straits talking -...
TRANSCRIPT
1
Spring Issue 9
March 2nd, 2018 Straits International
School Penang
STRAITS TALKING
“ W h a t a r e y o u mo s t a f r a i d o f ? ”
Spiders because they
make cobwebs—
Isabelle
Spiders because
they are creepy—
Mrittika
Snakes
because
they have
venom—
Brenda
FEATURE STORIES
Chinese New Year……………….…………………..3
EYFS trip and flower stall…………….………….4
Twilight Concert……………………….…………….5
Secondary Student Council…………..……….…5
Athletics Day……………………………………….…6
Duke of Edinburgh…………...….……………….13
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Head of Secondary……………………..…..………2
Upcoming dates……..........……....……….…..…2
Early Years….. ………..…………….….….………..2
Years 1 and 2. ............................................ .7
Years 3 and 4... .......................................... .8
Year 5 and 6.. ............................................. .9
Sports Report.…….……………………..….…..…11
What I overheard….………..………….……..…..12
SPOTLIGHT ON…
Activity Spotlight on P4C
Teacher Spotlight on Mr David
Subject Spotlight on English
Subject Spotlight on ICT
Subject Spotlight on Art
Next issue available March 19th!
Editor: Ms Linh Dang
Rollercoasters be-
cause they are so
fast—Tricia
Dinosaurs because
they can make fire—
Tanvi
1
The dark because I can’t
see anything and I bump
into things—Roa
Snakes because
their mouths are
really big—Alex
Cats because they scratch
me—Kaylene
Tarantulas because they
are furry —Alfred
Snakes because
they are deadly,
full of venom—
Ms Arlene
I’m not afraid of
anything—Swetha
Nothing! -
Nicole
Ghosts because
they’re scary and
some have big
mouths—Kaesav
Nothing scares me! -
Zhi Hong
Lizards because when
I was younger I found
one crawling on my
shoulder—Ms Yoges
Rats because they are disgusting—
Ms Kamini
Maths because it’s
always so hard—
Jia Qi
2
Welcome back! This half term the theme in Nursery is all about
animals. The first sub-theme students explored was about farm
animals. They were also taught the different sounds of farm
animals. Students also learnt about the things that farm ani-
mals provide to human beings as a source of food. They also
made a paper hand puppet where they chose their favourite
farm animals to make puppets. They sang “Old Mac Donald”
happily using their puppets.
It was also our Chinese New Year celebration this week and we
created a Chinese New Year craft with students. They were
excited as we painted, coloured and used recycled materials to
create the craft.
In Literacy students were introduced to the phonic sound and
letter formation of the letter Mm. Students were given hands-
on activities to learn the formation of the letter. Using the Ants
on the Apple series students learnt the rhyme for the letter
Mm.
Maths lessons were focused on building further understanding
in getting students to do number and value correspondence.
Students also learnt to form the number 8 and co-relate it to
the correct value.
Thank you for all the parents who took the time off to attend
our Chinese New Year assembly.
SIS DIARY
S at ur day Ma rc h 3r d
Hi story Bee and B ow l in K L
Sports Week end at Up lands at SIS
T ues day Ma rc h 6t h
U /15 Boy s Footbal l vs Up lands
T hu rsd ay Marc h 8t h
Cross Cou ntry at POW IIS
Y r 2 Trip to K OMTA R
F ri da y M arc h 9 th - 1 1 th
DofE S i lver E xp edi tion
M on da y Marc h 12 th
B ook W eek
Y r 1 Trip to P en an g Batik Fac tory
T ues day Ma rc h 1 3th
Coffee Mornin g
W edn es da y Ma rc h 1 4t h
Sec ond ary Maths Pi Day
P ri mary Stu dent Cou nci l B ak e Sale
T hu rsd ay Marc h 15t h
K an garoo Maths Comp eti tion
N UR S E R Y— b y Ms Dev i
This week in secondary we have the assessment week where we are running full Checkpoint mock exams and assessments in all our classes. On the 27th of February we recieved a visit from various prestigious universities: USA – University of Wisconsin-Madison, Oregon State University, University of New Hampshire, University of Tole-do, LIM College, Full Sail University. United King-dom – University of Kent, University of Hull, Uni-versity of Portsmouth, Coventry University, Heriot Watt University, University of West of England
(Bristol), University of Sunderland, De Montfort University. Australia – Univer-sity of Tasmania, Queensland University of Technology, University of South Australia, Curtin University. New Zealand – University of Canterbury, Spain – Catholic University of Murcia, Singapore – Kaplan Higher Education Academy. This is aimed at getting our students to think about their future careers and options. Carrying on from our recent victories at a local level over POWIIS, DALAT and SMKBJ our History Bee contestants will travel this weekend to the National finals competing against schools from throughout Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. We had two parents mornings; one explaining the Checkpoint examinations from CIE in Year 9 and another highlighting our IGCSE examinations due in May and June. These were well- attended and well-received ,hopefully making parents understand the suite of external examinations we offer at SIS. Overall it has been a busy couple of weeks as we head to the end of Term Two.
A MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF SECONDARY, MR CHRIS TERRY
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Our SIS Chinese New Year Celebration assembly took place on the 23rd of Feb-ruary. There was a whole school assembly to which parents were invited, where everyone was dressed in red clothing from bubbly toddlers to attentive adoles-cents. The assembly began with a heart-warming speech from Ms Karlie. Prior to our day of celebration, the whole school took part in the Kuih Kapit workshop which was organised by our Parents Support Group.
The whole assembly started off with the Grand Lion dance Performance. The lion dancers not only entertained the audience with their animated movements and spirited music but they also distributed mandarins to the children. Shyuan Rhui was the host for the assembly this year. The whole assembly was splendid with many varied performances by the stu-dents. The fan dance by the Year 7 students and the Wushu performance by the SIS Wushu students were simply extraordinary. The assembly came to an end with the teachers and students performing the Gong Xi Gong xi song. By Pavithra Sinnanan Celebrations Committee
CHINESE NEW YEAR ASSEMBLY
AND KUIH KAPIT WORKSHOP
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EYFS TRIP TO METROPOLITAN PARK
12th Feb 2018
On the 12th of February, the whole Early Years team went for a trip to the Metropolitan Park in Relau. They had a great time at the
park as it was a part of their Nature and Environment topic. Our main objective was for students to experience the natural world.
They also had a chance to get up close to nature by walking along the trails in the park.
The students were split into four groups with a teacher. They were given a checklist and a Nature bag to tick and pick flowers,
stones and leaves. They were also challenged by their own powers of observation to see things which they were not familiar with
before.
They had a great day as they walked and collected some of the things that were on the nature checklist. All the students were tired
yet happy to have a different experience walking along the trails.
LITTLE FLORIST STALL
13th Feb 2018
Early Years team had a great day as they organised a little florist stall in school to sell flowers which was a part of their learning
journey. The main objective of this event was to allow the children to work together as a team. This coincided with our theme for
this term (Nature & Environment) and Valentine’s Day. Each flower cost RM10. The students sold the flowers at the school canteen.
They had a different experience where they were taught to get the correct amount of money and simple instructions of selling flow-
ers.
The outcomes were overwhelming and we managed to sell all the
flowers ! Well done everyone! We are going to put up a stall again
next year!
EYFS FLOWER STALL AND
TRIP TO METROPOLITAN PARK
with Ms Devi
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TWILIGHT CONCERT - by Ms Ellie
The student council is extremely pleased to announce that Ms. Leanne, the teacher guide for student council, is doing well after her
medical procedure and we are all looking forward to her return. We are also pleased to announce the arrival of two new council
members, Deborah Tan from class 8J and Miyu Ikeda from class 8E. Sadly, we had to say good bye to Jing Yi Chuah and Ivan Cheah
from Year 8.
The Council has been extremely busy in the past month. We have conduct-
ed a survey in Secondary to improve the rewards program for students
with exceptional behaviour. The results have been collected and analysed.
The council has decided that exceptional students will receive muffins,
donuts, toast and juice at the end of Term 2. In addition, they will be al-
lowed to play board games and card games for 1 hour in the canteen. The
Council has also begun to investigate the possibility of student-led activities starting in September
2018. This idea is very popular among students of the school and therefore the opportunity will only
be granted to those students who have displayed impeccable behaviour and work ethic in the school. The Council feels it is a won-
derful opportunity for students to display responsibility and independence and are excited about the possibilities moving forward.
Finally, the Council has been extremely diligent and responsible in planning a new duty timetable for break
and lunch times. These changes have been implemented quickly and the results have been impressive as the
school is a much calmer and relaxing environment during break and lunch times. The Council hopes that their
initiative and engagement will be a model for all students in Secondary to follow moving forward, both inside
and outside the classroom. We would love to share other developments and ideas for change within the Coun-
cil, but sadly there is not the time or space. Please do not hesitate to contact the President of Student Council,
Jemerine Chan, if you have any questions about the Council or if you want to get involved.
Members of the Student Council:
Jenny 7S, Men Yi 7S, Jing Xuan 7D, Daric 7D, Alvin 8E, Misha 8E, Jing Yi 8J, Si Heng 8J, Desmond 9H, Yee Nee 9HY, Ayush 9HY, Gayaathri 10M, Adrian 10S, Zhi Qian 10S
SECONDARY STUDENT COUNCIL—by Mr Jeff
Twilight Concert 9 was held on Monday 12th Febru-
ary. As this was the last Twilight concert before Year
11s recorded their IGCSE coursework, many were
using it as an opportunity to practise performing
their pieces. We also had some new performers this
time, such as Ezra in Year 10, who has been learning
Bass Guitar with Ms Jaime for just over one term.
If you would like your child to take up instrumental
lesson s , p lease emai l Ms E l l i e a t
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On the afternoon of Thursday 8th February, over 100 EYFS and KS1 students took
part in the Little House Athletics events in the MPH. In front of a packed stage of
parents the students competed in Sprints, Tunnel Ball, Throlf, Jumping, Baton and
Sliders relay. Every student gave their best effort to win points for their respective
teams and enjoyed a variety of Athletics-based fundamental activities which focused
on running, jumping and throwing.
On Friday 9th February, all the KS2 students ventured to the field to take part
in the House Athletics Competition. The students had been working hard in
PE lessons to improve their technique for Discus, Shot Put, Standing Long
Jump, Sprints and relays. It was fantastic to see all the students supporting
each other and demonstrating great sportsmanship during the event.
Finally on Monday 19th February the whole school took part in the first ever
Straits March to encourage collegiality between House members and strive for
success as a whole team from Nursery through to Yr 11. All students proudly
strutted to the upbeat music and cheered for their teams. Afterwards EYFS,
KS1 and KS2 students had the opportunity to win some extra house points for
their teams with a short group sprint. This was especially exciting for EYFS
and KYS1 as they had not had the chance to race on the big field this year.
Then finally the Secondary students took to the field in 100m, 200m and field events of Shot
Put, Discus and Standing Long Jump, finishing off the session with Year group relays. It was
delightful to see many students take pride in their efforts, demonstrating much growth and
learning in each of the disciplines.
Overall it was a wonderful experience for all students involved. An Athletics competition
highlights the importance of team spirit while keeping fit and healthy. Many students were
able to celebrate success with their medals this year, although all students gained valuable
life skills as individual participants and as part of a team.
ATHLETICS DAY—by Ms Rowan
7
We have had such a busy few weeks
in Year 1. In Maths, we have been
using ‘think boards’ to facilitate our
learning. Each child is given a word
problem and shows their working in
three sections using sums, counting
and words for the same problem. I
n English, we are reading The Leop-
ard’s Drum where we have been
learning about tales from around the
world that use Batik Art in prepara-
tion for our school trip on March 12th.
In Science, we have been revising
our materials and their properties
and using key words to describe
them. We are now ready for our
Assessment Week!
YEAR ONE—by Mr Myron and Ms Lisa
Year 2 have been very busy over the last
couple of weeks with all the Chinese New
Year celebrations! The highlight was defi-
nitely the Lion Dance at the assembly- so
exciting!
In class, we have been reading The Snail
and the Whale, which is a fun rhyming
book by Julia Donaldson. The students
have enjoyed retelling the story and mak-
ing their own storyboards to show the
sequence of events.
They have done such a great job!
They have also been working hard in Maths, looking at multiplica-
tion and division. The students are doing fantastically well at using
blocks to make groups and
to share. They are becom-
ing better every day at
word problems and
are using drawings to
help solve them.
The Year 2s continue to enjoy their swimming lessons and are becoming more confident swim-ming on their backs. Super effort!
YEAR TWO—by Ms Katie and Ms Rukhsana
We enjoyed making Kuih Kapit.
Chinese New Year celebrations wouldn’t
Busy solving problems
All solved!
Proud of his Kuih Kapit skills
8
In English Year 3 have been learning about persuasive writ-ing. After our fantastic trip to the Happy Goat Farm, we have devel-oped an understanding of the key literacy features needed to grab the reader’s attention and con-vince them that the Happy Goat Farm is a must-see attraction in Penang. It’s true - if you don’t
believe us then go and see for yourselves! In Mathematics, after using resources to develop our basic understanding of Place Value, we have turned our learning to the exciting world of fractions. We have been introduced to a fraction wall and started to find relationships between equiva-lent fractions. After Assessment Week we will once again tackle time with a focus on calendars.
In Science, we have investigated the durability of differ-ent types of rocks with great success. With this infor-mation, we can identify the purpose of certain rocks in the world around us. Both classes have been learning about why the Spartans were so tough. We have found this topic exciting and will be joining forces as a year group to perform our very own unique recount on the battle of Thermopylae. We hope to see you there!
Straits has been buzzing full of activity the past few weeks. We have enjoyed numerous
whole-school activities that have included Athletics Day, where a number of our Year 4s
performed very well and received medals. A big shout-out to Hariharan, Leah and Wynne
for being awarded ‘Age Champions’.
Last week, students
had the chance to
make some ‘love
letters’ as part of the
Chinese New Year
celebrations. They
were able to take
home some deli-
cious traditional
biscuits made over
the fire in front of
our school. It was
wonderful to see so
many children come
to school dressed in
red or traditional
clothing for the
assembly.
In the classroom, it
has been full steam
ahead, concentrat-
ing on revision for this week’s assessments. They have focused well and we hope you are
happy with their progress. We still have a busy few weeks left till the end of term so do
encourage your child to come to school with all of their belongings and to show respect and
courtesy at all times.
YEAR THREE—by Mr Scott and Mr Jack
YEAR FOUR—by Ms Linh
Back row,: Hariharan, Wynne, Leah, Dheekshidhan, Darrence, Alfred, Wern Han
Front row: Brenda, Iris, Sammy, Owen and Corlissa
(not pictured: Sher Lynn and Adam)
9
SPOTLIGHT ON…
Mr David
Q1.What qualities should an ideal student pos-
sess?
Obedience and the ability to question authority
and perceived notions. Preferably at the same
time.
Q2.When was the last time you laughed out
loud?
Reading back my response to the first question.
Q3.What’s the best and worst thing about your
job?
Marking for both - it takes a long time to do but
you always get ‘interesting’ and ‘unique’ unin-
tended answers which make me laugh. A lot.
Q4: What did you want to be when you were
younger?
A print journalist until I realised the internet
and blogging were going to kill the profession
as a viable means of having enough cash to pay
for food and accommodation.
Q5: What are you plans for this weekend?
Kung-fu yoga. Fusion anything is always a good
thing, right? I mean who knew the world need-
ed sushi burritos?
Q6: Who is your favorite colleague and why?
Mr Jeff for his strict adherence to the school
rules.
Q7: What is your favorite Malaysian dish?
Curry puffs. More fusion - basically a samosa
eloped with a Cornish pasty and settled down
together in South East Asia.
Q8: What’s your relationship status?
Married. Sorry ladies.
Q9: How old are you?.
35. My hairline: 45 and counting.
Q10: What are your hobbies?
Marking. When not marking - yoga, hiking,
playing squash, traveling, reading, visiting
museums, and making top 10 lists of my fa-
vourite Boney M tracks.
Europe is our current topic in Humanities. It is the second smallest continent in the world and is home to 11% of the world’s population. It has produced numerous technology inventions and thinkers. We have so many burning questions about this beautiful place. Being Penangites, we cannot help but wonder what kind of food Europeans love to eat. What is the correct way of eating spaghetti? Also, what is the most popular hair style in Europe? Is Russia
Europe or Asia? Or both? Some of us have been there already but many of us still dream of travelling there someday.
YEAR FIVE—by Ms Ahreum and Ms Rowan
It seems to have been a
hectic few weeks in Year
6 recently. All of the stu-
dents are working very
hard as the final count-
down towards the Check-
point exams gets under-
way. With recent school
holidays taken into ac-
count, it is very important
that all of the students are
completing any home-
work and taking note of any revision help that is put onto the Edmodo website.
This week, Year 6 are completing their assessments in the form of Checkpoint
‘mock’ exams. It is a very useful exercise to complete past papers in true exam
conditions. Some of the students are now realising just how important it is to
keep an eye on the clock during exams!
Aside from Checkpoint, last week gave us a chance to enjoy the Chinese New Year celebrations. Besides the highlight of Friday’s assembly, the students also enjoyed trying their hand at making Kuih Kapit. I just hoped it all tasted as good as it looked!
YEAR SIX—by Mr Gwyn
Chinese cooking—Korean style!
Where will I travel next?..
Europe: Destination holiday anyone?
Nicholas & Thinash—Ready to start their own restaurant.
10
Q: Why are you running this activity?
To help develop children's questioning and critical thinking skills hopefully allowing them to apply these to other subjects. The best way we learn is through asking questions and discussing them.
Q: Is it challenging or easy to teach students?
A little from column A, a little from column B. It's chal-lenging when things don't go the way you expect but it's easy when they do. The children make it easier to enjoy.
Q: How did you get interested in this Activity?
This is something I taught at a previous school. An in-spirational teacher and friend was delivering the course and was encouraging other staff to do the same. It often creates some surprisingly interesting discussions.
Q: Who is your favorite student in this Activity?
There are obviously no favourites. They are all amazing. It's cruel to ask.
Q: What age level do you prefer to teach?
I used to think I would only ever teach KS2. Here I am after 2 years in EYFS and now a YR1 class. I don't have a preference. I'm lucky, I do enjoy getting to spend some time with KS2 in my timetable.
Q: Have you learned new things teaching them?
I have learned always have tissues in the classroom. Younger children means more snot. I think it would be truly sad to ever stop learning.
Q: How do your students make progress?
Leaps and bounds overnight? I once taught a Lion how to shop at Giant, doesn't even hunt anymore. If by the end of the term the children can ask me a question, I will be happy. If they can ask each other questions, I will be overjoyed. If they can have a discussion without my in-put, I will be ecstatic!
ACTIVITY SPOTLIGHT: P4C ( Phi losophy for Chi ldren)
with Mr Myron
11
Date: Thursday 1st February
Team: Under 15 Girls Football
Game: POWIIS vs Straits
Venue: POWIIS
Team members: Aliah, Angel, Dhiikshaa, Jing Xuan, Teresa, Tina, Xuan
Coach: Mr Daniel
On Thursday 1st February the Straits team had only their 2nd
football match of the season, making the journey to Balik Pulau
to face POWIIS. Since the first match of the season, the girls
have put in lots of work in training and have honed many skills
since the start of the year. This was now the chance to put these
skills into practice.
Playing in the courtyard at POWIIS, the buildings provided
some shade from the sun and Straits made the decision to start
facing the sun. In their 7-a-side line-up, Straits started brightly
with all of the players having time on the ball within the first
few minutes. A brief time-out was called after 2 minutes of play
to allow the POWIIS team to change their shirt colour and play
continued in the same fashion. Much of the game was played in
the centre of the pitch with both teams nervous about getting
too close to the edge. This led to players getting in each other’s’
way at times and some scrappy play with many bodies in the
same place.
The play went from end to end with both teams struggling to
find a way through the solid defences of the opposition. When
Straits managed to find a way through the defensive line they
were met with a solid shot-stopper in the POWIIS net. With the
support of each other, Straits kept going and were determined
to show what they have learnt in training. The Straits midfield
of Xuan, Aliah and Jing Xuan worked the ball tirelessly and
won back many loose balls in the centre of the pitch. One par-
ticularly great move saw Dhiikshaa hit a powerful shot goal-
wards and only a reaction save from the goalkeeper prevented
Straits from going ahead.
All players having come off at half time with a positive feeling,
Straits changed their goalkeeper for the second half to allow
Tina some pitch time. A new formation also helped with the
shape of the team and when POWIIS kicked off for the second
half, intent on attacking they were met once more with the
same solid defence that Teresa and Jing Xuan had shown in the
first half. Angel and Aliah added more width in midfield and
with Tina’s freshness Straits had a new energy going forwards.
The girls created more chances to score and offered more op-
tions for passes.
The balance of play remained very even throughout although
Straits broke through the defensive lines most often with
chances falling to both Tina and Dhiikshaa only for them to be
denied by the POWIIS goalkeeper again and again. After about
10 minutes, Aliah and Tina combined to find Dhiikshaa who
had the time to set herself for the shot. This time the shot was
too powerful for the goalkeeper to hold and the ball looped into
the back of the net. 1-0 Straits! Having just scored, it was vital
that we now didn’t concede and all the players continued to
work hard for each other and also push for another goal. The
remainder of the game continued with end-to-end action but at
last the final whistle blew and Straits came off the field as vic-
tors.
Throughout the match, the Straits players showed great sports-
manship and were worthy winners. More hard work in training
will prepare the team for their next match.
Final Result: POWIIS 0 – 1 Straits
Boys report:
On Thursday the 1st Feb 2018 Straits Dragons U13 football
team played a friendly match against POWIIS. It was a tough
match for the U13 team as POWIIS is quite a good team.
The first half of the match against POWIIS was intense. Our
opponent's team was very good and they were communicating
very well. So by half time, we were 2-0 down but we still didn't
give up.
During the second half we made a lot of mistakes and we did
our utmost but still, we were defeated.
It was a friendly match after all and we did learn from many of our mistakes. Even though we were defeated, we still had lots of fun and it was a good game.
STRAITS DRAGONS — Penang School Sports Fixtures
with Ms Rowan, Mr Dennis and Mr Vinod
12
This time I want to share with you all about the topic of animation. In this school we introduce anima-
tion lessons at an early age. For the past seven weeks, students from Key stage 2 (Year 3 and 4) have
successfully learned how to create a basic animation. The following week, they will start a mini project
of animation. They will be asked to make a cartoon or an animation on any topic. Animation is one of
the most exciting advances in education technology, allowing children the opportunity to be endlessly
creative in designing their own comic strips, movies and more. In our early stages we have started with
the comic strips.
Animation is a sequence of pictures moving very quickly to create an optical illusion. This occurs due to
the fact that the human brain takes time to process the images seen, which creates an illusion that the
image is in motion. Thus, animation is closely related to brain function.
Animation has varying positive effects on the brain development of students. Animation splashes a
wide palette of colours and harnesses music that boosts brain organisation and ability. It is a fact that the cerebral cortex grows
thicker as you learn how to use it. In the early years of a child’s growth, animation triggers formation of new brain connections by
providing a stimulating environment for learning.
It is easier to get into animation today than ever before. There
are plenty of software available, some are quite cheap (or even
free), and most modern computers can handle the more sim-
ple animation tasks (mostly 2D). In this school, we used j2code
and Scratch for introduction to animation.
The present day curriculum demands a child to perceive com-
plex number sense which is broken down into simpler managea-
ble graphics by animation. Further, animation is a great source
of presenting academics in a simpler form to stu-
dents. Hopefully animation lessons will create a positive atmos-
phere in the classroom and encourage students to be more crea-
tive and have fun with their learning.
Year 8 Wood Carving project
Malaysia being a tropical country is blessed with many forests that have
enabled the timber industry to thrive. Woodcarving of various forms and
patterns is one of the classical Malaysian arts that is still growing today.
Based on that scenario, Year 8 students started their relief wood carving
project. The objective of this project is to expose them to one of the tradi-
tional art forms in Malaysia. They will explore various skills, media and
materials that are used in wood carving.
Students start their work by drawing a simple wood carving motif that is based on a flower or plant, then they simplify their drawing based on their imagination. After that they will paint this motif using water colours. Both of these drawings and paintings will be set as their assessment work. Next, students transfer the motif drawing onto a wood plank and use wood carv-ing tools to carve out the wood to reveal the motif area. Students will use sand paper to smooth the wood carving surface texture. I will help them to ensure they produce a good quality of wood carving.
SUBJECT SPOTLIGHT: ICT—by Ms Haniza
SUBJECT SPOTLIGHT: ART by Mr Hasfis
WHAT I OVERHEARD….
Why can’t Mr Jack come in to help us girls change? –
Yr 2
You’re sick! Why aren’t you in hospital?! - Yr 4
13
I am excited to share with you some of the great work pupils have
been doing in Year 7 this term. All pupils have returned to Straits
with buoyant enthusiasm for their English lessons. Earlier in the
term Year 7 completed their study of ‘The other side of truth’ a truly
gripping novel about family, friends and escaping hardships. The
class were fascinated by the commitment of our protagonist, Sade,
to telling the truth and finding a way to reunite with her father. The
class developed interesting talking points about the value of hones-
ty, the preciousness of family and whether or not they would go to
the same lengths as Sade for their own loved ones. All pupils in Year
7, truly enjoyed the novel and their letters to the author explaining
why they believe all Year 7s should study this novel truly showed
how much they had learned and taken in, further proving the power
of reading to develop and challenge young people’s thoughts and
feelings. This unit was also an ideal entry point into the skill of se-
lecting relevant quotations from text, analysing the effect of words on the readers and exploring theme and
character in depth.
Pupils have now moved onto their Autobiography unit where they have been exploring the features of figurative language in autobiographies. Pupils have been working on analysing autobiographical extracts of famous people, extracting key figurative language used and challenging them-selves to use similes, metaphors and personification in the initial drafts of their autobiographical writing. Pupils will continue to develop their skills in the unit by exploring emotive language and planning in detail their autobiographical writing for their upcoming assessment. To aid their progress pupils have been using paired work to develop their descriptive writing skills and peer marking activities to test each other’s knowledge
of the key features of autobiographical writing. The early signs have been encouraging and I know pupils will continue to put vigour into their autobiography writing as we approach the assessment.
SUBJECT SPOTLIGHT: ENGLISH —by Ms Maryam
Students recently embarked on their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award ex-pedition to Penang’s National Park. After weeks of stringent planning, Year 10 students embarked from the entrance to the National Park on Friday prepared for a weekend of ad-venture. Three teams carried all of their equip-
ment to camp and cook in the jungle and were all able to navigate themselves through difficult terrain to find and set up camp efficiently us-ing the training they had received in school. Notable memories of the expedition were Vikaash and his group managing to catch fish for themselves to prepare and serve up (very
tasty). Kai Wen’s team were also able to make a cracking spaghetti dish on Teluk Kampi beach using a variety of ingredients to good use.
All students completed their expedition by setting up and taking down camp, cooking at least one meal per day and working as a team to carry all equipment. Mr. Hasfis, Ms. Hui Yen and I were very impressed by the intrepid nature of some students and in connection with this the support they gave to the less able mem-bers of the team. Everyone worked together and a great time was had. We can’t wait for the next one in a few months time!
DU K E O F E DIN B U RG H A W A R D S – by Mr Mike
Photos clockwise: The whole gang ready to go. Tents being taken down in
the morning. Yi Ern and team preparing their meal on the beach. Sunset
at Pantai Keracut.