Greetings from the Board of Directors of the International Community School (Singapore)!

We are privileged and thrilled Dr. JP Rader has answered the call to become our new Director from the 2019/2020 school year. The board unanimously agreed that Dr. Rader is a great fit to lead, nurture, and grow ICS' vision to be a school that "Educates Minds and Transforms Lives".

Dr. Rader has spent 35 years teaching, mentoring, coaching, recruiting and inspiring students to reach their fullest potential. As an educator, he desires to help students strive for and achieve excellence in their lives. His goal has always been to help students build capacity within themselves to grow and learn. As a school leader, Dr. Rader's passion is to develop the faculty professionally, focus on learning, and build a culture of excellence. He believes that once those pieces are in place, the institution can achieve success in providing a quality education for every child that walks through its doors.

He earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Morehead State University, as well as three Masters degrees in Educational Leadership, Curriculum and Instruction, and Physical Education.

Dr. Rader will join the ICS Family after serving three years as the Secondary School Principal of Gyeonggi Suwon International School (GSIS), a Christian-based international school in South Korea. Prior to that, he spent seven years at Asbury University in Kentucky, USA, as an Assistant Professor in the School of Education and also the Head Coach of the Women's Volleyball team. Before that, Dr. Rader and his wife, Dr. Helen Rader, lived in Korea for 23 years. He spent his time teaching, coaching, and serving as an administrator at the Seoul Foreign School (SFS). At SFS, Dr. Rader taught History in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, served as the school's Athletic Director, and coached two varsity sports.

The Raders have three married children who all graduated from Asbury University and have taught at international schools in South Korea, Afghanistan, and Singapore. We have the privilege of having his daughter serve at ICS as a PE teacher for the Elementary School for the past four years. He is also a doting grandfather to five beautiful grandchildren.

In his free time, Dr. Rader loves to read books about leadership, history, historical fiction, sports, biographies, and crime. He enjoys an active lifestyle, exercises frequently and plays numerous sports like soccer and tennis.

During our search, the board was impressed with Dr. Rader's vast work experience in Christian education in Asia, his strong leadership abilities and his confident, warm Christlike demeanor in interactions with the board, faculty, parents, and students. The board also noted Dr. Rader's professionalism, credentials and his excellent reputation throughout the international Christian school community.

The board has worked closely with ICS' parent organization, the Network of International Christian Schools (NICS) to ensure that Dr. Rader and his wife are a good fit for the ICS family and that they will be able to walk with ICS to continue to pursue academic excellence while also nurturing our strong Christian community. Dr. Rader and his wife will be going through an orientation with NICS before starting in his new position next summer.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at icsboard@ics.edu.sg. The board also plans to host a question and answer session early next semester. We will let you know as soon as the timing is finalized.

Blessings,
The ICS School Board

Julie Wiggins - Chair
Dave Hane - Vice-Chair
Ashley Akovenko
Krishnadeep (KD) Baruah
Vijay Jerome
Sam Kim
Jacob Li
Sam Rhee
Laura Tan
Su Wei Yong
Jung Younbo

The International Community School Singapore (ICS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. J.P. Rader as the new director for the 2019-2020 school year. Dr. J.P. Rader has spent 35 years teaching, mentoring, coaching, recruiting, and inspiring students to reach their fullest potential. As an educator, he desires to help students strive for and achieve excellence in their lives. His goal has always been to help students build capacity within themselves to grow and learn.

"It is my utmost pleasure to be part of a learning community that not only helps its students to excel academically but to complement that with character growth and personal values. My vision for this school is to develop the faculty further professionally, focus on learning, and build a culture of excellence. Once those pieces are in place, the institution can achieve success in providing a quality education for every child that walks through ICS's doors," said Dr. Rader.

To find out more about him, check out Expat Living's feature here!

It is my pleasure to introduce you to our new Parent Education Series. We know as parents that you care deeply about your child's education. We have curated this series of videos for you to learn about the exciting things happening here at ICS and how they impact your child, both academically and spiritually.

This year at ICS, we will be featuring videos about new and upcoming changes that will have a positive impact on student learning; the importance of developing a biblical worldview in your child and what that looks like at ICS; and how you can be involved in having conversations with your children about their learning. I look forward to sharing these videos with you each month throughout this school year.

The new Parent Education Series can be found in the parent portal on the ICS website. The first video in our series has our principals sharing some of the exciting changes at ICS for the 2019-2020 school year. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the principals or me, and we will be happy to talk with you.

Dr. J.P. Rader
Director

Dear ICS Parents,

Here at ICS, the health and safety of our students is our highest priority. Over the last few days, the PSI levels around our campus have consistently been at 100 or above. This has led us to curtail recess and other outdoor activities including HS sports practices, games, and outdoor ECAs. We are monitoring the levels on an hourly basis and will continue to do so.

I wanted to share what we have been doing to ensure the protection of your children as we move forward. In order to continuously monitor levels, our administration uses the National Environment Agency (NEA) smartphone apps, which provide the 24-hour PSI and 1-hr PM2.5 levels. We encourage you to use these same tools to better understand what we are monitoring.

As we continue to endure hazy conditions, we are making decisions based on each day's hourly levels. When it is necessary to restrict outdoor activities, we are making spaces available in our library, gym, and classrooms for our students and staff.

We recognize that each individual reacts to air quality levels in different ways. Our First Aid Officers, Mrs. Henshall and Mrs. Ahn, are always available to work with students in their individual needs and to accommodate any special needs. If you as a parent feel that your child should be restricted in their activities beyond what we are currently doing, we would be glad to speak with you about your concerns. Of course, any student may be moved indoors at any time by parent request or if the student is adversely affected. As an added precaution, we would suggest that you send a mask with your child if you feel it is necessary.

Our leadership team, in conjunction with the First Aid Officers, continues to monitor the haze and will notify our parent community by way of email and SMS if there are any drastic changes that would impact our daily scheduling of classes. Here is the matrix we use to determine our course of action based on the PSI levels. Please continue to pray with us that the conditions begin to subside and there will be a return to normal activities on campus.

Sincerely,

Dr. James P. Rader
Director

by Jana Blanco for HoneyKids Asia

It's always great to meet the people behind Singapore's best international schools, especially someone who feels so passionately about its values and holistic approach to education. Step forward Dr. J. P. Rader, the new director of ICS. Not only does the American-born and Korea-raised educator have more than 36 years of experience in the education industry, he's also a strong advocate for small class sizes, which helps foster the nurturing learning environment that ICS is known for. We chat with him about his third-culture-kid background (perfect for teaching international school kids, we think!), his educational philosophy, the school's approach and why parents love sending their kids to this school.

Tell us about yourself! Where are you from and what would your students be surprised to know about you?

I grew up in Korea as the son of Salvation Army missionaries. After I graduated from high school at Seoul Foreign School (SFS), I went back to the US. Several years later I returned to SFS to teach high school history; I also coached volleyball and basketball there for over 20 years. All three of my children graduated from SFS and became international school teachers. In all, I spent 37 years in Korea. My home in the US is near Lexington, Kentucky. I returned there to join the faculty of Asbury University in 2009 as an education professor and the women's volleyball coach. During that time, I received my doctorate in educational leadership and, in 2016, returned to Korea as an administrator. My students might be surprised to find out I have attended three summer and one winter Olympic Games during my time teaching overseas.

What's your philosophy towards education?

My philosophy of education has become much simpler over time. It really is all about the students and the learning that takes place in and out of the classroom. My job as director of the school is to work with my administrative team and faculty to ensure a strong learning environment in every classroom. We want to make sure our students have the opportunity to grow academically, spiritually, physically and emotionally.

How is your school different from other schools in Singapore?

At ICS, our mission statement highlights the idea of educating minds and transforming lives. As a Christian school, we are built on a foundation of academic excellence and spiritual vitality where the minds and souls of students are nurtured in the classroom, on the playing fields, in the performance spaces and in everyday interactions with peers, teachers, staff and administration. We believe in the holistic growth of our students that comes from a close-knit community that cares deeply and finds ways to help students on their educational journeys.

Can you tell us about the teaching approach at ICS?

In any school, on any given day, there are many different approaches to pedagogy employed in the classroom from Kindergarten to Grade 12. However, there are two structures that are engaged in virtually every classroom at ICS: backwards design in the development of the lesson and student-directed learning. Backwards design ensures that each lesson has direction, purpose and clear outcomes. Student-directed learning has helped transform our classrooms as we move towards students taking more responsibility for their own learning through inquiry, evaluation and reflection.

Learning is always fun at ICS! Photo credit: ICS

How do you think students can benefit from small class sizes?

The lower student-to-teacher ratio enables the students to receive daily individual attention and interact more frequently with the teacher in and out of the classroom. It also encourages the building of relationships between teachers and students. We have been pleased to see this occurring in our classrooms at ICS.

Tell us about your school's community: who are the people who love sending their kids to school there? What do parents tell you they value about the school?

Our school community is quite eclectic, with the most significant percentage of parents happy to be sending their children to an international Christian school. That said, the ICS community includes a broad spectrum of parents and students from religious and non-religious backgrounds. There are a few things that all members of our school community value that bring us together, such as a safe and nurturing learning environment, greater opportunities for our children to experience different challenges and an emphasis on a strong academic program.

What do you think are the greatest challenges young people face today?

In today's world, there is a mountain of distractions that represents some of the most significant challenges young people will face when making their way into the world. Finding purpose while navigating high school and college and going into the work world is a central task, but this becomes difficult for young people as they have many things vying for their attention. The most important gift we can give them as educators is the chance to develop people skills and the ability to problem-solve.

Can you share any lessons you've learned about communicating and connecting with kids throughout your years in education?

When I became a teacher in 1983, I thought the most important thing for me to do was to gain mastery over my subject: history. Intent on gaining as much knowledge as I could in order to teach my students well, I read an endless number of books and spent my summer visiting historical sites such as Gettysburg, Normandy, Ypres and Washington, DC. What I found, however, is that, while this knowledge was essential to establishing my competence in the classroom, the most important thing I did for my students was developing a relationship with them based on trust and respect. Years after graduating, students have connected back with me to tell me about an important conversation we had after class or a discussion that took place in class that helped them through a difficult time or gave them a focus or insight they had not considered before. We need to remember that we are in the business of shaping human beings through our classes by connecting with them on multiple levels.

What do you love most about leading this school?

A school is never about the buildings or playing fields or auditoriums. It is always about what is happening in the classrooms and on those playing fields. What I love most about leading ICS is that we have a purpose-driven faculty and administration that loves the students and provides a safe, nurturing, Christ-centered environment where students can grow and learn. It makes coming to school each day and leading the school a joy.

This article was originally published by HoneyKids Asia.

International Community School (Singapore) was awarded the SG Clean certification in December 2020, becoming one of just eight private, non-MOE schools to be awarded this certification in Singapore. The SG Clean campaign was launched in February 2020 by the National Environment Agency (NEA) in an effort to "rally stakeholders and members of the public to do their part, by adopting good personal habits and social responsibility, to raise standards of cleanliness and public hygiene in Singapore and safeguard public health."

Mr. Anjo Tejamo, Facilities Manager at ICS, said, "Our facilities team, teachers and staff have all done a great job elevating the level of cleanliness at ICS, ensuring that our students are learning in a safe and clean environment."

The certification process required over two months of extensive documentation and also included a formal NEA audit of ICS' internal processes. Though all MOE schools are required to undergo SG Clean certification, international schools, including ICS, are not required as of yet. Discussing the benefits of the certification, Mr. Tejamo said, "This certification is evidence of the government's confidence that ICS is on par with Singapore standards for cleanliness. The auditor commented that we are actually doing more than what is required for SG Clean certification. ICS can only benefit from this certification."

In light of the ongoing pandemic and the need for a robust health and safety program in international schools today, ICS is committed to going above and beyond in improving its processes and policies for the well-being of our community members.

1. list updated as of 29 December 2020
2. https://www.sgclean.gov.sg/about/

We are proud to release the latest Annual Report covering the 2019-2020 school year. The Annual Report serves as a comprehensive report of the school's activities, demographics, finances, and highlights from the last full school year. In our pursuit of educating minds and transforming lives, we are proud of the stories of success and impact in our ICS community.

Inside look: From our strong foundations in leadership, stewardship, and fidelity, to our school demographics capturing the very lives we seek to transform, the feats of academic success highlighting our goal to educate, and finally, the profound and long-lasting impact made inside and outside our community.

Read the report here.

Dear ICS Parents,

As we enter the fourth week of the second semester, ICS is off to a great start. In January alone, students have participated in division-wide service activities such as an elementary service chapel and middle and high school Spiritual Emphasis Week. We have warmly welcomed new families and students to our ICS community, and remain focused on safety and compliance as we adhere to the government Covid-19 guidelines. We thank God for these opportunities and for the gift of face-to-face learning this year.

February 1 marks the beginning of our re-enrollment period for the 2021-22 school year. While we understand that the future may be uncertain, we look forward to serving you and your children at ICS during the 2021-22 school year. The following important information regarding tuition pricing has been provided to help you make an informed decision regarding your child's re-enrollment. Please contact admissions@ics.edu.sg if you have any questions.

• Tuition: Despite the uncertainty of a global pandemic, ICS was richly blessed in 2020. We were able to forgo the annual tuition increase as a way to support our families and community members who were adversely affected by the economic downturn. For the upcoming 2021-22 school year, we are reinstating the 2% tuition increase for students of all grades except for those students who are entering K5. This tuition increase supports continued focus on your child's holistic development, funding not only our academic program, but also our fine arts, athletics, and student support services.
• Re-enrollment: The re-enrollment fee for the 2021-22 school year is increasing from $1250 per student to $1500 per student.
• Sibling Discount: In order to make it possible for each of your children to join the ICS family, we are pleased to offer a 10% tuition discount starting from the third enrolled child at ICS. Please note that this does not apply to families already receiving financial assistance from ICS or to families whose tuition is company-sponsored.

Thank you for your continued commitment to ICS and for allowing us to partner with you in helping your children discover their purpose and reach their full potential. We anticipate a better and brighter future for our school and community as we educate and transform lives for God's glory in the 2021-22 school year!

Dr. Rader

International Community School (Singapore) is proud to announce Grade 11 student, Jemima S., has been awarded the Global Citizenship Award by East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS) for her involvement with Orbis International and her commitment to "making the world a better place."

High school teachers at ICS nominate student candidates for the award and the final selection is overseen by Mr. Darryl Harding, Middle and High School Principal. The final candidate is then qualified by EARCOS to receive the award, which consists of a plaque in recognition of their achievements and a $500 EARCOS Community Service Grant.

Read below for Jemima's responses and her role in the ongoing project with Orbis:

How long have you been involved with Orbis?

About a year ago, one of my friends approached me with an idea to support Orbis International, a non-profit organization that aims to restore sight all across the world. From this, a group of four (myself included) created "Project Orasight." Being a 'core member' of this project entails many responsibilities. This includes overseeing all of the members (we currently have 142 volunteers), hosting and attending meetings to discuss prospective events and plans, and interacting with our beneficiary. I oversee the different committees such as the design team and publicity team within the project to ensure that everything we have planned goes smoothly. During our meetings, the team often goes over our timeline for the year, plans for new events, and troubleshoots any issues we've noticed. I also interact with the Orbis Headquarters in Singapore to discuss new ways for the project and the beneficiary to collaborate.

Can you share a brief explanation of the goals and activities of the project?

We are a project dedicated to educating the local Singapore community about healthy eye care, and we support Orbis International while doing so. We make educational infographics, videos, and posts about healthy eye tips to inform the community around us about the importance of caring for your eyes. We've received feedback from our followers (on Instagram) that their vision is something that they often take for granted, but have learned to appreciate after reading our posts. Earlier this year, we held an event called "Eye Care for You" where we let people send an online Christmas greeting letter to anyone through Orasight to share educational facts, spread positivity, and also promote the project. In terms of how many people have been affected, we do not have an exact number. However, we do know that through our volunteerism, Orbis has been able to benefit and thus help restore blindness around the world.

How will you use the grant to help Orbis?

As of now, we have not been able to raise funds for Orbis International since we are a relatively new project. However, we plan on giving back to the community around us by providing free eye check-ups and free eye products for the less fortunate in Singapore. With the remaining funds, all the money will go towards Orbis International, who are struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In her final year at International Community School (Singapore), Miriam Burnett has been awarded the "20 Year Career Service Award" by the Network of International Christian Schools (NICS) for her years of dedicated work. From her start in 2001 as a Grade 5 teacher to her current role as Activities Coordinator, Ms. Burnett has been a mainstay of the ICS experience for many families.

When asked about her fondest memories of her time at ICS, Miriam says it has to do with watching people grow and mature, especially in their faith, as well as all the wonderful people she met and interacted with. She says, "the people of ICS have been my family."

Over the years, Miriam has seen it all, especially the incredible move from Kampong Bahru to the current campus on Jubilee Road in 2006. She shared that it was such a blessing to see the new gymnasium, basketball courts, field, playgrounds, large canteen, multi-purpose room, and science labs added to the school's facilities. Further enhancements to the Jubilee Road campus included major landscaping works, the addition of classroom facilities, new playground equipment, and more robust safety measures, such as the lightning alert monitor. On the changes to ICS over the years, Miriam says, "I love that through it all, God has been consistent and faithful."

When asked for her advice to others interested in joining the ICS community, Miriam expressed that the biggest thing she loves about the school is its vision and ministry. She is passionate about the work of providing quality education for Christian families and other families that are interested in a values-based, Biblical education. Miriam leaves the school acknowledging that God has a wonderful plan for ICS and encourages our community with the following Bible verses:

Fight the good fight of the faith.
1 Timothy 6:12

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!
Philippians 4:1

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6

We thank Miriam Burnett for her years of dedicated service and devotion to the ICS community. Congratulations to Miriam for her "20 Year Career Service Award." We wish Miriam success in her future endeavors and many prayers of blessings!