Dear Uplands community Another wonderfully busy week full of events to report on in this week’s newsletter. Despite this week being another shortened one, there has been no shortage of activity in and around the school. The highlights for me have include the Year 6 Exhibition, which included a lovely opening ceremony followed by an opportunity to wander around all the great display on show. Our students never fail to impress me. The displays were on show for a couple of days and it was lovely to see our older students visiting them too. The Year 6’s were able to present their work with such skill and articulation. Well done to all the Year 6’s and many thanks to staff and of course parents for all their hard work and support in the lead up to this great event. UPTA held another wellattended meeting this week and it provided a great opportunity to talk about the future. We are very well placed as we look to complete a successful year and start looking ahead to next year. Again, our students stole the show, this time showcasing the great work of the Science department. Many thanks to Mr White and his team and of course to the students who presented. Thanks also to our older students who presented another new initiative – PASS. Please ask your children about this scheme – they should know all about it! IGCSE and IBDP exams continue into next week and beyond. I reported to you last week how pleased I am at the number of students who are still taking the opportunity to come into school for lastminute revision sessions. Please do all you can to encourage this as we head on into a very busy and important time for our older students. A reminder that we are closed next Wednesday in recognition of Wesak Day. Have a wonderful weekend. Giles Mongare Acting Principal
Message from the Acting Principal Message from the Acting Head of Secondary Year 7 Science Trip CoCurricular Activities Work Experience Primary School News Boarding House News School Bus Services Withdrawal Procedure UPTA News Upcoming Events Academic Term Dates 20162017
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Academic Calendar 2017/2018
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May is upon us, and a of examinations is now under the belts of our Year 11 IGCSE and Year 13 IBDP students. The preparation that has been put in place by the students and teachers is evident as students enter examinations stressed, but confident. Keep at it! As these student revised for exams in the evenings we had other students extending themselves and their studies at the theatre. Many thanks to the English Faculty, and in particular Mr. James Butterfield for organising two trips to see Macbeth last week. Our Year 12, 10 and 9 students were able to see the writing of Shakespeare come alive on stage. Opportunities abound here at Uplands, and some of our Secondary students will be spending next weekend on a Bronze and Gold International Award Hike. Health/Medical Information Update Towards the middle of next week families will be receiving forms to update the medical information for our students. Our two school nurses will need the most up to date information possible to best serve our students. Please fill out and return the forms as soon as possible. We will NOT be sending this update form to those that have arrived at Uplands this year. As newly admitted students to Uplands, you have recently filled the forms out. If you have information to share, please contact your son/daughter’s Head of Year or drop by and update us in person. Have a fantastic weekend ahead, Bill Mitchell Acting Head of Secondary
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On Thursday 27 of April we went on a trip to Tech Dome Penang in Komtar for Humanities Science and Environment Week. The point of the trip was to let students experience science from a whole new perspective. There were many activities to learn from over the two floors. The activities were both fun and educational at the same time, which basically fulfilled the teachers and chaperones needs. These included interactive games and activities, learning opportunities where one could play against themselves, a machine or friends. Examples (see pictures for reference) include using a ‘KUKA’ robot to pick up a ball or cube from one end of the exhibit to the other by using controls to move the objects around. Other exhibits include optical illusions, for example, a knife trick where you put your hand into a box with a fake knife and chopping board. Using light it creates a optical illusion of the knife cutting your hand. There were many interactive displays such as a network of pressurised tubing in which you placed balls and opened and shut off valves in order to send the balls around the maze. In the upstairs area there were several small displays about, electromagnetism, static electricity, the human anatomy and the most popular among the students, the mind control game. For the mind control two people would each wear a headband which had electromagnets sewn in. We would have to concentrate to move a ball from one end of a table to the other person's side. There was a display between each player that displayed our concentration levels and brain patterns. Another activity that we found most exciting was the PIXO Observatory at the top of the building. We were introduced to a room with a large star chart and a gallery of images taken by the PIXO Observatory comprising of different stars, planets and galaxies. Then we were shown the telescope room. There were 3 telescopes, Dr.Chong the Astronomer explained many things about the largest telescope which was 16mm in diameter and was able to take detailed photos of the moon and other planets. After learning about the telescope we sat down and asked questions relating to the astronomy. We were supposed to only be in the observatory for 20 minutes but ended up being there for much longer because of all of the questions we had. At the end of the day we thought that this trip was a very good experience for everybody and learning many things through the activities. We found the experience very cool and amazing with the variety of games and displays, but what was great was that we were basically in Science heaven! We could have spent the whole day there, and not get bored. On behalf of Uplands Year 7 we would like to say a huge thank you to Tech Dome Penang for having us. Aqira Clark 7s Felix Bristow 7s Nicole Wismer 7s
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Wushu CCA: I am delighted to inform you that Gan Yu Tong did exceptionally well represented Uplands participated in Traditional Wushu/KungFu competition that organised by MSSPP (A Government Organisation) yesterday. The results are as follow: 1. Gold Medal in Baguazhang 2. Gold Medal in Xing Yi Quan 3. Bronze Medal in Guandao Both 1 and 2 empty hands form and 3 is Long weapon form. Gan Yu Tong has learned Wushu at Uplands for more than five years and she continues the classes outside school and is preparing her black sash, she hope one day to be a qualified instructor. Ruby Marshall CCA Coordinator
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The 4day school weeks are certainly no holiday break as we manage to squeeze a full week of learning into 4 days instead of the usual 5. Year 6 PYP Exhibition The highlight of this week was the experience in sharing the Exhibition with our Year 6 students. In just 28 days they learnt the importance of time management and the realities of needing to meet deadlines. They were enthusiastic inquirers who developed and extended a wide range of knowledge and skills across all learning areas. This powerful learning experience allowed them to collaborate with their peers, staff, the school community and members of the public to demonstrate the Learner Profile and PYP Attitudes. Congratulations Year 6! You certainly make us proud of what you have learned and achieved during your Primary Years at Uplands. Qing Yun “We have learnt it is now our responsibility to take ACTION. We have the opportunity to instill knowledge in others, build awareness and make a difference. “ Yen Chong “Whether these actions are big or small, we are truly proud of the positive changes we have made and we are still trying to make, through sharing our work with you.” Filippa – “We live in an ever changing world! Things are here one day, and different or gone the next! Thank you for being part of our learning experiences. “ Su Lyn – “We are thrilled to say we are internationallyminded global citizens.” It was great to see students of all ages learning from the displays and activities in the exhibition, teachers and parents also! The knowledge, skills and attitudes displayed this week by our Year 6 children clearly shows they are ready to meet the challenges ahead as they enter secondary in August. In the next newsletter we will share photos and student reflections on the exhibition. As all Primary staff were involved in helping students set up their exhibition displays on Wednesday morning and with the opening ceremony beginning at 9:00am we were unable to attend the UPTA coffee morning meeting this month. We promise Primary will be represented during the next meeting and as I will be continuing for another year in my role as Head of Primary, I am sure there will be many more UPTA events to attend!
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Year 5 – Business Plans Year 5 students have been preparing their business plans and next week they will be offering services and food items for Primary children during morning and lunch breaks. If children wish to participate or purchase items they may bring up to RM5 to school during the week. School will be closed for Wesak Day on Wednesday. Future Primary Events May Wednesday, 10th School closed Wesak Day Thursday, 11th Year 3 visit to Batu Caves 12th, 13th Year 6 AIMS Maths Challenge SCIPS Monday, 15th Primary sharing assembly 18th 22nd Primary FOBISIA Games Pattaya, Thailand Monday, 29th Primary sharing assembly Tuesday, 30th Years 46 swim gala June Friday, 2nd Year 6 Graduation Thursday, 8th Year 6 7 Transition Day Friday, 9th CCAs finish Monday, 12th Primary sharing assembly Tuesday, 13 th Primary Treasure Hunt, 3:00 – 5:00pm (organized by House Captains and DSS) Thursday, 15th Year 4 Sleepover Wednesday, 21st Primary Awards Assembly Friday, 23rd Presentation Day Awards, reports issued, midday term 3 ends Ali Nicholson Head of Primary
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On behalf of the Year 3S students, we would like to say "Thank You!" to Mr. Mongare. Last week on Friday, he was a Mystery Reader for them. It was a pleasant surprise to have him came in and read them a story.
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TNB Gelugor Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Power Plant The Nuclear Power Year 6 Exhibition group (Pierina Lee and Henry Cooper) took a trip to the TNB Gelugor CCGT power plant, which is a major contributor to the Penang power grid. Although the power station is not nuclear powered, the technology is the same: making steam to turn the turbine. We were met by Mr. Syed, the General Manager, and given an excellent tour. It started in an auditorium where we watched an informative slide show. The slide show explained about the power plant itself, as well as the production of power throughout Malaysia. We then were given a tour of the three generators at the plant site, as well as the control room. In all, it was a very worthwhile trip that we would recommend to all Year levels.
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Below are Pierina’s and Henry’s reflections: I was excited when Henry, Mr Moore and I was going to the power plant. When I arrived there we went into a big room and got to sit on the VIP seats. Then someone came into the room and show us a presentation about their power station. When the presentation ended we went out and looked at the turbine generator and other things covered with something. Then we went into a room with 16 ginormous fans. I felt that I was going to fall down due to the strong wind from the fan. We saw a boiler which we could feel the heat from it. Then we went into the control room. We had to take off our shoes because they said that the control computer was very sensitive to dust. The computer looked confusing but interesting. When we finished the trip I thought that the best moment was going into the fan room. I had lots of fun there but it was tiring. And when some other exhibition group is going there I say they really need a school jumper. Pierina Lee I had a great time learning about combined cycle (CC) power stations my favourite part of the tour was when we went under a huge roof with 15 gigantic fans swirling above us and one being fixed. At the start when we went into this room and we all got to sit on cold black leather V.I.P seats which were very comfy but very cold so a couple of times me and pierina had to go out and get warm air and come back in again. At one point we went into a huge enormous room which housed the two gas generators one cooled by air so it had to be bigger and one cooled by hydrogen and then we went into the control room which was next to the boiler room but fortunately it was sealed off and air conditioned inside and when I saw the controls on the computers it looked like a game and I was fascinated by how easy it looked to operate them and then finally we had to come back to school. Henry Cooper
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YEAR 5 SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT Theme : How We Organize Ourselves Central Idea : Economic activity relies on systems of production, exchange and consumption of goods and services Business Announcement Cakey Cupcakes We are the Cakey Cupcakes business group and we are selling Chocolate & Vanilla Cupcakes on Tuesday, 9th of May. This is our Summative Assessment so please give your children some money. Each cupcake costs RM2. We will donate part of our profit to a charity organization.
Cool Cookies Dear Parents, Teachers and Students, For our Year 5 summative assessment, we are having a bake sale on May 8, Monday. We are selling chocolate chips and ginger cookies. The price of the cookies are 2rm each. We are selling them in front of the reception class. Please come and support us!
Hotdog Masters Our group of the Hotdog Masters would love the children of all ages to come and enjoy our Hotdogs, ranging from prices RM2 to RM6 on Monday the 8 th of May, during break and lunchtimes. There are yummy hotdogs for you, please bring some money to school and the hotdogs are yours . The process of making these hotdogs and planning the business were quite challenging. We spent many days planning, including a trip to Tesco to buy all the ingredients, so it will really mean a lot to us if you bring some money on the 8 th of May and come to get our delicious hotdogs.
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Milky Milkshakes We are learning about economic activities and we are selling these for our summative assessment. We plan to give half of our profit to a charity and save half for our year end party. We are selling them in front of the library on Tuesday, May the 9th. We would love it if you could let your child buy some of our drinks. Thank you!
Team Strawberry Dear teachers, pupils and parents, Please come to the String and Straw DIY! It will happen during the primary lunch time on the 8th and 9th of May, in front of the primary library. We will be selling bracelets, hearts etc. There will be some surprise promotions. See you there!!
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A. Continuing Bus Service New Academic Year 2017/2018 To all parents who have engaged school bus service for your child/children, kindly confirm with us if you would like to continue engaging the service for the new Academic Year 2017/2018. Kindly click the following link and we appreciate your reply by 12 May 2017. http://www.uplands.org/school/?page_id=13892 For further information, please email Ms Nooraini Mohd (Annie) at:
[email protected] B. School Bus Rules We seek your help to remind your child/children to follow the school bus regulations on the school bus. Please refer to the link below to view the School Bus Rules. Note: If you have problem viewing the link please copy and phase in the web browser. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6hR73QI1yFGY3RwVF9nQ0ZFcE0/view Thank you. Ratha Ramasamy Operations
[email protected]
Admissions would like to remind families who may be relocating in the near future to take note of the School's withdrawal procedure for refunds. Prior notice, in writing, stating the date and reason of leaving must be given to the Admissions Office via submission of the online withdrawal notice form which can be found at the following link: http://www.uplands.org/school/?page_id=12497 The form must be filled in and received according to the following date for nonreturning students (School/Boarding): 19th May 2017 for students not returning in August 2017 (Term 1, 2017/2018) The School will send an acknowledgement upon receipt of the Notice of Withdrawal. If you do not hear from us within three working days of your submission, please contact the Admissions Office at extension 106. Thank you for your kind attention. Janie M Y Chung Admissions
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Pizza Evening Our next social gathering is now confirmed for a PIZZA EVENING in SIGI’s Bar and Restaurant @ Golden Sands Hotel on Wednesday May 17 th 68pm. This is more of a social event compared to our Coffee mornings where different stakeholders of the School can mingle in a relaxed environment, and children are also welcomed. This is an open invite for Parents, Teachers, Staff, School Leadership team and Governors to attend. There will be free pizza for all, with access to extended happy hour prices for drinks and are looking at the possibility of live entertainment too. If you are able to make this event it would be appreciated if you can RSVP to
[email protected] Coffee Morning Thank you to each of the approximately 100 members and guests who attended this week’s Coffee Morning. It was certainly a busy morning for many with the Year Six Exhibition Opening scheduled as well. Congratulations Year Sixes! The first order of business was to highlight the Board of Governors’ important announcement posted on the school’s website this week that Mrs. Ali Nicholson has agreed to stay on as Head of Primary in the next school year. This elicited a big round of applause from the attendees. The Board has expressed their delight in this decision and the UPTA Committee, like them, is confident that the school retains a strong leadership team moving forward. Mrs Nicholson relayed her thanks to everyone for their ongoing enthusiastic support. Special thanks to Mr Michael White and his team of students for their excellent presentation on the Science Curriculum, and the Students from Peer Advisory Group for their interesting and informative presentation too. A warm welcome was extended to our new Acting Principal Mr Giles Mongare, and it was good to hear his plans for the rest of the academic year. It was nice to see some Governors as well as our usual Country, Class and Year Reps attend this event too. We look forward to the final Coffee Morning of the year which will be scheduled in June. New Parents’ Potluck After school on Friday, 28th May, a potluck hosted by the UPTA Welcoming Committee was held in Tanjung Bungah for the new families who had joined Uplands since our last potluck in September. The feedback from this event was very positive, and we sincerely thank everyone for coming out and for their contributions of delicious dishes to share. Special thanks to the Country Reps, Class Reps and Year Reps who came to meet and greet the new families and offer assistance.
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Parent Governors After the recent addition of Mr John Brinsden OBE (ex PTA Committee officer) to the Board of Governors of the School, we can now confirm the Board of Governors still have one more vacancy for a Parent Governor to join please. If you are interested in this position and have an ISP membership or have any queries about such a role, please can you contact
[email protected] with your details, for us to put forward to the board. School Summer Fair and Car Boot Sale As you may know by now the Summer Fair has been postponed until the new term due to the long month of Ramadan beginning 27th May and it being too short notice for any other date before the end of the school year. We are looking at having a smaller scale Car Boot Sale in June and will confirm a date and format in the next couple of weeks. If you are interested to sell at this event, please email
[email protected]. If you are interested in the UPTA and its Committee, or just want some advice about life in PENANG please email
[email protected]. If you would like to be copied in on the agenda and minutes of the PTA monthly meetings with the school leadership team and school governors please email
[email protected]
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Tuesday, 13 Primary Treasure Hunt, 3:00 – 5:00pm (organized by House Captains and DSS) Thursday, 15th Year 4 Sleepover Wednesday, 21st Primary Awards Assembly Friday, 23rd Presentation Day Awards, reports issued, midday term 3 ends
School Closed Wesak Day
Wednesday 10 May 2017
Year 3 visit to Batu Caves Year 6 AIMS Maths Challenge SCIPS Primary Sharing Assembly Primary FOBISIA Games Pattaya, Thailand Primary Sharing Assembly Year 46 Swim Gala Year 6 Graduation Year 67 Transition Day CCA Finish Primary Sharing Assembly Primary Treasure Hunt, 3:00 – 5:00pm (organized by House Captains and DSS) Year 4 sleepover Primary Awards Assembly Presentation Day Awards, reports issued, midday term 3 ends
Thursday 11 May 2017 Friday 12 Saturday 13 May 2017 Monday 15 May 2017 Thursday 18 to Monday 22 May 2017 Monday 29 May 2017 Tuesday 30 May 2017 Friday 2 June 2017 Thursday 8 June 2017 Friday 9 June 2017 Monday 12 June 2017
Tuesday 13 June 2017 Thursday 15 June 2017 Wednesday 21 June 2017
Friday, 23 June 2017
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School Closed Wesak Day End of Term 3 New Student Orientation Start of Term 1 New Student Orientation School Closed National Day School Closed Hari Raya Haji School Closed Awal Muharram School Closed Deepavali School Closed Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday End of Term 1
Wednesday 10 May 2017 Friday 23 June 2017 Friday 11 August 2017 Monday 14 August 2017 Friday 11 August 2017 Thursday 31 August 2017 Friday 1 September 2017 Thursday 21 September 2017 Wednesday 18 October 2017
Friday 1 December 2017 Friday 15 December 2017
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