Newsletter # Issue 1
Contact us: General Line: +604892 777
Primary Office: (TIPS)+604 892 7703 (STPS): +604 892 7707
Secondary Office: +604 892 7717
Fax: +604 899 8826
Date: 21st September 2015
Tenby Schools Penang
From the Campus Principal
Dear Parents,
Tenby Schools, Penang is very sad to announce the passing on Friday 11th September of
our long-serving STPS teacher, Mr Zulkiflee Bin Ahmad. Since 2008, Mr Zul has been
teacher, mentor and friend to many students in STPS, and many who have gone on to
enter STSS and TISS.
He was a proficient and highly respected member of the teaching faculty and his
school-wide contributions both inside and outside the classrooms will be sorely missed.
Mr Zul will always be remembered for his enthusiasm; his commitment to his school and
the students; and for his willingness to become involved in all aspects of school life. He will
forever be a part of the history of the development of Tenby Penang.
On behalf of the Tenby Schools, Penang community, we extend our most heartfelt
condolences to Mr Zul’s family.
************************************
Penang Haze Levels
In recent days the levels of haze experienced in Penang has been quite pronounced and there appears little sign
of it abating in the near future.
The School monitors the haze level on a daily basis and uses the Malaysian Department of Environment’s “Air
Pollution Index” (API) as a guide to the necessity to restrict student outdoor activity. Current and regular updates
can be found at;
http://apims.doe.gov.my/apims/hourly3.php
The School also uses common sense when making a decision about outdoor activity and we will always err on the
cautious side where there is uncertainty.
The following is a guide adopted by most schools;
The school adopts the approach that API reading higher than 90 provide cause to reduce outdoor activity. If a child
is susceptible to respiratory issues, parents are advised to keep them at home if the haze levels are excessive.
Gregory C Mowday
Campus Principal
API Rating Action
0—25 Good Normal Activity
26—50 Moderate Normal Activity
51—100 High Normal Activity and monitor those at risk
101—200 Unhealthy Reduce outdoor activity and monitor those at risk
201—300 Very Unhealthy Remain indoors, avoid exertion, wear a mask
Weekly Information
This Week - 21st
September 2015- 25th
September 2015 (Monday – Friday)
All CIS Membership visit to Tenby Penang this week.
Monday, 21st September
ALL CIS Membership Team Visit to Tenby Penang.
SEC TISS & STSS 8.00-8.40am - Assembly in Basketball court.
STSS F4 & 5 SPM Workshop in Room 504 (9.00am-11.00am History, 12.30pm-2.30pm English Language).
Tuesday, 22nd September
ALL CIS Membership Team Visit to Tenby Penang.
SEC STSS F4 & 5 SPM Workshop in room 504 (8.30am-10.30am Bahasa Malaysia, 1.00pm-2.30pm Physics).
Wednesday, 23rd September
SEC STSS F4 & 5, SPM Workshop in room 504 (8.30am-10.00am Biology, 1.00pm-3.00pm General Science).
Thursday, 24th September
ALL Hari Raya Haji—School closed.
Friday, 25th September
SEC STSS 8.00am-8.20am Assembly in Basketball court.
Upcoming Events
SEC STSS 28th Sep—2nd October—Science Week
STSS 12th—15th Oct ober—PT3 Examination (Form 3)
From The Head of STPS
Dear Parents,
We have been back in school since the 10th August 2015. Since then there have been a lot of activities happening
in our school.
We have had our Hari Raya Aidil Fitri Open House which was held on the 13th August 2015. The event was a
huge success as the students, parents and teachers had a wonderful time. We would like to thank all concern
especially the parents for supporting the event and making it a success.
Students in Tahun 6 were put through their paces to face the UPSR assessment. The assessment which started
on the 8th September 2015 and ended on the 10th September 2015, was supervised by external invigilators
appointed by the State Education Department of Penang. The assessment was conducted successfully. We have
planned post UPSR programs for the Tahun 6 students. Watch out for the programs which will be educational as
well as fun for the students.
The next event is ―Tanglung Nite‖ which will be held on the 25th September 2015 from 6.30pm to 9.30 pm. We
have lined up interesting activities for the event. This event will be a good time for all to come together to have an
enjoyable time. Tickets will be on sale from 21st September 2016 and can be obtained from the class teachers. We
hope to get the support of parents to make the event a successful one.
Regards
Cheah Sin Hock
Head of STPS
Key Dates for
September
Thursday, 24th
- Public Holiday
(Hari Raya Haji)
Friday, 25th
- School day
- Tanglung Night.
Mandarin language is one language all
students in Sri Tenby Primary have to learn.
Students are encouraged to learn Mandarin
as this language is now widely recognised
as an important language and its
prominence is increasing as time goes by.
Not all students like to learn new or foreign
languages so in order to engage the
students the instructional strategies
employed is always interesting and relevant
to the students. As such mandarin lessons
are hands-on and minds-on. Employing
activities and audio visual aids are some of
the strategies employed. Further to make
learning of mandarin interesting and
engaging other strategies such as group work, peer support and project work are
utilised. Pictures show the varied teaching strategies employed in our mandarin
classes.
The Chinese Department of Sri Tenby Primary Schools has formed a small mandarin
library stocked with reading materials for the benefit of all the pupils of Sri Tenby
Primary. The library will be opened twice a week and is located in room 311.
Students are encouraged to visit and utilise the library.
Mandarin Section
欢迎來到小学中文部图书馆
老师正在教我们正确的洗手方式
请大家看看, 我们的手是否干净?
大家一起学书法
Learning about shadow is really fun and interesting. In the lessons on Light and
Shadows students in had lots of fun playing with “wayang Kulit” and at the same time
learn about the properties of shadows. This type of experiential approach has been
shown to increase learning and understanding for our students which ultimately is
translated into better achievement.
Pendidikan Jasmani / Physical Education Lesson
Swimming is part of the Physical Education curriculum for Malaysian
schools. Pictures show some students showing their ability to float and
swimming skills. Most students like this component of the physical
education curriculum.
Students are encouraged to learn to swim as it is a useful skills to have.
Science Session
From The Head of STSS
Dear Parents,
It has been a great week for Sri Tenby Secondary School
There was much excitement as students and teachers made preparations for the Malaysia Day Celebrations held
on 17 September.
Students and teachers sang the national anthem, patriotic songs and watched a video clip highlighting events
leading up to the formation of Malaysia.
Form 4 students showcased their acting talents in a skit on the formation of Malaysia.
The event reminded all that Malaysia, is multiracial, multicultural but there is unity in its diversity and
understanding and sensitivity to cultural diversity.
Tenby schools is a microcosm of society The Tenby community is from diverse backgrounds but the values of
respect and acceptance of others different from oneself are all evident. The Malaysia Day celebrations is an
appropriate reinforcement of all those values.
In Sri Tenby Secondary School, it is also a time of focused preparation for upcoming public exams, especially the
PT3 examinations which will take place from 12 to 15 October. Students receive advice and support sessions in
class. In addition, individual students meet subject teachers, the counsellor and head of school to discuss
academic and even emotional issues of concern.
The SPM exams are round the corner too and various programmes are in place to help our students achieve
success. A series of SPM Workshops are scheduled for 21 to 23 September
It is hoped that parents will spend time in assisting and supporting your child with the planning and revision of
work. Any assistance would go a long way in helping your child to be prepared and confident for the public
examinations
Thum Lin Chee
Head of STSS
Key Dates for
September & October
Monday—Wednesday,
21-23 September
- SPM Workshops
Monday—Friday
28 Sept– 2 October
- Science Week
Friday, 2 October
- Presentation of awards
for winners of science
Competition
Monday—Thursday,
12—15 October
- PT3 Examinations
The fifth formers are looking forward to their graduation
dinner on the 9thOctober and the fourth formers are busy
helping to make the dinner a success. They are raising
funds for the dinner by selling a variety of delicious food
from 3rd
September to 7th
October during lunch time.
Needless to say, everyone from Tenby School is invited
to buy the food and contribute to a good cause. Some of
the items on sale are cheese sausages, carbonated
drinks with nata de coco, marshmallows with chocolate
sauce, ice blended coffee and nuggets.
One of the aims of this activity
is to instill cooperation among
students involved in the
activity. It also promotes
international-mindedness as
everyone from Tenby School
(international primary, national
primary, international secondary and national secondary)
are invited to join in the fun and to try the food. It also takes
a lot of responsibility and creativity to organize and
implement the sales. Lastly, students learn to work
collaboratively and accept different opinions to make the
activity a success.
Fund Raising Activity for STSS Graduation Dinner 2015
Sri Tenby Primary and Secondary Schools celebrated Malaysia Day on 17 September.
Mr. Gregory Mowday, our campus Principal graced the
celebration. He said Malaysians are indeed very lucky to live in
a beautiful and multiracial country. He even flies the Malaysian
flag in his garden!
There was an air of festivity. Patriotic songs filled the air, the
primary school students rendered songs and poems. Likewise
the secondary school students sang in praise of Malaysia.
Everyone felt really patriotic watching the video clip that traced
the developments leading up to independence in 1957 and the
formation of Malaysia in 1963.
Then the
fourth formers put up a skit. The message that came through
clearly was Malaysians may be of various races and cultures
but by and large Malaysians live in harmony.
The Malaysia Day celebration helped to remind us that
Malaysia is a great country and that we are all proud to be
Malaysians. - Kimberley Chee (Form 4)
Malaysia Day Celebration 2015 - STPS & STSS
From the Head of TISS
Dear Parents,
Thank you to all secondary parents who attended the coffee morning last Friday and to the TSPA for creating a
welcoming atmosphere and sharing the work they do for our school. It was a great opportunity for me to attend for
the first time and meet new parents who would like to get involved with the secondary school through the TSPA
and I`m sure those that have volunteered to play a part will find it a very rewarding experience over this year.
I am especially delighted with the range of CCAs, events and student-led projects that are currently being planned
for this term. Following this, I look forward to more people subscribing to our student YouTube Channel. The
launch of the channel, with a completely student-led video, has been a huge success and another example of our
wonderful students here at Tenby International Secondary School.
Warm regards,
Mr Paul Walton
Head of TISS
Parents follow our secure Twitter @tisspenang
D uring our first session together as staff, I asked ‘why’ they have
chosen to be a teacher and to work in our school?
Teachers wrote down a variety of sentences that showed how much they
care about students, how passionate they are about their roles and how
important it is to them to make a real difference to the students here at
school.
Here are some of the thoughts from our teachers:
―Love educating students, teaching is my passion.‖
―To enable children to have more options in life.‖
―To make a difference.‖
―To make a change, inspire the next generation.‖
―Allows me to keep growing with the students.‖
I`m sure you agree, we have very passionate, experienced and caring
staff.
All week I have heard staff speak very highly about the students and after popping in to see a variety of lessons it is
clear how much of a privilege it is to work in this school.
After my first assembly on Tuesday it has been fantastic to work with students who really enjoy being at school. The
relationships between the staff and students have really stood out for me and it was a pleasure to pop into
lessons and witness great learning taking place.
Key Dates for
September
Thursday, 24th
- Public Holiday
(Hari Raya Haji)
Friday, 25th
- School day
(I)GCSE & A LEVEL RESULT
Congratulations!
to our Year 11 and Year 13 students on their fantastic exam results!
Thank you,
to everybody involved for their hard work last year.
Our headline figures are:
(I)GCSE
Increase in A*-C average from 84.8% to 87.5%
Increase in 5 A*-A grades from 31% to 38%
A Level
47% of all grades were A or B
75% were A-C
D uring my first month I have been asked what
my first impression of the school has been. I
can only say that after walking around and speaking to
the students and staff it is clear that there is a strong
sense of care in our school and string relationships and
respect between the staff and students. This combined
with the excellent academic results make this a very
positive environment and most importantly helps the
students thrive at school. From the assemblies, lessons
and meeting people, it is obvious how much the students
feel that they can attempt anything in this school.
Our sixth form students have started strongly and with very high expectations as we are extremely proud of our
results in the summer and are looking forward to how our current students progress this year. I have spoken to a few
sixth form students individually and have reiterated that supporting, challenging and enthusing our sixth form
students is a very high priority this year. Career guidance and academic mentoring are areas that we are going to
continue to build on for our year 12 and 13 students.
I`m sure you agree, we have very passionate, experienced and caring staff.
All week I have heard staff speak very highly about the students
and after popping in to see a variety of lessons it is clear how much
of a privilege it is to work in this school.
A fter my first assembly on Tuesday it has been fantastic to
work with students who really enjoy being at school. The
relationships between the staff and students have really stood out
for me and it was a pleasure to pop into lessons and witness great
learning Museum day was a big success and it was fantastic to see students present their work and also have a
chance with staff to walk around and discuss other projects. The projects included games, quizzes, videos and
interactions that were used to explain key concepts of the coursework. As you can see it was very busy and a lot of
high quality work created by our students.
I have visited a number of lessons so far and have asked students how their start
of term has been so far. Its been a great start with students having the confidence
to get involved and are therefore already having a great learning experience at
school. I look forward to the CCAs and other events next week.
Please feel free to contact me about anything and you are welcome to come in
anytime.
D uring these first weeks back we have celebrated our excellent exam results. We have also looked at
other skills and attributes we encourage our students to develop, to enable them to be better equipped
now at school and also for life in the future, preparing them for university courses, as well as the workplace.
These attributes include:
Confident
Responsible
Reflective
Innovative
Engaged
Collectively, these are referred to as:
‘The Cambridge Learner Attributes’.
As a school providing Cambridge exams, we believe that excellent academic success and developing these extra
attributes encourage students to develop into effective lifelong learners.
We therefore encourage students to try new opportunities and take risks with their learning; to be responsible for
their learning and to take ownership over their progress; to critically think about their work and development; to be
creative and innovative and to be engaged and active in their learning.
Opportunities throughout the courses are provided to develop these attributes further and enrich our learners
throughout their time at school.
T he student-led YouTube channel was launched in the last
week and quickly had over 200 views!
The channel was set up to give an insight into our school community
and it also serves as a way to educate people when using social
media. All likes, dislikes and comments are blocked for our channel.
Students will learn about E-Safety when creating videos for this channel and
will be able to see how a YouTube channel is developed.
We are looking forward to see our students create videos about what they
have contributed to at school, their interests inside and outside of the
classroom.
This is a great way to showcase the wonderful, caring environment of our community and also develop a global
minded approach in our students.
You can go on YouTube and look for our Channel, Tenbyschoolspenang,
for fun video content!
Social MediaSocial MediaSocial Media
FOLLOW OUR TWEETS @Tisspenang
Parents can request to join our secure Twitter area. Simply search for us and click follow to see our regular tweets!
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK//www.facebook.com/tenbypenang
Log in and Like our page, Tenby Schools Penang, to receive regular news and updates!
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL
You can go on YouTube and look for our Channel, Tenbyschoolspenang, for fun video content!
FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @tenby_school_penang
Join Instagram to take part in our hashtag photo competitions throughout the year and see our expanding collection
of photos!
From The Head of TIPS
Welcome back
Dear Parents,
It is so good to see all of the children back in school this week, ready and eager to learn. We send out a warm
welcome to all our new students and their families and we look forward to seeing you all at our future community
events.
From this term we have a new sticker for your car that will allow you access to the school site as a parent of a TIPS
child. If you have yet to receive your new sticker please see Ms Sharon in the TIPS office for the form and sticker.
I would like to remind all parents that we need update d medical information on all children and this is completed in
the Health Book. If you have not yet returned your child’s Health Book to school please do so as soon as possible.
Each week from now on every class teacher will choose a Star of the week– this child will be someone who has
stood out in the week for their attitude to learning, effort or achievement. To celebrate this we give the child a
certificate in assembly and we invite the parents of the chosen child to attend this assembly. Each Friday at 8.10am
upstairs in the Primary building Ms Sharon will contact the parents of Stars of the week by email and SMS on
Thursday afternoons. We look forward to seeing you over the coming year.
TIPS Teachers
Ms Joanne McCann
Year 1 Teacher
Ms Darshan Kaur
Nursery Teacher
On Maternity leave
Ms Ransher
Reception Teacher
Ms Henrietta
Year 6 Teacher
Ms Olivia Vinobaa
Year 4 Teacher
Ms Tanya Jackson
Year 5 Teacher
Mr James Shackleton
Year 3 Teacher
Mr Donovan Ng
Year 2 Teacher
Ms Simerit
Nursery
Cover Teacher
Regards
Ms Marian
Head of International Primary School
********************************************************************
Key Dates for
September
Thursday, 24th
- Public Holiday
(Hari Raya Haji)
Friday, 25th
- School day
October
Monday - Friday
12th - 16th
Half Term Holiday
November
Monday - Wednesday
9th - 11th
Public Holiday
December
Friday, 4th Dec
Term 1 Ends
The representatives are :
Year 2 Suzy & Dharrshen Year 3 Akshayaa & Peter
Year 4 Patricia & Tobey Year 5 Jacelyn & Ethan
Year 6 Jorja & LikSen
**************************************************************
Student Council
It was wonderful to see so many parents this morning at our first Celebration Assembly
of the new school year. All children this week have shown a very positive attitude to
their learning, and have been very resilient through many very wet days which meant
they weren’t able to play out. Despite the weather we have seen all classes start their
new IPC units and carry out their exciting entry points.
Over the past two weeks we have been focusing on our Personal Learning Goals. As
shown above, our Reception children really do know how to help each other!
Co-operation
Stars Of the Week
7th to 11th 7th to 11th 7th to 11th
Sept 2015Sept 2015Sept 2015
Well Done!Well Done!Well Done!
Year 5 Year 6
Year 3 Year 2
Year 1 Reception
Year 4
Stars Of the Week
14th to 18th 14th to 18th 14th to 18th
Sept 2015Sept 2015Sept 2015
Well Done!Well Done!Well Done!
Year 6
Year 3 Year 2
Year 1 Reception
Year 4 Year 5
New Librarians
Read
to
Succeed
Expand your
mind– read
a book.
All classes from year 2 upwards, have over the past two weeks,
been choosing the children in the class best suited to take on
extra responsibilities. Pictured below are the new Librarians
chosen by year 4 and year 5. The skills these children will need to
show are organization, reliability and good communication. Each
day they will be working as a team to ensure that all reading
material is stored and displayed appropriately and that the Primary
section of the School Library is keep tidy. In the future, we hope that these Librarians will be able to be involved in
the selection of new books for all classes. They will also be involved in the planning of our annual book week.
Brainwaves Year 6
As part of their IPC unit called Brainwaves, year 6 started the new school
year by really investigating how they learn. They looked at how to explain
things clearly, how to model things to new learners and they also found
out more about how the brain works. As a way of showing their
understanding they all had to teach a partner a new skill . After detailed
planning we saw friends learning new languages, Wushu moves, how to
use a wave board and origami. The children showed great resilience,
patience and awareness of their impact on the new learners. I am sure
that this insight will help them all in their final year in Primary School as
they really make the most of all learning opportunities.
How we learn.