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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

31 Dec 2015 Issue 44

It is coming to the end of Term 1 which also marks the end of 2015. This is a reminder to all of us that the

school is about to complete its fifth year of operation since its commencement in 2011.

Over the years, the school has grown steadily to what it is now. We are very pleased to see that the school

community has grown bigger to become one of the established international schools in this region of Johor

Bahru. We are very proud to witness the excellent performances achieved by the students both in academic

and co-curriculum activities in the last few years. We would like to thank the teachers and staff for their

commitment and dedication in guiding students and managing the school. We also would like to thank the

parents for having confidence in the school and their strong support to make this possible over the past five

years of our school operation. We will continue to put in more effort to ensure a continual improvement for the

benefit of our students. We are delighted that parents have been playing an increasingly supportive role in their

children’s education in Austin Heights International School.

Before Term 1 ends, the students, teachers, staff and parents have contributed much effort and sacrificed their

time in decorating the school lobby to celebrate Christmas. The students will celebrate this joyous occasion

at school level on the last day of Term 1. All parents are invited to come and meet the teachers on PTC day

on 12 December in order to get to know the progress of their children’s studies and to discuss ways to help

them further improve their learning in Term 2 and Term 3. All students are reminded to do some revision and

preparation during the Term 1 break for their lessons in Term 2.

Lastly we wish everyone ‘Merry Christmas’, a great 2016 and a happy and enjoyable holiday.

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READING AWARDS

Name Class Award

1. Calista Sim Le Lin (3A) Gold

2. Darius Leow (3A) Gold

3. Lee Shu Yu (3A) Gold

4. Liew Zhe Wei (3A) Gold

5. Aishwrya Menon (4A) Gold

6. Elyssa Ayu Binti Yuhasnor Affandy (4A) Gold

7. Li Zhi Ying (4A) Gold

8. Wong Yu Qi (4A) Gold

9. Pang Zhi Ting (4S) Gold

10. Shaheerah Umairah Binti Shahfezan (4S) Gold

11. Valerie Yeow Ee Sin (4S) Gold

12. Ong Yun Ning (6A) Gold

13. Wong Wen Ting (6A) Gold

14. Cheong Zhi Yan (3A) Silver

15. Kohei Kawada (3U) Silver

16. Navinn A/L Kumaran (6A) Silver

17. Jamison Koo Meng Hong (6A) Silver

18. Pung Mei Ghee (6A) Silver

19. Chu Sun Kuan (3A) Bronze

20. Chu Sun Yee (3A) Bronze

21. Genevieve Yong Hew Jit (3A) Bronze

22. Tew Zi Xuan (3A) Bronze

23. Venkata Sushruth Vempati (3A) Bronze

24. Wind Li Jun Feng (3S) Bronze

25. Christian Kai Sheng Seow (3U) Bronze

26. Jayson Tai Jia Xing (3U) Bronze

27. Jorel Chuang Zi Yi (3U) Bronze

28. Christine Gooi (4A) Bronze

29. Hanis Sofia Hamirudin (4S) Bronze

30. Jia Kai Dong (4S) Bronze

31. Karin Ogushi (4S) Bronze

32. Kaviyatra Kanna Kannappan (4S) Bronze

33. Kee Kuan Yu (4S) Bronze

34. Tang Ju Yi (4S) Bronze

35. Yuto Tanaka (4S) Bronze

36. Charmaine Yap Ying Qian (4U) Bronze

37. Chen Yin Hao (4U) Bronze

38. Md Maahiruzzaman (5A) Bronze

39. Ch'ng Jia Bao (5S) Bronze

40. Goh Hong Zheng (5S) Bronze

41. Harishwaran Nair A/L Subramaniam (5S) Bronze

42. Lisa Seow Wei Yan (5S) Bronze

43. Lydia Ong Jin Xuan (5S) Bronze

44. Mukhriz Arshad (5S) Bronze

45. Pek Shin Yuan (5S) Bronze

46. Rachael Koh Rui Qi (5S) Bronze

47. Sufiah Binte Rohaizad (5S) Bronze

48. Tracy Tan Si En (5S) Bronze

49. Chong Xu Tong (5U) Bronze

50. Fu Chian Suan (5U) Bronze

51. Syafea Isma Binti Saharil Irwan (5U) Bronze

52. Abigail Kyla Seow (6A) Bronze

53. Fion Liu Yi Sin (6A) Bronze

54. Ang Chee Fan (7U) Bronze

55. Joel Jaison George (7U) Bronze

56. Aaron Wong Zhi Rong (8S) Bronze

There were 56 Primary and Secondary students

receiving their Gold, Silver and Bronze Reading

Awards for Term 1.

The students, who made an extra effort to cultivate

the habit of reading besides focusing on their

academic studies, were awarded during the DEAR

Programme on 1st December 2015.

The school has been promoting this campaign

since 2011 with the objective of promoting the

reading habit through regular silent reading

sessions during Tuesday lunch breaks in the hall.

The more that you read, the more

things you will know. The more that

you learn, the more places you’ll go.

Dr. Seuss

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VISIT FROM A HIGH PERFORMING SCHOOL, SK CONVENT MUAR

The Primary Six students from Convent Muar were given a tour of the school and had the opportunity to visit our state of the art ICT laboratory. They also participated in some IT activities using our school’s online platform, Blackboard. From the excited chatter and laughter, it was apparent that the students enjoyed the ICT session.

After the visit, the students and teachers of Sekolah Kebangsaan Convent Muar

went to the newly opened Austin Heights Water & Adventure Park for a team-

building session. The visitors had an enjoyable and fun-filled day at the Austin

Heights Water & Adventure Park.

On 10 December 2015, AHIS hosted a visit from a high performing school,

Sekolah Kebangsaan Convent Muar led by the school principal, Pn Safiah Bt

Fadzil, as an Educational Exchange Programme on Best Practices &

Development in Education.

As part of the exchange programme, the champion of the Choral Speaking

team from Convent Muar presented an entertaining item to the delight of our

students. In return, our Year 4 students presented a Christmas dance routine.

As part of the activities planned for the young visitors, our IPC students

set-up a Mini Exhibition showcasing some of the themes learnt In Term 1. The

young students from Convent Muar had a fun and interesting hands-on learning

experience in the art of chocolate making which was one of the IPC themes.

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CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

On 11 December Friday, AHIS held its annual Christmas celebration at the school hall from 8.10 am till 9.30 am. Students and teachers put on their Christmas attire and accessories, adding to the festive mood and ambience. The Principal delivered his speech after which Christmas performances were presented by the students from different year groups. The highlight of the celebration for the day was a half-day-fun at Austin Heights Water & Adventure Park with courtesy of the School Management Board. Everyone had a splashing good time and agreed that it was a great end to the last day of Term1.

Students putting up their Christmas

wishes on the hand-made Christmas tree

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FUN TIME AT AUSTIN HEIGHTS WATER & ADVENTURE PARK On Friday 11 December 2015, teachers and students of

Austin Heights International School were given a special

treat at Austin Heights Water & Adventure Park before its

official opening on 18 December 2015. It was Dato’ Steve

Chong’s Christmas gift to all teachers and students!

Everyone had a great time at the park. There were

beaming faces of excitement, roars of laughter, loud

splashes and pattering of feet across the water slides at

the Water Park. At the Adventure Park, great courage was

demonstrated by students who braved the rope courses.

Some of the more adventurous ones even went to try out

the Drift Cart!

On behalf of the teachers and students, the Editorial team

would like to convey their appreciation and thanks to Dato’

Steve Chong. It was certainly a great event to close Term

1 of the academic year 2015/2016!

Mdm. Lee Gaik Wah

A surprise visit by Santa Clause to the theme park

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PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE (PTC) TERM 1

The first PTC for the academic year 2015/2016 took place on

12 December 2015. The PTC was held at the school hall for

the Secondary students and the respective classrooms for the

Primary students.

On the same day, the Parent Support Group (PSG) of our

school had also organised a Book Day Programme to instil

reading habit among our students. The programme received

good support from parents and students alike.

The purpose of the PTC is to encourage discussions between parents and teachers, and to receive feedback

and suggestions for the betterment of the school. The PTC provides teachers with the platform to meet with

their students’ parents and guardians, and to inform and advise parents on their children’s academic and co-

curricular progress in school. Encouraging and constructive feedback from parents will also help their children

excel further in their studies.

This term, the response to our PTC was very encouraging. This reflects the trust and confidence that parents

have in our school. Parents had the opportunity to meet the class tutors, subject teachers, as well the

management staff. The positive feedback given by the parents will spur us to provide a quality and holistic

learning environment for our students.

We wish to thank all parents who attended the PTC and

we appreciate your words of support and encouragement.

Parents are an important and integral part of our school

community and the close rapport will definitely help the

school to excel further.

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PREFECTS & STUDENT COUNCIL LEADERSHIP & TEAMBUILDING CAMP

The Prefects and Student Council members are an integral cog in the school system. In order for the students

to fulfil their duties to the best of their abilities, they need to be well trained. To prepare them, the students

were taken to the Austin Heights Water & Adventure Park for an intensive day of training and fun.

Group activities and team-building games were carried out to show the students how they should always work

together. Through motivational talks and team races, the students were encouraged to always give their best

when performing their assigned tasks at school. The students honed their communicational skills when they

had to work as a team with one member acting as the "eyes" for the group while the other members had to

follow instructions. Creativity was encouraged as the students had to do a fashion show by using newspaper

as their only material. The day ended with the students being given free access to the Water Park where they

had a great time on the various slides and activities in the park.

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Mr Michael David Dives

Fashion Show Winners

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YLP (YOUNG LEADERS PROGRAMME) TRINITY COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

5-15 December 2015

It was a truly rewarding and enriching experience for the third AHIS cohort of the YLP this year. Besides learning from experts in their respective fields of academic excellence, the students developed as young leaders through interactions with participants from other nations.

From being timid Year 10 students, they were transformed into confident young people who presented reports and performed cultural items to an international audience. Through their enthusiastic and spirited participation, they also effectively portrayed the essence of 'Experiential Learning', as espoused in the Austin Heights International School philosophy of education. Most importantly, they encapsulated and realized the school motto of "Together We Excel".

Some participants have this to say:

“I realise that the activities we have in school, other than our studies, are equally important in preparing us for college and life in general.” (Priya Rebecca Mohan)

“I learned a lot from the programme and had tons of fun …!” (Nur Syakirah Sheharudin)

“I hope to be able to join this YLP trip again next year.” (Chong Tin Ai)

Well done, young leaders!

Group meeting with mentors

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Rocket Launching

Rock climbing activity.

At the College dining hall

Public Speaking

Ice Breakers…

Lunch at Victoria Market

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Bonding with peers.

Excursion to the Port of Melbourne

Evaluation

Aerospace Engineering Lecture

Drama Class – Preparing for public speaking and debate

Excursion to Mobil Altona Refinery

Business & Economics Workshops

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Getting

ready for

Valedictory

Night dance

presentation

Last day photo session with groups

Melbourne City Tour

Science Works & Planetarium Melbourne Zoo

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INTERVIEW WITH BENJAMIN HON (ALUMNUS AHIS COHORT 2014/15)

Benjamin Hon was the President of the Students Council who was actively

involved in school activities during his senior years in AHIS. He has done his

alma mater proud by scoring 8 A’s in the June series of the IGCSE Exams.

His face, among other high achievers, now graces the Honour Roll in the

school lobby.

While on our study tour in Trinity College, I had the opportunity to catch up

with Benjamin in Melbourne. As he was in the midst of preparing for his

examinations, we could not meet him in person. However, he gave me a

Whatsapp interview and described his experience as a Foundation Studies

student in Trinity College since he joined in October 2015.

Mrs. Gan : Hi Benjamin. Thank you for your well wishes. Yes, we touched down yesterday morning.

We would like to know how you are doing in your studies and how life is as a Foundation Year

student in Trinity College. Your testimony will be a source of encouragement for your juniors who

are contemplating coming to do their foundation there.

Benjamin : Hi Mrs Gan, I just finished my exam today. Life as a student in TC is actually very enjoyable and

fun. However, since I'm on the Fast Track intake, the workload I received here is ten times more

than the workload I have received in AHIS... Time management skills will definitely be needed to

survive the year. Within two months, we are required to submit three major essays, sit for tests

and drama performance exams etc.

Mrs. Gan : How has being away from the comforts of home and the companionship of loved ones and friends

influenced your personal development as a Foundation Year student in Trinity College?

Benjamin : I think I've become more independent. Back in Malaysia, my parents cooked for me, brought me

to school, wake me up in time for school. Now, it’s doing everything on your own. Cooking your

own meals despite the busy schedules, waking up for lectures and tutorials on time (was almost

late for one of my lectures), doing laundry and cleaning of my apartment etc...

Mrs. Gan : Yes, it must have been quite a major transition, from a state of dependency to self-sufficiency.

But we have full confidence in your capabilities to tackle the challenges that come with it. I believe

that you are one of those young people with the drive, determination and diligence to pursue their

dreams and realize them. So go for it, and while you are at it, remember to stop and smell the

roses sometimes.

Benjamin : Thanks, Mrs Gan, for the words of motivation. I have been enjoying myself a lot in Melbourne,

maybe a little more than I should, especially the good food here. Danny will be coming to

Melbourne in February to study in *RMIT. Maybe during the next YLP, Danny and I might meet

up with the group.

Mrs. Gan : Oh yes, I love their food too, especially the salads! It would be great to meet up with you and

Danny for the next YLP. Thanks, Ben, for your time in responding to this whatsapp interview. On

behalf of the school, I wish you all the best in your exam results and hope we will keep in touch.

*Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

Mrs. Gan (Tan Seow Heng)

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GEOGRAPHY EDUCATIONAL & TEAMBUILDING EXCURSION As a part of the Geography IGCSE syllabus, a group of our students went on a training camp to Janda Baik,

Pahang during the Christmas holidays (14 -17 December 2015). The camp was run by a professional company,

Radiant Retreats, specializing in training young minds about the environment and nature conservation.

The students were taken on a tour of the ‘Kampung’ where they interviewed migrant workers. The students

also went river trekking where they hiked upriver so that they could do a scientific river investigation. A visit to

a goat farm enabled the students to see first-hand the processes that go into operating agricultural land. We

also visited a natural farm, where no pesticides or herbicides were used and everything was kept in balance

to prevent pest outbreaks. The students had the opportunity to help the farmer plant asparagus and also move

his chickens from one coop to another. The students also had fun on the trip playing paintball and eating

marshmallows around the campfire.

The trip was a huge success with the students asking if they could stay on the camp for a few more days.

Students collecting data to evaluate the

pros and cons of different types of

tourism in Malacca.

Learning about the features of highland

rivers and rainforest

Interviewing representatives of Berjaya Hills.

Briefing for the treasure hunt activity

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Learning about sampling organisms,

how to randomize the selection of

plots, how to improve the accuracy of

readings, how to record data and how

to represent findings

Touring Kampung Janda Baik, a rural settlement transitioning from

agriculture to eco-tourism

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Meeting with the ‘Boomerang Migrants’ in Janda

Baik to understand why they returned to cities as

their villages developed

Understanding natural

farming from the

perspective of the

farmer….

Horse riding lesson. Learning how to mount, steer

and signal the horse to move properly.

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Mr Michael David Dives

END OF TERM 1

Term 1 ends on 11 December 2015. We wish everyone happy holidays and we look forward to seeing you next term on 5 January 2016.