downloaded - The International School of Penang

TOUCH
BASE
COMMUNITY
Exce
SCHOOL
llent
A
FORTNIGHTLY
NEWSLETTER FOR
THE
A Visit by His Excellency Boyd McCleary,
The British High Commissioner.
FRIDAY,
September 26th, 2008
TERM 1
The International School
Of Penang (Uplands)
In this TouchBase:
- School Visit by His Excellency Boyd McCleary
- Parent Teacher Meet & Greet
- Leaving Uplands
- Merdeka!
Get TouchBase in
colour at www.uplands.org
Exce
llent
His Excellency Boyd McCleary, British High Commissioner, visited Uplands School on Friday the 19th of September 2008. He was accompanied by Vice Consul Sandra Rust, Director of the British Council Penang Peggy Lim and Director of Education at British Council Kuala Lumpur Peter Clark.
The tour of the School was led by Honorary British Consul, Mr.Robert Hawkins, Acting Principal, Alan Smith,
Head of Primary, Ali Nicholson and Director of Administration, Kingsley Charles. His Excellency visited and chatted with
students in Primary and Secondary during their Art, IT and Design Technology classes. He was impressed with Upland’s
new artificial sports field after hearing of the multiple benefits it affords students, especially in our hot and often wet
climate. Many of his questions and lines of inquiry were regarding the School’s current status and potential challenges
it faces now and in the future; he was also interested in learning how the British Council might work in partnership with
The International School Of Penang (Uplands).
Later on during the visit, Chair of the UPTA, Carol Ch’ng, and Assistant Treasurer, Cathy Burrell, met with the
tour party over tea and biscuits. Mr. McCleary asked what the parents thought of the School and if there was anything
to improve. Carol informed him that the parents were very satisfied with the education their children were getting and
that the School had good facilities, that perhaps these facilities could be made available to parents too, out of School
hours.
His Excellency left shortly after for another appointment at USM. The School community would like to thank him
and the other visitors for their visit and for taking an interest in Uplands.
Marketing & Events
A d ve r t i s m e n t
Congratulations to Na’il Randolph Y5.
Na’il is a 5H primary student at Uplands, he enjoys swimming, loves scuba
diving, and on Sep 6, 2008 successfully completed all requirements necessary
to receive the Scuba Ranger certification from Kids Scuba, which is a Scuba
Schools International certified Scuba Training Facility in the vicinity of Kuala
Lumpur.
Na’il will continue training in special courses designed for skills enhancement
in such areas as rescue, buddy diving, etc.
Terry N. Randolph
Na’il’s Father
www.thepenangdirectory.com
www.thepenangdirectory.com
www.thepenangdirectory.com
Services Directory
www.thepenangdirectory.com
www.thepenangdirectory.com
www.thepenangdirectory.com
Market Place
www.thepenangdirectory.com
www.thepenangdirectory.com
www.thepenangdirectory.com
Discussion Forum
www.thepenangdirectory.com
www.thepenangdirectory.com
www.thepenangdirectory.com
Its all FREE!
Dear Parents,
Re: www.uplands.org The School Website
Please be informed that the School website can now be navigated using Firefox.
Thank you,
Marketing and Events.
PAGE 2
Parent Teacher Meet & Greet
This year’s Meet and Greet saw all the Teachers arrive back at school at 6pm to greet parents eager to put a face to
a name, and the evening was a great success with parents and teachers socialising together in the Refectory whilst
the Student Council was on hand to take care of the younger students, keeping them entertained in the Multi Purpose Hall.
The UPTA worked hard to supply hot dogs to the students and luckily we had many parent and leacher helpers frying the sausages and onions, the drinks counter seemed to be a very popular area. We have to admit we ran dry of
the popular adult drinks. However, the bottles of mineral water were not as popular it would appear we have very
sociable parents and we hope to follow up with another event soon.
The event was a huge success and this was made possible with the input from Mr. Alan Smith, Acting Principal and
Mrs Ali Nicholson, Head of Primary and Teacher representative on the UPTA. The UPTA Committee would like to
thank everyone for making the event the success it was.
Carol Ch’ng
Chairperson UPTA
Get ready to impress this festive season. Finally, those
elusive words of the Season, with translation! by Carol
Marshal.
SELAMAT HARI RAYA everyone!
Selamat aidil fitri; Kepada saudara serta saudari
Setahun hanya sekali; Merayakan hari yang mulia ini
Happy Aidl fitri; To all our friends and family
Only once every year; We celebrate this joyous occasion.
Di masa bulan Remdan; Kita berpuasa hingga sebulan
Pabila Syawal menjelma; Hari raya disambut dengan
gembira
During the month of Ramadan; We fast all through the
month
When Syawal arrives; Hari Raya is celebrated with such
joy
(Korus 1)
Miskin kaya memakai baju baru warna-warni; Mengunjungi sanak kaum famili
Sungguh hebat pemandangan di hari raya ini; Tua muda
wajah berseri-seri
Chorus
Poor and rich in all our colourful new clothes; Visiting
relatives and family
What a wonderful sight on this hari raya; Brilliant smiles
on old and young faces
Selamat hari raya; Pada saudari saudara semua
Marilah dengan gembira; Merayakan aidilfitri yang mulia
Selamat hari raya; To one and all
Come let us have a great time; Celebrating this wonderful aidilfitri
Di sana kelihatan; Bermacam kuih ketupat dan rendang
Mintak bu kuih sepotong; Saya mahu makan kerna perut
kosong
Over there can you see; Lots of kuih ketupat and rendang
May I please have a piece; My tummy is empty, I’m sooo
hungry!
Dam dam dum bunyi mercun; Kanak-kanak segera datang
berduyun
Dam dam dum mercun berdentum; Semaraklah hari raya
ini tahun
Dam dam dum the sound of firecracker; Drawing the
children in droves
Dam dam dum the crackers sound; Celebrating hari raya
this year.
(Korus 2)
Maafkanlah jika ada terlanjur perkataan; Diharap supaya
jangan disimpan
Kuberdoa selamat panjang umur murah rezeki; Semoga
Tuhan akan memberkati
Chorus 2
I apologise if I have made any error; I hope you don’t take
it to heart
I pray you have a long life and lots of money; May God
bless your efforts
Selamat hari raya; Hari untuk kita bersuka ria
Selamat mari ucapkan; Untuk kita hingga sampai tahun
depan
Selamat Hari Raya; A day of enjoyment and laughter
Selamat we wish you; Until we celebrate another time
next year.
Selamat hari raya!
Selamat hari raya!
PAGE 3
Merdeka!
On 2 September 2008, we had a special Merdeka assembly to commemorate Malaysia’s 51st
anniversary of independence. We had a special whole school assembly that started with Year 1
and reception students parading into the hall with their ‘Bunga Raya’, our national flower. This
was followed by our national anthem “Negaraku”. Next, Year 9 Malay students presented a
beautiful dance “Bahtera Merdeka”. This was followed by a brief introduction to Merdeka delivered by the Year 13 Malay students. Following this, Malay students organised a quiz, which
received an overwhelming response from the whole school. Hundreds of hands were raised
for each question. Later, there was a video show about Merdeka, followed by the “Malaysiaku
Gemilang” song. Finally, “The Best Malaysian Traditional Costume” competition took everyone
by surprise. The first prize for the best Malaysian tradisional costume was won by Chloe Barnett. Second and third prizes went to Bibi Syakeera Bardril and Carlson Whang respectively.
The Merdeka assembly ended with the chant of “Merdeka!” repeated seven times. MERDEKA!
MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA!
PAGE 4
Flag of Malaysia - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The flag of Malaysia, also known as the Jalur Gemilang (“Stripes of Glory”), comprises a field
of 14 alternating red and white stripes along the fly and a blue canton bearing a crescent and
a 14-point star known as the Bintang Persekutuan or Federal Star. The 14 stripes, of equal
width, represent the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal
government, while the 14 points of the star represent the unity between these entities. The
crescent represents Islam, the country’s official religion; the yellow of the star and crescent
is the royal colour of the Malay rulers;The red of the stripes stands for the bloodshed to earn
independence. The white stands for the people and economy of Malaysia.
PAGE 5
Here are Reliable and Credible Internet Sites to assist IB
students with RESEARCH:
http://www.oawl.english.edu
Purdue University writing lab is user friendly when
writing an extended essay.
http://bubl.ac.uk
Topical list of reliable internet resources
http://www.barleby.com/65/
Literature reference source with full text material
http://www.digital-librarian.com
Another Internet index
http://infomine.ucr.edu
Scholarly collection of E-journals
http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse
A virtual library
http://www.infoplease.com/almanacs.html
Important facts like “The Worlds’ 10 Most Corrupt
Leaders.”
http://www.Lii.org
Reference to trusted websites by topic
http://www.LOC.gov
Library of Congress in the U.S.
http://plato.stanford.edu
Stanford University’s in depth site of philosophy. For
instance: environmental ethics.
http://www.webopedia.com
Computer geeks’ goldmine
Or...
you
could look in
this pile.
Thailand
Your other resource is your librarian, Carole Hanaway.
Golf Training in Thailand for the Uplands Community
– Half Term
Last chance to join!
Dear Students and Parents,
Mr Whittlestone (Head of Years 10 and 11) is a worried man.
Over the long vacation, his much-loved Burnley bear (see photograph) disappeared, and he is beginning to suspect foul play.
If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of the
Burnley bear, please contact Mr Whittlestone. An anonymous
supporter of the troubled teacher is offering a jar of organic
honey and a copy of Burnley FC - The Glory Years (a very
quick read) as a reward for information leading to the recovery
of the bear.
Stop Press! A ransom message was received recently with
a photo of Burnley bear at the Thai border! Mr Whittlestone
appeals to anybody for further information. Look out in
TouchBase for the unfolding story and pictures! M&E
We now have a small group of parents, students and
staff ready to participate in a six day golf training course
during the half term holiday - Sunday 26th October to
Saturday 1st November. Whether or not you have played
golf or consider yourself a hacker, the training facilities
and coaching are set up accommodate all levels of ability. The centre we will be using is part of the Bangkok
Spa Golf Resort http://www.resort.th.com/ It includes
flood lit 18 and 9 hole courses, a driving range and short
game training facilities. Our accommodation will be in
the 3 star hotel adjacent to the course. A typical program
for the day would be theory/practice in the morning; a
round of golf accompanied by the clubs PGA professionals and night golf in the evening. We also have shopping
trips and a BBQ pencilled in. We still have a few spaces
available but must finalise our itinerary by the end of
this month. Please email me within the next week.
The cost of the trip will be RM3,500. This includes air
fare, 6 nights hotel accommodation, food, unlimited use
of the driving range, tuition and golf every day. This I
am sure you will agree is exceptional value for money.
Please let me know of your interest by note or email:
sweatherley@uplands.org
Steve Weatherley
PAGE 6
Two long serving staff and members of the School community are leaving Uplands. Jeffrey Bernard Scully, our Estate
Supervisor and Aznan Bin Nagor, our Network and Systems Manager.
Jeffrey Scully an old St. Xaviers boy, is retiring at the age of 55 years “young” as he puts it, having served the School for exactly 20 years. He first
became part of the School as a Gardener in 1988, when Principal J.E. Churchman was at the helm. By 1989 Jeffrey became a Bulding & Grounds
Maintenance Worker; then Assistant ‘Mandore’ (Estate term - Supervisor); Maintenance Supervisor and finally Estate Supervisor overseeing many
aspects of the School’s upkeep and appearance, including the many eye-catching landscaping features around the present site. As one illustration
of his commitment and care for his School and its community (and I’m sure by no means the least), I learnt recently that much of the trees and
plants currently beautifying the School were actually dug up and relocated from the old Kelawai site by Jeffery and his team, not an easy task.
Amongst other duties, they would repair tiled roofs after severe storm damage and pull pythons out from underneath dining-hall floors; not at
the present dining-hall thankfully.
Jeffrey will not be inactive after Uplands, I am told he will be running his own renovations company. I am glad to have met him and got to know
him during our short overlapping periods at Uplands. I wish you all the best and hope, to also be invited to that curry fish head session mentioned
by Ian Kerr in his message!
Aznan, is not retiring but leaving to increase his mastery of the IT world at INTEL. After six years restarting PC’s at Uplands (only joking ‘Nan’, I
know you have done much more...Ed.), the question is...will INTEL feel like a holiday or a hellish-day? Let us know won’t you…
Marketing & Events
A message from a
former Principal.
If it needed fixing, he would
fix it. I have held my breath
while he leapt about on the
tiled roof of the old threestorey school building; I
have seen him make scenery
from scraps: I have tasted
his culinary creations; I have
woken him in the middle of
the night to stop a boarding
house flood and I have admired his willingness to work all hours when it was required
of him. The School will miss Jeff Scully’s improvisation skills.
Jeff’s grin epitomises the scallywag in him. He was with Uplands before I arrived and has outlasted me. I wish him well
with his new venture – his own (newly) registered company and
I look forward to an occasional fish head curry with him, in the
future.
to continual learning and skills progression towards bigger,
broader roles at the top tier of the IT profession. I wish him a
successful career, and an exciting and rewarding experience.
In his letter he mentioned; “I’ll also be able to better provide
for my family”. I understood that statement as there will be a
joyful addition to his family soon. Thank you Aznan and God
bless.
Part of me is pleased to hear that Aznan is taking a career leap
but the major feeling that I have is one of great loss to Uplands.
He has contributed greatly to the development of the computer
infrastructure in The International School of Penang (Uplands)
over the six years that he has been with this organization but
he deserves the opportunity to meet new challenges and reach
new heights. Aznan, your expertise and conscientious efforts
have been much appreciated. May you have every success in
your new company.
Ian J Kerr
Kingsley F Charles
A message from the Director of Administration
Someone once said that there is loss as well as gain when a
colleague leaves. Who loses what and who gains what depends
on a number of factors. My thoughts for Jeffrey’s departure can
be summed up by this quote; “When one door closes, another
one opens, but we often look so long and regretfully at the
closed door that we fail to see the one that has opened for us.”
- Alexander Graham Bell
As for Aznan’s departure, I got upset and sad when he informed me. I did not expect or want it. Aznan is a new eager
entrant to the managerial level who wants to chart a pathway
Four pictures at top: Jeffrey Scully and team during early
90’s to present day, Bottom picture: Aznan Bin Nagor.
PAGE 7
For Sale ! ! !
FOR SALE
1996 KIA Sportage, RM16,000 ono
Buy the car, get a FREE BED! (see below)
Road Taxed and Insured until 28th Nov
2008. Good Overall Condition, well
looked after for the last 4 years. Full service history. Many new parts including:
complete new Air Conditioning system
and non-water battery this year. Drives well, loads of space Possibly the only manual
Sportage in Penang?! Can accept payment in MYR, US$ or GB£ !
FREE! Queen size Rattan bed, hand made in Penang (flat packs in 6 sections), plus rarely used mattress. Excellent Condition! (Cost RM3000 new) Contact: Carol (carolinemarshall@uplands.org) for
viewing or test drives! Or: Justin (former Uplands teacher on: justinedwards@hotmail.com) for info
and offers!
Don’t forget
‘Fat Boys
Football’
Monday
Car for Sale
22,000 (27,000 new last year);
Less than 1 year old Proton Saga;
Kevin Jenkins;
017-447-2894
Physicskorea@hotmail.com
at the MPH
Uplands
Scooter for Sale, Suzuki VS125;
good Japanese engine;
build quality and handling;
fast and economical. RM 2500 neg
Bram Tan 017-8888 120
- 350L Toshiba Fridge, bought in May for RM 1400, now selling at RM 1200. Available
around 10 October. Contact vyin@uplands.org
Closing thought...
“- You can’t just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood.
- What mood is that?
- Last-minute panic.”
Calvin & Hobbs
TOUCH
BASE - General Information
•
The International School of Penang
(Uplands)
•
•
Jalan Sungai Satu, Batu Feringgi, 11100 Penang, Malaysia. •
Tel: 04 881 9777 Fax: 04 881 9778
•
www.uplands.org
•
TouchBase is published every Friday fortnightly
during the school year as a service to the Uplands
community. A colour PDF version can be
downloaded from the School website: www.
uplands.org - Go to ‘Events/ News’ and then click
on ‘TouchBase Newsletter’.
It is produced by the School, and is meant only for
internal circulation.
TouchBase is distributed to each family by way of
youngest enrolled child of each Uplands family.
All information must be e-mailed (bram@uplands.
org) to reach the School by 10am on the Monday
prior to the following week’s publication.
TouchBase encourages every member of the
Uplands community to contribute to the publication.
However, we reserve the right to edit or reject any
article or information.
For advertising enquiries, please contact the School.