News & Events

Pre-K & KG1 Suzuki ViolinMarch 12, 2013

Stamford is thrilled to announce that we are now offering a Suzuki Violin Program for our Pre-K and KG1 students. Mrs. Matilda Gibson-Tullberg, our newest Music Teacher at Stamford, is a qualified Suzuki Instructor. She will be working with the children in their classrooms once a week. The Suzuki method focuses on early childhood music instruction and is world renowned as a model of best practice in music instruction. The aim of introducing this program in Pre-K and KG1 is to build up the musical skill and talent of our young students. Each child will learn to perform as an individual and as an ensemble, which in turn has many benefits, including: social and emotional growth, performance opportunities, self-confidence, and musical fluency.

Teacher of the Year Finalist - Andrea Biernacki, Kindergarten 2March 11, 2013

Teacher of the Year Finalist - Andrea Biernacki, Kindergarten 2

Cognita began a new tradition this year by launching the Cognita Awards for Excellence to celebrate outstanding teaching within the Cognita world-wide family of schools. The Cognita Awards for Excellence recognize and reward the very best teachers, those who consistently demonstrate the highest standards of teaching and whose skills, both inside and outside of the classroom, are exemplar of teaching excellence and an inspiration to others. In order to qualify for the award, teachers had to be nominated by their school leadership and meet stringent criteria regarding their contribution towards students and the school. Stamford had three Elementary teachers nominated: Ms. Libby-Daley (Grade 5), Mrs. Keri Norell (Kindergarten 2), and Mrs. Andrea Biernacki (Kindergarten 2).

Stamford is very pleased to announce that Ms. Andrea Biernacki was chosen as a finalist for the honor of Primary Years Practitioner of the Year. She was one of only 18 finalists chosen across the award categories by Cognita. Ms. Andrea has been at Stamford American International School for 2 years. Her students work on task and are highly engaged in purposeful, and often, independent learning that is skillfully planned for individual levels.

Expat Living - Kitchen CollaborationMarch 21, 2013

Emmanuel Stroobant is possibly Singapore's favorite celebrity chef, with his own group of restaurants including Brussels Sprouts, Picotin, Rocks, Sque and Saint Pierre - which is about to receive a makeover. Brian Rogove is the Asia-Pacific CEO of Cognita group, which owns both Stamford American International School in Singapore and the Australian International School. Verne Maree lunched and chatted with the two men at the new Stamford Student Cafe.

See the full article below:

Straits Times - Bitten by the Ballroom Bug

June 06, 2013

Stamford’s new dance program was recently highlighted in an article in the Straits Times. Stamford uses the dual nature of dance as an art form and style of physical movement to create a comprehensive program which addresses the elements of strength, coordination, and rhythm as well as dance as a form of communication and expression. A recent unit on ballroom dancing has seen great success and overwhelmingly positive reactions from students. “It’s not like jazz, or hip-hop, where you’re just performing for people. You’re actually communicating one-on-one with your partner,” says 7^th grader McCall Delaney.

Stamford Takes Home 78 Medals at the Inaugural Cognita Games

June 02, 2013

This past weekend (May 30^th-June 2^nd) marked the first of many Cognita Games for Stamford students. Held in Rayong, Thailand at St. Andrew’s International School (Green Valley), the Cognita Games gave Stamford students the opportunity to showcase their athletic skills and compete against students from other Cognita schools in the Southeast Asia region.

According to CEO of Cognita Asia, Mr. Brian Rogove, “CASA will be an integral part of the Cognita schools network providing children with an opportunity to develop their existing athletic skills in an international environment. Sport is an important part of our holistic approach to education giving students the opportunity to develop their teamwork and leadership skills and by connecting all the schools globally and regionally it gives students the chance to also share experiences and culture.”

The 2013 Cognita Games offered boys and girls U15, U13, U11 swimming/triathlon and a 10 to U17 individual and team golf event. Stamford selected 16 students based on both skill and commitment to participate in the swim meet and triathlon.

Swimmers competed in a variety of events, both individual and team. Students showcased their talents in individual races and then worked together as a team to achieve success in relays as well. The division by year and gender gave participants the ability to see how they compared students from around the world. The Stamford Lions proved themselves a force to be reckoned with, coming home with a whopping 78 medals!

All swimmers were also encouraged to participate in the triathlon, which consisted of a 300 meter swim, 5 km cycle and 2.5km run for U13 and U15 with a slightly modified, shorter course for U11. Results were posted for individuals and for the team as a whole. Stamford students performed exceptionally well, taking home 6 triathlon medals. One student in the U13 group even won a trophy for coming in 2^nd place!

The exciting weekend concluded with tournament lunch including a prize giving ceremony. Students boarded the plane home on Sunday exhausted but having made many new friends and had a great competition!

Stamford Students Successfully Compete in World Education Day Games

May 22, 2013

Stamford American International School (Stamford) students proved themselves a force to be reckoned with as they competed in the World Education Games (WEGs). They consistently made their way into the top 50 and constituted higher participation than any other competing schools in Singapore, both international and local.

An annual event, the WEGs takes place over three days and focuses on the key academic areas of literacy, mathematics, and science. This year, from March 5 to 7, Stamford students participated in math and spelling competitions.

In these competitions, students are categorized based on age and then given various problems to complete. Participants used the Mathletics program for math and the Spellodrome program to test spelling. While the Mathletics program is designed to increase mental agility and math problem solving, the Spellodrome program develops students’ spelling and word skills.

Each student competes in real time against up to three other students in his or her age group from around the world. This gives participants the ability to see how they compare to peers from diverse geographic regions.

Stamford was the highest achieving out of any participating school in Singapore. Of the top 50 students in each of the age groups in the spelling competition, over one third were Stamford students. There were similarly high statistics from the mathematics competition. For ages 7 and under, Stamford students took 28 of the top 50 spots. Of the top 10 classes for the math competition, Stamford accounted for 9 spots.

Even on an individual level, Stamford students did exceedingly well. The number one speller in Singapore in the 11-13 year-old age group was a Stamford student. In the mathematics competition, another Stamford student in the 11-13 year-old age group made the top 10.

This vast success is due to Stamford’s well-developed and demanding academic programs. Stamford integrates the International Baccalaureate (IB) program with the rigorous American Education Reaches Out (AERO) standards.

Providing the best of American and International education, Stamford’s academic program focuses on the development of the whole student and creates life-long learners through its emphasis on inquiry. Stamford uses these principles to create a strong language arts program, designed to help students acquire the ability to write and speak well while also gaining valuable listening and reading skills. Problem solving and mathematical computation skills are also strengthened by rigorous mathematics courses which are designed to encourage analytical thinking.

Stamford further emphasizes mathematics through a special supplementary math program called Math Enrichment. This Elementary School program is in addition to the core math classes and focuses on the AERO Mathematical Process of problem solving, reasoning and communication. The unique Math Enrichment program provides Stamford students with an extra opportunity to enhance their mathematical skills and increase their confidence. Stamford’s success in the WEGs math competition is proof of the impact this program has had in giving Stamford students a competitive advantage in math.

Beyond the quantifiable results, the WEGs competition proved to be a great learning experience for Stamford’s students overall. More than just math and spelling, it also allowed students to gain a broader perspective of the world. Students’ competed against other students from various countries all over the world and Stamford teachers used this opportunity to spark interest in geography, review world maps and create an international dialogue.

The competition also gave students the opportunity to demonstrate their proficiency using the latest technology. Students used their 1 to 1 iPad or MacBook Pro devices to take the test online and employed the skills they’ve gained in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) class. According to ICT teacher, Mr. Ben Gavel, Stamford is likely to participate in the WEGs again next year, “Not only do the students enjoy it, but the World Education Games are a perfect representation of what Stamford stands for - international education using the most up-to-date technology.”