newsletter january 2016 edition

UCSI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

JANUARY 2016 EDITION

TABLE OF CONTENT

Welcome NotePrincipal Message by Alex Nenes

PYP 1by Elena Mazzaby Elena Mazza

PYP 2by Robert Sutherland

PYP 3by Dawn Schroeder

PYP 4by Stephanie Valentine

PPYP 5by Joel Falk

Bahasa Malaysiaby Nurul Nadhra

Visual Artsby Jenny Ernst

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TABLE OF CONTENT

Chineseby Cindy Fang Xuan Ting

Chinese Language & Literatureby Gang Cheng

English Language & Literatureby Sara Haywardby Sara Hayward

Individual & Societiesby Alfred McDonnell

Sciencesby Sandhya

Physics Kate Vande Velde

MathematicsMathematicsby Luke Harris

Mathematicsby Kalim Khan

Art & Designby David Cunningham

Physical & Health Educationby Hollister Huntby Hollister Hunt

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TABLE OF CONTENT

Extra Co-curriculum Activities - Basketball (Boys) - Basketball (Girls) - Choir - Drama - English Support - English Support - Gardening - Origami - PYP Soccer - Russian - Swimming

Residential Life

Literacy Alive & Literacy Alive & Well

English Acquisition

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PRINCIPAL MESSAGE

Welcome to 2016 and to the first Newsletter of the year. Teachers and students have worked really hard to make sure our programmes are being de-livered according to the mission and philosophy of the IB as well as of UCSI International School Bandar Springhill and UCSI Group. Our student community grew considerably in the past 6 months and this year for the first time in the history of our school we have all 12 grade level classes, from PYP1 to DP2.2016 is a very special year for our school community as part of UCSI Group as it is the group 30th anniversary and also our first UCSI SH DP graduation. DP2 students are working really hard to meet their deadlines for IAs, EE, TOK, and also guarantee good performance in the final exams in May.

WWe recently had a very successful Service Day in UCSI Springhill in which students went out of campus to clean parks, beaches, support the local “old folks home” and the animal shel-ter. Students also worked very hard on campus by planting trees, creating objects for the school, redecorating the hallways and planting trees in the golf course.

Please enjoy reading what our teachers have written about their classes and ECAs. There are so many really nice things happening on campus that I am pleased to be able to share them with you in this newsletter.

Thank You.

Alex Nenes

UCSI International School (Springhill Campus) January 2016

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PYP 1

MS ELENA MAZZA

In the current unit of inquiry ”How We Express

Ourselves” the students are learning about

different kind of celebration. The central idea of

the unit is ”Celebrations are the way we show

others what is important to us”. For the

summative assessment, the students are

creating a display in the box about a chosen

celebration. They will orally explain the key

elements of their celebration.

The students have enjoyed the

presentations of our teachers about

celebrations in 7 continents. The

presentations of the teachers reflected

their own cultures and backgrounds. Ms.

Steph (who was born in North America) told

the students about the Independence Day

in Canada, Ms. Ming (who is from Asia)

“cooked” the dumplings with the students

for the Chinese New Year.

Mr. Steve (who is from Australia)

shared with the students the

celebration of 21st birthday in

Australia. Ms. Elena (who was born in Europe) decorated with the


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students a Christmas tree, and explained

this tradition, which came from Germany.

At the end of the unit, Ms. Ellen (from

South America) told the students about a

carnival and they all together made a

special sweets from Brazil.

We are so happy that we are an

international community of learners!


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PYP 2

MR ROBERT In PYP 2 we have been busy finding out about our community and other communities around the world. The students have researched Port Dickson, Lukut, and Seremban, to find out, what there is in our communities. They have also discussed the different cultures and their traditions. When the research was completed the students made ‘Our Community’ books and shared them

with the PYP 1 students. Recently, the students have chosen a community from another country and they are in the process of researching the community. When they are finished they will make a book about the community. The students will compare the community with their own using a Venn Diagram. This comparison will be part of the ‘Sharing with Parents’

presentation at the end of the Unit. We are all excited about our field trip to UCSI Subang and we have made a ‘MInd Map’ to

generate questions that we will ask when we visit. We are looking forward to meeting Year 2 class and finding out more about their community!


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PYP 3

MS DAWN SCHROEDER

PYP 3 Unit of Inquiry Grade 3 is finishing our third unit under the Transdisciplinary Theme – How the World Works. Our central idea is Changes in the earth and its atmosphere have impacts on the way people live their lives. As a part of our unit activities, we learned about the different types of volcanoes and where they are found in the world. We tried to create an exploding, or cinder cone, volcano through several science experiments. For the summative assessment, we first went out on a walk near the school to observe features of Springhill that could cause flooding. We chose one photograph from our walk and created a landscape using sand and other materials collected on our walk. We worked individually or in a group to think about the causes for flooding in our landscape, and what changes could be made to help prevent flooding in the future.


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PYP 4

MS STEPHANIE In PYP 4 we are currently learning about artifacts and how they can give us insights into the history of a place. We started this year off with a great field trip to Museum Negara. At the museum, students got a chance to see historical artifacts from around Malaysia. Students had a great time looking at all the different artifacts ranging from tools made of stone to pots made of clay and many more! The class showed great cooperation as they made their way around the museum taking notes of different artifacts physical characteristics and uses. We were able to become more knowledgeable on the history of Malaysia. What a great trip!


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ECA Have you made some New Year fitness goals? Well at MYP/DP personal fitness, students are working hard to improve their fitness. Each week students complete a warm-up and then decide if they want to work on their own program or participate in guided fitness. It has been great place to workout with supportive friends and work up a sweat!


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PYP 5

MR JOEL FALK

Cartography

When studying themes such as “Where We are in Place and Time”

and “How the World Works”, we

decided we should start with the world. Therefore, we collaborated with Ms. Jenny and Lan from English Language Acquisition Class to create this world map. It is a work in progress, as we will continue to include detail as it

relates to our units of inquiry. Petrosains Museum

Our study of “How the World

Works” took us to the Petrosains

Museum where we saw many of the disciplines of science demonstrated. We tried our hands, and our brains, at the many interactive exhibits. In Mind Ball, we used electric currents in our brain to move a

metal ball. We also got a chance to drive a race car, or at least a simulation of one. With the latest in advancements in technology, the Speed Simulator makes it feel like you are actually driving a race car, with lots of turns bumps, and shakes.


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Scientists and Inventions Each student chose a scientist from the past to research. Not only did they learn what each scientist invented, but they also looked at the effects the scientists had on people and the environment. The students realized that all advancements in science are built on the shoulders of previous advancements and the scientists who

discovered them. Plus, our classroom scientists came up with some inventions of their own, which will undoubtedly be available worldwide very soon.

Pig


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Early Technology In our attempt to explain how and why technology changes, we went back in time to some of the earliest machines made by humans. From the

beginning of their existence, humans have been looking for ways to make life easier and more

comfortable. They began with some simple

machines.


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BAHASA MALAYSIA

PYP 3-5

MS NAD

In our current unit “How The World

Works”, we are learning about how the

solar system works. The students are

showing a lot of interests in this unit.

They always participate in class

discussion by responding to the

questions asked. Students are able to

recognize the features of planets and

correctly naming the planets in order.

Students were given a task to complete

in a week which was creating a solar

system hat. They have to color, cut and

paste the planets on their own version of

hat. Then, they have to label the planets

in sequence with correct spelling. They

managed to complete the task using their

own creativity.


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ECA : Bahasa Club

This club is basically for PYP students. They will learn about the basic Bahasa usage. For

these past few weeks, PYP students were currently practicing hard for their performance.

They will perform 2 nursery rhymes which are “Bapaku Pulang” and “Bila Anda Gembira”.

The kids are excited and working hard to make sure they will be able to deliver the songs

well. They hope that they are able to entertain other students.


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Visual Arts

PYP 1 & 2

Unit 2 Textiles

Changes Over Place and Time

Students wove paper, ribbons, and whatever they could get their hands on. They made their own “Chops” and printed fabric designs. They turned their fabric into pillows.


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Unit 3 Painting

How we Express Ourselves

Students used only primary colors to make all the colors of the rainbow. They also illustrated a page of a book soon to be on display in the library.


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Visual Arts

PYP 3,4,5

Unit 2 Textiles

Changes Over Place and Time Students wove paper, ribbons, and whatever they could get their hands on. They made their own “Chops” and printed fabric designs. They turned their fabric into pillows. We miss you Justin!

Unit 3 Painting

How we Express Ourselves

Students used only primary colors to make all the colors of the rainbow. They also illustrated a page of a book soon to be on display in the library.

We’ll miss you Fleta!


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CHINESE

MYP

MS CINDY FANG XUAN TING

In Chinese class, MYP Chinese Language Acquisition students have

been busy experiencing Chinese festivals and celebrations. The key

concept of this unit is Culture, related concepts are Connections,

Purpose and Context. The ATL we focus on is Researching Skill.

Students raised lots of questions before the unit started and tried to

find the answers while learning.

In order to understand that people from different culture background

have their own ways to celebrate, students researched about major

festival celebrations all over the world especially the traditional


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festival costumes. They have shown the understanding of the

connections between traditional festival costume and the

corresponding culture by researching, discussing, designing their own

costumes, describing them and giving presentations.

Researching

Discussing


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Design and explanation

Presentation


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CHINESE LANGUAGE & LITERATURE

MYP

MR. GANG CHEN

Grade 7-8 students (MYP2&3) in

Chinese A are debating on “Should the

Golden Week Be Canceled”. The

Golden Week is a seven day long break

(from 10/01 to 10/07) that Chinese

people have for traveling and shopping

after days of work. It has benefits

China’s economy tourism but also

brings about many issues. The

students are divided into the

proposition and opposition side with

four debaters on each team, two time

keepers and one host. The girls team

is for the cancellation of the Golden

Week and the boys are against this

proposition. The heated debate is a

great show of quick mind, witty

remarks, humor and persuasive

argumentation. Each debater is

confidently expressing his/her idea,

listen attentively to the opponent side

speak and try to fight back by catching the flaws. “I like this debate and it is

fun”, Sebastian says after the debate, “I have learned a lot from our

opponent on this topic “.


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LANGUAGE & LITERATURE

MYP

MS SARA HAYWARD Language and Literature students have just finished their hard work of studying and writing exams. They had all previously been reading different fiction books related to their unit work. Students in MYP 1 are reading Bridge to Terabithia and will be looking at Identities and Relationships as well as perspectives. Students in MYP ⅔ are reading ‘A Long Walk

to Water’ by Linda Sue Park and looking at the

true story of Salvo and the fictional story of Nya. We have had great discussions on civil wars and who they affect and what happens to innocent citizens. Student are again looking to include evidence to back up what they write. MYP 4 are working on context of a book and what pushes an author to write about certain things and what interprets readers to interpret it the way they do. They have been analyzing the Great Depression, Dust Bowl and Migrant Workers against how it affected people and how it was used to write ‘Of Mice and Men’.


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INDIVIDUAL & SOCIETIES

MYP – GRADE 8

MR. ALFRED MCDONNELL Grade eight students have been learning about early cultures in the Americas. They have studied about the migration of people from Asia to North and South America. The unit included sections on the geography of the Americas and how environment contributed to the development of their cultures. The three main cultures studied were the Aztecs, the Mayans and the Incas of South America. After completing their studies about each culture students were given a research project in which they had to research a specific North American Indian culture and then create a model of a dwelling for the tribe, based upon their research. Each student then worked with a partner to create a model of a village for the tribe. This assignment was one that worked very well for students who have a lot of creativity, however was more challenging for students who are not so creative. The pairs were very supportive of each other and in some cases students challenged by language issues were able to take the lead because they were the more creative partners.


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SCIENCES

MYP

MS SANDHYA

Classes

MYP 1 studied matter and the periodic table. The goal of this unit was to understand the impact of

the growing population on the availability of potable water.

MYP 2 studied matter and the periodic table. The goal of the unit was to find ways to reduce or deal

with the problem of haze in Malaysia.

MYP 4 studied chemical bonding and chemical reactions. The goal of the first unit was to find out if

culture influences individual ability to identify a particular odour. The goal of the second unit was to

find cleaner ways to power vehicles.

MYP 5 studied the history of the atom and the mole concept. The goal of the first unit was to

understand the influence of technology on our understanding of the atom. The goal of the second

unit was to understand that theoretical and experimental data aren’t always in agreement.

DP 1 and 2 have been working on content and lab report writing.

ECA: Academic Support: Chemistry

DP 2 students have been answering previous IB chemistry papers during academic support. Many of

them have also been working on their Internal Assessment experiments and Internal Assessment lab

reports. Students who chose chemistry for their extended essay have been writing the essay.


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PHYSICS

DP

MS KATE VANDE VELDE In this first term, the DP1 students plunged for their first time into the wonders

of the physics. While learning about motions, forces, energies, they also applied concepts of uncertainties and errors in their investigations. Playing with water balloons helped them to understand the relations between mass, velocity, force,

and time of impact. Applying the theory into exercises was sometimes a challenge, but taking each step at a time helped to finally come to some correct

answers.

Meanwhile, the DP2 students finished the core material. The topic of circular motion gave them the chance to recapitulate some concepts learned in

dynamics. Atomic, nuclear, and particle physics opened a totally new area in their knowledge. The biggest challenge, though, was doing the internal assessment. Students had to design an investigation all by themselves.

Starting with the choice of a topic, fine-tuning this into a research question, making decisions about the methodology of the investigation, collecting and

interpreting the data: this type of assessment gives them the opportunity to show their growth during the past year-and-a-half in a domain of personal

interest. Nicole narrowed her interest in sound to a research on the relation between the height from which an object falls and the intensity of the sound. Wan Yun likes to play ultimate Frisbee an applied this in an investigation looking

for the relation between the launch angle of the Frisbee and the time needed to land.


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MATH

MYP 2, 3, 4

MR. LUKE HARRIS

The first semester went well in all of my math classes. On average, the students here have more

math knowledge than any other place I’ve previously worked. I applaud our parents for bringing us

such well-prepared students. I would like to thank my students for their hard work throughout this

semester. We speak frequently about how all of this is really about them. Whatever effort they put

into their classes should result in better scores in the future.

My classes are all preparing to begin a new unit, with exams finishing this week. Grade 7 and 8

students are beginning their Geometry units. Grade 9 students just finished their Geometry unit, and

will begin algebraic factorization. Math Studies students have recently finished Topic 5, Geometry

and Trigonometry, and are preparing to begin Topic 6, Mathematical Models. Each new unit brings

the opportunity for some interesting and creative projects. I can definitely see that the students are

ready to move on from the material they have studied throughout the first semester.


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MYP 5 Mathematics

Grade 10 - Extended

Mr. Kalim Khan

It was a great year to begin with amazing wonderful students.

Grade 10 students have been working on equations, functions, geometry, and

transformations. Gladly to say that now we are applying the concepts that have been

learning into creating a digital image. Students now are able to re-create a design

into a vector image, which then uses the mathematical functions ranging from simple

lines to complicated trigonometry and eclipse equations to form a picture.

Fundamentally, usage of Graphical Display Calculator is compulsory and it assist in

the teaching and learning the process. The usage of GDC, as well as other

instructional technology incorporation, is always emphasize in Maths class. The idea

behind this is, students are not going to solve equations whey they start to work,

instead, they will be using equations and functions to create things. And this is what

we do in Mr. Kalim Maths class…

With great minds, we achieve our 1st milestone of image…

Soon, we will be presenting to you sophisticated and mind blowing graphical

images using Maths…


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ART & DESIGN

MYP

MR. DAVID CUNNINGHAM

Art 1 & 2

This year we have been exploring the wonderful

world of cartooning. We have worked on our

drawing skills and studied how to make our

drawings expressive using the vocabulary of

cartoons. Our main focus this semester has been

an investigation into the use of cartooning in

advertising. How can we “sell” a product with

an appealing character and compelling product

packaging? Next up: We will continue our development of fun and interesting

characters with the added elements of humor and story.

Art 3, 4, & 5

Our focus for this semester has been on

movement and character for animation.

We started with explorations in motion

and how to make the inanimate seem

both active and alive. Our next

investigation was into the development

of character and how to give it

personality and life. Our final unit was

in 2-dimensional hand-drawn

animation. Through the use of Walt

Disney’s 12 Principles of Animation we learned to give elasticity to our objects

and fluidity to our motion. We created forms that not only live in a world, but are

able to physically interact with it. We will be taking these concepts and applying

the added element of story as we build on last years experience in the coming

months. Stay tuned!


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MYP Design 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5

It has been an exciting semester in design

class. We started the year with an exploration

of drafting. Its language and symbols are the

way in which we as designers communicate

with the people who produce and build our

products. Our next work was in the stages and

use of the IB Design Cycle. The Clock Design

Challenge has concluded the semester and led

to the developments that we will be sharing at

The Design Showcase. Please join us this Friday 29th January in the cafeteria to

see the fine work and contribute to our ongoing research and development. Our

upcoming semester will include explorations into orthographic projection and

isometric drawing. We will also continue our use of the design cycle in the

development and production of small scale racing cars. They will be both fast and

furious.


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PHYSICAL & HEALTH EDUCATION

MYP 1-4

MS HOLLISTER HUNT MYP 1,2,4 are wrapping up their basketball unit. They finish their exam with full games of basketball in their competitive teams. Ask them to share their team profiles with you--they are great. Students developed their skills through inquiry, exploring what it takes to make a successful team. Serious teamwork, communication and taking various roles and responsibilities for their teams led to some great games and wonderful camaraderie amongst diverse groups of students. Students learned that there are many decisions to be made on the basketball court: to dribble or not to dribble, who do I pass to, where do I go to get free of this pesky defense, should I go for the three-pointer or make the better percentage shot? Most students learned that they could improve and make a significant contribution to their favorite team no matter what the name or rather Nameless, A.E.T., Ace or Lightning Strikes.

Watch out for those Lightning Strikes. They are dangerous!

Who wants to be Center? Who has the best reach? Choose me, choose me!!


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ECA


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BASKETBALL - BOYS

MR GANG CHEN

Zhi Rong, new comer to UCSI

Basketball Club, is doing free

throws as the other side

defenders try stepping in to box

offensive side out. After one

year’s training and playing,

UCSI basketball students are

gradually turning from rookies

to rising stars and playing more

and more professionally. The know how to take open shots, draw

fouls and switch freely from man-to-man defense to zone defense.

“I love this game”, Woo Song smiles, “I hope I can learn to play

singles and dominate this game.”


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GIRLS BASKETBALL

MR ALFRED MCDONNELL MYP and DP girls have been working on building their skills during ECA this term. Many have shown a lot of improvement in dribbling, passing and shooting the ball. It is encouraging to see their enthusiasm for playing the sport and competing with one another. We are hopeful to set up a match in the near future against another school.


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CHOIR

MS JENNIFER HARRIS LOW & MR KALIM

The ECA’s this quarter were rather short, but the choir accomplished a lot in the

time! They performed after only 3 rehearsals together at the Multicultural Festival

and even did a song with Chris from DP1 on the violin. They will be finishing off

the quarter with a lunch time performance of the three songs that learned. They

learned “Brother Come and Dance With Me” which is form the opera Hansel and

Gretel, “Catch a Falling Star,” and “A Sailor Went to Sea.” A big than-you to the

grade 10 girls Melanie, Anusha, Nina, Shalini, and Subha who helped the PYP

group by running games, holding their music, and singing strong. Please enjoy a

sneak peak of our upcoming lunch time show of “Brother Come and Dance With

Me” at the youtube link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBDrl5zjW6o

UCSI’s Got Musical Talent The students managed to do a drum performance at the Multicultural Festival

after only three practices! They sure ended the performance with a bang! Some of

the students made their own songs following graphic notation, and some

practiced playing the glockenspiel, recorder, guitar, piano, and singing. Look

forward to some more Talent Shows coming up in the future

A Peek Into the Music Room! The grade threes have been studying the message behind the music. They are

looking deeper than just the notes and the rhythms by discovering the historical

context, the meaning of the lyrics, and more. They have learned to sing and

studied the lyrics to the American, Canadian, and Malaysian national anthems.

They found that anthems are used to influence the citizens of the country by

reminding them to be patriotic, defend their country, and telling them how lucky

they are to live there. Please enjoy the grade threes singing the Canadian Anthem

“O Canada” at the youtoube link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glh4hh91G0s


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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBDrl5zjW6o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glh4hh91G0s

DRAMA

MS SARA HAYWARD After much preparation and anticipation, the Drama club is now holding auditions for our upcoming production of several Aesop’s fables. This is a CAS

project done by DP 1 students- Teck Hao, Joshua, Christopher and David. On Friday, January 29th they had a car wash in the school parking lot to raise money for costumes and props for the production. They have been working hard planning out and preparing! Come out and see the production in June!


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GARDENING

MR ROBERT We have had a great time gardening this ECA. The students were very engaged and eager to find out more about plants. First, we brainstormed about different plants, their needs, and set-up an action plan. We brought in used plastic water containers to.plant our seeds in, seeds, and soil. We germinated the seeds in the PYP 2 classroom and found an area to plant in the garden by the school play area. We had our most success with growing lettuce, beans, green onions, and Chinese lettuce. We also planted Rose Bushes and Sunflowers. We are waiting to see what will happen with the seeds we recently planted and excited to see how they grow.


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ADVANCED ORIGAMI

MS DAWN SCHROEDER This term in advanced origami, we started by learning some basic origami skills like book folds, diagonal folds, petal folds and the square base. We then made a variety of objects and shapes including a flower, a covered box with a bow and modular (made of multiple, interlocking pieces) stars and boxes. We also made some Valentine’s inspired hearts and envelopes. I hope the students will continue to use their creativity and skills to make new paper crafts in the future.


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SOCCER

MR LUKE HARRIS

PYP Soccer has been a great time throughout the second quarter. We’ve played some soccer, and we’ve

also played a number of other games, such as killing those pesky ants that sometimes like to run up and

down the trees outside. The students appear to enjoy the opportunity to get to run around at the end of

the day and to be outside, and Ms. Stephanie and I have greatly enjoyed the relaxed time with students

that PYP Soccer has offered.


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RUSSIAN CLUB

MS ELENA MAZZA

In Russian club (2 sessions) the students had the opportunity to

learn Russian (Cyrillic) alphabet, simple conversation, cultural facts etc.

The students have enjoyed watching Russian cartoons, listen to Russian

music and making “salad Olivie”. In both session we had about 14

students. Here are student’s comments:

Francis, grade 11th: “It was fun to learn new culture, I have learned

many new things about Russia”

Shalini, grade 10th “It was so cool and an interesting experience”

On February 2nd we will present a fairy tale “Kalabok” (A Ginger-bread)

as a culmination of our learning of Russian language and culture.


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SWIMMING

MS HOLLISTOR HUNT

We have a big range of beginner swimmers and improving swimmers on Wednesdays. It shows that it is never too

late to learn to swim or swim better. We also try to have a game or fun activity before finishing our sessions like

Water Polo (on seahorses of course) or Sharks and Minnows. Thank you to all the student assistant teachers who

step up when needed for our youngest beginners.

Swimming opportunities this

month have greatly improved with a reduction in the

number of ECA timed Thunderstorms.

An important strategy of our swimming program is peer

coaching in which all swimmers can give feedback to their

partner.

Ready, set...go!


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Residential Life is………… A quick reflection on 2015 reveals a happy group of students who work and play together well. We are very well represented in all school activities. None more so than the Talent Show held late last term. We had performers, organisers and stage crew all from our amongst our student residents. At the end of the term we enjoyed a dinner together celebrating the culmination of the term and the holiday break to come. Towards the end of 2015 we welcomed Natalie and this month we welcomed four new students and their families to our community.

Natalie Jade Ciel Chung Fikry We hope that you enjoy your time with us. We also wish Zikry all the best after his recent stay in hospital and hope that he feels 100% very soon. Our numbers continue to grow which is very pleasing and in time we will welcome more new students into our Residential Life Programme. Calendar Dates We are coming into a busy time of the year. The Residential Life Community Calendar is now incorporated into the main school calendar. Weekend events are planned every weekend until the end of the academic year.


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EXEAT Weekends /Holiday Breaks 2016 Please note that we have three EXEAT weekends planned for 2016 requiring all students to have leave during that the following times:

Month Date Student Exit after 12.30

p.m and before 6 p.m Date Students Return by 9.30 p.m

Length

February 5th February 9th February 3 full days

March 25th March 3rd April 8 full days

May 4th May 8th May 3 full days

June 24th June 23rd August T.B.C End of Year Exit /Return New Year

Academic Support Over the course of the coming months we will see all students sitting for exams, completing papers and projects and finalising displays and presentations. To facilitate these endeavours the following additions/ changes/ modifications to our programme will occur:

1. English Support Programme – offered during the week during Prep time in blocks of 20 mins.

2. Extended DP study times Monday and Wednesday evenings

3. Formal Sunday Prep time 2.30 p.m – 4.30 p.m

4. Study weekends prior to exam weeks ie Sat 16 Sun 17 Jan

We also need support of parents to ensure that adequate study time is provided for students on leave over the weekends. We recognise the need for recreation and fun for a balanced life but we also need to ensure that students complete the additional work required for projects and assignment work. Please ensure at least two hours is taken up for study time over the weekend. Policies During the last term we reviewed and updated a number of procedures including leave, discipline and academic support. This year drafts of health and safety and emergency procedures have been reviewed and in due course will be implemented. All in all we are confident the best care we can offer is being put in place to ensure the academic and well being of our student residents. We look forward to the remainder of the year.


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Literacy Alive & Well at UCSI

Hi welcome to an update from our library where living literacy is vital to our school.

We get asked all the time about how the library works in supported literacy at UCIS and this

how I respond. We work in three ways to support to the schools IB programme and make

literacy live in the school.

1. Whole School Wider Reading Programme

Every student is encouraged to borrow books each week to read for pleasure and

knowledge. PYP and MYP students have all commenced a programme to record and reflect

on their reading. We do this regularly in different ways through responding to our reading

we make it purposeful and useful. The work builds into a notebook for further reflection.

‘Ultimately reading benefits our knowledge but it’s not just academic stuff; reading gives us

surprises. I like being surprised and learning something new about something and about

life.” Lay Kai Bing MYP 3

2. Class Activities

Each week students meet in the library for a focus session on a number of

topics. Again these vary from class to class and the needs of the groups.

PYP classes may require resources or teachers may request activities to

support the current Units of Enquiry being conducted in classes. MYP

students may have a session on a particular novel they are reading or

assignment task for a subject such as Individuals in Societies or Language

and Literature. An example was the 21st Birthday project the PYP 1& 2

class did whilst looking at Cultural

celebrations around the world.

Another is the work we did on the novel ‘Goodnight Mr

Tom’ with MYP 2. Class activities also may consist of

opportunities for students to respond to their story

telling activities. Classes may participate in storytelling

activities and responses. An example was the PYP 1 & 2

students preparing posters of their daddies in response

to one of our new books, ‘My Daddy’ by Julia Hubery.

Another was the response through drama the MYP 3 students made after reading ‘The Sticky

Doll Trap’ by Jessica Souhami. They engaged in role playing and discussion about the story they had heard.


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https://www.google.com/search?espv=2&biw=1489&bih=652&q=jessica+souhami&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LRT9c3NErKzTArN7JU4tLP1TcwLUyLL6zSkslOttJPys_P1i8vyiwpSc2LL88vyrZKLC3JyC8CAM45EUU6AAAA&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwirrazFkrXKAhUPcI4KHUCtC_wQmxMIiQEoATAT

3. Library and Research Skills

Students are expected to know how to use the library and the various elements of the

collection. There are also a wide range of resources available on- line and the ability to use

the internet for research and cite source materials correctly is important. Over the course of

the year elements of this important area are covered as well. An example was the work PYP

3 students did recently learning about where to access E-books. PYP 5 students have

learned about the Dewey system and the research possibilities using the library computer

which is loaded with links.

New books are displayed regularly and a calendar of

events is planned to make the library come alive.

Look out for the following activities:

February 23rd - Chinese New Year Colouring Competition

(PYP Students)

March 16th - Library Skills Paper Easter Egg Hunt (PYP

Students)

See you in the library soon.

Regards,

Stephen-John Curtis


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THANK YOUwww.ucsiinternationalschool.edu.my/sh/

newsletter january 2016 edition

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