Each year when we return to school I share a message with our faculty about the coming year. We typically spend time talking about our strategic goals and big initiatives for the year. This year I decided to focus on what I see as the "special sauce" of SAS—the heart.
At SAS we believe the best work happens for our students at the cross-section of a culture of extraordinary care, a culture of excellence, and a culture of possibilities. The intersection of these three strategic anchors is where we serve our students each and every day. And to do this, and do it really well—it takes heart.
Excellence is achieved through hard work, practice, and persistence. Excellence is never achieved through talent alone. This level of commitment and hard work takes heart. Whether a student practicing for a performance or studying for a test, or a teacher perfecting their craft in the classroom—excellence takes hard work and practice—it takes heart.
Realizing the possibilities by fulfilling our potential is achieved by taking formidable risks. Nobody has ever achieved greatness by staying in their comfort zone. Taking risks is hard and scary, and to push ourselves outside of our comfort zone - it takes heart.
And extraordinary care, the most significant of our cultural anchors, is about courageous love. This is showing love and care when it is hard. This means going beyond what is sometimes comfortable or even fair, and caring when they don't deserve it, or haven't treated us well. This kind of love, courageous love, takes heart.
Our community is filled with people serving from the heart. I have had countless conversations with alumni, parents, and students who all talk about what makes SAS special. SAS is unique among its peers, and it's not simply because of our academic results, or wide range of activities. We are unique because our mission and vision are driven by the heart.
Whether you are a returning family who has been here 10 years or a new family just joining us I want to invite you to bring your heart to our school this year. We know that this is the "special sauce" of SAS, and we are excited about being in this community with you.
This is going to be a fantastic year!
from Singapore American School https://ift.tt/2MtFzMR
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