9 March 2007 - Radix Malorum Est Cupiditas

Assembly - 10 March 2007

School Mission and Vision

Mr Simen spoke about how all which has occured is in-line with school mission, mmission and vision. Students will make mistakes and they would be given ONE chance. That is the compassion element in the school mission. The goal is to make them discerning individuals so that they know good from evil, darkness from light. From there, they would learn the importance of accuracy and precision.

Learning

Concerning missing lessons, students were our school's learning paradigm. Whether in any subject or whether in life, it is more important to KNOW HOW TO LEARN than KNOW WHAT TO LEARN. The former is more relevant, more useful, more measurable and therefore more 'timeless' and also 'time bound'.

Character development and values ALWAYS come first. It ensures that we are always, always, always student-centered.

Teaching and Professionalism

Mr Simen spoke about an incident which had occured when showed disrespect to their teachers through their body language and posture in class. Putting your foot on the table or being disruptiev and rude should never be tolerated. It is the moral obligation of every teacher to right wrongs, mete out justice to students but also to always ensure that there is compassion and discernment. This is an art, perhaps never a science. The job of teachers is about nurturing the whole child yet always keeping in mind that students will make mistakes. The toleration for students making mistakes viz-a-viz adults making mistakes should therefore always be inversely proportional to each other.

Money and all things materialistic

There was also a segment spoken about money and leadership. Mr Simen spoke about the salaries of education officers. He spoke about how one should NEVER do something for just money. Radix Malorum Est Cupiditas. For the Love of Money is the Root of ALL EVIL. So is power, power may corrupt and absolute power may corrupt absolutely. Leadership is never about these things. It is always about Servant Leadership and in the school environment, about student centeredness.

How do you know if power has corrupted? The moment you place personal preference above the intended goals, the equation has become warped. At worst, all jobs should be done professionally. At best, what you do should be a labour of love and a vocation / true calling.

Postponement of History and Geography Modular Exams

History and geography examinations were postponed because of a special hall assembly to honour Ms Chai Yoke Leng's contribution to the school. The examinations would be on Monday, March 17. This would give students more time to prepare for their examinations and ensure that they do well.

Farewell for Ms Chai Yoke Leng

The school is saddened by the departure of our Mathematics HOD Miss Chai Yoke Leng from the school. She has served 12 years in the school. She was appointed internal HOD after serving only six months in the school. She then decided to spend more time as a classroom teacher because she felt her calling was in that area. Several years later, she was re-appointed formally as HOD Mathematics. Flowers were given to her by Mr Simen, following which, all teachers and several students gave her a standing ovation. Under her leadership and guidance, her department has produced mathematics grades 'par excellence'. Our next step is to work towards a Mathematics Center of Excellence.

Character Development Award

8 March - The school applied for validation for our Character Development Award because there has been so much done for our students. The validators from MOE were well-pleased with the school. Kudos to Mr Simen, Vice-Principals Mr Wu and Mr Leow, Mr Victor Ong, Mr Tan Hee Pheng, teachers and students who were interviewed by the panel. It's in the bag.

Learning Journey for Teachers

Teachers went on their learning journeys to the National Museum and Places of Worship. Some of our students and teachers from China were given a special tour of the museum by teachers of Montfort. Many teachers enjoyed their trip. At the next contact time, teachers will share their insights on their trips. It is but one small part of what a true learning journey in life is about.

Debate Team

The ELDDS debate team worked hard and crushed their opponents. We wish them all the best in the touranment they are in.

Softball

The Softball team beat up on Anglican High. Our C Boys will play at the SRC Tournament during the one week break.