Fast Facts - Singapore American School

Singapore American SchoolThings to Know as School BeginsThe first day of school can be frightening. Even returning students are uncomfortable on the firstday as they try to find their new classes. It’s normal for you to feel a little scared. If you are here for thefirst day of school in August, don’t worry!Your Peer Support buddy will try to call or be in touch with you and arrange to meet you. Unfortunately,since most students ride the bus to school, often there are only a few minutes between the timethe buses arrive and the beginning of school. If you’re supposed to meet your Peer Supporter and he orshe doesn’t show up, please stop by the counseling office when you arrive at school.Location of RoomsAs you’ve undoubtedly noticed, the campus of SAS is large and sprawling. Many new studentsare afraid that they will never find their way around. Trust us, you will.High school academic classrooms are preceded with the letter “H” signifying they are in the mainsection of the high school. “S” precedes rooms in the sports, music, theater, business and careers areas.The first digit of the room number indicates which floor your class is on. The Counseling Office is inroom H300, which means that it is in the high school area and on the third floor, directly above the HighSchool main office. Other parts of the campus also have other letters preceding the classroom numbers.If you’re standing in front of a door with an “M” over it, you’re in the middle school! There are signsaround the halls pointing you in the right direction.If you’re afraid you’ll get lost as you’re trying to find your rooms, try not to worry. SAS teachersare very understanding with new students as they try to navigate the halls. If you’re a little late, justsmile and say, “Sorry, I’m new and got a little lost.”SAS students are friendly and will help point you in the right direction if you need help findingyour way to a room. You can always stop in the Counseling Office as well.HomebaseYour homebase teacher’s name and room number is listed on your schedule. Homebase is a “class”used for administrative purposes. It occurs first thing in the morning, and will be held only during thefirst week of school, the first day of semester two, and a few other times during the year. Students areassigned to homebase by grade and last name. We will use the homebase schedule for the first week ofschool, and then switch to the regular school schedule.The Morning Show begins the SAS school day. Broadcasting from our in-school TV studio, studentsin the Video Journalism class serve as news anchors and bring students up to date on news andannouncements. Because we have so many activities at SAS, all news items are not read on the air. Aprinted copy of the daily bulletin is available from your first period teacher, on the SAS website andinformation is displayed on the TVs in the cafeteria and near the Principal’s Office. Do take the time toread the bulletin each day so you’ll know about meetings, tryouts, and other school activities.LockersAll students are able to request a locker to keep books, umbrellas or other items they don’t wantto carry around. Many students prefer to use a backpack and don’t request a locker. If you want a locker,your homebase teacher or the high school office can explain how to get one. All lockers must use schoolissued locks. They are the school’s property and can be open if needed by the administration.If you are in a PE class or athletics, your teacher or coach will provide you with a PE locker. Obviouslyyou should use your PE locker and not share a locker combination with anyone. Some studentsare careless about leaving their valuables lying around. While stealing isn’t a big problem here, you musttake care of your phone, laptop, and other valuables or you risk losing them.4