Newsletter No. 87 - September 2015

TENBY SCHOOLS IPOH
Newsletter #87 - September 2015
In this issue of the newsletter:
Activities around the school
IGCSE PE by Lim Hui Bing
Sixth Form - Community Service
Project in Aid of SK St Anthony,
Langkap
Global Perspectives Debates II
From the Campus Principal
The Haze
This week the school and its community have
been disrupted with the haze. Thank you to all in
the community for your understanding (with short
notice at times) when we have had to cancel
outdoor activities and outdoor CCAs this week.
Unfortunately, the air quality deteriorated quickly
on some days so, the decision to cancel outdoor
acitvities at inconvenient times has been
unavoidable. The health and safety of our
students is paramount.
Teachers Development – Post Graduate
Certificate of Education (International) (PGCEi)
The Tenby Group of Schools is proud of its record
of helping teachers to become fully qualified with
the PGCEi qualification which is recognised in the
UK and around the world. Congratulations to the 6
teachers from Tenby Schools Ipoh who have
successfully completed their PGCEi this year.
They received their Certificates at a special
Ceremony at the Tropicana Golf and Country Club
last Saturday.
Meanwhile a new group of teachers started the
course last week, with a residential week in Meru
Valley Golf & Country Club conducted by Dr.
George Beale and Andy Brown from Stranmillis
College and Dr. Billy McClune and Dr. James
Nelson from Queens University Belfast. They
were joined by 16 teachers from other Tenby
schools, and they will continue the PGCEi course
for the next nine months.
This continues Tenby Schools’ commitment to
provide both local and expat teachers with
continuous professional development.
ILMU Education Group Launch
As you are aware Tenby Schools Malaysia
became part of Ekuinas earlier this year. The
launch of ILMU Education Group (which is the
educational arm of Ekuinas) was held on Tuesday
15th September in Kuala Lumpur. Students from
our sister school in KL represented the Tenby
Schools’ Group. We are now part of one of the
largest education providers in Malaysia catering
for over 35,000 students.
Parents’ Association (PA) Meeting
The School Leadership Team met with the PA this
morning and we had the opportunity to share the
School’s Vision, Mission and Core Values of
Jane Kuok
Tenby with the members of PA.
We spoke about our students
and community being lifelong
learners, embracing cultural
diversity, international
mindedness and for our students
to develop the skills, attributes and attitudes
needed for the future. We shared the idea of
‘learning for today, living for tomorrow’. We look
forward to working with the PA to develop
improved communication and community
integration. Here are a few points that we would
like to share:
• We encourage parents to raise queries
directly to the School, via their son/daughter’s
class/form/homeroom teacher.
• We urge parents to access the main points of
communication, namely weekly Newsletters
via the website, e-mail and letters sent home.
• We will be looking to introduce Twitter to the
community as a one-way communication tool
as this will allow information to be passed on
in real time. Twitter messages can be set up
on phones to come in as messages. More
information to follow.
• We will be making communication more timely
and effective.
• We will be hosting more events such as
Coffee Mornings to develop our community
spirit.
• We will be encouraging students to take on
more initiatives that may involve community
projects with the PA and staff.
Upcoming Events
On Sunday, 21 of our Interactors and Prefects will
be taking part in the Memory Walk to
commemorate World Alzheimer’s Day. The walk is
6.6km and it is aimed at creating awareness of
dementia. Come next month, on Sunday 18th
October, Tenby School Meru Campus will be the
official venue for the prize giving event of Kelab
Roadrunners Ipoh Run 2015. Presently, nearly 30
of our students have signed up to take part in this
run. On the same day the Noah’s Ark is also
organising a World Animal Day in our school.
There will be a Pet Adoption Drive, Food Fair, Flea
Market and kid photo session with a Star!! Come
join us for this fun filled day.
Please remember Thursday is Hari Raya Haji
which is a public holiday. Friday - school will be in
session as usual. Have a lovely weekend.
Teachers who successfully completed PGCEi with the Leadership Team at the Certificate
Presentation Ceremony.
New group of teachers starting the PGCEi course.
Quartet from Tenby Schools Setia Eco Park performing at the Ilmu Education Group launch.
News from International Secondary
Message from Head of Secondary, Neil Page...
I am pleased to announce that the following
teachers are taking up the following posts within
our International Secondary School:
Mr Darren Nicoll – Key Stage 3 Leader
Mr. Ricky Singh – Curriculum Area Leader for the
Arts, Sport and Technology.
I am sure that you will all join me in wishing them
well as they embark on these roles, and I am sure
they will build on the strong foundations of their
predecessors.
IGCSE PE by Lim Hui Bing, Cindy
Being an athlete since I was about 9 years old, I
find it hard to understand how some people do not
enjoy playing sports. However, growing up here in
Tenby, I’ve come to realise that everyone has their
own interests and talents. I’ve made friends with
special people: the intellectual ones, the sporty
ones, artistic ones, musical ones, etcetera and
they’re all wonderful people to be around with. I
can also separate them into two categories: the
ones who cheer for compulsory PE lessons, and
the ones who sulk. Despite their dislike of outdoor
activities, there is a compulsory PE lesson each
week, which all students have to participate.
Honestly, I believe that it is necessary, as exercise
is very fundamental to the human body. It is rather
hard to persuade people to exercise, as they do
not realise the consequences of it. Most would say
that not exercising would just make one gain
weight, but that is not all. Yes, lack of exercise
would lead to a gain of weight, but that would lead
to further problems such as life threatening and
long lasting diseases. An increase in weight due to
lack of exercise would usually mean an increase
in fat levels in the body. This, along with the
shrinking of muscle tissues, causing the body to
be weak, leading to weaker joints and bones,
which may lead to painful diseases that may end
up being chronic. A high level of fats in the body
also leads to high cholesterol, which increases the
chances of organ failure and heart diseases when
serious. To me, exercising is a way of releasing
stress. I feel as if the pressure that has piled up on
me evaporates along with the sweat. In the
meantime, I get to meet new friends and bond
with them through teamwork in certain sports. All
of these are like bonuses in addition to getting a
healthy body. I get to learn through experiences,
laugh and socialise, feel confident and be myself.
Though some parents may discourage their
children to be overly sport in fear of injuries, it is a
necessity in life, and being passionate in the
things I do, I believe that it is definitely worth it. As
a house captain for three years now, I can say that
it is a tough job trying to find students to
participate in various sporting events. I hope that
more Tenby students would be encouraged to at
least, try some sports, and discover the beauty
that the eye cannot see.
Cindy (centre) with her friends.
Tenby International Secondary School.
KS3 & 4 Homework Timetable w.e.f. 01.09.2015
Day / Year
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thur
Fri
Year 7B
Year 7G
1 English
1 English
Year 7Y
1 Maths
Year 8B
1 Hum
Year 8G
1 ICT
Year 8Y
1 Maths
Year 9B
1 Maths
Year 9G
1 Maths
Year 9Y
1 ICT
Year 10
1 Maths
Year 11
1 English
2 Science 2 Science
2 Science 2 Man / Fr 2 Maths
2 Man / Fr 2 Man / Fr 2 Man / Fr 2 Man / Fr 2 Econ/PE/ICT
2 P/A/Dr/DT
1 Hum
1 Maths
1 Maths
1 English
1 English
1 English
2 Maths
2 ICT
2 ICT
2 Science
2 Man / Fr 2 Hum
1 Hum
1 Maths
1 Hum
2 Science
1 Man / Fr 1 Malay
1 English
1 English
1 English
1 B/C/P/Art/Music
1 Maths
2 Science 2 Science
2 Maths
2 B/C/P/BS
2 Mal/Man
1 Science
1 Hum
1 Maths
1 Malay
1 English
1 P/C/B
2 Malay
2 ICT
2 Hum
2Hum
2 Geo/Hist/Econ/BS 2 E/AM/PE/Mus
1 Maths
1 Maths
1 Science
1 Maths
1 Maths
2 ICT
2 Science 2 Man / Fr 2 ICT
1 English
1 English
1 English
2 Maths
2 Man/Fr
2 Science 2 Malay
2 Maths
2 ICT
2 Malay
2 Malay
2 Science 2 B/C/P/DT/Dr
2 Maths
1 Science 1 Hum
1 English
1 English
1 English
1 English
1 English
1 English
1 English
1 English
2 Malay
2 Malay
2 Maths
2 Science 2 Science 2 Science
2 Maths
1 Science 1 Malay
1 English
2 Man / Fr 2 Science 2 Mal/Man/French
1 Geo/Hist/Econs/PE
2 B/C/ICT/BS
News from International Primary
Dear Parents,
Abacus is the Maths scheme we are using and it
comes with student activities to do at home.
Please refer to the notes below to help your child
get ahead with Abacus online. All students from
Year 1 – Year 6 will be issued with a login and
password on Monday 21st September.
Abacus is a Maths toolkit that has been written for
the new primary Maths curriculum. It’s been
carefully crafted on a robust approach to creating
inspired and confident young mathematicians.
To help children make sense of and practice their
Maths, Abacus provides a combination of Maths
games, interactive activities, pupil videos and
pupil worksheets, focused around an interactive
pupil world where your child can earn rewards and
personalise their learning.
Using the Abacus online pupil world with your
child
The Abacus pupil world is the place that your child
will log into to play Maths games, complete
interactive activities and access rewards. They
earn rewards by completing the games and
activities that their teacher has allocated to them.
They can also watch pupil videos, which recap
key teaching topics. These videos are
accompanied by pupil worksheets that help
children practice key maths skills.
If you have access to an internet connection, your
child can log into the Abacus pupil world at home
with their personal login. They can do so via a
computer or tablet. Your child’s teacher may give
them a login reminder bookmark to keep at home,
or in their bookbag, so that they have the
information they need to access the pupil world
from home.
Logging into the pupil world
The Abacus pupil world is powered by a website
called ActiveLearn. To log into the pupil world,
your child will need to:
1. Go to www.activelearnprimary.co.uk
2. Enter their login details and click “Log in”.
Once your child has logged in, they’ll arrive at the
Pupil Home. Children can personalise their home
screen by choosing a world. The worlds differ
depending on key stage but include Race World,
Skate World and Future World.
“My Stuff”
This is where children can see the activities their
teacher has allocated to them. They can see here
how many coins each game or activity is worth
before completing it.
“My Rewards”
“My Rewards” is where your child can go to select
their rewards after completing allocated games
and activities. They can also customise avatars,
decorate a tree house, play games and more. The
more games and activities your child completes,
the more rewards they can unlock and buy.
Using the Abacus workbooks and textbooks
with your child
Occasionally, your child may bring home a
textbook or workbook. Workbooks in Abacus are
for KS1 children (Year 1 and Year 2) whilst the
textbooks are for both KS1 and KS2 (Years 2-6).
Within these resources, you’ll find clearly laid out
questions with instructions and pictorial
representations that are easy to follow. ‘Think’
activities give children an extra level of challenge,
whilst the traffic light self-assessments allow
children to indicate how they think they have got
on with a particular activity.
Need help?
Don’t forget, if your child is having trouble using
the pupil world, help can be found in the Help
Section of ActiveLearn (in the top right-hand
corner of the website).
Please note: We strongly recommend using
Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox web browsers
with ActiveLearn. If you prefer to use Internet
Explorer, please check you have at least IE9 in
order for everything to work as it should.
by David Key
News from Sekolah Tenby
Merdeka Day Celebration | 28 August 2015
Merdeka Baby and Birthday Girl
Parents’ Evening - PT3 Trial Examination Results | 15 September 2015
Tenby Early Years Centre Ipoh (TEYCI) Weekly Newsletter – Week 3
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Another week has passed with the HAZE …. being the main concern thus being an obstacle to
outdoor activities in school much to the dismay of the children. However, the children did not miss
out the fun as all activities were carried out in the school hall and classrooms as planned. All
precautions were taken as a school and arrangement were made to getting work home in case of
school closure.
We hope you have all read your child’s curriculum map sent home and are now fully informed of
what they are learning/preparing for this half term. Please lookout for things requested by teachers
for your child’s class projects according to the themes.
Both Early Year’s staff have been working together on the Early Years planning and our new phonic
programme – Read, Write and Inc. Phonics. It’s a rapid Learn to read programme-so children
can…..Read to learn for the rest of their lives. A child who reads a lot will become a good reader.
As parents you will soon be invited to a workshop on this programme for a better and overall
understanding. We will keep you updated.
A briefing on Read, Write and Inc. by Ms Deborah on Monday 14th September, 2015
All the best for the rest of the week.
Let’s take a look at the classroom news.
Puvanes Mahendran
Classroom News
Toddlers
Little Dolphins – Dolphins are intelligent and playful mammal. We named our class Dolphin as we
are preparing the children to explore in their multiple intelligent through play. The children are going
to learn through interacting with one another from different set up activities. They had their first
hands on activity by playing with paint. It was a messy and exciting time for them but yet enjoyable.
Little Nemos – Nemo is a fish who learns to explore the ocean. Just like Nemo, the children in our
class are learning to explore in their new journey in school. Most of the children have settled down
except for a few who still require some time to adjust themselves and to adapt in the school routine.
Very young children adapting, interacting and socialize with their friends through play.
Nursery
Little Tulips – Tulip is bulbous plant from the lily family with boldly coloured cup shaped flowers.
We come in various colours representing our cheerfulness and loveliness. We are an enthusiastic
class who is ready to meet out daily challenges physically, mentally and emotionally by learning
through play.
Little Daffodils – The Daffodil is an interesting flower with vibrant colours and a long trumpet
shaped center. Just like a Daffodil flower, our children are vibrant and keen to learn about
themselves and share stories with teachers every day.
Children are slowly beginning to adapt to the class environment, interacting and discovering about
themselves and their peers. Wow! What an interesting topic we are on “All About Me”. Now we have
realised how important are our five senses. Without one will make such a great difference in us.
Receptions
Little Da Vinci’s - We named our class Little Da Vinci’s because we love art and craft. The children
in the class are always cheerful and curious to learn new things. They enjoy exploring in the field of
art, show and tell and role play activities. The children enjoy coming to school and this is a wonderful
class.
Little Einstein’s – Little Einstein is a class of 18 children. These children are creative in thinking
and will have an opportunity to develop optimum thinking skills. They are always curious and eager
to explore things in the surrounding environment.
Children take the opportunity to know about the nature. They enjoy bringing their potted plants and
artificial plants to explore and discover through stories and experiments. They learn the growing
sequence of a plant and beginning to understand the concept of “light and heavy” through shapes
and sizes.
Year 1
Year 1A is a wonderful Year 1 class with children who are very excited about learning. The will be
exposed to many new things to learn each day. They are ready and eager to face challenges and
opportunities in learning. In this year, they will be moulded not only academically, but in other areas
as well from character building, problem solving, critical thinking, physical and social development
and many more. It is going to be an exciting year ahead.
Year 1B is a preparation class for those students who plan to study in local primary school at age
of 7. These children are learning the local syllabus that has been prepared by the school. The
children in Year 1B are observational learners and they love to learn by observing others and the
surroundings. They love to come to school and enjoy participating in different group discussions.
Their enthusiasm in learning will prepare them to move further and acquire knowledge in their
learning journey.
This term, the Year 1 children started with the theme on “Brainwave”. The children first brainstormed
on what learning is. Then, they did class visitation to observe on how learning take place in different
classes.
News from Tenby Early Years Centre, Meru
It was another busy week for the Early Years classes at the Meru campus.
The Dragonflies and Busy Bees
The Dragonflies and Busy Bees were all ready to go digging in our garden plots this week but
unfortunately “the haze” stopped us. So instead we did this …
We baked cookies
We learnt to recognise numbers and learn their value
We felt and smelt different leaves and plants
…and then we all calmed down and made flowers at the play
dough table.
“Stars of the Week
7-11 Sept 2015
Little Fish
Au Le Xin
Busy Bees
Siew Qi Bin
Dragonflies Norman Yeoh
14 - 18 Sept 2015
Little Fish
Ziyaad Hasan
Busy Bees
Khiruphagary Ramu
Dragonflies Signature Lok
The Little Fish
The Little Fish are learning “All about me”. Here they are
learning the names and uses for the different parts of their
Date for your Diary:
Read Write Inc Parent Workshop
22nd October 2015
15:00 to 16:00
‘m’ was the sound
of the week
for the Little Fish
Sixth Form - Community Service Project in Aid of SK St Anthony, Langkap
We have identified SK St Anthony, Langkap, as one of our adopted schools in our Community Service
Outreach Programme. There are sound reasons for this choice. First, we want to be modest about our
aims. We have chosen one of the smallest schools in Malaysia. In terms of enrolment, the school has
127 pupils. This means that our community service endeavour will actually benefit our target group –the
students – in a more tangible way than it would in a larger school. Secondly, the children come from very
poor families. The average family income level is RM300 – RM600 per month. Thirdly, the school has a
large number of Orang Asli children.
Our initial objective this year is to supply the school with
sufficient reading materials in English. We hope that these
reading materials will be utilized in the school library as
well in the classrooms. We wish to thank our entire school
community for coming together to donate easy-to-read
story books. We have so far donated 300 books. The
teaching staff of SK St Anthony, Langkap were very
appreciative of this contribution.
“We wish to thank the students, teachers and parents of
Tenby International School, Ipoh for their generous gesture
in conjunction with our Malaysia Day Celebrations,”
remarked Senior Assistant, Tuan Syed Dzulkifli in his welcoming speech. “This gesture expresses the
caring spirit which brings people of all races and faiths
together.”
Among the personalities present at the book presentation
ceremony held at the school on Tuesday 15th September
were representatives of the Board of Governors including
His Excellency Bishop Sebastian Francis, the Head of the
Catholic Mission Schools in North Peninsular Malaysia.
Tenby Schools Ipoh were represented by the Sixth
Formers of Cohort 12 led by Mr Louis Rozario Doss and
Mr Harjinder Singh Seggu.
Among the highlights of the day was a heart-to-heart chat
session between our Sixth Fomers and the students of Year 5 at the school. In this session, we
encouraged the children to share their experiences of family life, their siblings, their parents and their
hopes for the future. There was much that we learned about living conditions in poor families. Many of
the children were often absent from school because they had to help their parents work on agricultural
plantations. We also learned that many of them came to school without any pocket money. The school
gives them their only daytime meals – some milk and
biscuits ,and occasionally, rice meals.
“We have come back from Langkap more aware of the
socio-economic challenges that young people face in
Malaysia,” commented Ann Verghese, the President of
Cohort 12. “Our work for the children at SK St Anthony,
Langkap is still in its infancy. Much more needs to be
done and we are determined to see it carried forward.”
By Lydia Abraham
Community Service Director
Cohort 12
Announcements
Global Prespective Debates
Held in the Auditorium, from Friday 18th – Saturday 19th September 2015
The Programme:
Friday 18th September 2015:
14:30hrs
Registration & Briefing
15:00hrs
Round 1 Debates: “The pen is mightier than the sword”
16:30hrs
Round 2 Debates: “There should be quotas for women in every sector.”
17:30hrs
End of Day 1 sessions
Saturday, 19th September 2015
08:30hrs
Briefing
09:00hrs
Round 3 Debates: “People today have less regard for decency.”
11:00hrs
Round 4 Debates: Social media networks should be more tightly regulated.”
13:00hrs
The Semifinal: Topic to be announced at 12.00 noon
15:00hrs
The Final: Topic to be announced at 2.00 p.m
16:30hrs
Prize-Giving & Certificate Presentation
17:30hrs
Closure
Participating Schools
Tenby Schools Ipoh, SMK Sam Tet, SMK Ave Maria Convent, SMK Gunung Rapat, Poi Lam Private
School, Malay College KK, ACS Kampar