Contents

To all in the Uplands Community,

Message from the Principal

Air Quality Monitor
Primary News
Year 7 Experiential Learning Trip
Year 8 Experiential Learning Trip
Year 9 Experiential Learning Trip
Year 10 Experiential Learning Trip
The Alice in Wonderland Prom
Japanese School Visit
Yellis & Allis Testing
UPTA News
Upcoming Events

I was hoping that I would not be using

the haze word this half term. It has
become a word that is being used too
frequently! As you are aware, all schools
on the Malaysian Peninsular were
closed on Thursday and schools in
Penang were closed today for the second
day. The school has continued to have many
conversations about the situation here in Penang,
with parents, staff, Board of Governors and other
International Schools, both in Penang and Malaysia,
as well as with the Ministry of Education.
The school will continue to follow its guidelines on
air quality and will continue to update all
stakeholders should there be a significant change in
the air quality. Please refer to the guidelines that
were sent to all stakeholders last week. These have
also be published on our Twitter and Facebook
pages.

The latest AQI Reading

(It is on its way down!)

Although the week has been truncated I am

delighted to share the enclosed news in this
newsletter. I expect the school to be open as usual
on Monday. Please check for alerts from the school
confirming this on Sunday evening.
Yours sincerely,

Matthew Bristow
Principal

To help the school with its decision-making about the action it

takes with changing air quality, Uplands is actively seeking to
purchase a portable air quality monitor so we know the exact
AQI readings at Uplands School in Batu Ferringhi.
The monitor will have the ability to measure PM2.5 as well as
PM 10 AQI readings. We will be able to record and log not only
the outside air quality but also the quality of the classrooms
and teaching areas.
The monitor is being sourced from the manufacturer in
America and will be delivered as soon as it can be shipped to
Penang.
We look forward to its arrival!

Our programme for the second half of this term has already been disrupted with School being
closed yesterday and today.
Mondays Sharing Assembly hosted by Year 3 has been re-scheduled to Monday, 2nd
November.
There will be no rehearsal tomorrow for Ali Baba and the Bongo Bandits.
Primary Halloween Party: We hope many families will join us between 5:00 and 7:30pm on
Thursday, 29th October. I know many children, and parents too, have already created their
costumes. Parents have been contacted through the Class Parent Reps to contribute a small
plate of finger food (each year group is different) so we can ensure that the children have a
variety of healthier food and more to eat than just candy!

ALI BABA and the BONGO BANDITS

Presented by Years 5 and 6
The International School of Penang (Uplands)
Stage 1, penangpac, Straits Quay
Friday, 13th November
7:00pm
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Tickets are ready for sales. Patrons can make purchases either via walk-in, phone or online
through PPAC- STRAITS QUAY or at the Primary Office. RM 25 per ticket. One night only
performance be sure to get your tickets early.
The online link as below:
http://www.ticketpro.com.my/jnp/theatre/1710721-penangpac-alibaba.html
Future Events and Important Dates
October
Friday, 23rd Saturday, 24th October ISKL Trick or Treat Swim Meet - cancelled
Monday, 26th October
Sharing Assembly hosted by Year 3 2:00pm
re-scheduled to Monday 2nd November
Wednesday, 28th October
Thursday, 29th October
Friday, 30th October
Monday 2nd November
Thursday, 5th November
Thursday, 5th November
Monday, 9th November
Tuesday, 10th November
Friday, 13th November
Monday, 23rd November
Tuesday, 24th November
Wednesday, 16th December

Year 1 visit to the Spice Gardens (am)

Primary Halloween Party 5:00-7:30pm
Reception Year 3 The Way Back Home
performance, PPAC, Straits Quay (am)
Sharing Assembly hosted by Year 3 2:00pm
Year 4 visit Dance Studio
Year 5 visit BRAUN, Bayan Lepas 8:50am 1:30pm
Sharing Assembly hosted by Reception/Year 1 2:00pm
Deepavali School closed
Year 5/6 Production Penangpac Theatre, Straits Quay
Sharing Assembly hosted by Year 6 2:00pm
An Introduction to the IB PYP for parents new to
Uplands Primary 7:00pm
Whole School Christmas Concert 6:30pm

Alison Nicholson
Head of Primary

It was Tuesday morning when we left our school

On our way to the roots where there was a pool
We got on the bus and off we go
To an amazing place called Ipoh
We arrived at the roots at 12pm as planned
We walked along the path with our suitcase in hand
We played some games for an hour or so
We got paint on our faces if we were too slow
For lunch we had spaghetti bolognese
Fortunately there wasnt much haze
We were happy to be in this really cool place
Everybody was hungry and stuffed food in their face
The next morning we woke up quite early
This way of living makes my hair so curly
The trekking we did was really good fun
Although at the time we just wanted it to be done
We were taken to Orang Asli by a guy we called Mr. Janet
It was a whole different world, a brand new planet
This place was outstanding I have to say
I know we had to leave but the memories will stay
The rooms we stayed in there made of bamboo
Everything was covered except for the loo
Rafting was hard we had to work as a team
The zip line was amazing you just had to scream
Ipoh is great, who needs beaches
But we couldve done without the bloodsucking leaches
We want to thank Mr. Pavin and his Ecoteer friends
We will remember them all till the very end.

More photographs at
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.543949575753197.1073741838.500828300065325&type=3

Inspite of the pollution that threatened our Year 8 experiential learning trip we had a great trip.
From the long journey to the Cameron Highlands and a night in a hotel, to the actual campsite
and the dark depths of Tiger Cave, the students of Year 8 were extremely sensible, well behaved
and full of enthusiasm for the challenges they faced. And the challenges came on a daily basis!
Dealing with leeches, cold water showers, tent life, bat poo and unfamiliar food. Lets also not
forget abseiling, bat poo (yes more of it) and spending 24 hours a day with friends and teachers!
A challenge for one student was swimming through dark, cold water and for another it was the
lack of home comforts. For many, being away from home comforts and family, in this less than
comfortable setting was a constant challenge, but once again every student did their best to be
resilient, and most importantly, be a risk-taker.
I certainly hope that you as parents try and encourage your children to reflect on the highs and
lows of the trip, but most importantly that you praise them for surviving and more than meeting
the expectations of the teachers and Ecoteer staff.
Please consider visiting the Ecoteer Facebook page for their own collection of images and
reflections on the trip and SGI who lead our caving and abseiling also have a page with more
photos on. I will also be making our trip photos available for the students to select and take
home as treasured memories.
I am sure more than a few children came home smelling as bad as their bagsexhausted from
camping and full activity daysstarving for some proper food. But I also hope they came home
with stories of their time away which reflect a learning process, a growing maturity and a better
understanding of the rainforest and its inhabitants both animal and human.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Mac, Ms Lim, Mr Johnstone, Ms Marshall, Mrs
Pearson, Mr Butterfield, Mr Double and Mrs Shefalika for their unstinting support and energy
that week. We all showed resilience and we should all be proud of what we achieved!
Lynsey Collis
Head of Year 8 & 9

More photographs at
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.543949849086503.1073741839.500828300065325&type=3

After travelling almost 300 km by land and sea, Year 9 arrived on the beautiful, coral-fringed
islands of Perhentian to be greeted by the enthusiastic volunteers of Ecoteer, who had an exciting
range of activities lined up for the eager students.
There were three main foci for the week; service, conservation, and culture and teaching.
As part of the service group, students helped in the local village by painting houses. The
conservation group gave students the opportunity to learn more about the plight of coral and
the marine life which inhabits it, including the rapidly-declining green turtle. Students then
snorkeled around some of the reefs surrounding the islands, spotting turtles, rays and even reef
sharks! The culture and teaching group learnt about how local delicacies such as kuih are made,
before spending the afternoon working with children at the local primary school.
Each evening was capped with team-building activities which strengthened relations between
students and provided an opportunity to reflect on the days activities.
Over the course of the week, the Year 9 students gained a much greater perspective of their role
in society and how they can contribute positively to the lives of those less fortunate than
themselves.
Above all, there was a sense of enjoyment and achievement which will hopefully continue
throughout the school year.
You can find more pictures from the Year 9 trip on the Uplands Facebook page. There are also
photos on Ecoteers Facebook page.
More photographs at
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.543949475753207.1073741837.500828300065325&type=3

As the trip leader for Year 10 to Bintan, Indonesia, I believe it would be an understatement to
say that the trip has truly exceeded our expectations, i.e. the students as well as the staff in terms
of the learning that took place, the ways in which we challenged ourselves as well as how we had
the opportunity to forge stronger bonds with classmates and as a community in general. But
rather than telling you, please allow me to show you through the comments I received from
students reflections (I omitted the names as I did not want the students to feel uncomfortable,
after all, the reflections are personal):
I experienced many new things on this trip; I learned to take care of myself. Ive learned to be
open-minded, so that I can learn and try new things. I liked the activities, taking risks to try new
things. I loved it! I learned that I like new things, to do activities that are exciting.
What I did not like was that we only had five days!
I learned that being open-minded towards things is great. Everything has positive and negative
sides to it. Its just the way you think about it. Life isnt always perfect, some days are great and
some are not. Just think by the end you will be fine. These skills could be applied in real life.
Having a principled mind towards things is always important. If you set a goal in life, both in
school and work, when you achieve it, you feel good and accomplished in life. This will be
important later on because people with goals set have higher chances to accomplish something.
Being open-minded towards things, will make your life go better. When things go wrong, always
remember that there is a bright side and let it go from your heart. Your life would be better and
you would be able to enjoy life to the fullest.
I personally thought this trip was quite fun. It wasnt as bad as I expected it to be. When we
first heard of the eco-friendly resort, where we were not allowed to bring phones, all of us
complained about it and we thought that we couldnt live for a week. Without all the electronic
devices, we actually did communicate more with our friends and spent more time with them. The
thing that I liked most were the activities that we did, I think all the activities were much better
that last years. The thing I disliked about this trip was the toilet and the food. The water pressure
was too small to wash our hair and we had to queue for a long time. I tried out a lot of new
activities during this trip, which was quite fun and exciting. I learned to be a risk taker,
communicator, to have a caring attitude and to be open-minded throughout the trip by doing all
the different activities.
From my perspective, this trip has by far been my favourite, and also it has been one of the most
beneficial. When I left home, I dreaded the thought of being without my phone or any electronic
devices. However, in fact I really enjoyed without them. The simplicity of the place was a pleasant
experience, and I enjoyed being with people whose lifestyle was quite alien to me at first. During
the trip it really dawned on me how fortunate I am to have many things that make everyday life
very comfortable; whether that be a warm water shower, a cold room to sleep in at night, a
comfortable bed and even having your dirty dishes washed by a machine. I learnt to cooperate
with a vast number of people and realised how to be a more efficient communicator. However,
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it wasnt easy and I was forced to wake up at ungodly hours in the morning. Despite not having
many of the pleasures I am blessed with at home, I was already starting to become accustomed
to the lack of them after the first day, and I was growing quite fond of the experience. I learnt a
lot of things about myself, and many skills through the many activities, which I shall apply later
on in life. The favourite part of the trip for me was stepping out of my comfort zone to do a lot
of activities, which I then discovered I loved. I will always remember how my friend and I
completed the rock climb step by step together after me being afraid in the beginning, and really
realising the importance of teamwork and having a caring attitude.
These are just some of the many positive reflections I had the pleasure to read. We are now
working on further improving the programme for next year, and I must say, I feel very excited
about the future. It was a pleasure to spend time with such amazing young people, and it really
did not feel a task. It was not nearly as exhausting as I believed it would be. I came back
energised from the trip and very much looking forward to working with the people who truly
make Uplands great! I sincerely hope the students felt the same, and Im sure they did from the
example of their reflections.
Thank you!
Kind regards,
Kim Derudder
More photographs at
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.543696745778480.1073741835.500828300065325&type=3

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The Uplands Student Council is delighted to inform you that the highly anticipated event of the
year, the Annual School Prom will be held in the Eastern & Oriental (E&O) Hotels Grand Ballroom
on Friday 11th December 2015 from 7pm 12am.
Please take note that this event concludes at 10:30pm sharp for all year 7 students.
All secondary students are hereby invited to an evening styled Through the Looking Glass,
inspired by the timeless classic Alice in Wonderland.
All students must be picked up promptly by their respective parents/guardian upon the
conclusion of this event. If any parent/guardian is unable to do so, alternative transport must be
arranged for your child. Should this be the case, their respective Head of Year must be informed
of your arrangement, at the latest a week prior to the School Prom.
The dress code for this event is strictly formal. Students may choose to dress according to the
theme, though this is not mandatory.
The price to attend the School Prom this year per student is RM120. If more than one child per
family chooses to attend, they will receive a discount of RM10. This will result in a price of RM110
for each additional child.
Please complete the form below and return it to your tutor by Wednesday 4th November 2015.
We hope you will join us for a whimsical night to remember.
Yours sincerely,
Aniqah Chen and Dong Joo Kim
(President and Vice President of the Uplands Student Council)

..................
I, _______________________________, give my son/daughter _______________________, of
tutor group ______ with student ID number ____________ permission to attend the 2015
Annual USC Prom.
I agree to have the payment of RM 120/110 billed to my school account.
For payment of RM110 only:
Name of sibling attending Prom at RM120: ____________________________________ of tutor
group ______ with student ID number __________________

Signature of Parent/Guardian:

__________________________

Date:

__________________________
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On the morning of Monday, 28th September, Mr. Urae (Principal of Penang Japanese School) visited
Uplands, and he observed Year 8 and Year 9 Japanese lessons. Mr. Urae was very impressed with the
students knowledge of language, and students engaged in the many class activities, which the Principal
himself participated in and enjoyed. As a Japanese teacher at Uplands, it was a pleasure to have him visit
us. We also discussed the Japanese language programme offered here at Uplands, as part of his enquiry
into Japanese language provision at Uplands and in Penang generally.
Year 8 and 9 Japanese language learners are lucky once again, to have an opportunity to visit Penang
Japanese School in late November this year as part of the exchange culture programme, and we are all
looking forward to this event.
Head of Japanese
Yoshiko Fox

This week, Year 10 and Year 12 students were issued with a letter outlining a request for them to sit their
Yellis and ALIS Computer-Adaptive Tests on Tuesday, October 27th. This has been purposely set so that
students can sit the test at a convenient time throughout the day in accordance with their Parent Teacher
Conference bookings, thus also avoiding any disruption for classes at this key time of year. If you have
not already had the chance, please take the time to review the information in the letter issued to your
son or daughter.
I look forward to seeing many of you next Tuesday.
Paul Rose
Head of Curriculum and Assessment

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We are pleased to announce our next SOCIAL event will be a COFFEE MORNING to be held at
TIFFINS restaurant, PARK ROYAL Hotel in Batu Ferringhi on November 3 rd from 8.30am to
10.30am. This will be a great opportunity to meet other parents, teachers, members of the
school leadership team and hopefully the governors too. If you can RSVP to coffee@upta.my
this would be appreciated.
Volunteers Required:

Secondary School Disco 30rd October- Please can you provide finger food for the children
which UPTA is happy to finance- 7pm

Primary School Disco 29th October- Please can you volunteer to assist with decorations
11:00am

Translation services- Mainly for parent/teacher evenings to help other parents

understand better their childrens progress. All languages requested, but most popular
required are specifically Mandarin, Korean, and Japanese please.

Please email volunteers@upta.my if you can help with any of the above.
Regarding our UPTA Community Privilege Programme, we are pleased to welcome the following
additional vendor to our list of suppliers offering discounts, and an amendment to an existing
vendor (both effective from 29th October 2015, with usual condition of showing your UPLANDS
card and not in conjunction with any other offers:
VALERIE EE OPTICAL AND CONTACT LENS No.333, Jalan Burma, Pulau Tikus, (Tel 04 228 5370)

20-25% Discount for selected spectacle frames and sunglasses.

20% Discount for prescription glasses

ASICS SPORT SHOP, Gurney Plaza or Queensbay Mall (Tel 04 2266068 or 04 6424368)

10% off listed prices for Shoes only, including any shoes with existing 10 or 20% discount.
15% off listed prices for apparels, not including socks.
Apparels with existing discounts are entitled to an additional 10% off.

For a full list of vendors in our programme, please refer to our Facebook page and notice board
in school. If there are any vendors you would like us to approach to extend our list of community
suppliers please email community@upta.my

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For a full list of social and sports clubs with their contact details that UPTA runs for Parent,
Teacher and Staff members please refer to our Facebook page.
If you are interested in the UPTA, its Committee and what we do or any general help about life
in PENANG please email committee@upta.my

Primary Halloween Party 5:00-7:30pm

Thursday 29 October 2015

Deepavali School Closed

Tuesday 10 November 2015

U15 FOBISIA Games Dulwich College Suzhou

Thursday 12 - Saturday 14
November 2015

Year 5/6 Production PenangPAC Theatre, Straits Quay

Friday 13 November 2015

An Introduction to the IB PYP for parents new to

Uplands Primary 7:00pm

Tuesday 24th November

Whole School Christmas Concert 6:30pm

Wednesday 16th December

Term 1 ends at 12.00 noon

Friday 18 December 2015

Boarding House closes at 12.00 noon

Saturday 19 December 2015

Orientation Day for all new students morning

Monday 11 January 2016

Boarding House re-opens at 2.30 pm

Monday 11 January 2016

Term 2 starts for all students 8.00 am

Tuesday 12 January 2016

FOR FULL INFORMATION PLEASE SEE SCHOOL CALENDAR

http://www.uplands.org/school/?page_id=14006
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