May June 2016 - International School of Kuantan€¦ · May -June 2016 Better Reader Su ... what to expect in an university admissions interview, ... Principle, and Nailing It and

May - June 2016

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

ISK NEWSLETTER Inspiring Success through Knowledge

Interna- Page 1

October - November 2016

World Holidays or Observances in

December

December 2016

~ Seneca the Younger

“The important

thing about a

problem is not its

solution, but the

strength we gain

in finding the

solution ”

10 Constitution Day

(Thailand)

12 Prophet Muhammad’s

Birthday (PBUH)

13 Id-E-Milad (India)

23 The Emperor’s Birthday

(Japan)

24 Christmas Eve

25 Christmas

Boxing Day (Canada)

26 Joint Holiday

(Indonesia)

30 Rizal Day (Philippines)

31 New Year’s Eve

In October, International School of Kuantan (ISK) initiated a literacy program to ensure that students are reading at or above their grade level. To start, we sent out a reading survey to parents and students. Here is a summary of the results: Most parents and students agree that reading is important. Half of parents and students like to read. Most parents and students have a good understanding on their own reading abilities. All parents agree that students’ current reading performance should be improved. Most students, currently, are not reading as often as they should. These results show that students need to read more – and that is a first step to improve literacy.

In the following months, we will integrate the literacy program in classrooms and rely, among others, on the students’ MAP Test results to create better classroom instructions. These initiatives aim to identify students individual learning needs, and allow teachers to approach them through various reading instructions and intervention.

Please follow us on this literacy program to see how we can help your child become a better reader.

Thank you, Carroll Moreton Director of Studies

Helping your Child to Become a Better Reader

Parent-Teacher Association Updates

We would like to thank the parents who have recently signed up for the ISK PTA. To continue fostering this spir-it of participation and collaboration, we invite you to par-ticipate in whatever way works for you. Every effort, big or small - makes a difference.

Over the past month, many of our PTA committee members have been busy organizing and creating the 2017 ISK Desktop Calendar. Parents and students will be able to purchase the calendar on December 8, 2016. The calendar is a PTA fundraising project, and all proceeds from the sale will be used to build a universal playground at the school.

We take this opportunity to wish everyone a very productive year ahead and we look forward to your continued support.

Ms. Elaine Chua Tamte PTA Co-President

ISK Newsletter

International School of Kuantan Page 2

October saw the return of a very important acknowledgement for students. For the first time in a very long while, ISK awarded a student at each division level as Student of the Month.

Students of the Month are nominated by their teachers for outstanding achievement, character, and participation, as well as exemplifying the values

set forth in our ESLR’s (Expected School-wide Learning Results).

By demonstrating excellent skills in communication, life-long learning, problem solving, working with other people, and responsibility to themselves and others, students truly set a standard for achievement and character.

ISK is proud to announce the Students of the Month for both October 2016 and November 2016:

October 2016


Student of the Month - October & November -

Elementary Student of the Month : Muhammad Aslam Ali bin Mohd. Ariff

Middle School Student of the Month : Tong Jing Ying

High School Student of the Month : Haqeem Moreton

Elementary Student of the Month : Puteri Nadra Raniya bt. Ahmad Najmi

Middle School Student of the Month : Liew Tong Lin

High School Student of the Month : Siti Khairunnisa Shamsudin

November 2016

ISK Newsletter



On Monday October 31st ISK held its first Parent Teacher Conferences of the year. Parents and students had an opportunity to talk to each of the teachers and get information on their growth with the MAP (NWEA’s Measure of Academic Progress) assessment. Turnout this year was quite good, and we are encouraged by the ever-increasing role that parents and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) are having in the success and development of our school.

While ISK only holds Parent Teacher Conferences twice a year, we still encourage you to take an active part in the learning of your children. If, at any time, you have questions about your child’s progress in a specific class, or in general, please feel free to set up an appointment by contacting the school. We would be more than happy to make sure that

you can talk with any teacher or administrator that you wish.

Thank you parents, and we look forward to another year of growth and learning!

Yours in Education, Benjamin M. Tamte Principal

deepavali Celebration

October Highlights

We were really excited for lunch time as we were treated to traditional Indian food. It was really nice as Arkajit’s mum made us some traditional Indian cookies which were delicious!

Afterwards, we watched a video about Deepavali and the history of Deepavali. After that, we started our Rangoli and necklace making competitions. It was really fun, and the judges did not know who to choose because everyone's masterpieces were so beautiful. It was a fun day, everything went well, and we all had a smile on all our faces.

By Isaac Loo (Grade 8 student)

ISK Newsletter



W e started at 7 o'clock with fantastic performances by our music class. Then we began the costume parade, and even Mr. Ben joined in on the fun with a cos-tume of his own. The costume parade was funny and a little gross because there were tons of people who had blood on their faces. Afterwards, we had a marvelous dinner. There was lamb chop and salad which was provided by the PTA. After dinner, the costume party games began! The most popular game was the haunted house which gave a lot of people the chills, even me! There were other games such as Newspaper Dance, Ring Toss and more. At 10:30, the event ended and everyone went home happy.

Costume Party 2016

October Highlights

By Isaac Loo (Student Council Middle School Representative and Grade 8 Student)

ISK Newsletter



MACEE Visit with High School Students

By Jessica Goh (Student Council Vice President and Grade 11 Student)

MACEE visited our school last Tuesday and gave us some tips on gaining admission into US universities. MACEE stands for Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange. They are the hosts of “Education USA” in Malaysia, and are supported by the U.S. State Department.

MACEE sent three ladies to our school, and the whole program lasted about 4 hours. The ladies talked about entry requirements, academic intakes, options after graduation, financial aid, student visas and more. They gave us a website to allow us to explore different U.S. universities. They also gave advice on making personal statements, what to expect in an university admissions interview, how to write entrance essays and had us practice these.

Even though I’m not planning to study in the States, I gleaned a lot of tips and tricks that can be used when applying in other countries. Throughout the program, I learned to prepare ahead of deadlines, and how to communicate well with others. All the tips I learned are sure to be beneficial for my future.

November Highlights

I thoroughly enjoyed the description and detail in their presentation they gave. I learned a lot of new information about colleges and universities in the States. I thought that the group exercises they had us do were fun and challenging. I had not heard about some of the things they were talking about before. They gave us resources to use in the future when we are looking for colleges to join.

The presenters were very friendly and helpful. They helped us if we had any issues using the website that they showed us. They challenged us to think outside the box and to “have fun with it”. It was a fun time, but we also learned a lot.

The resources they gave us were fast and effective. They explained how to use it in detail and also told us the things we would need to do in order to join a college or university. The way it was presented was very informative and helpful. All in all, I really enjoyed it.

By Conor James Orr (Grade 9 Student)

ISK Newsletter



ISK Crowns its First Ever Moustache King! In conjunction with the Movember Foundation, a charitable organization founded in Australia, and dedicated to raising awareness and fundraising for men’s health issues, ISK held its first ever Movember (Moustache-November) fundraiser.

Two willing participants, Mr. Taufiq and Mr. Ben, lasted through the month to compete as the Moustache King of ISK. Students and teachers chose the winner by donating proceeds which were then sent to the Movember Foundation in the name of the winner.

Congratulations Mr. Taufiq for being the Moustache King of ISK for 2016.

By Benjamin M. Tamte (Principal)

Mr. Taufiq

On Wednesday November 23rd elementary school students and a number of their parents held a field trip for their physical education class to Jump! Trampoline park in the Berjaya Megamall. All students had a good time and were able to stay fit and active in a new and exciting setting.

We encourage everyone to follow our elementary students lead and get out of your seat and...

Jump around. Jump around. jump up, jump up, and get down!

Might as Well Jump! Go Ahead

and Jump!

Trampoline Park Visit

November Highlights

ISK Newsletter



A group of high school and middle school students from ISK participated in Petrosains Playsmart Children’s Day 2016 celebration at Kompleks Yayasan Pahang from 25th to 27th November 2016. The main goal of this program is to cultivate a child’s interest towards science and mathematics. Many fun activities were carried out including mini shows, family activities, interactive games and mathematics based shows. This event provides an opportunity for participants to learn science and mathematics in a fun environment, and the concept of scientific inquiry through ‘hands-on’ activities.

ISK prepared three physics based activities, the Huff and Puff Challenge – which applies the Bernoulli Principle, and Nailing It and Sudu Garfu – which explains the idea of center of gravity. Visitors to our booth ranged from toddlers to adults, and all ages had fun trying out our activities.

Over the weekend, we gave away 1000 ISK balloons and candies! We owe the ISK exhibition’s success to the students - they were a great help and provided us with their 100% cooperation and effort. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all of you for your assistance.

By Dr. Kee Chin Hui (Math and Science Department Head)

November Highlights

jfdhly uylhdfj

ISK Newsletter



November Highlights

By Sareef Naknan (Student Council High School Representative and Grade 12 Student)

On the 24th of November, representatives from ISK travelled throughout Kuantan to visit the Rohingya families that fled from Myanmar to Malaysia. Each of the families lived in different areas and it took us about 4 hours to get to all of their houses.

We visited 13 families, each family had different problems. Some have financial problems, and some lack food such as rice, cooking oil, snacks, and etc. But we managed to buy most of the things they needed and distributed them to each family. Seeing them made us realize just how fortunate we are and how we sometimes overlook what we have and don't appreciate it. This program has changed our perceptions about life and it really is something worth doing.

By Haqeem Moreton (Student Council Treasurer and Grade 9 Student)

The Rohingya are an ethnic Muslim population from western Burma. They were conquered by the Burmese government in the early nineteenth century, and Refugees International (December 2008) reported that they have been repressed since then. For example, the Rohingya need authorization to leave their villages, need official permission to marry, pay exorbitant taxes on births and deaths, and are restricted to have religious freedom.

Islamic Relief USA (May 2016) reported that large-scale attacks against the Rohingya began in 2012 causing an immense human suffering and by summer 2015, almost half a million Rohingya fled to other countries in the region. Al Jazeera (Jun 2016) reported that there are around 150000 Rohingya refugees living in Malaysia. Rohingya Education Centre (REC) is a school built for the Rohingya refugee children living in Kuantan, Balok and Permatang Badak. REC operates on public donation and ISK plans to contribute as much as possible.

Beginning November 2016 and for the next nine months, ISK families will provide food aid to thirteen Rohingya refugee families in Kuantan. Around RM100 is needed to support a family, so ISK hopes to collect enough donations from staff, families and friends which will be distributed to the thirteen families. Additionally, ISK contributed stationeries worth RM700 to Rohingya Education Center (REC), a nongovernmental organization in Kuantan.

ISK Newsletter

International School Page 9


Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

What’s Happening in December at ISK

Important Dates in December

Mid-Year Break Office Hours

Although there will be no school from December 22, 2016 to Janu-ary 4, 2017, our office will still be

open Mondays to Fridays (8.00 a.m to 5.00 p.m), except on public

holidays.

Wishing our ISK Family, Happy Holidays & Happy New

Year

Students

Su Shin

Cryzelle

Birthdays in November & December

Staff

Ms. Alfie

Mr. Ben

Dec 3 SAT at INTI College Subang

Dec 12 Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) Birthday (School Holiday)

Dec 21 Holiday Party

Dec 22 - Jan 4 Mid-Year Break

Dec 25 Christmas

Dec 31 New Year’s Eve

December 2016

Staff

Ms. Rozana

Students

Zulhasnan

Wei Yee

Dennis

ISK Newsletter


Important Con-

tacts

Admission inquiries:

[email protected]

Bus service & Admin-

istration inquiries:

[email protected]

Tel: +609 - 573 6010

Fax: +609 - 573 6023

For more information

on ISK, please visit:

www.isk.edu.my

www.facebook.com/

InternationalSchoolKuantan

Newsletter Editor:

Dr. Nurita Abu Tahir

A member of Accredited by

International School of

Kuantan

is


Update contact info

Parents/Guardians are reminded to inform the school if contact

details change. Please email [email protected] with any

change of address, telephone number, email etc. We are con-

cerned that letters will not arrive to your home and e-mail corre-

spondence will not be received.

Documents

May June 2016 - International School of Kuantan€¦ · May -June 2016 Better Reader Su ... what to expect in an university admissions interview, ... Principle, and Nailing It and