How long has your family been part of the Singapore American School community?
We started with SAS in the second semester of the 2012-13 school year. By the time our son was ready to go to school we had visited just about every international school in Singapore. We were seeking the best fit for our son who is deaf. SAS stood out. For starters, Dr. Karen Wong Chin was working in the kindergarten, having previously taught at Gallaudet University (a private university for the deaf in Washington D.C.). Dr Chin helped us to develop a 'start as you mean to go along' approach working closely with each of the SAS teaching staff that were interacting with our son and ensuring that everyone was across how to use the microphone that 'beams' the wearer's voice direct to his hearing devices.
Tell us why you volunteer at SAS?
We have three children at the elementary school. I have volunteered each year to be a room parent. I also volunteered last year to collect and count tickets for the International Fair and to be on the committee for the planning and execution of the Staff Appreciation Day (lots of fun, especially hanging all those plates!). This year I am helping out with sausage rolls and chipping in with some sweat at the Australian Booth at the upcoming International Fair. I found that once I started as a room parent I got to meet members of the PTA and was inspired to volunteer and support other events. It's a busy stage of life juggling family and work however, I think these small indirect contributions matter. It's the pebble effect.
What excites you about the education at SAS?
On a personal level, for our family it comes down to the "exceptional care' offered by teaching staff and SAS administration. This year, in particular, as the curriculum load increases for our son and his ability to access more complex learning intensifies we have found SAS digging deep to work with us. We are deeply grateful for the involvement and commitment from all of those who interact with our child ( Amanda Wood (Deputy Principal (2-3)), Marco Martinez (Counsellor), Tzung-Mei Jang (Speech Language Pathologist) and Ms Felice Dougherty (Second Grade teacher) just to name a few!). Last year we attended the screening of Changing Education from the Inside Out which followed the school's journey into researching, developing and implementing curriculum and other changes throughout all grade levels at SAS. It was exciting to see some vigorous debate in the room and the video itself provided a great overview of what we can expect to see rolled out in the near future. Earlier this year we attended the State of the School address which provided a backdrop to funding demands and outlined how resources are being allocated. Dr Kimball also addressed proposed changes to the composition of the school board and how this will benefit students. We really admire the reflection process that SAS continues to undertake.
Why do you choose to support the SAS Foundation?
We specifically chose SAS for both the support services it offers and the commitment the school was prepared to make in the management of our son's hearing devices. SAS continues to work with us to implement protocols for device handling (as each year seems to bring new and better technology) and helping our child help himself to become the best advocate he can be for his hearing impairment. We want to directly contribute to support services funding because these services have made the world of difference to our son and it's our small way to say "thank you".
Why is it important for the community to support SAS?
As SAS begins to implement some of the changes highlighted by Dr Kimball in his recent talks, I think parent involvement is even more essential. Some of these changes promise to look and feel different to how we learned when we were back at school (oh, so long ago!). If we are disconnected from what is going on in our children's school and the community which surrounds them, how can be engaged in their learning? As parents of a child with a disability we came to know a bit about early intervention and parent involvement, however, once our son went off to SAS the importance of the 'school -parent' connection really became clear. We have found this with SAS.
from Singapore American School http://ift.tt/2r4rASw
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