A

FO

RT

NIG

HT

LY

N

EW

SL

ET

TE

R F

OR

T

HE

S

CH

OO

L

CO

MM

UN

ITY

FRIDAY, September 26th, 2008

TERM 1

BA

SE

TO

UC

H

The International School Of Penang (Uplands)

In this TouchBase:- School Visit by His Excellency Boyd McCleary

- Parent Teacher Meet & Greet

- Leaving Uplands

- Merdeka!

Get TouchBase in colour at www.uplands.org

ExcellentA Visit by His Excellency Boyd McCleary, The British High Commissioner.

PAGE 2 PAGE 3

His Excellency Boyd McCleary, British High Commissioner, visited Uplands School on Friday the 19th of Septem-ber 2008. He was accompanied by Vice Consul Sandra Rust, Director of the British Council Penang Peggy Lim and Direc-tor of Education at British Council Kuala Lumpur Peter Clark. The tour of the School was led by Honorary British Consul, Mr.Robert Hawkins, Acting Principal, Alan Smith, Head of Primary, Ali Nicholson and Director of Administration, Kingsley Charles. His Excellency visited and chatted with students in Primary and Secondary during their Art, IT and Design Technology classes. He was impressed with Upland’s new artificial sports field after hearing of the multiple benefits it affords students, especially in our hot and often wet climate. Many of his questions and lines of inquiry were regarding the School’s current status and potential challenges it faces now and in the future; he was also interested in learning how the British Council might work in partnership with The International School Of Penang (Uplands). Later on during the visit, Chair of the UPTA, Carol Ch’ng, and Assistant Treasurer, Cathy Burrell, met with the tour party over tea and biscuits. Mr. McCleary asked what the parents thought of the School and if there was anything to improve. Carol informed him that the parents were very satisfied with the education their children were getting and that the School had good facilities, that perhaps these facilities could be made available to parents too, out of School hours. His Excellency left shortly after for another appointment at USM. The School community would like to thank him and the other visitors for their visit and for taking an interest in Uplands.

Marketing & Events

Congratulations to Na’il Randolph Y5.

Na’il is a 5H primary student at Uplands, he enjoys swimming, loves scuba diving, and on Sep 6, 2008 successfully completed all requirements necessary to receive the Scuba Ranger certification from Kids Scuba, which is a Scuba Schools International certified Scuba Training Facility in the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur.

Na’il will continue training in special courses designed for skills enhancement in such areas as rescue, buddy diving, etc.

Terry N. RandolphNa’il’s Father

Excellent

Advertisment

www.thepenangdirectory.comwww.thepenangdirectory.comwww.thepenangdirectory.comServices Directorywww.thepenangdirectory.comwww.thepenangdirectory.comwww.thepenangdirectory.comMarket Placewww.thepenangdirectory.comwww.thepenangdirectory.comwww.thepenangdirectory.comDiscussion Forumwww.thepenangdirectory.comwww.thepenangdirectory.comwww.thepenangdirectory.com

Its all FREE!

Dear Parents,Re: www.uplands.org - The School Website

Please be informed that the School web-site can now be navigated using Firefox.Thank you,

Marketing and Events.

Parent Teacher Meet & GreetThis year’s Meet and Greet saw all the Teachers arrive back at school at 6pm to greet parents eager to put a face to a name, and the evening was a great success with parents and teachers socialising together in the Refectory whilst the Student Council was on hand to take care of the younger students, keeping them entertained in the Multi Pur-pose Hall.The UPTA worked hard to supply hot dogs to the students and luckily we had many parent and leacher helpers fry-ing the sausages and onions, the drinks counter seemed to be a very popular area. We have to admit we ran dry of the popular adult drinks. However, the bottles of mineral water were not as popular it would appear we have very sociable parents and we hope to follow up with another event soon.The event was a huge success and this was made possible with the input from Mr. Alan Smith, Acting Principal and Mrs Ali Nicholson, Head of Primary and Teacher representative on the UPTA. The UPTA Committee would like to thank everyone for making the event the success it was.

Carol Ch’ngChairperson UPTA

PAGE 2 PAGE 3

Get ready to impress this festive season. Finally, those elusive words of the Season, with translation! by Carol Marshal. SELAMAT HARI RAYA everyone!

Selamat aidil fitri; Kepada saudara serta saudari Setahun hanya sekali; Merayakan hari yang mulia ini Happy Aidl fitri; To all our friends and family Only once every year; We celebrate this joyous occasion.

Di masa bulan Remdan; Kita berpuasa hingga sebulan Pabila Syawal menjelma; Hari raya disambut dengan gembira During the month of Ramadan; We fast all through the monthWhen Syawal arrives; Hari Raya is celebrated with such joy

(Korus 1) Miskin kaya memakai baju baru warna-warni; Mengun-jungi sanak kaum famili Sungguh hebat pemandangan di hari raya ini; Tua muda wajah berseri-seri ChorusPoor and rich in all our colourful new clothes; Visiting relatives and familyWhat a wonderful sight on this hari raya; Brilliant smiles on old and young faces

Selamat hari raya; Pada saudari saudara semua Marilah dengan gembira; Merayakan aidilfitri yang mulia Selamat hari raya; To one and allCome let us have a great time; Celebrating this wonder-ful aidilfitri

Di sana kelihatan; Bermacam kuih ketupat dan rendang Mintak bu kuih sepotong; Saya mahu makan kerna perut

kosong Over there can you see; Lots of kuih ketupat and ren-dangMay I please have a piece; My tummy is empty, I’m sooo hungry!

Dam dam dum bunyi mercun; Kanak-kanak segera datang berduyun Dam dam dum mercun berdentum; Semaraklah hari raya ini tahun Dam dam dum the sound of firecracker; Drawing the children in drovesDam dam dum the crackers sound; Celebrating hari raya this year.

(Korus 2)Maafkanlah jika ada terlanjur perkataan; Diharap supaya jangan disimpan Kuberdoa selamat panjang umur murah rezeki; Semoga Tuhan akan memberkati Chorus 2I apologise if I have made any error; I hope you don’t take it to heartI pray you have a long life and lots of money; May God bless your efforts

Selamat hari raya; Hari untuk kita bersuka ria Selamat mari ucapkan; Untuk kita hingga sampai tahun depan Selamat Hari Raya; A day of enjoyment and laughterSelamat we wish you; Until we celebrate another time next year.

Selamat hari raya!Selamat hari raya!

PAGE 4 PAGE 5

On 2 September 2008, we had a special Merdeka assembly to commemorate Malaysia’s 51st anniversary of independence. We had a special whole school assembly that started with Year 1 and reception students parading into the hall with their ‘Bunga Raya’, our national flower. This was followed by our national anthem “Negaraku”. Next, Year 9 Malay students presented a beautiful dance “Bahtera Merdeka”. This was followed by a brief introduction to Merdeka de-livered by the Year 13 Malay students. Following this, Malay students organised a quiz, which received an overwhelming response from the whole school. Hundreds of hands were raised for each question. Later, there was a video show about Merdeka, followed by the “Malaysiaku Gemilang” song. Finally, “The Best Malaysian Traditional Costume” competition took everyone by surprise. The first prize for the best Malaysian tradisional costume was won by Chloe Bar-nett. Second and third prizes went to Bibi Syakeera Bardril and Carlson Whang respectively. The Merdeka assembly ended with the chant of “Merdeka!” repeated seven times. MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA!

Merdeka!

PAGE 4 PAGE 5

Flag of Malaysia - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The flag of Malaysia, also known as the Jalur Gemilang (“Stripes of Glory”), comprises a field of 14 alternating red and white stripes along the fly and a blue canton bearing a crescent and a 14-point star known as the Bintang Persekutuan or Federal Star. The 14 stripes, of equal width, represent the equal status in the federation of the 13 member states and the federal government, while the 14 points of the star represent the unity between these entities. The crescent represents Islam, the country’s official religion; the yellow of the star and crescent is the royal colour of the Malay rulers;The red of the stripes stands for the bloodshed to earn independence. The white stands for the people and economy of Malaysia.

PAGE 6 PAGE 7

Mr Whittlestone (Head of Years 10 and 11) is a worried man. Over the long vacation, his much-loved Burnley bear (see pho-tograph) disappeared, and he is beginning to suspect foul play. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of the Burnley bear, please contact Mr Whittlestone. An anonymous supporter of the troubled teacher is offering a jar of organic honey and a copy of Burnley FC - The Glory Years (a very quick read) as a reward for information leading to the recovery of the bear.

ThailandGolf Training in Thailand for the Uplands Community – Half TermLast chance to join!

Dear Students and Parents,

We now have a small group of parents, students and staff ready to participate in a six day golf training course during the half term holiday - Sunday 26th October to Saturday 1st November. Whether or not you have played golf or consider yourself a hacker, the training facilities and coaching are set up accommodate all levels of abil-ity. The centre we will be using is part of the Bangkok Spa Golf Resort http://www.resort.th.com/ It includes flood lit 18 and 9 hole courses, a driving range and short game training facilities. Our accommodation will be in the 3 star hotel adjacent to the course. A typical program for the day would be theory/practice in the morning; a round of golf accompanied by the clubs PGA profession-als and night golf in the evening. We also have shopping trips and a BBQ pencilled in. We still have a few spaces available but must finalise our itinerary by the end of this month. Please email me within the next week.

The cost of the trip will be RM3,500. This includes air fare, 6 nights hotel accommodation, food, unlimited use of the driving range, tuition and golf every day. This I am sure you will agree is exceptional value for money. Please let me know of your interest by note or email: sweatherley@uplands.org

Steve Weatherley

Here are Reliable and Credible Internet Sites to assist IB students with RESEARCH: http://www.oawl.english.edu Purdue University writing lab is user friendly when writing an extended essay. http://bubl.ac.uk Topical list of reliable internet resources http://www.barleby.com/65/ Literature reference source with full text material http://www.digital-librarian.com Another Internet index http://infomine.ucr.edu Scholarly collection of E-journals http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse A virtual library http://www.infoplease.com/almanacs.html Important facts like “The Worlds’ 10 Most Corrupt Leaders.” http://www.Lii.org Reference to trusted websites by topic http://www.LOC.gov Library of Congress in the U.S. http://plato.stanford.edu Stanford University’s in depth site of philosophy. For instance: environmental ethics. http://www.webopedia.com Computer geeks’ goldmine Your other resource is your librarian, Carole Hanaway.

Or... you could look in this pile.

Stop Press! A ransom message was received recently with a photo of Burnley bear at the Thai border! Mr Whittlestone appeals to anybody for further information. Look out in TouchBase for the unfolding story and pictures! M&E

Two long serving staff and members of the School community are leaving Uplands. Jeffrey Bernard Scully, our Estate Supervisor and Aznan Bin Nagor, our Network and Systems Manager.Jeffrey Scully an old St. Xaviers boy, is retiring at the age of 55 years “young” as he puts it, having served the School for exactly 20 years. He first became part of the School as a Gardener in 1988, when Principal J.E. Churchman was at the helm. By 1989 Jeffrey became a Bulding & Grounds Maintenance Worker; then Assistant ‘Mandore’ (Estate term - Supervisor); Maintenance Supervisor and finally Estate Supervisor overseeing many aspects of the School’s upkeep and appearance, including the many eye-catching landscaping features around the present site. As one illustration of his commitment and care for his School and its community (and I’m sure by no means the least), I learnt recently that much of the trees and plants currently beautifying the School were actually dug up and relocated from the old Kelawai site by Jeffery and his team, not an easy task. Amongst other duties, they would repair tiled roofs after severe storm damage and pull pythons out from underneath dining-hall floors; not at the present dining-hall thankfully.Jeffrey will not be inactive after Uplands, I am told he will be running his own renovations company. I am glad to have met him and got to know him during our short overlapping periods at Uplands. I wish you all the best and hope, to also be invited to that curry fish head session mentioned by Ian Kerr in his message!Aznan, is not retiring but leaving to increase his mastery of the IT world at INTEL. After six years restarting PC’s at Uplands (only joking ‘Nan’, I know you have done much more...Ed.), the question is...will INTEL feel like a holiday or a hellish-day? Let us know won’t you…

Marketing & Events

PAGE 6 PAGE 7

A message from a former Principal. If it needed fixing, he would fix it. I have held my breath while he leapt about on the tiled roof of the old three-storey school building; I have seen him make scenery from scraps: I have tasted his culinary creations; I have woken him in the middle of the night to stop a boarding house flood and I have ad-mired his willingness to work all hours when it was required of him. The School will miss Jeff Scully’s improvisation skills. Jeff’s grin epitomises the scallywag in him. He was with Up-lands before I arrived and has outlasted me. I wish him well with his new venture – his own (newly) registered company and I look forward to an occasional fish head curry with him, in the future.

Part of me is pleased to hear that Aznan is taking a career leap but the major feeling that I have is one of great loss to Uplands. He has contributed greatly to the development of the computer infrastructure in The International School of Penang (Uplands) over the six years that he has been with this organization but he deserves the opportunity to meet new challenges and reach new heights. Aznan, your expertise and conscientious efforts have been much appreciated. May you have every success in your new company.

Ian J Kerr

A message from the Director of Administration

Someone once said that there is loss as well as gain when a colleague leaves. Who loses what and who gains what depends on a number of factors. My thoughts for Jeffrey’s departure can be summed up by this quote; “When one door closes, another one opens, but we often look so long and regretfully at the closed door that we fail to see the one that has opened for us.” - Alexander Graham Bell

As for Aznan’s departure, I got upset and sad when he in-formed me. I did not expect or want it. Aznan is a new eager entrant to the managerial level who wants to chart a pathway

to continual learning and skills progression towards bigger, broader roles at the top tier of the IT profession. I wish him a successful career, and an exciting and rewarding experience. In his letter he mentioned; “I’ll also be able to better provide for my family”. I understood that statement as there will be a joyful addition to his family soon. Thank you Aznan and God bless.

Kingsley F Charles

Four pictures at top: Jeffrey Scully and team during early 90’s to present day, Bottom picture: Aznan Bin Nagor.

Car for Sale22,000 (27,000 new last year);

Less than 1 year old Proton Saga;Kevin Jenkins;017-447-2894

Physicskorea@hotmail.com

FOR SALE1996 KIA Sportage, RM16,000 onoBuy the car, get a FREE BED! (see below)

Road Taxed and Insured until 28th Nov 2008. Good Overall Condition, well looked after for the last 4 years. Full ser-vice history. Many new parts including: complete new Air Conditioning system and non-water battery this year. Drives well, loads of space Possibly the only manual

Sportage in Penang?! Can accept payment in MYR, US$ or GB£ !FREE! Queen size Rattan bed, hand made in Penang (flat packs in 6 sections), plus rarely used mat-tress. Excellent Condition! (Cost RM3000 new) Contact: Carol (carolinemarshall@uplands.org) for viewing or test drives! Or: Justin (former Uplands teacher on: justinedwards@hotmail.com) for info and offers!

Don’t forget

at the MPH

‘Fat Boys Football’

Monday

Uplands

The International School of Penang (Uplands)

Jalan Sungai Satu, Batu Feringgi, 11100 Penang, Malaysia. Tel: 04 881 9777 Fax: 04 881 9778

www.uplands.org

TouchBase is published every Friday fortnightly during the school year as a service to the Uplands community. A colour PDF version can be downloaded from the School website: www.uplands.org - Go to ‘Events/ News’ and then click on ‘TouchBase Newsletter’. It is produced by the School, and is meant only for internal circulation.TouchBase is distributed to each family by way of youngest enrolled child of each Uplands family.All information must be e-mailed (bram@uplands.org) to reach the School by 10am on the Monday prior to the following week’s publication.TouchBase encourages every member of the Uplands community to contribute to the publication. However, we reserve the right to edit or reject any article or information.For advertising enquiries, please contact the School.

•

•

•

•

•

•

TOUCHBASE - General Information

Closing thought...“- You can’t just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood.

- What mood is that?- Last-minute panic.”

Calvin & Hobbs

- 350L Toshiba Fridge, bought in May for RM 1400, now selling at RM 1200. Available around 10 October. Contact vyin@uplands.org

For Sale ! ! !

Scooter for Sale, Suzuki VS125; good Japanese engine;

build quality and handling; fast and economical. RM 2500 neg

Bram Tan 017-8888 120