From the Head of Secondary 26.09.2020
There is plenty to enjoy in this week’s newsletter and in many ways these articles are reflective of the rich experiences that our students have access to at KIS. At this time of year, with University Applications Days happening next week, our Year 13 students are very much focussing on the next stage in their education. Whilst there will be more about those two days in next week’s newsletter, this week Mr Hallas has authored a highly informative article about Careers and how to go about choosing a university. The earlier that students and parents from Year 10 upwards start planning for this, the better. The next few years will fly by!
Totally differently, we hear from our Eco Warrior group and from Mrs Davis. It is very exciting that more students are getting involved this year. Sadly, we couldn’t arrange traditional beach cleaning but last weekend Mr and Mrs Davis, in just half an hour, managed to collect 10kilos of non-biodegradable rubbish from the beach at Tanjung Aru! I find this to be an astonishingly appalling amount. Mrs Davis tells me that they did not have to ‘dig’ to get this…… it was all lying on the surface. This is a definite reminder to all of us that we have to try harder to conserve our planet.
Please do not miss ‘The Silver Linings’ by Diego Vizamoro Tora [9S]. It is an astonishing piece of work and we are delighted that this was recognised by the judges of the FOBISIA ‘Silver Linings’ Creative Writing Competition who awarded him first place, winning out against hundreds of entries from across FOBISIA schools. Congratulations to Diego and to Tobias Lo, who came 3rd and to Isabella James and Julia Aveline-Rabenjoro who were given honourable mentions. These students’ pieces will be issued in a future publication.
More success: KIS is at the top of leader-board in the FOBISIA Science competition. Read on to hear about this and other competitions. It’s fair to say that the House System is alive and kicking in Secondary. Well done to all our students [and staff] for their contributions!
Have a wonderful weekend
Margaret Renshaw
Deputy Principal/Head of Secondary
ECO WARRIORS
This year, we’ve got an even bigger team consisting of 14 members. We’ve divided ourselves into four teams: creative, media, events, and recycling. Our main managers for each team are Juah Y8 (media), Logan Y9 (creative), Bella Y8 (events), and Tiggi Y8 (recycling).
We’ve elected our Chairperson (Natalia Y8), Deputy Chair (Hope Y8), and Secretary (CharmaineY9)!
Last year, KIS achieved the WWF Bronze Award and so we are now working towards the Silver.
Beach clean up
It was Malaysia Coastal Clean-up day on 19th September. Mr and Mrs Davis were out early at Tanjung Aru and managed to collect 10kg in 30 minutes. There was the usual: the flip-flop, the dirty nappy and now, the face mask. Happily, there were many times when a “piece of plastic’ turned out to be a colourful shell!
Miss McNutt, Ms Service and Ms Watt headed underwater to clean old fishing nets off reefs. As you can see, they collected a lot!
If you went out last Saturday, thank you for your efforts.
Mrs Davis
Eco Warriors Mentor
More KIS Student Success!
As some of you may remember, back in May whilst we were all still hunkered down during our period of online learning, FOBISIA launched their Silver Linings Short Story Competition. We had many excellent entries, from both Primary and Secondary students, who all embraced the theme of the competition: a celebration of the positives of life under lockdown and the benefits brought by that strange and unique time in our lives.
Now, as we all continue to adjust to the new normal, KIS has further cause to celebrate. Out of hundreds of entries from FOBISIA Schools across the region, Tobias Lo from 10S was awarded third place in the competition and Diego Vizamoro Tora was announced to be the overall winner! While we are absolutely delighted and very proud of both boys for such outstanding successes, we are equally as pleased to note that Isabella James and Julia Aveline-Rabenjoro from 8S were also awarded honourable mentions, which is a significant achievement given the number of students who entered the competition.
All four students have shown themselves to be excellent writers and I hope that their successes will inspire other students when it comes to the annual FOBISIA Short Story Competition that will take place later in the year. Congratulations once again to Isabella, Julia, Tobias and Diego. I am very much looking forward to reading further creative offerings from you later in the year and I wish you the best of luck in your future writing endeavours.
Full details of winners https://tinyurl.com/y4uzfg8l
Ms Colley
Head of English
The Silver Linings by Diego Vizamoro Tora
It is morning,
and the sleeping city
Wakes
to the sound of serene bird song
as the people begin to stir,
A quiet old man sits on his lawn
In his ancient rocking chair
And when the first rays of light,
Begin to creep above the horizon,
He smiles to himself,
Remembering
That he had forgotten
That peace of early dawn,
Erased among the hubbub
Of traffic and chaos
On city streets.
And on the next street,
A man,
Consumed by his work
Is asked
If he wants to play catch by his son
And,
Instead of his usual refusal,
The man agrees.
As the two play and frolic in their garden,
The man,
Once consumed by his work
Is transformed;
And in that moment
The man knows the joy
Of seeing his child smile
A few blocks down,
A child calls his friend
On the other side of the world
Whom he hasn’t seen in years
And they chat;
About childish things
As children tend to do
While their parents chat
About adult things;
As adults tend to do
Yet they all felt that feeling
That one gets
When talking to old friends;
They all feel the healing power
Of laughter
On the other side of town,
A woman and her neighbour
Who had never known each other
Enjoy the calm weather
From opposite sides of the road
On their balconies
As they exchange pleasantries;
stories of old lovers,
bygone dreams
And aspirations
That they had had
As children
In the next house,
A grandmother
Who had been
separated
From her family
Saw her grandchildren
For the first time
And they talked for hours on end
As she told them
Stories of her childhood
And the children listened,
Transfixed at the thought
Of telephones with
buttons
And life without the Internet
On the next floor, a family,
Once divided, but not by illness,
Bonded,
As they sat together
Playing board games,
Laughing and talking
About meaningless nothings;
by the time they had finished,
They had left behind their grudges,
And had found something
That would last forever.
When the day ended,
The last doctor left working
In the hospital that night
Finished cleaning up.
She walked down the corridor
Stopping by a glass pane
With a child behind it.
She sat down,
pressing her head against the window
And the two touched hands
Through the glass.
Let this serve as a reminder
That even though times are tough
We will get through this.
All we need to do for now
Is keep in mind
The Silver Linings
Secondary Student Council
We are delighted to announce our Secondary Student Council 2020-2021:
The student council is a representative structure through which students can become involved in the affairs of the school, working in partnership with school leadership and staff and parents for the benefit of the school and its students. The Student Council can create a sense of ownership of the school and its activities among the student population.
The student council has two main functions:
1] To ensure that students will have a say on matters that affect them, to utilise their student voice
2] To organise, support social and fund-raising events for the students of the school.
Congratulations on our new post-holders!
Ms Tooley
Student Council Mentor
University and Careers Guidance at KIS
With thousands of universities to consider, the choice for our students, and for you as parents can, at times, feel overwhelming. I therefore feel it would be useful to provide a brief overview of the support available at KIS, along with some ‘top tips’ when trying the find the perfect university and course.
First and foremost, it is important to remember that you are not alone, and I do not know of a single student who has successfully gained a place on a course without investing a considerable amount of time to research, and narrow down, the different options available. At KIS we start the process early, with careers guidance starting in Key Stage 3. It follows that by the time students reach Year 10 they have already started to personalise their academic programme by selecting their IGCSE options and some might even have a rough idea of the path they would like to follow into Sixth Form and beyond.
It is at this point that students are first introduced to our new and exciting careers and university platform, Unifrog. All students in Year 11, 12 and 13 have already been set up with an account and they can use this platform to help find the best possible opportunities for them. Students can easily set up their own criteria when searching the global database of universities which streamlines the process and ensures an informed decision is reached. Students can even use Unifrog to complete certain aspects of their university application such as the Common App Essay and the UCAS Personal Statement. As a school, we are instantly connected to thousands of universities across the world, allowing us to submit important documents including recommendation letters and academic transcripts. It is the quintessential one-stop-shop and the good news is all parents with a child in Year 11-13 will soon receive their own Unifrog account – please watch this space!
Having a comprehensive careers platform in place is an incredibly powerful tool, but teacher advice and guidance still forms by far the most important part of the process. Our PSHE programme has been structured to ensure our students are equipped with the life skills to cope at university and through our regular career days students are given the time, and the support, to craft a high-quality application. All Year 12 students are timetabled with a weekly PSHE and Careers lesson which will add further structure and depth to university and careers guidance on offer.
There is no such thing as a definitive list when it comes to finding the right university, but I would like to leave you with the following ‘top tips’ (in no particular order) that I have gathered over the years. If you have any questions whatsoever about university and careers guidance at KIS, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
- Entry requirements. It is important to aim high, but all students must make sure they include a couple of ‘insurance’ choices as well. All universities clearly state their entry requirements on the course information page and students must take note of this information.
- Type of university. Universities vary considerably in size, organisational structure, age and how they are funded. While a large, public university will be a perfect fit for one student, to another it will be a poor choice.
- Location. Students really do need to consider whether they want an urban or rural location. Transport links, climate and the college environment are also important factors.
- Student satisfaction scores. Most major university destinations publish student satisfaction scores which provide a valuable insight into student wellbeing and course quality at each university. This is something that should not be ignored.
- Extracurricular activities. A big part of going to university is embracing the array of wonderful opportunities on offer. If a student is interested in a particular sport or society, it is worth checking what is on offer.
- Course content. It is important to look through the course information offered by each university. Students should then ask themselves if they can happily spend the next few years of their life fully committed to this course. Courses vary massively in content and structure and students should invest time into this important part of the research process.
- Graduate prospects. Find out what students are up to after they graduate with a degree from a particular university i.e. the percentage who are now in work or further study, the types of professions they are working in and how much they are earning.
- Professional accreditation. For certain subjects, such as architecture or psychology, choosing a course that has been accredited by a relevant body will ensure graduates are ‘work-ready’ or able to progress straight onto the most appropriate postgraduate programme.
- Competition. Some universities are incredibly competitive, with nearly all students either meeting or exceeding the entry requirements. Students therefore need to demonstrate they have gone above and beyond the taught syllabus to ensure they stand out from the crowd. For example, in 2019, more than 23,000 people applied for around 3,300 undergraduate places at the University of Oxford. In a typical year the acceptance rate at Harvard stands at only 4.5%.
- Cost. University is expensive but scholarships and bursaries can make it more affordable. It is also important to consider your passport as there is often a big difference between domestic and international fees.
- Applying to more than one country. Some students apply to two or more destinations, but the end result is they often spread themselves too thin. Ultimately, students can only attend a single university and at some point they need to make a choice on where they want to study.
- Rank. This is often the first thing everyone looks at, but I truly believe that all of the points above take precedence. The bottom line is something as trivial as the climate is more likely to play a greater role in seeing out the course than the university rank; after all, there will be little difference between a university ranked only a few places higher on the leaderboard.
Mr Hallas
Deputy Head of Secondary/Head of Sixth Form
Secondary House News!
The Secondary House Competition has had an interestingly competitive start to the year. The House Presidents are currently finalising their choices of House Captains and they will be officially announced next week. There have already been a number of events in the first weeks of the year, from photography competitions, weekly quizzes and krunker.
Sulug took a commanding lead whilst Sapi was slow off the mark. Peter Woo and Allen Hutchinson earned many points for Sulug in the Epsorts game Krunker and Isabella James won the photography competition. However, Gaya rallied back with an impressive merit total to take over as leading house. Sapi has just started to make a slow comeback of their own. They have closed down a deficit of over 100 points to be within 40 points of leading Gaya.
The FOBISIA Science competition is also a House contest. Sulug are currently leading thanks to efforts of Pascal, Peter Woo, Jobin Dan and Celine Hiew who are all in the top 20 globally at the time of writing. Sulug cannot relax as Sapi is a close second and all can change over the weekend. We are currently first in the global school rankings with these impressive efforts from all Secondary students at KIS. This is an astonishing achievement!
Mrs Davis will be hosting a battle of the books house competition in the near future for KS3. Which house will be on top of the leader board by half term??
Mr Baxter
Secondary House Coordinator
FOBISIA Science Competition
Mr Colbeck