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By Channelnewsasia.com | Posted: 05 February 2010 2039 hrs Source >SINGAPORE : Singapore's first synthetic ice skating rink has opened for trials at the Stamford American International School's (SAIS) Foundation Campus at Lorong Chuan. |
Singapore’s first synthetic ice rink is situated on SAIS’s foundation campus. (Photo courtesy of Sue-Anne Chng) |
Contributed by Sue-Anne Chng
Source >SINGAPORE: Stamford American International School (SAIS) today announced Singapore’s first synthetic ice skating rink on the school’s Foundation Campus at Lorong Chuan.
Working in collaboration with the Singapore Ice Hockey Association (SIHA), this trial of the technology aims to make ice skating and ice hockey more accessible in tropical Singapore and offer quality ice sport programs to students.
Speaking at a media preview of the ice rink, Brian Rogove, the Chief Executive Officer of Cognita, Asia Pacific said, “Figure skating and ice hockey are popular sports in North America, and we saw this opportunity to work with SIHA to try out this synthetic rink on our campus to give our students exposure from a young age. This is in line with our holistic approach to education, which emphasizes a balanced lifestyle and teamwork.”
Made of high-tech polymeric compounds which closely mimic the performance of real ice, synthetic ice is especially suitable for Singapore’s tropical climate as it does not require a climate-controlled environment and is significantly easier and cheaper to maintain compared to real ice surfaces.
“Since the closure of the Jurong Entertainment Centre in 2008, the national ice hockey team has had to resort to training on a concrete hockey court, so we’re very happy that Cognita has worked with us to temporarily install the synthetic ice rink at SAIS,” said Michael Lambert, Treasurer of SIHA.
With the 2011 Asian Winter Games in Kazakhstan fast approaching, the all-Singaporean national ice hockey team will be training on the SAIS rink thrice-weekly as they prepare to represent Singapore in the sport for the very first time.
“This ice rink certainly comes as a timely arrival to both SIHA and SISA as our associations work towards helping Singaporean ice sports break into the international arena,” noted Mr. Lambert.
Although the rink is a temporary fixture for now, Mr. Rogove said, “We will certainly take the opportunity to work with SIHA to assess the feasibility and long-term benefits of installing a synthetic ice rink when we move to our Permanent Campus on Upper Serangoon.”
“The lack of ice rinks in Singapore has also limited the sport’s growth amongst youth here, and we hope that the new synthetic rink can help to spark more interest among students in Singapore,” added Mr. Lambert.
As part of SAIS’ community engagement efforts, it is extending an invitation to the public to try out the rink over two weekends: 13-14 and 20-21 February 2010. The four, half-hour slots per day are available on a first-come-first-served basis through registration.
Interested members of the public can pre-register online via SAIS’ website, www.sais.com.sg. Please contact SAIS with any questions at +65 6602 7247 or email:reception@sais.com.sg. Confirmation is based on a first-come-first-served basis.
Dates
13, 14, 20, 21 February 2010
Time
2:00- 2:30 pm
2:30 – 3:00 pm
3:00 – 3:30 pm
3:30 – 4:00 pm
Fee
$10 per half hour slot, inclusive of skate rental*
Venue
Stamford American International School
11 Lorong Chuan
Singapore 556821
*Skaters need to bring their own socks. They are also advised to bring gloves for safety reasons.
By Sumita Sreedharan
Source >Costing $65,000 to build, the outdoor rink in Lorong Chuan is made of white plastic.
Singapore's largest synthetic ice rink will be opened to the public on Chinese New Year's eve - but the 'ice' is not really ice.
The 'ice' is actually interlocking squares of white plastic sprayed with a mixture of silicone and water.
Ice skaters are able to slide across the surface, as if they are on machine-made ice.
It is built and managed by the Singapore Ice Hockey Association (Siha).
The outdoor rink, which is 20m by 10m, is at the Stamford American International School (SAIS) in Lorong Chuan.
An Olympic-sized rink is 60m by 30m.
Built at a cost of $65,000, the rink is only one-fifth the cost of regular indoor rinks. Maintenance is easier too.
Mr Michael Lambert, Siha's treasurer, said that it can be cleaned with 'just a broom and vacuum cleaner' while a monthly spray of a synthetic liquid re-energises the surface.
This is the second ice skating rink here. The first, at 23m by 41m, is the indoor rink at Kallang Ice World in Kallang Leisure World.
An Olympic-sized rink was expected to open last year at the new Jurong Entertainment Centre but plans were postponed, said a spokesman for CapitaMall Trust Management (CMT), which manages the centre.
'Work was deferred due to the economic downturn, and CMT took the opportunity to further refine the concept and layout of the new, larger mall,' she said.
One group looking forward to the new rink is the Singapore ice hockey team.
It does not having a rink to train on since Fuji Ice Palace, at the old Jurong Entertainment Centre, closed in 2008.
The team has been training on a concrete hockey court.
Team captain Michael Loh, 35, said the team was not training at Kallang as the ice there would get chipped, and Kallang caters to social skaters anyway.
The team, which trains twice a week, is preparing for the Challenge Cup of Asia in Taipei next month.
Mr Loh believes that the new rink's synthetic, and harder, surface is good for conditioning training and players will benefit as a result, when they play on actual ice.
Other than competitive skaters, learners can also use the rink. As the surface is harder, it forces skaters to learn the right technique by building up the right muscles. The risk of falling is less too as it is less slippery.
Ms Sonja Chong, president of the Singapore Ice Skating Association, said the synthetic rink can be used for the lower levels of training.
But higher levels, such as figure and speed skating, cannot be done at this rink as these techniques require skates with toe picks to assist in their jumps and these will leave holes in the surface.
In ice hockey, the skates do not have toe picks.
Although the rink is for Siha members and other affiliates, the public will get to use it for $10 a person per session, which lasts half an hour, on the weekends of Feb 13 and 14 and Feb 20 and 21.
Subsequently, the public can make use of the rink at the same fee.
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By Amelia Tan SINGAPORE'S newest international school was officially opened on Friday, and already, demand for places is heating up despite fees that run to $20,000 a year. The school is operated by Cognita - an international education group that runs about 50 schools worldwide, including the AISS. The group's chief executive officer for Asia, Mr Brian Rogove, said on Friday that interest in the school has been high. The number of inquiries on places has grown from about 20 a week at the beginning of the year to about 75 a week now. He expects demand to remain strong, as many of the inquiries are from parents looking to relocate to Singapore soon. In fact, he said, about half of the students currently enrolled come from families who moved here this year. 'We see this as a sign that the economy is growing and more families will be moving here in future,' he added. SAIS expects to have 2,500 students by 2016, four years after its permanent campus in Upper Serangoon opens. The school's temporary Lorong Chuan premises can accommodate only 600 students. SAIS takes in children between the ages of two and 18, and offers the International Baccalaureate and American Advanced Placement Diploma programmes. The demand for places at SAIS is mirrored at other international schools here. For example, AISS - which currently has an enrolment of 2,258 - has over 100 children on its waiting list for next year. Over at United World College of South East Asia (UWC), the waiting list is in the thousands, said the school's director of communications, Ms Joy L. Stevenson. The strong demand for places has dispelled earlier fears that the global recession would affect enrolment. |
The Stamford American International School has started classes on its temporary Lorong Chuan campus. -- ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN |
Watch This News Article Online >
By Cheryl Lim, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 28 August 2009 1602 hrs
SINGAPORE: Another international school has opened its doors in Singapore, hoping to fill an expected demand for foreign-style education system here and in the Asia Pacific.
According to Singapore-based education group Cognita, although earlier surveys had estimated the exodus of some 2,000 international students, improvements in Singapore's economy have in fact led to an increase in expatriates moving into the country.
The company runs the new Stamford American International School, which opened its temporary campus at Lorong Chuan on Friday. It said some 32,000 students are studying in international schools here and the number is expected to double by 2014.
Kathleen Caoyonan, expatriate from Texas, USA, said: "With the younger kids, there are so few slots. I think people are starting to find a little bit more openings, but there is still a waiting list."
Cognita has already committed S$250 million for the development of its new campus, which currently has over 80 students. The firm said demand is good, citing up to 70 enquiries on enrolment each week.
Brian Rogave, chief executive officer of Asia Cognita, said: "Every single enquiry we've had turned into enrolment. It's a positive trend, we hope it continues."
The current campus can take in up to 600 students. The permanent campus, to be located at Upper Serangoon, will offer some 2,500 places when it is ready by 2012.
Access to foreign schools is an important criterion for expatriates coming to work in Singapore, according to a study conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham).
The study also found that more than three-quarters of respondents preferred attending international schools with home-country curriculum.
In August last year, the Singapore government had, for the first time, listed public buildings and vacant plots to be made available for more foreign schools.
Initial plans were for up to four schools to be built, but this was later scaled down to just one due to the economic downturn.
Cognita runs 50 schools worldwide, including the Australian International School here which has reported a waiting list of 114 for next year's enrolment.
View article in original context >
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American mother Carrie Lupoli has two children, Grace (4) and Ellie (3), who will be joining SAIS this year when the school opens its doors for the first time. "As the owner of an educational consulting firm, I am involved with most of the international schools in Singapore. Although I am very impressed by many of them, Stamford seems to offer the entire package. Its inclusive philosophy was very "The school fees are competitive and the combination of an American-Standards-based curriculum with the PYP programme is attractive, as eventually we will move either back to the US or to another assignment. This way, I know both types of education will be covered – wherever we end up." "I am also impressed by how personal the leadership team has been with the parents and the children. We feel like a family." |
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American mom Kathleen Colbert has one daughter, Julia (3), who will be attending the new SAIS when it opens its doors in August this year. “SAIS is an unknown for us. However, after speaking with a number of people associated with the school, we get a good impression that they are working for the kids and want their experience to be the best and most well-rounded. The curriculum is a nice balance between the American system and an international one, and we want our daughter to have a sense of the diversity here. “Everyone we spoke to is a genuinely excited about opening the new school. The principal has a great vision of what he wants the school to become for the children, and it is really exciting to be a part of his plans.” |
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New international school will award Scholarship based on Academic ability and economic circumstances.
April 1 st, 2009 – Singapore – Stamford American International School (SAIS), the first international school to offer the American curriculum enriched by an International Accredited curriculum, is launching a Scholarship worth up to S$400,000 *. Designed to assist an academically-gifted student facing economic hardship, the Stamford American International School “Foundation Scholarship” will commemorate the opening of the school in August 2009 and run for the duration of the student’s stay at the school.
The Principal and head of the Stamford American International School, said, “As part of our school ethos, we believe that every child should be given a chance to succeed. Yet, in the current economic climate, an international education is beyond the reach of many expat families.
“To mark the launch of Stamford American International School, we feel passionately that we should offer a Scholarship to one deserving student for whom such a world-class international education would not otherwise be possible. In effect, we are offering an education worth up to S$400,000 for free.”
The Stamford American International School “Foundation Scholarship” will be awarded to one student, aged between 5 and 11 years, on the basis of both their academic ability and economic circumstances. The Scholarship will cover all school fees, uniforms and materials for the duration of the student’s stay at the school, as well as the cost of the school bus. Submissions will be judged by a panel of leading educationalists and the Board of Stamford American International School. Applicants must be able to comply with MOE requirements in attending a Foreign System School in Singapore. Details of the Scholarship, as well as an application form, are available on the school’s website www.sais.com.sg. The closing date for submissions is 1 July 2009.
The Stamford American International School will open its Foundation Campus on Lorong Chuan on August 17 th 2009. The school will have a capacity of 300 students in the first year, growing to 600 students by 2010. The Permanent Campus, which will cater for 2,500 students, will open in 2011.
The Stamford American International School will be housed in brand new purpose designed facilities and will boast state-of-the-art equipment such as the latest in IT and technology; large, 75 square metre classrooms; and sports facilities such as a swimming pool, a basket ball court, soccer field and covered playgrounds.
* The S$400,000 Scholarship is based on estimated stay at the school of 13 years (from five years old to 18 years old) and will cover tuition fees, uniforms, materials and bus transport. This is equivalent to an annual Scholarship of approximately S$30, 770.
In August 2009, a new American International school will open its doors in Singapore.
Offering an American-style curriculum with an eventual enrolment of 2,500, the Stamford American International School (SAIS) will be founded by Cognita, a leading international education group that owns and operates over 50 schools worldwide, including the Australian International School in Singapore.
The group has been awarded a site to build a new international school on Upper Serangoon Road by the Singapore Government through a formal bid process. Cognita emerged as the sole winning candidate with its quality curriculum offerings and strong track record of outstanding schools worldwide. Their educational programs pride themselves on being accessible to a wide range of students from all nationalities, with a strong emphasis on cross-cultural communication and language acquisition.
The Stamford American International School is emerging with the mission to provide a high quality education for young people aged 3 to 18 with an emphasis on developing students as global citizens and life-long learners in an international context with an American orientation. By providing the very best of both American and International curricula, the school promises opportunities for holistic, inquiry based learning that empowers young people to become constructive, compassionate, and active global citizens.
Stamford American International School will open this autumn with capacity for 600 pupils from Pre-school to Grade 6 at their brand new Foundation Campus, which will be located near the Australian International School in Singapore on Lorong Chuan. The Permanent Campus accepting all grade levels will be ready for classes in August 2011. The Permanent Campus on Upper Serangoon Road will also be conveniently located close to the city with direct access to a new MRT station directly in front of the campus.
SAIS is currently accepting applications from families with children aged 3 to 11 years.
For more information, please call +65 6319 7648 or visit www.cognitaschools.sg and click on Stamford American International School.
Careers: careers@sais.com.sgNovember 2008 – Singapore American Newspaper
Cognita successful in a major public bid, to build an American International School in Singapore
The Government of Singapore announced today that Cognita has been successful in its bid to acquire a new site in Singapore. In a public bid involving many companies the Economic Development Board finally awarded Cognita a long term lease on a city center site, to set up a new international school in Singapore. This follows many months of evaluation of Cognita as a school operator, by the Government agencies, including visits to its schools in the UK and overseas.
The new school, to be called The Stamford American International School, will offer a US-based curriculum and will receive its first intake in Sept 2009 with an initial capacity of 600 places that will eventually grow to 2,500 students. It will ease the tight supply of school places, particularly for an American-style education.
Brian Rogove, Cognita’s Managing Director Asia said, ‘We are very pleased with the decision reached by the committee to award Cognita such an outstanding site for our new Stamford American International School. It follows on the back of our recent announcement of a $33 million expansion to our Australian International School in Singapore. Cognita is pleased to continue its tradition of investment in high quality educational schools in Singapore. We are excited to participate in the development of Singapore as a world class educational hub. The Stamford American International School will provide excellent education from a new and outstanding facility.
