To meet the needs of students and enhance their educational experience, and improve student retention, student support services are a vital element in providing the services students may need. They help students stay engaged, overcome barriers, and meet their goals.
At GCS, a wide range of student support services is available to meet the needs and expectations of students as well as to create an environment conducive to learning and enhance students’ holistic educational experience. The services available to students shall be communicated to students via various channels, such as the Website and the Student Handbook.
Students requesting the Student Counselling service will need to fill out the Student Counselling and Advice Form. The student will pass the form to the school, and the school will arrange for an appropriate Counsellor.
Support services available to students, such as:
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Airport pick-up services upon students’ request for STP students
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Accommodation arrangements for STP students if they can’t find a place to stay
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Pastoral counselling
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Activities to promote mental well-being,
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Bonding activities
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Close collaboration with the parent/legal guardian for students under 18 years of age,
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Learning Support Service
Airport pick-up service and accommodation arrangement
Upon the student’s request, the student support service staff shall arrange for airport pick-up and/or accommodation arrangements if the student is unable to find a place to stay.
Pastoral Counselling
The Pastoral Counselling Service helps students with difficulties.
A trained Pastoral Counsellor will be engaged to help students through a process of talking, listening, and empowerment. The student is provided with a safe place to express their feelings and thoughts about what they perceive to be an issue. Counselling aims to help the student to understand themselves and their situation better and find new ways of coping with issues that cause them to be upset and improve their general well-being.
If the trained Pastoral Counsellor finds that the student may require more professional/psychological help, such as stress, anger, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, domestic violence, etc., the student will be referred to a professional psychiatrist.
Bonding activities
To promote bonding, GCS shall encourage staff and students to participate in various activities such as Outdoor Camping, Festive Celebrations, Family Carnivals, Overseas Birthday celebrations, Potluck, Student Exchange Programmes, etc., for team bonding because students, lecturers, and Staff can talk and enjoy each other’s company and build trust and harmony.
Activities to promote mental well-being
People who are emotionally well, experts say, have fewer negative emotions and can bounce back from difficulties faster.
Students can approach an engaged, trained Pastoral Counsellor if he/she wishes to seek help with stress, depression, or any mental health issue.
To promote mental well-being, GCS shall encourage staff and students to participate in activities to improve mental well-being, such as:
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Walking
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Cycling
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Yoga
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Swimming
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Meditation
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Adequate sleep
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Connecting with people or catching up with friends
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Listening to music
Close collaboration with the parent/legal guardian for students under 18 years of age
For students under 18 years of age, GCS shall collaborate closely with the parent/legal guardian via:
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Teacher-Parent meeting (Updating of student’s progress or problems)
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Email
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Telephone call
Learning Support Service
The Operations/Admin Department will arrange appropriate provisions to meet the learning needs of the individual and/or cohort of students who require learning support.
The focus of the Learning Support is:
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To provide effective support for those students who are disadvantaged by a specific learning difficulty
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To provide support for those students who have been identified as having difficulties/barriers to learning from the referral process or through data collection and/or assessment
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To provide support for those students who may require extra lessons or remedial lessons.