AISHK Welcomes MiG Ayesa - Australian International School Hong
Transcription
AISHK Welcomes MiG Ayesa - Australian International School Hong
DHANARA the weekly newsletter of the Australian International School Hong Kong Dhanara is the Aboriginal word for message stick 24 August 2011 (Term 3, week 4) AISHK Welcomes MiG Ayesa This week is one of the biggest weeks in this year’s events calendar as AISHK welcomes MiG Ayesa to the school, to Hong Kong and to our bi-annual ball, A Night on Broadway. Anyone who has been keeping up with Australia’s music scene and the world of musicals will instantly recognise the name. MiG is one of Australia’s pre-eminent vocalists and biggest stage stars, having performed in a huge number of hit shows including Grease, Rent, We Will Rock You and The Buddy Holly Story in Australia and around the world. A big fan of Hong Kong and keen to support AISHK’s young performers, MiG was kind enough take time off from his busy schedule and role in the Broadway production, Rock of Ages, to come to Hong Kong for this very special event. During the week, MiG has been hosting workshops at the school, giving students instruction on, and insights into, the performing arts, working on stage and how to develop their skills as performing artists. The week will culminate with some of our talented singers performing live on stage with MiG at AISHK’s Night on Broadway black tie Ball, to be held this Friday at the Grand Hyatt, where they’ll be performing hit songs from some of the world’s biggest musicals including Phantom of the Opera, We Will Rock You, The Boy from Oz and many more. “Ever since I was very young, I’ve loved performing!,” says MiG, “I used to have speech problems when I was at school, but I found that when I sang or acted out in a play, the problem would go away. I got to love singing and being on stage. It’s where I felt alive and like a normal person.” From this inspirational start, MiG began performing whenever he could, but it was a lucky moment during university that gave him his first big break, a lead role playing Ritchie Valens in The Buddy Holly Story. “The most important thing is passion. I love what I do and I think that’s the key to success in any occupation. The passion becomes infectious and it influences the people around you. “Students can be trained, but training only takes you part of the way. I recommend students find a way to do more performing. Because the more you do, the better you get. After that, it’s all about developing your individuality; your own style. That’s what separates you from the rest.” MiG and Allira practice ahead of Friday’s Night on Broadway black tie Ball One of AISHK’s own, Allira Wilson, is doing just that, as she gets ready to take to the stage at Friday’s ball, where she’ll be singing some of the night’s biggest songs with MiG by her side. Already accomplished beyond her years, Allira’s soaring vocals and on stage presence will leave audiences mesmerised. You’ll likely be seeing and hearing more from Allira, around Australia and around the world, very very soon. “I love theatre and I love performing,” says Allira, who graduated from AISHK as our Head Girl in 2010, and is already planning a career in music and entertainment. She recently completed training courses at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London and is looking to study full time at NIDA very soon. “My dream is to have a career as a singer and be in musicals and on stage, just like MiG!” Persistence and passion are the keys to success MiG talks about life on stage during a workshop & practice session. Dhanara 24.08.2011 Page 1 Primary News It is almost half term and swimming lessons are in full swing for our Upper Primary classes. Then in Week 7 the Year 3 and 4 classes commence their lessons. Some things are easier to learn than other things. The human brain is born with a pre-programmed expectation to learn a whole range of skills such as eating, walking, talking, simple number facts, toileting, bonding and so on. The human brain, however, does not expect to learn certain other things and therefore requires intense coaching and long periods of practice. Examples of such learning include reading, writing, complex mathematics, playing sports, playing a musical instrument and swimming. Whatever the brain learns it needs experience to enable the construction of memory. Neuroscientists have divided this into two major categories; experience expectant and experience dependent. Most young children learn to talk and walk easily (experience expectant) compared to writing their name, (experience dependent). According to John Joseph (Brainy Parents, Brainy Kids), a young child masters grammar of a language more easily during the early years, while the vocabulary of the same language is subject to life-long modification. Therefore, second language learners need exposure to the grammar of the language early on if they are to speak it without an accent. Around one year of age, a child has a vocabulary of around 50 words or so, (OCED, 2002), learnt primarily by pointing, labelling and naming things. This expands to perhaps 2500 words by the age of five. The stiff-legged movements of the toddler mature in the second year of life into running, jumping, hoping, kicking, climbing and riding. During the third year of life many children learn to tip toe, balance on a narrow beam, catch items and even make rudimentary drawings that represent people and environments. To develop these skills young people require play time rather than passive activity. Because young children are so active and curious, a parent who provides lots of emotional support, love and of course time will provide the optimum environment for the young brain’s learning. By around four years of age most children have developed awareness of their own minds and that of others. Imaginative play is a hallmark of the four year old. Listen in on their conversations and you can often hear your own words being used! By around six years most children can count to 30 or more, write their name, understand the meaning of prepositions (in, on, above, over, around, under) and many comparative states (biggest, smallest tallest, widest). Running, laughing, chattering, exploratory young children require little formula instruction to master such learning. But they do require high levels of interacting with loving caring adults and the scope to explore and make mistakes without criticism. The early years require above all else, the development of emotional competencies- to be self-aware, to have self-control, the ability to resolve conflicts, to cooperate with others to delay gratification and to seek satisfaction. What wonderful opportunities for learning in these the “Early Years”. In fact scientists assert that young children’s brains learn better than at any other time in their lives! Let’s make sure we value these important years and ensure we provide time for optimum learning to occur. Leonie Drew Principal Primary, Co Head of School [email protected] PRIMARY ASSEMBLIES The Next Assembly: Week 4: Year 3 hosting 26 Aug at 11:20am Upcoming Assemblies: Week 4 - 26 Aug (Year 3 hosting) Week 5 - 02 Sep (Year 1 hosting) Early Childhood Book Week Assembly Week 6 - 09 Sep Sports Awards Assembly at HKBU Week 7 - 16 Sep Chinese Week Assembly Week 8 - 23 Sep (Year 5 hosting) Assemblies on odd weeks begin at 11:10am and even weeks at 11:20am School-wide Notices MTR Student Cards Application forms for the MTR Student Travel Scheme for the upcoming year can be obtained from the Level 9 Administration Office Reception Counter. Please note that students need to be aged 12 and above to be eligible for this scheme. Students who do not possess a Personalised Octopus Card (with name and photo printed on the card) need to apply for a Personalised Octopus Card with a “Student Status” endorsement. The completed form together with HK$90.00 (HK$50 for the Octopus card deposit, a HK$20 non-refundable handling fee charge levied by Octopus Cards Limited and HK$20 usable value encoded on the processed card) should be returned to the school office. Students who need to activate or renew the “Student Status” on their Personalised Octopus Card should go in person to a MTR Customer Service Centre any time from 20 October onwards. An administration fee of HK$20 will need to be paid when your card is updated. Application forms for applying for a Personalised Octopus Card with “Student Status” and “Activation/Renewal of “Students Status” on a Personalised Octopus Card should be returned to the school office before 8 September. Your card will be sent to the school in November for distribution to students. Please note that late applications cannot be accepted. Dhanara 24.08.2011 Page 2 Secondary News While schools across Australia continue to work towards implementing a National Curriculum there has been a major announcement relating to the NSW curriculum for Years 7-10 as offered here in Hong Kong by AISHK. The NSW Education Minister, Adrian Piccoli, has announced that the Year 10 School Certificate will be abolished from 2012. “The external tests currently administered to all Year 10 students will not continue after this year. Mr Piccoli said that the decision was made as a result of consultations between the Board of Studies and key stakeholders, including groups representing principals, teachers, parents and all school sectors. “The message from stakeholders was that the School Certificate no longer meets the expectations of employers. It has not responded to changes such as the increase in the school leaving age, and the introduction of NAPLAN testing,” says Piccoli. “Students who leave school before they complete their HSC deserve a credential which is modern and relevant. Just as importantly, employers want to see a credential which is meaningful to them.” Mr Piccoli says he has requested that the Board of Studies carry out further consultations that will enable it to put forward proposals for an alternative accreditation. In his announcement, he also said the following: “Stakeholder groups have given a clear view about some of the key elements that should be investigated further as the basis for a new credential. “A moderated credential recognising a wider range of student achievement would be more easily understood by employers, fairer and more reliable.” This decision means that Year 10, 2011, will be the last year level at AISHK to undertake external tests for the School Certificate. These tests will be held as scheduled in November 2011. AISHK Teaching Staff and, I am sure, our parents look forward to hearing more about the new accreditation and the means by which it will be obtained from 2012 onwards, when it is announced later this year. As always if you have any questions or concerns regarding this or any other matter relating to the Secondary Division, please do not hesitate to contact me at the school. Until next time. Phil Waugh Principal Secondary, Co Head of School [email protected] ICAS Science Competition High Distinction Reena Chow 7H Geraldine Le 7J Michael Tan 7J Joshua Lam 10H Matthew Yeung 11W Distinction Roger Wong 7E Kristy Lam 7H Finn Miles 7H Henry Feng 7J Julia Lui 7J Charlotte Head 7W Benjamin Ho z8H Joyce Lui 8J Gordon Young 8W Godfrey Chan 9E Jeremy Chan 9E Wilfred Chan 9E Jasmin Katz 9E Nathan Purdey 9E Janessa Chou 9H Rachael Chung 9H Boyle Kir 9H Caleb Au 9J Jason Ng 9J Jason Huen 9W Jessica Archer 10H John He 10J Joyce Ng 10J Bryan Yuen 11E Victor Zhou 11H Melissa Tan 11J Peter Wat 12B Jasper Chiu 12P Credit Bayley Cornish 7E Bryan Tang 7E Nicholas Yueng 7E Sophie Archibald 7H Nicholas Leung 7H Rain Wu 7J Natalie Ho 7W Jacky Lai 7W Chloe Lam 7W Andre Wu 7W Nicholas Yuan 7W Tini Tang 8E Daniel Archer 8H Dominic Stitt 8H Chi Yin Wong 8J Billy Co 8W Tiffany Nung 8W Michael Leung 9E NiNi Lu 9E Emily Archibald 9H Rex Choi 9H Charlotte Morris 9H Fergus Wong 9H Allen Lam 9J Adam Zhong 9J Coco Chen 9W Quinton Lau 9W Jacqui Chiu 10E Tommy Kim 10E Jennie Liu 10E Ruby Miles 10H Chester Siu 10H Alexander Tsang 10H Catherine Yu 10H Leo Ng 10J Jessica Foong 10W Forrest Ho 10W Ryan Lee 10W Pavin Poon 10W Sam Ho 11J Yolanda Tong 11W Gerald Mok 12B Eunice Lu 12P Willy Wu 12P Dhanara 24.08.2011 Page 3 School-wide Notices Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Donation Day: Tuesday 30 August The annual Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Donation Day at AISHK will be held on Tuesday 30 August, from 10:00am - 3:30pm. Students over the age of 16 can donate blood with parental permission. If any parents would like to donate blood on this day, please send an email with your available times to Paul McGunnigle, Community Service Co-ordinator at paul_mcgunnigle@ aishk.edu.hk. Guidelines for Prospective Donors The Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service needs to ensure that by accepting your blood, they do not harm you or the patients who may receive your blood. Please note there are certain conditions which will prohibit you from giving blood or may prohibit you from giving blood eg. if you have recently been ill with a specific ailment, travelled to certain locations during a certain period or have recently given blood. We would like to remind you to please speak to our Blood Transfusion Staff to determine whether any of these conditions apply to you. Student Health Enrolment Last Friday forms were sent home to both Primary (Year 1-6) and Secondary (Year 7-11) via your child in regard to the Government Health Scheme. Primary students are also eligible to enroll in the Government Dental Scheme, which has a $20.00 charge. Please return this signed enrolment form (with fee if applicable) to the 9/F Administration Office not later than Monday 5 September, 2011 if you wish to enrol your child. Forms submitted after this date will not be accepted. Career News Year 12 students considering study in Australia are able to begin the process online through each state’s Universities Admission Centre, for example in NSW and ACT using www.uac.edu.au. The on time application deadline is 30 September. After the application process has begun, students will still be able to change their preferences and course choices up to the start of 2012. The British Council is holding their annual UK education exhibition this weekend on 20 and 21 of August, from 1:00pm to 7:00pm in Hall 3G, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wanchai. Students looking to study in the UK in the coming academic year, or who are planning their applications for early deadlines for the next year, should not miss this opportunity to: • meet with 60 UK schools, colleges and universities • attend a series of seminars including How to choose the right course and University • find out about new scholarship opportunities • look for UK courses offered in Hong Kong For more detail see their website http://www.educationuk.org/hongkong . For more information related to career development please contact me. Feona Crawford - Careers Advisor / email: [email protected] Extra Tickets Available Uniform Survey for Parents Due to last minute withdrawals Australian International School Hong Kong we have a small number of tickets Presents available for Friday’s Night on Broadway. Six (6) are located at one table, two (2) are located at another. If you are interested in purchasing these tickets please contact Tracey Manning at 2194 3808. We will be closing the uniform survey at the end of this week, so if you haven’t taken the opportunity to respond, please consider doing so. This can be done by going on to the OLP, via your child’s OLP log-on and accessing the page labelled ‘Uniform Survey for Parents’. There were some earlier connection problems for families above Year 3, but these have been rectified and we look forward to reading your responses. Parent Association Preparatory Family Day Out Inspiration Lake, Lantau Island Sunday, 18 September from 9:00am Please bring your own picnic basket Paddle boat, bike hire and snack bar are available There is also a playground and room for kids to run around in Please be advised that parking is very LIMITED so we highly recommend catching the MTR RSVP to Narelle: [email protected] or Sally: [email protected] http://www.hkdlsource.com/resort/inspirationlake Hope to see you there! Preparatory Parents Drinks Meet Up Where: HUSH bar and lounge Ground Floor, 2 Glenealy St Central, Hong Kong When: Friday, September 2, 2011 Drinks from 8pm. Please RSVP to Narelle or Sally by 30 August 2011 (sorry for the short notice) Australian International School Hong Kong New Parents’ Coffee Morning The AISHK Parent Association Welcome Committee cordially invites you to our New Parents’ Coffee Morning Day: Tuesday 30 August 2011 Time: 9:30am Where: House 35, “Manderly Garden” 48 Deep Water Bay Rd, Shouson Hill (parking is available) RSVP: Linda Rogers at [email protected] New to AISHK and Hong Kong? Successful Transitions Successful Students 2 sessions of “New to AISHK & HK” workshops remain for parents new to AISHK & HK. When: Wednesdays: 31 August & 7 September 8:30am -10:00am Where: Library Conference Room: 5th Floor, AISHK Contact: [email protected] Phone: 2304 6078 Dhanara 24.08.2011 Page 4 A Night on Broadway Australian International School Hong Kong Presents Catch MiG’s New Album More Than Ever Don’t forget, you’ll be able to pick up a copy of the new CD this Friday at AISHK’s Night on Broadway ball or, if stocks last, next week at the 9th Floor Admininistration Office Dhanara 24.08.2011 Page 5