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» Issue 18 » 8 November 2019

Newsletter

AISM Strikes Gold inICAS 2019

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Principally SpeakingTim Waley, Principal

With the AGM of the Parents Association (PA) taking place in just a couple of weeks, I hope that my recent letter and reminder note has initiated positive levels of interest by some of you to be active participants in the leadership of this group moving into the new year. If unsure about any of the roles which should be filled during this meeting, please contact current PA committee members or email pa@aism.edu.my for further information. It would be great to have new faces joining this group.

AISM had a strong presence last weekend at the Private International Schools Fair. My sincere thanks to all our marketing, admissions, teach-ing and administration staff who attended and represented us so well throughout the two days. Our presence has certainly engendered some serious interest and action which makes it all so worthwhile. It was also great to see some of our current families dropping by for a chat - thank you for that as well.

Open Week and AISA games commence next week away so there is still much activity occur-ring at school right up until the end of the term.

Mr Liam King, the new Principal of AISM from 2020 will be spending a week with us from 18-22 November. There will be opportunities for parents to meet Liam over a cup of tea or coffee during that week. Details have been sent to all families.

Private International Schools Fair

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Our students, Arya, Year 2 and Akmal, Year 6 participated and won silver medals at the Petrosains RBTX Challenge 2019 which was held on 24 August 2019. They presented on how to power an assistance robot, Ecobot, using energy from natural resources. Heartiest congratulations to both!

Whole SchoolKatrina Reece, Head of Learning Enrichment

International Competitions & Assessments for Schools (ICAS)Gold Medal Winning School 2019 - Again!

Congratulations to our Highest Performing students on their outstanding academic achieve-ment in the International Competitions & Assess-ments for Schools (ICAS) 2019. The following students achieved High Distinctions, being ranked in the top 1% of participants:

Jayson Chaw, Year 2: Science

Shao Zhe Loh, Year 6: Science

Megan Yap, Year 9: English

Ethan Lee, Year 5: English

Chloe Tai, Year 4: Maths

The students were awarded their Gold medals at the ICAS 2019 Ceremony held at the Bintang Ballroom, Citatel - Mid Valley on Saturday 2 November 2019.

The ICAS competitions are designed and admin-istered globally by the University of New South Wales and are specifically for primary and sec-ondary students. ICAS are conducted annually in Australia, as well as over 20 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, Pacific countries, and America.

All AISM students are encouraged to apply in 2020 for all or individual assessments in: Digital Technologies, English, Maths, Science and Writ-ing. Further information can be found here ICAS Information

Ms. Katrina Reece (Head of Learning Enrichment & e3 Centre) invites further discussions and questions as you may require.

Students from left to right: Ethan Lee, Jayson Chaw, Chloe Tai, Megan Yap, Shao Zhe Loh, Centre back: Mr. Ivan McLean (Head of Secondary)

Students Win Silver Medals at Petrosains RBTX Challenge 2019

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The following students received awards in the Australian Mathematics Competition that was held in August.

Particular congratulations to Ker Ru Lee who ranked in the 100th percentile.

Australian Maths Trust

Prize (Highest Award) Ker Ru Lee Year 5

High Distinction Shao Zhe LohLucas Zhen-Yu Yip

Year 6Year 6

Distinction Jia Wan ChanMia Li Shen TanYeu Joe CheunOlivier Printemps TanKai Qing OngChengjun HanRafael DobsonEthan LeeAbhig Ravichandra

Year 12Year 9Year 8Year 8Year 7Year 6Year 3Year 5Year 5

Credit Cara HobsonKah Yin Ip Yuin Yie WongJiahao ChenAlice Fang Yi TanMegan YapHayley Rou-Xin SawKian Mun LamYao Ming LeeSara Wing Yen YapEe Lea LaiYin Juen ChinXin Ning AuEliza TanTetsuto MasunagaSarah SelvindossHayley YapSze Jia Hor

Year 11Year 9Year 9Year 9Year 9Year 9Year 8Year 8Year 8Year 8Year 8Year 8Year 7Year 7Year 7Year 6Year 6Year 6

Michael Lewthwaite, Head of Mathematics

Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad

High Distinction Yeu Joe Chenn Year 8

Credit Megan YapKian Mun LamMia TanYuin Yie Wong

Year 8Year 8Year 9Year 9

This is a very challenging competition open to students in Years 7-10, with our students achieving some excellent results.

Maths Challenge Enrichment Stage

This competition took place during term 3 where students solved some very difficult problems and were required to demonstrate a high level of mathematical skill.

High Distinction Lucas Yip Zhen-YuYeu Joe Cheun

Year 6Year 8

Distinction Kai Qing OngKah Yin IpAlice Tan

Year 6Year 8

Credit Kian Mun LamMegan YapMia TanYuin Yie Wong

Year 8Year 9Year 9Year 9

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The Giving Tree AssemblyGlen Emslie, Maths Teacher / Year 6 Coordinator

Giving Tree AssemblyEach year AISM celebrates a great year of Service Learning through The Giving Tree Assembly. This is a way we can say thank you to those who have contributed to helping make our school a better place and also give to those in need. This year our annual Giving Tree Assembly will be held on Tuesday 3 December. • Junior School Assembly 9:30 - 10:30am. • Middle Senior School Assembly 11:25am - 12:25pm.

Students are asked to contribute to this Service Learning opportunity in two ways:

1. Giving Tree GiftsThe purpose of the Giving Tree gifts is to show our love and support to children who have very little, by giving them a small present.This year the gifts will be donated to the:• Chin School Organisation - a not-for-profit organisation that provides education and support to the Myanmarese refugee children from the Chin state. • Shepherd’s Centre - a not-for-profit organisation, which supports at risk children, teenagers and families across Malaysia.

We are encouraging students to buy a gift for someone their own age. For example a Grade 4 boy would buy a suitable gift to donate to a Grade 4 boy. If all students buy a gift for their own age group and gender, we know we will have a diverse range of gifts to donate. Perfect! Wrap the gift and collect a gift label from your Homeroom teacher. Select the age and gender appropriate for your gift and mark this on the gift label. Place your gift in the “Christmas” box in your class/homeroom or the JS/MSS Reception by Thursday 28 November (Week 8). Your gift will be placed under the Giving Tree and distributed to a child from the Chin School Organisation or The Shepherd’s Centre.

• Colouring books• Texta/Pencils• Clothing• Slippers/flip flops• Football shirt/socks• Toys• Playing Cards/Uno• Books

• Drink bottles• Arts and crafts• Personal grooming items• Bags/Backpack• Pencil Case/school accessories• Hair accessories, jewellery• Board Games - Scrabble, Draughts, Boggle, Chess, Mancala, Connect Four, Puzzles

Gift suggestions are:

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2. Service Team HampersAnother long standing Service Learning tradition at AISM has been the Service Team Hampers. This is an opportunity for the AISM community to say thank you to our hard working gardeners, cleaners and security staff. Students are asked to bring in one non-perishable food item by Tuesday 26 November. Each class/homeroom will be responsible for collating a basket of goods for each of these important staff members.

Hamper suggestions are:

• Rice or Noodles• Spices• Sauces• Coffee or Tea• Cooking Oil

Thank you to the AISM community for supporting The Giving Tree!

The Giving Tree Wish List

Birth to 24 months

• Baby towels• Clothes• Feeding bottle• Baby soothers• Toys• Bibs

3 - 4 year olds

• Toys • Clothes : T-shirt and shorts• Coloured Pencils & Sharpener• Water bottle• Slippers• Play dough• Chocolates and sweets

5 - 7 year olds

• School bag• Socks• Slippers• Pencil box with pencils, eraser, ruler and sharpener• Towel• Art and craft items• Soft toys• Colouring books

8-11 year olds

• School Shoes• Socks• School bag• Towel• Art and craft items• Story books in Bahasa Malaysia• Board games• Stationery• Shampoo• Blanket

12 + year olds

• Football• Badminton racket• T-shirt – both boys and girls• Shampoo• Art and Craft Items• Story books in Bahasa Malaysia• Puzzle books• Board games• Hair accessories for girls• School socks• Towel• Blanket

• Biscuits• Snacks/Nuts/Dried Fruits• Dry goods • Sweet Treats• Tinned products• Personal grooming items

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Thought

“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” – Paulo Coelho

Junior SchoolMichelle Chaplin, Head of Junior School

The Learning in the Junior School is at an all time high as we race to the finish line -some highlights from Year 4 -

After a couple of weeks of researching, stu-dents are currently in the building & making phase of their Passion Projects. Alongside the projects they have been taught valuable skills about asking “big questions” and how to use small questions to answer these. They have also learnt researching & note taking skills and how to turn their research into their own words, as well as how to write a bibliography.

“I am starting to sketch characters for my comic book and I am planning my story and drawing character samples” (Saha - creating a comic book) “I have been researching the different types of weird food from around the world and I am also trying to find some recipes so we can cook some of these foods for the expo” (Lauren - investigating weird food from around the world) “I have been working with my dad to build the roof of my model house and I have been researching different equipment for building model houses and different designs for model houses” (Shaheed - building a wooden model house) “I am making edible slime and I have been working with Chloe to make and test different recipes for slime and trying out bubblegum flavoring” (Ashley - creating a tasty slime)

“I researched different coding languages and I am now coding a video game using block codes and currently I am working on the "power ups” eg reflective shields” (Hugo - creating a video game)

“I am making a mini cricket model, I have re-searched the history and origins of cricket and I have researched how to make a mini model. Currently I am making a shopping list of all of the things I will need to make the model so I can build” (Yash - making a mini cricket model) “I am making a diorama jewelry shop to put jewelry I have made on display to sell, I have re-searched different ways to make jewellery and equipment I will need” Asha (making jewelry and diorama jewelry shop) “I am making a mini netball court to teach peo-ple how to play the game and introduce them to new playing strategies. So far I have researched how big the netball court should be and I have all the measurement I need to begin building” (Gabrielle - making a mini netball court)

No slowing down for the Junior School! As we approach the end of term we are fo-cussed on completing the year on a high - but also preparing well for 2020. I encourage parents to note important dates for end of term events. As always at the end of a year there are mo-ments of congratulations and moments of sadness as we farewell members of our AISM family. AISM will be saying goodbye to the following teachers as they move on to different adventures - Mr Mitchell Cooper, Mrs Eve Ralph, Mr Kris Hickson, Mr Jordan Redstone, Mrs Jes-sica Redstone, Miss Kirsten Shinn - we will bid them farewell in style in the last week of term, ensuring they take the warmth of AISM wherev-er they may travel.

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Their goal was to choose tasks that appealed to their learning style and complete them within a given time frame. The results were INCREDIBLE! Parents, students, teachers and CIS observers were invited to walk the Mega Travel Expo 2019 and choose a stall that best sold their country. The students spoke with great passion and excitement about their learning and were highly engaged in the whole unit. The expo will no doubt go down as one of the highlights of the year, for both students and parents alike!

Year 5 Travel ExpoKristian Hickson, Year 5 Home Room Teacher, Upper Junior School Leader

As part of the Year 5 Inquiry Unit linked to Geog-raphy in Term 3, Year 5 were challenged to ven-ture beyond the shores of Malaysia and out into the many regions of the globe! Their goal was to move their learning from the classroom to the vast reaches of our planet and report back to their peers with all the wonders they discovered. This resulted in all Year 5 students taking part in the first Amaz-ing Race Challenge on Level 3, where students raced against the clock and each other, to discover amazing facts about the world and complete tasks by thinking outside the box. Once they finished these sessions, they had to persuade the teachers to let them research a country they were ideally unfamiliar with, and present it in the form of a Travel Agent.

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Middle and Senior SchoolsIvan McLean, Head of Middle and Senior Schools

This week has been an exhausting week for many of our students, particularly those in Years 6 to 10 who have start-ed their Semester Two examinations. Added to that, the Year 12 students have been working very hard during their lengthy external examination period - of which there still remains another few days! I am pleased to have seen their hard work pay off (although there are still more examinations left to complete.)

Year 12 Graduation

In particular we look forward to farewelling the Year 12 cohort of 2019 next week. Our young leaders have developed their skills throughout the year - and we look forward to supporting them all through their final day celebrating high school on Wednesday 13 November. The Year 12 Formal Dinner will also be held on that day. I would like to thank our Year 11 leaders for their support of the Year 12s during their final HSC examinations and the Year 12 students them-selves for the added discipline they displayed during the HSC examinations. We will announce the 2020 Student Leadership group as part of our Graduation Ceremony next Wednesday morning, and therefore invite ALL Year 11/12 parents and guardians to join our Graduation Assembly.

MSS Staff Changes for 2019/2020

During Semester 2, the staff that have announced they will be leaving the School (and in a very special case retiring) at the end of 2019 are Aoife Doran, Ty Grady; Rebecca Parkhouse; Jason and Alison Brand; Julian and Isabelle Manders-Jones; Wenche Naftel and Pat Goonting.

Completion of 2019

Despite completing the 2019 academic pro-gram, students’ education does not stop after the examinations. We continue with THIMUN, Creative Arts Week, Work Experience for Year 10 students, AISA sports games here at the School, AISMUN, and more learning post-exams.

As exhausted as all of our students may be, please remember that holidays DO NOT start yet! Students must work through until the last minute of the last day, understanding that their teachers will be furiously marking examinations and writing reports during the next few weeks too. While the workload is hard, there will be a long holiday soon to help us all refresh before the start of the new School Year. I wish every family the best during the remainder of our examination period.

We will thank the departing staff at the end of this year for their significant contributions over many years. New staff for 2020 will be announced once we complete the process of visa clearances (post contract signing) - we look forward to welcoming our very excited new staff next year. We particularly welcome Mr Stephen Bhogal who joined us last week to teach Economics/Commerce/Business Studies classes. His extensive IB and HSC experience in teaching these subjects is very welcome, having taught for more than five years at AIS Singapore amongst his other NSW and international postings.

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Careers CornerChris Broadbent, Head of Humanities, Careers and Pathways Coordinator

Kent State University (KSU)

On Wednesday 6 November Kent State University (KSU) visited the school and spoke to a number of our Senior School students.

Kent State is a large public research university in Kent, Ohio USA. They offer a large number of majors including architecture, fashion, aeronautics and mechatronics.

One of the questions that the students were keen to discuss with the requirement for SATs or ACTs exam-inations to apply for courses in the US. The SATs and ACTs are standardized tests widely used for college admissions in the United States. They were very hap-py to hear that at KSU, the SATs are not required for international students. Indeed, this is becoming a more common practice for American universities.

A big attraction of the Amercian system is the emphasis on allowing students to study a broad range of subjects, developing a wide variety of skills. If you would like to find out more about KSC, please visit www.kent.edu

Glion & Les Roches School of Hospitality

On Tuesday 5 November, we welcomed representatives from Glion & Les Roches School of Hospitality to AISM, promoting courses and careers in hospitality.

Ms. Fabienne Rolland from Sommet Education helped the students to explore the many options surrounding hospitality including travel, luxury, gastronomy, events management, business management and hotel man-agement.

Tourism is the largest industry in the world and offers people with many opportunities in entrepreneurship. Ms. Rolland stressed that it is a career with a great deal of variety and excitement, perfect for people who like to travel, trying new things and working in teams. She also stressed that hospitality is a perfect field for students to develop their ‘soft skills’ such as working under pressure, leadership and customer service that will help to make them more employable in the future.

Both Glion and Les Roches are based in Switzerland, but have campuses now all around the world, allowing students to study in a number of countries.

The Glion Institute of Higher Education is a hospital-ity management school situated in Glion sur Montreux, Switzerland, northeast of Geneva. Gilon is renowned for its emphasis on luxury and corporate hospitality and also has a major campus in London. If you would like to know more, please visit www.glion.edu.

Les Roches Global Hospitality Education is a private hospitality school in Valais, Switzerland. Les Roches has a strong emphasis on sustainability and entrepreneur-ship. Les Roches is a small village in the Swiss alps, but has campuses in Marbella (Spain) and in Shanghai. If you would like to know more,please visit www.lesroches.edu.

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Sports CornerKim Bradley, MSS Co-curricular activities (CCA) CoordinatorIvan Yoong, Junior School Co-curricular activities (CCA) Coordinator

AISA Games Parents InformationClick here for more details about the upcoming AISA Games.

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Others

Parents Association Annual General Meeting (AGM)

We cordially invite all parents to attend the 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM). Click the red button below to view the AGM agenda.

Parents Association Meeting Agenda

Date : 20 November 2019Time : 9:15 amVenue : Library

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrj0HgFJPXj9O2iWhw234B8FeczO6PFXo1OQSj2u9c1o0K5A/viewform