Principal’s Message – a beginning for the year 2010
Dear Parents/Guardians of
Students in ACS (Barker Road),
I take this opportunity
to wish you and your family a Blessed and God-filled 2010. As we begin the 2nd decade of the
21st Century, we can certainly hope and pray for better years than
we have had. We serve a loving and
faithful God and as long as we keep our trust in God, we can be certain that
His watch will be over us.
In 2009, we focused on
the theme of Running the Race with Perseverance and Hebrews 12: 1b, “… let us run
with perseverance the race that is marked out for us” as the theme verse. Focusing on this theme helped me as I ran my
first marathon last year. Despite
training since June for it, I began to suffer from cramps from the 28 km mark
onwards. Thoughts of stopping were
entertained each time I had to stop to stretch my hurting calves, but the theme
verse kept me pressing on as I felt that I had to literally practise the verse
in my life. Likewise, I hope the verse
challenged our young men to persevere in the challenges they faced.
For 2010, we will extend
the running theme as we believe that it is a powerful imagery. This year, the theme is Running the Race with
Confidence and the theme verse is, “,,, but they that wait upon the Lord shall
renew their strength. They shall mount
up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and
not be faint,” from Isaiah 40: 31. The
school has made good progress in a variety of ways over the past years and we
know that this has been possible because God’s favour has been upon us. With the theme verse, I hope to challenge our
young men to see that we can soar like eagles and have strength to face
challenges, provided we know how to keep our eyes focused on God and to trust
in Him. Over the course of the year, we
will continue to share key ideas of our daily “Thought for the Day” in our
website () so that you might
dialogue with your son/ward about what we hold firm in our beliefs.
Thank you for your support of Carnival ACS 3
We closed 2009 on a high
note with Carnival ACS 3. Besides
raising almost as much funds as we did in the previous carnivals, it was more
importantly, an opportunity for the ACS community to come together and for our
students to contribute to their school.
I was indeed very proud of our young men who worked tirelessly, most
over the past months and their enthusiasm was clearly seen and felt by all who
attended the Carnival. We were proud
that each was responsible to stay on to help in the cleaning up after the
event, which was done cheerfully and with haste. When the school assembled to sing our Anthem
and affirm God’s goodness, it was a “lump in the throat” moment to hear the
voracity of their singing after a long, tiring day. I also take this opportunity to thank you,
the many who donated of your resources and time. We are especially grateful to those who came
to help manage the various stalls. It
was also significant that we managed to sell everything without having to do
the “usual” price-slashing to clear stock.
Special thanks to parent volunteers from Family@Barker, who worked
alongside the school from planning to execution.
Cheers for the GCE ‘N’ Level Results
We give thanks to God for
the good ‘N’ Level results released on 18
December 2009. With the new and
more stringent criteria to qualify to do the GCE ‘O’ Level, namely, a score of
19 points or better for English, Mathematics and best 3 subjects; and at least a
Grade 5 for these subjects, our students did as well as our previous cohorts
with all but 2 returning to finish their 5th year with us. We congratulate Master Peeraphat Chew, who
attained Grade 1 for all 6 subjects that he took. Besides getting a perfect score, he was one
of the 3 top students in Singapore and has certainly done
the school proud. I hope his effort
would be a motivation to all our young men as they work towards excellence in
their academic work.
Upgrading of Facilities
As a result of the
efforts that parents, staff and students have put into the Carnival, one of the
things we were able to do this school holidays was to upgrade the facilities
for our students. Our students would
have noticed that the tennis and futsal courts have been resurfaced and the
fencing repaired. Besides these, we have
put in new sets of goal-posts for their enjoyment. In addition, we created some new rooms that
will allow for greater interaction and learning. These are:
1. Students’ Lounge – located at the former PE Office in the
Sports Complex. When completed by the
end of January, the students will have a place where they can “hang-out” after
school and strengthen friendships. Our students were involved in the conceptualization
of the use of the space and facilities, though a parent and old boy, Mr Gregory
Pong, helped in designing the space. I
am glad that we can create a space for students to be managed by the Students’
Council though in the presence of adult supervision. I am confident that our students will be
responsible in making good use of this space specially created for them.
2. Drama Studio – located at the Aesthetics Block. When completed at the end of this month, it
will be a place for our Speech and Drama classes as well as a permanent home
for the members of the Drama Club.
3. Learning Support Room – located at the Aesthetics Block.
This is designated for students who require the additional support from our
staff. This purpose-designed room is
intended to support students with learning challenges through their years in
the school.
4 Large-size lockers – located near the school canteen. These lockers will be assigned to students
who are involved in Bowling, Golf and Tennis so that their equipment can be
kept safely when they bring it to school on training/competition days.
5. New/retrofitted tables and chairs in all classrooms. After being used for almost 7 years, these
and the teacher’s table in the classrooms have been replaced. Henceforth, each student is assigned a table
and chair, which he would take care of.
We also want them to be able to create a personal space for themselves
at their desks and teachers will be guiding them through the process.
As we look into upgrading
and providing of new facilities and equipment, it is important that our young
men learn to take responsibility for what is within the school. As they care for their personal space and
community space, it is my hope that we will develop more civic-minded ACSians
who will care for our environment.
We have also taken our
students’ feedback that they would prefer to have their own classrooms. In agreeing to give them that personal space,
teachers will be encouraging students to take pride in their room, taking care
of all they are provided with. They have
also been told that any form of vandalism will be taken seriously and they will
have to make good any damage. However, I
am confident that our young men will not disappoint us. Should you have usable furniture that can
enhance their classroom, do have a word with your son’s Form Teacher.
Temperature Check on Thursday, 7 January
As a precautionary
measure, we will maintain visual scans of our students to identify those who
may be unwell. Besides this, to ensure
that our students are equipped and ready for a medical emergency, the school
will conduct our temperature check on Thursday, 7 January 2010. Teachers will be asking them to bring their
thermometers in on 6 January to ensure that all their thermometers are
working. I look to your support to check
your son’s/ward’s thermometer before then.
Many of you will remember
the challenge of H1N1 infections last year and the inconvenience posed when
your son had to be home quarantined. The
responsibility that we exercise with our son/ward will send a very strong and
clear message of the responsible attitude he should take.
Meeting with Parents of
Secondary 2 to 5 Students
In
order for me to share with you the directions the school will be taking and the
necessary actions you will need to take to support your son/ward in the coming
year, I want to invite you to join us for Meet the Principal and Teachers. The meeting will be held in the Mrs Lee Choon
Guan Concert Hall. The schedule is as
follows:
|
|
Day, Date and Time
|
|
Secondary 4 & 5
|
Friday, 29 January 2010 from 5 to 7 pm
|
|
Secondary 3
|
Saturday, 30 January from 8.30am to 10.30 am
|
|
Secondary 2
|
Saturday, 30 January from 10:00am to 12:00 nn
|
It
is important that we have this opportunity to address and meet you as I would
like to harness your support for what we want to do for the students of ACS (Barker Road). You would have seen the benefits of this
partnership over the past years and I am certain that your support of our
efforts will not only accelerate what we are able to achieve with your
son/ward, but also help to strengthen the bonds within your family.
Secondary One Intake
& Self-esteem
For
2010, the school will have 6 Express and 2 Normal
(Academic) classes. With a full
enrolment and a long list of students appealing to get in, ACS (Barker Road) is
indeed a school of choice for many. The
PSLE intake for the Express course ranged from 201 to 251. This reflects the highest cut-off and highest
PSLE score intake for ACS (Barker
Road) in the past few years with a
mean of 219. The Normal (Academic) students who have been
admitted also have better PSLE scores.
The cut-off was 174 compared to the previous norm of 155.
This
year, about a dozen students from our 2 feeder primary schools decided to join
us rather than ACS (I) although their PSLE scores were high. This interest was similarly reflected by
those who are appealing to join us, with PSLE scores as high as 250. All these reflect a greater confidence in
what ACS (Barker Road)
is able to do for our students, and I must acknowledge the good work and
dedication of the teachers we have. They
certainly make a great difference to our young men’s education.
Another
reason I take time to share this is that I want to urge all parents to remember
that the PSLE score is used for placement of children into secondary
schools. It is not a reflection of their
ability or their self-worth. Neither is
it a reflection of you as a parent. It
is my belief that as parents and teachers, we are stewards of the ones that God
has given us. Growing up as a teenager
will be challenging enough without having to bear the burden of struggling to
live up to imposed expectations. I want
for each and every ACS (Barker Road) student to strive to be the best that he
can be, because that is what he wants to be – an educated gentleman who is
God-fearing and growing in the grace of God. Furthermore, I believe each one is where God
wants him to be, because He knows the plans He has for us in order to prosper
us. Let’s look to celebrate your
son’s/ward’s years of learning and growing in ACS (Barker Road).
School Hours and
Time-table
Official
school hours will begin at 7:40am and generally end by 2:30pm on all
days except Wednesdays and Fridays when school will end at 1:30 pm. We will continue to adopt the 10-day
timetable cycle and your son/ward should take the responsibility to follow
it. For Sec 1 students, the Orientation
programme will be held this week while for the rest of the school, we are
having the Re-integration Programme on Monday and Tuesday to help them settle
back into school after the long school vacation.
Fee Schedule and CCA
Co-payment
By
the beginning of Week 3, you will receive from the school a fee schedule for
your son/ward for his various needs for the year. To avoid having to make numerous collections
which will take up precious teaching time, we hope to have your co-operation to
make these payments promptly. Many of
you did last year and it certainly made a difference for the school.
Should
there be any financial constraints that hamper your ability to make these
payments, please consult the Form Teacher and we will do our best to assist
with financial aid applications or deferred payment plans. Your son/ward would also be given a flyer on
Financial Assistance today. Please
peruse this and contact us should you want to apply for such support.
For
new students to the school, the school has the practice of involving parents in
making co-payments for CCAs which require additional coaches/instructors. This is particularly necessary in CCAs such
as the Chinese Orchestra, Band and Rugby
to name a few. This additional resource
will make a significant difference to support your son/ward in making the best
progress in his CCA of choice as we have noticed the positive effects of such
expertise. The good performance at competitions
also helps ensure that your son/ward will attain higher CCA points as it
contributes to his Achievement segment of LEAPS. Presently, the co-payment is set at a maximum
of $50 per month or $600 per year for the CCAs that require the additional
resource. We will maintain this for all
CCAs except for Bowling and Golf, where an additional charge will be levied
because of the high lane and green fees that players incur. While the co-payment helps pay for coaching
fees, the school will continue to support our students’ development in their CCAs
by paying for the rest of the total expenditure incurred by each CCA. We will not want to deprive your son/ward of
the opportunity of development. However,
if you do not wish to incur too much additional expense, you would want to get
him to enrol in CCAs that require smaller co-payments. Alternatively, you could apply for
consideration of other available funds by contacting the CCA teacher-in-charge.
Parking
Arrangement @ the Barker Road Campus
Transport Centre
Please note that designated red-lots have been
marked within the Transport Centre to facilitate parking for those who work in
the campus. Only vehicles with
designated staff labels will be allowed to park in these red-lots. Parents/Guardians are to use only the white
parking lots. Other designated
drop-off/pick-up points include the Chancery Lane Activity Area and Gate C,
along Barker
Road. We also urge that you refrain
from parking your vehicles outside the school gate or bus bay in such a way
that it obstructs the flow of traffic.
Such indiscriminate parking is also a danger to other road users. We ask that you serve as good role models for
our students by being considerate to others, especially residents of Barker Road.
Use of nTrix and Gmail
accounts for students
We
are glad to continue to receive positive feedback from parents/guardians who have
regularly used nTrix as an effective way of communicating with the school and monitoring
your son’s/ward’s progress in school.
All parents pay $1 a month towards the cost of using this system.
To
facilitate better learning processes through Information Technology, we will
issue all students with a gmail account.
This school specific account will facilitate greater communication
amongst teachers and students besides the greater sharing of learning
resources. An additional benefit of this
system is that your son/ward will be able to store and archive his achievements
over the years he is in ACS(BR) and build a portfolio that will support him
when he applies for job attachments, DSA or scholarships. For this year, the school will absorb the
cost of hosting this site and the accounts for the students. If costs go up, parents/guardians will be
asked to co-pay for this service that benefits him.
Due to the
downloading of data from MOE, the system will start to operate from Week 3
onwards. The URL for the portal is: http://nTRIX.acsbr.net. Alternatively, the link and other additional
information can be found on the school website: .
Teacher Work Attachment
To
ensure that we are able to keep abreast with understanding the needs of work
life outside the school, our teaching and non-teaching staff would benefit
greatly from a short stint of Work Attachment.
In 2010, we are looking towards you, the parents/guardians, to help
provide and facilitate the opportunity for such learning. My intention is for every staff member to
spend at least 2 days, attached to your organisation. Having managed this before in ACS (Junior)
when I was Principal, I know how much teachers would gain from this
experience. As they bring back the
knowledge and experience gained, it will translate into programmes and activities
that will benefit our students.
Our
intentions over time will be to also create opportunity for all our students to
eventually have a 1-week Work Attachment as part of his education in ACS (Barker Road). Towards this end, we are looking to pilot
this with a group of seventy Sec 3 students from 1 March – 5 March 2010.
I
am sharing these intentions for you to begin to consider how you might support
us in our efforts. Towards the end of
January, I will be soliciting your offers for our students and staff to be
involved in Work Attachment. For the
latter, it will occur during the 1st week of the school holidays in
your organisation, or in an organisation you can assist us in making
arrangements for. Do communicate with me
via email, peter_tan@acsbr.org if you
have good ideas or suggestions concerning this initiative.
The ACS (Barker Road) Gentleman
As
I bring this letter to a close, I apologise that it is rather long. However, it is important at the start of the
year to share some of this information with you. Over the course of the year, I will continue
to update and communicate with you about our initiatives and developments. Parents/Guardians have given me feedback that
such communication has been helpful in keeping abreast with what happens in the
school.
Finally,
I am proud to say that our young men have become more and more responsible in
attitude and behaviour over the years.
The school’s vision is that ACS (Barker Road) will
nurture “Generations of educated men who are God-fearing and growing in
Grace.” This is a lofty vision which we
believe we will achieve with God’s help and the co-operation of our
community. We have been affirming our
students and speaking into their souls that they will be ACS Gentlemen that
will make them distinctive in a positive manner as they live “The Barker
Way”. We began using this last year to
signify the way they should be, displaying Respect, Integrity, Commitment and
Excellence – our school’s values.
As
I complete my second year as Principal of ACS (Barker Road), I must
share that I have been greatly encouraged and energised by the passion and
drive of the ACS (Barker
Road) community – staff, students and
parents. For our staff, some have
weathered many storms and challenges in the past years, but they faithfully
heed the call to be educators. The
strong support from parents, particularly those in Family@Barker certainly
makes a great difference, as I have had to remind some parents that teachers
are also human and while they exercise their roles professionally, they also
have their own families together with the challenges and joys. Despite challenges like H1N1, 2009 was a very
good year. I am hopeful that together,
we will make the difference in the lives of our gentlemen for with God as our
help, The Best Is Yet To Be!
Yours
sincerely,
Peter
Tan Chong Tze
Principal
