Dover_Campus_Infant_School_Guide

Infant School Guide

MissionThe United World College movement makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. We educate individuals to take responsibility for shaping a better world.

VisionUWCSEA will be a leader in international education. We will have a worldwide reputation for providing a challeng-ing holistic education with an emphasis upon academic achievement, service to others, environmental steward-ship, teamwork and leadership.

Company Registration No. 197000825HCharity Registration No. 00142MICA (P) 027/10/2010Printed January 2011

Junior School Guide 1

Welcome to the Infant SchoolI would like to extend a warm welcome to our school community. We believe that the United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) offers tremendous opportunities for all students, whatever their age. The founder of the UWC movement, Kurt Hahn, believed in the motto ‘plus est en vous’ - ‘there is more in you than you think’, and our dedicated staff are committed to enabling our students to push the boundaries of their learning within a happy, safe and welcoming environment.

We want our Infant students to enter the next stage of their life, whether at UWCSEA or elsewhere, with a positive self image and the skills, attitudes, concepts and knowl-edge to enable them to succeed. Our aim is to promote a school culture where every child is valued for the positive contributions they make to our community. Our dedi-cated staff work hard to provide a broad-based, holistic curriculum for the children in their care. They embrace the ideals of the UWC movement and reflect these daily in their classrooms and through their support of our programmes.

I hope that the information in this guide inspires you to want become part of our vibrant school. We trust that everyone’s association with UWCSEA is a worthwhile and happy one, and we will strive to work with families to provide our students with a high-quality, well-rounded school experience. We see education as a partnership and parents are encouraged to be involved in many aspects of College life. This guide aims to give information about the Infant School as well as conveying the hopes we have for all of our students.

Kind regards,

Chris FensomPrincipal of Infant School - Dover Campus

2 Junior School Guide

Infant School staff

The Infant School is dedicated to provid-ing a range of diverse and creative learn-ing opportunities within a happy, safe and welcoming environment. We believe that parents are a child’s first teachers. By cultivating and maintaining strong home-school partnerships we will maximise learning outcomes for our students.

We want to nurture the natural curiosity of every child and grow his/her capacity for learning while taking into account indi-vidual personalities, talents and interests. Play and childrens’ predisposition to won-der lead logically into an inquiry-based approach to learning, where academic understandings develop in harmony with a full range of social, emotional, creative and physical skills.

We acknowledge the part that technology plays in enabling children to succeed with confidence in an ever-changing world. We are committed to keeping sight of the developmental needs of our students and providing sound educational foundations for learning and emotional health, espe-cially through play. We believe that by developing appropriate skills, attitudes, values and behaviours, we are preparing children to become well-rounded citizens and life-long learners.

We hope our students will: ● enjoy school and have fun ● develop a love of learning ● have the independence and confi-

dence to attempt new experiences and learn from their mistakes

● set their own goals and be responsi-ble for their own actions

● be proud of their achievements and strive to do their personal best

● be sensitive to the feelings, ideas and beliefs of others

The well-being of each student is the main responsibility of the class teacher who closely follows the personal develop-ment of their students in the class and maintains communication with parents about their progress and developmental needs. Each grade also has a Head of Grade who assists teachers and parents and all are supported by the Principal of Infants who has an overarching respon-sibility for the pastoral care of the Infant School students.

Through our pastoral programme, we aim to create a caring, safe and secure learn-ing environment where quality relation-ships can develop and where individuals are respected and the positive qualities of each student are celebrated. We provide a support structure with clear standards of behaviour so each student can grow and reach their potential. External sup-port agencies are used when necessary for further support.

We recognise that children enter the In-fant School with a variety of behavioural expectations based on past experiences. We aim to ensure acceptable behaviour based on honesty, respect, consideration, responsibility and safety. Social and emo-tional matters are addressed in pre-emp-tive, proactive ways through whole school assemblies, circle time, grade talks, small group and individual discussions with stu-dents. This reduces the need for reactive meetings. We use a clear and consistent approach across the Infant School as we help our students to become “Cool Calm Kids” and “Great Mates”* (*reference Bully Busters http://www.insideouted.com.au/).

We also involve the community which has proven the most effective resource of all. Through evening talks, such as on Inter-net safety, bullying and emotional well-being, we try to provide parents and car-ers with the knowledge they need to keep abreast of issues. This team approach to education and well-being is a key ele-ment of our Pastoral programme.

Pastoral support

The Principal, Heads of Grade, Class Teachers, Teacher Assistants and Spe-cialist Subject Teachers are responsible for the care and education of the stu-dents. The Head of Grade leads a team of teachers that provide a caring, chal-lenging and stimulating environment for the students in their grade.

The Vice Principal (Curriculum), Cur-riculum Coordinator, Literacy Coaches and grade level Curriculum Coordinators oversee curriculum development and im-plementation. Experienced single subject teachers teach Music, Physical Education and Languages.

The class teacher has the responsibility of delivering lessons in the core subjects and monitoring progress through assess-ment. Their role is also pastoral; ensuring that the environment they work in is safe and contributes to the students’ per-sonal and academic growth. The Head of Grade and Principal are also involved in the pastoral care of students.

All teachers hold full teaching qualifica-tions, with the majority having previous experience working in international schools before joining UWCSEA. Each Infant classroom also has a full-time teacher assistant. All teacher assistants receive regular first aid training and other professional development. A full-time sec-retary manages the Infant Office.

Many nationalities are represented in the student and teacher body. The current Infant School staff includes teachers from Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, India, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Phil-ippines and China.

Infant School ethos


The Primary School curriculum is struc-tured around a holistic, inquiry-based approach to learning. Guided by the UW-CSEA profile and learning principles, stu-dents study Literacy, Mathematics, Lan-guages Science, Social Studies, the Arts and PE. They also have time dedicated to exploring concepts through transdiscipli-nary units.

The UWCSEA profile defines the skills and qualities our community members develop through our learning programme:

● critical thinker and problem solver ● creative and innovative ● collaborative ● communicator ● self-manager ● concerned and committed ● principles ● resilient ● self-aware

In the Infant School, the curriculum is designed to enhance a child’s natural curiosity and sense of inquiry, and to fos-ter independence and an enthusiasm for learning. Communication, thinking, re-search, social and self-management skills are developed in a progressive order, rec-ognising student’s differing learning styles and the varied paces at which they learn.

Staff aim to provide students with a range of stimulating, challenging experiences and activities. In this section of the Infant Guide we aim to give a broad overview

of the Infant School Curriculum. More detailed information can be found on the website in the section: Our Schools > Do-ver Infant > Infant School Curriculum.A variety of teaching methodologies are employed to reflect the varied learning styles of our students. We believe that a child’s character develops through age- appropriate challenges, many of which occur outside the classroom. Students are given opportunities to create products of substance of which they can be proud.

Infant School curriculum

These include group and individual pro-jects, presentations, portfolios, artwork, models and concerts.

Different cultures and backgrounds within each class provide a key learning re-source. Students are encouraged to take control of their own learning process and are provided with frequent opportunities to reflect on this process.


Mastery of language facilitates com-munication and expression of thought, beliefs, concepts and feelings. The Lit-eracy curriculum aims to ensure that all students are taught the necessary skills to use English effectively, confidently and accurately to the best of their ability. The students are encouraged to apply these skills and knowledge in a variety of contexts, for a range of purposes and to different audiences. They are also encouraged to explore language experi-ences for the purposes of communication and enjoyment.

The Literacy curriculum is designed to ensure that students acquire essential skills in:

● speaking and listening ● writing, including phonic skills, spell-

ing and handwriting ● reading

The students are actively involved throughout the year in developing their language skills and are given every op-portunity to display and share their knowl-edge, skills and understanding.

A wide range of supporting resources are available to both students and teachers. In addition to the extensive book collec-tion in the library, each class has a well-stocked class library with books from a range of genres.

The aim of the additional language course - be it in Chinese or Spanish - is for students to enjoy learning to commu-nicate in a new language and discover an unfamiliar culture. Classroom activities are designed to engage and motivate younger students.

Each week all K1 and K2 students have two lessons of Chinese, as well as expo-sure to the language during small group activities. Extension activities are offered to more fluent speakers. The course is theme-based and emphasises speaking and listening skills through games, songs, repetition and role-play.

Grade 1 students have four lessons a week. Beginner Spanish is offered as an alternative to Chinese in Grade 1, and an Advanced Chinese option is available for native speakers.

Literacy MathematicsAdditional Languages

Mathematics pervades all aspects of our lives and has applications in many human activities, crossing cultural and linguistic boundaries to provide a univer-sal way of solving problems. The Infant School Mathematics curriculum has been developed to ensure students receive a thorough grounding in basic mathemati-cal skills and concepts.

Early mathematical experiences are practical based using concrete materials and real-life experiences to lay the foun-dations for later expertise. Mathematics at all levels includes discussions, ma-nipulation of concrete materials, inves-tigations, problem solving, practice and consolidation. Mental Maths is also a very important part of each daily Mathematics session.

The curriculum is divided into five main strands:1. number2. data handling – includes graphing

and probability3. measurement4. shape and space5. pattern and function

Students have opportunities to work indi-vidually and in groups during carefully dif-ferentiated lessons which are designed to meet the learning needs of each member of the class. A variety of published materi-als and manipulative resources support our teaching.


Our aim is to motivate interest and stimu-late musical enjoyment. We encourage students to develop an aesthetic re-sponse by experiencing a range of music through singing, playing, composing, movement and dance.

Infant students have two music special-ist lessons a week, which incorporate a mixture of curriculum-designated music along with a variety of songs. The songs that the students learn are not only linked to their Unit of Inquiry but also provide an additional avenue to strengthen their lan-guage and number development.

During the academic year, all Infant School students are given the opportu-nity to perform during the United Nations celebration and again in an Arts Festival performance.

Art

The Art programme offers students a chance to foster creativity through explor-ing different media and techniques. The programme is linked to the POI when ap-propriate and lessons include exposure to aspects such as modelling, drawing, painting and printing.

Art and craft activities happen daily in Infant classrooms planned by the Class Teacher and Assistant. Teachers empha-sise the importance of self expression and individual creativity. It is the enjoy-ment and process that are much more important than the finished product. Class Teachers are supported by the Primary Art Specialist who works with Infant staff in an advisory capacity.

The impact of technology on all our lives continues to grow. The main focus in the Infant School is to ensure that students feel comfortable and confident when us-ing appropriate digital media. A variety of computer software programs are em-ployed, together with related equipment such as cameras, microscopes, voice recorders and other digital mediums.

Skills are directly embedded into the daily teaching programme, which is designed to equip students with the necessary tools to use technology effectively in or-der to communicate and solve problems in a wide range of contexts and for a vari-ety of audiences.

The students have daily access to the computers in their classroom and extra computers are available in the Infant pods. The Primary School computer lab is available at times for whole class in-struction.

Interactive white boards are a feature in all classrooms and these are used to enhance group and whole class engage-ment and learning in many areas of the curriculum.

Digital LiteracySocial Studies and Science

Social Studies and Science are taught within the Units of Inquiry. This allows for in-depth exploration and the natural integration of these two important subject areas.

Teachers provide structured and unstruc-tured opportunities for students to engage in scientific investigations to encourage them to make observations, handle ma-terials, record and compare data, and formulate explanations using students’ own scientific experiences and those of others. Students gain experiences in test-ing their own assumptions and thinking critically about the perspectives of others in order to further develop their ideas. Cooking and the ‘Science Table’ also cre-ate valuable opportunities for exploring scientific concepts.

Social Studies is the study of people in relation to their past, their present and their future, their environment and their society. Students develop the skills and knowledge necessary to participate ac-tively in their classroom, their school, their community and the world; to under-stand themselves in relation to others. Students think about their own identity and the individuality of others, as well as their place in the world. Through careful-ly-planned learning experiences, we fos-ter sensitivity, environmental awareness, creativity and initiative which ultimately leads to socially responsible action.

Music


Additional academic information

Academic support

The broad-based curriculum provides opportunities for each child to gain the understanding that physical activity is fun and an important part of our wellbe-ing. The needs, experiences, interests and values of our students are recog-nised and respected by our enthusiastic specialist teaching staff. The emphasis is on participation in an enjoyable, safe and nonthreatening environment. Infant students enjoy a full range of activities during the two periods of PE per week; including aquatics, gymnastics, gross-motor activities and early ball skills.

During the year students have a sports morning when they can show their par-ents the skills they have learnt in PE classes. There is also a swimming gala celebrating the student’s achievements in the aquatics programme.

Homework

Infant students are not given a set amount of time for homework. The school day is busy, and students are often tired when they get home. We firmly believe that parents can best help their child through practical activities at home. These may include enjoying stories together, playing language and num-ber games, developing language skills through conversation and including chil-dren in ordinary family activities such as shopping, cooking and laying the table.

Infant students bring home books to share and read with their parents; the number of books per week will vary de-pending on the age and developmental reading ability of each student. Grade 1 students may be asked to carry out re-search at home for a Unit of Inquiry, and also take home weekly spelling activities.

Physical Education

Reporting and feedback to parents

Ongoing clear communication between home and school is vital for the well be-ing and progress of each student and to ensure that parents and teachers are working together. Parent/teacher confer-ences, student-led conferences, informa-tion evenings and twice yearly reports are all part of this process and the dates of these can be found on the College cal-endar. During Student-led conferences, each child shows their parents aspects of the work they have been doing in class. This allows both parents and students to celebrate achievements and set goals together for future success.

Each student keeps a portfolio of work that is shared with parents and sent home periodically for review. Apart from formal conference opportunities, teachers are al-ways willing to meet with parents. Parents are also invited into school for activity mornings, work-sharing and other events. All these opportunities enable parents to be partners in their child’s learning and in-formed about what is happening in school in a practical ‘hands on’ way.

We view each child as a unique individual with varying talents, abilities and needs. In reporting to parents, the school en-deavours to be open and honest as well as encouraging

Library

The well-stocked David Watson Library is dedicated to the needs of the Primary School and for class lessons as well as recreational reading. Its extensive col-lection is continually expanding with a wide variety of materials, including books, eBwooks, DVDs, magazines and audio books. All students have a scheduled library class once a week with their Class Teacher, and each class works with the Teacher Librarian to support specific Units of Inquiry. Infant parents are also in-vited to set up a library account and take out materials to share with their child.

Learning Support

The Learning Support programme is de-signed to help students develop an active approach to their learning. Specific help is provided with skills and concepts re-lated to core academic subjects.

Learning Support teachers work with groups of students to enhance their learning. Students are included in the programme when they need additional help to enable them to fully access the curriculum. Parents are always contacted before any support begins. Occasionally the learning support teacher may recom-mend an outside professional become involved in the child’s assessment.

We also ask that parents keep the class teacher informed of any extra support that students receive outside school.


Service is an integral part of a UWC edu-cation. From K1 to Grade 12, students learn to show concern for their environ-ment and to care for people around them. Students participate in local and global service projects at an age-appropriate level. Every student is encouraged to be involved in some way, and to take their service commitments seriously.

At every age level, curriculum links are increasingly made between service and the Units of Inquiry. In the Infant School students are encouraged to reflect on their service experiences. These reflec-tions are often verbal and documented by the teacher.

College Service

This service takes place on campus and can involve working with students from other parts of the College or looking after classmates as part of designated respon-sibilities. It can also mean being involved in one-off or on-going projects that occur on days like UWC Day.

As part of several UoI’s Infant students identify ways that they can help at home and record these in a service booklet. This introduces the students to the idea that service to others begins in their own community, both at home and at school.

for children of construction workers, meeting emotional, physical, cognitive and social development needs. The In-fant School community are involved in fund- raising activities during the year.

Grade 1 students also support ‘Cents for Schools’ which is linked to the char-ity ‘Pennies for Peace,’ an international programme which aims to show children how they can make a difference one penny or cent at a time. Students are involved in doing chores at home to raise money to support the development of education in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Focus Days

A ‘Focus Day’ is a day where students come to school in clothes of their choice, and everyone is invited to give a donation for the privilege of not wearing their uni-form for the day. ‘Focus Days’ are a way of bringing attention to a chosen cause in response to a disaster or a major event connected to our GC programme. They usually result in interesting discussions in class about the current event or the need people are facing. We do not have regu-lar ‘Focus Day’ collections, limiting them to when there is a real need.

For more information on the Primary School GC programme please visit: www.uwcsea.edu.sg/gc.

Service

Local Service

Infant School children participate in the Local Service programme which involves people from the wider Singaporean community. Students are encouraged to consider those in our local community who are less fortunate than themselves. Each year, they take part in a ‘Shoe Box Appeal’, which involves filling a shoebox with food and other essential items for elderly people in Singapore. The students then deliver these shoeboxes to senior citizens in their homes, and at a Chinese New Year Lunch. The Infant School also has strong links with a local pre-school for disadvantaged children ‘Child at Street 11’. Throughout the year we invite the children from Street 11 to join our stu-dents for various events, such as parties and Infant School performances.

Global Service

Global Concerns (GC) are service pro-jects which take place outside Singapore, and form the third tier of UWCSEA’s Ser-vice Programme. The GC programme is a dynamic initiative enabling students to put their ideals into action by establish-ing project groups which actively address specific issues about which the students care deeply. The student-centred ap-proach enables committed students to take action to address their concerns. Although GCs help to raise funds for vari-ous organisations, the value to students goes much further. They are educated about global issues; they are introduced to concepts of leadership and organisa-tion and encouraged to establish their own initiatives.

The Infant School supports two Global Concerns projects, ‘Mumbai Mobile Crèches’ and ‘Cents for Schools.’ ‘Mum-bai Mobile Crèches’ is an NGO-run com-prehensive day care service programme


In line with the philosophy of UWC, stu-dents have numerous opportunities to go on school trips each year. These are carefully planned to extend and support what is being learnt in class and they are usually related to the Unit of Inquiry. Trips are also another avenue for contact with members of our College community and the wider community in Singapore. They are considered an integral part of our cur-riculum and parents are encouraged to assist with field trips

The Grade 1 students experience a night sleeping away from home during the Grade 1 sleepover when each class spends a night at school sleeping in their classroom. It is a very positive experience and helps students build their confidence and independence. It is also a small step towards the longer trips that Junior School students undertake.

Experiential education

All Infant students participate in a United Nations celebration in Term 1 and an Arts Festival performance in Term 2 or 3. These are structured performances, supported by both class and specialist teachers.

Infant students are also given many op-portunities to engage their imaginations through play. They use puppets, dress-up clothes and stimulating role play to further develop their natural creativity. We make use of older UWCSEA students and out-side theatre groups to expose Infant stu-dents to the theatre and performance.

The arts

Leadership and teamwork

As students move through the Infant School they are gradually encouraged to take on more responsibilities. Ini-tially these responsibilities are restrict-ed to the classroom, with jobs such as lunch box helper and book corner monitor. However, as the students mature they begin to take on respon-sibilities outside the classroom.

Many of the learning activities that take place in school require students to work together in groups, both large and small. Teachers ensure that stu-dents are placed sensitively within these groups and that the roles are always varied so each student gets a chance to develop their early leader-ship and cooperation skills.


eBrief and Dunia

Each Friday, parents are emailed the eBrief newsletter containing important information for the coming week. eBrief is the main vehicle through which we communicate details of upcoming events. There are weekly grade newsletters in eBrief.

UWCSEA also produces ‘Dunia’ maga-zine, a celebration of life at UWCSEA, containing articles and reports from all parts of the College community.

eCommunity intranet

Parents are issued with a UserID and Password to access the eCommunity intranet portals and other online systems, which contain key information, including:

● individual students’ attendance re-cords, medical records and reports and assessments

● staff contact information ● parents’ online address book ● calendars ● news and notices

Parents also use online systems to keep school records updated for themselves and their children including:

● contact details ● emergency contacts ● email addresses ● medical information

UWCSEA aims to be as environmentally friendly as possible and has instigated a communications programme relying largely on online mediums. Designed to keep our community informed of College events and news, it also delivers key personal information such as reports and assessments in a secure environment.

Message book

All Infant students have a message book, which is a vehicle for day-to-day com-munication between home and school. Parents are asked to write notes or mes-sages to the class teacher in this book as it is checked every day. Teachers respond either through a note in the mes-sage book, a telephone call or via email.

In addition to the message book, par-ents can communicate with teachers via phone, email and in person.

Meetings and presentations

We want parents to feel closely involved in the life of the school and to be able to have an open dialogue with staff through parent-teacher conferences, activity days, work sharing and other events that are detailed on the annual calen-dar. Information evenings keep parents informed about pertinent matters, for example early in Term 1 there is an In-fant School Programme Evening where parents are introduced to the wealth of opportunities available to students. There is also a presentation for parents who are new to the UWCSEA community.

Twice a year the Infant School Principal hosts a Principal’s Forum, designed to keep parents up to date with develop-ments and events at the school, and to obtain feedback.

Parents are warmly invited to join our team of helpers. Class teachers establish a database of helpers early on in the year and each class has a volunteer ‘Class Parent’ who acts as a channel of com-munication between the teacher and par-ents, mostly arranging social events for children and parents.

Some of the ways in which parents can assist at school include:

● working alongside children to support classroom programmes

● helping with class excursions and field trips

● helping to construct teaching appara-tus and resources

● assisting on sports days ● helping the class in the library ● maintenance, repairing and catalogu-

ing of resource materials ● sports team coaching ● assisting with costume making for

shows ● ‘Class Parent’ role ● cooking ● computers ● supporting the Service and GC pro-

grammes

Parents’ Association (PA)

The PA is an active, invaluable body in the College community, and welcomes the support and involvement of all par-ents. Each grade has a parent represent-ative and there are representatives for dif-ferent nationality groups. There are also specific support groups, for example for parents who have a child with an allergy. There are many opportunities throughout the year for parents to be involved in PA activities. Details of PA activities can be found on the College online calendar as well as the PA webpage.

Communications Parental support


Brain food, snack and lunch

Infant students do not use the school can-teen; parents need to provide the three meals the Infant students have at school each day: brain food, snack and lunch. These are all eaten in the classroom.

Some children are reluctant to eat a substantial breakfast early in the morn-ing so to help them maintain their energy and concentration levels, Infant students have a short ‘brain snack’ soon after the start of school. This snack is brought from home and normally consists of a piece of fruit or some dried cereal.

Brain food, snack and lunch should be packed in separate named containers to make it easier for the students to be inde-pendent. UWCSEA cooler bags are avail-able from the school uniform suppliers.

We encourage healthy eating, so we re-quest that students do not bring chocolate or sweets to school.

Drink bottles and drinking water

Drinking water is available at all times in classrooms, and other pre-packed drinks can be included in a child’s snack or lunch box. We request that Infant students do not bring filled water bottles to school to avoid leaks and damage to school books.

Water fountains are located around the play areas for children to use at playtime.

Sun sense

All students must wear a hat for any outside activities. UWCSEA sun hats are available from the uniform suppliers. Students without a hat have to play un-der cover. We also recommend students keep a roll-on sunscreen to apply before going outside.

Medical matters

The online medical form must be com-pleted for all new students and it is es-sential the school is informed of any spe-cific disabilities or allergies. The system can be updated at any time with changes to medical information, for example a di-agnosis of asthma.

Sick children need to be kept at home until they are fit and healthy and if a child is taken ill at school then the parents will be contacted so the child can be taken home. If a student contracts an infec-tious illness, such as measles, mumps or chicken pox, the Ministry of Health must be informed as well as other members of the class.

College Clinic

The on-campus medical clinic, staffed by trained nurses, is equipped to handle minor injuries that occur in school. Most teachers, teacher assistants and secre-taries receive regular first aid training. In the case of serious accidents, every effort is made to contact parents immediately. In an emergency the child is taken to the clinic and, if necessary, to the nearest hospital (NUH).

Health and well-being

Food allergies

The school must be notified is a child has any allergies so that parents and staff can ensure that the correct specific pro-cedures are followed in case of an emer-gency. The College’s staff will not be held responsible for any deviation from these procedures but will endeavour to do their best in the student’s best interests.

Any classroom where there is a child with a severe nut allergy is designated a ‘Nut Free Zone.’


TransportA transport company which serves most areas of Singapore buses students to and from the campus every school day. Modern, air-conditioned buses with seat belts arrive before 8:00am in the morn-ing. Infant buses leave the campus at 2.00pm. Admissions can provide you with more details or the contact number of the transport office if you have specific que-ries to be answered before applying to enrol your child.

Some students are brought to school by private cars and parents are encouraged to carpool.

The uniform is designed to be comfort-able for Singapore’s tropical climate. The Primary, Middle, Upper and Senior Schools each have a different colour of polo shirt.

As part of the Primary School, students wear a turquoise polo shirt with grey shorts or skirt and black shoes with white socks. All students wear a separate PE kit during PE classes.

Families are provided with details of the full uniform policy during the admissions process and again at orientation.

UniformsActivitiesInfant School students are not involved in the activities programme, as we believe that young children should not be over-scheduled and need time to relax and play at home after a long day at school.

There are, however, a number of Com-munity Education Programme (CEP) activities that are open to students in the Infant grades. Run by qualified outside providers using the campus facilities, pre-viously they have included activities such as swimming and Chinese music and dance. These are fee-paying activities, and are generally run on the weekends, although some are after school. Parents need to arrange their own supervision and transportation for Infant students at-tending these activities.


The school has a positive atmosphere and excellent behaviour is expected of all students. We aim for self-discipline and individual responsibility, and seek to build a partnership between students, teachers and parents. Any breaches of discipline are handled within this framework. In the event of serious misdemeanours, parents are notified immediately and invited to at-tend a meeting at school with their child.

Behaviour in the Infant School

Students come into the Infant School with a variety of behavioural expectations. We work toward ensuring acceptable behaviour from all members of our com-munity based on respect, consideration, responsibility, safety and honesty. These values are reinforced throughout the In-fant School, particularly during circle time and assemblies.

In addition to the overall expectations, individual class teachers develop their own ‘Essential Agreements’ in consulta-tion with their students. These essential agreements outline the behaviour expec-tations for each class. The Infant School ‘Code of Conduct’ is accessible to all students and parents inside the Message Book.

We also have school policies and pro-cedures relating to class placements, lost property, bringing money to school, prohibited items such as toy weapons, trading cards, hand phones and other electronic devices, as well as bullying and acceptable use of computers. Details are provided in full on the College website, or can be obtained on request.

Attendance and absences

We expect regular and punctual attend-ance. Children who attend regularly are more likely to be successful and make progress at school. Teachers do not pro-vide work for students who are absent. If children are absent for a sustained period of time (e.g. travelling) we suggest they keep a daily diary and read for at least 30 minutes each day.

Letters to both the Principal and class teacher are required prior to your travel if:

● you intend to travel with your child while school is in session

● both parents are out of Singapore at the same time

The College requires that at least one parent resides in Singapore on a perma-nent basis. Failure to comply with this will result in the child having to withdraw from the College. If both parents need to be out of the country at the same time for any reason, parents are required to submit a ‘Nomination of a Supervisor dur-ing Temporary Parental Absence’ form. This information is essential in case of an emergency arising at school.

Orientation

The academic year starts with an orienta-tion session for children and their parents. Full details are sent to all families prior to the start of the new term, along with an introduction, information about a child’s teacher and a welcome letter.

Families joining our community part way through the academic year are forwarded a welcome pack and the teacher and oth-er staff contact parents prior to the child’s first day of school.

Student expectations and responsibilities

ValuesThe UWCSEA community expects members to:• behonestandactwithintegrityinallthattheydo• avoidprejudicebydevelopingviewsbasedon evidence and reasoning • becompassionateandmorallyresponsible• embracechallengeinordertomaximisetheirpotential• offerhelptootherpeople• takeaninterestinandenjoyfriendshipswithpeopleof all cultures and backgrounds • minimisetheirharmfulimpactontheenvironment

UWCSEA prepares its students to be:• sensitiveandcompassionate• educatedforachangingworld• highachievers• freefromprejudice• constructivelyenergetic• creativeinaction• self-confidentandengaging• preparedforresponsibilityandservice

Photography credits: Henry Chang; Q. Yang; Dav Rue Media; Joseph Tan; Tom Soper; Infant School staff and parents.

Printed on 100% recycled paper

United World College of South East AsiaDover Campus1207 Dover RoadSingapore 139654T +65 6775 5344F +65 6778 5840

AdmissionsT +65 6774 2653F +65 6773 [email protected]

www.uwcsea.edu.sg

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