TENBY SCHOOLS PENANG NEWSLETTER Week ending: 9Th October 2009

Sri Pinang Gemilang Kindergarten (SPG)

Sri Pinang Junior School (SPJ)

Sri Pinang Senior School (SPS)

Tenby International School (TIS)

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Tadika Tenby.

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we are now in the last term of our school year, things are getting very busy. Over the coming two

months there are a number of dates which you should note in your diary for the coming months.

Further information of these dates is listed below.

Name Change

We have been informed that our Kindergarten’s application for a name change has been approved.

We will now be known as Tadika Tenby. This was a logical move as we are the Early Years provision

for Tenby Educare Schools in Penang. Our practices and principles of a good quality early childhood

education remain unchanged

Kindergarten Peformance

This year the Kindergarten children will have their own mini-performance. Previously, they joined

the Junior School and performed a dance at the evening concert. This year, as the Kindergarten has

grown we felt that it would be a good idea for the children to have their own mini-performance in

the morning as opposed to joining the Junior School’s evening performance.

We want our children to enjoy the experience of dressing-up and performing for their families. Our

play is entitled’ Ducks Overboard’ and children have been working very hard as they learn the words

of the songs and their dances. Please can you all return the letter regarding the costumes and

payment of the costumes as soon as possible as we would like to get the costumes organised for the

play. The performance will take place on Friday, 20th November 2009 at 9.30 pm

Adilfitri Tanglung Night

Last Friday, 2nd October the Kindergarten families had the opportunity to join the Junior School

families for the Adilfitri Tanglung Night which was held at the Junior School and Kindergarten

campus. It was lovely to see some of the Kindergarten families as they participated in this event as

the Hari Raya and Mid-Autumn Festivals were celebrated.

End of Year Outing

This year, we have planned a trip to Adventure Zone on the 29th October for the FS1 and FS2 classes.

The FS3 Class will go on the same trip on the 6th November. For the FS1 and FS2 parents, can you

please all return the reply slip which was attached to the letter regarding the trip as soon as possible

as we would like to confirm our booking. As this trip is heavily subsidised by Tenby Educare, we

hope that as many of the children as possible will participate in this outing.

The aims of this outing are:

To develop confidence and self-esteem of the children as they experience a new

environment

To develop their understanding of the expectations and behaviour necessary to stay safe as

they travel from the Kindergarten to a new environment

To develop their gross motor skills as they participate in the activities at Adventure Zone

To link with the previous activities for the FS1 class topic, ‘Sand and Water’ and the FS2 class

topics, ‘Plants and Flowers’ and ‘Families and Friends’ as they explore the environment

around the Golden Sands Hotel and enjoy a day out with friends

Overall, the main aim is to have lots of fun on the outing and make it a memorable event for all.

Transition to Primary School

Our FS3 children are now in their last term of Kindergarten. This is an important time in their life as

they get ready to move on to all of their prospective Primary Schools. Please can you all reply to the

letter which was sent out this week regarding our Junior School. Mr. Cheah, the Principal of the

Junior School will hold a meeting on the 20th October at 8.30 am to answer any questions you may

have regarding the Sri Pinang Junior School which is the Malaysian Curriculum school under the

Tenby Schools Penang umbrella. The meeting will take place in the AV Room at the Junior School. It

would be great to see as many of you there as possible.

Additionally, registration for Junior One classes has already begun and priority of places will, of

course, be given to children who attend the Sri Pinang Gemilang Kindergarten. Please contact the

Junior School office if you would like your child to join Junior One in January 2010. Classes are filling

up and registration is now open. If you have any questions etc. please come and see me and I will

help you in any way that I can.

Tadika Tenby Curriculum News

The FS1 Class have just finished their topic ‘Sand and Water’ and have now moved on to their new

topic, ‘Going Places’. This topic is appropriate for the end of the school year as it focuses on trips the

children may take with their families at the end of the year and remembers trips the children have

previously taken. We will also look at how you get to destinations around Malaysia and the rest of

the world. If you have any photographs of previous holidays or trips, we would be very grateful if

you could send them into school with your child for their Show and Tell and also to add to our

display. Additionally, if you have any brochures, books etc. related to holidays which you feel would

enhance our topic, please can you send these in. We will take very good care of all items sent in.

FS1 Create their beach and sea scenes using different printing and painting techniques

FS2 have completed their topic ‘Patterns’ and the classroom lookswonderful with all of the children’s

creative works of art of patterns they have observed around them in the environment or created on

their own. Next week, they will begin the topic, ‘Family and Friends’. This topic will focus on the

children, their families, their extended family and their friends. Once again, please send us in some

photos of family members from Malaysia and if you have relatives living overseas ie. Grandparents

etc. we would be grateful to receive these as well. This topic is also appropriate for the end of the

year as the children may visit relatives over the long December holiday . This unit helps the children

to make links with the world and enhance the children’s understanding of the festivals, cultures and

other places in the world.

Patterns on beautiful butterflies Repeating patterns on wild animals and

Cloud patterns

FS3 are still working on their topic of ‘Animals’. They have looked at wild animals from different

parts of the world and are now focussing on pets. This week they have been busy talking about any

pets they have at home or pretending that they have a pet, giving them names and talking about

how they care for them. They have also demonstrated their design skills as they created homes for

these animals using recycled materials. It was interesting to see the range of designs they came up

with. During the children’s weekly Show and Tell sessions, they have brought in a wide range of soft

toy animals to share with their friends. Their topic of animals will continue over the next couple of

weeks.

FS3 enjoy playing in the outdoor sandbox FS3 create their own Small world ‘wild

animal’ scene

We hope that all families celebrating Deepawali will have wonderful time celebrating this festival

with family and friends. Please note that Friday, 16th October is a school holiday so the Kindergarten

will be closed.

With best wishes

Catherine McGrath

Head, Tadika Tenby

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Sri Pinang Junior School

Dear Parents, Staff and Students,

This month our Hindu parents, teachers, students and friends will be celebrating Deepavali on

the17th October 2009. On behalf of the school I would like to wish them

“Deepavali Nal Vaalthugal”

May the festival of lights brings to you and your family happiness, knowledge, peace and wealth.

It has been more than one month since we started the third term. We are happy to report that the

implementation of what has been planned is progressing smoothly. Students who joined us at the

beginning of the third term is showing encouraging progress. Congratulations!

With much uncertainty and trepidation our Junior 6 students entered the library for their UPSR on

the 8th September 2009. The UPSR is now a thing of the past for them and they will have forgotten

about it. The students are in the post-UPSR phase and they are enjoying the comprehensive

programme planned for them. The programme encompasses academic and non academic activities.

These activities are both indoor and outdoor ones. They have gone for a hike to Penang Hill. It was

interesting that this hike has increased their self confidence and spirit of co-operation. They also

learnt about principles of flight by constructing gliders from foam and hard cardboard. The climax of

this activity is going to be a glider flying competition next week. They have also learnt how to bake

cup cakes and pudding and bread. Other activities such as a Heritage Trail Treasure hunt, friendly

football matches etc are in the pipeline for the next few weeks.

Curriculum Alive – this week saw our Junior 5A and Junior 4A students becoming entrepreneurs.

Thank you to the teachers namely Miss Susila and Miss Lee for organizing this activity. Thank You

parents for your encouraging support.

Raya Aidilfitri and Tanglung Nite - I am pleased to see so many parents taking the time to attend

this function and for making it a roaring success. The turnout for the event was more than what was

anticipated. More than 250 people attended this function. Thanks You Parents and Teachers for

making this event a success.

A gentle reminder - Registration for Junior One 2010 is now in progress. As seats are limited please

register early to avoid any disappointment.

Thank you and have a productive month.

Mr Cheah Sin Hock

Principal

Sri Pinang Junior

Raya Adilfitri and Tanglung Nite

After many days of rain we prayed for good weather on 2nd October 2009. Our prayers were

answered and we were blessed with beautiful weather on that night. This

function in conjunction with two ethic cultural celebrations was a roaring

success. Thanks to the full support by the parents, teachers and students. This

was possible due to the proper planning and implementation by all the

teachers. Syabas! The function started off with a dinner. This was then

followed by presentations of songs and dances by students and teachers. We

are proud to have many talented students and teachers. After the show there

was a procession around the

neighbourhood.

I am very pleased to see parents, teachers and students walking together. This fellowship is good for

the school and the students. We hope to see many more of such functions.

Curriculum Alive

Students learn better when they see the relevance of

what they are learning in their daily lives. In view of

this, we try to bring the curriculum to life.

This week students of Junior 4 and 5 under the charge

of Miss Susila and Miss Lee became entrepreneurs.

Under the guidance of their teachers, they planned

what they were going to sell. After much brain

storming they came up with the list of things which

they wanted to market. They were able to coin fanciful

names for the products which they wanted to sell. They

drew advertisements and were allowed to promote their products during the school assembly. This

showed their creativity and their ability to problem solve. The project also fostered co-operation

among the students and they learned many soft skills like how to communicate with each other.

Their success is due to the tremendous support given by the parents. Parents became the

“workers” for our young entrepreneurs. How interesting! Thank you once again parents, for

your full support.

IMPORTANT DATES

Occasional Holiday for Deepavali – 16th October 2009

Prize Giving Day – 20th October 2009.

School Concert - 24th November 2009

Deepavali Celebration - 28th October 2009:12.00noon – 1.3

End of Year Examination – starts on 2nd November 2009.

Prize Winners for 2009.

1A Jeraiah Khor Ri Syuen , Govind Nirav Rao, Joshua Low Jun Yi, Nur Natasya Bt. Ghaza,

Goh Phor Chuen, Yeoh Kai Jun

2 Chong Jun Jie, Sabrina Tan, Megan Kee Ern, Mohamad Daniel , Phuwanet Sae

Tan, Quah Ling Shi, Yuhi Otani, Nurul Ashwin, Chong Zhi Qing, Shaun Yeoh Kuo Chien

3 Brilliant Tan, Kim Hyun Ji, Widya Wahyu Sukmawan, Gan Khai Chuen

4A Adriana Chiew Jia Yi, Darsaraath Muthaliar, Rosanna Pathmanathan, Desi

Kamdrawati Maya’ Ellora Syuaquina Al Omy

4B Kim Dong Uk

5A Sanjeevan a/l Sritharan, Nathaniel Vengadasalam a/l R.Ramesh , Premdyl Singh

Shadan a/l Narinder Singh Shadan , Johannes Fung Yung Yuen Han

5B Maryam Munawwarah bte.Ahmad Munawar, Khor Phay Yu, Haris Zulfikri b. Azman

6A Amber Chuah En Pei, Elycia Chua Yi Chern, Sim Ming Ming, Lim Jhia Nan , Veronica Tan

Yan Khei

Prefects: Elycia Chua Yi Chern, Amber Chuah En Pei, Veronica Tan Yan Khei, Ahmed

Ridzuan b.Yeinu Theen @ Zain , Divya Arathi, Goh Wei Jan, Lim Jhia Nan, Pursotham

Kumar Selvakumar, Denessa Sun, Isaac Lee Zhuan Jian

UPSR08: Loo Yi Guang, John Raj Murty a/l Michael Raj Murty , Ghanneesh a/l Govindarajoo,

Fatimah Munawwarah bt.Ahmad Munawar, Nurul Atiqah Farhah bt.Mohd. Rosdi, Thaweekit

Tanthaweewong

Congratulations to all Prize Winners. Keep it up!

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Tenby International School Important dates to note:

10.10.09 – U- 16 Football tournament: Uplands School, Batu Ferringhi

16.10.09 – Deepavali Holiday (in place of the 26.10.09 holiday originally planned)

21.10.09: Progress reports issued for Years 8 -11. Meeting with Year 8 -11 teachers in School Hall at 2.00pm

23.09.09 : Long weekend holiday

02.11.09 – 06.11.09: Internal examinations for Years 7 – 10

23.11.09: End of Term 1 reports issued.

25.11.09: Parent-Teacher meeting for Years 7 – 10, School Hall 2.00pm

After several public holidays, we are now into our normal Tenby routine and the students have been working consistently well. After some initial apprehension at the changes to the timetable and the introduction of the School Folder for all written work, the students have been very positive about the changes and genuinely feel that they can study in a more focused way. This is very pleasing as the whole purpose of the changes being implemented into the school is to support and extend the quality of the learning opportunities in the school. Sports News Our intrepid footballers visit Uplands School for a small soccer tournament between the hosts, ourselves and Dalat International School. We wish them well and hope that as many of our students and parents can go along and watch. The action begins on Saturday 10th October between 8.30- 12.00pm. Deepavali Nal Vaalthugal

Best wishes to all members of our community who will celebrate the Festival of Light – Deepavali

during October. We have made 16th October a holiday to accommodate this important festival. As

such this replaces the holiday originally scheduled for the 26th October.

Parent representative Body A group of interested parents met with the Principal on 8TH October to begin forming a proposed parent representative body. They plan to submit their proposals by the end of this month so that the Directors of the Company can ratify them as a Parent Teacher Council for Tenby International School. We shall keep you informed of developments.

Science Week News – Mr Giles Montier

All of the staff and students had great fun taking part in science week. The aim of the week was to give students in all classes at TIS the opportunity to plan and carry out their own investigations on themes selected by their teachers. Investigative work is an important part of the science curriculum as it forces students to think independently and to put their ideas into action. Asking students to investigate and then to evaluate ideas for themselves is one of the best ways for them to develop a better understanding of a topic, and we are continually working towards improving the practical experiences of the students at the school. For the assessment part of their investigations, students were asked to produce scientific posters in which they outlined out their research question, methodology, results and the evaluations of their investigations. Creating a poster like this is also a very important skill for them to develop, as they have to be able to communicate their ideas concisely, but also with sufficient technical detail; such posters are commonly used by scientists at conventions all around the world to help convey their research ideas. The best posters will be on display around the science department from the middle of October. Please take a few minutes after school to pop in to see more of what the students have been up to.

Enthusiasm for Sport - Ray Eades

The students look forward to their PE lessons at Tenby and they prove to be a welcome

break from the academic rigors of school life. As a new member of staff it is refreshing to

find such an enthusiastic group of students eager to participate in sport.

Students at Tenby are encouraged to adopt a healthy life style and a regular exercise

programme helps them achieve this goal. There are a variety of activities to take part in

including aerobics, football, basketball, volleyball and badminton. Sport is an excellent way

of releasing the frustrations of daily life and a very effective means of self expression. Team

work and cooperation are considered an important part of school life at Tenby and

competitive sport can help develop stamina and strength of character.

The new basketball court has proved to be popular with staff and students alike and it has

certainly helped to improve the standard of play. An inter-house basketball tournament is

planned for this term and it will give students a chance to show their talents.

Badminton is an excellent sport for boys and girls and encourages agility and quick thinking.

Wet weather days make life a little difficult regarding the use of facilities and on these days

we rely heavily on this sport.

Winning is Giving

Winning is giving your best self away Winning is serving with grace every day You'll know that you've won when your friends say it's true. "I like who I am when I'm around you. You look for the best in the others you see And you help us become who we're trying to be."

Winning is helping someone who's down It's sharing a smile instead of a frown.

It's giving your children a hug by the fire And sharing the values and dreams that inspire.

It's giving your parents the message "I care. Thanks, Mum and Dad, for being so fair."

Winners are willing to give more than get Their favours are free, you're never in debt.

Winning is giving one hundred percent It's paying your dues, your taxes, your rent It's trying and doing, not crying and stewing.

Winners respect every colour and creed, They share and they care for everyone's need.

The losers keep betting that winning is getting But there's one of God's laws that they keep forgetting And this is the Law you can live and believe The more that you give, the more you'll receive!

Anon

Warming up for PE classes – Ms Meighala

The warm up activities are a crucial part of any exercise regime or sports training. The importance of

a structured warm up routine should not be under estimated when it comes to the prevention of

sports injury. An effective warm up has a number of very important key elements. These elements,

or parts, should all be working together to minimize the likelihood of sports injury from physical

activity.

Warming up prior to any physical activity does a number of beneficial things, but primarily its main

purpose is to prepare the body and mind for more strenuous activity. One of the ways it achieves

this is by helping to increase the body's core temperature, while also increasing the body's muscle

temperature. By increasing muscle temperature you're helping to make the muscles loose, supple

and pliable. An effective warm up also has the effect of increasing both your heart rate and your

respiratory rate. This increases blood flow, which in turn increases the delivery of oxygen and

nutrients to the working muscles. All this helps to prepare the muscles, tendons and joints for more

strenuous activity.

Year 8 Mandarin – Ms Grace Mooi

The Year 8 Mandarin class have learnt about country and language. Last week, the class did

two projects on the above topics. Students collaborated in preparing their presentations

using their writing skills before answering questions from their peers in Mandarin