De La Salle 1719 - 2019
SJIIM celebrates the tercentenary of st John Baptist de La salle’s entry into eternal life
IN conjunction with the 300th anniversary of the death of its founder, St John Baptist de La Salle, St Joseph’s Institution International School Malaysia (Tropicana PJ Campus) (SJIIM) celebrates his memory with a Founder’s Day Celebration.
Among those who are expected to attend the celebration are Lasallian Brothers, partners and alumni who are in the educational mission, participating staff, students and parents to commemorate the death anniversary of St John Baptist de La Salle.
A thanksgiving catholic mass will also be held during the celebration.
St John Baptist de La Salle was the founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools which is universally known today as Lasallian education.
He was also a pioneer in founding training colleges for teachers, reform schools for delinquents, technical schools and secondary schools for modern languages, arts, and sciences. His work quickly spread through France and after his death in 1719, continued to spread across the globe.
According to Dato’ Brother Paul Ho, Chairman of the Board of Governors at SJIIM, Lasallians throughout the world will come together in 2019 to celebrate the Year of Lasallian Vocations.
“When one says one has a vocation, it means that one sees one’s profession as more than just receiving an income. The profession that one has is now of service to humanity.
“For the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Brothers), the religious vocation that we received from God is constantly prompting us to reflect on what are we being called to do.
“It is also an opportunity to acknowledge, to appreciate, to support all Lasallian vocations and the many thousands of women and men who are living their own vocation through compassion, commitment and togetherness for the service of young people through education.
“The tercentenary celebrations this year is significant as we are not just celebrating a memory. We are trying to emulate the courage of St John Baptist de La Salle and the first brothers at their time in setting out new paths by asking ourselves, ‘What are we being called to today in the educational mission? What are the new needs? What is the context we’re living in?’
“As for the Lasallian schools in Malaysia, the Brothers and partners must continue to be of one heart, one commitment and one life to be of service to young people in formal and informal education.
“We must continue being Lasallian in our schools based on the five core principles which are Concern for the poor and social justice; Faith in the presence of God; Quality Education; Respect for all Persons, and Inclusive Community,” said Ho.
Growing Value Centric-Based Education
Established in 2016, SJIIM is a brother school of the esteemed St Joseph’s Institution and St Joseph’s Institution International School in Singapore.
The school provides Lasallian holistic education for 3 to 18-year-olds and offers diverse international programmes such as the International Primary Curriculum that is complemented with Singapore Math and a daily Mandarin programme, the IGCSE and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
According to Dennis Tang, SJIIM’s Governor and President, the school carries on St John Baptist de La Salle’s 300-year-old education mission and focuses on producing well-rounded learners at all levels with its values-centred education approach.
The school’s ethos is based on the three Lasallian Principles of Faith, Service and Community and has the benefits of the Lasallian Spirit which strives to reach out to ‘The Least, The Last and The Lost’.
It is deeply embedded in the school system and environment and is the key differentiator of SJIIM as it encourages its students to reach out to the less fortunate of society and the massive emphasis given to the development of a sound value system in the school.
“SJIIM’s students display their learned values in their actions and behaviour. This is visible in their ability to demonstrate and describe the true benefits of engaging in service for the wider community, and as such, the establishment of more Lasallian schools will serve to enable more young people to benefit from a values-based holistic education system,” Tang said.
He further mentions that SJIIM has extensive collaborations with local and international Lasallian mission centres.
“We work extensively with the Philippines and Malaysian Lasallian Mission Centres for service programmes and initiatives. Other than that, the school also collaborates with SJI Independent Singapore, SJII Singapore, and SJI Junior Singapore for student exchange programmes and joint collaboration initiatives.
“The school is also working with the National Institute of Education Singapore for continuous professional development training in the area of Singapore Maths and Mandarin,” Tang said.
The establishment of SJII in Malaysia bodes well for the tercentenary celebrations this year as it signifies the joint effort of the Brothers and its Lasallian alumni to honour the great work of St John Baptist de La Salle through the creation of new Lasallian schools around the region.
“SJIIM is thankful that it is making a significant contribution to the international school space in Malaysia.
“It will continue to strive to be the school of choice for those who are seeking a value-centric based education, a true blue Lasallian institution that imparts the importance of other-centredness and a school where moral compasses are built into every student.
“Armed with a strong desire, dedication and sense of service, it is committed to delivering the rich Lasallian brand of education that many have come to expect,” Tang said.