CHAPTER 1
PRINCIPAL ’ S MESSAGE
As the custodian of our nation ’ s young talent , SJI has a crucial role of ensuring that every student who walks through the portals of the school is nurtured to not just be a critical and creative thinker , but also a caring individual with a heart for others and to lead in serving . We are committed to helping all our students to find their voice , to discover their strengths and talents , to learn to enjoy life and do new things in a passionate way , as well as empowering them to lead purposeful lives . In doing so , they would create a better world for others .
As we look back at 2023 , we celebrate with gratitude everything that came and passed us by through the course of this year . Here in SJI , our definition of success is measured not soley by the achievements of our students and staff . More importantly , it is measured in terms of our various contributions to the school and the wider community . In doing so , we distinguish ourselves as a living legacy of our Founder , St John Baptist De La Salle ; Josephians ( students , teachers , and staff ) who find purpose , fulfilment , and joy in contributing back to society .
SJI implemented two key innovations this year : the Work Experience Programme ( WEP ) and ASEAN Literacy . With greater autonomy as an independent school , we are well-placed to spearhead and trailblaze these innovations in 21CC development , which we have then shared with the wider education fraternity .
The Work Experience Programme ( WEP ) was introduced to all our Year 4 Integrated Programme ( IP ) students to nurture our students to be adaptable and resilient to challenges , be able to transfer learning across different situations , and become confident individuals and effective communicators . Our students were exposed to various organisations and industries to learn and gain valuable work experience for a period of two to three weeks in January before they resumed school in Year 5 in February 2023 .
If we look at the global landscape today , we will see that the pace of change in the world has significantly increased due to several driving forces , such as the fragmenting global order , the fragile economic system , disruptions brought about by climate change , and rapid technological advancements . As such , it is imperative that we must work towards preparing and inspiring our students for the future ahead of them .
To this end , the entire school community ( School Leaders , teaching and non-teaching staff ) embarked on a strategic re-envisioning exercise at the end of 2022 to ensure that the school ’ s Vision , Mission and Values continue to be relevant and current . Student leaders and parents were also consulted in the school ’ s strategic planning and directionsetting . Arising from this exercise on ‘ Charting the Future of Learning ’, a new school vision crystallised and was adopted at the beginning of 2023 to take the school forward .
The SJI Vision “ A leading mission school that nurtures students to be future-ready through learning for life , living with integrity and inspiring through service .”
This year , to equip Josephians to be future-ready , we have focused our attention on developing 21st Century Competencies ( 21CC ) holistically in the following priority areas , namely Adaptive & Inventive Thinking , Communication Skills , and Global & Cross-Cultural Literacy . Our students today require the knowledge and skills , as well as the dispositions for understanding and engaging others constructively on global and social issues . They need to be able to distill , discern and actively participate in global and social discourses in a responsible , open-minded and empathetic manner .
To nurture and instill the strengths of adaptability and resilience to challenges , learning across different situations , and to be globally competent and confident individuals ,
Josephians on work attachment at the dental clinic
This initiative provided the opportunity for application and reinforcement of 21CC across different contexts . We were intentional in wanting to develop our students to have the skills , mindsets and dispositions of being curious and passionate about learning new things , being open-minded and empathetic when interacting with people , as well as being resilient and confident to embrace new challenges . The WEP also allowed students to better understand the needs of the workplace and to equip them to be futureready as they would be aware of the type of skillsets , mindsets and perspectives required of future employees beyond academic results . This is aligned with the school ’ s Vision , Mission and Values , and is coherent with the school ’ s identified 21CC priorities of developing adaptive and inventive thinking in our students .
A total of 190 placement opportunities were provided by 53 different organisations and companies for our students this year to choose and explore their interests ; to step out of their comfort zone and to learn new things . These included work experiences in various sectors such as Healthcare , Education , Engineering , Tourism , Entertainment , IT , Manufacturing , Banking , Law , Accountancy , and the Civil Service .
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