6th February SJI International Newsletter Term 1 - Issue 4 Message from the Principal Dear Parents, The term is now in full swing and staff and students are settling into a routine of lessons and activities. This past week saw us hold our first parents information evening of the year. It was great to see so many at the Grade 7 Parent Information Evening on Wednesday. I cannot stress how important it is for parents to remain involved in their child’s schooling. Research shows that this is an extremely powerful factor in students’ achievement. Although your involvement is different from what it was in the Elementary School (and your children try to distance you from their schooling), you still have an extremely active role in their education. Of course, this role should be a balanced one, where you support, push and encourage. Pressure, without positive support and encouragement is detrimental to your child’s wellbeing and, ultimately, negatively impacts their learning experience. Click on the link to read: Brother Larry’s Lasallian Reflection Upcoming Dates Friday 6th February: G7 overnight camp Saturday 7th February: PSG Open Meeting 09:30 Glass Hall Wednesday 11th February: G11 Parents Evening 18:30 Glass Hall Monday 16th February: No School - CNY Holiday Week Monday 23rd February: School Resumes Table of Contents Grade 10 Camp - Page 3 Baan Dada Walk - Page 4 IB Theatre Report - Page 5 G11 Drama Workshop - Page 6 G8 Workshop at the Zoo - Page 7 Work Experience - Page 8 Sports Results - Page 9 Lasallian Reflection - Page 10/11 This week’s newsletter includes the following: A Report about the IB Theatre Commedia Dell’arte Workshop, Reports about two Drama trips to the theatre and feedback about the Grade 8 Drama Workshop at the Zoo; News about a recent success of one of our students in the Sivan Fine Arts Academy competition; the Grade 10 Camp held last Friday and the Sports Results for the past week. This week’s newsletter also includes important notification of the following upcoming events: The Walk for Education 2015 (linked to Baan Dada School in Thailand); Request for assistance in offering Work Experience placements for our Grade 10 students; An advertisement for our upcoming gala Dinner; and the upcoming Sports Fixtures. “At Home” Learning Day - Monday 2nd March At the start of next month, on Monday, 2nd March 2015, we will have an “At Home” Learning Day. On this day, students will not come to school. Instead, they will follow their normal eight lesson day online, while at home. Students will be required to sign in at the start of each lesson (at the normally designated time) and will then complete the lesson. The aim is to make this lesson as active as possible, so that students are continually engaged in their lesson. Teachers will use a variety of IT platforms. Teachers will also be operating from their own homes. The main aim of this day is to prepare SJI International for any event that may require a school shut-down. Those students who do not have internet at home should seek to find an alternative venue for these lessons, possibly meeting with a friend (in the same classes) to work together. As this is our first attempt at a whole school online day, we understand that not everything is likely to run exactly as expected – one of the aims of this day is to pinpoint any problem areas (only possible when the event actually runs). We will send out more details next week and the week after the Chinese New Year holiday week. PSG Open Meeting The first Parent Support Group (PSG) Open Meeting of the year takes place on Saturday, 7th February, from 09.30 to 11.30am, in the Glass Hall. We encourage all parents to attend this event. This is your chance to learn more about school events and policy. As part of the morning, I will make a short presentation that will include feedback about our recent IGCSE and IB Diploma results, as well as some information about the facility planning for this coming year. Confirmation of Student Information – A reminder On Monday, 2nd February, your child was given a Student Information Form. This form listed your child's essential information, as currently recorded on our Student Information System. We asked all parents to double-check their child's information. If not correct, you were asked to return this form to their Tutor by Wednesday, 4th February, with appropriate amendments (where there were no changes we asked you to write the words 'no changes'). If you have not seen this form yet (already past the return date) please get this from your child and return to us as soon as possible. Grade 7 Parent Information Evening Thank you to all the Grade 7 Parents who attended the Grade 7 Parent Information Evening on Wednesday evening. We have uploaded the PowerPoint Presentation to the following website page: http://www.sji-international.com.sg/page.cfm?p=467 (scroll down to bottom of page) In Closing Last weekend saw the school host the Grade 10 Camp at school. This was a wonderful opportunity to further bond our Grade 10 cohort. This afternoon sees the start of the Grade 7 Camp. All Grade 7 students will stay over-night in the school. Our Senior Student organising team have a very full and exciting programme prepared. Thank you to Mr Oliver Brown, Head of Grade 7 and his team of staff and the student facilitators involved. Finally, I look forward to seeing many of you at tomorrow’s PSG Open Meeting. Wishing you a great weekend! Yours sincerely Bradley Roberts Principal High School Grade 10 Camp 2 Grade 10 Camp Unity “You can’t spell Community without Unity!” Over the weekend from Friday 30th January to Saturday 31st January the Grade 10 Council hosted a G10 Bonding Camp entitled ‘Unity’ as “you can’t spell community without unity! This camp was intended to begin the year positively and to strengthen the bonds and friendships between our current Grade 10 students and welcome and develop friendships with the new Grade 10 FIB students. The students participated in numerous activities including Capture the Flag, Tug of War and flour bobbing (which Miss Powell was unexpectedly involved in!) They finished off the Friday with dinner and a film. On Saturday, after their games and activities, they wrote reflections on their experience. Overall, it was a wonderful event which all students participated in, in a fun and enthusiastic way. I would like to thank the G11 Facilitators for their support and the G10 Council for their organisation. Special thanks goes to Lu Yii Wong (10KWa) and Jay Li Quek (10Jin) for their fantastic effort in making sure all the events ran smoothly. Ms Powell - Head of Grade 10 3 WALK FOR EDUCATION 2015 - Baan Dada Service Trip When: 27th March- 4th April 2015 Where: Sangklaburi to Kanchanaburi (Thailand) (approx 40km per group) Who: G9 to G11s (max 20 students) Approx cost: $600 per student Consent forms from Ms Powell at the Pastoral Office Deadline for deposit: Friday13th February “love for all created beings in this world” Help empower the children of Baan Dada Through Active Service be Date to ed confirm soon 4 IB Theatre Commedia Dell’arte Our first G11 IB theatre class began with an intensive, yet extremely engaging, Commedia Dell’arte workshop with distinguished actor and director Marco Luly. Commedia Dell’Arte is a form of theatre created in 16th century Venice, that involves the use of masks. Marco Luly is an Italian performer who co-founded the Associazione Luoghi d’Arte and has won many prestigious awards as a director and for his show, Dr. Harlequin: An imaginary autopsy. It was an absolute honour to be taught by Marco. After a week of working with him, the class was privileged to see Marco perform in a Commedia piece at NAFA (Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts) on Saturday 17th January. The performance was Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors in the style of Commedia. The playing was split into two languages with some parts in English, and some in Chinese. I personally found the Chinese speaking characters to be hilarious, as they brought out the element of humour that is essential to Commedia. Marco played Zanni, the servant character, in one of the scenes. He displayed every aspect that he had taught us. It was a totally different experience to watch him in an actual performance. Watching Commedia being played was very useful to gain a better understanding of this art form. We are so grateful that Ms Wendy arranged for this opportunity and look forward to learning more in the coming year. What a wonderful start! Tessa Rodrigues, 11ACh . 5 IB Theatre Students Outing As part of the IGCSE and IB Drama/Theatre curriculum, students watch several plays during the year in order to learn from professionals both during the show, and in post-performance discussions. This year, we have already attended two superb performances. On 15th January we visited the National Museum of Singapore, to watch The Duchamp Syndrome, a play performed by Antonio Vega. This performance was part of The Necessary Stage’s M1 Singapore Fringe Festival. It involved the usage of miniature set designs, a ‘real life’ human playing the shadow, a talking cockroach, a self-functioning Japanese vacuum cleaner and an insistent rat with a dream to have its 15 minutes of stardom on stage. As theatre students, we are taught to have a critical eye for set designs, the use of lights, sounds and costumes etc. Throughout the play, the producers amazed me with their specific use of the miniature set designs and the real-life human shadow. Overall, it was a great performance and we had a wonderful time, especially after the show when we met the actor-creators. IB theatre class chatting with the actor from The Duchamp Syndrome On the 21st January, we went to watch “White Rabbit, Red Rabbit” written by Nassim Soleimanpour, at the Esplanade’s Recital Studio. This play was a unique experience for most of us because the actor is only allowed to read the script as he acts it out, giving him no time to prepare, making it all very impromptu. There was no sets, just a table and chair, and a minimal number of props, mostly sourced from the audience. Even without a physical presence, you could still feel the essence of the writer, Nassim, through the words he wrote. Considering the circumstances, the actor, Lim Kay Siu, gave a wonderful representation of the play, managing to engage the audience. Natalie Wong, 11 EOx also got the privilege of taking over the reading for the last section of the play. She did an awesome job! Daniella Andriesz, G11ASc IB Theatre and the IGCSE Drama students discussing the play-reading with actor Lim Kay Siu after the performance. 6 Grade 8 take a Drama Workshop at the Zoo Last week on Wednesday morning, three Grade 8 classes (8PNe, 8SDl and 8STa) visited the zoo. Here they had a wonderful time watching and observing animals and exploring the zoo. From red butted Hamadryas baboons to the African skulled tortoise, the zoo was great fun and educational. We had a drama workshop after lunch, where some of us had the opportunity to present short skits featuring a person with the characteristics of a chosen animal! I'm sure that everyone would agree that this year’s zoo trip was one of the best school trip experience they have ever had. Thank you Ms Wendy, Ms Bradley, Mr Lim and Mr Taylor! Marilyn Tan G8SDL Well Done Risma On January 31st 2015, Sivan Fine Arts Academy conducted a dance and music competition, in Singapore, to celebrate a great Indian musician, Papanasam Sivan's birth anniversary. Risma Remsudeen (10KWa), participated in The Indian Classical Dance (Bharatnatyam) and keyboard competitions. She was awarded (1st prize) in the keyboard competition and was the runner up in for Indian Dance Competition. Well Done! 7 Grade 10 Work Experience Programme 15th- 19th June 2015 Support Needed We are seeking support from parents and guardians who may be in a position to offer Work Experience placements during the week of 15th to 19th June 2015, for our Grade 10 students. Providing Work Experience can bring a number of opportunities and benefits to your organisation and the staff involved, including helping to: * * * * * raise the profile of the organisation within the community; develop supervisory and coaching skills as staff members mentor and guide the students; demonstrate your organisation's commitment to investing in the future of our community; guide and influence the future career paths of individuals; share enthusiasm for work with young people. Work Experience offers the students a number of invaluable opportunities, including the opportunity to begin to: * gain an insight into the world of work; * develop skills required in the world of work; * learn about and reflect on their particular strengths, interests and abilities; * develop the skills required to become an outstanding IB student, namely independence, * time management, communication, problem solving and a responsible approach to commitments. If you are able to offer placements please contact Julie Thompson at [email protected] indicating the type of company, the area within the company in which one or more students may be placed, and the number of student placements you would be able to offer. The Work Experience Programme will be held in the first week of the June/July school holidays. Last year over 100 students in Grade 10 took part in the Work Experience programme. This was only possible through the wonderful support of parents who contacted me to offer placements. Please consider this for June 2015 and contact me if you think you may be able to help. Kind Regards, Julie Thompson 8 From the Sports Desk DATE 29-Jan 29-Jan 29-Jan 30-Jan 02-Feb 02-Feb 02-Feb 02-Feb 03-Feb 03-Feb 03-Feb 04-Feb RESULTS COMPETITION ACSIS ACSIS ACSIS ACSIS ACSIS ACSIS ACSIS ACSIS ACSIS ACSIS ACSIS ACSIS SPORTS 14U Boys Football A 14U Boys Football B 19U Girls Tennis 14U Boys Football A 19U Girls Touch 19U Girls Touch 19U Boys Basketball 19U Girls Basketball 14U Girls Football 14U Boys Football B 19U Girls Tennis 19U Girls Tennis TEAMS SJIIA v AISB SJIIB v UWC East C Team SJII v UWC East SJIIA v NPIS SJII v CIS TK SJII v UWC East D Team SJII v CIS TK SJII v UWC East C Team SJII v CIS TK SJIIB v GESS SJII v SAIS SJII v UWC East SCORES Drew 0-0 Lost 3-6 Won 4-1 Won 6-0 Lost 5-8 Lost 1-3 Won 53-51 Won 36-24 Won 3-2 Draw 0-0 Won 4-1 Won 3-2 TIME 16:45hr 16:45hr 16:30hr 16:30 hr 16:30hr 16:30hr 17:30hr 16:30hr 16:30hr 16:00hr 16:30hr 16:30hr SPORTS TEAMS VENUE TIME Upcoming Fixtures DATE COMPETITION February 5 ACSIS February 5 February 5 February 6 SSSC SSSC SSSC FOOTBALL 14U GIRLS SJII V MCM B SJII BADMINTON 14U BOYS ACS INDEP SJII V KCP FOOTBALL 14U BOYS SJII V WSS AMK SEC BASKETBALL 17U GIRLS SJII V HIJ NJC SJII V STC KEPPEL SPORTS CLUB TENNIS 17U GIRLS February 6 SSSC February 6 February 7 February 7 February 7 February 9, February 10 February 11 February 11 SSSC ACSIS Friendly Friendly SSSC SSSC SSSC SSSC BADMINTON 17U BOYS SJII V RI ACS INDEP RUGBY 19U BOYS SJII v MCM MCM FOOTBALL 14U BOYS SJII V MCM MCM FOOTBALL 14U GIRLS SJII V MCM MCM BADMINTON 17U BOYS BADMINTON 14U BOYS BASKETBALL 17U GIRLS BADMINTON 17U BOYS 9 SJII V YSS ACS INDEP SJII V AMK ACS INDEP SJII V KRS NJC SJII V SG ACS INDEP 16:30hr 14:30hr 15:00hr 15:00hr 15:00hr 14:30hr 10:30hr 10:30hr 10:30hr 14:30hr 14:30hr 16:00hr 14:30hr Lasallian Reflection From Br. Lawrence Humphrey FSC Brother President I was reminded of a kaleidoscope as I looked out at the gathering of Elementary School students decked out in the national costumes and colours of some 39 nations represented at St Joseph’s Institution International Elementary School. They had just concluded a Parade of Nations which reminded me of the similar march every two years at either the Summer or Winter Olympics. As each nation was announced, beginning with Australia, followed by Austria, all the way to Wales, the crowd would cheer and the students would smile and wave banners and flags representing the countries of their birth. This was all part of the annual Global Family Day celebration on Thursday. Many, many Elementary School parents were present, but I wish the entire SJI International community could have been there to witness this marvellous celebration of global citizenship and our unity as members of the human family. Following the assembly the Grades 2 and 3 students presented a Global Family Concert for their families and in song and dance they celebrated eight countries of the world. All of this points to the blessing we all enjoy by being members of an international school community. Most days I read The Straits Times, listen to the BBC World Service, and check out the New York Times online. The world news headlines could leave me with a feeling of hopeless despair if it weren’t for my daily encounters with the students of SJI International. Our students are serious about their studies, respectful of their teachers and, most of the time, are genuinely kind to their classmates. One of the things that impresses me most about students in both the ES and HS is their enthusiasm for celebrating the successes of their friends and fellow students. We truly celebrate one another. Our students remind me that there is hope for the world. 10 On Monday afternoon of this week students were dismissed early so that the staff of both the ES and HS could come together for a programme we are calling Lasallian Study Days. Four times this year we are meeting to explore various aspects of our work as educators in a Catholic and Lasallian school. On Monday we considered the life of St John Baptist de La Salle and the conditions in 17 th century France that compelled him to lay aside wealth and prestige to devote himself totally to the work of establishing schools for poor children, which ultimately led to the founding of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (the official name for the De La Salle Brothers). We then took a look at the many aspects of Mission for SJI International – from the Mission of the Brothers and our Lasallian Core Principles, to the Mission of SJI International as it is expressed in the SMILES Values and the Virtues. Highlights of the afternoon were reflections by two recent graduates and two staff members. The students spoke of the ways Lasallian values of Faith, Community, and Service enriched their time at our school. Both staff members gave powerful reflections on their experiences of Mission and its impact on relationships with students and with other staff members. Experiences like Lasallian Study Days help us address our goals of strengthening the school’s Catholic and Lasallian identity. Monday, 9th February, is the feast day of another of our Lasallian Brother Saints, St Miguel Febres Cordero. In 1864 young Francisco Cordero was enrolled by his family in a Lasallian school soon after the arrival of the Brothers in Ecuador, and later, overcoming strong family opposition, be became the first Ecuadorian to become a De La Salle Brother. He was a master teacher, wrote textbooks and was called to Europe to translate texts from French into Spanish. He was honoured with membership of the National Academies of Ecuador, Spain, France, and Venezuela. One of his favourite experiences was preparing children for their First Holy Communion. St Miguel died in 1910 in Spain, is buried in Ecuador, and was canonised a Saint in 1984 by St John Paul II. St Miguel is one of the four Patron Saints in the SJI International House System. Happy feast day on Monday to the members of the Green House of St Miguel! 11
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