School Year
The school year starts on the 1st Sunday after Mahavir Jayanti and ends on the last Sunday before Mahavir Jayanti (approximately April – April). Students are to register at the start of each school year (or anytime later for new students), and only children who are at least 4 years and above are allowed to attend classes (or participate in any of the Jain Shala activities).
Date/Time
Jain Shala will operate three Sundays a month, from 10.15 am to 12.30 pm, but will be closed during the June and December school holidays. A quarterly calendar of Jain Shala classes will be e-mailed to all registered parents, and will also be put up on the SJRS website.
Punctuality
School timings are to be strictly followed. Parents who drop off their children are to arrive in school by 10.15 am and only pick them up at 12.30 pm (not earlier or much later). Attendance will be taken 5 minutes after classes start (at 10.20 pm). Students arriving late, or leaving before classes are over, will be treated as absent.
Transportation
Due to logistics constraints, the school does not provide any transportation to and fro from the Sthanak.
Fees
Jain Shala runs on a purely volunteer basis. The Singapore Jain Religious Society sponsors all education materials for the students. Hence there is no school fees to be paid by the student.
Parents who wish to contribute can do so directly to Singapore Jain Religious Socieity.
Aptitude Levels
Students will be placed into a particular aptitude level thereby allowing them to learn at different paces and progressing to the next level once they have completed their current levels.There are a total of 4 levels with each level further divided to 2 sub-levels of basic and advanced. There will be one dedicated teacher for each of the 4 levels.
Lessons
Each lesson will be divided into separate sections, as follows:
- Initial prayers/yoga/pranayam/navakar mantra/etc.
- ‘Formalised’ learning (Samayik, teaching scriptures/stavans, formal syllabus lessons, etc.)
- ‘Informal’ learning (storytelling, songs, games, videos, discussions, quizzes, projects, etc.)
Decorum in Class
Students are NOT to bring any other materials such as games, story books, drawing materials, English school homework etc. They must bring a schoolbag (preferably the Jain Shala bag), Khatasnu, Puja items, file, writing material, Samayik/Pratikraman or other books or papers that have been issued to them. They must bring their Blue Notebook at all times.
Annual Assessment
Annual assessments will be held in March (prior to Mahavir Jayanti) and will be taken by all eligible students. The tests are important as it provides feedback to the students on their current level of understanding and also helps decide if they are ready to progress to the next level. Students who have done well in the assessments will be given prizes.
Students will only be allowed to take the assessments provided they have a minimum of 30% attendance for the school year.
Offsite Classes / Excursions / Performances
Offsite Classes / Excursions / Performances will be conducted periodically to enhance the children’s learning experience. This includes visits to places of worships, picnics and places of interests, performances during Mahavir Jayanti, Paryushan or special occasions.
Students must satisfy the minimum 30% attendance requirements prior to being allowed to participate in Offsite Classes / Excursions / Performances.
Comments / Feedback
Any comments or feedback in relation to Jain Shala are to be made to the Jain Shala subcommittee members, and not to any of the teachers or volunteers. They can be emailed to jainshala@sjrs.org.sg