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Anglo-Chinese School (Junior)

A Methodist Institution (Founded 1886) 25 June 2020 Dear Parents/Guardians

1. It has been a blessing to welcome our boys back to school in Term 3. Adjusting to new routines is not necessarily easy, it takes effort for us even as adults to manage change and hence we also understand that our boys need time to adjust to a different school experience with new routines. Through FTGP lessons and ‘Back-to-School’ Check-in Surveys, we continue to monitor our boys’ well-being and provide them with the necessary support, not just for academic work but also for their social-emotional needs. In the past 4 weeks, we have seen our boys practise new habits and become more socially responsible. They have made it a point to keep their work areas clean, queue up for their food while respecting social distancing, wipe down the canteen table when they have finished eating, wash their hands more frequently and adjust to wearing masks/shields the whole day. It is heartening to note also that many of our boys look out for their friends and render a helping hand to each other in order to adapt to these new routines. We are proud of the effort that our boys have put in and are grateful that you have worked hand in hand with us in the implementation of Safe Management Measures so that our school remains a conducive environment for all students.

Safe Management Measures in Phase 2

2. As Singapore has moved into Phase 2 of re-opening, we prepare to welcome back all students in school from next Monday, 29 June. We will need the collective effort of all parents and students to exercise social responsibility so that schools continue to remain safe. As the school will be crowded when all levels of students return at the same time, we would like to highlight a few key safe management measures that we should all observe, taking into account the Phase 2 national posture.

Ringfencing the School

3. If your child is feeling unwell (e.g. sore throat, fever or cough), please see a doctor and do not come to school. If diagnosed with Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI), students 13 years and above will be prioritised for COVID-19 testing, while students 12 years and below will be assessed by the doctor as to whether a test is required. If your child is unwell and is in school, he will be sent home.

4. If there are any adult household members (18 years and above) unwell with flu-like

symptoms, inform the school and keep your child at home. Ensure that the unwell adult household member seeks medical treatment promptly.

5. For students staying at home due to the above reasons, please be assured that the

school will continue to support them in their learning. Your vigilance and cooperation are important in keeping our school safe for all.

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Enhanced School Dismissal Procedures

6. To ensure student safety, we would like to provide updates on the procedures for staggered school dismissal. New measures below marked out with an asterisk* will be implemented with immediate effect.

7. As communicated in the Principal’s letter dated 5 Jun, to facilitate human traffic flow with

one-direction movement, Gate 3 will continue to be used for entry by foot to school and Gate 4 for exit via the Music Room route. Please ensure that your child is clear as to how he goes home each day so that he will be dismissed at the right tier, including during wet weather. Tier 1: School Bus

8. At 1.10pm, we will allow students who take school buses to be dismissed first.

Tier 2: Leaving school by Foot 9. At 1.25pm*, we will dismiss P4, P5 and P6 students who are meeting parents/siblings

at the foyer, walking home, taking public transport, meeting parents outside school or walking to the location where their parents’ cars are parked (e.g Newton carpark, 10 Winstedt carpark). Please instruct your sons to watch out for traffic and cross the roads safely.

10. At 1.30pm, we will dismiss P1, P2 and P3 students who are meeting parents/siblings at

the foyer, walking home, taking public transport, meeting parents outside school or walking to the location where their parents’ cars are parked (e.g Newton carpark, 10 Winstedt carpark).

11. If you are meeting your child at the foyer, please enter by Gate 3 which opens at 1.30pm. Please pick up your child promptly at the foyer between 1.30 and 1.40pm. Besides practising safe management measures, parents will have their temperature taken at the temperature screening counter near the foyer. Only those with temperature below 37.5°C will proceed directly to the foyer to pick up their child. Thereafter, please follow the route towards the Music Room to leave the school with your child immediately by Gate 4. We urge you to continue to practise safe-distancing, whether waiting outside the school gates or in the foyer.

12. Wet Weather Conditions: If it rains during dismissal, parents who are waiting

outside the school for their child are allowed to wait at the carpark area at Gate 4 to pick up their child from the Music Room area*. We encourage students to have an umbrella or raincoat with them in case of wet weather. Please ensure that your child is clear about this arrangement for wet weather.

Tier 3: Picked up by Car from school and ACSJ Student Care Centre/Learning Leap

13. At 1.40pm, we will dismiss the rest of the student population, including those going to ACSJ Student Care Centre (SCC) or external SCC as well as those who are going to be picked up by car at the foyer or external lay-by.

14. For students who are picked up by car at the external lay-by, they can exit the school

directly by Gate 3 to the external lay-by when they are dismissed at 1.40pm*. Students should go home immediately, and should not loiter in school or outside school.

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15. After 1.45pm*, we will open the main gates for cars to enter the school to pick up boys at

the foyer. Similarly, for students to be picked up at the external lay-by, parents are advised to arrive only after 1.45pm by car*. Please do not come earlier and cause congestion by waiting along Winstedt Road or at the external lay-by.

Dismissal Timing from Classrooms

Mode of transport Exit from School

Tier 1

1.10pm

Leaving school by school bus. School Buses

Tier 2

1.25pm* - P4, P5, P6

1.30pm - P1, P2, P3

• Meeting Parents/Siblings in the foyer or

• Walking home or taking public transport or

• Walking out of school to meet parents or

• Walking to the location where parents’ cars are parked (eg. Newton carpark, 10 Winstedt carpark)

Gate 4 (Use the Music Room Route)

Tier 3 1.40pm

Picked up by car at foyer Foyer

Picked up by car at external lay-by

Gate 3*

ACSJ SCC

Proceed to ACSJ SCC

External SCC (e.g. Learning Leap) Foyer to take Learning Leap Bus

16. The timing for Hinch lessons remains unchanged. The first session is from 2 to 2.50pm

and the second session is from 2.55 to 3.45pm. If your child is staying back for Hinch on Mondays and Thursdays, we will have a staggered lunch timing* for the different levels.

• P6s will have lunch from 1.10pm to 1.30pm • P5s will have lunch from 1.40pm to 2.00pm • P3s and P4s will have lunch from 1.30pm to 1.50pm

Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs)

17. To bring back essential elements of student development experiences, CCAs that can align with safe management measures will tentatively resume from Term 3 Week 7 so long as community infections are manageable. Others may continue with eCCA, which can be conducted by coaches, instructors or CCA teachers through digital means. The

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CCA teachers-in-charge will inform parents of the updates separately via Parents Gateway.

CCA Achievements

18. We would like to congratulate our boys in the Boys’ Brigade for their steadfastness and sterling performance in achieving the JM Fraser Gold Award (2019)

Personal Trips during Mid Term Break (20 – 26 July)

19. In line with the MOH Travel Advisory issued on 18 March, students and their household members should continue to defer all overseas travel. Nevertheless, should there be any exceptional travel by students, please inform the school immediately. We would like to remind parents of the MOH travel advisory and the consequences of travelling. Besides risking being infected overseas and transmitting to others locally, the following would apply: a. the requirement to apply for and obtain an entrance permit from MOE/ICA prior to their

return to Singapore if they are International Students, non-SC/PR parents, or non-SC/PR staff;

b. 14-day Stay-Home Notice (SHN) issued upon their return to Singapore, which may be chargeable up to $2,000 if served at an SHN Dedicated Facility;

c. swab test for COVID-19 at the end of the SHN which may be chargeable up to $200; d. 14-day LOA for students staying in the same household with someone on SHN; e. unsubsidised healthcare if they come down with COVID-19 upon their return.

Student Registration of TraceTogether Application

20. TraceTogether is a government initiative to support contact tracing operations of COVID-

19. Please refer to the attached infographics which contain information about the TraceTogether application. Additional Instructions to Students on Registering for TraceTogether

21. Students should note the following when they start using TraceTogether app:

For SC/PR students

a. At the “Select your profile” screen, select “NRIC”, then tap “Proceed”.

b. Enter your name, followed by your date of birth, and NRIC. Key in your birth certificate number in the NRIC field, and you will not be prompted to key in the date of issue. Check the declaration box, and tap “Next”.

For foreign students

a. At the “Select your profile” screen, select “FIN - Student’s Pass”, then tap “Proceed”.

b. Enter your name, followed by your FIN, and the FIN date of issue. Check the declaration box, and tap “Next”.

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Bearing Fruit – Blessing our Community

22. As part of our continued collaborative efforts with ACS (P), ACS (Br), ACJC, Barker Road Methodist Church and Moulmein-Cairnhill Constituency to welcome the 700 migrant workers housed at the former Chancery Court Apartments, we worked together to prepare care packs to encourage and support these foreign workers. Each school sourced for items such as T-shirts, towels, shavers, and medicated plasters for the care packs. One of our P6 classes also played their part to pack these items. Our staff at ACS (J) also raised money to purchase and prepare 1400 postcards with international stamps for these workers to write their personal messages to mail to their families and loved ones back home. The welcome care packs and postcards were delivered by some of our staff to the migrant workers on 12 June 2020.

23. I would like to thank all our parent volunteers for responding so quickly to my appeal in the last Principal’s letter with regard to welcoming our new neighbours. With generosity and prompt service, parents of ACS (J) contributed 700 food packs consisting of suitable snacks and drinks for the workers. A P5 class packed these 700 food packs and they were delivered by staff and parents on 5 June 2020. The workers were truly grateful and appreciative of all our efforts in welcoming them. Our students and staff are also collaborating with the other schools in the ACS Family to produce a "Blessings" video for the workers.

PERI Upgrading

24. The PERI Upgrading Project has been suspended since 7th April 2020. We will inform parents of the new timeline for the completion of the project when we have the information. We continue to seek your support for our upcoming fundraising activities for this project. Do look out for them.

Staff Matters

25. We warmly welcome Ms Tan Li Fen (Chinese Language Teacher) to ACS (Junior).

26. Our teachers will continue to monitor the well-being and learning progress of your child and be in regular contact with you and your child to provide support in Phase 2. MOE will continue to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation. We urge you to rely on official sources of information and not to circulate any unconfirmed information. If you have any further queries, please contact the school administration at 6733 7911. May God continue to watch over all your families and I wish you all good health and peace.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely Mrs Chaillan Mui Tuan Principal