Tenby Ipoh Celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival

Newsletter No. 54 - September 2014
Tenby Ipoh Celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival
On Friday, 5 September 2014,
Sekolah Tenby Ipoh organised
an event of celebration for the
Mid Autumn Festival.
Jasmine Flower Dance
More than 500 students,
parents and members of staff
were present and gathered for
this festival of harvest, reunion
and harmony.
more news and photos in this
newsletter...
Children singing ‘Yue Liang Yuen’.
Lanterns display
The 24-Season Drum Performance
From the Campus Principal
It was good to see so many of you at our Moon Cake Festival
celebrations last Friday. It was a very enjoyable occasion indeed and my
thanks go to all students who performed in the concert and also those
who helped with the organization of the event in so many ways. Thanks
are also due to our Parents Association for their hard work, particularly
with catering and also to all of the staff involved. I would particularly like
to thank Madam Soot and Mr. Lee Soo Mee for their leadership of the
organizing committee and coordinating the entire event. It was a very
special evening.
Very soon into the new term we have already been involved in some external examinations.
UPSR examinations have taken place this week in Sekolah Tenby and very soon our A2
candidates will be facing their final trial examinations before the final assessment later in the
term. We wish them all well and look forward to good results!
We have made some new internal staff appointments in TIS Secondary, which Mr. Page details in his article later in this newsletter. Next week we will be interviewing candidates for two
key roles with regard to co-curricular activity, namely two staff supervisors to oversee the
quality of delivery in sporting and non-sporting activities. We will announce the names of
those appointed in next week’s newsletter.
We are looking at the physical environment of the school in some detail at the moment and
trying to find ways in which we can enhance even further this very attractive campus. Work
on the tennis courts is still ongoing after the damage caused by the August storm and we
hope that this will be completed soon. Parental concerns about mosquitoes are also well noted and we are taking action in this regard both at Bandar Meru Raya and IISEYC.
Tomorrow we look forward to hosting visitors from a number of other schools as they arrive
for a debating competition that will take place until late tomorrow evening and on Saturday.
We wish our teams well and I thank Mr. Louis for his very hard work in putting this event together.
Finally a reminder to international school parents that Monday of next week will be a staff
training day so no international students will be at school then; it will be a normal working
day for Sekolah Tenby. Tuesday will be a public holiday for the entire campus.
Howard Bullock.
From the Head of TIS Secondary
I wish to make the school community aware of some new internal
appointments within the school.
Miss Nikki Sullivan has been promoted to Academic Assistant Head of
International Secondary. Nikki has been instrumental in the collating of
student data for the purposes of tracking and target setting, this has then
allowed for the creation of last term’s reports. She has been a member of
staff who has always shown a willingness to take on additional
responsibility, and her elevation to this role reflects her dedication to the students and the
wider community. Many of her ideas on rewarding positive behavior were put in place in the
course of the last academic year.
Miss Nikki Sullivan’s move into her new post has left vacancies for the roles of Key Stage 3
and Key Stage 4 Coordinators.
After openly advertising these posts and conducting interviews for all those who had applied, I
am delighted to share with you that Mr. Ian Hayes has been appointed as Key Stage 3
Coordinator. Ian has a strong background in International Teaching and is a terrific classroom
practitioner. He is fully conversant with school policies and has a terrific track record of
communicating with parents and students. The fact that he is a fluent Mandarin speaker is
also a considerable asset that he can bring into play as the need arises.
Our new Key Stage 4 Coordinator is Mr. Ricky Singh. Ricky has without doubt reshaped the
attitude towards sport at the school. I am delighted to see such a high level of passion and
conviction from our Secondary students towards so many different sports on the campus.
Much of the credit goes to Ricky for enthusing and developing a love of sport. Ricky has grown
in his role at Tenby Ipoh and I know that the strong rapport he has with students, parents and
colleagues throughout the campus will make him successful in his new role.
I am sure that you will wish all 3 of these teachers the very best of success in their new roles.
Nikki, Ian and Ricky along with all of our other colleagues are available should the need arise
for you to want to come in and chat about your children’s progress.
Neil Page
From the Head of TIS Primary
It is Week 3 in the International Primary School and all classes have started
either their main IPC topic for this term or are about to do so. For myself, I
have been teaching in Year 6 all week as the usual class teacher is away in
Kuala Lumpur on a week’s training leading to the PGCEi, an internationally
recognized teaching qualification. This is just one example of Tenby’s commitment to our teachers’ continuing professional development.
I would like to use this opportunity to remind you that the International Primary School will be
closed on Monday of next week in addition to the national holiday declared for Tuesday.
I would also like to thank parents for the improvement in the rate of absenteeism and late
arrival at school and students are more punctual to class.
Lee. A. Harvey
From the Head of Sekolah Tenby
To organize a big function such as the recent Moon Cake Festival
Celebration is no easy feat ,given there were only 2 weeks to put everything
together, from our concert to the lighting of hot air lanterns and the lantern
walk. The spectacular show we witnessed on the night of 5 September was
undoubtedly a testimony of commitment from our teachers to the school. It
was also an opportunity to showcase our multi- talented students from across
the 4 schools. Well done, everyone!
The anticipation of celebration at the end of the UPSR examination by SR6 was short-lived by
the irresponsible act of people who leaked the Science exam questions through social media.
I hope that our students will continue with their preparation for the subject until the next sitting
scheduled for 30 September.
Mdm. Soot MC
From the Head of IIS Early Years Centre
We have had a fantastic beginning of the week of school at IISEYC. It was
wonderful to see many parents who came in full force to take part in the Mid
-Autumn festival held at Meru Raya on Friday, 5th September 2014. We
would like to thank all the parents who attended and most of all “A big
round of applause and pat on the back” to the organising committee which
made the day possible and turned the day into a carnival mood.
Since not everyone could make it to the festival, our students were taken
for a lantern walk by their class teachers in our school grounds on Monday 8 th September,
2014.
Children exploring their skills
With the recent issue of mosquitoes at IISEYC, in an effort to keep you informed, the school
has taken every precaution to ensure that the surrounding shrubs and trees are maintained
with regular checking. Fogging and lava siding is also carried out fortnightly, thus parents are
also encouraged to apply mosquito repellent to their child for extra precaution. At this point, I
would like to take the opportunity to thank Mr Yap Kim Aik from the Parents’ Association for
donating two electronic mosquito repellent devices for our school.
Mrs Puvanes Mahendran
A student’s view ...
Mid-Autumn Mooncake Festival Night
It was a blast! That pretty much sums it up, but of course, let’s start from the beginning for
the benefit of those who missed the event.
Everything was set to go at around 6.50 p.m. with prefects placed on duty at various points
to assist with the smooth running of the night’s event. Parents and students started arriving
at school and while waiting for the auditorium doors to open, they bought drinks in the
canteen and went around to look at the lanterns that had been put on display to add to the
ambience of the night.
At 7.15 p.m. the doors to the auditorium opened and the seats began to fill up slowly. The
movement of people seemed like an endless flow of water, with more and more people
streaming through the doors even after the show had started, to find a good seat. Response
to the show was so good that tickets given out the few days before were quickly snapped up.
Some of the families who came but did not have tickets could only watch the show in the
canteen, where there was a live feed from the auditorium.
After a brief video presentation explaining the origins of the Mid-Autumn Mooncake Festival,
Mr Howard Bullock, Campus Principal, took to the stage to say a few words and thank the
organising committee headed by Mr. Lee Soo Mee, Head of Tenby Ipoh’s Chinese Language Department. Mr Bullock’s speech was followed by a beautiful performance by the
Chinese Orchestra from Ave Maria Convent.
They performed a few Chinese classical pieces
one of which was “The Moon Represents My
Heart” (月亮代表我的心). Next, TIS Primary
School students sang a Chinese song, “Sweet
Honey Honey” (甜蜜蜜), which was followed by a
lovely Jasmine Flower dance performance by Chinese Orchestra from Ave Maria Convent
secondary school students from both Sekolah Tenby and TIS. Then, the Primary School
students from Sekolah Tenby sang another Chinese song, “The Round Full Moon” (月亮圆).
<<<
Students singing a beautiful piece
‘Sweet Honey Honey’.
Source of Article: Ezilaan Irraivan, Sec. Journalism Club President
Following these songs and dances, came the jaw-dropping
Wushu martial arts demonstration by an A-level student, Ong
Hui Xue, who had represented Perak in the SUKMA Games
in 2012 and 2014. Next was a Latin dance by Kenneth Tan
and Alycia Wong, both from KBSM 5. The Rumba performed
by the duo had been specially choreographed to a Chinese
song for this festival. After this slow and graceful dance, the
audience was treated to a macho Chinese Fan dance per-
formed by A-level students. Rounding up the concert was a
Hui Xue demonstrating his Wushu
martial arts skill.
lovely harmonica rendition by teachers, Mr. Lee Soo Mee
accompanied by Mr. David Chu on the piano.
The end of the concert, however, did not signal the end of the
night. Everyone in the auditorium was invited outside to the
field to witness the lighting of the hot air lanterns. With the
field in pitch darkness, the sudden sound of big drums drew
the attention of all. The rhythmic beats, movement and
lighted costumes of some members of the 24 Drummers
Group stirred the blood and added to the level of excitement
Alycia & Kenneth in the graceful
Rumba performance.
in the air. It was a spectacular sight to watch the drummers in
synchronised action. Next, everyone watched Mr Bullock and
special VIP guests light the hot air lanterns before the Lion
Dance group finally led teachers, parents and children in the
lantern procession around a part of the school. From the
point of view of the little children, the lantern procession was
clearly the highlight of the evening’s events. With the hot air
lanterns looking like stars in the night sky, and the lantern
procession over, all the guests adjourned to the school
Mr Lee with his harmonica &
Mr David on the piano.
canteen for refreshments that had generously been provided
by the Parents Association and some of the guests. It was
certainly another night of Tenby Schools Ipoh to remember.
Lantern procession by
children.
The all-male Fan Dance performed by the sixth formers.
Tenby Interact Club - Installation of the New Board for 2014/2015
The installation of Interact Club Board of Tenby
Schools Ipoh for 2014/2015 was held on Friday,
29th August 2014 from 2p.m. - 4p.m. in the
school’s Auditorium. Mr Howard Bullock, Madam
Soot, Mr Neil Page, the President of the Rotary
Club of Greentown, Rotarians and interactors
from SMK Anderson, SMK ACS, SMK Perak
Girls School(PGS), SMK Main Convent and SMK
Tarcisian Convent were present to witness the
ceremony.
Our MCs for the day, Victor Ho and Emily Tan,
welcomed everyone and the event started off
with a speech from the organizing chairman,
Dhipan Raj, who spoke on this year’s theme
which is “Reach for the Stars”. He exclaimed that
the theme should convey a message for all
Interactors to do their very best in achieving the
club’s motto “Service Above Self” even if they
have to “Reach for the Stars” to do it. His speech
was followed by an inspiring and motivating
speech by our guest of honour, Mr. Howard
Bullock where he emphasised his hopes to see
the Interact Club through with projects for the
needy and to give his fullest support for each one
of them. This was followed by Mr Moorthy’s
speech on the importance of being an Interactor
or even a Rotarian in a global community.
A musical performance by Muhammad
Ameerul Haziq was followed by Immediate
Past President Balasubraniam’s speech. He
welcomed the new President Annisa Mohmad
Afandi by presenting her with the President’s
badge. Anissa’s speech promised a continuation of the previous board’s efforts and more
promising projects lined up for the coming
year.
The new Board was installed by the President
of Rotary Club of Greentown. This year’s
Board comprises the following:
Vice President: Dhipan Raj s/o Sundram
Secretary: Monissha Thiagu
Treasurer: Jane Goh
IU Director: Muhammad Isa bin Othman
Club Director: Chaiw Ern Ni
Publicity Director: Lim Hui Bing
Community Service
Director: Manohj a/l Thiagu
Funding Director: Desmond Yeoh
Sergeant-At-Arms: Bianca Crus Victor
Frances
Tokens of appreciation were
given out by the President to
guests from other schools. The
spotlight was then on performances by Marco George and
Joshua Alfred Myatt with their
electric guitars and a stunning
dance
by
Jaycharan
S.
Randhawa
The New Board - 2014/2015
KBSM 3 & 4 attend ‘No Apologies’ Workshop
On Thursday, 4 September 2014, Form 3 and
The media – how media (magazines, television,
Form 4 students of Sekolah Tenby Ipoh attend-
radio) can influence the way we think and how
ed a workshop entitled ‘No Apologies’ which
we act, and how social media in particular can
was presented by the group ‘Focus on the
present dangers we do not even think about.
Family’. A total of 60 students attended the
workshop which was presented in a mixture of
lecture-style talks, video watching, workbook
reflection as well as interactive games and
activities to get everybody moving about.
The workshop focused on a few main topics:
Relationships – how taking enough time to
develop different types of relationships is
necessary.
Students interviewed afterwards said that they
found the workshop interesting, informative and
educational. They also said that while the
The individual – how one is made up of the
topics were not really new to them, some of the
intellectual, social, emotional, physical and
things raised and discussed did succeed in
ethical aspects which cannot be separated,
making them more aware of the impact of what
and how an action that seemingly impacts one
was going in their lives.
aspect would also affect the whole.
Character definition and friendship choices –
how these have an impact on, and result in us
making certain choices.
Students of KBSM 3 & 4
attending the ‘No Apologies’
workshop at the school
auditorium.
Source of Article: Mr Louis; Pictures: Mr Harry
A Friend from the Land of the Cherry Blossom
Miss Eimi Fujimura is no stranger to Tenby Schools
What do you like best about Tenby Schools
Ipoh. Back in March 2007, then aged 13, she was
Ipoh?
put on an international flight from Narita Airport,
Tokyo, to Kuala Lumpur and onward to Tenby
Schools Ipoh in Jalan Kelab Golf. She was hosted in
Ipoh by the family of the late Dato’ KK Lim. Miss
Fujimura is the grand-daughter of Mr Koyata Fuji-
mura, a close family friend of the Lims.
Now aged 20 and on the threshold of a teaching
The students are very cheerful and seem very happy
to come to school. They also seem to be enjoying
their studies and activities. They ask more questions
than would the average Japanese child in school.
What one area for improvement would you like to
point out?
career in Japan, Miss Fujimura has done a short
The school canteen seems rather too crowded.
stint as an intern at our school. Here she shares her
Any other observations about the school?
excitement and thoughts about her second sojourn
at Tenby Schools Ipoh.
She was interviewed by Sixth Formers Janice Wong
and Ding Zu Ron. Here are some of their questions
and answers:
What are you currently doing in Japan?
Yes, the temperature in the classrooms is colder
than in Japan! I could not survive in your classrooms
without being wrapped in a cardigan all day long!
What did you like best about Ipoh city?
Most visitors talk about the food in Ipoh. I would put
Ipoh’s people first. They are very approachable and
I am in the third year of my degree course in English
amiable. Next to the people, I would say the lime-
Literature and Comparative Culture Studies at
stone caves are an unbeatable experience for Tokyo
Shirayari Women’s University College in Chofu City,
dwellers like me who live very far from mountains. I
Tokyo. My course is a four-year stint which incorpo-
shall never tire of visiting the Kek Lok Tong and the
rates a teaching qualification.
Perak Tong caves.
Do many young people in Japan want to be
You are doing comparative studies between Ja-
teachers?
pan and the West. What differences do you ob-
Generally, no. They think teaching is a very difficult
serve between Japan and the West?
job. Parents have very high expectations and can
We Japanese are quieter in disposition. We talk less
sometimes be very difficult.
but that does not mean we are sleeping or
hibernating. The Japanese are also very quiet in
class.
We wish Eimi all the best in her future career.
Eimi (far right) being interviewed by Janice Wong & Zu Ron.
Eimi introducing herself to the sixth formers in class.
By Nikki Sullivan
Engagement and Progress through Clarity, Consistency and Challenge
Developing marking and assessment at Tenby International Secondary School
Two weeks ago I wrote to you to describe the steps
In addition to making the ‘My Learning, My
that we had taken as a school to remind our students
Target’ sheets, we have also consolidated best
of the expectations with regards to their behaviour
practice across the school by introducing marking
and attitude to learning in and around school. As a
codes which will be used in every subject. This will
staff over the past 2 weeks we have also taken addi-
enable all students to more clearly see and under-
tional steps to provide clarity and consistency for our
stand the feedback they have been given by staff.
students with regards to marking and assessment.
The marking codes mean that all teachers will begin
All students have been issued with a ‘My Learning, My Targets’ sheet which details their target
levels / grades for the end of the year in each of their
subjects. In order to ensure that targets are challenging yet achievable for students we have given
them a Bronze, Silver and Gold target to motivate
them to give their best. Teachers will be having discussions with students regarding these targets in
order to help students understand how to improve.
This will also enable students to reflect on their
attainment following their half termly summative
assessments in order to see whether they are ‘on
track’. Students are having assemblies this week to
explain the purpose of their ‘My Learning, My Targets’ sheets in order to help them take responsibility
for their learning and ensure that they understand
the systems we have put in place to support them.
to mark in green pen in order that students can
easily
track
their
feedback.
Where
formative
comments are given (whereby students are given
feedback relating to how to improve their work)
teachers will ask students to respond to that feedback at the next available page or underneath their
work. This will ensure that students are actually
taking on board the feedback that they are given.
This response is called ‘red for reflection’ and in
order that students can easily track their progress
this will need to be completed in red pen in order to
distinguish it from their other work. We would therefore appreciate it if you could supply your child with a
red pen for use in lessons when they are responding
to their teacher’s feedback.
We hope that parents and guardians are pleased
with the positive steps that have been taken to
increase students’ awareness of their target levels
and the ‘Going for Gold’ motto being used to inspire
all our students to be the best they can be. We also
hope that the new marking codes and ‘red for
reflection’ system will enable students to more easily
reflect on their learning and see the steps that they
need to make in order to improve and make
progress.
<<<
‘My Learning, Mr Targets’
sheet & ‘Marking Codes’
information are given to
students.
>>>
Students of TIS Secondary are
urged to bring a red pen to
school for ‘Red for Reflection’.
Secondary Science Club
Source: Myra Pyne
The Science Club got off with a bang in the first week.
Students created their own hydrogen gas through
various reactions between metals and acids. They
used the gas to launch rockets and then to recreate the
explosive disaster of the 1937 Hindenburg airship
disaster. They filled a glove like the airship with hydrogen and then set it alight. The small explosion was
enough to give anyone a fright.
<<< Members of Secondary Science Club
filling up the glove with hydrogen gas.
Tenby Schools Official Song Competition
The Tenby Schools Official Song Competition will take place this term. It’s an opportunity
for any Primary, Secondary or 6th Form student to compose and perform a song for the
school. The winning entry will go forward to the National Finals where it will compete
with entries from all the other Tenby Schools as part of the Tenby Schools Inaugural
Music Camp 2015.
The song should take as its theme the Tenby Group’s Vision and Mission: A United
World at Peace – Through Education. These words do not need to be appear in the lyrics
of the song, but the underlying concept must be present. The lyrics should be mostly in
English with some words and phrases from other Malaysian languages as appropriate.
Any style of music is acceptable but, as this is a school song, it should be suitable for
performance by ensemble voices as well as by a soloist.
The deadline for the submission of entries, comprising a copy of the lyrics and an audio
or video recording, is Monday the 3rd of November. The first round of the competition will
take place during week commencing Monday the 17 th of November and the Final Performance Round will be held on Wednesday. 26th November.
Please see Dr. Rowlands for more information and a copy of the Entrance Form.
Dr Jeff Rowlands
Source: Mrs Margaret (Class Teacher of Year 4 Blue)
IPC Topic -
2nd - 12th September 2014
Students of Year 4 Blue brainstorming
ideas as a group.
Questions like ‘What is learning?’ and
‘How do we learn?’ are being discussed.
Here students learn by listening &
observing, demonstrating & modelling.
Different skills can be learnt in many
different ways and students are finding
ways to learn better!
Students learning new things and having fun while learning.
Pictures courtesy of Ms Michelle Lim
Key Stage 3 - Let Your Creativity Shine in Art!
__________________________________
In conjunction with Mooncake Festival
Celebration 2014, Key Stage 3 (Years 7 - 9)
students used recycled items to make
lanterns. Here we share with you some of
their creative masterpieces.
__________________________________
Upcoming Events/Announcements
Contact Us
12 September - 13 September 2014
The Global Perspective Debates II/2014
Tenby Schools Ipoh
15 September 2014
Staff Development Day
Referring to circular no: IIS.916.2014, TIS students will be having
holiday on this day.
SR & SM - School is on as usual.
No CCA on 15 September 2014
(applicable to both TIS & Sekolah Tenby)
A replacement will be given for all CCA (payable & non-payable) on
24 November 2014.
2 February 2015
Staff Development Day
Referring to circular no: IIS.916.2014, TIS students will be having
holiday on this day.
16 Persiaran Meru Utama
Bandar Meru Raya
30020 Ipoh, Perak
T: 05 - 525 2628
F: 05 - 525 2881
[email protected]
Visit us on the web at
www.tenby.edu.my/ipoh