Staff Profiles
Specialist Staff
At St Christopher’s, our dedicated and well-qualified team of staff put your children at the heart of everything we do.
Specialist Staff
Nurul Amira
Bahasa
Amira was born and raised in Penang, Malaysia. She graduated as a teacher from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman with a Bachelor’s Degree in English Education (HONS). While completing her studies, Amira also taught in one of the secondary schools in Perak for a while. Later, as she completed her bachelor’s degree journey, she worked as a teacher in one of the well-known preschools in Penang. To further broaden her teaching experience, she decided to join SCIPS as a teaching assistant. She loves interacting with children as she believes that every child should have something meaningful to remember from their childhood as they grow up. A year later, Amira is now a Bahasa teacher in SCIPS!
Nur Syazwany
Cover Teacher
Nur Syazwany graduated 2012 from Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (UNIRAZAK) with a Bachelor of Education (Hons). With over six years of teaching experience, she has worked in both government and private schools and has also lectured at a college in Penang. Currently, she serves as a cover teacher, teaching students in various subjects across different year groups. In her leisure time, she enjoys walking while listening to music, spending quality time with her family, and relaxing with a good book. She believes in the importance of fostering strong relationships between teachers and students to create a comfortable classroom environment. Moreover, she emphasizes that education is the key to success.
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Janet Ng
Mandarin
Janet is from Malaysia and holds a Master degree in Music Pedagogy and Performance. She first completed a Bachelor degree in Music Education from University Sains Malaysia (USM) in 2009. Upon completion of her studies, she taught Music and Mandarin in Penang. She has been teaching in the local school as well as tutoring for Mandarin in Penang. Janet has taught Mandarin classes at different levels prior to joining the SCIPS family. Janet started teaching at St. Christopher’s in September 2015 as a Mandarin teacher. Currently, she teaches Mandarin from Reception to Year 6 and supports Maths for different year groups. Janet enjoys playing the piano, swimming and baking.
Esther Wong
Mandarin
Esther Wong comes from mainland China and has been an international teacher for over 7 years, working as a whole school Mandarin Specialist and Primary Bilingual Teacher. Esther has a Bachelor Degree in Chinese Language and Literature with Chinese teaching certificate qualification, and a Master Degree in History. She is familiar with British National Curriculum, Cambridge IGCSE Mandarin and Alberta Bilingual Program. Esther is incredibly passionate to motivate students learning Mandarin inside and outside of classroom. She is excited to join SCIPS with her almost 4 year old son. Meanwhile explore the beauty of Penang and Malaysia.
Rogini Thana Raju
Juniors ESL
Rogini was born and raised in Penang. She has completed a Master’s degree in Education specializing in TESL at one of the local universities in Malaysia. She has taught in different international schools for ten years from early years up to Year 2. She has been very passionate about teaching and nurturing young children since secondary school.
Living in a food paradise, Rogini enjoys all types of cuisine just as teaching! She loves trying new recipes, reading, listening to music, and most of all spending time with her family. She is married to Kishen Gavaskar and they have two children.
In her fourth year, Rogini is thrilled about her second year as an EAL Juniors teacher, especially with her son in Year 2. She’s looking forward to another year of teaching and supporting young learners while sharing this educational journey with her child.
Chelvalatha Krishnan
Infants ESL
Chelva was born and raised in Penang Island, Malaysia. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in TESL from Management and Science University (MSU), Selangor, and currently, she is pursuing her Master’s Degree in TESOL at University Sains Malaysia (USM) to enhance her skills in the EAL field. Chelva started her career in an International school based in Penang. Prior to joining SCIPS, Chelva was teaching at an International school in Selangor. She has taught in all key stages and she loves to develop her skills in teaching. She believes that all students are unique and everyone learns in their own way. Thus, she loves to use multiple methods of teaching to reach students, so that no one is left behind. She was hired as an EAL teacher for infants at SCIPS after serving as a Year 1 teacher for two years.
Robert Slowther
Head of PE
Rob is from a small town called Guisborough in the North East of England. He studied at Northumbria University and graduated in 2013. After graduating from University, he spent a couple of summers coaching ‘soccer’ in the United States of America, whilst also teaching in a local College. Rob spent 2 years teaching as a Special Needs Primary School Teacher in the UK before embarking on his first venture as an international teacher in the beautiful country of Myanmar. When he isn’t teaching, Rob spends his free time out exploring nature, playing sports, keeping fit in the gym, and (when he’s feeling like having a ‘lazy day’) he spends time reading books, eating lots of food, and playing on his XBOX. He is really looking forward to experiencing life in Penang and working at such a great school.
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Tze Yang Ooi
PE Teacher
Yang pursued his Bio Resource degree at University Sains Malaysia in Penang before furthering his education with a PGCEi from Nottingham University and obtaining Fina coaching certification. He began his career as a PE teacher at SCIPS before transitioning to KTJ, where he served as Head of PE from 2014 to 2019. After five years at KTJ, Yang took on the role of Head of Aquatics and Club Coordinator in Tbilisi, Georgia. From 2021 to 2024, he advanced to become the Head of Whole School PE and Aquatics in British International School Tbilisi. Yang is thrilled to return to SCIPS as a PE teacher. Outside the classroom, he is passionate about fitness, water polo, swimming, and spending quality time with his family.
Fenella Foskett
PE Teacher
Fenella is originally from a small town called Woodbridge in the south-east of England. She studied at Swansea University and graduated in 2013. After this, she went on to complete her PGCE and MA in Education at Liverpool Hope University. Fenella spent the first few years of her teaching career teaching Geography and PE in secondary schools in the UK. In 2020, Fenella took up her first international teaching position in Doha, Qatar, where she has been teaching primary PE. Fenella has always been a keen sportswomen, having previously competed at national level for swimming. During her free time, Fenella loves spending time outdoors, exploring new places and meeting new people. Fenella will be moving to Penang with her husband Lawrence who will also be joining the PE team at SCIPS. She is really looking forward to experiencing life in Penang and becoming part of the SCIPS community.
Lawrence Chaplin
PE Teacher
Lawrence is from Durban, South Africa and grew up in Qatar where he attended an international school as a student. Upon graduating, he attended Kingston University in London and graduated in 2015. Shortly after this he worked as a football coach and lifeguard for a water safety company in the UK. He then returned to Qatar to complete his teacher training and secured a position at his current school where he has taught PE for the past 5 years across primary and secondary. Outside of school, Lawrence enjoys being outdoors, playing sports and spending time with friends and family – you will more than likely find him at the beach kicking a football or throwing a frisbee. Lawrence is very excited to be moving to Penang with his new wife Fenella, who will also be teaching PE at SCIPS.
Daniel Guerrard
Juniors Music
Dan Guerrard is a Music teacher, composer, orchestrator and conductor from the United Kingdom. He trained at Keele University and has a Masters in Psychology of Music in Education from Sheffield University. He has worked internationally in Bermuda, Thailand, Kuwait and China before relocating to Penang.
He is a director for the Penang Island Chorus, loves musical theatre, plays piano and bass guitar and is here with his wife Lori and young children Miranda aged six and Freddie aged three.
Soong Yi Yiing
Infants Music
Yi Yiing is from Penang, Malaysia. She graduated from University Putra Malaysia with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance. Later, she completed a Master’s in Early Childhood Education and graduated with honours from University Science Malaysia. Her main instrument is the piano and cello is her secondary. Yi Yiing has worked at SCIPS since 2008 and she loves interacting with young children and has a passion for teaching them. She has contributed in many different ways to school life in and outside of the music classroom with particularly noteworthy contributions in leading the school music productions and music clubs, developing children’s musical abilities and confidence in performances. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her husband Phang Seng and children, Chloe, Joie and Kenzie.
Katherine Evans
Head of Languages / German
Hailing from Liverpool in the UK, Katherine is excited to be joining the SCIPS team. After graduating from Sheffield University with a BA Hons degree in Modern Foreign Languages, Katherine worked in industry and lived in the Netherlands before realizing that she could combine her love of languages with teaching. After completing her PGCE at Manchester, Katherine taught in the UK before moving to Muscat, Oman as head of languages for five years. Now with her sights set on Penang, Katherine is beyond excited to be a part of a vibrant community which offers many language learning opportunities. Katherine specializes in German and Dutch, but also enjoys working on her Spanish. Katherine is passionate about creating an engaging curriculum and loves to use technology to enhance student learning. Outside of school, Katherine enjoys supporting Liverpool Football Club, reading, cooking and traveling.
Tunde Baranyi
German Language
Tunde is originally from Hungary, but the love of languages and learning has taken her to other countries from a young age. After finishing university with a BA and Master’s degree in languages and a teaching qualification, she wanted to pursue this path further by sharing her passion with young learners around the world. She has worked in schools in the UK, Spain, Switzerland, China and Hungary. Many destinations make for many learning opportunities and she now speaks five languages. As a lifelong learner herself, she is able to apply her personal learning experiences when connecting with children from diverse cultural backgrounds and differing educational levels. She aims to create a safe environment which nurtures multicultural awareness, authentic communication and well-being. She is also a qualified yoga teacher and often uses elements of mindfulness with her students in the lessons. She is excited to take on this wonderful new opportunity at SCIPS as a German Teacher and is looking forward to sharing her skills and enthusiasm for learning with the SCIPS community.
Astya S E Rajah
Head of Learning Support
Astya has been passionately committed to teaching children for over ten years. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education and has worked across EYFS, KS1, and KS2 in International British Schools. In 2016, she gained her first international teaching experience by relocating with her family to teach abroad. Astya believes these diverse experiences have been immensely enriching and rewarding, both personally and professionally. She joined SCIPS in 2019 and is currently the Head of Learning Support. Dedicated to creating an inclusive environment, Astya supports and nurtures students with additional needs by providing targeted interventions in small group settings. Her approach focuses on academic and social growth, while also promoting the emotional and mental well-being of the students.
Outside of teaching, Astya enjoys art, movies, travelling, and spending time with friends and family. She looks forward to another exciting year as part of the SCIPS family.
Ooi Yee Mei Ooi
Mandarin/Bahasa Teacher
Yee Mei is from Kedah, Malaysia. She was graduated in 2011 from University Tunku Abdul Rahman(UTAR) with a Bachelor Degree in Chinese Studies (Hons) as well as PGDE from University Tunk Abdul Razak(UNITAR). She has been teaching for more than 10 years in private school and loves to explore teaching in a creative and fun way. Currently, she is a Mandarin teacher from Year 1 to Year 8, and she always believes that ‘no one is perfect but keep practice makes perfect’! During her free time, she enjoys music and mostly she spends her time with her family members. She enjoys cooking and also loves to try to cook with new recipes of food.
Teo Fuh Lin
Cover Teacher
Fuh lin was born in Miri, Sarawak, and raised in Penang. She studied in an international school in Brunei before moving to Penang in 2001. She then finished her primary years at St. Christopher International Primary School and completed her IGCSE in Uplands. Venturing into the realm of teaching, she embraced the role of a Teaching Assistant at an international school for 2 wonderful years. She completed her Bachelors of Education (Hons) Primary Education degree from Wawasan Open University with First Class Honours and capped it off with an inspiring internship at SCIPS. In her free time, she enjoys reading, travelling and spending time with friends and family.
Esther Loh
Cover Teacher
A proud Penang local, Esther Loh has been an integral part of the SCIPS community since October 2020. With a passion for nurturing young minds, she finds joy in working with children and understands the importance of being a positive role model in both speech and actions.
Esther graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance and Pedagogy from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). She began her journey at SCIPS as a Teaching Assistant, where she took on increasing responsibilities, covering lessons and building strong connections with her students. In 2024, she officially stepped into the role of Cover Teacher after earning her Diploma in Education from Unitar.
Currently, Esther co-teaches Year 6 EAL, leads Mandarin enrichment classes for Reception students, and brings creativity and fun into Nursery with Messy Play sessions. Her hands-on approach extends beyond the classroom, encouraging children to explore and engage in outdoor play.
Outside of school, Esther is actively involved in her church, focusing on mentoring and developing the youth community. In her free time, she enjoys music, running, and traveling to new destinations.