2019

December: Josephians Soar at 2019 SEA Games

At the 2019 Sea Games held in the Philippines, several Josephians represented Singapore and achieved sporting medals:

Singapore’s sailing team picked up one gold and three silvers. One of these came from Kenan Tan in the men’s optimist (under 16). 12-year-old Kenan who joined SJI as a Year 1 Josephian in 2020 is the youngest athlete in the SEA Games contingent. His debut saw him achieving the second place in the fleet of six after 11 races on 28 points.
Twin brothers Timothy and Mark Lee (Class of 2010) scored a bronze in the 3M Synchronised Springboard Diving. Mark achieved another bronze in 3M Springboard Diving.
Mayazhagu Guhan (Class of 2014) scored a bronze in Indoor Hockey.
Richard Lowell O’Brien (Class of 2014) represented Singapore in the Ice Hockey team.
Lucas Huan Zhi Kai (MN619) represented Singapore in Canoeing in Doubles 200m and 1000m.

December: Alumnus Mark Wee Achieves President Scout Award

Congratulations to alumnus Mark Wee Yi Ren (IB Class of 2017) who was conferred the President’s Scout Award on 4 December. Mark was a Venture Scout with the SJI Pelandok Scout Group.

The President’s Scout Award is the highest rank in the Singapore Scouts Association. It is awarded to few who completed a determined list of accomplishments.

December: Josephians Commissioned Cadet Officers of National Cadet Corps

Congratulations to Joash Yap Renyi (ML403), Eram Al Mamun (ML403) and Lim Ming Rong (MN401) on their successful completion of the 69th NCC Cadet Officer Course held at HQ NCC, from 21 November - 6 December. They were commissioned as Cadet Officers of the National Cadet Corps.

Our newly commissioned cadet officers with LTA (NCC) Firmin Lee, Commanding Officer, SJI NCC (Air).

November: Josephians Participate in YDSP Science & Technology Camp

Three SJI students - Kieran Foo (LE303), Darren Lim (FN301) and David Ho (MN401) - were nominated by their Science teachers to attend the Youth Defence Science Program (YDSP) Science and Technology Camp, organised by the Defence Science Technology Agency (DSTA) from 25 to 29 November 2019.

Participants at the camp came from schools from all over Singapore. During the entirety of the non-residential course, the Josephians learnt to work with the “micro: bit” software and how it powers various electrical components using a “MicroBit” circuit chip. The trio was grouped with two other boys from NUS High. They became fast friends and worked well together. Their goal was to build and programme a remotely-operated robot and control it to collect diving rings scattered randomly in a pool. The camp culminated in a competition where each team is to pit their robot against others.

The students were free to experiment and explore and were not tied to a specific design or procedure. This meant that they had to overcome many obstacles and problems such as the batteries overheating hence producing smoke and then falling into the bottom of the pool. Despite the many challenges, they continued to work hard to make their robot as smooth and functional as possible.

In the end, their determination and perseverance paid off as their robot worked wonders and they emerged Champions.

For Kieran Foo, this was “an insightful out-of-the-classroom experience” as they could try their hands at prototyping and designing their own robot!

November: Alumnus Adam Norman Barrell Receives Anugerah MENDAKI 2019

Every year, Yayasan MENDAKI recognises and rewards Singaporean Muslim students who have achieved various peaks of excellence through the Anugerah MENDAKI awards. Alumnus Adam Norman Barrell (IB Class of 2018) received the Anugerah MENDAKI award for his outstanding IB results.

November: Christopher Tiong Selected for NYC-OBS Leadership and Service Award

Christopher Tiong Xiang Zheng (LE509) has been granted the above award by the National Youth Council. Christopher was a participant in the Sibu Kayaking Expedition and the Ubin 300 expedition this year. He holds a 3-Star Kayaking Personal Proficiency Certificate and he hopes to progress to obtain the Level 1 Coaching Certificate after his IB exams next year. The OBS 21-day Classic Challenge Course will be from 2-22 Dec 2019. Congratulations!

Christopher (first from left) at the completion of the Ubin 300 Expedition with fellow teammates and Mr Alfred Nathan

November: Music CCA Student Leaders Participate in MOE Combined Music Leadership Camp 2019

216 Music CCA student leaders from 115 schools participated in the MOE Combined Music Leadership Camp 2019 held at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, National University of Singapore (NUS) from 13 - 16 November. Conducted by music trainers - Dr Leonard Tan, Mr Jonathan Velasco, Mr Balraj Gopal, Mr Dedric Wong, the camp was to empower the participants in their role as music student leaders by providing art-form-specific leadership training and engage participants in collective dialogue and music-making. Assis Kevin Franklin Benedict (MN202) shares his reflections from the camp:

“Entering a sea of unknown faces but leaving with a hundred connected souls through music and shared experience has made me determined to look forward to a positive change in my Music CCA. The first day at the Stephen Riady Centre at NUS was a day of introduction. I made friends and learnt who our conductor and teachers in charge were. One common thing was that everyone was extremely positive and passionate about music. It was infectious and everyone slowly adopted a similar attitude. I loved that. Over the course of the three days, I learnt warm-up styles, the order of how to approach new songs as a choir and how to conduct. Apart from that, we learnt general leadership skills and how to approach a specific situation that may arise in our course as leaders. Each one of us was representing our schools as leaders thus we all had different skills to share with each other. Some were good at conducting while some were good at singing loudly and projecting their voice. Each one of us had a different personality to discover.

An instant connection was palpable among the tenor section in which I sang and we become better friends. Overcoming the difficult parts together and enjoying each others’ company was a lunchtime ritual. Apart from that, we held group discussions about leadership duties. These group discussions enabled us to meet and work with different people from various music CCAs. The duties I performed at the camp taught me the value of servant leadership and it was easy for me to identify with being a Josephian. The briefings and practice sessions culminated in the final showcase on the fourth day.

Selected to be an emcee and a soloist from among the participants, I am pleased to have done SJI proud with my performance on stage and grateful to have worked with wonderful people. I am also thankful for the opportunity given to me and I hope to share what I have learnt with my CCA members in SJI.”

Soloist Kevin Assis (3rd from left, front row) at the combined rehearsal

November: Josephian Enters National Football Team

Congratulations to our alumnus Jacob Mahler from Class of 2016 who has been selected for the SEA Games National Football team!

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October: Navigating through Economic Uncertainty

Our Economics Department organised its 3rd Economics Symposium on 29 October, themed “Navigating through Economic Uncertainty”. As the global economic environment becomes more complex and challenging, the focus was on three main topics - Trade war, income inequality & unemployment and Technology Disruption and Creation. The symposium brought together a panel of six distinguished speakers:

Dr Prakash Kannan, Chief Economist & Head, Total Portfolio Management, GIC;
Mr Prashant Bhayani, Chief Investment Officer, Asia, BNP Paribas Wealth Management;
Mr John Doyle, Chief Investment Officer (Multi-Asset), UOB Asset Management;
Mr Song Seng Wun, Economist (Director), CIMB Private Banking;
Professor David Lee Kuo Chuen, School of Business, Finance Programme, Singapore University of Social Sciences and Vice President of The Economic Society of Singapore; and
Ms Magdalene Loh, Senior Vice President and Head of Innovation, Prudential.

The symposium began with a welcome address by SJI’s principal Fr Adrian Danker, followed by the keynote address by Mr Prashant Bhayani and three discussion forums. Our Economics students, as well as participants from nine schools including Victoria Junior College, SOTA, Hwa Chong International, Millennia Institute, and Dulwich College, received invaluable insights and expert economic knowledge from the panel speakers. The ensuing Q&A session was lively and energetic as students deliberated on the issues and key economic trends addressed and raised by the different speakers. The symposium was a platform for the students to think critically about major economic issues such as the counter-intuitive trends of both rising income inequality and increasing globalisation, as well as how technology can be a double-edged sword to lift individuals out of poverty but also displace workers.

The symposium provided an opportunity for the students to hear and interact with renowned economists, bankers and innovators from the financial services industry and academics. It stimulated critical thinking of important and troubling economic trends, to fuel further thoughtful classroom discussions.

October: In Thanksgiving for 2019

At the Thanksgiving Assembly on 25 October, we were invited to recap the year in the form of a “report card” of all that we have accomplished and can be thankful for in 2019. For some, it was serving others well. For many, it was garnering achievements in academic or CCA/CAS competitions. For a few it may have been making it through challenging times because of mistakes and not so wonderful moments in life. However the school year was for us, everyone was invited to give thanks for the many lessons of life and faith that we learned.

At the Thanksgiving Assembly this year, two new sports awards were presented by two former iconic PE teachers of SJI - Mr Peter Martens and Mr Patrick Zehnder.

• Peter Martens Trophy
Mr Peter Martens (Class of 1952) was a revered hockey coach at SJI where he also taught Mathematics, English and Literature. He is remembered for his mentorship, the inspiration he imparted to the players, his wit and his tireless love for the sport. This Trophy was established in 2018 by Old Boys, all hockey players, to honour their former coach. As a testament to his attributes and values, this Trophy is awarded annually to a Year 1-2 student-athlete who has excelled outstandingly well in his sport at the National level. The criteria for the award is the award of SSSC Colours Award (Distinction) for that year. The 2019 Peter Martens Trophy is awarded to Russell Yom Zhenyi (MN202) who has achieved Colours Award (Distinction) in Sailing.

• Patrick Zehnder Trophy
Mr Patrick Zehnder (Class of 1954) was a dedicated and respected Track & Field coach at SJI where he was Head of the Physical Education Department. He is remembered for his love for all sports, his passion for sportsmanship, his mentorship and his drive to keep the human body fit. This Trophy was established in 2018 by Old Boys, all athletes, to honour their former coach and teacher. As a testament to these attributes and values, this Trophy is to be given to the fittest Year 2 student, based on the NAPFA test, thereby encouraging the student to excel in his sport or in his pursuit of fitness. The 2019 Patrick Zehnder Trophy is awarded to Kieran Andre Longue (ML202) who clocked a timing of 8 mins 15 secs in 2.4km.

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October: SJI Celebrates the Retirement of 3 Long-Service Staff

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As the year draws slowly to a close, moments become memories. The staff gathered to remember why St John Baptist de La Salle started his schools at the staff paraliturgy on 18 October. At the same event, we also celebrated the retirement of 3 iconic staff who have dedicated decades of their lives to the service of the school:

Mr Chew Sung Luan, our Senior Laboratory Technician, is an iconic figure in SJI. He joined SJI on 8 Jun 1970 and has served SJI for 49 years. He has been the backbone of our school laboratory staff, from Bras Basah to Malcolm Road. Mr Chew is very skillful at making and repairing things, especially items in the laboratory. He also makes educational adult wood puzzles/steel puzzles.
Ms Balkis Bee Abdul Karim joined SJI on 28 Sep 1971 as a Clerical Assistant. Over the years she proved to be an industrious and devoted staff who rose through the ranks to her current position as Executive Secretary to the Principal. In her career spanning 48 years at SJI, she has served 7 Principals including 4 Lasalle Brothers Patrick Loh, Joseph Kiely, Kevin Byrne, Paul Rogers, Mr Lui Seng Cheong, Dr Koh Thiam Seng and Fr (Dr) Adrian Danker, SJ.
Ms Angayarkanni Periasamy joined SJI as a trained teacher on 1 Jan 1992. In her 28 years with the school, she has taught both English Language and Literature across all four secondary levels. She possesses sound knowledge in both subjects as evident in her preparation of resources and lesson delivery. She is a kind lady and her gracious words and warm smile will be dearly missed by both students and staff.

SJI also bids farewell to our Chaplain, Friar Michael D’Cruz who has been appointed as the Parish Priest of St Mary of the Angels (SMOTA) Church from 2 January 2020. With this appointment that carries greater responsibilities, Friar Mike has asked to step down as our Chaplain.

Friar Mike has been our Chaplain, teacher, consoler and a friend to many in SJI for the past 18 years. Many of us have become spiritually richer because of his presence and teachings, and the community that he has helped us become. From Inaugural to Thanksgiving assemblies throughout the years, Friar Mike has always reminded us of God’s holy presence in our own respective religions, and to treasure the gift of friendship. The SJI community will miss him and his creative paraliturgies dearly, and we wish him all the best as he embarks on his new mission at SMOTA.

October: SJI Celebrates with our Class of 2019 Graduates

SJI celebrated with and graduated the largest cohort of 287 students from the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and 217 boys from the O-level Programme on 10 and 11 October.

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On the eve of their graduation, the IB Class of 2019 celebrated their last evening of school with “Dusk” - an evening jam, followed by a sunset picnic on the track against the lit facade of SJI. Music jams have been an integral part of these students’ life during their college years. In this final jam, they sang their favourite songs together for the last time. At the graduation ceremony, the school honoured 8 outstanding graduands with the Lasallian Distinguished Leadership & Service Awards for their service to the school and community, with Anastasia Kurniadi receiving the Spirit of SJI award.

The Year 4 graduation ceremony for the O-Level graduands on 11 October saw the return of Mr Ian Luke Chan (Class of 2014) who was the Guest of Honour. Ian had lost vision in his right eye at eight as a result of glaucoma and became completely blind when he was in Secondary 4 in 2014. Despite his visual impairment, Ian’s unyielding determination and his sense of humour are an inspiration to many. In his speech, Ian reminded the graduating students to treasure their friendships and to believe in their capacity to be resilient. Nine Lasallian Distinguished Service awards were presented to outstanding students, including the Spirit of SJI award which was presented to Theodore Tang. The school’s highest honour, the Senior Josephian award, was presented to James Slade Lim, while Alden Ler was named the SJIOBA Sportsman of the Year.

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October: Celebrating the Love for Local Poetry

In conjunction with the 3rd SingLit Festival in SJI, we celebrated the love for our local poetry in Term 4. A Poetry Café was set up, where students and teachers were invited to “taste” Singapore poems as though they were part of an “amuse bouche” menu. Our Teacher-Librarian, Mrs Boey Wah Fong, gave a talk on her lifelong “Singapore poetry diet”, and supported classes who booked into the Library for Poetry Reading Circles. The students were also invited to participate in a poetry writing competition.

The judges were impressed by the quantity and quality of the poems submitted, which were astonishingly varied in theme, with some displaying outstanding levels of maturity and depth in their reflection. Of all the entries, the judges were particularly moved by “The Observer” by Jeremy Kiang from Year 2, about a young child who is able to empathise with every single member of his dysfunctional family. Jeremy’s achievement shows that youth is no barrier to the ability to observe, think, empathise, and express deep emotions. Here is a stanza from his poem:

And the day after, I gather all the words I won’t say
All the feelings I can’t show
They are my ammunition,
My fingers my guns,
These keys my trigger,
And I blast a hole in the white screen
And tear it apart, watch it fall in tatters to the bottom of the page

Congratulations to the following winners of SJI’s SingLit 2019 Poetry Writing Competition:

Year 1-2 Category
1st: “The Observer” by Jeremy Kiang
2nd: “Gamer” by Parcon Jeriah Gavril Ursulo
3rd: “Systems” by Chong Zhi Sheng

Year 3-4 Category
1st: “Patriotism” by Benedict Chua Wei An
2nd: “My Box” by Koon Wei Pheng
3rd: “Welcome to Singapore” by Brandon Cheah Chong Joon

Year 5-6 Category
1st: “The Old Bus Uncle” by Mark Caleb Chan
2nd: “Taking the train on 10th August” by Gideon Tan Zhi Ming
3rd: “Walls” by Raven Teo

October: Josephian Tops Reading Superstar Competition

Xie Ruichuan (MN102) and Leslie Vetuz Tan Wei En (LE202) took part in the Reading Superstar Competition 2019 Lower Secondary Category organized by the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL) in September. They drew a comic based on a Chinese book they have read. Xie Ruichuan won the first prize in the competition and was awarded $100 worth of vouchers.

September: SJI Teams Participate in Science Mentorship Programmes

The Science Mentorship Programmes (SMP) is organised by Ministry of Education, Gifted Education Branch and school-based SMP (SB-SMP) is a subset of the programme where Secondary 3 students embark on research projects under the guidance of their teachers. The SMP culminated in the 25th Youth Science Conference where participants had a chance to showcase their projects and receive authentic feedback from experts of their fields. This year, for the first time the SJI Mathematics Department sent two teams to the SMP, who were mentored by Mr Fong Kok Hoong and Mrs Amy Chua.

Guru Anand Anish (MN301), Timothy Tan (MN301), and Goh Teng Loong (ML302) clinched a Bronze for their project on Mathematics in Prediction Models - Predicting Salinity in Oceans.

Seo Jiwoo (MN301), Timothy Tai (MN301), and Ernest Chia Yit Heng (MN301) achieved a Certificate of Participation for their project on Modelling of Ideal Basketball Free Throws.

The 9-month long journey is a celebration of the experiential and collaborative learning. Academic rigour and creative productivity are evident in the interdisciplinary nature of their projects. With this programme, the boys acquired vital habits of mind and adhered to strong research ethics in their inquiry. The exchange of ideas with peers, mentors and evaluators at authentic platforms such as Project judging and plenary sessions is invaluable to the boys.

September: Josephian Wins 3rd Place at SMS Essay Competition

Congratulations to Guru Anand Anish (MN301) who received the 3rd prize (Category B) in the essay writing competition organised by the Singapore Mathematical Society. His essay title is “Multiple Linear Regression in Models - Predicting Resignation Rate in Singapore Labour Market”. Well done!

September: Budding Writers Shine at Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition

Brandishing their pens, a group of Josephians penned their thoughts on “A Connected Commonwealth” – the theme for the 2019 Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition. These budding writers wrote passionately about leveraging cultural, technological and environmental connections to create positive changes across the Commonwealth. Their use of rhetoric and the crystallisation of ideas captured the hearts of the judges who were not only impressed by the maturity in their writing but also described them as ‘insightful’, ‘sophisticated’ and ‘beautifully written’.

SJI is proud that our young writers have gone from strength to strength, with the number swelling to 43 winners this year.

September: Professional Development & Recognition

Congratulations to Mrs Vivian Tan who has been bestowed the 2019 Associate of Academy of Singapore Teachers Award. The Academy of Singapore Teachers (AST) is presenting this award to Mrs Tan in recognition of her invaluable contributions to the professional development of teachers. She has been conducting workshops and sharing sessions on the teaching of Art at AST to many Art teachers.

Mr Karthickeyen Govindaraj has in his capacity as First Author, has written “Writing Tamil Language Stories for Singapore Pre-Schoolers: An Inquiry into Social Responsibility through Cultural Authenticity”, which was published by the National Book Council. This paper was written in response to his presentation at the MOE-NIE conference in May 2017. The essay is published in an anthology that was launched on 5 September 2019.

September: SJI Conducts Coding Workshop for CHIJ students

The Coding & Technology CAS held a workshop for 20 Secondary 3 CHIJ (TP) students on 19 September, aimed at exposing them to the basics of programming and 3D computer aided design (CAD).

Through programming with Arduino microcontroller, they learnt simple codes to control LED and temperature sensor functions, giving them a glimpse of the purpose and utility of coding in the real world.

The girls were also exposed to 3D design using Autodesk Fusion 360. They learned basic functions through creating a CAD model of an android robot. This hands-on learning coupled with a quick view of SJI’s 3D-printer in action allows them to conceptualise their skills, and appreciate the physical fruition of their efforts.

Before the end of workshop, Mr Tang Woh Un (Dean, IB Academy) shared with the girls about IBDP at SJI. This is followed by the sharing by an alumnus of CHIJ about her experiences of studying IBDP at SJI.

This is what the CHIJ teacher Ms Eulalia Han wrote -

“It was such a joy for both my students and I to have attended the coding class, which your students have so nicely organised, and to have learnt about the unique IB Diploma programme that your school offers through Mr Tang’s sharing. It was also heartwarming to walk around SJI during the tour and see so many CHIJ Secondary girls in the midst and them telling us about their wonderful experiences at SJI thus far.”

September: SJI Year 6 Art Students Put Up Grad Show

Four Music and 18 Visual Arts students put together their Year 6 graduation show at the SJI Bunker (former air rifle range) on 16 September, after almost two years of honing their artistic craft. The music students started the ball rolling with an hour of recital on the flute, piano and violin, where they also showcased their original compositions. The exhibition space that showcased the works of visual arts students was then opened to the public, where they could interact with the Visual Arts students.

September: Catholic Education Sunday

Our Josephians were at the Church of St Ignatius on Catholic Education Sunday, 15 September, along with students from Catholic Junior College, to celebrate the gift of Catholic education in Singapore.

September: SJI Team Emerges 2nd in National Science Challenge 2019 Semi-Finals

Four Year Three students - Yang Zhuoyun (FN302), Benedict Chua (ML302), Torance Tan (ML302) and Lee Xavia (MN301) - represented SJI to participate in the highly competitive televised National Science Challenge (NSC) 2019. The NSC provides Secondary Three students with a chance to put their skills and knowledge to the test during studio rounds and at on-site challenges hosted by A*STAR research institutes and other research organisations.

The boys went through many sessions of grueling challenges, including a preliminary selection where a total of 24 schools were selected to proceed to the quarterfinals. Out of the 24 quarter-finalists, SJI was one of the 12 schools that performed well to proceed to the semi-finals.

The SJI team emerged 2nd in the group B semi-finals (out of a group of 4 schools), falling short of entering to the finals as only one team from the group made it to the Grand Finals for their shot at the National Science Challenge 2019 championship.

September: MOE Distinguished Chinese Language Teachers Awards 2019

The call to open minds, touch hearts and transformed lives is more challenging in predominantly English-speaking Singapore when a teacher is striving to do these in a Mother Tongue Language. Yet when she does these well and with heart, the students are gifted abundantly. This is why SJI celebrates Mdm Lee Pick Siew who received one of the 2019 MOE Distinguished Chinese Language Teacher Awards on 14 September.

September: SJI Wins the SGBC Green Building Design Thinking Challenge 2019

Congratulations to the team from MN202 - Caleb Tan, Ethan Zachary Lim, Jethro Teoh, Keevan Kanagalingam, Derek Lim, and Johann Seng - on their fine accomplishment of winning the First Prize in the SGBC Green Building Design Thinking Challenge! They were the youngest contestants at the competition held at MBS Convention Centre on 7 September. They have indeed flown the SJI flag high in this Challenge. Bravo!

The team had put in an immense amount of effort into the model prototype and presentation slides which certainly impressed the panel of industry experts during the presentation segment. They also fielded the Q & A segment well and demonstrated a good understanding of green design building and technology. The team was mentored by Ms Wang Binxi, Ms Felicia Chew and Ms Vivien Sim.

September: SJI Celebrates Teachers’ Day

Our Student Council took the lead to celebrate Teachers’ Day in SJI on 5 September. We began the celebration with a sumptuous breakfast where all teaching and non-teaching staff bonded over a sumptuous breakfast in the Library. They were also gifted with a personal set of lunchbox and utensils. This gift reflects SJI’s support for the global environmental efforts to go “green” and reduce waste.

The celebration concluded with entertaining performances by the students from various groups including Drama Club, Vocapella, Dance CAS, and bands, as well as games and quizzes.

To all our SJI teachers and non-teaching staff, a Happy Teachers’ Day!

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August: Mrs Raja Geetha Awarded Best Tamil Trainee Teacher Award

Mrs Raja Geetha has been awarded the Best Tamil Trainee Teacher Award at the award ceremony for The Most Inspiring Tamil Teacher Award 2019. This prestigious award is jointly organised by Tamil Murasu, Singapore Tamil Teachers’ Union and the Tamil Language Learning and Promotion Committee. This award serves to recognise the stellar performance of Tamil Language teachers in their role as Tamil Language Educators and in promoting Tamil Language among their students. Read more about her here.

August: Josephian is Champion of Plain English Speaking Awards

Dinesh John Peeris (LE203) clinched the championship for the Lower Secondary Category at the annual Plain English Speaking Awards (PESA)! Chew Sheng Ee Ethan (FN302), though not selected to be one of the 3 winners for the Upper Secondary Category, impressed the judges with his interesting perspectives, personality and use of “quotable quotes”. Dinesh and Ethan, each, competed against 6 other finalists in their respective categories.

The YMCA Plain English Speaking Awards was started in 1986 by Metropolitan YMCA of Singapore. The primary aim of PESA is to promote the effective and articulate use of plain yet attractive spoken English among secondary and pre-university students in Singapore.

August: SJI Alumni Awarded Smart Nation Scholarships

Congratulations to our alumni Darren Leow (IB Class of 2017) and Johanna Lim (IB Class of 2018) who were awarded the Smart Nation Scholarship Award by the Ministry of Communications and Information. They are amongst the 14 Smart Nation Scholarship awardees this year.

The awardees will be groomed to drive Singapore’s Smart Nation and digitalisation efforts. The scholarship is jointly offered by Cyber Security Agency (CSA), Government Technology Agency (GovTech), and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). All recipients of the scholarship, which was introduced to develop talent in the local Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, will eventually work in one of the three agencies after their studies.

August: Josephian Receives the Lee Kuan Yew Award for All-Round Excellence

Josephians shine not just because they have big hearts to serve all, but also because they are all rounded as they excel in studies, CCA and leadership. SJI congratulates such a Josephian in Koh Boon Kiat Matthew (Year 5) for receiving the 2019 Lee Kuan Yew Award for All-Round Excellence!

The Lee Kuan Yew Award for All-Round Excellence recognises well-rounded students who have excelled in both academic and non-academic spheres, and who exemplify positive character development, strong leadership and commitment to service to the community.

As a Josephian, Boon Kiat embodies what Minister Indranee Rajah describes in her speech as the hope of education — “to develop all-rounded students who will be agents of change in society.”

August: SJI Team Participates in 21st Chuo International Education Forum in Japan

Four Year 5 students - Lachlan Neo, Serena Lee and Goh Sze Ying (all from MN519) and Kato Daisuke (ML514) -were selected to participate in the 21st Chuo International Education Forum at Morioka, Japan from 24 August to 4 September. They were selected from the more than a dozen Year 5s who applied for the various exchange programmes. The Forum is a homestay student exchange programme and these Year 5s will be hosting their Japanese counterparts in their homes when they visit SJI in November this year.

The theme for this forum was “Think globally and act locally - Transforming our world using the SDGs.” Participants had to find solutions to the challenges of the future: (i) ageing society, (ii) child poverty and (iii) female empowerment that were chosen from the UN SGDs. To enable participants to better understand the situations in different countries, they had to prepare a video on the current situation of ageing, child poverty and female empowerment in their respective countries. This was done prior to the forum and used in classroom visits and discussions during the forum. At the forum, students were divided into groups and members of each group will then discuss the issues and attempt to find common solutions to them. Participants addressed some of the issues relating to the challenges and attempt to explore solutions. Each group made a final presentation based on their findings from the discussions.

Accompanied by Ms Alice Wijaya, the students forged new friendships and bonds with their gracious Japanese host families and understood more about their culture, history, and way of life on a day-to-day basis. They were also granted the unique opportunity to meet and get to know students from New Zealand, Argentina, Russia and Vietnam among others. Through collaboration with their peers from these countries, they were able to learn more about their countries and people, as well as forge relationships and create connections with people of different nations and backgrounds. Read more about their personal reflections from the trip here.

Lachlan Neo (MN519):
This experience in Morioka was an experience that I would genuinely want to relive all over again. It is impossible to be able to express my gratitude to my host family, particularly my elderly Host Mother, Shihoko, for this truly amazing experience. I was treated like a son of hers, being incorporated into their family life and welcomed with such unparalleled warmth and hospitality into her home. She taught me the way of life in Japan, be it simple phrases that Japanese people say before eating, to the navigating of the JR East train system in Japan. She truly provided me with an experience that I will never forget. The warmth, love and care that she showed me throughout the week is something that I will never forget. She so graciously welcomed me into her home, being willing to commit to arduous tasks such as waking up early to prepare Bento Boxes and iron clothes for myself and my housemate from Vietnam. Homestay was truly a unique experience and for me, it was the highlight of the trip. I was also able to meet people from different countries all across the globe and learn about them and their culture. To me, working together with International students and undergoing a homestay truly made this experience one to reminisce on in the future and one with many different takeaways. Thank you for allowing me to take part in such a meaningful exchange program to Morioka.

Serena Lee Oh (MN519):
My takeaway from this trip is that for us to truly know a country, we first need to understand its people. At first, I had the impression that I was familiar with Japanese culture, especially since I’ve learnt about Japan in history class and toured the country once. However, I realised that my true understanding of Japanese culture stemmed from conversing with the locals, eating with them and befriending them during the trip. Initially, I was apprehensive about meeting and working with people from entirely different cultures, but at the end of the forum, I realised that it was foolish of me to fear what I had yet to see and know. Early in the trip, I noticed that the lenses I viewed other countries were sometimes tainted, and I needed the help of locals to accurately grasp the situation of their countries. In conclusion, how we perceive other cultures and people should not come from our preconceptions, but through genuine interaction with people. The bonds I’ve forged in Japan are definitely my most treasured takeaways. Although they aren’t tangible, they will live on in my memory and my heart. It has definitely given us clarity in the way we engage others, and we hope to bless the rest of the school community with this valuable experience.

Goh Sze Ying (MN519):
Through this priceless opportunity to represent SJI in the 21st CHUO International Education Forum, I was fortunate to meet a lovely host family who took me in as if I was one of their own and taught me the way of life in Japan. My host mother, Yukiko-san, constantly went out of her way to make me feel welcomed and comfortable, preparing daily bento lunches for me and always including me in family dinner conversations. I was absolutely awestruck by the kindness bestowed upon me, and am looking forward to repaying their kindness and hospitality when they do come on exchange. I was also able to make many international friendships, with students from Argentina, New Zealand, Vietnam and more. It was an eye-opening experience to hear about their country’s situation from their point of view and the past few days have taught me valuable life lessons. I was also reminded not to take Singapore’s safety and good education for granted as I learnt that not everyone abroad has the same opportunities and I am truly blessed to be born into a first-world country. I learnt the importance of having a compassionate and understanding heart after interacting with the forum participants, who shared their worries in regard to their country’s problems with me. This forum has helped me to broaden my horizons and taught me invaluable lessons.

Kato Daisuke (ML514):
It was a very enlightening experience for me, despite the fact that I am half Japanese. This trip has truly allowed me to understand the warm welcoming Japanese sprit as my host family warmly welcomed me into their house for one week. During the trip, I had an invaluable experience where the train service stopped because the train ran over a bear, and my host family gathered those stranded at the station and sent them to school without hesitation. I think this experience has allowed me to look deeper into the Japanese spirit that I have been struggling to comprehend as a half Japanese. I also managed to get a better understanding of the situation in Japan, as my knowledge of Japan previously was constructed around the major cities that are heavily populated, but by visiting less well-known places such as Morioka, I managed to experience life in the rural areas of Japan, such as taking an hour to go to school every day, which has also allowed me to realise small things such as travel time is a privilege. As for the forum, it was a great opportunity for me to get to know better about other countries through the first-hand accounts of other students, and it was eye-opening to see how nationalities can shape a person’s point of view. It was also exciting to participate in an event of such a large scale, and I look forward to hosting them in November.

August: Indian Cultural Society Organises Tamil Language Cultural Camp 2019

The Year 5s of Indian Cultural Society (ICS) conducted a Tamil Language Cultural Camp for their juniors. The theme for this year’s camp was “Aram Seiya Virumbu” which means “Always be ready to serve and help”. It is a famous proverb by one of Tamil Language’s notable poets Avvaiyar and serves as a daily reminder to all of us on the importance of willingly living for others. This is in accordance with our Lasallian principles - to serve the last, the lost and the least. Through many reflections and activities, the students had the opportunity to reflect on their lives of being a true Josephian. The camp also aimed at developing the students’ interest in the Tamil language and culture. They were introduced to Indian spices, traditional games, dances and sports.

August: SJI’s PRISM team is National Champions at 2019 Raffles Business Symposium

The SJI team from PRISM comprising of Christian Widjaja, Joshua Lim, Martin Ng and Mark Chew - has regained the National Championship title in the 2019 Raffles Business Symposium on 23 August at Raffles Institution. The theme for this year’s RBS was “Health.” They beat the teams from ACSI, RI and Raffles Girls school. The team won $400 and a trophy.

August: SJI’s Foundation Programme Academy (FPA) Holds Inaugural Science Showcase

The event on 23 August was for Year 1 and 2 students and it was initiated by the Science Department in the Foundation Programme Academy (FPA). It aimed to give students the opportunity to showcase their project work to the other students in Years 1 and 2, and to share their experiences doing their Science project work.

The boys who presented their projects learnt problem-solving skills, such as managing problems within a project team situation. They also learnt presentation skills such as drafting a project write up and designing a Science Fair poster.

The Year 1s designed a bridge from ice cream sticks to withstand a very large load. The boys had to research and design their prototype so that they could get the highest load to weight of bridge ratio before it would break.

The Year 2s designed a prototype of a Solar Cooker. The objective is to harness the heat from the sun to warm up a beaker of water placed in their prototype. They had to achieve the highest temperature of water placed in the prototype compared to a control set up.

Mr Sirhan Bin Ahmadiah, Head of FPA Science, “It was quite heartening to see the presenters and the audience thoroughly engaged during the showcase, where the presenters had to explain the prototype of their solar cookers or the Bridge and why they were designed as such. The audience also posed many questions at the presenters spontaneously, which require them to think and reflect before they can provide a satisfactory response.”

August: Josephians Awarded NSF of the Year

Congratulations to our alumni - Eugene Ng Zhi Wei and Kiefer Ewan Ong Yu Sheng - who are being awarded the Army NSF of the Year 2019 by the SAF. They are being recognized for their strong commitment to defence and exemplary qualities and competencies during their NS.

Josephians Awarded NSF of the Year 2019

August: SJI Staff Conferred National Day Awards

Congratulations to our staff who have been conferred the 2019 National Day Awards!

Efficiency Medal:
1. Ms Joanna Tan

Long Service Medal

Ms Siti Rahimah
Ms Tay Tze Hoon
Ms Deborah Goh
Ms Fauziah Bte Abdullah
Ms Sandra Fan
Ms Lee Pick Siew

August: Josephians Selected for Super Science High School Students’ Fair in Kobe

Ian Woo Zhe Ming (FN503) and Tristan Emmeran Chabanel (FN504) were selected to represent Singapore at the Super Science High Student Fair 2019 (SSH SF) in Kobe, Japan from 5 to 10 August. Their project on “Floating Energy Farms” was awarded Distinction in the Science Mentorship Programme (SMP) by Gifted Education Branch, MOE earlier this year. Their project was supervised by Dr Pek and mentored by an external researcher from NUS. It explored renewable energy solutions for Singapore and included a plan for an energy farm that used the waters around Singapore to harness energy. The students were also given the opportunity to interact with their overseas peers and learn more about the project work pursued by them.

Students from more than 200 SSH schools all over Japan, along with over 50 delegates from overseas congregated to present their science projects and research at the SSHSF. Singapore was represented by 3 teams of students from SJI, Hwa Chong Institution and Raffles Institution.

There were projects that dealt with a specific science topic in-depth such as analysing and modelling photoluminescence and other projects which offered simple yet effective solutions for existing issues such as oil spills. Through a common passion for science, language barriers were overcome, attaining an enriching experience.

Besides the fair, the students had the opportunity to visit Japanese historical sites such as the Ikuta Shrine and enjoy Japanese cuisine. They also visited the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Museum during an excursion on the final day which opened their eyes to the importance of scientific research for society.

August: Josephians Celebrate National Day at Annual Cross-Country

Josephians celebrated National Day 2019 by running together at our Annual Cross-country Run at Bedok Reservoir. In running together, we continue to realise our dream of moving ahead together as SJI. Running together also challenged us to keep running forward together as Singapore.

August: Happy 54th birthday, Singapore!

SJI’s Vocal Emsemble sang a heartwarming bilingual rendition of “Home” at the launch of Missio 1852 yesterday.
Singapore has been home to the Lasallian community of Brothers and thousands of Josephians since 1852.
Happy 54th birthday, Singapore!

August: SJI Unveils New Heritage Gallery - Missio 1852

SJI has unveiled ‘Missio 1852’, a new heritage gallery today, in commemoration of Singapore’s bicentennial year and the Tercentenary of the death of the Founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools – St. John Baptist de La Salle. The gallery showcases 167 years of Josephian history and Lasallian heritage, tradition and community in Singapore. This project is supported by the National Heritage Board and the Singapore Bicentennial Office.

La Salle Brother Gregory Thomas Lim, FSC, officiated the opening of Missio 1852 with the ringing of the original brass school bell from the former SJI campus at Bras Basah Road. At 95 years old, he is the oldest La Salle Brother in Singapore and was a former teacher who taught Moral Instruction and Bible Knowledge in SJI and St. Patrick’s School in the 1970s. Read about his journey as a Lasalle Brother.

“‘Missio’ is the Latin word for ‘mission’. Being the first Catholic school founded in Singapore, we have chosen this name to remember our beginnings, to celebrate our school and to continue believing in the Catholic, Lasallian education that SJI provides for all Josephians to become people of integrity and people for others”, says Principal Fr. (Dr) Adrian Danker, SJ, an alumnus from Class of 1981.

Missio 1852 is open to students and staff during school hours during term time. To celebrate the opening of the Heritage Gallery, Missio 1852 will be open to SJI alumni on 3 Saturdays in August – 17, 24 and 31 August 2019, from 10 am to 2 pm. Click here for details.

Click here for the press release.

August: Josephians Soar at A*Star Science Fair

Four teams of boys from our secondary section participated in the 2019 East Zone A*Star Science Fair on 2 August. The boys were mentored by Mr Jerry Tai (Year 1), Mr Sirhan Bin Ahmadiah (Year 2) and Mr Jamues Ng (Year 3).

Over the course of 6 months, the students planned and executed the research through the guidance of their teachers, and presented their research findings at the Science Fair. One of our Secondary 3 teams clinched a bronze medal for their presentation on the investigation of the effect of angular momentum on the flight of helicopter. Well done, boys!

SJI staff adopted the organisation Food from the Heart for our very own Values In Education activity. Our staff generously contributed Milo packets, baked beans and sardine cans for the needy in Singapore. They speedily packed these into the bags in less than 30 minutes. Ms Cindy Ong, Ms Diane Choo, Mr Alfred Nathan and Mdm Fauziah went the extra mile to deliver the items to Food from the Heart.

This Corporate Social Responsibility was initiated and organised by our Staff Welfare Committee. It is heartening to know that our efforts will make a difference in the lives of the beneficiaries.

August: Josephians Excel at Singapore Mathematical Olympiad

183 Josephians from Year 1 to Year 6 took part in the annual Singapore Mathematical Olympiad (SMO) Competition held in June. SJI won a total of 5 Golds, 12 Silvers, 19 Bronzes and 29 Honourable Mentions. Topping the list of award winners in the Senior Section (Year 3 and 4) are Lin Sixun (LE302) at 13th position, Yuan Chenghao (ML303) at 26th position and Wang Chenyang (FN302) at 30th position. In the Open Section (Year 3 to Year 6), Nguyen Khoi Nguyen (FN403) came in at 20th position.

These are very commendable results as SJI is one of only 3 schools among the winning schools that have more than 3 winners among top 30 individual positions for the Senior Section (Year 3 and 4).

July: SJI Debating Society Holds Inaugural Inter-School Debate

On 30 July 2019, the Josephian Debate Extended Programme (JDEP) inaugurated its first ‘Inter-School Debate’. A programme facilitated by SJI Debating Society for Year 1 to Year 4 SJI students, JDEP has been developing young debaters interested in the art of rhetoric since April 2019.

The debate took place between SJI and CHIJ Toa Payoh. With riveting arguments presented by both the proposition and opposition teams, the debate proved intriguing and exciting to both participants and observers. A learning opportunity for all, the SJI Debating Society looks forward to hosting another Inter-School Debate in August.

Josephian Debate Extended Programme

July: SJI Celebrates SingLit Festival

The SingLit Festival organised by IB Academy English Department from 24 to 26 July 2019 brought the bicentennial experience to SJI students and staff with the aim of painting a revealing portrait of literary Singapore. Tracing the literary history of Singapore since the days of the Sejarah-Malayu, the festival weaved a tapestry embroidered with the nation’s memories, lived experiences and imaginations.

Local writers such as Mr Alvin Pang and Mr Marc Nair were invited to present lectures at the festival. The students also contributed and were actively engaged in the various performance segments such as the storytelling session and the adaptation of Haresh Sharma’s play, Off-centre. Other activities included a Panel Discussion on the varieties of English used in Singapore, Poetry Recitals and a discussion on a local short film.

SingLit July 2019

August: SJI C-Division Clinches 4th position in the NSG Tennis Championship

SJI’s C division has clinched 4th position in the National School Games Tennis Championship 2019. They have achieved a personal best performance this year as well, narrowly missing the third position against Raffles Institution with a score of 2-3.

July: SJI Team Wrestles its way to 4th Place at National School Games ‘C’ Division Judo Championships

11 of our Year 2 Judo boys participated in the 2019 National School Games ‘C’ Division Judo Championships and achieved 4th place at the NSG 2019. These boys won various awards for the categories they participated in:

For under 60kg category:

Alger Yu Sheng Hao (MN201) - 5th placing
Sean Gerard Chin Yan Rong (MN202) - 7th placing

For under 84kg category:

Ng Yong Kai (LE202) - Gold medal
Alston Cheng Yu Yang (FN201) - Silver medal
Sean Tey Yi-Shuen (MN202) - Bronze medal

July: Josephians Design Prototype on Innovative use of Electromagnetic Radiation

Four Year 5 students - Philemon Pathinettan (ML511), Christian Asher (MN516), Isaac Chan (FN503) and Adib Al-Mukhlis (ML504) participated in the Engineering Innovation Challenge in May 2019. They were tasked to design and build a prototype of a device that makes innovative use of Electromagnetic radiation (light). The boys were mentored by Mr Ang Yu Long. Their project was about the cooling of a residential unit by means of Peltier technology coupled with solar electricity. Their design won them the 2nd Runner Up prize, out of 22 entries at the finals on 22 July and a cash prize of $700 dollars.

July: Josephians Participate in International Humanities Symposium

Five students - Chen Hao (MN518), Sonya Faye Vohrah (MN516), Tan Zhi Ming Gideon (LE510), Ong Yu Han Natasha (FN504), Nur Nadia Binti Suhaimi(FN503) participated in the International Humanities Symposium at the National Junior College on 19 July. Their participation marked the launch of SJI’s Magis Humanities programme. SJI Magis is the school’s Talent Development Programme. It invites students to pursue their interests and passions in various academic areas by participating in academic research, workshops, seminars, and conferences under the mentorship of SJI teachers, university academic and industry experts and researchers.

The IHS was an insightful and educational event that allowed students to learn more about various subject matters - including Economics, Literature, and Sociology. The theme for this year’s symposium was “Humanities in A Changing World”. The keynote speaker, Professor Theseira from SUSS, spoke about the fake news bill and how that might affect academics who are looking for the objective truth.

The NJC students collaborated with foreign students from Australia, Japan and Vietnam to present alternative views on their research project. A session we attended, titled “A comparative study of Singaporean and Australian Children’s Literature”, was particularly interesting as the students from NJC and Suzanne Cory High School did an analysis of how literature in Singapore and Australia are constructed according to their respective cultures.

Furthermore, on the Singaporean front, the books used for analysis were books we, ourselves, would have read when younger, for example, the Ellie Belly Series, making the analysis all the more personal and intriguing.

Chen Hao and Sonya presented on Historical Materialism, which involves looking at history via a Marxist and economical perspective, to learn how economies drive human progress, culture and society. The concept was new to the audience and this sparked their interest in how the theory could be applied to real life. As such, they were very inquisitive, asking many questions, wanting to understand the concept better, in order to learn more. Both of them were very familiar with the content of the presentation, which could be seen from their natural and engaging speaking style.

The Symposium was a valuable experience that helped these students to learn about the diverse nature of this area of study and learn about its relevance even in a world where Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are being regarded as more important in this day and age. The variety of humanities topics discussed during the IHS further intrigued them and increased their passion for the humanities.

July: SJI Alumni Attain Scholarships & Awards

Congratulations to our graduates - Lee Rui Zhe and Audrey Tung Jia Yi (IB Class of 2018) and Ng Jin, Justin (IB Class of 2017) who have been awarded the Public Service Commission scholarships! Audrey has been awarded the Public Service Commission (Public Finance) Scholarship. She will be reading Accountancy at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and will join the Auditor-General’s Office upon her graduation. Lee Rui Zhe will be reading Physics at Harvard University.

Hsu Jun Cheng Lucas (IB Class of 2016) and Ms Annette Poh Wen Ann (IB Class of 2018) have received the MOE Teaching Scholarship and the Teaching Award respectively.

Hoo Fang Qi and Emily Ng Sing Yee (IB Class of 2018) have been awarded scholarships from the Ministry of Health. Fang Qi will be studying Physiotherapy overseas while Emily will be studying Dietetics in Australia.

Shanmugam Surya (Class of 2015) has received the Bronze medalist for his course in Aerospace Engineering in Temasek Polytechnic.

Dillon Keshvani (Class of 2010) will be receiving an undergraduate scholarship from the Centre for Strategic Infocomm Technologies (CSIT). The CSIT is a MINDEF agency that conducts R&D in Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), particularly in the areas of Cyber Security and Data Analytics to meet MINDEF’s needs. After his O Levels in SJI, Dillon went on to do Audio Visual Technology course at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. He is currently an undergraduate at NUS studying Electrical Engineering.

July: SJI Community Go On Annual Pilgrimage to Mount Carmel

SJI Community Go On Annual Pilgrimage to Mount Carmel

Photos: Mrs Lorraine Vastel

On 16 July, on the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, our students from the various Catholic societies in SJI – the Legion of Mary, the St Vincent de Paul Society and the Young Christian Students – made their annual pilgrimage to the Carmelite Monastery. Every year, the Year 1 Catholic students, accompanied by older students, take part in the Eucharistic celebration on this day at the monastery as a way of exposing them to a contemplative Order and investing them in the Brown Scapular. Our students also assist with the liturgy of the Mass, taking on the roles of lectors, servers and cantors. The annual pilgrimage is one of our faith formation programmes for our Catholic students.

Click here to read about the Carmelite Sisters in Singapore

The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (16 July)
Source: Church of the Holy Spirit, Singapore

July: SJI Scouts Reflect on their Participation in NDP 2019

Nine of our boys were part of the Scout contingent at this year’s National Day parade (NDP). Nicholas Fong (ML303) and Benedict Liu (LE301) shared their reflections on participating in the NPD 2019.

July: Winners of Nannum Oru Paddaipalli

The Tamil Language Unit of the MTL Branch organised the “Budding Writers’, Artistes’ and Poets” Programme (Nannum Oru Paddaipalli) in Tamil Language for all Secondary schools offering Tamil Language. The objective of this programme was to harness the synergy across community partners and agencies to nurture the students’ passion towards creating local literary works, to groom local writers and poets in Tamil Language.

Our students attended the Short Story writing, Script writing and Dramatised Reading competitions. They attended two compulsory workshops which were conducted by professional writers. They had to write a short essay during the second workshop based on a given situation/theme. The best 40 stories were selected and the students who qualified would attend the 3rd workshop. The story written by Packiaraj Alanjoyel (FN401) was selected for the third round and he won the prize.

A Script writing and Dramatised Reading competition were also conducted, and both competitions had three rounds. Students were required to write a script for the dramatised reading competition during the 2nd workshop. The best 15 scripts were selected, and the students would then qualify for the 3rd workshop. Shananth Sivakumar (ML401), Sanfo Bimal Thomas (ML401) and Vishal Theerthagiri (MN402) participated in this competition and won prizes as well. The Award Ceremony was held on 13 July at Umar Pulavar Tamil Language centre.

July: Cruising Around Ubin in 300minutes in commemoration of # 300Lasalle

Four of our Year 5 Josephians attempted a student-initiated, self-supported kayak expedition around Pulau Ubin on 8 July. Named Ubin300, in commemoration of #300Lasalle and Youth Day 2019, the 4 boys - Gabriel Tan, Yee Chern, Chris Tiong, Benedict Fong - navigated around Pulau Ubin in 300 minutes. Along the journey, they hoped to reflect on the valuable lessons of the life of St. John Baptist De La Salle “and to connect with his mission and our duty as Lasallians”. The quartet completed their expedition in 4h 54m 22s.

July: Josephians Perform at Live Concert for Youth Station Project

The Youth Station Project is an SYF Celebrations platform dedicated to showcasing students’ original creative work in art and music. The top 15 student-songwriters were provided with opportunities to develop their interests and skills in songwriting, music production and performing, through mentorships with established professional musicians.

Our Year 6 students - Natalie Tan Hui Qi (TG607), Auric Seah Hong Rui (TG602), Sim Yung Ern Nicholas (TG606) and Isaiah Khoo Jia Le (TG602) were selected for the Top 15, where they had the opportunity to perform at a live concert at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre on 6 July.

July: Josephians Achieve Top Awards on Development of Genetically Modified Foods

Two teams comprising of 8 boys presented in the Finals of the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC) Students Challenge 2019 - “Development of Genetically Modified Food” on 5 July. The Challenge aims to promote active learning and to stimulate students’ interest in science-based GM-related topics. The teams were given the autonomy to choose a genetically modified crop from a given list and to explain how the technology was used to produce the product, including explanations on all the scientific techniques and methods used. The teams completed their work in an infographic poster in the preliminary round and delivered a presentation in the final judging round.

The 2 teams achieved the 1st and 4th placing at the Challenge.

GMAC Students Challenge 2019

The team members and the synopsis of their projects:

1st place: AquAdvantage Salmon - presented by Darren Sim, Ahmad Siddique B Muhamed Abdillah, Gatongay Ryqx Manoza and Chue Zhi Sheng Jeffrey

The students designed and presented an infographic poster about the Atlantic Salmon that has been genetically modified by AquaBounty Technologies to grow salmon at a faster rate than regular salmon, achieved by using genetic engineering. The method is to splice the DNA responsible for the continuous growth of another species of salmon into the DNA of Atlantic salmon. The project was inspired by the fact that food insecurity is a major problem today, with larger fish species like salmon being especially vulnerable as they reproduce slowly. Thus, AquAdvantage salmon will help to achieve these requirements, with genetically engineered salmon that grow twice as fast as normal Atlantic salmon.

4th place: Flavr Savr Tomato - presented by Chong Jin Qi, Lee Jie Terrence, Lee Jin Timothy and Daniel Yeo Jen Xiang

The students designed and presented an infographic poster about the development of firm and juicy tomatoes through genetic engineering. Research has shown that an enzyme, polygalacturonase (PG), makes tomatoes soft and squishy, decreasing their shelf life. To counter it, the gene that gives instructions to make the enzyme, polygalacturonase, PG gene, is met with an opposite of the gene. The original gene is known as the DNA sense and the opposite is the antisense. When they are combined it becomes inactivated. This is known as the antisense technology to genetically modify food. The new plant then produces the seed that has the antisense gene. The Flavr Savr tomato is now ready with success in genetic engineering.

July: Josephians Excel at National Poetry Writing and Poetry Recital Competition

Our Malay students have done well in the National Poetry Writing and Poetry Recital Competition organised by Raffles Girls’ Secondary on 3 July. Out of 22 schools that participated and not less than 30 entries for each category, 4 of our students were selected as finalists for the different categories. Each category consisted of 6 finalists. Congratulations to the following students who have attained the top awards:

Poetry Writing Competition (Lower Secondary Category): Muhammad Daiyan Bin Iskandar (LE203) - 3rd Prize
Poetry Writing Competition (Upper Secondary Category): Idris Bin Wan Hazari (LE301) - 1st Prize
Poetry Recital Competition (Lower Secondary Category): Lutfil Hadi Bin Iskandar (FN202) - 3rd Prize
Poetry Recital Competition (Upper Secondary Category): Owen Nigel Tjiptarahardja (MN302) - Consolation Prize

July: Sports Champions of SJI

Lim Zhi Quan Emmanuel (MN403) has been awarded a Singapore Olympic Foundation – Peter Lim Scholarship for Canoeing (High Performance U18 category). The scholarship will provide the promising young athletes the additional support required in their pursuit of sporting excellence.
Sailors Russell Yom Zhenyi (MN202) and Darren Sim (FN402) have been recognised by the Singapore Schools Sports Council for their outstanding sportsmanship at the National School Games Sailing Championships 2019.
The Singapore Canoe Federation affirms our students on their excellent performance at the recent Asia Pacific Sprint Cup. Alden Ler (ML402), Ian Tan (MN403) and Lim Zhi Quan Emmanuel (MN403) attained 3rd positions in MK4-500m and 2nd positions in MK4-200m, while Ryan Ang Zhong Jun (LE402) finished 5th MK1-1000m (Semi Finals).

July: SJI Teacher Publishes Paper in School Science Review

SJI Science teacher Mr Christopher Talbot has published a paper “Reactivity series, activity series and electrochemical series” in School Science Review (June 2019).

This Science note aims to inform readers of the differences between the related electrochemical terms – reactivity series, activity series and electrochemical series – and to give pre-university teachers a deeper understanding of the origin and concept of electrode potential (including single-ion thermodynamics) and the factors affecting their values.

Click here to view the paper

June: SJI NCC (Air) Retains Overall Champion Title

SJI’s NCC (Air) unit retains OVERALL CHAMPION title, against all odds! The Air Competition on 29 June saw an improvement in skills and techniques amongst many competing school units, as compared to last year, but our flyers fought hard in all the different categories to retain the title.

Lachlan Toh Zhi Sheng (ML302) and Mr Firmin Lee have been selected by NCC HQ to represent Singapore at the International Cadet Exchange Programme (ICEP) to Sussex, UK, from 3 - 17 August 2019. The ICEP UK programme is a joint programme between the Singapore National Cadet Corps and the Sussex Army Cadet Force (ACF). Annually, the Sussex ACF organizes a two-week Summer Camp for their cadets, where the cadets will go through a syllabus called the Army Proficiency Certificate (APC) for promotion to the next highest rank. The objectives of the joint training with cadets from Singapore NCC is to observe and learn on the Sussex Training methodology and to allow cadets from both countries to learn about the life of the cadet. More importantly, the joint training seeks to provide an opportunity for the Singaporean cadets to observe the culture and heritage of the United Kingdom through the participation of the Summer Camp.

June: Learning About Healthy Eating Through Food Science & Innovation Hackathon

By Edward Tan and Kristen Tan

9 Josephians took part in the Phi Life Centre Food Science & Innovation Hackathon on 27 June at Masjid Assyakirin. Jointly organised by SJI and Phi Life Centre, the hackathon aims to bridge the knowledge gap with the marginalised in Singapore and to encourage participants to adopt healthy eating.

This is part of SJI’s Class Leaders’ Initiative where our Year 5 class leaders work with their classes to determine how they would like to serve the community. The Year 5 Class Leaders – Kristen Tam (LE508) and Edward Tan (MN520) planned the event together with members from Phi Life, Ms Dawn Teo, SJI alumna Ms. Nurin Huda (Class of 2017), Ms. Si Qi Toh and Mr. Nicholas Goh. The students and 8 children of ages 10-13 years old learnt about the digestive system, and the effects of sugar and salt-rich foods on the human body. They played icebreaker games with the children to foster teamwork, and to highlight the importance of maintaining a healthy body. The highlight of the day was a hands-on cooking session for the children under the guidance of two professional chefs.

SJI students cooking a healthy version of chicken nuggets!

This is the first time SJI is collaborating with Phi Life Centre. Through the activity, our students gained from the cultural exchange, as most of them have never been to the mosque prior to this event. We hoped that the young participants have learnt about healthy eating in an interactive and fun manner, which will encourage them to embrace a healthy lifestyle in the future.

The children tried their hands at cooking nuggets, accompanied by Ms Dawn Teo and SJI students

June: SJI Footballers Win Delta League 2019 (U-15 Category)

Our C Division footballers took part in the Delta League, a June Holiday programme by the Singapore Police Force and the National Crime Prevention Council, and emerged victorious in the Under 15 category.

The football tournament is held twice a year - during the June and December school holidays to keep students meaningfully occupied. Besides playing football, participants in Delta League are required to take part in other activities designed to enhance their crime prevention awareness and inculcate a sense of social responsibility, teamwork and discipline.

Our footballers won all four matches in the qualifying rounds and subsequently, 2 knockout matches, before reaching and triumphing in the grand final, beating their opponents 5-1 on 29 June at Jurong East Stadium.

June: SJI Wins SHF’s Under-14 HOCKEY 5s Tournament

On 27 June, SJI sent 3 teams to participate in the Singapore Hockey Federation’s U-14 Hockey 5s Tournament, with each team consisting of 8 players.

A total of 12 teams participated and SJI’s Team A and C qualified for the 2nd Round that would rank the top 4 placings. Team A eventually qualified for the finals against Northland Secondary School. We emerged as the Hockey 5s Champions after beating NSS 3-2. Team C lost to St. Andrew’s Sec in the 3rd - 4th placings and emerged 4th overall.

This is the first time in more than 20 years since we were crowned champions! The boys deserved the trophy for their steely determination and perseverance!

June: SJI Bagpipers Win 3rd Place at 2019 South East Asia Pipe Band Championship

Our bagpipers took part in the South East Asia Pipe Band Championship 2019 during the June holidays. Despite the many challenges that the Pipe Band had been facing, the boys improved from last year and came in 3rd place for the Band competition category this year.

Two boys also attained the 1st place in the solo competitions:

Foo Shihhan (ML403) - Tenor Drum (Novice) category
Kong Zong Teng Joshua (LE301) - Bass Drum (Novice A) category

June: SJI Reviews Student Development Programmes

June: Lasallians Reach Out to the Last, the Lost and the Least at Fengshan

Our students had the opportunity to serve the community at Fengshan neighbourhood as part of their Lasallian Leadership Training Camp. 65 SJI and 40 SJI International students helped to clean up the homes and spent time with the seniors in Fengshan.

Photo source: #repost from Ms Cheryl Chan, Member of Parliament for Fengshan SMC and Grassroots Advisor to Fengshan GROs

June: Josephians Participate in Pre-U Seminar ‘Singapore 4.0: What next?’

Twenty of our Year 5 students participated in this year’s Pre-University Seminar that was jointly organised by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) on 3 June and from 6 – 8 June 2019. Themed ‘Singapore 4.0: What next?’, the seminar saw 540 participants from 30 pre-university institutions coming together to engage in meaningful dialogues on issues of national concerns, including what the future holds for Singapore.

June: SJI Teams Clinch 3 Bronzes at National Inter-school A-Division Dragonboat Competition

The SJI Dragonboat CAS clinched 3 Bronze titles at the 2019 National Inter-school ‘A’-Division Dragonboat Competition on 1 June at the Marina Bay Reservoir.

SJI fielded 4 crews in the following categories and clinched 3 podium moments:

DB 12 Crew Girls
DB 22 Crew Girls
DB 22 Crew Boys

May: SJI Welcomes New Councillors at Student Leaders’ Investiture 2019

Initium Novum which means ‘new beginnings’, was the theme of SJI’s first ever combined Student Leaders’ Investiture. The new Student Council unifies both the 9th Secondary Student Council and the 7th Senior Student Council as one student body to represent the school and student population.

Congratulations to the new Year 3 and Year 5 student leaders and councils! Your adventure is just beginning! Thank you very much to the outgoing Year 4 and Year 6 student leaders and councils.

Congratulations to Team Josephian Changemakers from Year 1 - Reuel Fong, Keith Young, Quek Yi Ming and Wesley Thng - who are the Champions in Republic Polytechnic’s #YouthEmpowered Social Media Challenge! They were one of the two teams who participated in this Challenge. They had to create a social media campaign to promote digital literacy among youths in Singapore. Our students focused on these 2 issues: Preventing excessive internet usage and Understanding cyberbullying. See their works here.

May: A Dialogue with Ms Indranee Rajah

On 29 May, 2nd Minister of Education, Ms Indranee Rajah, visited SJI, where she had dialogue sessions with students and with members of staff. About 30 students shared with her their ideas about how government policies could best be communicated. When asked about improvements that can be made to the education system, the topic about the awareness of mental well-being was surfaced. The students felt that more could be done to bring about greater awareness, which in turn could bring about greater support to those who faced challenges.

With the staff, there was a discussion about various topics which ranged from elevating the proficiency in the English language among students to DSA practices.

May: SJI Teachers Embark on Learning Journeys

By Mrs Vivian Tan

More than 170 staff went on a learning journey at seven different corporations - Google, Workforce Singapore, ResMed Asia Pte Ltd, GIC, URA, Gaming How Pte Ltd and Creative Eateries on 9 April.

SJI Art Teachers - Mrs Vivian Tan, Ms Joyce Teo and Ms Yasmine Chan (former SJI teacher who is now with Eunoia JC), jointly presented “Learning through Play” at the Teacher’s Conference 2019 organised by MOE on 28 May.

May: SJI staged ‘Environmentally Sound’ at the Open Little Eyes Conference

By Ms Valerie Koh

Our Year 1 and 3 boys from SJI Drama Club staged ‘Environmentally Sound’, an interactive drama performance at the Open Little Eyes Conference organised by Singapore Chinese Girls School. Approximately 300 upper primary students from schools such as SCGS Primary, Radin Mas, Huayi, Pathlight and Chao Yang, as well as homeschoolers attended this conference.

The conference aimed to educate upper primary students on the importance of waste management and reduction through hands-on activities. Our performance was designed to raise awareness of these concerns.

Our forum theatre piece comprised three short plays focusing on our carbon footprint, food wastage and plastic waste respectively. Students were invited to consider the anti-models of social behaviour in each play and offer solutions. They were then given the option of joining the actors on stage to help change the characters’ minds or having the actors act out their ideas.

The primary school students loved their performance and were eager to offer suggestions to solve the problems posed in various scenarios, with a number performing with our students to enact social change.

Feedback from the organisers was also positive: our boys were praised for capturing and engaging the audience’s attention. They were also pleased that the boys had touched on significant areas of concern which helped to set the tone for the activities that were to follow. Althan and Iqbal, our Year 3 facilitators, were also commended for their skilful handling of suggestions and responses. Our Year 1 students also demonstrated quick thinking and creativity in their improvised responses based on the students’ ideas.

May: Josephians Showcase Ants to Junior Josephians

Aaron Johansen (TG602) and Dexter Wong (TG608) represented SJI’s (now defunct) Entomology club and shared their experiences about keeping ants with the Primary 1 boys at SJI Junior. The younger Josephians are learning about ants as part of their curriculum.

May: Heartstrings 2019: Everlasting Melodies

By Glenda Goh Ning En and Regine Ng Rui Jing (CEO and Deputy CEO of PRISM 2018/19)

The Heartstrings Concert is an annual concert by PRISM CAS. It is held in partnership with SPD and Beautiful Mind Charity. After more than six months’ of hard work and meticulous planning, Heartstrings 2019: Everlasting Melodies raised more than $7000, thanks to the generosity of many who have supported our cause.

This year, we saw an impressive array of student performers and professional artistes such as Mr Robert Fernando, an esteemed and highly sought after musical legend who charmed the audience with his soulful renditions of classics, as well as his witty banter that brought laughter to the audience. A fervent supporter of Heartstrings is 15-year-old soprano soloist Ms Lauren Yeo who returned to charm us with her powerful vocals for the third year. Heartstrings 2019 also had a special appearance by 14-year-old Asia’s Got Talent semi-finalist Syah Riszuan. Their vocal prowess are proof that age does not limit what you can achieve.

SJI’s very own student performers included music band GarageBand, vocals-and-violins collaboration Voila!, Secondary school band Paradize, Chamber ensemble, a flute and piano duo as well as a solo dancer. Mrs Vivian Tan, Director of Learning (IBAM) & Head (Arts) at SJI, who was our special guest performer for the event, surprised the audience with her soprano vocals. She really showed us that talent can be found everywhere, and it exists within ourselves.

We also had the privilege of having two performers from Beautiful Mind Charity playing the violin and the cello, who despite the obstacles they faced, are able to overcome them and let their talents shine through.

The Heartstrings Concert was a fulfilling experience that taught us the value of finding purpose in what we do. Even though we faced our fair share of setbacks and obstacles, the driving force that kept us going until the end of the concert was knowing that we were contributing to a cause larger than ourselves. We were blessed with different gifts and it is up to us to harness these talents and leave a positive impact on our communities.

May: SJI Teachers Publish Article on Moths in The Gardens’ Bulletin

SJI teachers - Mr Raymond Karam and Mr Chong Jun Hien - published an article on moths in The Gardens' Bulletin Singapore (Vol 71, Supplement 1, 2019). Published twice yearly by the National Parks Board, Singapore, the Gardens' Bulletin Singapore is a peer-reviewed journal publishing original papers and reviews on plant structure and taxonomy (including revisions), evolution and biogeography, floristics, ecology and conservation, as well as related fields such as horticulture and ethnobotany, with emphasis on the plant life of the Southeast Asian-Pacific region.

In their paper focussed on the moth fauna of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in Singapore. They studied the moths using light trapping. Specimens and photographs were sorted into morphospecies including macro and micro moths. A total of 399 species has been found, of which nearly 200 have been identified to species level.

The book was showcased at the Festival of Biodiversity on 25 and 26 May. An annual event organised by the National Parks Board in collaboration with the Biodiversity Roundtable, the Festival aims to create awareness and foster a sense of appreciation for our natural heritage.

May: “EU comes to your School”

SJI welcomed Her Excellency Margriet Vonno, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Singapore, and Mr Rick Ligthart, Customs Attaché Singapore, who shared with our Year 5 Josephians the role of the EU and the Netherlands embassy in Singapore.

EU comes to your school

May: Literature Comes Alive at SJI’s World Literature Festival

By Mr Alan Johnson

The inaugural World Literature Festival (21 - 24 May) at SJI was a roaring success featuring a literary exhibition at the foyer, talks by teachers, a talk by our Principal, performances and theatre performances. The aim of the festival was to share the joy and value of encountering different cultures and ideas through the art of literature. Students and staff were treated to talks on Japanese literature, diasporic literature and post-colonial literature. The Group 2 teachers and students got in on the act with literary performances in Tamil, Malay, Chinese and Spanish. The festival ended on a high note with a series of plays by the Literature and Performance students putting on plays adapted from the prose writing of Haruki Murakami (Japan) and Krys Lee (Korea).

In addition to these, the Senior Drama Club put together an original play titled ‘The World Theatre Festival’ that took the audience on a historical journey through theatre. They performed excerpts from the plays of Sophocles, Moliere, Shakespeare and Brecht. We look forward to more literary engagements next year.

Dr. Ng Soo Nee speaking about postcolonial Literature

Dr. Danker speaking on global perspectives and the gaze

Group2 Spanish Ab Initio students performing an excerpt from Don Quixote

Senior Drama Club students in an excerpt from the World Theatre Festival

May: Josephians Sing Along to Xin-Yao to Learn Chinese Language

A local Chinese song group (新谣小组) was in SJI to perform for the Year 1 and 2 Chinese Language students. This programme was jointly organised by the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL) Culture Group, Pioneer Junior College, Lianhe Zaobao and TCR (弹唱人) Music Station. Their objective is to ignite students’ passion in Chinese Language learning and to preserve our cultural heritage of local Chinese pop songs, commonly known as xin-yao.

May: Youth Curator for 2019 Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) Youth Fringe

Joyce Jin (ML514) has been accepted by the Singapore Book Council as a Youth Curator. She will be part of a committee led by the Singapore Book Council and with the support of other committee members, propose or advise programmes for the 2019 Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) Youth Fringe. SJI was one of the few schools invited by the Singapore Book Council to participate in the Youth Curators Programme.

May: 37th Annual Prize Presentation Ceremony of Ministry of Education Language Centre

Muhammad Daiyan Bin Iskandar (LE203) received the 3rd prize for Arabic 3rd Language.

May: Science Achievements

Year 6 students - Ng Kang Jie, Ryan Karthik Pary and Vignesh Radhey Shyam and Year 5 Sudeesh Thiagu and Tan Yung Wen Edward participated in the Young Defence Scientist Programme’s World of Science Event 2018.
Year 3 IP student Lee Xavia won the YDSP Scholarship.
Year 5 IBDP student Lim Kai Xuan won the DSTA Scholarship.
Hoang Quang Anh represented SJI at the 2019 Science Research Programme Congress to present the Impact of gene-sleep duration interaction on the levels of BMI in Singaporean Chinese. He was mentored by Assoc Prof Heng Chew Kiat.
Lim Kai Xuan (MN517) has been awarded the 2019 A*STAR Science Award (Junior College)! He will participate in the 5-week full-time Research Attachment Programme (RAP) from 18 November to 20 December 2019 and have the opportunity to be invited to talks and seminars organised by A*STAR and visiting scientists.
Ian Woo Zhe Ming and Tristan Emmeran Chabanel will be part of the Singapore delegation to the Super Science High Student Fair 2019 (SSH SF) in Kobe, Japan from 6-10 Aug. Their project was awarded Distinction in the Science Mentorship Programme (SMP) by GEB, MOE earlier this year. They were supervised by SJI teacher Dr Pek and mentored by an external researcher from NUS.
Four members of MN403 have been able to approach sustainable gallery (PUB) as an attempt to publicise water conservation efforts and to raise awareness of water conservation. They will be setting up a mini booth with the aim of raising awareness of these efforts.

Our students from the Innomakers Programme have worked hard to support the #YouthEmpowered Social Media Campaign. They have created a social media campaign (a poster and a video) to promote digital literacy among youths in Singapore.

Please “like” (👍/❤️) and “share” by clicking on their videos or digital posters below to encourage cyber wellness among Singaporeans!

Here are the works produced by the 2 teams:

Team 1: Josephian Changemakers	Issue: Understanding Cyber Bullying
1. Reuel Fong Shi Cheng (Leader) 2. Wesley Thng Toh Yong 3. Quek Yi Ming 4. Keith Eldriech Tanya Young

Team 2: The Anti Addicts	Issue: Preventing excessive internet usage
1. Xu He (Leader) 2. Keagan Goh 3. Jeff Chan 4. Yu Ziyang

April: Alumni Updates

SJI alumni from Class of 2016 - Young Ezekiel Ong, Cheok Liyong Linus, Marco Nathaniel Lu Ng from SAJC, and Chew Yong Keng Justin from Temasek JC have attained outstanding results at the 2018 A-Levels examinations. Congratulations!

Young Ezekiel Ong - Jacob Ballas Awards - Gold Award, Meritorious Award, Jacob Ballas Awards - Scholars’ Awards (7 distinctions)
Marco Nathaniel Lu Ng - Jacob Ballas Awards - Scholars’ Awards (5 Distinctions)
Cheok Liyong Linus - Jacob Ballas Awards - Scholars’ Awards (6 Distinctions)
Ho Wei Zong Jasper - Jacob Ballas Awards - Scholars’ Awards (3 Distinctions)

Low Eng Ler Bryan (Class of 2010) will be graduating from Singapore Polytechnic with the following awards:

1. Diploma In Marine Engineering (Silver Medalist)

2. Society of Naval Architects & Marine Engineers Silver Medal

3. Sembcorp Marine Prize

4. Diploma With Merit

April: Josephians Emerged Champions of 2019 Malay Debate Competition

By Cikgu Siti Rahimah Buang

The SJI Malay debaters made history by emerging as overall champions in the 2019 National Malay-language Debate Competition, organized by Bahas 4PM. Their achievement is extra special as this is SJI’s first-ever year participating in the pre-university category.

The 3-man debate team comprising Nadim B Nazri (TG616), Mohd Rizq Irfandi Bin Zunaidi (TG604) and debate leader Kamal Ashraf Bin Kamil Jumat (TG612), underwent three preliminary debate rounds and the semi-finals before reaching the Finals. The trio engaged in a fierce battle against 2-year defending champions Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah on 8 April 2019 at Mediacorp studio. The debate was telecast on Suria Channel on 28 April 2019.

The motion for the final debate was “In the pursuit of economy, history is forgotten”. The SJI team were the opposition. Our debaters successfully defended their stand that “Singapore’s history is not and never forgotten”.

Nadim Bin Nazri won the Best Speaker Award in the preliminary round and Mohd Rizq Irfandi Bin Zunaidi clinched the Best Speaker Award and Overall Best Speaker in the finals. The team also won the Hawaizi Daipi Championship Trophy and a $1000 voucher.

Special mention goes to two students - Quraish Shoeb Burhanuddin (TG612) and Ryan Ashraf Bin Jefree (TG615) - who did a wonderful job as the team researchers and critics. The teachers who helmed the team during the debate season are Cikgu Siti Rahimah Buang, Cikgu Fauziah Hussein, Cikgu Roziyah A Samad and Cikgu Fauziah Abdullah.

April: SYF 2019 Youth Station Project - Songwriting mentoring Programme

One of our very own SJI Rock-A Cause bands started their first mentorship session on 3 April under the Singapore Youth Festival: The Youth Station Project organised by MOE. The students are Isaiah Khoo Jia Le (TG602) - guitar, vocals; Auric Seah Hong Rui (TG602) - keyboard; Nicholas Sim Yung Ern (TG606) - drums; Natalie Tan Hui Qi (TG607) - guitar, vocals.

April: A Celebration of Arts at Mutien Fest

It was a celebration of the Arts at the Mutien Fest on 27 April. Seven Performing Arts groups - SJI Military Band, Guitar Ensemble, Vocal Ensemble, Drama Club, Vocapella CAS, Drama CAS and Rock-A-Cause CAS showcased their artistic talents and passion for the Arts at the 2-hour concert, after months of intense preparation for the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF).

Congratulations to our Performing Arts CCAs on excellent performances at the 2019 SYF Competitions:

Guitar Ensemble - Distinction
Vocal Ensemble - Distinction
SJI Military Band - Distinction
SJI Drama Club - Certificate of Accomplishment

April: SJI Welcomes Visitors at Open House

On 27 April, SJI opened its doors for potential students and parents to gain a better understanding of our programmes and the life in SJI. More than 2,000 visitors toured the school, listened to talks about SJI education and observed the programmes put up by the various subjects and CCAs.

April: SJI Community Supports Mitumba Project for Lent

By Mr Firmin Lee

The annual Lenten project collection is an occasion for the SJI community to participate in our Lenten activity to aid the last, the lost and the least. This year, SJI supported the Tana River Life Foundation (TRLF), a charitable NGO registered in Kenya. It was founded by Gabriel Teo Kian Chong, a Malaysian and former Singapore resident who has been living in Kenya since 1995. TRLF’s vision is to build a more just and honest society, by promoting affordable quality education, sustainable agricultural projects, integral formation of youth and community-based entrepreneurship programmes.

The SJI Lenten project was to support the TRLF’s Mitumba Project (or “recycled goods” in Kiswahili). The collection of items through the SJI community will aid the educational projects run by TRLF through the sales of these items to help support families with school-going children.

By the end of the Lenten project, SJI had collated about 70 bags of clothes and shoes for the Mitumba Project, which were delivered to the TRLF team at the Church of Holy Cross.

SJI community supports Mitumba Project for Lent

April: SJI Pelandok Scouts at the Annual Stepping Up Ceremony

Last week, the Pelandok Scout Group gathered to invest our new Secondary One members, and bid farewell to our outgoing Ventures and Scouts at the Annual Stepping Up Ceremony. This year also saw the presentation of the inaugural Gordian Shield to the best patrol of the year, named after the first Scoutmaster in SJI, Brother Gordian Mary. Congratulations to the best patrol for the year 2018/19, Leopard Patrol!

https://www.facebook.com/stjosephsinstitution/posts/10161818392025691

April: 2019 National Canoeing Championship

Both B and C Division canoeists continue to be a canoeing powerhouse by achieving runner-up podium wins. Lucas Huan (TG611) emerged gold medallist for C1 1000m and C1 500m events.

April: 71st National Schools Individual Chess Championship 2019

These are the achievements of the SJI players who participated in the Championships:

Caleb Goh Ren Jet (FN103) - 20th place in the Boys Under 14
Chen Meng Boon Marcus (LE303) - 2nd place for both South Zone and main prize in the Boys Under 16
Amadeus Ho Yi (FN403) - 7th place for South Zone and 11th place in the Boys Under 16
Gavin Koh Ming Yao (LE507) - 7th place for South Zone and 12th place in the Boys Open

April: Asia-Pacific Writing Competition

A total of 28 students from SJI participated, and that two of our students were shortlisted for the Secondary Section prize: Nguyen Cao Duy (Year 4) and Ng Kang Jie (Year 6). The competition topic was “Digital Disruption”. The essays by our shortlisted students (chosen from over 900 submissions from 20 countries) were published in the commemorative magazine by The New York Times. Each student who participated will receive a certificate and a copy of the published shortlisted essays. The SJI participants are:

Bains Randave Singh
Boyle Dorothy
Chan Luke
Chan Jerome
Chan Mark
Chan Jayden
Chen Marcus
Chew Alden
Duy Nguyen
Ezani Rais Amar Danial
Goh Charles
Iskandar Muhammad Daiyan
Kim Dong Kuk
Koh Ian
Koon Wei Pheng
Loh Anders
Muthu Alexander
Ng Kang Jie
Ong Li En Lenn
Parcon Jeriah
Tam Michael
Tay Tristan
Teo Licia
Teo Terence
Toh Colin
Wong Elliot
Yeong David
Yong Ambrose

April: Creative Arts Programme (CAP) for JC students 2019

Caleb Chan (FN502), Adam Chan (ML511) and Christian Low (MN518) were selected for this prestigious programme to hone literary skills and passion in June 2019.

April: Research Competition by the Annamalai University Alumni Association

Uma Shankar Suhas and Sanfo Bimal Thomas from ML401 won 3rd place in a research presentation competition organised by the Annamalai University Alumni Association. The competition was held on 13 April at UPTLC.

April: Creative Arts Seminar (CAP) Secondary students 2019

The following Josephians were selected for this prestigious programme for students to pursue their interest in the literary arts and deepen their passion for writing.

Anish Ketan Gathani (LE201) - Prose/Poetry
Chan Qi Xuan, Jayden (LE203) - Prose/Poetry
Jeremy Kiang (LE203) -Prose/Poetry
Julian Lee Jin-Yung (MN202) - Prose/Poetry
Sing Yu Xuan (ML203) - Prose/Poetry

April: SJI Sails Away as Champions at National School Games

The Sailing Team flew the SJI flag high on the final day of the NSG Sailing Championships.

Russell Yom (MN202) was Champion for the C division Byte fleet and the C division Laser trails.

The C division Opti team came in Fourth. The team comprised:

Kieran Lee (LE101)
Ryan Goh (ML102)
Ian Yip (ML102)

For B division Byte Fleet, Ron Koh came in 2nd and Zachary Lim came in 4th.

The B division Byte team emerged CHAMPIONS! The team comprises:

Ron Koh (FN402)
Zachary Lim (MN302)
Ethan Neo (FN303)

The last time SJI won the Champion Trophy was 10 years ago!

April: 2019 National Track & Field Achievements

Kieran Andre Longue (ML202) brought home the silver medal for the C Division Boys’ 800m with a timing of 2:11.30. He was narrowly edged out to 2nd place by a mere 0.03s. Read more at Red Sports.

Gareth Shek (LE203) – 2nd in C Div High Jump
Kieran Andre Longue (ML202) – 2nd in C Div 800m
Wong Yeh Teng Elliot (LE203) – 2nd in C Div 1500m
Elroy Quek Zhi Yuan (ML203) – 5th in C Div 100m
Julian Lee Jin-Yung (MN202) – 5th in C Div 400m Hurdles
Chua Jia Jun (LE201) – 6th in C Div 100m Hurdles
Servio Tye Wei Hern (FN201) – 7th in C Div 100m
Elroy Quek Zhi Yuan (ML203) – 7th in C Div 200m
Keane Wong Jen Quin (FN103) – 8th in C Div Discus
Elroy Quek Zhi Yuan (ML203), Glenn Ong Quan Wei (ML201), Chua Jia Jun (LE201), Princeton Toh Zi Jie (MN202), Ryan Sing Aik Yong (LE202), Servio Tye Wei Hern (FN201) – 4th in C Div 4x100m
Zander Lee Zong Jun (LE401) – B Div 800m Finalist
Kieran Andre Longue (ML202) – C Div 1500m Finalist
Wong Yeh Teng Elliot (LE203) – C Div 3000m Finalist
Matthew Lim Yong (LE301) – B Div 1500m Race Walk Finalist
Timothy Tai Wen Yang (MN301) – B Div 1500m Race Walk Finalist
Mohaideen Abdul Kader Fahad (FN403) – B Div 1500m Race Walk Finalist
Brien Anthony Chia Jinhao (FN303), Goh Jun-Wei, Justin (MN303), Mowe Zachary Elijah (ML302), Wee Liang Shen Ian (LE401), Teoh Tai Ran (ML403), Adam Harith Bin Abdul Ghani (FN301) – 4x100m B Div Finalist
Elroy Quek Zhi Yuan (ML203), Chua Jia Jun (LE201), Julian Lee Jin-Yung (MN202), Ryan Sing Aik Yong (LE202), Servio Tye Wei Hern (FN201) – 4x400m C Div Finalist
Brien Anthony Chia Jinhao (FN303), Seah Tze Yang Bryan (FN303), Chong Chuang Kai Kevin (MN303), Tham Kei Leong Caleb (ML403), Joseph Leong Zhen Zhe (ML403), Teoh Tai Ran (ML403) – 4x400m B Div Finalist
Logan Dev Rajah (TG605), Russell Kwong Wei Meng (TG609), Rovin Thomas (TG618), Jonte Lee Jun Je (TG602), Lionel Koh Han (TG605) – 4x400m A Div Finalist

April: Josephians Celebrate Resurrection of Christ on Easter Monday

Josephians were welcomed with a blessing on Easter Monday, as the school community gathered to celebrate Easter, the resurrection of Jesus. The students were given Easter eggs that symbolise new life.

April: Josephians Commemorate the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday

On Maundy Thursday, Christians remember Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. We celebrate His command to go and do likewise. We believe Jesus’ command is our mandate for Christian life - to serve others.

In school on 18 April, we were reminded that service is the soul of SJI. Why we exist as a Catholic, Lasallian school and how we live and work as Josephians are embodied in lives of service. Our SJI way strives to imitate Jesus’ way of serving all.

Our Catholic community celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and witnessed the washing of feet that Maundy Thursday evening before they went off for church visitation in the night. The Catholic students kept vigil for the night which concluded with a Good Friday service the next morning.

April: La Salle Community Celebrates Mass on Tercentenary Anniversary of Founder

The De La Salle Brothers and the Lasallian family of schools celebrated mass together on 6 April, to commemorate the tercentenary of St John Baptist de La Salle on the completion of his earthly journey.

April: SJI Uniformed Groups march on at 167th Anniversary Parade

Our Uniformed Groups (UGs) celebrated their 167th anniversary parade on 5 April. All the five UGs - NCC Air, NCC Land, NPCC, St John Brigade and St Joseph’s Pelandok Scouts - attained Gold Awards for their units. The ceremony also celebrated the graduation and stepping down of the Year 4 seniors as their Year 3 juniors stepped up to their new leadership roles.

April: SJI celebrates Founder’s Day and Tercentenary of St John Baptist de La Salle

We celebrated our 167th year with a record-breaking feat by the whole school - the largest hand printed banner in Singapore measuring 18.9 metres by 8 metres! View the Singapore Book of Records.

Awards to recognise good effort in studies were presented to the students at the Founder’s Day ceremony. As always, we began with Eucharistic mass to remind us that our God is a mighty and awesome God who brought SJI into being and blesses her still. To God be the glory!

March: SJI Bids Farewell to Retiring Vice-Principal Mrs Goh Poh Kenn

Mrs Goh Poh Kenn has retired on 31 March after 27 years of outstanding and exemplary service in SJI. She joined SJI on 1 January 1992 and has proven to be a natural leader who has the drive to lead others. She has held several key leadership positions in SJI. In 1999, she was appointed Assistant Principal (Curriculum/Projects), where she consistently set high standards for the school and contributed positively and effectively to the education of our students over many years. She was also instrumental in initiating, conceptualising and implementing the school’s IT programme and infrastructure under MOE’s IT Masterplan.

In 2002, Mrs Goh was nominated for the Leaders in Education Programme (LEP). She was awarded The Lee Kuan Yew LEP Award for being the best participant in that Class for achieving the best overall performance. On completion of the LEP, Mrs Goh was promoted to Deputy Principal (Curriculum) on 1 January 2003. As DPC, she effectively planned, implemented and reviewed the school’s overall curriculum programme. She is well respected by fellow professionals for her dedication, commitment and service to education and the school.

She steered the school in preparation for external validation (EV) of the school’s processes and outcomes conducted by MOE’s External Validation team and the SPRING Singapore. The school was well validated and attained the Singapore Quality Class in 2004 and the Best Practice Award (Teaching & Learning) in 2005. Mrs Goh also played a pivotal role in SJI getting the School Excellence Award in 2008.

She was awarded the National Day honours of Long Service Medal in 2006 and Public Administration Medal (Bronze) in 2007 by the President of the Republic of Singapore in recognition of her outstanding work over the years.

She was appointed as Vice-Principal (Administration) in 2018 to coordinate and streamline the school’s various administrative processes which include student services, facilities, general administrative support, school safety and emergency planning. She leaves behind a solid foundation for her successor to continue improving the school’s administration services in the coming years.

In her final assembly address to the school on 25 March, Mrs Goh described Josephians as beautiful people who have a good understanding of what it is to be compassionate as well as a sensitivity and a deep loving concern for others, especially the last, the lost and the least.

March: National Coding Championship

SJI took part in the National Coding Championship for the first time this year. 121 of our Year 1 and 2 students took part in the pre-selection round, accumulating twice the scores of the 3rd rank school to emerge second in the Junior section. Four Josephians represented SIJ in the Finals: Medhansh Bhagchandani (FN201), Ooi Zi Yang (ML102), Maximillian Ng (FN102) and Joshua Chng (ML101). The boys put up a good fight, with Zi Yang and Medhansh winning the second place in the junior section. Well done, boys!

March: Innobit Challenge 2019

SJI took part for the first time in this challenge with four teams competing. The team comprising Jakob Lie (TG607), Yin Yi Quan (TG605), Ryan Chia (TG616) and Joshua Lee (TG607) clinched the 2nd runner-up position in the Open category. The teams are from the Coding and Technology CAS.

March: On the National Squad

SJI congratulates our athletes Brian Gan (ML301), Kyes Gaffor (ML504), Justin Goh (MN303), Justin Chee (LE303), Ku Zi Ming (MN303) and alumnus Grace Low (IB Class of 2018) on being selected by Singapore Athletics to train with the National Athlete’s Team. They were selected based on their recent fine performances at athletic meets. Congratulations!

March: SJI Shines at Tamil Literary Competition

SJI did well to win in the Drama competition organised by Raffles Institution. Congratulations to Ajay Karthik Balasubramanian (ML303), Velu Mithilesh (ML303), Guru Anand Anish (MN301) and Vivek Pramod (ML302). At the same event, three Josephians won the Essay Writing Competition. They are:

Saravanan Naveen (MN201) - First Prize
Sivasubramanian Dhanasekaran (FN103) - Second Prize
Umashankar Suhas (ML401) - Consolation prize

March: 8th International Biomedical Quiz 2019

Congratulations to Sassidaran s/o Murugasu (LE509) for achieving a Bronze award at the 8th International Biomedical Quiz 2019!

March: Hockey Wins

Two teams participated in the Active SG Hockey Carnival in the Under 16 and U14 categories. The U16 team emerged 2nd in the Hockey 5s tournament and the U14 team emerged joint 3rd with the National U14 team. Congratulations to the following team members!

The U16 team:

Aayush Bhatia (FN402)
Tajima Gai (FN401)
Timothy Andrew Tan Jun Jie (ML403)
Danish Aqeem B Ramlee (LE403)
Allen Simmy (FN402)
Evan Ong Jun Wei (FN402)
Aaron Goh Chong Jun (ML401)
Nathanel Sutjiutama (LE402) (Captain)

The U14 team:

Isa Ismail (ML303)
Eniavan Elangovan (LE301)
Samuel Yeo Tian En (FN303)
Walter Ong Yan Heng (LE303)
Christopher Lee Jie Lun (FN303)
Fakhrul Hayyat b Sharul Hisham (ML303)
Madhu Pavan (ML302)
Tan Jun Rong Alexander John (FN302)

An extra medal was given to Kieran Marc Baptist (ML302) who has shown great improvements since last year.

March: C-Division Badminton Boys Beat ACS Barker

Congratulations to our C-Division Badminton boys who went one-up against ACS Barker and pulled off their best performance with a 4-1 win! They are now placed 3rd in the zone and will move on to the national rounds in Term 2. The boys played a fantastic game and even won the compliments from the ACS Barker teacher-in-charge Mr Puay Khoon!

March: Josephian Writes Inspiring Article About Sustainable Cities and Communities

Koon Wei Pheng (ML302) presented an article about a current environmental issue to the 2018 WWF National Competition. This competition recognises outstanding journalism abilities on environmental issues and is part of an effort to harness strength through writing to spread the message of caring for the environment. His article has been shortlisted as a Special Mention, and was submitted to the Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) Competition’s international jury for evaluation. His article about Sustainable Cities and Communities is produced below:

WWF National Competition

March: OBS Leadership and Service Award

Nur Shyartiana Binte Saifulbahri (IB Class of 2018) has been selected for the OBS Leadership and Service Award. She is our first female student to receive the award. She had a 2 Star Kayaking certification from her secondary school and participated in the Sibu Kayaking Expedition in 2017.

March: SJI Educators and Students Participate in Catholic Education Conference 2019

https://www.facebook.com/stjosephsinstitution/posts/10161686478400691

March: Lasallian Educators Celebrate 300 Years of La Salle

On 15 March, 700 Lasallian educators in Singapore gathered for a day of formation at the Lasallian Training Day where we celebrated the Year of Lasallian Vocation and the Tercentenary of St John Baptist de La Salle’s death. The highlight was the Animosaic that we created. Our efforts brought to life the anniversary’s theme - One Heart, One Commitment, One Life. #300LaSalle

(embed fb post here)

March: 111th Track & Field Championships

Josephians battled it out at the sports meet on 8 March. This annual event is a platform for the school community to experience and appreciate the sporting culture in SJI. It is at this event that the SJI community experiences the strong camaraderie from the four Fraternities.

March: Book Week Myths Shattered

By Mr Azhar Ghazali (Committee member, Book Week 2019)

Myth 1: The library is a quiet and peaceful place.
Truth: The haunting chants of the Witches of Macbeth were clearly heard emanating from the bowels of the library. The spirit of Shakespeare truly lives on.

Myth 2: Book Week is about books only.
Truth: It’s also about how the illustrations and pictures bring a book to life, not just the written words. Anngee Neo combines Art with appreciating good books.

Myth 3: You are what you Read.
Truth: You are what you eat as well. The fusion foods provided by the PSG proves just that. Food for thought and tummies.

And so ends another week of lively activities for the bibliophiles among us. From Readathons to movies and competitions, there was a motley of events that turned our usually tranquil library into a place full of hurly-burly. There’s always something new to discover and rediscover about the Joys of Reading. We are glad to observe the enthusiastic responses displayed by our students. The activities that were specially planned created plenty of opportunities for both teachers and students to develop and share their love for books and reading.

If you had missed some of the action this time round, fret not. More excitement is brewing in our cauldron with concoctions to entice you further in the near future. Do join us again in The Library.

March: Jobs Alike - A TOK seminar for IB teachers

On 7 March, SJI hosted a meeting of the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Network for Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. Over 30 teachers from local and international IB schools joined our SJI TOK staff to dissect, analyse and evaluate the newly released prescribed essay titles.

The essay is worth two-thirds of the student’s grade in TOK, which, along with their Extended Essay grade, can add three bonus points to their final IB Diploma score. The ideas raised and the discussions held will continue to support all teachers and their students in arguably the most academically challenging assessments the IB students will face.

March: No One Fights Cancer Alone

By Chloe Lye (TG601) and Jhunne Philippe A Elasigue (TG607)

A total of 263 Josephians participated in the Relay for Life at the National Stadium on 1 and 2 March. There was a spirit of passion and camaraderie among the Year 5 and Year 6 students who resolved to complete the 100km run. Everyone contributed to the collective goal by running, regardless of the distance they could manage. Irrespective of the number of laps each one ran, the SJI contingent was never short of people who were eager to lend their help throughout the 15-hour relay. Everyone also participated in concurrent activities with enthusiasm. One of the most memorable moments of the event was the Year 6s, clad in green tutus, actively dancing along to the Zumba performances that were being held at the centre of the stadium. The experience was memorable, especially for the Year 5s.

Joshua Lim (MN520) recounted how he felt “a strong motivation throughout the relay” and felt assured he was “working alongside many other people, towards the same objective and fighting for the same cause.” He hopes to take part in future Relay for Life events.

2019 marked the second attempt at the event for a number of the Year 6s, including Nathan Law (TG601). As someone who is acquainted with victims of cancer, he says, “I would like to play a more active role in supporting and spreading awareness of the effects of cancer.” He was heartened by the genuine messages written in support of victims and their caregivers.

The Year 5 cohort was placed twelfth overall based on their timing for completing 100km, while the Year 6 students emerged fourth. The seniors also covered a total distance of 172 km - the second highest overall distance that was run/walked.

These achievements pale in comparison however, to the wholehearted and collaborative effort invested by the SJI students to support the celebration of life and to stand in solidarity with cancer patients and their loved ones.

March: Alumnus Gabriel Lim Appointed As Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industry

SJI congratulates alumnus Mr Gabriel Lim (Class of 1991) who has been appointed Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Industry from 1 April 2019. He will relinquish his appointment as Permanent Secretary (Communications and Information).

Mr Lim has held various appointments in the Ministry of Defence, Public Service Division/Civil Service College and Ministry of Health before his appointment as the Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister in 2011. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer, Media Development Authority Singapore in 2014, Second Permanent Secretary (Communications and Information) in June 2016 and concurrently Chief Executive Officer, Infocommunications Media Development Authority in October 2016. He has been Permanent Secretary (Communications and Information) since 2017.

February: Josephian Wins the Orator’s Trophy

On 16 February, SJI participated in the Orator’s Trophy, a National Oratorical Competition organised by Anglo-Chinese Junior College. The Orator’s Trophy seeks to provide an avenue for students to develop their spontaneous speaking skills and to build confidence in a public presentation. It also encourages the creative and persuasive use of the English Language.

All speeches were impromptu and participants only had 5 minutes to prepare before they had to speak for a minimum of 2-3 minutes. The participants were judged on Content, Delivery and Language. Dinesh John Peeris (LE203) did SJI proud by beating 45 other participants from many other schools to emerge as Champion in the Junior League. Elliot Snodgrass (MN517) and Premshan Christopher Singh (ML301) also represented SJI in the Pre-U and Senior League respectively.

In a Thank-you note to the teachers who helped to prepare the students for this competition, Dinesh said, “I am extremely grateful for all the hard work and long days that has been put in towards my training for the Oratory Tournament 2019. My win for the junior category truly belongs to you, I could never have done this without all your help. Thank you and God bless.”

February: OBS Leadership and Service Award

February: The Istana Heritage Gallery Challenge 2019

Alden Chew Jing Hong (LE203) was one of the 18 Year 2 students chosen to participate in the Istana Heritage Gallery (IHG) Challenge on 22 February. He shares his learning experience from this trip:

“This compact but informative gallery taught us about how the Istana began as the Government House. It was built on a nutmeg plantation owned by Charles Prinsep. I then understood that Prinsep Street was named after him. The IHG explained the transition of the post-independence period when emblems associated with the British colonial power were replaced by the new nation’s symbols of sovereignty such as the Istana, the state crest, the presidential standard and the presidential crest. The visit to the IHG allowed me to understand the three roles of the presidential – constitutional, ceremonial and community.

My team of 6 competed in three challenges – building a house of cards, making as many stars as we can from quilling strips and taking a photograph that is most iconic of the Istana. My favourite was the photo-taking as it tested us on what we have learnt about the Istana and also allowed our creativity to take over. The meaning of the games was quite surprising as we originally had little idea of their purpose. We later realised they were linked to the work of the President and the Istana. The time spent at the IHG allowed me to bond with my team.”

February: Josephians Participate in Budget 2019 Dialogue

(Photo credit: REACH)

Our students attended the Budget 2019 Dialogue organised by REACH on 21 February. The event was part of REACH’s Budget 2019 Feedback Exercise, following the FY2019 Budget announced by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat on 18 February.

The session was chaired by Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, and Second Minister for Finance and Education and Mr Sam Tan, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Social and Family Development, and REACH Chairman.

The students seized the opportunity to interact with the chairpersons on issues close to their hearts. The chairpersons expressed their happiness to see the participation of our students in the discussions.

February: What It Means To Be A Josephian

For the 4th year, the SJI Old Boys’ Association organised the talk for alumni to share with the new Year 1 boys on ‘What It Means To Be A Josephian’. The session on 21 February aims to help Year 1 students to appreciate the rich heritage of SJI and inspire them to become exemplary Josephians.

Choo Yi Ming (ML101) shared, “The arrival of alumnus Mr Han Chi Teng (Class of 1990) in the classroom was met with both anticipation and excitement. Mr Han who is currently a Financial Services Director spoke on what it meant to be a Josephian. After spending six years in a Lasallian school and having listened to many of such talks, I was a little sceptical. However, Mr Han’s talk was very meaningful. In a nutshell, he told us about how we should cherish the time in SJI as this is where we will encounter many challenges and it will be our friends in school who will brave them with us.”

February: A Visit to the PSA

36 Economics students and teachers participated in the PSA’s Port Tour on 19 February. The tour began at the PSA Head office, with the viewing of their corporate video and a Q&A session with Mr Goh Mia Hock, Head of Group Process Excellence and his team from PSA. They then embarked on a tour to the Pasir Panjang Terminal, where they had the rare opportunity to observe how the PSA solves the logistical complexities of moving millions of its TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) through its port by leveraging on advanced technologies and developing innovative port solutions for its customers.

The students also visited the PSA Living Lab to preview PSA’s future Tuas Mega Port, which will be Singapore’s next-generation port. They saw the testing of the automated guided vehicles (AGV) that will transfer containers within the port in the future. The tour ended on high note with everyone gaining a deeper understanding of PSA’s reputation as a world-class company and a compelling port of choice for global shipping lines.

February: Welcoming the Year 5s at Orientation Week and Campfire

The new Year 5s bonded with their new friends over a week-long orientation programme, to learn more about SJI and their new learning environment. Organised by the 6th Senior Student Council, Mr Christopher Ngoh and Ms Hazel Ho, the students experienced SJI’s rich history and traditions during the Heritage Challenge that was held within SJI and at her former campus at Bras Basah (now known as Singapore Art Museum). The students also had fun with the games during The Odyssey and a silent reflection on the experiences they went through during the week. The highlight was the campfire on 13 February, as the freshmen sang and cheered their hearts out throughout the night. Welcome to SJI, Year 5s!

January: Josephians Indulge in Lunar New Year Festivities

Our students indulged in a series of festive activities in preparation of the Lunar New Year. They took the opportunity to make lanterns using ang pows (red packets), create paper cuttings of auspicious characters, and practise their calligraphic writing of spring couplets (春联).

Josephians indulge in New Year festivities

February: SJI Commemorates Tercentenary of Founder at Inaugural Assembly

The Inaugural Celebration is our first formal school assembly where the entire school community gathers for the beginning of a new academic year. It is an occasion when the school comes together to celebrate its sense of being a Lasallian community. Josephians gather at this assembly as a praying Lasallian community, remembering the presence of God and adoring the Will of God for SJI in the new academic year.

At this celebration, we officially welcome the newest addition to the school – our students from Years 1 and 5, and the Year 3 Scholars, as well as members of the teaching and non-teaching staff. The school also officially acknowledges all the student leaders who have been appointed to formal leadership positions at this assembly, where they take the pledge of leadership through service before the school community.

The event also commemorated #300Lasalle - the 300th anniversary of the death of our founder, Saint John Baptist De La Salle. 2019 has been declared a Jubilee Year, which began on 17 November 2018 with the dedication of the sanctuary of Saint John Baptist de la Salle at the Generalate in Rome, and will conclude on 31 December 2019, the end of the Tercentenary and Year of Lasallian Vocations.

The inaugural assembly concluded with the distribution of ang-pows with a #300Lasalle keychain to all the students and oranges to the staff before the community was dismissed for an early reunion on Chinese New Year eve.

January: SJI Welcomes Year 1 Boys at the Annual Orientation Campfire

More than 500 parents and guests witnessed the close of the Year 1 Orientation at the campfire on 18 January. The lighting of the fire at the Star (Signum Fidei) is symbolic of the Josephian Spirit that ignites in each Josephian. The ambience was exhilarating as everyone cheered and sang the school songs with great gusto and enthusiasm.

Welcome to the SJI family, Year 1s!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stjosephsinstitution/46178692584/in/album-72157675997579057

January: Year 3 Josephians Bond at TABA

“TABA” - which means Together-and-by-Association, was a unique experience aimed at helping the Year 3 cohort bond within their new classes for the next two years they have ahead of them.

Our Year 3s spent an entire day at Sentosa and Vivocity on 17 January, to get to know each other better with their Form Tutors. They began with the Amazing Race, where there were challenges that required the teams to complete their tasks in order to unlock their checkpoints. After the race and lunch, the boys continued with their creative class bonding games at Vivocity or Palawan Beach at Sentosa.

Year 3 Josephians bond at TABA Jan 2019

January: YoungXHUSH Speaks

Summer Yu-Ning Walters (TG617) shares her experience at the “YoungXHUSH Speaks: Inspiration for Action” organised by Hush Teabar, which she attended with Matthew Chang (TG607) on 16 January.

“We heard many inspiring stories from individuals, one of whom was Mr Barney Swan who trekked to the South Pole at the age of 23. His accomplishment was astounding as it was the very first expedition that relied only on renewable energy. Through him, we learnt about the importance of self-reflection, and the need to be mindful of our actions. Other speakers shared about initiatives they were taking to spread the importance of mental health.

As representatives of the YoungXHUSH community in SJI, we had the opportunity to share about our development as a movement, and our plans to spread the importance of mindfulness to other students, beginning with the Secondary 1 students in SJI. Having gained inspiration from this event, we want to persevere in our endeavours to spread awareness and the practice of mindfulness within SJI.”

January: SJI Class of 2018 Excels at GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations

14 January – SJI’s Class of 2018 has performed well in the GCE ‘O’ Level examinations. The school achieved 100% passes, with 100% receiving at least 5 GCE ‘O’ Level passes. All the boys will advance to junior colleges and polytechnics for their post-secondary education, with 94% of the boys qualifying for junior college.

This is the 3rd full O-Level class that entered SJI in 2015. 42% (106 out of 250 boys) scored 6As or better, and 43% (107 of 250) of the boys achieved scores of 10 points or less (L1B5).

SJI is proud of the following students who have performed very well in the 2018 GCE ‘O’ Level examinations. They testify to the holistic education that SJI provides. We congratulate these seven boys who entered SJI with PSLE scores below the cut-off point (before MOE’s 2015 admission by appeal policy) and are now graduating with less than 10 points:

• Ethan Lewis Ng Cheng Ye

• Christian Thaddeus Beh Liang K

• Kyes Gaffoor

• Rachmiel Teo Ren Xiang

• Adrian Leonardo

• Ryan Cheng Rong Zhuo

• Mark Chew Wei Wen

SJI Principal, Fr (Dr) Adrian Danker, SJ, says, “I am very happy for our Class of 2018. Today we celebrate what we profess and do as Lasallian educators in SJI – that every boy can do well; that no student is left behind; that every Josephian will graduate and go forth to shine like a sky full of stars. I wish to thank all our teachers, Heads, Dean and VPs for their good work, dedication and passion, who gave so much of themselves to help our students do well. They are the secret of SJI’s success: their care and love for our students have made all the difference!”

Summary of SJI’s GCE ‘O’ Level Examination Results	2018
Number of students who sat for the GCE 'O' Level examinations	250
Pass rate/ Qualify for JC/Polytechnic education (%)	100%
Boys who qualified for JC education (%)	94%
Boys with 5 GCE ‘O’ Level passes (%)	100%
Boys with 6A’s or more (%)	42%
Boys with scores of less than 10 points (L1R5) (%)	43%
Distinctions (A’s) per student (%)	59%

Subjects With High Distinctions:	SJI
English Language	62%
Mathematics	87%
Additional Mathematics	77%
Physics	69%
Humanities (SS, History)	64%
Geography	61%
Chemistry	54%
Humanities (SS, Geography)	52%

January: SJI Class of 2018 Excels at the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) Examinations

4 January – SJI’s Class of 2018 International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) students have performed very well in the November 2018 examinations. 269 students from our fifth IBDP cohort were awarded the International Baccalaureate Diploma, with an average score of 41 out of 45 points. Four students were also awarded the prestigious Bilingual Diploma.

67% of the cohort (180 students) attained at least 40 points out of 45, of which 41% (111 students) scored 42 points or better. A quarter of our cohort (25%) achieved 43 points and better.

The Class of 2018 includes our pioneer batch of 135 boys who were admitted to SJI at Secondary 1 in 2013 under the Integrated Programme. The results achieved by our Class of 2018 is evident of a trend that the SJI IBDP relates well with students who enjoyed high academic expectations from the programme. They have found joy in learning by being risk-takers who pursue their interests and passion instead of being rote-learners.

Fr (Dr) Adrian Danker, SJ, Principal of SJI, says “I am extremely delighted with the results achieved by this cohort. They include our first through-train batch of boys who were with us since Secondary 1 under our Integrated Programme. Their good results are a testimony to the quality of our programmes at SJI. More importantly, they affirm our school’s commitment to providing an education that allows our students to achive good results along with a balanced life. The very good result also testify to the excellent teachers we have - competent and caring educators. I am proud of them and the quality of their teaching..”

As a Catholic and Lasallian school, SJI is committed to developing every student’s character and to helping them realize their academic potential, so that they become men and women whose education empowers them to make a positive difference in the world. The IBDP results of the 2018 cohort are an affirmation of the quality of the balanced and holistic education offered at SJI.

Summary of SJI’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Examination Results

IBDP Results by SJI Class of:	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014
Number of students	270	138	80	80	76
Diploma pass rate (%)	99.6%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Average points out of maximum 45 points	41	41	41.5	40.7	40
Number of students with 43 or more points	68	47	35	19	10
Percentage of students with 43 or more points	25%	34%	44%	24%	13%
Number of students with 40 or more points	180	109	67	57	44
Percentage of students with 40 or more points	67%	79%	84%	71.25%	58%
Number of bilingual diploma students	4	6	2	3	2