Uplands School Weekly Newsletter - Issue 9 - 10 Oct 2014

8/11/2019 Uplands School Weekly Newsletter - Issue 9 - 10 Oct 2014

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This newsletter showcases some of the many different activities and

learning taking place in the school. From school trips & sporting

achievements to problem solving and vistors to school, bringing

learning alive.

Thank you to all who have contributed to the newsletter over the pas

few weeks. We are developing the newsletter to be a celebration o

all that happens at Uplands, in and out of the classroom. We hope

you enjoy the changes that we are making to the newsletters layou

and content.

We are pleased to announce that the newsletter now has a much

wider distribution. In addition to the staff, parents and governors we

are now sending copies of the newsletter to over 1000 alumni! We

are also hosting the newsletter online which was read by another 500

people from all around the globe.

Your sincerely,

Matthew Bristow

Principal

Follow us on Twitter:@ispuplands

Contents Page No

Message from The Principal 1

mages of the new 2boarding houses

econdary News 3

Years 10 & 11 News 4 & 5

Year 7 News 5

Conversations 6

& Collaborations

Uplands Roar 7

Primary News 8 - 10

UPTA News 11

chool Calendar 12


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Progress Reports:

Today sees the Secondary Progress Reports being distributed. Reports are addressed to parents and therefore upon them

arriving home this afternoon, students should have handed their parents / guardians a sealed envelope containing these

grade sheets. Please note that this is a progress report and only contains attainment and effort grades.

Parent Teacher Consultations:

There will be no timetabled secondary classes taking place on Wednesday 15 October as this day has been set-aside fo

our first Parent Teacher Consultation for this academic year. It is extremely important that all parents attend the day to

meet their childs teachers and to discuss their progress. Each consultation lasts for a maximum of five minutes and al

appointments must be pre-arranged by parents, using the Online Booking System. Last Friday all parents should have

received an email explaining this process. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further concerns.

Creativity Action Service (CAS) Week

There has been a lot of discussion in regards to the traditional timing of our CAS Week, especially since we have brough

the academic year forward by three weeks over the past couple of years. Both the Senior Leadership Team and the Senio

Management Team of the School whole-heartedly support the ethos of holistic education and as such, fully support the

CAS Programme at Uplands. Following extensive discussions, this year the CAS Week will take place in the first week of

Term 2 (Tuesday 13January Friday 16 January). As per previous years, students have the option to extend this time

during the weekend prior and after the aforementioned dates. Last week I ran a double CAS period for the Year 12s on

Friday afternoon. During this time I spoke about the importance of CAS and we brainstormed different opportunities fo

the students during this week. All Year 12 students must have their CAS Week proposal form returned to Mrs. Cartlidge

by Monday 27thOctober.

University Rankings

The majority of the Class of 2014 has now begun the next step of their educations at Universities across the world. As a

school Uplands is proud of all our students and their efforts as they strive for the next step towards employability. The

Class of 2014 will take up spots across the top 100 universities in the world this year. Uplands is particularly fortunate to

have placed students at elite universities such as: Cambridge #5three students, University of California, Berkeley #8, Ivy

League, and Yale #9. We wish all Uplanders the best of luck in their academic endeavors across the world! Please clic

here for the latest article displayingTimes Higher Education University Rankings.

Have a great weekend

Craig Skinner

Head of Secondary School

[email protected]

http://blogs.uplands.org/hos/

Follow us on Twitter:@UplandsSecSch
http://www.bbc.com/news/education-29429466http://www.bbc.com/news/education-29429466http://www.bbc.com/news/education-29429466mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://blogs.uplands.org/hos/http://blogs.uplands.org/hos/http://blogs.uplands.org/hos/mailto:[email protected]://www.bbc.com/news/education-29429466


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I have had the pleasure of looking through the reports for both Year 10 and 11 this week and it is great to see so many o

our students achieving such high grades. I would like to congratulate all students on their achievements and encourag

them to continue to seek ways to further extend their learning at Uplands.

The Year 11 students are starting to build towards their mock examinations in January. These exams are a big milestone

for students as they help inform their predicted grades for the summer examinations. I will be running a lunchtime session

on Monday 13thOctober in the MPH for students which will focus on preparing an exam timetable and how to prioritise

their revision. As part of the PSHE program in Year 11, students will visit this topic next half term so it is not a compulsory

session.

The Year 10 students have been participating in the recent inter-House events during lunchtime and its been great to see

so many new and different students representing their House. The final results for the inter-House events can be foun

further on in the newsletter.

Parent Teacher Consultations take place on Wednesday 15

th

and I look forward to having the opportunity to meet you todiscuss your childs progress. If you have any concerns or questions about your childs report, please try and see thei

subject teacher or tutor in the first instance. However, if they are not available or you would like to discuss anything else

please do make an appointment to speak with me.

Finally, congratulations to Jia Wen Lim, Vanessa Gehrig, Isobel Hollis, Jasmin Dalsgaard, Jess Crompton, Ivana Smit, Selena

Aupoix, India Petrucco, Margherita Baggio, Sydney Wilmot and Marcella Morach who all represented Uplands yesterday

against Dalat in girls football.

Inter-House news

Over the last 3 weeks, students in Years 710 have taken part in three inter-House sports tournaments; netball, basketba

and football. The standard of play has been fantastic but even more impressive has been the leadership ansportsmanship shown by all who have participated. Hill House have dominated in the Year 7 and 8 tournament whils

Crag and School tied over all. There are more new and exciting inter-House competitions coming up after the half term

break, I look forward to seeing more students becoming involved in them.

U15 boys and girls Basketball

The boys are taking on POWIIS on Wednesday 15thOctober in the re-arranged game from a few weeks ago, whilst the girl

have a friendly rematch too. The games are at Uplands to start at 4pm. As it is PTC day on Wednesday, students wil

need to make their own way to and from school for this match. The team sheet is on the basketball notice board.

Yr 9 & 10 Yr 7 & 8

School 9 School 4

Hill 8 Hill 16

Crag 9 Crag 9


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U15 FOBISIA

At the students request, I have agreed to run an additional basketball training session on Thursday mornings from 6.30

7.30. I spoke to the team this week and offered this optional session to them and allowed them as a team to decide

they wanted the extra training. I was delighted by their enthusiasm as it only took the girls a few minutes to agree tha

they wanted the training. The early bus is available to students although they should see Mr Metcalfe to book a space o

it.

Iain DriscollHead of Year 10 and 11 + Secondary PE

History Trip

Enrichment is a key element of our student learning experience at Uplands and it happens in a variety of ways. Many

subjects offer trips and activities that stretch the curriculum to give our students the broadest possible experience. The

History Department has arranged an excursion for Year 7 students so that they can immerse themselves in the History oPenang Island!

The Year 7 History excursion will be to the Penang State Museum in Georgetown on Thursday 16th October. The cost of

the trip will be 10RM for museum entry, transport and an ice-cream. Students should attend their period 1 Humanities

class on the day of the trip and will depart from there at 8.15 am. We will return to school for the beginning of period 6

and will therefore be back in time for students to have a canteen lunch.

What to bring:

Students should wear school uniform and bring a pen and a clip-board.

What not to bring:

Students should leave valuables such as phones at home. The School will accept no liability for items lost.

If you have any concerns or questions please contact me.

Miss Mc Askie

Head of History


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It is facinating to take part in the many conversations about learning and inquiry in the school.

A chance conversation with a Year 13 student who was trying to solve a maths problem What is the angle a projectile

should be fired to maximise the distance travelled through the air was repeated in a car journey home. After some

thought at the dinner table a Year 9 student created the simulation below to try and answer the question.

Although the computer model does not calculate the exact angle it can approximate it within a couple of degreesthrough trial and error.

Can anyone provide a mathematical proof to solve this problem ?


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The last couple of weeks have seen a whole range of Roar Sports Teams in action. We have played host to the 3rd Annua

Uplands Invitationals, this year featuring U14 & U16 Netball, U15 Boys Football and Open Tennis. With over 180 students

participating this was the largest so far and with almost 80 Uplands students involved this was a great opportunity for ou

teams to get some competitive action early in the school year. Thank you to all involved in making the event so successfu

UPTA, Students, Coaches and Supporters.

Our Swimmers have had their first taste of competition for the year in the local Primary PSAC Swim Meet hosted here a

Uplands. Also, 27 of our Swimmers (Primary and Secondary) travelled to Kuala Lumpur last Friday for the Internationa

School of Kuala Lumpur ISKL Trick or Treat Meet; some fantastic swimming from all involved saw a whole host of Persona

Bests (PBs)and School Records set! This group of students are amongst our most dedicated and it is great to see their

efforts rewarded so handsomely! Well done to all involved; Swimmers, Coaches and Supporters.

For full Meet Results go tohttp://uplandsroarsport.webs.com/uplands-swim-squads

A range of teams have also been active in local Penang action:

U11/U10 Football teams

O15 Boys & Girls Football teams

U14 Netball teams

U15 Boys & Girls Basketball teams

As always for all fixture/event write ups, photos, calendar and training information please go to

www.uplandsroarsport.webs.com

And for more immediate Roar Sport updates you can follow us via Twitter at @UplandsSport

Monday Night Football

We have been running some Slow Motion Football on Mondays evenings, 8pm to 9pm, for the past month or so. This is

very much intended as a social kick about with any parents more than welcome to come along and join in. If interested

please bring along a blue and a white top.

Dean Metcalf

Head of PE Faculty

Follow us on Twitter:@UplandsSport
http://uplandsroarsport.webs.com/uplands-swim-squadshttp://uplandsroarsport.webs.com/uplands-swim-squadshttp://uplandsroarsport.webs.com/uplands-swim-squadshttp://www.uplandsroarsport.webs.com/http://www.uplandsroarsport.webs.com/http://www.uplandsroarsport.webs.com/http://uplandsroarsport.webs.com/uplands-swim-squads


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Thank you to the parents who attended Wednesday nights PYP information meeting. Just today I was reading an article

titled IB Thinking in the October 2014 edition of the Expatriate Lifestyle magazine which echoes the theme sharedduring our parent meeting whereby the IBs broader approach to education means students potentially develop a wider

spectrum of skills that can be applied to various challenges later in life. A reminder that all parents are invited to meet

with classroom teachers on Wednesday 5 November from 7:00pm onwards to see what the taught curriculum at Uplands

looks like within the classroom setting. We hope to see you then!

Primary Assembly: Our next Sharing Assembly is this Monday 13 October, beginning at 2:00pm in the foyer. Year 5

students will host this assembly and parents are welcome to attend.

Half-Term Break: School will finish at the usual time next Friday 17 October, including ECAs. Normal classes resume on

Monday 27 October.

Student Reflections: Students who are REFLECTIVE know their strengths and weaknesses. They give thoughtfu

consideration to their own learning and consider their personal strengths and weaknesses in a constructive manner.

Keeping a Reflections Journal is an important component in our programme. After half-term break we would like all

children in Years 3 to 6 to bring a journal or notebook of their choice to school where they can record and reflect on their

learning in a personal way.

Primary Halloween Party: Planning for the Primary Halloween Party, which is to be held on Thursday 30 October, is wel

underway. This event is being supported by the UPTA, Primary and Secondary Prefects and all the Primary team. If parents

would like to contribute we will gratefully accept a small plate of finger food which will be shared with the children. This

can be brought to school on the evening of the party. The costume parade is always a highlight and we love to see

costumes and accessories that have been made by the children. If you have no plans for the half-term break then

designing and creating a costume will keep your children busy! This is a family event, so parentswe expect to see youalso dressed in a Halloween theme.

Ali Nicholson

Head of Primary

Follow us on Twitter:@UplandsPriSch


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In Year 2 we have been learning abou

symmetry. We looked at differen

symmetrical objects. Last week in Art th

students needed to investigate and crea

simple symmetrical designs. They reall

enjoyed it. They drew the other half of the

faces and they did a fantastic job!


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This week in Reception we have been looking at different familys cultural identities and celebration

or rituals they share. At the beginning of the week we looked at the Japanese Bean Throwin

Ceremony, Setsubun.

This celebration usually occurs on the 3rd February to welcome spring. The families scatter soya beaaround their houses to scare away the monsters. The father of the house wears a monster mask an

the children throw beans at him to scare the monster away shouting, Monsters out! Good luck in

The Reception children had great fun making masks and throwing the beans to scare away th

monsters. The best part was getting to eat jelly beans after the bean throwing - one for each year

their life, symbolizing good luck. A special thank you to Chippys Mum and Dad for helping us wi

this celebration.


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Messages from the Uplands Parent Teacher Association Committee:

1. UPTA invites anyone who would like to help decorate for the Primary Halloween Party on Thursday, 30th

October to [email protected] details. We will meet at the school on the afternoon of the event

to decorate. Volunteers to help sell drinks at the event are also appreciated!

2. There will be an UPTA German Breakfast for 40 people hosted by Germany Country Representative Tanja

Sigloch on Friday, 21st November, beginning at 9:30am. This event will be held at the Malaysian-German Society

at 250 B, Jalan Air Itam, Georgetown, 10460. The cost will be RM40 per person, payable on the day. If you would

like to attend, please contact Tanja via email [email protected] 14th November to sign up in advance.

Kind Regards,

Your UPTA Committee
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Mid-term breakSchool is closed Monday 2024 October.

Classes resume - Monday 27 October.jeanette

Primary Sharing Assembly Monday 13 October, hosted by Year 5

Year 5 Excursion to Georgetown Tuesday 14 October (am)

Year 6 Langkawi Residential Tuesday 18Friday 21 November

UPTA Carols by Candlelight Tuesday 9 December

Primary Christmas Concert Wednesday 17 December

Upcoming Spoprting Fixtures/Events

Friday 10th OctoberO15 Boys & Girls Football @ Penang Sports Club (Dalat Tournament)

Saturday 11th OctoberO15 Boys & Girls Football @ Penang Sports Club (Dalat Tournament)

Tuesday 14th OctoberU13 Netball vs Straits

Wednesday 15th OctoberU15 Girls Basketball vs POWIIS

Wednesday 15th OctoberU15 Boys Basketball vs POWIIS

Thursday 16th OctoberO15 B Boys Football @ POWIIS

Thursday 16th OctoberO15 A Girls Football vs POWIIS

Documents

Uplands School Weekly Newsletter - Issue 9 - 10 Oct 2014