St. Joseph’s

Institution International

Lousia Chng and Aaron Tan, Malaysian; Zachary (15), Ryan (12) and Michelle (8)

We moved here in August 2012 and enrolled Zachary in SJI International in Prep 1 when he was four years old; he’s now in Grade 9. Ryan and Michelle joined in Prep 1 too; they’re now in Grade 6 and Grade 2 respectively.

Having been with the school for nearly 10 years, we’ve seen SJII weather the pandemic and continue to grow and evolve. We continue to have a very positive experience at the school.

We love the virtues programme, a common language used by teachers, peers and parents that has been inculcated in the children since Prep 1.

The school offers daily Chinese for its students from Prep 1. The teachers make learning Chinese fun and our boys enjoy the language even though my husband and I don’t speak Chinese. Pre-COVID, the school organised annual cultural and language trips for the Grade 5 and 6 students to different parts of China – Zac explored Xi’an and Chengdu, further cementing his interest to learn Chinese.

The school balances building a strong academic foundation for the child with a holistic experience. Singapore Maths is taught in elementary school and the Language Arts programme is anchored around writers’ workshops and a strong reading programme.

There’s an emphasis on sports and music. Our boys are in the school swim and badminton teams, and play soccer and basketball. Zac has also competed in regional swim competitions in Bangkok, Phuket and Darwin.

The school holds solo concerts as well as drama performances. Zac, who’s not a singer, sang and danced in the junior musical, Mulan, in his elementary school graduating year.

Our children have had wonderful teachers who are very committed and have taken the time to get to know them as individuals and develop their strengths. Furthermore, we have a lovely parent community and many of the parents I’ve met have become good friends of mine.