From the Head of Secondary 10.09.2022

School Prefect Team 2022

This week saw the selection of our Prefect Team 2022. Students from Years 11, 12 and 13 could apply, and all went through an interview process which was followed by staff discussions before decisions were made. Next week the students will be awarded their badges, and will commence work in their teams, guided by Mrs Colbeck.

The students will be focussing on four important areas; Wellbeing, Mentoring, Media & Marketing and Environment and Sustainability

On Tuesday afternoon I met with the Student Council 2022, which consists of one representative from each tutor group. We went through the various roles and responsibilities and discussed the main aims of the student council. The President was elected, and she is now organising the election and allocation of the other roles. It is great to see how keen the students are to contribute to their school, and we look forward to hearing a lot more from them as the year progresses.

Similarly, on Thursday I met with the students who had volunteered for the Charity Committee. It is heartening to see that 30+ students from Year 7 to Year 12 are keen to volunteer and to contribute in this group. Again, a President was chosen and she is currently organising the selection of students into the various roles. More news about both the Student Council and the Charity Committee next week!

Have a lovely weekend!

Mrs Margaret Renshaw

Deputy Principal /Head of Secondary

Last week, our third week in school, our Silver and Gold participants took part in the third session of their DoE Award ECA.

The Silver group (yr11) had a first aid training session, led by Mrs Colbeck and

The Gold group (yr12 worked on cooking food on gas stoves, and meal menu planning.

They are preparing for an upcoming Adventurous Journey to the Sabah Tea Plantation. For the 13 Silvers, this will be their assessment journey over Sept 22-24^th and for the five Gold award students in yr12, this will be their practice journey (as direct entrants to the Award).

Watch out for further news at the end of the month and see how the Adventurous Journey went!

This week’s Key Stage 3 assembly was focussed on the dangers of e-cigarettes – or vaping. Although many might see this habit as being a ‘safer’ alternative to smoking, vaping can have very serious consequences to teenagers’ physical health and mental wellbeing. Given that in February of this year, it was found that 9.1% (300,000) of students in Malaysia regularly use e-cigarettes, it is important that we make sure that young people are fully informed when it comes to the risks and consequences of such practices.

Famously, one of the aspects of vaping that young people are most attracted to are the ‘fun and fruity’ flavours that are available. However, the vapour that produces these flavours contain harmful toxins and chemicals that can cause serious lung damage and harm to physical wellbeing, compromising everything from taking part in sporting activities to -in extreme cases – being hospitalised due to lung disease.

It is not just our physical health that is at risk however as numerous studies show that vaping can have an adverse effect on teenage brain development. This can lead to difficulties with memory, learning and concentration as well as severe mood swings. Even more worryingly, as our brains continue to develop well into our twenties, regular exposure to a highly addictive substance such as nicotine at a young age dramatically increases the likelihood of the formation addictive tendencies in adulthood. Indeed, many view vaping as a gateway not only to smoking but alcohol and drug dependencies in later life.

The Malaysian government are taking action against the increasing popularity of vaping amongst the younger generation by decreasing the age when you can legally purchase e-cigarettes from eighteen to fifteen years of age. However, other countries such as Thailand and Singapore, have gone even further by making vaping an illegal offence for which individuals can be fined or even put in jail for committing.

So, given the illegality and the mental and physical ramifications of e-cigarettes, my message to Key Stage 3 this week was ‘be smart and don’t start!’ which is something that I hope all our students and those in the wider KIS community take seriously.

Ms Colley

Head of Key Stage 3