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Matthew Bristow
Principal
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Today sees the end of the second week of school and it is great to see so many relaxed and happy
faces around the campus. It is always great to see how easy our new staff and students settle into
the school and how welcoming the entire Uplands community is. We still have a few new
students who will be starting over the next few weeks and I look forward to many more new
friendships being formed.
Mathematics:
It is with great regret that I inform the community that our Mathematics teacher, Ms. Maria Reich,
has resigned due to personal reasons. We are therefore currently in the process of recruiting a
new Maths teacher who we hope can start immediately. In the meantime, we have had to revert
to having four class sets in each year group. I am extremely confident that this will not be the
case for a prolonged period of time. As soon as a new teacher arrives, all year levels will be split
into the five sets. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information.
Student Uniforms:
It is imperative that all students wear their school uniform correctly and that their appearance is
always neat and tidy. Can you please ensure the following:
Plain black or brown shoes (no white soles, coloured Nike ticks, etc.)
Girls are permitted to only wear one pair of simple studded earrings. No other
jewellery is to be worn! Boys are not permitted to wear any jewellery
Girls & Boys hair which is over collar length must be tied up at all times.
No bands / hair ties, etc to be worn around wrists
Hair ties (in hair) must be green, yellow, black or white.
New Secondary Staff
As promised last week, please read below to learn more about some of Uplands new teachers:
Bob Pearson Head of Secondary Physical Education
Bob graduated from Edinburgh University with a bachelors degree in
Physical Education. After working in Scotland for a year in an inner city
school, he moved down to East Sussex, England, to work in an international
boarding school. From there he moved to Egypt, where he worked in Cairo
for 3 years. After Egypt, Bob decided to move further East and has been
in Bangkok for the last 13 years working in three different schools before
being employed at St. Andrews in Bangkok. Competing in FOBISIA, Bob
has known and competed against Uplands for a while and is really looking
forward to now being part of the team that will be competing against St.
Andrews. Bob comes from a sporting background with his main sport being football when he
was younger. As he got older, he started to play Rugby and that has been his chosen sport for
the last 10 years. Lately he has become interested in cycling and the occasional triathlon too.
This year Uplands school has begun the year long process of gaining accreditation by the Council
of International Schools (http://www.cois.org/ ). The CIS community includes more than 660
schools and 475 colleges and universities representing 109 countries. They are recognised
globally as a body that supports school development and accreditation by them is seen as a mark
of a good international school. This process is to be combined with our re-accreditation for our
IB school status and will culminate in a visit by CIS and IB representatives in November 2016.
In choosing to become a CIS school we will embark on a process of self-study and reflection
which they describe as an opportunity to improve the quality of the education offered at the
school through a rigorous process of self-examination
Main Guide to School Evaluation & Accreditation CIS 8th Edition (Version 8.2) Sept 2013
This process of self assessment will take in every aspect of the schools processes from academic
to administrative as well as involve every stakeholder in our school community including
parents, students, teachers, governors and administrative staff.
If you wish to know more about this process and how you as a parent can get involved in
supporting this process then please consider coming to the next UPTA parents association coffee
morning to be held at the Park Royal hotel. Held between 830 and 10.30am Mr. Bristow and I will
be there to explain the process of accreditation. If in the meantime you would like to know more
than dont hesitate to contact me via email.
Lynsey Collis
Accreditation Coordinator
Head of Years 8/9
lynsey.collis@uplands.org
We will be hosting Parent Information Evenings in the MPH to share further details about the
October Experiential Learning Trips. Both Service Providers will be on hand to discuss their
support and to answer questions you may have of them. Individual Trip Leaders will then
specifically present on the individual trips in more detail.
Tuesday
Wednesday
Year 7,8,9
Year 10,11,12
This note is first and foremost about celebrating and sharing the successes of our 2015 Year 13 IB
Diploma graduating class as well as our Year 11 IGCSE students exam results. The dedication
of our students and the staff that guide them has earned many of our students the top results
they were striving for. Other students have achieved important personal goals that have allowed
them to enter universities of their choice or gain entry into foundation programmes at various
institutions, while many Year 11 students have earned a place to stay here at Uplands to enter
our rigorous IB Diploma Programme.
IB Diploma
In our graduating class, 49 students earned their IB Diploma, attaining an average score of 35.14.
As we are accustomed to, this is well above the world average of 30.10. From a subject point of
view, this means that, on average, our individual subject results were a whole 0.75 of a point
above the world average scores, considering the Diploma 1-7 point scale. Almost 20% of the
cohort achieved a score of 40 points or more. Many of these students accepted first or second
choice offers accompanied by full or partial scholarships at top universities around the world. It
is equally important to recognise the hard work and determination of those students who earned
a score of 36 points or more, representing 62% of the Year 13 group, an improvement from last
year at 48%. This is a hugely significant effort by many students, all who began the IB Diploma
with some trepidation or challenge, but with resilience, dedication and the support of our
academic and pastoral team succeeded in their journey.
I would like to publicly acknowledge our IB Diploma graduates that obtained 40 or more
points:
IB Diploma points
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Students
Katherine BOWDENBROWN
Honami KAWAMURA
Seraphina KEY
Alicia KHONG
Mei Ken LOW
Wing Tuen (Allyson) CHAU
Jian Wei YEONG
Catherine (Jenn Yi)
CHEANG
Vanessa (Wei Nee) TAN
Within the IB Diploma Programme, the core elements of the Theory of Knowledge (ToK) course
and the process of completing the Extended Essay contribute to Bonus Points. Success in these
areas in 2014-15 needs also to be recognised, as we achieved the growth that we were so looking
and working for. Almost 70% of graduates achieved either 2 or 3 Bonus Points toward their
overall score, up from 50% in the previous academic year. This year brings even more
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collaboration and team-teaching to our ToK teaching model if your son or daughter is enrolled
in the IB Diploma or is aspiring to this, please ask them about this exciting and essential heart of
the IB DP Programme.
IGCSE
This past year we had 593 exam entries from 91 candidates. Again, we are very proud of our
student achievements and particularly pleased with our improved results when compared to the
previous academic year.
Cohort
Exam Entries
A*/A
A* - B
A* - C
20132014
491
41.8%
61.1%
80.4%
2014-15
593
52.4%
73.0%
89.4%
With just under 90% of our Year 11 exam grades falling in the A*-C range and more than 50% at
A*-A level, this represents a wonderful achievement. Of our 24 different GCSE/IGCSE subjects
on offer, 14 achieved 100% A*-C. The IGCSE courses that students endure represent the most
rigorous curriculum, recognised internationally. A heartfelt congratulations to all of our Year 11
students who have inspired a passion for learning in our younger students.
Curriculum and Exam Registration
This week marks the end of the two-week period for IB Diploma and IGCSE students to change
their subject choices. At the start of next week, we would hope that student changes have been
accommodated and that all students are feeling well settled into their routines. The Curriculum
Office is still pleased to consider changes between HL and SL for IB Diploma students; this is
considered on a case by case basis, with teacher consultation and at the discretion of the IB
Diploma Coordinator and the Head of Curriculum. Selection of the appropriate HL subjects is
extremely important in maintaining a healthy balance for a students programme, with due
consideration to university requirements and obtaining a desired overall score. All Year 13 IB
Diploma students are currently registered for their exams and Year 12 students will be registered
toward the end of this academic year.
For Year 11 IGCSE students, exam registration will commence next week. Students who are
required or who would like to retake exams in the November 2015 session need to contact Mr
Rose immediately to confrim their place on the registration list. For first time exam entrants in
Year 11, exam registration will be completed within the next few weeks before the deadline on
the 21st September. For students in other year levels who might wish to take an IGCSE exam
early, or for those students who would like to register for extra exams (i.e. Mandarin, Malay, First
Language German) please contact Mr Rose urgently.
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At this time of year it is usual for Penang to be affected by haze from plantation burning in
Indonesia. On Wednesday the air quality deteriorated significantly resulting in most outdoor PE
lessons being moved to indoors. The School monitors the API (Air Pollution Index) frequently
and should the API reach an unhealthy level of 101 or over we keep children indoors and cancel
all outdoor activities. With API levels remaining below 100 we hope the air quality continues to
improve in the days and weeks ahead.
For students in years 5 and 6 we have replaced the old metal lockers with new yellow and green
ones. Each student will we be assigned a new locker for the year to keep bags, books and personal
equipment. We recommend each student brings a small padlock to keep personal items safe and
secure. Students must take responsibility for looking after their own padlock keys or
remembering padlock codes.
This week, most classes started their first units of inquiry for the new academic year:
Reception Who we are
Central idea: Family relationships contribute to shaping our identity.
Year 1 Who we are
Central idea: Peoples relationships with each other can have an impact on well-being.
Year 2 Who we are
Central idea: The choices people make affect their health and well being.
Year 3 Sharing the planet
Central idea: When interacting with natural habitats, humans make choices that have an impact on other
living things.
Year 4 Who we are
Central idea: The effective interactions between human body systems contribute to health and survival.
Year 5 Who we are
Central idea: Peoples cultural background has an impact on their cultural beliefs, values and actions.
Year 6 Who we are
Central idea: A persons behaviour and how they choose to present themselves project aspects of their
identity.
With Co-curricular Activities beginning on Tuesday, 2nd September Primary students will end
their days at differing times. Please help us by reminding your children each morning what time
their bus will depart from school or if they are being collected from the campus.
In next weeks newsletter we will update parents on important calendar events planned for this
term.
Finally, School will be closed for Merdeka Day on Monday, 1st September. Enjoy the long
weekend!
Alison Nicholson
Head of Primary
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paying attention
asking questions
taking good notes
By paying attention, being interested, listening and engaging in the lesson you will give your
brain a head start in learning, understanding and remembering what you have learned. Asking
questions helps to clarify and reinforce information. Taking good notes helps reinforce learning,
helps with revision and improves information recall later.
Once you have taken good notes:
Make sure you are organized
You can do this by:
1.
2.
3.
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Study does not happen by itself it requires action from you. If you need help with organization
speak to your tutors or teachers.
Being organized helps with your memory, it saves time later and helps you manage stress levels.
A study plan helps ensure study is manageable and also helps you to build in essential down
time for your brain to process information (more about this later).
Manage your work loads and work at a steady consistent pace
A common student pitfall is falling behind with work and becoming overwhelmed trying to
manage new assignments along with overdue or urgent assignments.
You can manage your work load effectively by:
Allocate your study time in order of priority 1, 2, 3. Give some attention to all areas to avoid ongoing and optional areas becoming urgent.
Being aware and honest with yourself is the first step toward studying better.
I hope this has been useful for both students and parents.
School Supports
LEARNING SUPPORT
If you find yourself having trouble with areas like organizing a study timetable, note taking or
practical study skills please speak to Mrs. Bush or one of your tutors.
COUNSELING
If you find yourself becoming overwhelmed or stressed please make an appointment to see Mr.
Johnston
A final thought
Some succeed because they are destined to:
Others succeed because they are determined to.
David Johnston, School Counselor
and Merissa Bush, Learning Support
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We are pleased to announce our first COFFEE MORNING will be held at TIFFINS restaurant at PARK ROYAL
Hotel in Batu Ferringhi from 8.30am to 10.30am on Tuesday, 8 September 2015. This will be a great
opportunity to meet other parents, teachers and members of the school leadership team. We will also
be finding out at this meeting more about the new Council of International Schools (CIS) Accreditation
Programme that the school is striving to achieve for this year, which requires the involvement of all
stakeholders in the school. If you can RSVP to coffee@upta.my this would be appreciated.
The dates for subsequent Pizza evenings, Coffee mornings and other events we will be organising will be
announced in the coming two weeks.
Please find the list of clubs up and running which you are more than welcomed to join:
Monday Night Football 8-9pm on the Astro Turf @ UPLANDS- if you would like to be on the
mailing list for this event please email football@upta.my
Monday Titans Netball League 6-9pm in the Sports Hall @ UPLANDS- If you would like to
participate in this league please email dean.metcalfe@uplands.org
Monday Afternoon Softball 4.30-5.30pm on the Astro Turf @UPLANDS- if you would like to
participate in this event please email david.peake@uplands.org
Tuesday Evening Ultimate Frisbee 5.30-6.30pm on the Astro Turf @ UPLANDS- if you would like
to be on the mailing list for this event please email frisbee@upta.my
Wednesday Evening Basketball 7pm-9pm in the Sports Hall @ UPLANDS- if you would like to
participate in this event please email philip.chao@uplands.org
Thursday Afternoon Volleyball 4.30pm-5.30pm in the Sports Hall @ UPLANDS- if you would like
to participate in this event please email andre.double@uplands.org
Friday afternoon Touch Rugby 3.00pm-4.00pm on the Astro Turf @ UPLANDS- if you would like
to participate in this event please email andre.double@uplands.org
Saturday Morning Cycling Club, meet outside UPLANDS- if you would like to be on the mailing list
for this event please email cycle@upta.my
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Please find the list of other clubs we want to set up, pending demand and confirmation of dates:
Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday Evening Ping Pong ~6.00-7.00 pm under cover behind Astro
Turf @UPLANDS. If you would like to participate in this event please email activities@upta.my
Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday Evening Badminton ~6.00-7.00 pm. Venue TBC @UPLANDS.
If you would like to participate in this event please email activities@upta.my
Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday Evening Tennis ~6.00-7.00 pm. Venue TBC near UPLANDS. If
you would like to participate in this event please email activities@upta.my
If you are interested in any SOCIAL or SPORTING activity for UPTA to support or set up please
email activities@upta.my
If you are interested in the UPTA, its Committee, what we do and ANY general help about life in
PENANG please email committee@upta.my
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Thursday
12
to
Saturday
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