principal`s message - Sunway International School

Vol 6 Issue 3 September 2014
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE Dear Parents and Guardians, Here at Sunway International School we have established tradition by “Building Minds, Nurturing Character” and tradition never graduates! On a daily basis we remain focused on our core values of integrity, humility and excellence, stressing how we can live out the qualities and characteristics of the monthly virtues which are part of our Character Education programme. As educators, we are charged with the great challenge and responsibility of engaging students in learning so that they develop the skills and knowledge they need to function in today’s world. At SIS, we provide numerous opportunities for students to move beyond being passive recipients of knowledge, and become builders of knowledge, capable of creative and innovative solutions to problems. Our learning model is highly‐personalized and student‐
centred, linking “assessment for learning” to evidence‐informed instruction that is precise to the readiness level and learning needs of each student. Through inquiry‐based learning, we place students’ questions, ideas and observations at the centre of their learning. Our teachers play an active role throughout this process by establishing a culture where ideas are respectfully challenged, tested, redefined and viewed as improvable, moving students from a position of wondering to a position of solid understanding and further questioning. We continue to Build Minds and Nurture Character by maintaining a responsive learning community where all students play a contributing role in collaborative inquiry. Education and career‐life planning is an area we are improving and expanding. We recently expanded our Guidance & Career Education Centre to include two Guidance Counsellors, Ms. Sherry Wyse and Ms. Rachel Smeding. Our counsellors assist students with their curriculum planning, interpersonal development, post‐secondary education and career planning. They also coordinate many special programmes and events like Career Week, Anti‐Bullying Week and peer tutoring. In Grade 10, all students must study the Career Studies course. All academic subjects must have a career component as part of the course design. Guest speakers, community service and extra‐curricular leadership opportunities provide multiple and varied opportunities for students to think about and begin planning their personal educational and career pathway. In addition to our efforts at school, we are requesting parents’ involvement and support in helping your son or daughter learn more about themselves by discussing the following questions with them: Who Am I? Identify the characteristics that describe who they are e.g. interests, strengths, accomplishments, values and skills; Identify factors that have shaped who they are, and that will likely shape who they will become over time Reflect on how these characteristics influence their thoughts and actions What are my opportunities? Explore how the choices they make can open pathways for them Expand awareness of school and community‐based opportunities; how these programmes/activities help develop skills & relationships Explore a variety of occupations, career and develop awareness of local and global trends Who do I want to become? Identify the demands, rewards and other features of various career opportunities Determine personal and interpersonal goals as well as education and career/life goals What is my plan for achieving my goals? Create a plan that identifies the steps required to achieve my goals Identify resources required for my plan to succeed Identify obstacles and challenges as well as possible solutions The challenges and opportunities faced by students in this country are unlike those of any previous generation. All students require specific knowledge and skills in education and career/life‐planning to support them in making sound choices throughout their lives. As a learning community of students and teachers, and in partnership with each parent/guardian, we remain dedicated to assist each student in creating pathways to success through effective education and career/life‐planning. John Mackle Principal Vol 6 Issue 3 September 2014
SIS SPOTLIGHT An ‐Bullying Week SIS is passionate about our commitment to zero tolerance for bullying. From 11th ‐ 15th August, we kicked off our first ever Anti‐Bullying Week to drive home this point. This event was held to strengthen our pledge to build a safe environment for all students, and build awareness of the damaging impact of bullying. A special committee comprising students and teachers created a series of educational lessons and activities which were delivered over the course of the week. These included dedicated campaigns that adopted creative and educational approaches to let the students know someone cares, as seen here. “High 5 for Kindness” the Middle School’s campaign had a board sending “high 5s” of kind messages to each other. “Bring Back the High 5”
is a dedicated Facebook page for students to post photos of themselves giving each other high‐fives with the hashtag #BBH5. The Guidance Department’s “Giving Tree”, where students posted positive messages for the School community. The Poetry Club performed a ‘flash slam poem’ in the middle of the lunch hour, followed by an uplifting flash‐
mob. The topic of bullying was introduced into lessons as well, with discussion topics such as “What is Bullying?”, “Internet Awareness”, and “How to protect yourself online”. All these lessons were made available on the Blackboard software for students and parents. These events created a positive vibe around the school and brought students together. The response brought positive conversations to the hallways and encouraged students to make new friends. SIS studensts are now a lot more cautious about bullying and how their actions can affect others. We look forward to the rest of the year building on this sense of community this week created. Reported by Ms. Wyse (sherryw@sunway.edu.my) and Ms. Smeding (rachels@sunway.edu.my)
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SIS SPOTLIGHT SIS House Na onal Interact Quiz 2014 nd
On 22 August, SIS sent its fledgling Interact Club to the 2014 National Interact Quiz. In its 7th edition, the competition was organized by the Bandar Sunway Rotary Club and hosted by Sunway University. The Interact Quiz, or more affectionately known as the IQuiz, is an annual trivia competition that challenges students with questions ranging from “What is the capital of Kuwait?” to “Which organization has won the Nobel Peace Prize more times than any other recipient?” Needless to say, the IQuiz is certainly not for the faint‐hearted. 150 teams, each with three students, competed for lucrative prizes that included full and partial bursaries to Sunway University or Sunway College programmes worth over RM100,000 shared between the SIS’ Interact Club were represented by three teams, and although they were not able to garner a prize this round, the teams are inspired to return stronger next year. The Rotary Club’s District Governor, Ms. Kirenjit Kaur was completely impressed by the participants’ general knowledge, exclaiming “I tried to google the answers to the questions on my phone – but you were faster, and so much smarter than my smart phone!” Reported by Ms. Jacintha (jacinthat@sunway.edu.my)
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SIS SPOTLIGHT MUN – A Model Experience st
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From August 1 to 3 , Sunway University played host to SelangorMUN’s (Model United Nations) third annual conference, themed “New World Order”. The conference had approximately 160 participants from schools and colleges all over the Klang Valley and Penang, including SIS, Sunway College, Nexus International School, and Taylor’s College Sri Hartamas. In addition, several of the organizers of SelangorMUN are members of SIS’ MUN Club. Model United Nations is an extra‐curricular activity in which students typically role‐play as delegates to the United Nations and simulate UN committees over a two or three day conference. The UN committees that convened in the recent SelangorMUN (SMUN) conference included The Arab League, the World Conference on Women (WCW), the Human Rights Council (HRC), and the Malaysian Cabinet of 1963. In addition to the series of debates that were held throughout the weekend, Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah, the former Malaysian Deputy Minister of Higher Education, also hosted a roundtable forum to discuss national unity in Malaysia. Approximately 40 delegates had the opportunity to attend this roundtable forum – an event which was highly sought after, as the discussion room was filled to the brim. First established within the Sunway community by SIS, in collaboration with the Canadian International Matriculation Programme (CIMP), the club has seen exponential growth since its humble beginnings in January 2013. Founded by teacher advisors Mr. Kondro and Mr. Narancsik, attendance consistently averages at 60 students each meeting. The level of engagement has also grown tremendously, as many of the members participate in multiple conferences each year. To date, the SIS/CIMP MUN Club has sent delegations to the prestigious KL MUN in Garden International School, and MY MUN in Mont Kiara International School. Its participating students are regular recipients of the conferences’ awards, including the Best Delegate, Most Diplomatic Delegate and individual awards for representation of their country. SIS/CIMP MUN Club founding members, Lydia Cheah and Amanda Selvarajah, who are currently completing Grade 12 in Sunway College’s CIMP Programme, are the Secretary‐General and Deputy Secretary‐General respectively of the SIS/CIMP MUN Club. “We started out as a group of ten in one classroom, but are now a group of sixty. It’s amazing to see how much we have grown,” said Amanda. When asked how they have grown on a personal level, Lydia quipped, “MUN has surprised us with what we are able to do; we’ve learned to trust in our abilities.” Next month, a delegation from the SIS/CIMP MUN Club will participate in the United World College South East Asia (UWCSEA) MUN conference in Singapore. As the 2013 UWCSEA MUN conference was the first conference SIS MUN had ever participated, it holds special meaning to Lydia: “By September this year, we would have come full circle.” Reported by Ms. Jacintha (jacinthat@sunway.edu.my)
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SIS SNAPSHOTS Future Leaders of Asia From 17th to 22nd August, the Canadian programme at SIS and Sunway College was privileged to have had 6
students attend the Asia Leadership Camp and Conference 2014 (ALCC), hosted at Sunway University. Supported by the Harvard University Asia Center and Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, the ALCC 2014 was organized by the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, Sunway Education Group, Center for Asia Leadership Initiatives and Asia Leadership Trek. SIS students Andrea Selvarajah, Ding Jia Hao and Yeo Chelsea attended the week‐long event which comprised a one‐day conference and a five‐day residential camp. Themed “Leadership and Innovation in the 21st Century”, 125
participants attended special TED‐inspired talks, workshops on design thinking and authentic leadership, mentoring sessions on “How to Apply to Harvard“ as well as a closing gala dinner, among other activities. The special talks, which included “From Village Kid to Harvard Student” and “The Role of Rejection”, were inspirational sessions that aimed to motivate camp participants to embrace negative experiences as crucial steps in the development of one’s self‐
leadership. SIS students (from left) Yeo Chelsea &
Ding Jia Hao with SIS graduates and current Here’s what our students had to say about their ALCC CIMP students Lydia Cheah, Tan Wei Qing
experience: & Amanda Selvarajah.
Reported by Ms. Jacintha (jacinthat@sunway.edu.my)
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SIS Special Let’s Go, SIS Eclipse! Eight months ago, a group of girls gathered in trepidation for the first ever SIS cheerleading team practice. None of them had any experience with the sport, but they did have one thing in common ‐ drive. Eight months worth of sweat, tears and sore muscles later, that drive has turned the same group of girls into a family of strong, motivated young women calling themselves Eclipse, and the right to be SIS’ pioneer cheer team. Once the girls established their name and uniform, cementing their new identity, they developed a new found zeal to win and gained a deeper understanding of what it is to be a part of a team. On 17th August, Team Eclipse participated in Level 2 of their first competition, the CHARM Cheerleading Championships (C3). The team was up against other schools who have had their cheer teams established for years. The girls performed incredibly despite some first‐time jitters, and walked away feeling proud of their debut as the Sunway Eclipse. The following weekend, the girls were back in their uniforms and made the Stadium Putra hall of Bukit Jalil reverberate with the SIS cheer, “Let’s Go, SIS ‐ Eclipse, Black and Blue!” at the Cheer 2014
National Finals. Having gained confidence from the weekend before, the girls executed their first perfect routine against established teams like the Ravens, Vibrant and Calyx Junior. "We've been through a lot together; countless practices, learning experiences and the joy from nailing our routine. This team has taught me to never give up. When we hit our first perfect routine in the competition, I can’t describe how proud I was of our team. In the end, it was all worth it, to know we performed amazingly well!" ‐ Marissa Ramesh, SIS Eclipse Senior Captain. With their new found momentum, the sky is the limit for the Sunway Eclipse. On th
27 September, the team have been invited to participate in a collaborative performance at the Sultan of Selangor Cup at Stadium Shah Alam. This is an amazing honour and the girls are excited to cheer with veterans like SMK Katholik, SMK Seafield, SMK Damansara, SMK (P) Sri Aman and SMK Bandar Utama. With the support and encouragement from their families, friends and school, SIS Eclipse hopes to continue growing and flourishing as a team, and compete next year at the national levels and bring back a medal. Reported by Ms. Jessica (jessicam@sunway.edu.my)
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ACADEMIC UPDATES I am pleased to be writing to you for the first time as the Academic Coordinator. Thus far, my first semester in the Academic Office has been extremely rewarding. It has been a pleasure to meet with the parents and stakeholders in the school community to chart new successful paths for SIS students. Here, I share with you a few updates and reminders pertaining to the academics at SIS. Mr. Marcus Brims
At‐Risk Communications On 18thAugust, teachers sent out email communications to the parents and guardians of those students not meeting course expectations. The aim of this exercise was to put in place an action plan to improve student performance. The Academic Office is presently providing academic counselling to further support students toward reaching their learning goals. Mid‐Term/Quarter 3 Report Distribution Mid‐Term report cards (Grades 9-11) and Quarter 3 reports (Grades 7-8) will be distributed to students on Tuesday, 23rd September. In addition, parents/guardians may also collect these reports during Parent‐Teacher Interviews on Wednesday, 24th September. Parent Teacher Interviews SIS invites all parents and guardians to our upcoming Parent‐Teacher Interviews on Wednesday, 24th September. Following the release of your child’s/ward’s academic report, this meeting is a good time to discuss your child’s/ward’s progress and plan steps for further improvement. Parents and guardians are encouraged to take note of the invitations that will be sent to your mailboxes soon. School Garden The SIS vegetable and herb garden is up and running! Students have been diligently tending to the tomato, lady finger and chili plants and herbs on a daily basis to enrich their understanding of the life growth cycle, and to expand their experienced responsibilities. Plans for the future include cooking with the produce and making salad dressings with the wide range of herbs. Course Selections During the months of August and September, the Guidance Department has been facilitating student course selections for our Grade 10 and Grade 11 programmes. Apart from mandatory courses, students can choose elective courses that will prepare them for their future educational pathways. Both Ms. Wyse and Ms. Smeding are available on a daily basis for individual student consultations regarding future planning requirements. Should you have any questions pertaining to academic matters at SIS, please feel free to contact me at marcusb@sunway.edu.my. I look forward to hearing from you! Vol 6 Issue 3 September 2014
ADMIN OFFICE Student Updates New School Sweater The Student Council, in collaboration with the student body, has designed a new and improved SIS sweater with a fresh‐looking design. We’re anticipating delivery of this sweaters mid‐ to late September. Importantly, students can still wear the original SIS sweaters, and they are not obliged to purchase the new sweaters. It is expected that once the students are in possession of their new sweaters, the students will closely follow the SIS dress code. As a school we will present a positive, sharp‐looking appearance to all parents and visitors to our school. Congratulations to the students on all their hard work to see this initiative come to its fruition. Traffic and Period 1 Late Arrival While we understand that the amount of construction in Bandar Sunway is substantial and can be difficult, we again would like to remind parents and guardians of the importance for students to be in class before 8:00a.m. We want to ensure your son or daughter does not miss important content and that those who are on time are not disturbed by students who come into class late on a continual basis. Thank you for keeping this in mind and your cooperation is very much appreciated. Reported by Mr. Kondro (heathk@sunway.edu.my)
Parent Info Session “This event was wonderful! I enjoyed it very much as I got to talk to the Principal and meet with the teachers. At the same time, I managed to get some valuable information about study options after SIS” Mr. Ryuichi Yao, Grade 8 parent. That perfectly sums up the Parent Info Session held especially for parents. Along with curriculum briefings, guests were also enlightened on post‐secondary options from Sunway College’s Director of Pre
‐University Studies. Invited presenters from the Malaysian Canadian Business Council and the University Placement team from Sunway University’s International Office ensured guests had their questions on studying abroad clarified efficiently. It was a richly informative night, and SIS looks forward to hosting you at our next Parent Info Session. Coming Soon!