St Francis Methodist School’s 60th anniversary
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:10 NIV)
This year, St Francis Methodist School (SFMS) celebrates 60 purpose-driven years with an overarching theme that epitomises the school’s purpose and values: God’s handiwork, created to do good works.
We launched a year-long celebration to mark this significant milestone. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the events and activities have to be conducted virtually or scaled down.
The beginning
SFMS was founded in 1960 by the honourable Mrs Harriet Doraisamy. She started the school, then known as St Francis Girls’ School, to help 27 students prepare for their national examinations.
“The training of a good citizen does not only involve academic education. Most important of all is the instilling, in the hearts and minds of pupils, their concern for the well-being of their fellowman. I feel the school is the place where this spirit can be embedded.”
—Mrs Harriet Doraisamy
In line with Mrs Doraisamy’s vision, the students actively served the interests of the community through outreach activities, such as visiting orphanages and helping in fund-raising events.
When Mrs Doraisamy retired in 1995, she handed the school over to The Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS). The school was renamed St Francis Methodist School and became co-educational. SFMS moved to its present location at Upper Bukit Timah Road in 2001.
Giving back
SFMS has been continuing our founder’s spirit of giving and John Wesley’s belief in the importance of character building. This is even more so as our 60th anniversary we celebrated our 60th anniversary this year.
With the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affecting lives and morale, SFMS rallied to encourage and express our gratitude to frontline healthcare workers and the school’s service providers through beautiful handmade cards with heartfelt messages of hope and appreciation. We also cheered our migrant friends in Singapore on with a video montage of prayers and words of encouragement.
When everyone returned to school for classes, the Student Service Learning (SSL) team and our pioneer cohort of Year 11 students from the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) collaborated in a donation drive to bless two nursing homes and a children’s home. All played a part in ensuring the success of this drive—parents generously contributed food and daily necessities, students and staff helped pack the items, and students also coloured Bible verses and folded wishing stars to boost the recipients’ morale.
Giving thanks
We are thankful to God for His many blessings. Wonderful stories of God’s blessings have been compiled into a four-part series, with each part recounting the milestones that have shaped the school as well as showcasing stories from staff members and alumni. To commemorate our 60th anniversary, each student and staff member received a limited edition 60th Anniversary EZ-Link card.
We are also thankful for our school pioneers and leaders. Under their capable leadership, the school flourished and is today, a vibrant international learning community with over 20 nationalities.
We praise God that we can fulfil our purpose of doing good works, and by His grace, to continue doing so as SFMS progresses beyond 60. To God be all the glory!
Founded in 1960, St Francis Methodist School (SFMS) is an established local private school, offering primary, secondary and pre-tertiary education in Singapore. SFMS offers a Singapore approach to learning in an international school environment, and is the first choice for pursuing the Cambridge Primary Programme, English Immersion Programme, Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘O’ Level, Cambridge IGCSE, Upper Secondary Australian Matriculation Programme (AUSMAT), Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). SFMS provides students with opportunities to grow holistically and achieve their aspirations. Guided by the Word of God, SFMS empowers individuals to fulfil their purpose of doing good works.
492 Upper Bukit Timah Road, S(678095)
6760-0889
migrant workers in Singapore
a children’s home