Each year, Forest School Singapore undergo two phases of policy & program updates and changes. They are all done with the heart of our community of children, coaches, parents, and other fellow community members at its core. For most of you who have been with us over the past years, you will be familiar with this.
CATEGORY A: GENERAL
(A1) Upgrade of Approach & Philosophy (Intro to FSS)
As we progress and evolve with time, Forest School Singapore also looks to improve our own quality of practice and understanding of our work with children, Nature and community through experience and knowledge reflected over the years. We have upgraded our Approaches & Philosophy to include a more local (Singapore-Malayan) perspective into our description of the Forest School Singapore ways. Enjoy the evolution that all of us have contributed and worked together to develop over the past 6 years.
(A2) Stepping Down of Manpower Manager (Rebecca Ko)
We will be exiting our long-time Manpower Manager Rebecca Ko on the 1st June 2022. She has been with us for the past 6 years, handling many of the HR matters behind the scenes. One of the hidden heroes of Forest School Singapore. She will become an Associate Advisor to FSS, after her exit from the executive position. We like to thank Rebecca for all her time, effort and heart to the Forest School Singapore community.
CATEGORY B: WEEKLY
(B1) Update of Terms & ConditionS for Weekly Class
Effective from 23 May 2022, there will strictly be no pausing of sessions, unless it is a long-term health condition with a medical report. If you wish to hold the slots during your travel, monthly fees have to be paid as we are reserving these limited slots for your child. Otherwise, you may explore the option of withdrawing and joining us back when the next enrolment opens. We also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that we do not provide refunds for missed sessions.
Rationale: All these are done to enable us to only open enrolment every 6-months, so that our children, coaches and parents can settle in to build a relationship and dynamic that is healthy for our children. We like to thank you for your understanding and support in this change.
(B2) Resumption of Family Week
Family Week will resume from the second semester for all Weekly Classes. It will be held within the last two weeks of each term. More information will be communicated to you through the individual coaching teams.
CATEGORY C: WORKSHOPS & TRAININGS
(C1) Update of Terms & Condition for Workshops
There has been an increase in requests for changes due to the participant/s’ personal changes in their schedule and plans, that is not health related. Over the years, we have been really kind in giving out our concessions. However, this will not be sustainable for our administrative team. We will draw clear boundaries here on in.
Effective from 23 May 2022, there will not be any allowance for changes to the date/s, participant/s and selection/s of all the workshop programs. In the event that you are unable to honour the initial booking, no refunds will be made.
Rationale: Every change prevents another individual from attending our program. Hence, it is also a lost of slots for us as well as the public. We hope that this will encourage participants to be sure of their schedule before signing up for any of our programs.
(C2) New Communication Tool: Post Register Info Pack (Workshop)
We have consolidated an “Post-Register-Info-Pack” to help new parents & families who sign up for workshops to better navigate and prepare to come for the Forest School Workshops’ programs.
(C3) UPDATES on FSS ADVANCED TraininG
All advanced trainings like Eco-Pattern, Orang Asli etc, will be removed from the FSS Training for Public. With the past years of experience, we realized that many of the advanced element requires a mix of FS experience and basic knowledge. Therefore, the content of these trainings are more suited for our coaches who are already in the FSS teams. Instead, we will be introducing two new introductory trainings which will be elaborated in detail below.
(C4) REVISION of FSS Training: FSST Version 4.0
With the removal of the advanced training, we will be moving from Version 3.0 to Version 4.0 of FSST. We will be introducing a new introductory range of practical training to pair with the current online (Approach & Mindset) training. It will be called “Learning the Forest School Ways” (The Science / Arts of FS). The Introductory Training is created as a sum of all the experiences and feedback throughout the past Three Versions of FSS Training and the experience of evolving as a Forest School in Singapore. Below are the brief details of the new Introductory Trainings:
Learning the Forest School Ways: ‘The Science of Forest School’
Content Range: Intro to FS | Environment | Nature | Place
Learning the Forest School Ways: ‘The Art of Forest School’
Content Range: Intro to FS | Children | Community | Magic