Here you will find everything necessary to ensure that students at Singapore Amicus International School are
receiving
the best education we can offer. This includes all the criteria that should be met for every level, giving
advice and
guidance for teachers to deliver the best experience to help students progress effectively.
All the relevant information is divided according to the classes that you are teaching, making it easy to
find. This
includes the progression that is expected to be achieved by teachers and students, and what the students
should achieve
to advance. The procedures that must be followed, like; transferring students to a higher classroom or how to
organise
exams efficiently. There is also access to additional information and available contacts to certain
individuals
depending on their responsibilities for what you may require.
Everything here is to create clarity and make your job easier.
Rules and School Policies
There are certain classroom rules that should be abided by at all times during a lesson.
No fighting or disruptive behaviour.
No food, chewing gum or drinks (water is ok).
Controlled classroom environment.
For any further information, please take the time to read through our Employee Handbook that you will find at
the link below.
This Program is to prepare students to be ready for My Pals grade 1, below is a list of criteria that
is
expected of the students to achieve prior to them progressing to the next level and the procedures that must
be followed
before a student advances. You will find materials and guides accessible at Saisteaching@gmail.com in the
google drive.
Breaks and Times
All students should line up and be escorted to the ground floor for their break and the same rules apply at the
end of break. ELP 1, 2 have their breaks in the morning at 8:45am - 9am and 9:45am - 10am, the afternoon
breaks are at 1:45pm - 2pm and 2:45pm - 3pm. ELP 3 and 4 in the morning is at 9am - 9:15am and 10am - 10:15am,
the
afternoon is at 2pm - 2:15pm and 3pm - 3:15pm.
ELP 1
Writing
Children should be able to:
Hold a pen/pencil with confidence.
Start to gain writing skills to draw consistent lines and curves.
Reading
Children should be able to:
Read all of the letters in the alphabet.
Recognise some of the letters in both lower and upper cases.
Read numbers from 1 - 10
Speaking
Children should be able to:
Greet their teacher.
Answer simple questions such as ‘what is your name?’ and ‘how old are you?’
Explain basic emotions, (I am happy/sad etc.)
Pronounce the letters of the alphabet and begin basic phonic sounds.
Recognise and state some colours and shapes.
Listening
Children should be able to:
Listen to basic instructions, (Quiet, stop, etc.)
Understand simple questions such as what is your name, how old are you.
Understand when a teacher is relaying something positive or negative, (well done, very good/ don’t do
that, etc.)
ELP 2
Writing
Children should be able to:
Write the entire alphabet, upper or lower case.
Write their first words, simple CVC words and sight words.
Write numbers from 1 – 20
Reading
Children should be able to:
Read simple sight words like ‘I’ ‘you’ ‘yes’ ‘no’
Read a small range of CVC words.
Recognise all upper and lower-case letters of the alphabet.
Confidently read numbers from 1 – 20.
Speaking
Children should be able to:
Have simple conversation with their teachers ‘What they like’.
Express basic needs to their teacher.
Full comprehension of every letter of the alphabet and mastered short phonic sounds.
Recognise and pronounce certain shapes, colours and animals
Listening
Children should be able to:
Further students listening skills to follow additional simple instructions (sit down, stand up and
line up).
Understand and answer simple questions when given.
ELP 3
Writing
Children should be able to:
Write all upper and lower-case letters of the alphabet.
Write some simple CVC words and a small range of sight words.
Write some simple colours, animals, prepositions, shapes and immediate family.
Reading
Children should be able to:
Read more CVC words and some sight words.
Read; some colours, animals, prepositions, shapes and immediate family.
Speaking
Children should be able to:
Greet their teacher.
Ask their teachers or classmates basic questions about their school work.
Have grasped a very good understanding of phonic sounds.
Hold simple conversations with their teacher and start to be able to express themselves with better
understanding.
Listening
Children should be able to:
Follow more detailed instructions about activities or 1/2 step instructions.
Listen to questions about themselves and be able to express their answers, e.g. Do you have a pet dog?
Listen to short stories and videos and are able to comprehend them.
ELP 4
Writing
Children should be able to:
Write simple sentences that include sight words.
Write some colours, animals, prepositions, shapes, family members, school words, home words,
everyday objects and days
of the week.
Write all letters in words in the correct form that is legible to others.
Reading
Children should be able to:
Read many CVC words and sight words with less difficulty.
Read more colours, animals, prepositions, shapes, family members, school words, home words, everyday
objects, days of
the week and some months.
Should be capable of reading very short simple sentences.
Speaking
Children should be able to:
Ask their teachers or classmates questions about their work or about classroom equipment.
Have little difficulty in differentiating between harder letters and sounds such as ‘f and s’ or ‘d
and th’.
Listening
Children should be able to:
Follow detailed instructions about activities or 2/3 step instructions.
Answer more complex questions about themselves and be able to express their answers, e.g. Do you have
any brothers?
Listen to stories/movies and understand the plot and the meaning.
Transferring a student to another level
If you feel that a student is either to high or low for your class you can transfer the student to the correct
level
class. You will need to get a transfer slip, found in the computer room and fill it in with the student’s name,
class
and your name. You must then get approval from the receiving teacher before any action can be taken. Then report
it to
the front desk, so it can be officially processed.
All of the materials that can be useful for you are accessible here.
I strongly recommend the oxford phonics syllabus, it is very thorough, with over a 100 pages of material. It
even
includes a certificate at the end, once the students have successfully completed the book, covering every letter
of the alphabet, their phonic sounds and additional sight words. You also can access their video material here.
When teaching; please keep to the books and ensure that all students have grasped and understood everything
before
progressing any further. Incorporate any other methods to aid students to retain relevant information,
regarding the
syllabus; games, exercises etc. Additional support can be given at saisteaching@gmail.com and for the
necessary audio
files, or you can ask Jonathan Hansard.
Students that are being taught My Pals, should also be working through the equivalent math book at an even
pace. One day
a week should be dedicated to PE classes (see Google drive for guidelines and ideas for PE). Another day
should be
allocated for computer classes, giving students the opportunity to practise I.T skills; this workbook can be
found at
reception to help prepare for these classes.
Any other materials required will be found at saisteaching@gmail.com in the Google drive, if you need
assistance, please
enquire at the reception desk to either Jonathan Hansard or Sienghai.
Breaks
All students that are in Grade 1 or above, have allocated breaks as so, the morning is at 9am - 9:15am and 10am
- 10:15am, the
afternoon is at 2pm - 2:15pm and 3pm - 3:15pm. All students should line up and be escorted to the ground floor
for their break and the same rules apply at the
end of break.
Exams
With Grade 1, for example; exams should be held half way through My Pals 1A (Test 1+2). Two tests are given to
prevent students from
cheating and should be allocated as so, to prevent neighbouring students from copying. At the end of 1A, there
is a
mid-term exam and the same rules apply. Similarly, the same method is implemented for 1B, half way, there is
(Test 3+4)
and finally there is an End of Term test. Once all is completed, students can then progress to Grade 2.
All the audio files that coincide with My Pals English books are found here, including images of the exam papers
to only
be used to help guide you on lesson plans to help cover some of the vocabulary they need to achieve and grammar.
Students are not allowed to see these tests and if used in class, there will be severe consequences for
breaching school policy.
You will also find a word document, breaking down the week to help you plan around your lessons and other useful
guidelines. Please use the materials responsibly and just help the student's further their education, thank you.
Hot Spot
Hotspot is the curriculum we use for our evening part time classes. You should be issued an exercise book and
a
teacher’s guide book for each course. These books can be collected from the front desk or from Jonathan
Hansard, to
guarantee that you have all the necessary materials needed to teach your students efficiently and effectively.
All the
audio material can be found on saisteaching@gmail.com in the google drive, other than Hotspot 5 but you will
find the
script for the audio in the Teacher guide book (you will have to read it).
You will also find additional material in the Teacher’s course book to help with any module and drill any
relevant
information. It is crucial to make certain that the students are understanding the material that is being
given before
moving onto the next module. Create additional material if needed, especially for grammar practice. Most
lessons must
focus on the Hotspot curriculum, however some days you will be able to allow more relaxed lessons, usually on
special
occasions, like Christmas and other holidays.
Evening students can be testing, so please keep to the school policies and don’t allow students to eat, drink
or play on
their phones during class time. The attendance must be completed within 10 minutes of the class proceeding, to
allow
time for the front desk to contact their parents. This is to keep parent’s minds at ease knowing the location
of their
children and for us to provide sufficient care and due diligence along the way.
Exams must take place after each module and stated on the whiteboard a week prior to the exam being taken, so
bear this
in mind when working through each module. It is located on the first floor, near the computer room and
Principal Bunly’s
office. In Addition to there being an exam after each module, there is also a midterm and end of term test,
including a
speaking test for all students in your class. Answers will be provided to help mark the papers and strict
rules must be
abided, during students taking any of these exams. If you require any further information regarding holding an
exam and
the process, please see ‘Exams’ in the navigation bar or speak with Jonathan Hansard.
An Oxford curriculum we use for our Intermediate or higher students, only a few students at a time are
studying this
course. A student exercise book and Teacher’s guide will be provided for you if you're teaching this syllabus,
including
audio files that will be found on saisteaching@gmail.com in the google drive. Similarly to Hotspot, exams are
taken
after every module and there is a midterm and end of term paper exam, which also includes a speaking exam for
both.
Taking responsibility for students’ attendance is very important and must be completed, saved and approved for
every
lesson. Preferably within the first 15 minutes but no later than 30 minutes into the lesson. This is relevant
because it
allows time for the front desk to notify parents and take any other procedures necessary. The system is simple
to
use
and after a few attempts you should be more than capable. After logging in with you details, you then select the
relevant class you are teaching. All the students name will be visible in segregated boxes. Displaying the name
and
4
possible choices; ‘Present’, Excused (if they are on holiday or known to be sick, notes can be added),
‘Unexcused’
(if
you don’t know) and lastly ‘Late’, where notes can also be added. Once filled in accurately, it can then be
saved in
the
top right of the page and finally approved. There is a video tutorial to help guide you, if you so need.
Examinations
Booking and preparing an exam
When a class is approaching a point in their syllabus it is the time to start considering booking an exam. The
exam
needs to be recorded on the white board; found on the first floor, located near the computer room and Bunly’s
office.
You should state the course, the module, the date and the time of the exam will be commencing, to allow enough
time for
Sopanha to organise the test. If there is already someone who has booked that timeslot you must pick another
day.
It is essential that all exams are taken in strict conditions, no talking and only the essential apparatus
needed. There
are two different papers for each syllabus; test A and B to prevent any cheating. The seating should be
arranged by the
Singapore amicus team but some help may be required. If the exam requires a listening part to the exam, please
make sure
that the audio system is prepared before the exam. Sopanha, organises and prepares for the exam, so any
additional
information you need, can be discussed with him.
Marking an exam
When the tests are issued, you will also receive an answer sheet, please take care of not accidentally showing
these
answers to any of the students. Answers are provided for both test A and B to help you mark quickly and
accurately. It
will be appreciated that all papers are marked as soon as possible, ideally 2 days minimum. Once completed and
marked,
calculate the percentage for each test result and hand it back to Sopanha, so it can be processed.
Speaking Test
Speaking tests will require some preparation and two additional teachers to help judge on the day. Principal
Bunly would
also appreciate being notified, so he can have the opportunity to attend as well. The topic should correlate
with
whatever you have been learning in that term but you can be creative. Students are required to memorise the
topic and
shouldn’t be allowed any documentation whilst taking the speaking test. During the Speaking test, students are
judged on
several criterias; pronunciation, clarity, topic and something else (I can’t remember).
Resources
A lot of the resources should be provided for you as soon as you start teaching, if it hasn’t been given
please go and
ask at the front desk or Jonathan Hansard can help. This will include the entire curriculum for that course
but you will
need to access saisteaching@gmail.com in the google drive for the audio files, which should be played during
certain
parts of the book and will be stated when needed.
As for apparatus equipment for teaching; pens and basic tools, we will like you to provide yourself. Board
markers can
be provided or bought from the shop next door. Computers are allocated in most classrooms, as well as a
television to
display any materials to help with visual aid during your class, including a HDMI cable.
Anything else you may require, you can contact Jonathan Hansard
Deals with all finances for the school. Can deal with any issues regarding pay and requests for advanced payments; only
when absolutely necessary. If you have purchased any supplies for the school that can be claimed by the school, you can
take the receipt and have the money claimed, within reason.
Jonathan Hansard
English Program Coordinator
Can help with any enquiries and provide support when needed, any suggestions to improve the standard of our school is
also taken on board. Assists the student ambassadors to organise events and other activities for the school. If you have
any matters you wish to discuss, we can in private and with confidence.
SoonHoon
Head of English Part-time
Found in the computer room or at the front desk, in the evenings, supporting the part time classes and with the
attendance management. Assists the student ambassadors to organise events and other activities for the school. Can give
support when needed.
Pha Sophanna
Academic officer
Main member of the team to organise and distribute papers for exams, so make sure to mention to him when booking an
exam. Organises the monthly reports for students and their parents. Can assist with any printouts needed and support
for some I.T requirements.
