Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)

[autolycus]

This is reproduced from my own archive. Hope it's useful and interesting!


The ACS Crest

The ACS crest is designed to convey in symbols a wealth of history and philosophy. It acts as a mnemonic device so that once an ACSian knows the key, certain ideas and ideals related to the school are easily recalled. It is shaped like a knight's shield to symbolise the knightly virtues, traditionally Justice, Mercy, Fortitude, Prudence, Faith, Hope and Charity.

Colours

The main colours of the crest are blue and gold. Blue traditionally symbolises the heavens and spiritual virtues; gold traditionally symbolises the earth and material accomplishments. In this context, red represents both the common bond of humanity and the blood of Christ that bridges earth and heaven.

Creature

The creature at the top, as are most heraldic beasties, is a mixture of pieces thrown together to symbolise different things. Technically, you would call it a wyvern, the generic name for a dragon-bodied entity with only forelegs. Conceptually, it's a chimaera, a mixture of otherwise incompatible parts.

The lion's head historically represents the British empire, under whose aegis the school was founded. It also traditionally represents valour (the virtue of action in the face of fear) and courage (the strength of heart which resists fear).

The dragon's body historically represents the Qing dynasty, during which the school was founded, and the Chinese community that funded much of its establishment. It also traditionally represents wisdom and power, which guide and fuel the virtues.

The eagle's wings historically represent the American Methodist mission, which sent Bishop Thoburn and Rev Oldham to Singapore; their work began with the founding of the local Methodist church and the school. The wings also traditionally represent excellence and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Words and Letters

The letters 'A', 'C', and 'S', while being the initials of 'Anglo-Chinese School', have been used by various school leaders to stand for 'Academic', 'Character', and 'Service' (and sometimes, 'Sports') — three areas of development for all ACSians.

The motto, 'The Best Is Yet To Be', comes from Robert Browning's poem Rabbi ben Ezra. In the first stanza of that very long poem, Browning writes:
[quote]Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in his hand
Who saith, 'A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!'[/quote]
While some unkind commentators have said ACSians are always excusing lack of success and such by deferring it to the future, that's plainly not true. The 'best', as in that poem, refers to the ending of a person's years after a life lived well.

[jewelbox]

Hi, may i know where in Beach Road can i get scouts marching boots? Is it from the Goldenmile Food centre? Which unit is it? If going by public transport, how do i get there? Is it needed for the scouts camp starting tmr? Many thanks.

[Jennifer]

There is an Open House this Sat.


The presentation for non-feeder schools starts at 10.45am.

HAST registration, CCA carnival and school tours are held from 8.30 am to 1 pm

What time would be most suitable to arrive?

Many thanks in advance for the advice.

[breezy]

Jennifer:

There is an Open House this Sat.


The presentation for non-feeder schools starts at 10.45am.

HAST registration, CCA carnival and school tours are held from 8.30 am to 1 pm

What time would be most suitable to arrive?

Many thanks in advance for the advice.

Hi Jennifer,

If u'd like to sleep late, then I'll suggest you arrive in time for the talk at the auditorium, followed by the cca booths in the auditorium just beside the one for the talk. There will also be round-the-clock school tours (with starting point right outside the auditoriums) where student leaders take visitors around the school grounds.

Be prepared to park across the road at the HDB car park as due to heavy traffic.

Enjoy!

[Jennifer]

breezy:

Jennifer:

There is an Open House this Sat.


The presentation for non-feeder schools starts at 10.45am.

HAST registration, CCA carnival and school tours are held from 8.30 am to 1 pm

What time would be most suitable to arrive?

Many thanks in advance for the advice.

Hi Jennifer,

If u'd like to sleep late, then I'll suggest you arrive in time for the talk at the auditorium, followed by the cca booths in the auditorium just beside the one for the talk. There will also be round-the-clock school tours (with starting point right outside the auditoriums) where student leaders take visitors around the school grounds.

Be prepared to park across the road at the HDB car park as due to heavy traffic.

Enjoy!

:thankyou:

[zeemimi]

We were at the Open House last Sat. May I know how old is the physical building of the school?


The school looks impressive on the outside. However, when we went on the school tour, we noticed some of the places did not seem to be very well maintained. Some walls and railings were badly in need of a new coat of paint and portrayed the school as being quite run down. One classroom we went to was rather stuffy even though the aircon was on and had the projector screen hanging dangerously on one corner only.

I wonder if it is a "boys’ school" phenomenon - physical infrastructure wearing down at a faster speed?

[Jonathan Lim]

The New Block does look nice , but the Old block is not well maintained and hence looks not so good .

[autolycus]

The 'old' block was officially opened in 1993. It was refurbished in 2001-2002 with the infamous 'bathroom tiles' and colourful lockers. The airconditioned canteen and other newer facilities such as the Life Science labs were also finished around that time.


The 'new' block was somewhat hastily completed in late 2005. It was plagued by defects due to that hasty construction. However, these were mostly fixed by 2008.

This means that some of what you saw is now 20 years old, and many of the newest sections are 5 years old. But you are also right; male students tend to be tougher on the infrastructure.

[BeContented]

Personally I have not seen the internal. I din attend the open house last year, perhaps I should find a chance to walk around ;).

But reading the above I asked my son this morning.

Son reply was \"yah, some places look old\".
I went '\"Haaahhhh. Then not very nice right?\" :skeptical:
Son replied \"But mommy, we are only studying in the classroom. Wall nice or not doesn't matter to us\" :boogie:

but of course, I (the mommy) still prefer to study in a nice environment. But if the children dun mind, it's fine with me too.

[breezy]

Both My sons are in ACSI, yr 1 & yr 4.


Never once did I hear them complain about the school ground being run down.

Boys being boys... I guess they are not really particular.

One thing I know for sure, this is the place they learn, have fun, bond and grow... a place they stay over for several nights a year during camps... a place they are totally comfortable in ---- their 2nd home.

My elder son was leading visitors for school tours last Saturday and a parent asked him if non-Christians will feel out of place in the school.

His answer : I am also a non-Christian and I find that the values taught in school can be applied across all individuals, not limited to Christianity. For the record, teachers do not preach. However, you may occasionally find some well-meaning friends trying to convert you.

I am heartened to see my boys comfortably settled and proud to be a part of ACSI.