2013 Issue No. 3, March - St Joseph`s Private School, Kuching

014-6956575
St Joseph’s Private School 082-414575,
www.stjosephprivate.com
2, Jalan Taman Budaya, 93700 Kuching, Sarawak.
Issue 2013/3 (March)
News & Updates
Primary School Assembly
Office
Administrators
School
Canteen
Buying food at the canteen
Break
Time
Secondary School
Physical Education Class
Primary students lining up
Buying food at the canteen
Issue 2013/3 (March)
1/8
Taekwondo training for the students
of the Primary School on Mondays
A feast day and
patronal Mass was
celebrated in the school on
19 March (Tue).
Fr Francis Lim, SJ presided over
the Mass.
Fr Stephen Lim concelebrated.
Issue 2013/3 (March)
2/8
18 March 2013
Below are comments from students of Form 1A on their experience.
In my opinion, St Teresa’s Convent is a historical
place. It is filled with many beautifully designed
ancient stuff. I am satisfied we visited the place
because we saw and learned a lot there. Besides
that, it was also an enjoyable yet unforgettable
experience. Stephanie Wong
My visit to St Teresa’s Convent was really
interesting. It was really mysterious and scary at
the same time. It was mysterious because there
were lots of rooms that we didn’t get to explore and
those are where the bodies are buried during war
time. It was scary because our teacher, Cikgu Doris
switched off the lights while we were in a dark
basement, and my classmate asked me to imagine
ghosts suddenly popping out of nowhere. I really
wanted to explore the convent further. I really hope
that we will be able to visit again. Charlene Choo
In my opinion, the trip to the convent was rather
exciting as it was very old and it has a lot of
history. As we learnt more about the convent and
its history, the place became a tad spooky and
mysterious as it was once taken over by the
Japanese during the Japanese Occupation.
Geralyn Ting
In my opinion, the trip to the convent was rather
fun but spooky. The trip was also educational. We
got to see how the nuns live and we also learned
some historical facts about St Teresa’s school and
how the convent was like back then. It was kind of
spooky because some parts of the convent have an
eerie feel to it and at one point, our BM teacher,
Ms Doris decided to pull a scary prank on us.
Ryan Chin
By visiting the convent of St Teresa’s School, I
know the history of this school. I also know that
the school was taken over by the Japanese during
the Japanese Occupation in 1942. I felt very
excited and happy when I went to visit this
convent, and I also think that this trip was very
interesting. Terence Tay
Photo by
Gerald Kiing (F1A)
For me, the visit to the convent was very
exciting, slightly mysterious and very
educational and historical. I learnt a lot about
the history of the convent which is more than
100 years. We went to a lot of rooms that were
really old and full of antiques. It was very
exciting to know that all these rooms were once
owned by our ancestors. Not only that, the nuns
told us a lot of interesting stories about the
convent and I learnt a lot in this experience.
There were a lot of small rooms, pathways and
staircases that made me curious. The nuns tried
their best to tell us about these mysterious
rooms and I find the stories really interesting
and slightly scary. We learnt a lot, but we also
had fun visiting as a class. I hope we can go
there again and meet all the kind nuns who
spared their time to be with us. Jemima Irina
From Sr Flora, the Mother Superior, we know
that the convent begun in 1885. There are seven
staircases in the convent. Sr Flora told us that
all the pillars in the convent are over 100 years
old. There is also a big chapel in the convent for
all the nuns to pray. We were told that all the
kneelers in the chapel are antiques. It was an
educational and memorable trip for us.
Tiffany Ng
Issue 2013/3 (March)
3/8
I think that St Teresa’s Convent is a historical and
spooky place. It is historical because it was once
used by Japanese soldiers. It is spooky because
the Japanese had used two rooms in the convent
to torture and bury dead bodies. Derrick Teo
It was a fun and educational experience. We saw
many historical statues, pictures and building
parts. The nuns told us about the history of St
Teresa’s Convent. They led us to look around the
convent. There are seven staircases and many
rooms. The most exciting part was when we were
walking down the main staircase, Cikgu Doris
switched off the light and shut the door behind us.
Then Derrick screamed the loudest. Before we
went back to school, the nuns gave us some
biscuits and drinks. Marcus Ho
My visit to St Teresa’s Convent was really fun. It
was a little spooky but nonetheless it was a good
experience. I have learnt many valuable things
during my visit. I have learnt about the history of
St Teresa’s, for example, how the school came to
be, the nuns’ way of life in the convent, what
happened to the convent and the nuns during the
time when the Japanese occupied Kuching. I am
glad I had the opportunity to visit St Teresa’s
Convent. It was really kind of the nuns to spend
their valuable time with us to tell us all about the
convent. Allysia Sara Bong
In my opinion, St Teresa’s Convent is a really fun
place to visit. From the outside, it only looks as
small as a classroom, but as we stepped in further,
we realized that it is a very big place. After
visiting the convent, we learnt a lot about the
history and the founding of the convent.
Aneesha Kaur
The trip to St Teresa’s Convent was very
interesting and at the same time, educational
because I learned a lot of things about the
history of the convent. Myrra Jane Siong
I think my trip to St Teresa’s was fun,
mysterious, scary and educational altogether.
There were weird things there but overall I
enjoyed it. I hope to go there again next time
but to stay longer than my previous trip.
Nick Lau
The convent is a very holy place where the
nuns live. There were two parallel corridors
and there was a scary staircase leading to the
ground floor. I think the trip was very useful
because I learnt many new things. Steven Ling
The trip to St Teresa’s Convent was an
interesting yet scary trip. The sisters there
told us some of the convent’s history. Parts of
the history were when the Japanese took over
the convent in 1942 and left in 1945. They
also told us that the primary school used to be
an orphanage. Leonard Wong
The convent is an old building. It used to be a
school for boarders. The building has a lot of
staircases and one of them led us to a cold, empty
and dark room. It used to be the main entrance
one hundred years ago. At the end of the tour, we
were allowed to roam around the convent. A few
of us asked questions and a few of us took a little
rest. It was surely a scary trip but we all had fun.
Britnie Liaw
It was an exciting experience. It was both scary
and funny when our teacher trapped us inside a
dark room. I enjoyed the trip and hope to go on
more outings in the future. Clement Sim
Photo by
Gerald Kiing (F1A)
Issue 2013/3 (March)
4/8
It is a quiet place because only the sisters
live there. Somehow it is quite scary because
that was where the Japanese tortured the
people and I think some “spirits” live there.
The setting in the convent is good because
there is a small chapel and kitchen. The
sisters live a simple life. Miguel Then
Photo by
Gerald Kiing (F1A)
The trip to St Teresa’s school convent was
educational and enjoyable. The kind-hearted
nuns there told us about the history of the
convent and gave us a tour of the place. They
also told us the history of St Teresa’s school
and how it came to be. We also enjoyed
exploring the mysterious convent which has
three entrances, many hidden rooms and seven
staircases. Daniel Chang
The trip to St Teresa’s Convent was great. We
got to know its history, how the nuns live and
we also get to see the beautiful architecture of
the building. I was surprised that it was once
used as a torture place during the Japanese
Occupation. Gerald Kiing
The convent is very historical and was once
occupied by the Japanese. They took over the
convent and chased out the nuns. Ong Rui Jie
The convent is a big and mysterious place. It
has seven staircases and rooms for the sisters.
The convent contains many historical stories.
Lilian Hii
Photo by
Gerald Kiing (F1A)
It was a very educational and fun trip
because we learned more about St Teresa’s
Convent and it was our first field trip with
our new classmates. Wong Yu Syn
We were guided by Sr Flora and Sr Agatha.
We learned many history things about the
place and Jesus. We also learned that the
convent started in 1885 and now it is 128
years old. I like the windows and doors
which are crafted with many kinds of
patterns. I am very happy to have this
experience. Rayna Chieng
The trip to the convent was very interesting.
We learnt a lot about the history and
founding of the convent. Germaine Cassandra
The convent was quite an educational and
very interesting place. It is also historical.
The shape of the convent is beautiful. There
are four types of rails which are very old. Sr
Agatha explained to us about the school. She
said that some Sisters from England came
here and started this school. The school is
now 128 years old. And before this, the
school was made out of wood. Down the
hall, there are stairs that lead to a hidden
storeroom. Cikgu Doris tricked us to go
down there. When everyone was down there,
she turned off the lights and shut the door. It
was fun. Ng Li Teen
The convent was quite scary to me but I
learnt a lot from there. There was a staircase
leading to a storeroom and Ms Doris tricked
us by switching off the lights and closed the
door. Everyone screamed loudly. It was cool
down there even though there was no airconditioning. It was an educational trip and
it was amazing and mysterious to me. One
of the Sisters explained to us about the place
while the head of the Sisters accompanied
us. We had drinks and some biscuits to eat
when we were about to leave. Stephanie Yu
Issue 2013/3 (March)
5/8
After we went to St Teresa’s Convent, I felt
that the trip was interesting and educational. It
was because I can know about the history of
this convent. Besides that, I get to see the many
rooms which the sisters live and a small chapel
in the convent. Aloysius Pang
I feel happy and excited after going on this trip.
I learned a lot about St Teresa’s Convent. The
trip was interesting and educational.
Isabel Lyn Wong
The trip to St Teresa’s Convent was very
interesting and educational. Sr Agatha told us
about the history of the convent. To be honest,
it was very interesting. There are places in the
convent that are quite mysterious and
frightening. We learnt that during the Japanese
Occupation, the chapel in the convent was used
as a torture cell. It was also used to keep dead
bodies. All in all, the trip was fun and very
educational. Tristan Tan
I was quite spooked out when we went to St
Teresa’s. They told me that there were dead
bodies from the Japanese Occupation, but they
did not tell me whether they had removed them
or not. Jane Ting
I found the field trip very interesting and very
educational. We learnt about the history of the
convent, St Teresa of Avila from Spain and
many other things about the convent. The
Japanese soldiers chased all the European
Sisters out. The convent is very nice and shady.
It was a fun day. We would like to go and visit
the sisters again if we have the chance.
Jerome Ng
The convent is unique because a lot of things
are original or antiques, for example, the black
doors and floor planks. There are three floors.
The bottom floor is where the Teresians have
their Science Lab. The second floor consists of
a lot of offices, a library, kitchen, dining room,
chapel and a few more other rooms. During
the Japanese Occupation, they used to torture
and leave the dead bodies in the room where
the chapel is right now! The top floor is where
the Sisters stay. It used to be a school for girls.
The girls were from the rural areas and used to
stay with the Sisters in this big room. If you
look at the convent from the outside, you can
see various designs here and there. Bianca Lee
Photo by
Gerald Kiing (F1A)
The trip to St Teresa’s Convent was very
interesting. There were many things to see even
though the place looks small from the outside.
It was also a bit spooky because of the Japanese
during the war. They killed and tortured many
people there. It was a fun and interesting trip
because we get to know the history of the
convent. Donnoel Yeo
The place was a bit spooky as the convent had a
scary environment and also because the Sisters
told us that long ago, the Japanese killed and
tortured many locals there. Even though it was
scary, we had a lot of fun and experience there.
We also learned a lot about the convent and its
history. Ethan Yeo
Issue 2013/3 (March)
6/8
Progress of the new building so far …
as of
19
March
2013
Issue 2013/3 (March)
7/8
Easter is the most important
feast in the Church calendar, even
more important than Christmas.
Easter has been considered the
central feast of the Church since the
earliest days of the Church. Paul
wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:14, "If
Christ has not been raised, then our
preaching is in vain and your faith is
in vain." Without Easter—without the
Resurrection of Christ—there would
be no Christian Faith.
Issue 2013/3 (March)
8/8