This feature was first published in Journeys Winter 2019.
This article was written by communications writer Didi Hari Krishnan.

Extraordinary care is at the core of what we do at Singapore American School. We strive to create an atmosphere where students feel safe and connected as they maneuver their way through the daily academic and personal challenges they may face at school.

With over 900 students navigating the middle school hallways on the first day, emotions are at an all-time high. The transition from elementary school to middle school can
 be overwhelming. Countless questions. A plethora of choices. What’s my next class? How
 do I get there? Where do I go for lunch? Students could find themselves lost in the big school setting. How do we help make our large school feel smaller so students can feel known, valued, and like they belong? 

ADVISORY

Advisory strives to create an atmosphere of trust where students feel safe to discuss a wide range of academic and personal matters, helping to balance the rigorous academic demands of the Singapore American School experience. Every student is known, advocated, and cared for in the advisory program. As a smaller group, it offers formal and informal layers of support for students to build a strong and trusting connection with the advisor. All students in an advisory meet at the start of every school day and are supported by their advisor(s). 

During advisory, students: 
    •    learn about weekly events that take place in middle school 

    •    participate in team activities 

    •    experience social-emotional learning 
lessons that connect with the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning standards (CASEL) take place twice a week where students are able to connect their social-emotional lessons with the SAS core values: compassion, fairness, honesty, respect, and responsibility

HOUSE SYSTEM
You’ve heard the house cheers...
Ain’t no house like an Andor house! Can lah, win lah, Aquila!
Step aside for Ethon pride!

The house system promotes team spirit, offering students an opportunity to connect with each other. Throughout the year, friendly competitions like spirit wear contests, field day, or Peer Council assemblies aim to amplify the spirit of camaraderie among students across grade levels. The roaring chants during the assemblies are proof that our students feel a sense of belonging and a greater sense of loyalty to their smaller community, their house.

WELL-BEING CHECK-INS
Every Thursday during advisory
Commenced in August 2019

This year we introduced a new tool that helps students reflect on their social-emotional well-being and helps us to ensure we are doing everything we can to meet our students’ social emotional needs. Our goal is to ensure that our students feel safe and supported as they travel through their middle school journey.

This tool takes the form of a weekly well-being check-in survey and in addition to prompting students to reflect on their stress, physical activity, sleep, technology
use and relationships, it provides an opportunity to reach out to a counselor for support. Middle school counselors use this data as another way to determine if there is a need to meet with students urgently or at a later date as well as design grade level or small group lessons. We anticipate that as we build the data set over time, we will be able to identify emotional times along with some of the drivers of that stress and put interventions in place prior to students experiencing elevated levels of stress.

Already this year the well-being check-in has helped our counselors to reach out to many students and offer support before those students would normally have been identified. This early intervention has helped students to manage their concerns before they became overwhelming.

PEER COUNCIL
Mission statement: Peer Council believes the middle school should be a place where students are accepted, heard, and are free to be themselves. Middle school experiences should allow students to learn, have fun, and reach beyond their comfort zones. Peer Council members
exhibit core values and strive to create a community that is inclusive, compassionate and one where its members develop positive relationships.

Peer Council members strive to create a vibrant environment for their peers through numerous school events and service projects. Extraordinary care extends beyond the classroom as Peer Council members welcome new Eagles during new student orientation, lending them a friendly ear and a helping hand during the transition process.

"Nothing stands out quite like the feeling of care in middle school. A genuine environment wrapped in warmth and friendliness makes these three years that are spent walking between red doors, some of the most memorable in school. Every student is recognized and is offered support by countless faculty and peers. Student bodies like Peer Council ensure that no one is left behind. Whether you're a returning Eagle or brand new to our campus, you always have support. Members of the Peer Council reach out to each and every one of the incoming students and offer support to returning students whenever needed. No matter what, you are cared for—that's what it means to be a part of the middle school here at Singapore American School."
—Kush Kapoor, tenth grade student

REGULAR KID CHATS
Eight or more educators meet weekly
Counselors work in collaboration with teaching teams to foster a positive team approach to their relationships with students to meet each student’s social, emotional, and academic needs. These meetings allow for collective engagement and collaboration among the teachers and counselors who already have a relationship with the student. Teams plan support, intervention strategies, and extension during kid chats.

CLUBS
Whether it's forming a rock band with the Middle School of Rock, scaling a wall in the climbing gym, or building miniature models of warriors and vehicles in Warhammer club—there is an after-school activity for every student in the middle school! It’s more than just academics. With over 300 after-school offerings throughout the school year, students are able to make stronger connections within the smaller group setting as they explore non-academic areas with others who share their interests.