I am pleased to share that Singapore American School is the beneficiary of another banner year of philanthropy. The boards of the school’s two supporting foundations recently voted to grant a total of nearly S$2 million for the benefit of its students and faculty in academic year 2017-18, with another S$300,000 to be granted in September to round out the full complement of funding for next school year. This represents approximately five percent of the school’s non-personnel budget and is in addition to a first-ever $1 million distribution from the endowment.

The funds will support essential initiatives, including:

• Training for Chinese language teachers to expand the Chinese language immersion program into first grade in the 2018-19 year
• Enhanced opportunities for personalized and hands-on learning school-wide, with gifts supporting “innovation interns” in the elementary and middle schools and the development of and staffing for advanced topic courses in the high school
• Improved social and emotional support for high students through funding for the high school’s advisory program as well as specific professional development for personal and academic counselors
• Upgraded out-of-school experiences (such as Classrooms without Walls and other field trips) for middle school students, including lower faculty-to-student ratios

Foundation funding will also directly support arts, athletics, and clubs in all three divisions, need-based travel awards for students whose curricular and extracurricular activities take them outside of Singapore, service learning trips for elementary classrooms, college counseling, support services, professional development, and more. Finally, a large gift from the school’s Parent Teacher Association, combined with additional support from the SAS Foundation, will support the continuation of the popular academic visitors-in-residence program which brings internationally recognized authors, visual artists, illustrators, musicians, playwrights, directors, and other professionals to work side by side with faculty and students throughout the year.

I hope you will join me in celebrating the work of our community—donors, volunteers, faculty and leadership—that makes these things possible. If you would like to learn more about the role of the SAS Foundation at school, please contact me at smorris@sas.edu.sg, or +65 6360 6303.