We have also extended our sports provision, this term, by introducing additional morning training sessions for students. As many of you will know, I enjoy walking to school and I particularly enjoy walking into school when the students are already on our new football field training. I want to see the campus alive and being fully utilised so I am very pleased that this has been implemented and we are currently looking at ways to further extend our offerings.
Upgrades to the campus were also an aspect of the information sessions that I led and our planning is underway for summer 2025 so, at the end of the academic year, I will be able to share more exciting developments that will take place over next year’s summer holiday. You may recall that we were trialling interactive TVs in the Early Years and some of our Elementary School classes to replace the interactive white boards. Following positive feedback from the teachers, over the Christmas holiday, we are installing these interactive TVs across the Elementary School and some of the High School classes with further roll out planned in the future. This upgrade allows teachers and students to stream from their devices with ease and also allows for multiple students to interact with the board at the same time, positively promoting engagement and student participation in lessons.
In October, we had our first visit from our ISQM Assigned Consultant who is supporting us through the accreditation process. Alison Hedley, our assigned consultant, was very impressed with many aspects of the school and has provided us with some areas for improvement which we are working on implementing. I must say that the teachers have been excellent in their support for the accreditation process and have taken on additional responsibilities in driving school improvement by chairing steering committees. I have the opportunity to meet with the Chairs of those committees every three weeks and I enjoy discussing their ideas and supporting them as they look to implement positive change. We are in regular contact with Alison and she is supporting us remotely from the UK.
Of course, this academic year saw the return of Brothers working full time at the school and I am incredibly pleased with the way that Brother Butch and Brother Mico have settled into life at St. Joseph’s Institution International School. They are already playing an important role in our community and, most important of all, guiding and supporting our students on their Lasallian Journey. Adding to the impressive work of our Lasallian Youth Movement led by Mr Weatherup and our LYM Leaders in the High School and the efforts of Mrs Willoughby in the Elementary School, the Brothers have guided our students through initiatives such as the Lasallian Service Awards and participating in Lasallian events such as the Lasallian Days of Peace. Moreover, Brother Mico and students and parents from our Korean community took part in a service learning trip to the Children’s Future Education Centre preparing delicious Korean treats and playing games with the children there. Our Year 12 students, including our Lasallian Scholar Award recipients have also just returned from the Philippines and, by all accounts, have had an amazing learning experience. The annual trip to the Philippines was an important experience for our Sixth Form students as it helped them to gain a better understanding of the Lasallian Mission and the heritage that they are part of so I am delighted to see that reintroduced.
The first term is always a term that I enjoy because there are so many opportunities to celebrate together as a community. Events like our International Week culminating in our parade and bazaar, our Deepavali celebrations and, most recently, our programme over Christmas, highlights the strength of our community and the talents of our students. I get to experience these celebrations as both a Head of School and a parent, and I am always proud of the way students, teachers and parents come together. Our Performing Arts teams across the Elementary and High School supported by teachers and parents, put on some very special student performances brightening this Christmas period. A key aspect of our Lasallian identity is that we are an inclusive community and there is no greater example of this than when we come together to celebrate, not only our own culture, but the cultures of the people that we share this journey with. I look forward to more opportunities in Term 2 and Term 3.
This term, we also saw the introduction of the first ever Family Festival and I am so grateful to our SJIIS Parent Volunteers (SPV) for their efforts in implementing this. I remember meeting with the SPV in the last academic year and hearing their ambitious vision for this event. It was a huge undertaking and I greatly appreciate what they did for the school and our students. The dedication and time that the SPV put into the Family Festival was immense and so many parents, like with the International Day Bazaar, Deepavali and the Christmas Bazaar, came together to prepare food and run stalls ensuring the Family Festival was an event to remember (I will never listen to Gangnam Style in the same way again). I still see the students gathered around the video of the Family Festival in the foyer every day with smiles on their faces.
Of course, an important component of the Family Festival was to support De La Salle Butitin Nabawan and our Christmas Bazaar this year and the Jingle Bytes campaign provided further valuable support to our fellow Lasallians in Sabah. Again, our parent community came together, the Catholic and Christian Committee, KitaKitar and the SPV, to support this important cause, upcycling uniforms to make Christmas decorations as tokens of gratitude for the generous donations from the SJIIS community, as well as many other activities in both the Elementary School and High School. The impressive amount that was raised, far exceeding our target, will go towards purchasing computers and other supplies to better the learning environment for those students. Once more, I express my sincere gratitude to our parents, teachers and students for supporting our Lasallian mission.
Tomorrow, I will fly to Thailand to join my family for the Christmas break and I am very much looking forward to spending that time with them. My memories of Christmas as a child were very special and I try, as much as possible, to recreate that magic with my own family (though Christmas at a beach in Thailand is very different to the cold winters of County Durham!).
Again, on behalf of everyone at St. Joseph’s Institution International School, I would like to wish all of you a very special Christmas and I look forward to seeing you all in 2025.
Ora Et Labora.
Gary Cairns
Head of School
