Garden International School

Newsletter

15th June 2007

 

 

Headlines For This Week

 

News From Principal

-          Annual A Level and IGCSE Art Exhibition

-     PTF Committee

 

News From Secondary

      -     The Responsible Use of the ICT and Internet

-          UNSW International Computer Skills Competition 2007

 

News From Primary

-          Year Five Micro Society Sale

-          Year 1 Trip To High 5 Bread Town 12.6.07

      -     Parents of current Year 6 students who are transferring to GIS Secondary School in September 07

      -     Assistant Teacher Vacancies

 

Parent, Teacher and Friends of GIS

-           PTF Coffee Morning

 

Announcement

-          Sports Award Evening

 

 

NEWS FROM PRINCIPAL

 

Annual A Level and IGCSE Art Exhibition  

An exhibition of A level and IGCSE Art and Design examination work is currently on show in the exhibition area of the GIS Arts Centre. The outstanding work on show this year was featured in a double page spread in The Star newspaper on Saturday 9th June. The exhibition is open to visitors until Friday 22nd June.

 

PTF Committee

With a little over four weeks left to the end of the academic year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the PTF Committee for their commitment and hard work which has been dedicated towards making the school a better place for our students and their families. Over the past year the PTF members have greatly contributed to creating a ‘School Spirit’ and have been an invaluable aid in assisting the School’s management in improving services. The regular monthly Coffee Mornings have introduced parents to each other and have provided a venue for speakers from both the School and from the local community. The major events such as Bazaars, Quiz Nights and the GIS Fun Day have enabled parents, children and staff to mix in an informal and enjoyable atmosphere. The PTF also plays a vital role in helping to improve services through representation on the School’s Health & Safety Committee, Catering Committee and Bus Committee and provides a line of communication between parents and the school via the Online PTF Forum.

 

The current term of office for the current PTF Committee ends on 17th July 2007. Several members of the committee will be leaving GIS at the end of this Term to take up new roles in other countries. I would like to wish them bon voyage. I am now asking for nominations from parents for the 10 positions on next year’s Committee.

 

If you would like to be nominated for the 2007/8 PTF Committee or know of someone who wishes to be nominated please pass your name, child’s name and class and contact details to my secretary Yvonne Lam. ( lam.yvonne @gardenschool.edu.my ) or call her on 03 6209 6888.

 

 

Ray Davis

Pincipal

 

 

NEWS FROM SECONDARY

 

The Responsible Use of the ICT and Internet

There have been previous items in this newsletter about our concerns that students understand the importance of using the internet and electronic communications in a responsible way and that they do not abuse the opportunities they provide. There have also been presentations and discussions at PTF Coffee Mornings.

 

Very often, our children’s use and familiarity with ICT and the internet far exceeds our own. Unfortunately technology which has so much potential to make our lives better can also so easily be abused. For example “Cyber Bullying” amongst young people is becoming a concern in very many schools all over the world. Garden International School is no exception.

 

Our emphasis at Garden International School so far has been to educate our students about the responsible use of ICT and to make them aware of the harm that can be done to others by sometimes thoughtless actions.

 

We shall continue to do this; however in view of recent incidents arising from the use of instant-messaging, ‘Friendster’ and the posting on the internet of derogatory and threatening material we also need to be explicit about the consequences.  I shall therefore be speaking to all students in assembly over the next week.  I should therefore like to make you as well as your children aware of the following:

 

  • The posting on the internet by any student of any video, picture or text which refers to or portrays Garden International School, its staff or students in any way which is derogatory, threatening or could cause offence is unacceptable and will lead to serious disciplinary action.

 

  • Students are not allowed to use a camera or hand-phone for the purposes of recording photographs or video on the school premises at any time unless given the explicit permission of a member of staff.

 

As in so much of education we – parents and teachers – need to work together to ensure the best for all our students so that they can all feel safe and secure at school and at home.

 

 

Robert Lloyd

Head of Secondary

 

UNSW International Computer Skills Competition 2007:

Bravos, Congratulations and Well Done!

Students from Years 7 to 10 won University of New South Wales awards for their academic achievement when they participated in this competition on 3rd April at GIS. Our students took part for the second time and they secured 7 Certificates of High Distinction (top 1% of entrants), 8 Certificates of Distinction and 3 Certificates of Credit.  They are:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

High Distinction Achievers

Distinction Achievers

Credit Achievers

 

Nicole Tan (7K)

Jessica Lim (8L)

WONG Jo-Yve (8L)

Lee Hyun Seok (8L)

Jaganmohana Adapa (9G)

Lim Khai Wern (9W)

Douglas Chung (10M)

 

Karissa Yaw (7M)

Karl Birch (8I)

Cho Hyun Joo (9S)

Satoko Omata (9G)

Zoe Chan (9S)

HOOI Gordon (10S)

Cho Jun Muk (10M)

Aswan Yap (10M)

Akashdeep Bajaj (7S)

Jeon Seungmin (9S)

James Saram (10M)

In addition to these excellent achievements, I am extremely pleased to announce that Lee Hyun Seok have been awarded a University Gold Medal for his outstanding performance under the Year 8 Category.

 

 

CK Loo

Head of ICT Faculty

 

 

NEWS FROM THE HEAD OF PRIMARY

 

Reminders for your diary :

Year 6 Parents

Monday to Friday 18-22 June

Year 6 Camp

Details sent out before half-term

 

Advance Warning for your diary :

All Parents

Tuesday 26 June

Cafeteria Theme Day : Australia

Year 4 Parents

Wednesday to Friday 27-29 June

Year 4 Camp

More details soon

All Parents

Wednesday 4 July

Primary Concert

Details soon

All Parents

Friday 6 July

Micro Society Sale

Details below

Year 6 Parents

Thursday 12 July (evening)

Year 6 Assembly

Details soon

All Parents

Friday 13 July

Reports and Class Lists for 2007/2008 issued

All Parents

Monday 16 July

‘Moving-up day’

Details soon

All Parents

Tuesday 17 July

End of Term

 

The second half of term has started well and is, as expected very busy, in addition to everything else which is going on in the classroom. At the start of the week, Year 5 began running their annual cake sales as part of their Micro Society Sale drive to raise funds. (See below). There will be more to come over the next couple of weeks or so. On Wednesday Year 4 trialled an IPC unit – the classroom displays were spectacular and the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves whilst learning about different environments from what I heard during their ‘Press Conferences’. Meanwhile Year 1 enjoyed a trip to a local bakery and on Thursday our Primary FOBISSEA Team went into action. Good luck to them !

 

 

Christopher FitzGerald

Head of Primary

 

Year Five Micro Society Sale

Shortly we will be holding our annual Micro Society Sale to raise money for the Taman Megah handicapped children’s home on Friday, 6th July. All primary children will participate at some point during the day. There will be a variety of items for sale, mostly made by the Year 5 students, as well as child-friendly games, hair braiding, nail decorating, etc.

 

We need your help, as we will be running a second-hand stall and would welcome all your unwanted items from home. Items such as CDs, books, ornaments, games, toys, etc that can be easily and safely sold would be appreciated. Items for either children or adults are suitable.

 

We would appreciate things being sent in before Friday, 29th June if possible. Please deliver these items to the Primary Office where they will be stored until needed.

 

It is all for a worthwhile cause and we thank you in advance for all your help and support.

 

Year Five Team

 

 

Year 1 Trip To High 5 Bread Town 12.6.07

We have had a great start to our ‘Food’ topic this week with a visit to the High 5 Bakery in Shah Alam. The children saw a video about where wheat comes from and took a walk though the  history of bread making. This was followed by a skywalk through the bakery showing them the machinery in action. We even had a visit from the mascots and came home with a goodie bag each! It was a great learning experience, which was fun for everyone.

 

Parents of current Year 6 students who are transferring to GIS Secondary School in September 07

We would like to invite your child to take part in the cross-phase morning on 27th June 2007. All the children currently in Year 6 will come up to Secondary School for a taster of life in Secondary, this will include meeting the Head of Secondary and the Senior Secondary Staff as well as their new Form Tutors and class. It will also involve taking part in science and mathematics classes and seeing a drama performance. The students will have secondary refreshment breaks and will return to their primary classes for the last two lessons of the day.

 

In addition to this event we would like to invite you to an important meeting for all parents of students transferring to Year 7. This will be on the 28th June at 8.30am in the Foyer of the new Arts Building. During this meeting you will be introduced to key members of the secondary staff and learn more about the organisation and expectations at  Secondary School. There will also be an opportunity for you to raise any questions or concerns you may have about the transfer to secondary school. It is expected that the meeting will finish by 9.30 am.

 

 

Andrew Boardman

Acting Head of Year 7

 

ASSISTANT TEACHER VACANCIES

The Primary School has some vacancies for Assistant Teachers for September 2007. If you (or someone you know) would like to find out more or apply, please look at the Jobs section on the school website or contact David Gorman (Deputy Head of Primary) for more information. Please note that applicants must be Malaysian citizens.

 

 

PARENT, TEACHER & FRIENDS OF GIS

 

PTF Coffee Morning

We would like to thank Dr. Wong for taking the time to speak to us about a very important topic – ‘Vaccines for Cervical Cancer’.

 

Watch this space for more interesting talks coming your way.

 

Secondhand School Book Sale, 12th & 13th July

A reminder that there will be the usual secondhand book sale before the end of the year. The venue has yet to be confirmed, so do look out for it in the next newsletter.

 

Suggestion Box

The suggestion box is located opposite the Primary Canteen area, beside the bulletin boards. We welcome all your comments and questions – so, just drop them right in!

 

 

PTF Communications sub-committee

 

ANNOUNCEMENT

 

Sports Award Evening

This very popular event organised by the PE department will be held in the Grand Hall on Monday 25th June (Juniors U13s and below) and Tuesday 26th June (Seniors U15s & U18s). The evening is set to start at 6.30pm and finish at 9.30pm. Certificates will be given out to all students. MIP (Most Improved Player) and MVP (Most  Valuable Player) awards, selected by the coaches, will be given out to a player from each team. Parents are most welcome to attend.