principal`s message - Sunway International School

Vol 6 Issue 2 June 2014
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE Dear Parents and Guardians, Sunway International School has grown to almost 600 students with over 30 nationalities. Through many new initiatives and achievements we continue to raise our reputation and distinguish ourselves as one of the top ranked international schools in Malaysia. The recent programmes that were introduced this semester are showing positive growth. Initiatives such as the Virtue of the Month, Interact Club, Cheerleading Club and the Honour Roll have incited much interest among the students. While each of these activities is substantial, collectively they represent many exciting new opportunities for our students and expanded directions for SIS. In other exciting news, we’re delighted to announce the launch of a new Sunway International School. SIS Sunway Iskandar is well into the planning stages and is scheduled to begin operations in 2017. SIS Sunway Iskandar is located in the special economic zone of Iskandar Malaysia in Johor Bahru, just a few minutes north of Singapore. To stay informed of the exciting developments, do check the dedicated banner on our website for the latest updates. We congratulate all members of our History Bowl Team, who represented Malaysia in the International History Bee and Bowl first ever Asian Championships 2014. Our team competed against 18 other international schools in the Junior Varsity History Bowl division at Sha Tin College in Hong Kong from 13th‐ 15th June. Our students had been meeting weekly for the past few months preparing for the tournament, delegating different categories among themselves to be “specialists” on the historical components of different parts of the world. Whilst our team did not advance to the finals, they were excellent ambassadors for both SIS and Malaysia. They gained a great deal of experience and had an exciting adventure in Hong Kong. Congratulations and many thanks to our team! Chun Min Ong Shin Qi Pavithran Devananthan Yap
Aisling Chia Kim Ching Estelle Siow Zhi Qian Chan Zhu Hans Lee Ji Timm Gan Zhe Jing
Cheh Soen Meng James Tan Sheng Yi Every end of the semester, we have to say goodbye to some of our staff that are returning to Canada. Personally and on behalf of all students and staff at SIS, I extend sincere thanks and appreciation to Mr. Manny Avila, Mr. James Harnish, Ms. Khrystyna Kevorkova, Ms. Danielle Hronsky, and Ms. Julie Gourley. Their contributions have been substantial, their friendship invaluable and their legacy immeasurable. We wish them every success in their future career endeavours. During the June semester break I wish you a safe and enjoyable time together with family and friends. See you in July! John Mackle Principal Vol 6 Issue 2 June 2014
SIS SPOTLIGHT FUNd‐Raising! Fund‐raising may be a chore for some, but not SIS students! By combining their creativity and resourcefulness, students and staff brought the “fun” to fund‐raising, through several innovative ways. Who likes pie? “Aye!” roared the teachers as they gamely stood victims to the SIS Student Council’s mischievous plan, all in the name of a good cause. The Pie in the Face master‐plan made creativity one hot mess on 25th April. Students were offered the opportunity to purchase votes to throw a pie in the face of their teachers to raise funds. A first at SIS, the top 5 most voted teachers sportingly received their student’s expression of affection through cream‐and‐flour‐filled pies. This event raised RM535, thanks to the efforts of both students and teachers united in their enthusiasm and school spirit. The Business Studies department’s approach replicated a go‐to‐market project for the sale of the semester’s prom tickets. Comprising 30% of their final grades, the students were completely hands‐on — from the design of the prom tickets, to advertising and promotion strategies, sales techniques conceptualisation and book‐keeping. 3 sale days were allocated to each class from 28th April to 16th May, and competition was fierce as each class competed to devise the most novel marketing gimmicks. Some of these included waxing the limbs of the ‘sacrificial lamb’, free cupcakes and the most coveted privilege, a day off from wearing the school uniform. Mr. Long explains, “This final assignment incorporated all the knowledge we’ve been studying including finance, entrepreneurship, business fundamentals and functions. Mr. Ramgoolam and I wanted to challenge the students with a unique real‐world example of a business, and we supplemented the project with some inter‐class competition as motivation.” Students experienced the painful pitfalls faced by entrepreneurs too, such as the disappointment of rejection with door‐to‐door selling, to the grim consequences of inaccurate calculation when returning change. By the culmination of the sales period, a total of 193 tickets were sold; amounting to RM29,915 with Mr. Long’s 1st period Business class triumphantly selling the lion’s share of 87 tickets. This experience served as a valuable lesson to the students, not only of business theories but also as a preview of a career in the business world. Vol 6 Issue 2 June 2014
SIS SPOTLIGHT Art’s Alive @SIS! Creative expression continues to flourish and proliferate in the SIS community. The past month saw 2 major events being held in celebration of the Arts. Performers vied to outdo each other in a series of jaw‐dropping performances at SIS Got Talent on 16th May. Vocalists dominated the show, as they warbled their renditions of musical chart‐toppers alongside the few energetic dancers. Judges Ms. Wyse, Ms. Gauthier and Mr. Power were hard‐pressed to find fault with the effort, determination and gumption the budding artists displayed. The top 3 winners were awarded beverage vouchers as prizes, and the opportunity to dazzle audiences once more at prom. Power of Poetry Appreciation for the spoken word is at an all‐time high, with Poetry Slam becoming a regular feature of the School’s entertainment. This edition, held after classes on 23rd May, had 7 budding poets battle it out emoting on themes ranging from death, cultural differences and others. Ms. Gauthier hosted the event, which was won by Danzel Waran with his self‐penned poem, Afterlife. That same evening, Grade 11 student Muhammad Faadhi Mohd Fauzi and Grade 10 student Guo Lauren Yun Tong bravely ventured outside the comforts of home ground by participating in the Youth Poetry Slam organized by Poetry Café KL in partnership with Kakiseni, held at the national level Festival Belia Putra Jaya 2014. Lauren delivered her best performance yet and Faadhi was awarded the first place, among other contestants from other international schools. SIS is very proud of its poets. Vol 6 Issue 2 June 2014
SIS SPECIALS Shine on, Sport Stars! April was a celebration of sensational sporting feats for SIS, as students brought their A‐game in individual and team sporting events. Sports scholar Rachel Lim June Leen was the first to bring home the glory, sweeping third place at the 9th Malaysia Open Figure Skating Championship 2014 from 4th–5th April. Her combined short and long programmes earned Rachel a score of 37.70 points, a personal best for this 14‐year old who was also the youngest competitor in the Advance Novice category. In conjunction with the Student Council’s Sports Month, students kicked‐off the weekend with a series of team events consisting of basketball, floor ball, dodge ball and captain ball. These games gave students the opportunity to try out new sports, and play with students from other grades. More importantly, students learnt to work together and develop bonds outside the classroom environment, besides enjoying themselves in a healthy way. SIS’ Interact Understands Canada SIS’s rookie Interact Club took on the huge responsibility of hosting its inaugural International Understanding Day on 17th May, and pulled it off to like pro! With the theme, O Canada, the event aimed to promote inter‐cultural awareness and racial diversity through a celebration of songs, performances, video presentations, lucky draw and activities. Sunway Rotary Club members made an appearance and guests included SIS students, teachers, family and Interact clubs from other schools such as Beaconhouse Sri Inai, Taylors International School, ISKL, Sri UCSI, Fairview International School and many others. Vol 6 Issue 2 June 2014
SIS SNAPSHOTS From 1st – 6th May, 16 students from grades 9 – 11 descended onto Osaka to begin their tour of Kyoto, Mt. Fuji, Tokyo and Narita. Here we re‐cap some highlights from their journey. Jumping for joy at the base of Mount Fuji, Heiwa Koen Peace Park and the eight ponds of Oshino Hakkai. Tasting authentic ramen and Japanese snacks on the streets of Dotambori Gawa, followed by shopping at Akihabara. Soaking in culture and customs at Asakusa Temple, Inari Shrine and Kiyomizu Dera Buddhist Temple. Getting a taste of the royal life at Osaka Palace. Our student even caught the local media’s attention! Enjoying the sights and sounds of the happiest place on earth, Tokyo Disneyland! Vol 6 Issue 2 June 2014
SIS HOUSE Fun In the Sun After weeks of slogging at their assignments and ISUs, SIS boarders were due for a little break from all that hard work. Taking advantage of the long weekend on 25th April, SIS House Master Mr. Foo packed 20 deserving boarders to Port Dickson, a popular seaside hangout in Negeri Sembilan for some rest and recreation. Boarders enjoyed lazy days of basking in the sun, fun adventures on banana boat water rides, fast‐paced games of football and Frisbee, splashing in the surf, and countless camera close‐ups. Boarder Siew Hui Shin proclaimed this the best hostel trip ever, because “this trip brought everyone closer together, and we took part in all the activities, such as singing karaoke in the apartment, as a group”. Chimed in Jeannie Sizto, “ We had some really good bonding times together, and these brought our friendships even closer. I hope we can have more trips like this together, and to create these meaningful memories among us.” Vol 6 Issue 2 June 2014
ACADEMIC UPDATES The January to June 2014 semester was an active one full of many opportunities for our students to learn inside and outside of the classroom. In this update, we’d like to celebrate the accomplishment of our students and look forward to activities in the coming semester. OSSLT Results This semester 199 students wrote the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. We are pleased that 123 of our students successfully completed this Ontario Secondary School Diploma requirement. Students who have yet to fulfil this diploma requirement will have another opportunity to write the OSSLT in 2014. Recognizing Excellence in Mathematics Competitions Our middle school and high school had their end of semester assemblies on 4 June 2014. During this assembly we recognized the excellent achievements of our students in the Kangaroo Mathematics Contest, and our students’ recent performance in the University of Waterloo mathematics contests. Certificates of achievements were provided to all students, as well as special awards to the top scorers. Recognizing Achievements Beyond the Classroom During the end of semester assembly for Grade 9 to 11, we honoured students achievements beyond the classroom. We congratulate the following students on their awards: Athlete Male Amir Afandi Baharudin Athlete Female Juri Sasaki Leadership Amanda Chong Citizenship Meilyani Grendy Most Improved Nabilah Sharonizam Arts Bae Jeongyong New Language Programmes for High School Students Starting in July 2014, SIS will begin offering Mandarin (LKEAD) for Grade 9 students and extend our French programme for Grade 10 students with French (FSF2O). We look forward to these exciting opportunities for our students. Students interested in taking these programmes are advised to contact Mr. Brims (marcusb@sunway.edu.my) to check for their eligibility. Anti‐Bullying Week In accordance with the school’s initiatives to develop student’s character in 2014, our guidance counsellors are preparing for an awareness campaign about bullying during the July to December 2014 semester. During this period, we will reinforce all students’ rights to study in a safe environment and the school’s expectation that members of the SIS community must engage one another with respect (in class, during extra‐curricular activities, outside of school and their actions online). We are confident that this campaign will provide all our students a comfortable and secure school environment at SIS. Career Week Stemming from the success of Career Week in 2013, we will be repeating the event on a larger scale in 2014. Students will have a chance to learn more about career options, visit talks and presentations from industrial panellists. In 2014, the theme for our career week will be “My First Job”. We welcome parents or guardians who wish to volunteer their expertise, or recommend individuals who might be interested to participate, by contacting Ms. Wyse (sherryw@sunway.edu.my) for more information. Vol 6 Issue 2 June 2014
ADMIN OFFICE Helpful Reminders We’re highlighting some important announcements and friendly reminders of school operations at SIS. Fee Schedules in 2015 The tuition fees for Grades 7 to 11 and SIS House Fees have been revised for the next school year beginning 1 January 2015. A copy of the 2015 fee schedule was distributed with the June edition of the Principal’s Message. Parents and guardians are encouraged to review the new fee schedules for their budget planning. Final Reports Copies of your child’s/ward’s Final Report will be mailed to your residential address from 23 June 2014. Original reports can be collected in person from the Academic Office when the School resumes in July. Graduates If your child/ ward is graduating this semester, the Course Completion Form must be submitted to the Academic Office by 4 June 2014. Attention to this deadline will ensure that your deposit is refunded/transferred promptly. Fees Payment FULL fee settlement for the July 2014 semester are expected by 30 June 2014. Early attention to this matter is required to avoid service disruptions to the Library, wi‐fi internet connection, eLearn access and other facilities. School Hours Beginning the July 2014 semester, we are standardizing all class ending times to facilitate transport and extra‐curricular arrangements. Please refer to the June edition of the Principal’s Message that was distributed for more details. All students are expected to return for the first day of school on 7 July at 8:00a.m. Traffic Flow Advisory We regret the inconveniences parents may be experiencing with campus accessibility. The disruption in traffic flow is a result of the renovations taking place and are expected to continue for an extended period. We advise parents to plan for the necessary travel time to ensure arrival for classes before 8.00am. To facilitate traffic flow during this period, we seek parents’ and drivers’ continued cooperation to pick‐up/drop‐off students via SIS Entrance A. Entrance B will be strictly reserved for pedestrians only. Drivers are reminded to give priority to pedestrians, and ensure that vehicle speed levels are reduced to minimize risk of accidents. New Campus Launch