How long has your family been in Singapore and part of SAS?
Shumit: We've been in Singapore for nine years, having been relocated here twice. We've lived in Germany, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, and Thailand, and our two boys are in seventh and ninth grade.
What brought you to Singapore and SAS?
Ritu: Shumit's work brought us back to Singapore, a country we'd grown to love in our first stint here. SAS was a natural choice as our children were in IASAS schools before and were very comfortable with the academic system, we'd heard positive feedback about SAS from friends with children here, and our boys had friends already studying at SAS. It also helped to learn that SAS truly provided the learning environment we wanted our children to grow in.
What excites you about the education at SAS?
Shumit: The holistic learning experience that prepares our children for the future. We're glad that the onus is put on students to recognise and take advantage of the tremendous resources and opportunities at SAS. Our children's learning environment positively influences them to be confident, articulate, and well-rounded. All their teachers are deeply attentive to nurturing their capabilities and are very supportive. They inspire children to be passionate and soar in multiple disciplines, be it nurturing their theatre passion through the International Schools Theatre Association Program, persevering on a BB8 robot project all summer, or mentoring a film assignment that won a Singapore International Film Festival award. We want our children to always be the best possible versions of themselves, and to stay positive, content, compassionate, embrace change, and be lifelong learners. We are heartened to see these values nurtured at school through the SAS vision and core values.
Why and how do you support SAS?
Ritu: Volunteering at school is a natural progression of our family's belief in making a difference in the community and building the environment our children grow in—a reward in itself. SAS offers so many ways to volunteer, so it is hard not to find something to suit you and of course meet wonderful friends. I began as a book fair and used books sale volunteer, then as a room parent, a welcome buddy to new families, and at the International Fair 2016. It was memorable platform to lead my home country's efforts to build our community and make deeper connections to the SAS community. I now volunteer with the PTA Welcome Committee to help new families transition into SAS and will also lead a new initiative this year called SAS Spirit. Our boys pitch in at Peer Counsel and Peer Support in their respective divisions to help new peers on campus. We also began contributing to the SAS Foundation last year.
Why is it important for the community to support SAS?
Shumit: SAS's large, diverse school community enriches us and our children, helping them become better global citizens, open-minded, compassionate, and adaptable. We hope these values can help make their future world safer and peaceful. Besides volunteering, giving to the SAS Foundation is another opportunity to enrich our children's world with options to give at any comfort level. Seeing some of the stellar work our donation monies were being used for and learning how it directly impacts students began our belief in making a gift to the SAS Foundation and joining the Eagle Society.
Ritu: Receiving a personalised thank-you note from a student who had benefited from our donation was a sweet reminder that we all have choices to make, and that we can teach our kids to recognise theirs. As Dumbledore puts it, "It is our choices, Harry, that show us who we truly are, far more than our abilities.
from Singapore American School http://ift.tt/2r4Xvlt
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