foundation Impact Report 2014-15

SAS FOUNDATION

Impact Report SAS Office of Advancement 40 Woodlands Street 41 Singapore + 6 5 6 3 6 0 6 3 ​3 4 • s a s f o u n d a t i o n @ s a s . e d u . s g • s a s . e d u . s g / g i v i n g

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Thank you for helping to shape the future of Singapore American School.

2014-15 was a remarkable year. It is to you, our generous donors, that we send a huge and heartfelt thank you! Every gift makes a difference for our students, and your generosity is felt throughout the school.

Places

The SAS Rainforest In 2015, SAS parents, alumni, faculty, and staff came together to raise over $300,000 to protect and restore the 1.58 acre campus rainforest and ultimately, to advance the education, research, and learning opportunities for our students.

Work on a land survey was completed over the summer holiday, and a health check on

over 200 trees on campus is underway. The SAS facilities team is concurrently seeking proposals for irrigation systems, the first phase to be funded through philanthropy. Steve Early, high school biology teacher and faculty leader on this project, said,“We are so thankful for the gifts from the SAS Foundations that will

transform this unique outdoor learning space for our students today and in the future.” This project has strengthened our partnership with the Singapore Botanic Gardens, recently named a UNESCO heritage site.

throughout the stage and auditorium to offer performers and the audience a complete, customizable acoustic experience. Learning will be enhanced for our students who work behind the scenes. A first of its kind in Southeast

Asia, this new system allows programming for multiple types of performances and will maximize the community’s use of the auditorium.

Places

Constellation Acoustic System Thanks to the generosity of an alumni family, our community will benefit from a new Constellation acoustic system in the SAS auditorium. This state-of-the-art acoustic system will electronically wire sound

“We conducted research for a long time to find a theater system that really fits all our needs for different productions. We are proud and excited to have this resource for our student performers in theater, dance, orchestra, band, and choir, and for our parents and students who support them in the audience.” - Paula Silverman, theater manager

Places

Makerspaces On a typical day at Singapore American School, students can explore the inside of a human heart or assemble a jet engine, all through the use of zSpace virtual reality technology. This technology was brought to SAS thanks to generous support

from SAS parents, alumni, and friends. Students across all three divisions (elementary, middle, and high schools) have access to this technology, and teachers can draw from over 250 activities created by zSpace’s team of educators. SAS

Foundation funding allowed the school to purchase four zSpace systems, along with many other technologies that strengthen SAS’ commitment to innovation.

Singapore American School has exceptional faculty with experience teaching in many parts of the world.

The school Professional Development encourages our faculty in their pursuit of excellence by supporting their professional development that enhances lifelong learning.

Foundation funding plays an important role in providing high-quality opportunities for faculty.

And last year, your support provided many such opportunities.

to a special gift from an SAS family. RTI is a modern, multi-tier approach to accelerate students’ learning rates by extending the standard curriculum and providing additional support. While the RTI methodology of teaching and learning is common practice in US schools today, SAS will make a significant investment to bring the best US speakers and facilitators to Singapore to increase faculty understanding, create stronger identification systems for intervention and acceleration, and to adapt this methodology for the SAS culture of excellence.

People

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Some of the recent notable professional development opportunities funded by gifts from the SAS Foundation are: •

Professional development will receive a boost over the next three years for Response to Intervention (RTI) thanks

The high school division was the first of the three divisions to launch a multi-year research and development process. An SAS team visited innovative schools of excellence worldwide to identify common themes. Among schools where students are challenged to perform at the highest levels, we found that the best schools were supporting the emotional needs of the child, and not just their academic needs. Through the generous support of

SAS Foundation donors, we engaged a consultant from the Wildwood School, a world-renowned independent school in Los Angeles, to advise high school faculty and division leaders, and to build their capacity to successfully implement an advisory program for grades 9 through 12 that is now in its first year.

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Foundation support also enabled SAS faculty to participate in the Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS) conference in Aberdeen, Scotland. This workshop was designed for music educators to learn from masters and hone aspects of their craft, such as standards-based assessment and technology use in the music classroom.

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Other notable professional development opportunities supported by SAS Foundation funding included visits from Greg Duncan, an expert in the development of world language proficiency levels, and the Buck Institute for Education, a world leader in project-based learning and inquiry.

Programs

National History Day

Generous gifts to the SAS Foundations have recently supported our culture of possibilities through SAS’ participation in the National History Day competition. Participating in the National History Day program is a typical middle school experience in the United States, starting with a a regional competition, followed by state and national competitions. Students there create displays and commute locally to participate.

In an international school setting, participating in National History Day is expensive for students and for the school. The regional competition is in Jakarta, so display boards must be shipped and airline tickets must be booked. If selected for the national competition, those displays must be shipped to the US, so significant travel expenses are incurred.

In 2015, Foundation funding allowed SAS to take eight teams and their faculty advisor to the national competition in Washington D.C. Remarkably, two of our teams placed first and second. This was the first time SAS received the top honor, and the first time a school in Southeast Asia has been awarded the top prize.

“While it is amazing to win or place at a National History Day competition, the benefits of the program go far beyond any medal or prize. Students learn how to research, to conduct interviews, to make historical analysis, and to work with a group. They learn that having a passion for history and their learning can be as rewarding as playing on a soccer team or performing in a play. Their lives will be forever shaped by the National History Day experience because they learn to examine trends, connections, and relationships in history. Students gain a sophisticated appreciation for the past and how it influences the future.” - Matthew Elms, eighth grade social studies teacher and NHD advisor

Programs

Service Learning Service learning is a critical component of the SAS curriculum, so the SAS Foundations are proud to provide funds that support and enhance the program schoolwide. In the elementary school, kindergarten students visit the Adventist Nursing & Rehabilitation Centre

to assist patients with play-doh therapy to strengthen their hands. Second-graders spend their year as “Service Superstars,” and one of the highlights of the year is a field trip to NTUC FairPrice supermarket to purchase food items for Singaporeans in need. Students learn math skills

while helping others. Fifth graders visit Christalite Methodist Home to sing songs and work on projects with the elderly residents. Your gifts to the SAS Foundations fund bus transportation and incremental expenses for these service learning trips throughout the year.

The following is a partial list of other SAS Foundation-funded initiatives in 2014-15 • • • • • • •

Academic Quiz Club Visit from Robyn Treyvaud, online safety and digital citizenship expert High school service council High school and middle school Robotics clubs Kindermusik in the early childhood center Visit by Michael Thompson, consultant, author, and psychologist specializing in children and families SAS participation in the International History Bee

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Singapore Symphony Orchestra campus visit Catalyst Projects Registration and accommodation for 20 students attending the Model UN competition in Chennai, India Visit from Karen Lacey, guest artist for dance Visit from Danz People, an Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools (IASAS) dance workshop

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Wacom tablet for high school art Community Crisis Response team training Harvard Model Congress TEDx conference Elementary service learning with Innova Primary School High school golf team supplies and green fees High school tennis and basketball uniforms Second Grade Asia Fest