International Friendship Day

As part of cultivating our school values of Openness and Sharing, Ascensia Academy held International Friendship Day on 27^th July, celebrating the diversity of cultures and traditions in both Singapore and our school.  Many teachers and visitors kindly agreed to talk to our students about the multi-faceted social fabric of Singapore.

Ascensia students learnt about Singapore’s unique cultural heritage, the Peranakans, and also discussed their own countries’ traditions with each other. Through this, they were exposed to many different mindsets, experiences and viewpoints, which greatly broadened their horizons. As part of the sharing process, we also encouraged students to come in traditional garb in order to showcase their cultures.

The students in each class also bonded over traditional local snacks and chatted with our visitors about customs and traditions in Singapore.  

Ascensia Student Wins Liberty Study Award

Congratulations to our student, Ms Wen Erya Abby, for receiving the Liberty Study Award! She received a cash prize of $1000, a trophy and a certificate in a presentation ceremony held at the Drama Centre Theatre on 5th May, Tuesday. 

The Liberty Study Award is granted to fifty deserving students of private education institutions who demonstrate excellence in both academic and non-academic fields. Erya, who emerged first in her class during the end-of-year examinations in 2014, expressed gratitude towards the school in nominating her for the award.

Motivated by this success, she will continue to work towards her dream of pursuing a career in architecture, tackling any obstacles she might face with confidence and gusto.

We at Ascensia are very proud of Erya for her achievement and hope that it will inspire our students to strive for greater heights!

A Term 1 Retrospective

The first term of 2015 has come to a close. Despite a busy term spent preparing for examinations, our students still managed to sneak in a few moments of fun and celebration. Here are a few of the more memorable occasions over the course of Term 1!

Chinese New Year Celebrations
For many of our students, this was their first time celebrating Chinese New Year here with us in Singapore. This year, our Chinese New Year celebrations were held on the 5th of March, the last day of Chinese New Year. Our students received local goodies to sample while watching videos related to the subject. There was also a little competition for students to show off their combined creativity by decorating their classroom doors. Many classes showcased their artistic talent by coming up with new and innovative decorations.

Paddy Day

On 15^th March 2015, 10 O Level students and their teachers went to Raffles Place to join in the Paddy Day celebrations. Both staff and students alike dressed in bright, cheerful green for the occasion. This was a brand new experience for the students who attended, and they certainly had fun and returned with their horizons broadened! 

Contests & List of Prizewinners 

Over the course of Term 1, Ascensia Academy held numerous contests to encourage the spirit of teamwork. Prizes were awarded for categories such as the best noticeboard or the cleanest classroom. Individual achievements did not go unacknowledged with awards such as the Caring Ambassador, and contests that showcased our students' creativity such as the Creative Expressions Instagram Competition. 

Below is the full list of winners, as well as a gallery showcasing some of the winning entries. Congratulations to all the winners! There will be more contests showing up in Term 2, so keep trying your best! 

Category	Winners
Best Noticeboard (GS Prep & AEP)	1st Place: AEP Wisdom Runner-up: Sec 3 Forward-Thinking
Cleanest Classroom (GS Prep & AEP)	1st Place: Sec 3 Forward-Thinking Runner-up: P4/5 Faith
Best Conduct – Caring Ambassador	Yu Ruixue Liao Xiaodong Gao Jialin Qiu Tong Cherry Li Xinran Li Zhijie Krystal Yu Zhiyan
Chinese New Year Decorations (O-Levels & AEP)	OL Unity (Seniors 2)
Chinese New Year Decorations (GS Prep)	Sec 1 Justice
FOCUS Creative Expressions Instagram Competition	Sun Qing Loh Ming Hui & Loh Ming Yue Zhao Jinhao He Junfeng

GS Prep Course Students Graduation Celebration

After weeks of hard work, our Government School Prep Course students finally got to celebrate their achievements on the 31^st of October.  Ascensia is proud of all their hard work and took the opportunity to reward them during their Graduation Celebration with a delicious buffet lunch featuring local cuisine.

Alongside the buffet lunch, we also rewarded outstanding students with prizes and certificates. The full list of award winners is as follows:

AWARD	NAME
Top Student (P2/3)	Li Jiashi
Top Student (P4/5)	Zhang Weijia
Top Student (Sec 1)	Angie Widjaja
Top Student (Sec 2)	He Keren
Top Student (Sec 3)	Zhang Yuqi
FOCUS Award: Faith	Angie Widjaja
FOCUS Award: Caring	Angie Widjaja Raphael Job Theodia Wang Zihao
Cleanest Class (Term 4)	Secondary 1A
Best Noticeboard (Term 4)	Secondary 2A
FOCUS Values Art Competition Winners	Su Shan Susan Liang Yixian Zhang Fan Ikke Sri Ayu Mulyani Ng Daisy Winardi Nookaew Pimchanok Chen Xue Lookhanumanjao Chatchaya Xie Xinyun Hu Jiahua
Creative Expressions Art Contest Winners	Valen Moriska Pornsawanwong Chawit Liao Xiaodong Chansamutyothin Chinadon Pinitkul Siwakorn

Congratulations to the winners, and wishes for the best to all our graduating students! 

Mobile Learning Journey @ Fort Canning

On October 27^th, the GS Preparatory students went on a Mobile Learning Journey to the historic location of Fort Canning.  Aside from exposing our students to more of Singapore’s history, the Mobile Learning Journey aimed to instil our school values of Sharing and Unity in the students as well as pique their curiosity and desire to explore the world around them.

Our younger students were given a few brainteasers to stretch their minds and encourage them to think outside the box.  Older students in the secondary school were equipped with e-readers loaded with applications enabling them to apply their knowledge in the real world.  The students were challenged to co-operate and complete their given tasks as accurately as possible, with a prize being awarded to the best group in each level. 

Despite the unexpected inclement weather that day, our students demonstrated perseverance and managed to complete the challenges posed to them.

The winners for the Mobile Learning Journey projects were: 

Secondary 1

Ayu Pertama Halim Mendoza
Chansamutyothin Chinadon
Huang Jiaxi
Russel Morino

Secondary 2

Hung Fung Ho

Secondary 3

Abraham Timothy Gosal
Chen Xue  
Felicia Haslim
Ikke Sri Mulyani
Krishnajaya Dharmawan
Phusinchokwongsa Kanthanaphat

Congratulations to all the winners! 

Learning Beyond the Classroom

At Ascensia Academy, students are offered the opportunity to learn outside the boundaries of the classroom.  In August, the Government School Preparatory Course teachers took their students to the library to show them the vast collection of books and knowledge available to them there. Of course, this was hardly restricted to the younger students. Our O-Level Juniors also received the chance to learn outside their classroom with a trip to the National Museum and the National Library in early October.

Outside of the library visits, our students will also get the chance to experience learning on the go with our upcoming Learning Journey to Fort Canning in October. Do keep an eye on this blog for more news on the Fort Canning trip! 

Police Talk on Crime Prevention

The Singapore Police Force gave our students an engaging talk on crime prevention on 21^st October. The talk covered topics such as staying safe, denying would-be thieves an opportunity to commit crimes, and other important information such as contraband items in Singapore.

Our students found the talk very informative and interesting, and are now certainly more aware of ways to keep themselves from becoming victims of crime.