Senior School News

April has been a busy and highly productive month across Senior School, filled with energy, creativity, and a wonderful sense of community. Our International Friendship Day (IFD) celebrations were a true highlight, with the Grade 7 Inter-Cultural Fair showcasing an impressive array of cultures through engaging displays. The vibrant food stalls, games, and activities brought students together in a spirit of curiosity and celebration, the annual Speech Contests celebrated women across the world and gave our exceptional student speakers a platform to empower others while the Next Star Talent Show gave our students a fantastic platform to shine and share their talents with confidence.

The excitement continued with our University Fair, which was buzzing with enthusiasm as students explored future pathways and engaged with representatives from a range of institutions. Academically, our students have also been thriving, with the Grade 8 Science Fair and Grade 11 Collaborative Science Projects demonstrating inquiry, innovation, and teamwork. It has truly been a month full of liveliness and meaningful learning experiences.

As we look ahead, we wish our Grade 12 and Grade 10 students the very best as they begin their study leave and prepare for their upcoming IB and IGCSE final examinations.

As we head into the final eight weeks of the school year, it’s less about doing more and more about doing what matters consistently. A helpful message for parents is to keep routines steady with regular sleep, balanced schedules, and a calm home environment make a real difference to focus and wellbeing. These final weeks are a great time to reinforce the habits of organisation, reflection, and perseverance.

It’s also important to keep communication open and positive. Take time to talk with your child about what’s going well and where they might need support and stay connected with teachers when needed. Rather than increasing pressure, aim to build confidence, remind them how far they’ve come and help them approach challenges with a growth mindset. With encouragement, structure, and reassurance from home, students are well placed to finish the year strong and proud of their efforts.

Ms. Shireen NAIDOO – Senior School Principal

Annual Speech Contest

This year’s speech contest was a powerful reminder that our students are not only capable speakers but also thoughtful global citizens ready to advocate for positive change. Our Senior School marked International Women’s Day with an inspiring speech contest, giving students a platform to explore themes of gender equality, empowerment, and the impact of women in society.

We are proud to congratulate our outstanding winners:

Grade 7: Rohan Krishna – “A Woman Who Changed the World”

Grade 8: Alexander-Cruz Pillay – “The Woman Who Inspires Me Most”

Grade 9: Yong Yan Kuo – “Challenging Gender Stereotypes in Schools”

Grade 11: Poonam Sahoo – “If I Could Change One Thing for Women Globally…”

We also commend all participants for their effort and confidence. Special thanks go to the judges, house captains and school staff involved for making the event a success. The contest highlighted the power of student voices and the importance of promoting equality and positive change.

Mr. Robert KITITI – RAPS Coordinator

Future Global Leaders Awards – Term 2

This term, we proudly celebrated our Future Global Leader Award winners, recognising students who have consistently demonstrated outstanding character, responsibility, and positive influence within our school community. These awards highlight students who lead not by title, but through their daily actions, showing integrity, resilience, respect, and a commitment to lifting others.

A key highlight of the ceremony was the recognition of our Merit Leaders across each grade level. These students have shown exceptional consistency in embodying the values of our school and the IB learner profile through their accumulation of merits.

Merit Leaders by Grade

Grade 7: Minseung Kim, Rohan Krishna, Katherine Wang

Grade 8: Alexander-Cruz Pillay, Brighton Liesl Draut, Julia Andrea Angeles

Grade 9: Krithiik Arun, Hong Yeh Jedidah Tan, Anna Takeda

Grade 10: Cheong Shue Niko Wang, Weiyo Hseuh, Ahyeong Kim, Yuki Zhou

Grade 11: Yoojin Sophia Lee, Chi Yee Lee, Sungchul Lee

Grade 12: You Cheng Dai, Chung Ho Joe Ma, Xiu-Ming Zhou

We extend our congratulations to all these students for their dedication and positive contribution to the school environment.

A special recognition goes to our Platinum Award Winners, students who have achieved the remarkable milestone of over 100 merits in senior school. This accomplishment reflects not only consistency but also an exceptional commitment to leadership, service, and personal growth.

Platinum Award Winners (100+ Merits)

Grade 8: Alexander-Cruz Pillay

Grade 9: Anna Takeda, Krithiik Arun

Grade 11: Rashi Saravan Mudaliar

These students exemplify what it truly means to be future global leaders, setting a powerful example for their peers and the wider school community. As we celebrate these achievements, we are reminded that leadership is built through everyday choices. We look forward to seeing more students rise to this challenge in the coming term.

Mr. Robert KITITI – RAPS Coordinator

International Friendship Day

On April 10, Senior School students came together to celebrate cultures and friendships in wonderful ways. The day began with Grade 7 students enthusiastically showcasing their research on different countries during the Intercultural Fair. During lunchtime, everyone savored international cuisines lovingly prepared by our parent community. Later, Grade 11 students, our Student Council, and House Ambassadors hosted engaging games and activities, helping peers build meaningful friendships. To end the day on a high note, the Student Council organised SSIS’s very own Next Star Talent Show, where we saw incredible acts light up the stage. Thank you to all the students, parents, and staff who made this celebration so memorable!

Ms. Yi Teng CHEONG – CAS & Service-Learning Advisor

Grade 7 Inter-Culture Fair

April 2026 marked the much-anticipated Intercultural Fair for our Grade 7 students. Over the past few weeks, students have been busy preparing to present their assigned countries to visitors, including Grade 6 students, teachers, and parents. This year’s focus was on countries involved in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, with 12 countries featured. Working in groups of four, students researched, designed, and presented their KT boards, showcasing aspects such as culture, geography, and notable figures.

To make their booths more engaging, many groups prepared cultural food, snacks, and props. Visitors enjoyed a variety of offerings, including macaroni pie from Barbados, Kiribati candy and handmade magnets, Micronesian banana lumpia and 3D-printed ‘wood carving’, and even a Laotian dance performance. The fair was lively throughout, with students enthusiastically interacting with visitors while encouraging them to vote.

The top three countries, based on votes received, were Barbados, Vanuatu, and Micronesia. Well done to all students for their effort and creativity in making the event such a success. We would also like to thank parents for their support in helping their children prepare for the fair.

Ms. Yvonne TAN – Grade 7 Social Studies Teacher

University Fair

On April 14, the SSIS University Guidance Team successfully organised its largest university fair to date. We were delighted to welcome over 100 university representatives from around the world to our campus. Students from Grades 7 to 11 had the opportunity to explore a range of post-secondary options, learn about different academic programmes, and gain insight into potential career pathways. As part of the event, students also attended presentations in key fields of study, including STEM, Social Sciences, Arts, and Business. These sessions encouraged students to reflect on their interests and consider future academic and career directions.

The event created a vibrant and engaging atmosphere across the school, with students actively participating, asking questions, and learning more about their options beyond high school. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to our parent community for taking the time to attend and support their children throughout the event. Your involvement plays an important role in helping students feel confident and supported as they explore their future pathways.

Finally, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to all the university representatives who joined us, as well as to our school leadership, counselors, and teachers for their continued support in making this event such a success.

Ms. Rana HAROUN – University Guidance Counsellor

Science Fairs

The Grade 8 Science Fair was an engaging event that showcased the curiosity, creativity, and dedication of our students. This year, students selected from five engaging themes: Light, Colour and Matter; Water: The Science of Life; The Biology of Behaviour; The Physics of the Human Body; and From Particles to Products to develop their own research questions and design methods to test their hypotheses. It was inspiring to see them confidently present their ideas to the school community, using a range of visual aids and hands-on demonstrations to clearly explain their processes and actively engage their audience.

The Grade 11 Collaborative Science Project provided a valuable opportunity for students to engage in research, preparation, and presentation. This theme assigned was to support a fellow student stranded on Mars, so students had to come up with a unique and creative innovation or technology with their team. Students from the different Science classes (ESS, Biology, Physics and Chemistry) combined their knowledge and efforts to consider how to provide food, oxygen, water and shelter on Mars. They presented their innovation on stage in the PAC, practicing their public speaking skills, and communicating technical scientific knowledge to the audience and judges. Overall, they did a wonderful job, and their efforts highlighted the hallmarks of communication and collaboration, which are key skills in preparation for university and the workplace.

The top presentation came up with an invention called MyceliaX which supplied food and water to the person on Mars. They were awarded for their collaboration, thorough research and concise responses during the Q&A session, and creativity and effort in their presentation and model.

Ms. Holly BASTIN & Ms. Stephanie TRINH – Science Department