From the Head of Secondary 26.11.2022
Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards
KIS students have won many Cambridge Learner Awards for their performances in IGCSE and A Level examinations over the years, and 2022 was no exception. On the 10th October we were delighted to receive notification that two of our students are the proud recipients of awards this year:
Top in Malaysia A Level Geography: Vadim Audy
High Achievement AS Level Physical Education: Angelina Hwong
The Awards Ceremony was held at the Dorsett Grand Subang Hotel in Selangor on Thursday this week, and was attended by Angelina and her family. Unfortunately Vadim was unable to attend as he already started at university in France, having received outstanding results in his A Levels. The school was represented by Mr Watson, Angelina’s PE teacher.
This is an amazing achievement by Vadim and Angelina, and is testament to all of their hard work and determination to do the best that they can do. Of course, such success is also due to the efforts of teachers, not just in Years 12 and 13, but throughout their educational journey, and to the students’ parents and family who support and encourage them in their studies.
Many congratulations to Angelina and Vadim!
Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award
In last week’s newsletter I wrote about the DofE Bronze Adventurous Journey, which was taking place while the rest of us had an extra public holiday. Teachers and students didn’t hesitate to continue with their plans. You may recall that last weekend we had a great deal of rain, and in the words of the article which you will read further on, ‘the weather was not our friend’.
Well done to students and staff for battling against the elements and finishing the AJ on Saturday afternoon with a well-deserved and proud sense of achievement!
Mental Health and Wellbeing for International Schools
As I write this, I am between sessions of the CIS Conference: Mental Health and Wellbeing in International Schools. This is taking place online, and so far it has been very interesting and potentially it will be very useful for our school. There have been a range of topics covered, led by experts of international renown. On Wednesday 60+ participants heard from Ava Shabnum Hasan as she talk about Trauma-Informed Practice in Schools, Transition to University from International Schools with Dr Dominique Thompson and Mental Health Cross-Cultural Consideration presented by Dr Justin Chen. In addition to lengthy interactive presentations, there was dedicated time for question and answer with these guest speakers. Topics today include Safe Spaces with Deja Pygott and Student Engagement va Focus Groups and Student Panel Discussion.
We all still have a lot to learn about mental health. Schools are on the frontline in supporting students so the more we know about that involves, the better.
Book Week…..the excitement is building. Read on for all the news from Mrs Colbeck. Also, stay alert for news from our Charity Committee about the Christmas Angels, coming up soon!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs Margaret Renshaw
Deputy Principal / Head of Secondary
DofE Trip – Sunshine, Storms and Success
Friday 18th November 2022 will be remembered by most as the long weekend that saw Malaysia go to the polls in an historic hung parliament. But for a select group of students in Year 10 this day represented the last stage of months of preparation. The morning was hot. The blue skies denied the torrential rains that were to come only hours later. Farewells were made. The anticipation on parents’ faces was evident, a long weekend without children was merely minutes away from commencing.
Spirits were high on the journey to the Kiulu valley. Between yawns three green and white persiaran buses negotiated their way through the empty roads of KK and into the green wonder that is Sabah. Team Cyro, The Masks and Wo Gen Ne Mama Jiang reached their individual start points within 20 minutes of each other. At first the pace was good. The benefit of fresh legs, and a comfortable night’s sleep free of interruption. Stopping for selfies took precedence. The heat bit at our legs, arms and backs while the mosquitos paid no notice to the various repellents that had been slapped on every exposed surface of skin.
By midday the ominous grey clouds synonymous with Sabah skies made their presence felt. The temperature dropped. The light breeze turned. The heavens opened. Within an hour of eating lunch everyone was frantically packing away electricals, protecting them from certain ruin at the cost of wet clothes and soggy socks. The mud quickly resembled the Somme as we squelched our way to the end point of the day. Zip Borneo. By 3 o’clock every group had made it. Sitting down on fresh benches we rested our legs. The sun came out, its friendly rays drying dripping clothes only to betray us later. The weather was not our friend.
Tents were pitched quickly, the last efforts of the day being spent. Within minutes the clouds rolled in. The rain was relentless and the drying campsite became a swamp. Quick thinking and coordination saw the fleet of tents quickly repositioned, elevated away from insects under a hard roof and protection from unfriendly clouds. Cooking commenced. Gas stoves rose with the welcoming smell of much needed carbohydrates, proteins and nutrients. Sustenance revitalising sore knees and bent backs. By 9 o’clock most were in bed, yet few were asleep. No doubt the evening’s debate on brushing teeth with or without water had kept many from sleeping.
The night had few interruptions and everyone was awake by 7 o’clock. Preparing breakfasts, lunches and packing bags took slightly longer than expected and was only interrupted by the odd dog searching for scraps. 8:30 AM and the camp had fallen silent. Every group met their desired leaving time in anticipation of the beginning of the next leg of their journey. Spirits were noticeably lower compared to the sunny start the morning before. The roads were empty, walking up hill the rhythm of footsteps was the only solace to an otherwise silent start. The tone of the day had been set. Determination for the end had set solid and maps were studied relentlessly to determine “how much further”.
By 1:30pm everyone had completed their routes, by 2 all were asleep being shuttled back to KIS. Only the biggest bumps occasionally disrupting their slumber. By 2:30 we were back at school and our intrepid adventurers were visibly reinvigorated. Promises of favourite fast foods and an afternoon nap complementing the sense of achievement that comes with completing a strenuous journey.
Mr Gant
KIS Book Week 2022/23 Monday 5th – Friday 9th December
‘Action and Adventure’
Book Week 2022/23 is rapidly approaching!
We’re planning a range of events and competitions across the school, with activities for everyone to enjoy. Our theme this year is ‘Action and Adventure’, so there’s plenty of scope for exciting costumes for Character Day – I’m thinking of all the thrillers, spies, and acts of derring-do from literature I could be inspired by! Here are the key events happening during Book Week and the ways in which you can all get involved.
Monday 5th December – Book Week 2022 Launch and The Big Read
The week will begin with an Assembly to launch the week and enthuse the students about the events happening across the school throughout the week. This will lead into the Big Read, so it’s crucial to remember to bring a book or e-reader! Secondary students will get involved with our traditional treasure hunt, courtesy of Mr Bryant.
Thursday 8th December – PJs day
All students can come to school in their pyjamas to celebrate the joys of bedtime reading! In Primary, we’ll spend time making our pillow forts and blanket dens in class, so we can get cosy after lunch and read our favourite stories
Friday 9th December- Character Day and Prize-Giving
Perhaps the highlight of Book Week! This is the day where staff, students – and maybe even parents! – come to school dressed up as their favourite book characters! I’m expecting excellence again this year, and for the school to be transformed into a stellar cast of great and memorable book characters. We’ll finish the day with a Prize Giving Assembly to see who has won all of the competitions!
Friday 9th December will also be the date of the Book themed Cake Contest- I’m hoping many people, students, staff, and parents will feel inspired to bake a glorious cake decorated to represent a book, character, or event. The prize has yet to be decided, but what better prize than the sweet taste of cake as we all get to enjoy the fruits of our labours? Judging (and eating) will take place at the Prize-Giving Assembly, and I’m very optimistic that there may be enough for everyone in the school to have some.
Extreme Reading Photo Competition
All students are invited to enter anytime over the next 5 weeks. All they need to do is submit a photo (by emailing it to me francescolbeck@kis.edu.my) of them reading a book in an unusual or unexpected place- The more unusual, the better! Entries will be judged by SLT and prizes distributed on Friday 1st April.
Book Memes
Love memes? Then make one about your favourite book and win prizes for it! Email your meme creations to francescolbeck@kis.edu.my for a chance to be the KIS Meme Lord.
Our other events
We will also be engaging in scavenger hunts in Primary Library lessons, book quizzes, and picture quizzes over the course of the week, as well as decorating our doors to represent our favourite books. Students will also get a chance to record their favourite stories, and animate them if they choose, for Book@Bedtime for other students to enjoy. The ‘Guess the teacher’ competition will be happening again too, with a range of prizes to be won, as well as Book Master, and Drop it and Read.
We’ll also be doing Book Swap in Primary, so dig out your old treasures of books to donate to this! For a successful Book Swap event, we are relying on every student to bring in ONE book each, in good condition, to donate. Please can you ensure it is handed in to their class teacher by 30th November.
We’ll also be doing a smaller, grown-up book swap in the cafe for parents and teachers- why not drop by and see if there’s a book you want to read there, and simply trade it for one of your own! Perhaps even treat yourself to a coffee and sit for a while and enjoy the book before you decide if it’s the one you really want.
We will look forward to seeing you over the course of Book week! If you have any questions about Book Week, or would like to get involved, please speak to your child’s class or form tutor or contact us directly.
Best wishes,
Ms Frances Colbeck
Teacher- Librarian
Head of Key Stage 5
Year 8 Geography Field Trip 21st & 22nd February
Mon 21st November 7.30am, and nine keen, excited and intrepid geographers from 8K met at Jessleton for the start of their TARP Adventurous Landscapes fieldwork trip. Luckily by then the storm had subsided and the sea was calm and there was nothing to prevent our fieldwork commencing as planned.
After a short boat ride into TARP, 45 minutes of beach cleaning saw 176.6kg of garbage removed from a small Gaya island beach. Sapi Island saw our geographers rating the biodiversity and reef quality using their sampling and data collection skills on the Sapi beach first and then at Coral Garden dive site. After some extended fun there and lunch at Padang Point the beach was investigated for evidence of processes of erosion, transportation and deposition. Then it was time to return to Jessleton, but via Lighthouse point and an observations lesson in landform identification (all good prep for their coast’s test).
A very successful day repeated by 8S with Ms McPherson and Mr Clifford on Tuesday.
Abraham “I enjoyed snorkelling and I also enjoyed the free time given as we could do anything we liked in the sea. The geo processes I feel I understood more and learned about was erosion of the headlands. Italso helped me a lot on the test.”
Mischa “ My favorite part of the trip was learning to skip rocks, it was fun when me and Mr Clifford had a rock skipping competition, and also when me and my friends swam in the ocean after all the activities. I saw arches and eroded headlands and they looked really beautiful.”
Qhaira “I enjoyed the part where we went around Sapi Island comparing the reef and the environment for damage and evidence of impacts. My highlight of the day were the boat rides between islands and going back via Lighthouse Point to see the erosion, cliffs, cave, arch and small stack forming.”
Olivia “My best moment from this trip was the moment I snorkelled. The many kinds of fish in the ocean were so beautiful. Things that I learned were we need to clean rubbish and throw away rubbish in the garbage can.”
