I arrived in KL on 31st July and am currently under quarantine. I have great support from the SJIIM community and have since been communicating with the colleagues and learning about SJIIM. I look forward to meeting the colleagues, students and parents soon.
I was with the Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore for 35 years. They were very fulfilling years and I am happy that I have kept in contact with many colleagues and students that I met in my different postings. In our own unique ways, we have made contributions to and learnt from the places that we have lived and worked in.
One of my most memorable postings was to the Singapore International School (Hong Kong). It is the only overseas school owned by MOE, Singapore. I requested the job because I wanted to experience a different system and to deepen my interest in Chinese Language and culture. Together with a team of colleagues and with the support of the Board of Governors, we built our new secondary campus next to the primary school. SISHK offers the exact high school curriculum as SJIIM – the IGCSE and IBDP.
I took a year off after SISHK to complete my Master of Arts in Chinese Culture with the HK Polytechnic University and to spend time with my secondary school mate in Canada and my god daughter in San Francisco. I always believe that we must have time and space to learn different things to enrich our minds and that deepening relationships is important. The willingness and commitment to spend time with loved ones and others helps us to be a more compassionate being.
I became a Catholic in my 30s. I requested to join a Catholic school after SISHK because I wanted to serve in a Catholic institution. My experiences with the Canossian Sisters were very humbling. They love God and do his will. Their support for the staff and students at St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School were tremendous. They have kept me in their prayers and they communicate with me regularly through WhatsApp messages.
My late husband and his brothers were alumni of St Joseph’s Institution Singapore, one of the oldest schools in my country. This is one of the reasons why I considered joining SJIIM when Mr Dennis Tang offered me the job. But more importantly, I was enthused by the strong conviction and zeal in Mr Tang who firmly believes in the impact of a Lasallian education. He wants SJIIM, according to the education philosophy of our Founder St John Baptist de La Salle, to enrich the minds, touch the hearts of our students and transform lives. This resonates with me. And he kept giving me examples to illustrate why SJIIM is a good school. He is not the only one who keeps telling me that SJIIM is a good school. Mr Gary Cairns does the same. He told me that among all the schools that he has worked in, SJIIM is the best. He told me that we have great students. He quoted me an example that is firmly lodged in his memory. The student leaders taught all the students how to sing “You raise me up” without all staff except himself knowing and performed for the teachers. It must have been very touching.
I made the decision to join SJIIM in January 2020 when the world was relatively calm. I wanted to be with another Catholic school, in this case a Lasallian school, before I consider other plans. It is a very different world now. While these are challenging times, they also provide my colleagues and I with opportunities to get to know one another better and faster. We must work things through so that our students can maximize their learning and develop holistically. I hope to continue the good work done by Mrs Eileen Quigley and Dr Nicola Brown. With God overseeing SJIIM and the support from our Board of Governors and the Lasallian Brothers, I am sure that SJIIM will continue to be a school that transforms lives.
We are currently making preparations to start the new academic year in a safe environment. I am confident that we will have a rewarding and productive AY2020/2021 with our parents’ support.
God Bless and keep well.
Yours truly, Madam Mak Lai Ying Frances Head of School St. Joseph’s Institution International Malaysia
