Dear Parents/Guardian,

Today marks the beginning of a new academic year and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all pupils and parents back to school; a warm welcome to parents of our Primary 1 pupils and all those who have just joined the ACS family.

2007 promises to be another year of enriching experiences for the pupils. Your child/ward will be engaged in programmes and activities that will widen his scope of learning. We believe in providing a well-rounded education so that “every ACSian (can be) a young man of character, capability and creativity”. To do this, we need your continued support and I would to invite parents to be partners in the education of the pupils, especially in the character development of our pupils.

It is my practice to remind our partners of a few important matters in this first letter of the year and to highlight a few key upcoming events:
1. Access to Barker Road Campus

In 2005, we had introduced the Security Pass System to monitor and manage movement within the Campus by issuing a security pass to every household. This pass authorizes the holder to have access into the Campus without the need to exchange for a visitor pass. If you have not applied, please remember to do so at the General Office.

We understand that these necessary measures may cause some inconveniences to you but we seek your support, cooperation and understanding to make the implementation of these security measures in the Barker Road Campus a success.

2. Pupils Leaving School Before The Official Dismissal Times

I would like to draw your attention to a procedure that the school has put in place to ensure the safety of all the pupils in the school. Parents/Guardian who wish to take their son/ward out of school earlier than the official dismissal time must get the approval of the Principal/Vice-Principal. If your son/ward is not feeling well, the office will contact you and parents/guardian need to come to the General Office to fill in a Security Clearance Form before picking up your son/ward from the office. At no time should you go straight to your son’s/ward’s classroom; the Classroom Block is strictly out of bounds to all parents/guardians. I am sure you can understand why the school needs to be vigilant in this area.

3. Contacting the School Personnel

If you wish to speak with any of the school staff, just call the General Office at 62501633. Our Clerical Officer will assist you and provide the appropriate extension of the person you wish to speak to. When contacting the teachers, it will be good to refer to your child’s time-table so that you will be able to speak to the teacher when he/she is free. I also invite you to write a note to the teacher requesting for an appropriate time where you can either call or meet up with him/ her. You may also send an email to the teacher concerned. The email addresses are available on the school website http://www.anglochinesepri.moe.edu.sg .

4. SEED English Training Workshops – Monday, 8 January 2007

The SEED English Training Workshops organized by MOE will be held at the Concert Hall, ACS Barker Road Campus, on Monday, 8 January 2007 . 450 teachers are expected to attend the morning session from 8.00am to 12.00pm and 250 teachers are expected to attend the afternoon session from 2.00pm to 5.30pm . These teachers have been requested to park along Barker Road and at Level 1 Transport Centre. The Student Activity Area at Chancery Lane will also be used as a carpark only for this special event.

Please be reminded that only vehicles with authorized carpark labels for the Workshop will be allowed to park at Level 1 Transport Centre and the Student Activity Area. We expect heavy traffic flow in the morning and afternoon at Dunearn Road , Level 1 Transport Centre and along Barker Road .

We seek your cooperation to avoid using these areas from 7.30am and 1.30pm onwards to ease the traffic situation. Please also be informed that you will not be allowed to park at Level 1 Transport Centre as we have to cater to the parking facilities of the teachers who will be attending this workshop.

5. Methodist Walk – Saturday, 7 April 2007

Methodist Schools’ Foundation will be organizing a Methodist Walk on Saturday, 7 April 2007 . More details and how every pupil can be a part of this event will be given in a separate letter at a later date.

6. Carnival ACS 2 – Saturday, 30 June 2007

To ensure that the quality education for our ACS boys is not hampered by the lack of funds, ACS(P) and ACS( Barker Road ) have decided to organize Carnival ACS 2 on Saturday, 30 June 2007 . We are thankful to our parents and staff who have started the planning work way back in 2006. More details and how every pupil can be part of this exciting event will be given in a separate letter at a later date.

7. Co-Curricular Activities (CCA)

For your information, CCA Day in 2007 is on Fridays. The 2007 CCA list will be given to you on Monday, 8 January 2007 and CCA will commence in Week 3. Dismissal time on Friday is 1.30pm and CCA will begin from 2.30pm .

We hope that the CCA Day on a Friday will enable our pupils to attend and enjoy their CCA at the end of the week. The next day being the weekend will give the pupils more time to rest and catch up with their homework (if any).

It has been said that it takes a whole village to raise a child. May I invite you to be partners in the education of the pupils – there are many areas where you can serve – e.g as Life skills Teacher, Support Teacher, Teacher Aide, Library Parent. Please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Grace Khoo (Vice-Principal) or Mrs Sharon Ho (Chairperson, Parent Support Group) if you would like to find out more about the various avenues where you to serve the school.

Let us continue to work together for the good of the pupils, believing that The Best Is Yet To Be!